Manicure, Spanicure

I do enjoy writing, and I recently was paid for a freelance gig.  Yay!  As a busy mom of two, I thought it was time to treat myself.  There is a very chic spa located inside my gym.  Slate walls, gurgling fountain peacefully dripping down, relaxing music, low lights, and wine.  I am an easy date, I admit it, but atmosphere really is half the experience when it comes to "spa days."  And they were running a special:  $60 for either a mani/pedi or a massage.  Well, call me happy and sign me up. 

But, hmm,  I had a choice to make.  I rarely get manicures, and it has been ages since I got a massage.  I flipped the coin and decided on the mani/pedi.  Boy, what a mistake.  While the woman doing my nails was nice enough, I told her that manicures rarely take with me -- they either chip or dent or run before I can even pay for the privilege.  She assured me that my prior experiences were due to lack of skill on the technician's part, and that this would be different. 

Well, not really.  No foot massage?  That's half the reason to get it done!  And why is it that when I slap a couple of coats of polish on my fingers or toes, it stays on forever, but when a technician carefully places six layers of various stuff on my nails and lets them dry under a special lamp, they ding, dent, smear, chip, or peel IMMEDIATELY, despite my care not to touch them?  I have decided it is a not-so-subtle message from beyond:  stop throwing money away.  I need that money.  Heck, I could have purchased all three (yes, THREE!) colors of polish used in this operation and still donated over $40 to the poor souls struggling to eat in Somalia.  Or Kenya.  Or, anywhere there is a need, for that matter. 

So, I have resolved to do my own. From now on.  And donate more.   (But I think my kids would have actually appreciated me getting that massage--"Look how HAPPY Mommy is!").    What do you think?  Are mani/pedis worth it?   And, while I do not wish unemployment on any of the nail techinicians out there, what could be done in the world if all the women in this country skipped one month's worth of mani/pedis and donated that money? 

And another . . . .

In the spirit of trying new things, I am trying my hand at creative writing.  Mind you, legal writing for the past fifteen-plus years has killed all the creative writing skills I used to kid myself that I possessed.   I have to start somewhere, and today is the day to start.  I have enjoyed participating in Glass Half Full Gal's Creative Writing Challenge Game.  This month, we were challenged to use the words, "misadventure," "satire," "pottage," "noggin," and "russet," with the overall theme of "loss."   I will accept kind constructive criticism.

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Ahem.  Well, I am having technical difficulties.  After several days and no luck, I realize I have no way to convert my wordperfect to word.  I will keep trying, and I am going to eventually post this challenge piece along with the new one for September.  Patience will be appreciated.  On to more interesting topics . . . .

Something New

Here I am, blogosphere.  A newbie.  I never wanted to blog, because I could not imagine someone would want to hear about the time my dog puked on the new rug or the things I find entertaining about my children.  After several rough years, I have decided to try new things.  Playing it safe my entire life has gotten me far, true.  Good grades and law degree?  Check.  Fantastic jobs in the legal system?  Definitely.  Amazing friends and very close family I could see often?  Oh my God, yes.  But I never really tried going out of my comfort zone until I had to move away from all of them.   And while I miss my safe, happy former life and desperately miss my friends and family, I have learned that trying something new can be the beginning of a whole new kind of wonderful.