she talked very quietly to him , explaining exactly what was being done and what he should expect to feel at each stage of the procedure , as her colleague swabbed larrys nose and left cheek and right ear with a cloth soaked in what smelled like denatured alcohol and then selected and inserted each needle with such care and delicacy that i was reminded of a bomb disposal expert i had once seen who had spent an hour dismantling a complicated explosive device ; dr. an was as steady and precise as she inserted the acupuncture needles as he had been when doing his job .