Category Archives: Lifestyle

What To Know When Getting A Body Piercing For The First Time

11/14/2023 R.C. Liley 2 Comments

Getting a body piercing for the first time is somewhat exciting and a little daunting at the same time. After all, if you’ve never experienced a piercing before, such as your earlobes as is fairly common at a younger age, then you won’t really know what to expect.

Everyone has a different pain threshold and when it comes to the piercing itself, the level of pain can vary from one to the next. Regardless, it’s important to know exactly what to expect when getting a bodily piercing, wherever that may be located.

Here are a few things you’ll need to know when getting a body piercing for the first time.

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Do your research

First and foremost, do your research. It’s important that when it comes to getting piercings, you know what each one involves and what to expect from the piercing process itself. This guide to dermal piercings, for example, is useful for anyone who might be getting this type of piercing for the first time.

Research is important because you want to know the ins and outs of what is essential in an invasive procedure. There are some risks and side effects to piercings that are good to know about, especially if you’re going for piercings in more unique areas of the body in general.

With a bit of research, you’ll get a better understanding of what to expect and hopefully, that will ease some of the concerns or anxiety you might be feeling toward an upcoming appointment you’ve booked.

Know your budget

Budget is an important one as the price it costs to get a piercing can vary from one person to another.

Knowing your budget is useful, especially when it comes to making sure you’re not being ripped off or paying too little for a certain piercing specifically.

The price of a piercing will include the piercing of the body part itself and then whatever piece of jewelry you use to be the first piercing you wear. Remember, that for many piercings, you have to wait a number of weeks for it to heal before you can take it out.

Therefore, it’s good to pick something you like and can wear for a long period of time to begin with. A budget is good to have so that you can save before the appointment and have a bit more scope for your choice of piercer and the jewelry you might want.

Consider your pain threshold

What’s your pain threshold like? It differs from one person to the next but the amount of pain that can be experienced when getting a body piercing can vary depending on where you’re getting pierced.

It’s known that certain parts of the ear can be more painful than others. Sensitive areas like the chest can be more sensitive, so it’s useful to know what you think you can handle, even though the pain is temporary and short-lived.

Choose a licensed and qualified piercer

One of the most important decisions to make when it comes to getting a body piercing is choosing a licensed and qualified piercer. There are some piercers that offer great value for the piercing but they might not necessarily have all the qualifications and licenses to do piercing professionally or at least to a high standard.

It’s always worthwhile going with an experienced piercer for peace of mind. At the same time, you want someone who knows what they’re doing and more importantly, can recommend the appropriate aftercare needed.

Get recommendations from trusted family and friends

If you’re struggling to find someone to pierce your body that you trust, then it’s worth getting recommendations from trusted family and friends. This is helpful when it comes to procedures such as bodily piercings where you’re putting your health and safety into the hands of a stranger.

Most piercings are fairly harmless and don’t involve much in the way of recovering, however, it’s something that’s definitely important to get right. Even if it’s a small piercing, there’s a risk of dirty tools being used to the wrong advice given when it comes to aftercare of the piercing itself.

Invest in high-quality jewelry

Finally, when it comes to any body piercing, it’s better to invest in high-quality jewelry, than the cheaper options which may cause more problems when it comes to the risk of infections, etc. Make sure to look for stainless steel jewelry types as these tend to be the best when getting a body piercing.

With these tips, you’ll feel more confident as you walk into your first body piercing appointment!

Going Strong, Lifestyle

3 Extreme Winter Motorsports to Try Your Hand At

11/08/2023 R.C. Liley Leave a comment

If you see winter motorsports on TV, you might think they look thrilling. You may even feel like you want to give them a try yourself. If you crave the heart-pounding adrenaline rush that comes from pushing your limits, you might not be able to wait till you can try some of these activities for yourself.

For instance, if you visit a dealership owned by Karl Malone, Polaris models are available, and you might feel that the price is worth it. There are several winter motorsports that are worth considering, and we’ll discuss three of the more appealing ones in the following article.

Snowmobile Freestyle Competitions

If you have looked at the fresh white powder outside your window and thought it resembled a blank canvas on which you can create a masterpiece, then a snowmobile freestyle competition might be for you. This activity is definitely not for the faint of heart, but if you’re daring, there’s no reason why you can’t give it a try.

These competitions are held in several different parts of the country. You need a regulation snowmobile to enter one. The X Games is probably the most famous example of this kind of event.

If you enter the X Games, you can power your snowmobile down a 70-foot ramp and jump off. Twists, turns, and other daring feats will earn you points, but you should not discount the very real danger element.

Snocross

There’s also an activity called snocross. It involves a vehicle that most closely resembles a motorcycle with a sled attached to it instead of a traditional front tire.

These vehicles are made to ride on snow tracks. They can go up to a dizzying 60 miles per hour. At that speed, the snow zooms past on either side, and it feels like you’re flying.

The courses created for these vehicles resemble the ones you’d see for motocross. You can tackle jumps up to 30 feet high. You’ll also encounter hairpin turns and obstacles you must dodge while traveling at high speeds.

The Iron Dog Race

Dog racing remains popular among those who enjoy challenging winter sports. The Iron Dog Race is one of the biggest ones every year.

This race lasts five grueling days, and you must traverse a 2,000-mile course through some of Alaska’s harshest terrain. You begin at Big Lake and stop at Nome, which is about the halfway point. From there, it’s on to Fairbanks.

There are strict rules for when you must stop for breaks, which is for the safety of both the drivers and dogs participating. This might sound like a fun activity, but consider this: temperatures along this course can drop down to -57 degrees Fahrenheit. In the river basins and valleys, you might face even colder temperatures than that.

It’s not an exaggeration to say that you risk life and limb by trying these events. Some individuals crave danger, though. If you’re one of them, you might want to learn more about these scintillating options.

Lifestyle

What Makes Retro Games So Fun?

11/06/2023 R.C. Liley Leave a comment

Retro gaming is bigger and better than ever – and, of course, it is! Right now, the adults who were kids back then have adult money to spend on all these fun things, and their children see them doing it and join in.

Plus, it has never been cooler to be tech-free or low-tech, listening to retro music and prefer an 8-bit game to VR.

Photo by Ben Griffiths on Unsplash

But what is it about retro games that make them so much fun?

Nostalgia

Nostalgia is one of the most powerful things on earth. A small, or the sight of a toy that we had when we were small, can bring us back to the exact moment. When it comes to games, the graphics, the sounds, and even having to blow into the cartridges all bring back the joy. Even the wait for the game to finish loading feels good now – but back then? That minute was long! It doesn’t matter if it was an Atari, Commodore 64, an NES, or playing slots in the arcade that was your first gaming experience – there is nothing like those moments.

Simplicity

Have you ever tried to play one of the more modern games, only to find that there are 94 commands, and you have a nanosecond to make a decision? They are fun, sure, but there is something inherently wonderful about a game that is simple enough to have just two buttons – and that is it. It is harder to go wrong with fewer control options, but really retro games are ideal to play with family members of all ages – because there isn’t much to explain! It is that simplicity that means when you have younger children that you want to connect with, you can do that with your favorite games!

Challenging

Sure, the games might’ve been simple – but what they weren’t always was easy. And, to top it all off, for most early gamers, there were no forums you could go to get a cheat or a way to kill the baddy. You had to work it out on your own. At the time, for many releases, developers and game studios didn’t want to offer multiple skill levels – it was hard or nothing, and to progress in the game, you had to learn lessons the hard way.

Creative

We are at a point in gaming where it is less and less likely that you will run into a completely new idea – but when these retro games first came out, there was nothing like it. Game designers and developers were working with tiny squares and such limited capabilities regarding the build environments – and what people had in their homes to play it on, that they were more creative than many games.
In the end, it is that creativity that makes these retro games so easy to replay for years and easy to share with children, and it isn’t really a surprise that there are whole communities dedicated to retro gaming!