Just because I took a week off from piercing and got some other form of body art doesn't mean I took the easy way out. But, for those who didn't appreciate my adventure in Mehndi, you'll be glad to see I've returned to the world of piercing.

I'm sort of running out of places to get pierced. I have three weeks left in this experiment and, without getting too extreme, I just can't think of many more places for metal rods to go in my body. I'll let you make your own joke up for that one.

Of course, I hadn't pierced my navel yet …

But I was hesitant to get my navel pierced. When you think of bellybutton piercing you think of women, right? I think it's probably more common to see a girl with her navel pierced these days than without.

But, for the most part, guys just don't get their navels pierced. Maybe it's because we just don't look good in baby-doll T-shirts. However, the trend for guys to get their navels pierced seems to be increasing, and you know me -- Mr. Trendy.

I can see people's reaction to this article now -- "He's making us look at another picture with his shirt off?" Well, we all have to make sacrifices.

The navel piercing is another good way to get into the body-piercing world, especially for women. It's not really visible, unless you run around with your shirt off, and as far as body piercings go, it's relatively inexpensive.

At Exotic Zombie body piercing, 225 W. Beaver Ave., a navel piercing costs $45, while at Art of the Ages Inc., 103 S. Pugh St., prices start at $40. At Green Top, 318 E. College Ave., navel piercings go for $41. However, Forbidden Fruit, 110 Hetzel St., is still the cheapest at $35.

The piercing process for the navel is pretty much like every other type, however this time I had to lie down.

Like with the nipple piercing, you'll have someone looking at you with your shirt off, or at least pulled up. So, if you're self conscious, you'll have to get over it. Then again, if that's the case, maybe you shouldn't be getting your navel pierced.

Like with every other piercing, the area first has to be cleaned. To save yourself from embarrassment, clean out the bellybutton lint before you go.

After a long hiatus, I once again came face to face with the clamp. I hadn't seen the clamp since I had my nipple pierced, but it came out of retirement for this one. The clamp is placed at the top of your bellybutton and, luckily, it isn't too painful. Then, of course, there's the needle.

The navel piercing was painful. It wasn't nearly as bad as the nipple -- then again not many things are, thank God. I'd give it a six on the Conroy scale, just above the nostril.

It seems most people go for the hoop when they get their navels pierced, however, I chose the barbell. The barbell is curved, as with the eyebrow jewelry, but slightly more curved.

The cleaning is very important for the navel. Because it takes longer to heal than some of the other piercings, there is a greater chance of infection. And when you're in the shower all the soap and dirt runs down your body and over the piercing, so proper cleaning is necessary.

Luckily, this is a very easy piercing to maintain. Because you don't have to look in the mirror to clean it, it's easier than most.

The real problem I came across is the pain afterwards. Every time I bent over, the new piercing hurt and it was uncomfortable for the first few days. But, as with any other piercing, once you get used to it, it's fine.

All in all, I'd say this was another successful adventure. However, I am running out of new spots. I'll have to use this next week searching my body for new places.