Friday Night



In My Room

 Friday 3:45pm

The instructor finished early and I left the class around 3:30 instead of 4:30.

That means I can move my schedule up or catch up on some things that need doing and go out on schedule.  If I assume it's goingto take two hours to get ready, I could get out around 5:30.  That's too late for the nail places that close early, so I think I'll take my time and stay more-or-less on schedule.

One thing I've been wrestling with: my laundry.  No-one seems to know quite when it will reappear at the front desk.  I'd like to pick it up before I change.  I'm not sure I'd be comfortable going there afterwards, partly because my classmates, as I've mentioned, are staying here.  Coming out is one thing.  Being found out is another.

I'm going to check the location and hours and services of two possible salons, then check on my laundry, then shower and get started.  If they tell me my laundry will be ready soon, I may check after showering or delay changing for a few minutes.  I plan the heck out of everything and then end up playing everything by ear!

It turns out that one nail salon is 2/10 of a mile away!  I can walk, even in my heels.  The other I was interested in is three miles away but the home page says they are not accepting any new nail customers until August!

And then there's the mall.  Two nail salons, walk-ins welcome.  There are also a lot in town, many on my way to the mall.

Friday, 4:15pm

Score!  My laundry is ready, so I'm ready.  I have a few preliminaries and then I should be ready to get ready (!) a few minutes ahead of schedule.

First problem: I called the salon around the corner.  I got an answering machine but I left a message.  I gave my male name, since my voice doesn't track.  Hopefully, they won't call me back while I'm in the shower!

Friday, 5:40pm

I am not doing a great job on my eyes.  My liner is a bit too far from the lash line to be right, but it will have to do.  And I just poked myself in the eye with the mascara!  I left a black blotch right on my contact.  I dabbed it off but I can't really remove the contacts to clean them without messing up a lot of face.  Ugh.

Friday, 6:10pm

I'm dressed, except for wig and accessories but....  I see a hair on my chest.  I shaved low, but this top is low low.  Top off, bra off, pads out, shave AGAIN, pluck a couple of strays and now I'm dressed AGAIN.

Friday, 7:00pm

I could not get hold of the salon.  I spoke to my family back home ~ my wife is dead set against me going out this weekend, she thought it would be dangerous.  At least as far as tonight went, she got it completely wrong.  Details coming up!

I made a list of other nail salons nearby.  I rejected one, even though it had good google reviews (for what they're worth) because it was to the west.  I was told that I'm at the western edge of the "safe" neighborhood. 

I was somewhat anxious tonight as I was getting ready.  I'm not sure why.  One of my readers who doesn't want her name mentioned, wrote and I started writing back how I was feeling, what I was doing, and that helped my mood a lot.  So a special thank you to [name redacted]!  Maybe there's something to this therapy stuff after all.

As I've done hundreds...  um, dozens... um, too few times before, I stepped out of my room (the entrance is to an outdoor walkway, second floor) walked to the stairs in my fuschia wedges and down the steps.  As I got to the car, I realised I left the list of nail salons on the desk in the room.  About face, up stairs, and another grand entrance into the world, paper in hand.

And (thank you again) ~ I was calm, happy, ready to face the world.  And I did.

First salon on the list was a couple of blocks off the main drag.  There is ONE main drag here ~ Fry Blvd.  I drove there and immediately noticed that this did NOT look like an area I wanted to be.  I drove back to Fry and went to salon number two.  That was a salon/flower store.  No.  Salon number three was in a strip mall, as is almost everything.  I drove in and there were a half-dozen teenagers, mostly girls, standing outside the salon.  Loud music was playing and they were sort of crowding the front of the store.  I swung carefully around them and drove on.  The next salon was a block later and I missed the driveway.

So it was on to the mall.  Someone was clearly guiding me there.  It worked out well, but I've written enough that I'm going to leave the mall for tomorrow.

I'm still dressed as I'm writing this, at 9:25pm Friday.  It wasn't a long trip out, but it was truly one of the best.

I feel great, and I'm thrilled that I get to share my experience with you all.  I think I've said it before: go out.  It is worth it.  I wish I could take every one of you who refuses to share their beauty with the world by the hand and go out ~ just for a drive maybe.  But out.

I shouldn't say that.  That's what the pusher says to the kid: try it.  It's on me.  See if you like it.

But it's worth it.  I wish I had started going out thirty years ago.

The picture is from before I left for the mall, with my new purse.  I don't have much in the way of photo editing here so it's kind of large, if you click it.

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