Update on My Industrial Piercing

Hello!

So it's been a little over two months since I got my industrial piercing. I got it pierced on August 15, 2013 and today is October 25, 2013.

Here is a picture of what it looks like currently:

 

 

So quick update. It feels much better now that it's been healed for two months. I've finally found a cleaning method that I like which has definitely helped it heal much easier. It hasn't gotten infected and I've had absolutely no hypertrophic scarring or keloids. It's still sore when I clean it but that is not unusual since industrial piercings take at least six months, most of the time eight months to a year, to fully heal.

In the first month, it felt irritated quite often and I think it was mostly due to the cleaning process I was using then. I have since switched it up and within a couple days, my ear felt much better, not irritated at all, and it has since healed much quicker. During the first month, it would still bleed a little when I was cleaning it and it was far more sore. It doesn't bleed at all now, even when I accidentally hit it, and you can tell that it is healing just by looking at it. This is usual as well because piercings heal from the outside in.

 

Just a few tips from what I've experienced:

1. Try your best not to sleep on it. If you are a side sleeper, try to get it pierced on the side that you don't sleep on. If you do tend to roll around though, try to make sure that you change your pillowcases often so that there is less chance of bacteria getting into your piercing due to your pillowcase. If you do sleep on it, it will take longer to heal because of the pressure you're putting on it and you are more susceptible to hypertrophic scarring.

2. Make sure you go to a really good, experienced piercer. Industrials are not easy things to take care of and maintain. And if you get it pierced by an inexperienced piercer, you are even more likely to have issues with them. The holes must be perfectly lined up in order to prevent strain on your cartilage. Not only will it slow down your healing process, it can also cause damage to your ear. Even if you cannot feel it, your ear may still be strained if the piercings are not lined up properly. This leads to hypertrophic scarring. So go to a good piercer. And good piercers aren't cheap. Just saying.

3. Keep your hair away from it as much as possible. I kept my hair tied up for the first month every single day. Now that it's healed more, I let it down once in a while but I can still feel the difference with my hair down and sometimes my piercing will feel irritated from it.

4. Don't slack on your cleaning. That's how you get infections. Clean it twice a day, don't skip out on it, especially with an industrial piercing. Make sure you wash your hands with antibacterial soap before touching your piercing and only touch your piercing if you're cleaning it. And, for the love of everything, DON'T touch the actual piercing sites. Just the jewelry. Remember, q-tips are your friends.

 

 

Okay, moving on. I would really like to change it but I will wait the suggested minimum six months because it's suggested because it's a good idea. So the barbell I was pierced with is the one I still have in. I know I don't have much to say but when I was researching getting this piercing, there wasn't much information put up by people in the healing process. They either had just gotten it pierced or it was already fully healed so I just wanted to be helpful.

 

 

And that's pretty much it! Let me know in the comments/on Twitter (@killjoygrl) if you would want me to post how I clean it. 

 

My Industrial Piercing

Hello all!

A few days ago (August 15, 2013), I got an industrial piercing done on my left ear. I'd wanted it for years now and after researching it deeply, I decided to go ahead and get it done. Now, industrials are not something to lightly do. They take an extremely long time to heal (minimum is 6 months, more than likely you'll be babying it for a year or more). They're prone to hypertrophic scarring (bumps will form on the two piercing sites) if you're not careful and even if you are careful they may still form. But I absolutely love it.

Getting It Done:
I researched on the internet the best piercing places in my city and chose one with the best reviews. It cost me $80 including the jewelry (not including tip).
The pain wasn't bad at all for me. But it varies from person to person. The vast majority of people say it hurts extremely badly. For me, it hurt maybe a 3 out of 10. However, I do have a high tolerance of pain which I managed to discover when dealing with gallbladder attacks for over a year and having a surgery to remove my gallbladder. In all honesty, having an IV put into my wrist hurt more than the piercing did.
Process: He marked where he would pierce it. He didn't have me check it or anything which I didn't mind because I love exactly where he put it much more than where I had in mind. Then he put clamps on the top area and pierced it with a hollow needle. Most piercers will do a 1, 2, 3 breathe thing then pierce it, however he did not with me which also didn't bother me. After piercing it, he put a cork in the bottom of the needle. He then threaded (put in) the jewelry with one of the balls already screwed on the end (the top) and none on the bottom. He then checked the placement before he pierced the bottom hole. He put clamps on the bottom and pierced it. Finally he threaded the jewelry through the bottom and put a ball on the bottom of the bar. And it was done!

Photo Timeline:
I decided to take pictures of it daily on my phone so I'd be able to compare the pictures and more easily see if I develop an infection and to monitor its healing. So I'm gonna do a post here and show some of my pictures for people who are thinking of getting it done and for people to know what to expect.

This is about an hour after getting it done on August 15, 2013. As you can see, it has redness but it hadn't swelled at all.

 

The morning after getting it done. As you can see, it's still red and it has swelled. August 16, 2013.

 

Morning two days after getting it done. Redness and swelling has decreased. August 17, 2013.

 

Here I'm just showing what it looks like after showering. Don't be alarmed if your piercing swells a bit after showering and has redness. It's totally normal.

Morning of August 18, 2013.

 

August 19, 2013. Pretty much no swelling or redness.

 

 

Let me know in the comments or tweet me @KilljoyGrl if you have any questions or want to see a post on taking care of it or my progress or anything. Hope this helps!

 

 

 

 

Twitter Rules of Etiquette

Hey, guys! Long time, no blog, huh? I try to blog at least once a month but I missed July sadly. Sometimes I just don't have anything to say. Other times I can't shut up.

So, today I'm bringing to you: Twitter Rules of Etiquette.

Twitter can be a confusing world, I suppose. Especially when you first start. But there's some things people should know if they plan to not piss other people off.

First off, I don't know why anyone has a Twitter unless you're in a fandom. Like, I just don't understand why else you would want one. Facebook is for talking to people you know in real life. Twitter is for obsessing over things you have in common with total strangers who understand you and what you mean.

So let's just get to the Twitter Rules of Etiquette.

1. Don't copy other people.
So you see something you think is cool/funny on someone's feed and you want to add it to your own timeline. DO NOT just copy their bio. DO NOT just steal their photo and act like it's yours. And especially DO NOT take their photo, quote what they said, and then act like it's yours. It's just not a good idea. Because people take edits and photos very seriously. I mean, would you want to spend 20+ mins editing a photo and then have someone take it and not give you credit? Especially if that edit/photo is retweeted a bunch of times. It's like you're getting credit/glory for someone else's hard work. People will hate you for it. No doubt.
INSTEAD: RETWEET them. Or QUOTE them. If you do Twitter mobilely, you'll be able to both retweet and quote and you'll be given that option when you press the "retweet" button. If you do it on the internet, you'll have to just retweet. If you want to add something or tag someone, quote the original poster and add whatever the heck you think is important to say. But don't steal it. It's just not a good idea.

2. Don't spam people.
Whether you're actually spamming as in trying to get people to sign up for whatever you're lame thing is or if you're just repeatedly tweeting someone (regardless if it's the same thing you're tweeting over and over or just keep bombarding them with tweets), you just shouldn't spam people. Even if it's a celebrity you're attempting to get the attention of. Spamming = blocking. And more angry people.

3. Answering mentions.
As long as the person isn't being a weirdo, you should probably answer your mentions. Ignoring people isn't generally a good idea. It makes you look like a stuck-up princess if you don't answer people.

4. Favoriting.
Favoriting is a good thing. An easy way to acknowledge someone is to favorite their tweet. That way, they know you saw it but you don't always have to respond as in aforementioned #3. Also, it's normally just good to favorite anything people tweet at you. Like if you're having a conversation with someone. Also, if you repeatedly favorite or retweet things from the same person but don't follow them, it's just bad etiquette. It's not really fair to that person.

5. Following back.
Now, I suppose this is totally up to you. But following back is generally a good idea. I personally almost always follow people back. It's just good etiquette. Unless that person has nothing in common with me or they tweet things I'm not interested in. Then I don't follow them back and typically that person will unfollow me anyway.

6. Unfollowing.
Unfollowing hurts. Unless that person is tweeting stuff that no longer interests you or they repeatedly retweet/favorite/answer your mentions but don't follow you back, it's better to just keep following people. It makes you feel like a loser when people unfollow.

7. Entering a fandom.
Entering a fandom on Twitter can be difficult/hostile territory. If you're new to whatever you're starting to like, don't just start tweeting and retweeting and acting like you know what you're talking about. Educate yourself first. Because people can tell when you don't know what you're talking about. And people know when you're just acting like you know what's going on when you in fact don't. Depends on the fandom, but at least the one I'm in, people are generally pretty nice about things. But acting like you know stuff you don't is a sure way to make people not like you. Follow the big people in the fandom because they're generally the ones putting out stuff that everyone in the fandom will soon know about. If you want to be in the know too, follow the big people.

8. Mentioning people.
This goes along with entering a fandom, but don't just randomly start up conversations with people through mentions. Unless you have something to say about what they're tweeting about, then it's better just to stay silent for a while. You'll have better luck becoming friends with someone if you don't just randomly start talking to them. It freaks people out sometimes. And don't DM until you really know someone. Cuz that's weird too.

Well, I think that's all I really had to say about Twitter etiquette. If I think of more, I'll update this. I hope this helps you people who are floating around in the Twitter world. And, after all of this, I feel like I'm obligated to include my own Twitter. So here: @KilljoyGrl

"This Band Saved My Life"

I've recently gotten into some new bands lately. And, yes, I have turned into a fangirl. I haven't fangirled since the Jonas Brothers era. And, yes, I liked the Jonas Brothers.

I don't think that I'm going to get into which ones or what their names are simply because I feel like if I do, there will be people who will stop reading this because they let stereotypes get in their way. And the important part of my post isn't about the bands, it's about what comes out of them and how they influence people.

Something that has been bothering me lately in my quest of fangirling is seeing what other people say to each other about the bands, particularly on YouTube. One of the things that is most common in the fandom that I'm in with this particular band is that many people say that the band saved their life. Oftentimes, it seems that this comment will be top comment on the bands YT music/fan videos. I have absolutely no problem with that. But there is ALWAYS someone on there who is replying to that person and telling them things like: they're stupid for saying that, accusing them of being weak because something like a band saved their life, accusing them of making it up because that's what the fandom says but they don't really mean it, the band doesn't give a crap about them so stop saying they saved their lives, etc. And this really upsets me.

I personally have never been suicidal. But there is so many people out there who are/were. The band's lead singer himself has dealt with it actually. But for people to say things like that to someone's claim is just ridiculous. At first, I thought it was a bit odd for someone to say that. But then I literally started seeing the claim everywhere. At least once on every one of their YT videos. All over the fandom's Twitters/Tumblrs, etc. And then I realized that it was actually true.

The way that I see that it is completely true is the fact that suicide often (not always) comes from the feeling of lack of acceptance. Deep-down, every person wants to be accepted. Every person wants to feel like they belong. Every person wants to have friends and people who love them. That's just how we're made. So if listening to a band's music made someone realize that other people feel like them; if listening to a band's music opened a world to them where they felt/got acceptance; if listening to a band's music gave them a place to fit in among the fandom: then who are you to tell them that they're wrong in saying that the band saved their lives? Do you see where I'm coming from? And after experiencing things first-hand with the fandom, I can definitely see why someone would say that. The fandom opens up to anyone no matter who you are and what you're like or where you come from. They don't listen to stereotypes. If you looked at me, you would never think that I love this band as much as I do. But that's the thing: this band isn't about stereotypes. Sure, most of their fans have a certain look to them but that's not important. This band is a haven for anyone who wants to come in. The fandom is filled with some of the nicest people I know because they've all been there themselves in feeling like they don't belong. They don't judge people. They just let you in because you like the same band as they do whether you look like the rest of the fandom or not.

Our world is filled with people who think it's okay to be mean and to say hateful/rude things to people on the internet or in person or to attack what people say or who they are. Why is our world like that? Our world is filled with people who think that their opinion should be the only thing that matters and no one else's does.

Our world is filled with people looking for acceptance. And if they find that in a band's music, then why does it matter to you? If that music saves someone's life, shouldn't you be happy for that person that they were able to make it through? What do you get out of telling that person that they're stupid/wrong/weak? Nothing. All you get is proving that you are a selfish person to a huge fandom that loves their band members as much as they love themselves. Trust me, you don't want to mess with one of the members of the fandom. You don't want to mess with the MCRmy.

Random Facts About Me

I haven't been able to think of anything important enough to blog about. So this is what I got for the month.

Random Facts About Me:

1. I'm 5'5''.
2. I have red hair. Not orange red but auburn red. Yes, it's natural.
3. I am double-jointed in my pointer finger on my left hand only. No other fingers. I'm double-jointed in my hips as well.
4. My favorite color is purple.
5. I went to private school from the age of 12 until I graduated.
6. In high school, I graduated with a 4.17 GPA in an accelerated program. Yes, I'm bragging.
8. I'd never failed a class until I got to college.
9. Yes, that is ironic.
10. I firmly believe that relationships would be much better if everyone would just say how they felt all of the time.
11. I have a YouTube addiction. Maybe sometime I'll write about my favorite people.
12. I think Gerard Way is one of the most amazing people to have ever walked this earth. Maybe I'll write about why I think so soon. Because it's probably not for the same reasons everyone would think when they hear his name.
13. I really wish I could go around and fix people. Meaning, I wish I could go around and tell girls not to ruin themselves with badly done makeup or hair.
14. I tend to reject all things mainstream simply because they're mainstream.
15. One of my life goals is to see Paris before I die.
16. I think French is the most beautiful language there is and would love to learn it even though learning Spanish would be more practical.
17. I don't always do the most practical things. Like ending a list on #17 instead of #15.

And, also for random fun, my tech specs:
Dell Inspiron 1545 Laptop (pink)
Samsung Galaxy SIII (white)
Nook HD (white)
Twitter
YouTube (do not put up videos)
Blog
GoodReads
Instagram

I also have an iPod Touch but I don't know what it is because I hate it and put all music on my phone now. I'm starting to develop the opinion that all Apple products are crap and not worth the hype. This is just my opinion. I don't care if you are an Apple die-hard. Good for you then. This opinion of mine may also have something to do with random fact #14.

TA-TA!

Things Customers Do That I Think Are Funny

I've worked for two years for the same retail store. In all my vast experience with it, these are the things that I think are funny and/or stupid that customers say/do.

1. "Well, then can you order it?"
So often a person will call and want to know if we have this particular item. After searching our store intranet (system), I tell them no that we don't carry it. And ALWAYS comes the next question, "Well, then can you order it?" I don't know if maybe this seems like a legitimate question to you, but even before I worked retail, I would have known that you can't order something that you don't even carry. Which that is always my reply to them and for some reason, people just don't understand that.

2. "I left my coupons at home. Can I use one of yours?"
Our store doesn't have free coupons for everyone to use when they come into our store. If we did, we'd lose money. Always there are people who say they don't have theirs and can they use one of ours. Which we do have some that people who have brought their coupons have used and that we throw away after. But if we pull those out and let someone else use them, I can lose my job. So always this is my reply, "We don't keep coupons here for people to use because we mail them out and we also e-mail them. If you're able to bring them up on your phone though, I can take the code from there." And 9 times out of 10, the person will say, "Oh, well that's okay," or they will ask if they come back with their receipt and coupons can they get the money back. Which we aren't allowed to do and people get mad once I tell them that and once again I'll tell them to bring it up on their phone they'll still say oh that's okay. Really? Well, clearly your money isn't that important to you if you're too lazy to bring it up on your phone. I just think it's funny that they want to get mad but that they aren't willing to do anything they can about it.

3. The "I saw this in your store five years ago and it had a white cover and a guy on the front of the book. Do you know what that is?"
-_- Firstly, most stores do not carry merchandise that they used to carry five years ago, ours included. Secondly, how am I supposed to know what you're talking about? There are hundereds of books in the store. If you can't give a title or author, you're not going to get an answer. And most of the people who do this one are repeat offenders. If you are one of these people, just know that when you walk into the store, all the employees cringe when they see you.

4. Trying to get checked out at the register that I am counting money at.
I really don't get this one. Out of my two years there, only ONCE has a customer realized that they can't get checked out at my register because it is CLOSED. I really, really don't understand how anybody who has a brain would walk up to a register where money is being counted and think that they can get checked out. It just doesn't make any sense.

So there are four things that people frequently do at my job that I think are funny. I decided this would be better to do than a list of things customers do that annoy me. Because I can't even begin to count all of those. This was easier.

Things People Do When They Drive That Annoy Me

I have road rage. Not to the point where I'm going to try to drive someone off the road. But I get really, really, REALLY mad at people when driving. So here's a list of things that you shouldn't do when you drive your car in no particular order other than when I think of them. Because if you do, you're stupid.

1. People who jump lanes at the last second.
I CANNOT STAND PEOPLE WHO DO THIS! Why? That's all I want to know. Why do you do that? If you know you are going to need to turn left, then why are you in the right or middle lane? Why not be driving in the left lane? No, instead people constantly, CONSTANTLY, wait until the very street they need to turn on, then they slide barely through cars and jump into the left turn lane and turn. I do not understand it. Why do that? Just stay in the lane you need to be in. Why push your way through cars, disrupting the flow of traffic? I've seen more accidents caused by these kinds of people than anything else, I think. Because you cause everyone to slam on their breaks, then you turn and people rear-end each other and you get off scott-free. I really don't like you.

2. People who don't know how to get into the turn lane.
Once again, why? There are two types of this form: 1) those who break twenty feet away from the turn lane and then get into it when they finally reach it and 2) those who wait until the last possible second to get into the turn lane. I guess #2 goes hand in hand with #1. Turn lanes are a certain length for a reason. Get into them and then start breaking and you will be just fine. Don't wait until you have just two feet left of the lane and then get into it and turn. AND don't get into the middle lane and ride it for 30 feet until you turn. You stop people from being able to turn into the right parking lot because you're driving down the wrong lane.

3. Excessive breakers.
Those people who start breaking 30 feet BEFORE the suggested break time. I can't take watching the red break lights flash over and over for five minutes before you stop.

4. Tail-riders.
If you ride my tail, I will consistently slow down. I won't break quickly because you're probably stupid anyway and will rear-end me so instead I will promptly lift my foot off the gas pedal and slow down and down and down and will not press it again until you pass me.

5. Getting in front of me and then going slow.
Okay, so you felt like you had to get in front of me but then you're going to go ten miles under the speed limit. I don't get it. Why do that?

6. People going 10 miles under the speed limit.
GO THE STINKING SPEED LIMIT! It's there for a reason. Why not go as fast you're allowed?

7. Those people who make their own lanes on the freeway.
You know when you're stuck in traffic on the freeway? There is ALWAYS those stupid people who think they're better than everyone else and instead of waiting like everyone else has to, they drive down the shoulder then cut someone off to get back into a legal lane. I wish every single one of those peoples' tires gets flattened. Every single tire. Flattened. They don't deserve them.

8. Those people who turn across your lane prematurely and make you slam on the breaks when there is NO ONE behind you.
So someone from the opposite side of the street is turning into a neighborhood and must cross your lanes in order to do that. No big deal. Until they suddenly no longer have a thinking brain and they turn when you're within 10 feet of them and you have to slam on your breaks or hit them. And they always seem to do this when there is NOT A SINGLE PERSON BEHIND YOU. Again: why? When there is nobody behind me why do you feel like you have to turn and make me slow down for you when you could wait another 10 seconds and turn without a problem.

and finally

9. Those people who take your turn at four-way stops.
I hate those people. You are not better than I am. Your time is not better than my time. And just because you're a guy doesn't mean you get to go before me. They know it's not their turn. They know it. And they go anyway and cut people off because they're selfish and stupid. They shouldn't be allowed to drive.

Okay, that is the end of my diatribe about stupid people driving. I know I am not the only one who thinks these things. And ultimately, people do these things because they are selfish and think that their time is more important than anybody else's or that they should be allowed to do what no one else can. That's really the bottom line. Or they're just really stupid. One of those.

Invalid CD Key for Skyrim?

Hey Everyone!

If you're just here to find out what to do about an invalid CD Key, please jump down to where it says in giant purple letters: WHAT TO DO IF YOUR CD KEY IS INVALID. If however you want to read about my experience, read on from here! Oh, and this is for the PC version.

So, recently I finally decided to cave and buy Skyrim. For those of you who don't know what Skyrim is, it's entire title is: "The Elder Scrolls V: Skryim." There are add-on versions of Skyrim now but this is the original. Skryim is part of the Elder Scrolls series but don't get confused. It's just number 5.

Skryim is a role-playing game just like the other Elder Scrolls. You don't have to have the other Elder Scrolls in order to play Skyrim or to understand what's going on. Skyrim is its own independent game.

The premise to Skyrim: "Dragons, long lost to the passages of the Elder Scrolls, have returned to Tamriel and the future of the Empire hangs in the balance. As Dragonborn, the prophesized hero born with the power of The Voice, you are the only one who can stand amongst them."

Skyrim is absolutely HUGE. It will take you forever to finish the game. The plot is extremely long. The graphics are beautiful. There are many, many places to adventure to. Many skills you learn and level up. It's an amazing game.

If you want to preview it, there are a TON of Play-With-Mes on YouTube for it. My personal favorite is Luke Conard's: www.youtube.com/lukesarcade. He has a whole series on Skyrim and his commentary is hilarious, in my opinion.

So after seeing Skyrim played by a few different people, I knew that I wanted it. And EVEN BETTER, Target was having a sale on it in my area this past week. I didn't find out about the sale until Saturday night which was the final day of it. So after rushing home from work (of which I didn't get off until 9:30, and for those of you who don't know, Target closes at 10), I had had to stop at 2 different Targets before I found the last copy that a store had that I was able to purchase. Note:Skyrim is rated M. If you are underage, you will not be able to purchase the game. Target even scans your Drivers License to validate that you are old enough to purchase it. The M rating is for: Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Sexual Themes, and Use of Alcohol.

I was SO excited to get home and play it. So after loading it in my computer, and started the installation, it pops up with the screen that requires your Cd Key Code. "No big deal," I think because it's printed on a label directly beneath the CD. Except IT WAS A BIG DEAL. Because my CD Key was INVALID. Of course, I tried everything. I typed it without the hyphens. With the hyphens. With the capitals. Without the capitals. With the caps lock on. With the cap locks off. Typing just the first three sections of numbers/letters. Just the last three. None of them worked. So finally I got onto the Steam website and saw that there was a section on Invalid CD Keys. I figured out that mine had to be one of them. I contacted both Steam (the one that runs the PC versions) and Bethesda (the actual publisher) through e-mail and explained my situation. Both of them replied within a day, Steam giving me a customer service number to call for them to handle it because they confirmed I was given an invalid key, and Bethesda requesting a whole slew of information:

Hello XXXXX,

If your code is invalid, please verify first that you are entering it correctly in-game. If you receive a message that the code is invalid, you have misplaced, lost your code, or did not receive one with your purchase, read the following:
Please note that rented copies or used copies are not eligible for a code. The code is only provided for the original purchaser of a new game purchase. If you purchased a new sealed copy of the game for Windows, Xbox 360 or Playstation 3, and it was missing the sheet with the code. please provide the following in order to obtain any appropriate codes.

- A dated proof of purchase (receipt, invoice) showing the purchase of a NEW copy of the game(not a rented or used copy, nor a copy purchased from Ebay).
- Was the game shrink-wrapped like new at the time of purchase?
- A scan of the package and game disc(s) and the code sheet.
- What country was the game purchased in?
- What country are you in?
- What country is your Console account based in?

If you need further assistance, you can also reach us online at http://support.bethsoft.com or our technical support staff at (410)-568-3685. Please include all previous replies when/if responding to this message.

SO, I took pictures of everything I was asked for and extras of everything I could think of. I replied to the e-mail answering all of the questions. After all of this, I got an e-mail saying the EXACT SAME THING from a different employee, like he never even read what I had responded. I also had included the previous conversation with my original employee I spoke to like it was requested at the end of the e-mail.

Therefore, I decided to just call the number Steam gave me. The number was essentially to Bethesda Technical Support. After speaking to an employee there, I was told to send a separate e-mail with just a picture of the receipt and the invalid CD Key and to call back in about a half hour and they would tell me what to do next. I did what he asked and called back in about 20 minutes because they were going to be closing. I spoke to a different employee this time and after giving him my case number, he said he needed to put me on hold to speak to his supervisor but that it looked like everything he needed was there. After he spoke to his supervisor, he told me he'd be sending me an e-mail with a valid key. Which he did within 10 minutes and now I am successfully downloading Skyrim as I'm writing this.

So, my whole point in writing this is to help people like me because it was crazy trying to Google and figure out what was wrong with my CD Key. I've had a ton of Sims games with keys and never had this problem and didn't really know what to do.

WHAT TO DO IF YOUR CD KEY IS INVALID:

1. Of course, make sure that you're typing everything correctly. YOU WILL NEED CAPS AND THE HYPHENS PROVIDED. DON'T TAKE THEM OUT. Also, Steam has this thing where if you have the letter O, type a Q instead. It's weird. It's on the Steam website if you search Invalid CD Keys. Also there will be a link directly on the setup if your key is said to be invalid.

2. The fact is that there are retail copies that were shipped with invalid CD codes. Mine had 25 characters and looked like this: XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX. That's not a valid code from my understanding when talking to Bethesda Technical Support. At least not a valid code for the PC version. You should have 15 characters like this: XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX. My replacement code given was in that format.

3. If you bought a used copy, YOUR CODE WILL NOT WORK. Because it's already been activated. If you bought it from Ebay, they won't help you either from my understanding. Only brand new copies are able to receive new codes if the others are invalid.

4. The easiest thing you can do is to call Bethesda Technical Support: (410) 568-3685. They're based in Maryland and are open 9-5 EST. When you call, you'll be able to select which game you are calling about and which version of the game (XBOX 360, PS3, or PC). They'll connect you to a person that even speaks ENGLISH right! You'll just have to answer if you've called them before, what your name is, your phone number, your e-mail. Basic stuff. Explain to them that you have an invalid CD key. Most likely, they'll tell you to send a picture or a scan of the receipt and the invalid CD key. SEND YOUR E-MAIL TO: support04@bethsoft.com. The employee I spoke to originally didn't give me a specific e-mail to send my pictures to but I think that's because I said I'd already tried to fix this through e-mail but just decided to call because it was easier. The easiest thing for you to do for them is to type YOUR CASE NUMBER in the subject box along with a small explanation, i.e. Case #XXXXXX Pictures to Replace My Invalid CD Key. The employee should give you your case number before hanging up with you. If not, be sure to ask for it.

5. Call them back in the allotted time. Give them your case number when they ask for it once you tell them you've called before. They'll send you an e-mail to the e-mail you gave for your case with a valid code as long as everything you sent looks okay.

All in all, it's an easy process. Both employees I spoke to on the phone were very nice. I have no complaints. The e-mails however kind of ticked me off because I already sent all the information and just got the same standard e-mail reply back. And they obviously don't need all that information with the multitudes of pictures because the phone employees didn't request it. It's much easier to speak to them on the phone.

Well, I hope this was helpful to some of you! I will now be playing my Skyrim! Ta-ta!