Pregame Night ~ Nails

As I said Tuesday, I started my game night with a pedicure.  I've only had a few in my life, all within the past few years.  The first time, I was very tense ~ this was an all-new experience and I'm always leery of placing myself where other people might be uncomfortable.  This includes places where all of the other people are civilians and all (or most) of the same sex.  I'd be as cautious at a nail salon as I would at a gay bar.

And a nail salon is both.

Before my first clothing swap (civilians, almost all women), I spoke with the hostess and she assured me I'd be welcome there, no matter how I presented.  Since this was also one of my first outings, yes, I was nervous, but it went very well.

Shopping puts me in a all-civilian-mostly-women situation, but it's usually a small group.  If I wanted to go into, say, a MAC or Ulta and it was crowded, I would go elsewhere, or come back later.  Sometimes, I still do.

Before...

And for my mani/pedi experience in Sierra Vista (my first as Meg), there were two nail salons at opposite ends of the mall.  I looked into the first, saw that it was busy (but not packed) and I walked to the other.  It was busier so I shopped a bit and walked back to the first, which had quieted down a bit and that's where I had my nails done.  It was a good choice.

Normally, when dressed, I put up with discomfort on the principle that I don't know what I'm supposed to be experiencing.  But when the nail technician asked me if the water was too hot I said YES IT WAS.  She lowered the temperature enough for the lava to solidify.  I then learned that a maxi is maybe not the best skirt for a pedicure.  The back of the skirt was in the water.  I bunched up the back and sat on it, and that solved the problem.  Maybe it wasn't the most elegant solution, but it solved the problem.

My tech was busy finishing up another woman so I had some time to sit quietly, enjoy the massage chair and the hot water spa.  I should have grabbed a magazine, but I didn't think about it in advance.

...After

My tech clipped my nails, used some of that lava that cooled into igneous rocks to scrape the skin off the soles of my feet (kidding.  It feels nice), and gave my feet/calves a wonderful massage.  She had a very gentle touch and I remember sadly thinking "this is going to end soon."

I was pointedly ignored by the other patrons and workers and people on the street as I sat near the front letting the polish dry.  I've said before, women over a certain age are invisible anyway.

The results were marvelous.