things that hurt and how i fix them

So, I had my tragus pierced a few months ago on a half whim, a half whim being when I do something I've been wanting to do on a lark. I actually really love the piercing, but it just hasn't healed cleanly for me. No surprise there, an ill-advised belly button piercing when I was fifteen or so required a re-piercing, and worse, even though I haven't worn a ring in it for over two years, there is still a persistent hole above my navel, although it isn't a horrible disfigurement. My mother and I both had our tragi pierced by a young woman (she was a twin) and a man who looked a lot like Steve Buscemi, although he was incredibly offended when I mentioned it. My mother's healed just gorgeously but that's par for the course for her, I don't get sick a lot but I'm not a good "wound" healer. Someone once told me I should take up red meat.

So I thought the thing was all healed because during break it finally stopped acting up, but I was wrong, and it's been all tender and annoying and I'd consider taking it out but it really is my favorite piercing. Seriously ladies, if you want an extra ear piercing that's not as trite as another cartilage stud from Piercing Pagoda, consider the tragus. Bonus, you get to hear it crunch when they put the needle through the cartilage. Assuming that's a bonus for you. Anyway, I found the instructions the piercing guy gave me a bit cumbersome for any person who does more than watch reruns of Law & Order all day. So while I haven't been washing it with soap four times a day (or some other awkward number), I have been doing Bactine rinses a couple of times a day again and it's doing well again already. Of course, many people will sneer at my flouting of professional piercing advice, but who has time to whip out a dixie cup and some sea salt for a saltwater soak a bunch of times during a single day? No one, that's who. I've been trying to pare down lengthy routines in general.

Also, I flicked a bit of spicy Thai Basil Sauce (delicious!) into my eye today when I clumsily dropped a chopstick. This advice will probably be more generally useful than my piercing complaint/solution, and I got it from my neighbor C, who is fabulous. Anyway, when you get painful burning stuff in your eye most suggestions involve flushing the effective area with water for a long while, usually under the faucet. That has it's obvious disadvantages. If your contact lens is in there, it could get rinsed down the drain (and it's pretty hard to remove a contact with hot pepper covered fingers), and you have to get your head going at an odd angle. It's all very frustrating. C suggested I fill my palm water and bring my head to my hand, cupping the eye and blinking the spicy stuff out of my eye. This was very effective and I very strongly recommend it for anyone who can't handle their chopsticks well.

What are your solutions to life's annoying little stings?