Manicures—Forgetaboutit!

Yes, I do have a touch of the girlie-girl about me, I enjoy getting dressed up, even if I don’t have special plans: It just feels good to look good.

But vanity left the minute this job kicked in:

• When I went from tenant to ass’t manager it all changed. Until then, NO ONE ever saw me in sweats and without makeup! After a night of emergencies, a young neighbor spotted me outside with the dogs: my hair was sticking up, I was in sweats and without make-up. He stood there smiling, checking out my outfit, and sympathetically tried to cheer me up, but he did laugh.
• I have had to jump out of bed way too many nights to attend to some emergency to care about vanity: Police and firemen banging on my door late one night will always be a memory.
• I have learned to sleep in modest jammies, because an early morning busted pipe and running a wet vac is no time to be wearing Victoria’s Secret. Ha.
• I have learned that major expeditions to Home Depot requires good walking shoes, and just a touch of make-up: Pulling products off shelves, digging for trim, plumbing, etc., will get you grungy. (Besides, real contractors don’t wear high heels.)
• And don’t even get me started on clean-outs and remodels! I don’t care how wonderful some tenants have left the apartment, when you pull cabinets off the walls . . . ugh!

But despite all that, I had 10 perfect nails: Until I thought I would get the back garden ready and went to look for the garden tools.

3 Hours Later!

I had not really looked in the machine room in quite some time, a succession of workmen and contractors had left their chaos and debris behind, so I spent 3 hours sweeping, sorting tools, hauling out debris and still did not find the garden tools! And there went 10 perfect nails. Women out there are now nodding sympathetically.

I would love to shout, “Off with their heads!” as the Red Queen in Alice in Wonderland, but it wouldn’t change anything.

But by summertime, the nails may grow back, the garden will be sprouting pretty yellow flowers, some yummy veggies and it won’t matter a bit.