manicures

two weeks ago I purchased something that's been on my wish list for quite some time.
and it reminded me why I don't get manicures.

you see, I have one of those lives that is physically heavy on the "doing" and light on the "being." (that's why I work so hard on mentally just being and not doing, but that is an entirely different subject.)
I am forever doing things with my hands, from cooking, cleaning, and gardening, to fixing sprinklers and cleaning/lubing my bike, to opening boxes, packing boxes, and moving inventory from one place to another. and occasionally, putting things together that come with 29 parts and graphic instructions drawn by small children in foreign countries.
this latter activity is what I had to do 2 weeks ago.
this project involved a minimum of 2 swear words, one thump on the head, my reading glasses, one take-apart-and-do-over, and 2 broken fingernails.
and it was all worth it, as I now have a fully functioning bike stand in my garage.

yep, I finally have a place to work on my bike, to clean it and lube it and play with it, where I can spin the pedals around and not have to have it upside down. (once I get it upside down, my brain has to work so very hard to figure out which way is which, which way the pedals turn, and I find it nearly impossible to change gears while turning the pedals in that position: this makes maintenance even more challenging than it already is.) it also keeps my bike from having to lean against a wall or the other bikes or the freezer or whatever else I could find to lean it against.
this is exciting.

and it only cost me 2 fingernails.

I can't seem to do much of anything without splitting, chipping, or breaking one of my nails. or getting grime in the edges of my fingernails. I've dated guys whose hands are softer and have prettier nails than mine.

but I can fix a broken sprinkler, weed a flowerbed, scrub my floors, and put together furniture with 6 different types of screws, allen wrenches and nuts & bolts.

who needs pretty nails?