My toenails needed trimming. I am not really overweight but because of the poor arrangement of my body weight, I find it so difficult to cut my toenails. The last time I did so, I ended up with a bleeding toe.
Better left to the professionals. I bused/trammed/trained to Swan Street Richmond where I found a place to give me a foot spa and toe nail cut for $40. It was bit more than I expected. My toenails were nicely shaped, bits of skin trimmed away and it was a very nice job, except my toe nails will need cutting again very soon. I did entertain other staff and customers when the pedicurist hit a sensitive ticklish spot when rubbing my foot and I let out a shriek. "Sir, would you like a manicure? Just $20 more." Maybe twenty years ago I had a manicure and I didn't think it was very good.
I said yes to the manicure and again it wasn't very good. Some nails looked unevenly cut to me. In spite of shaky hands, I can manicure myself better. Two coats of clear something was applied at the end and my nails are quite shiny. I quite like my shiny nails. I noticed a young man this day noticing my shiny finger nails. I doubt I will have another manicure but certainly a pedicure and I will say how I want my toe nails cut.
But you know what a stupid old gay man is might do with a fingernail? He might grow his left hand little fingernail longer, as I have in the past, and paint it. I will do so before family Christmas gatherings. "Did you notice Auntie Andrew's black/blue fingernail?"
The uncle/great uncle may be old and boring now, but he wasn't always and there is trace of that left.
I just read that in the US that a men painting one fingernail campaign raised half a million dollars to fund a group to stop physical abuse of children.
I quite like seeing younger men with painted nails. You may disagree.
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I am not flexible enough to cut my toenails. Some day I will go and have it professionally done. I like seeing men with (well applied) make up - which includes fingernail/toenail polish.
ReplyDeleteEC, yes. It is all about subtlety with make up. My visit was a good learning lesson. Cut my toenails short please. I don't care about them being shaped as no one else see them.
DeleteWhen God first designed the human being, She put toe nails in the most distant, awkward spot on the body. Finger nails, on the other hand, can be easily clipped or decorated.
ReplyDeleteHels, I am happy to blame the she God. As you often to, you amused me.
DeleteNothing wrong with self-care. However, it is on social media that nail care industry is infiltrated by the underworld. Vietnamese population controlled the industry too.
ReplyDeleteRoentare, Swan Street Richmond? You can guess the nationality. I don't know of any underworld connection. I just wanted my nails cut and I hoped the staff were paid the proper rate for their work.
DeleteBe careful of nail salons run by a certain ethnicity (nothing against the ethnicity - more the prevalence in the industry and the general lack of hygiene measures). I developed a rampant fungal infection in my toenails that bothers me to this day.
ReplyDeleteI do like a well manicured male hand. And the one painted nail is quite elegant (although I am sure it means something else!)
Caro, it is that ethnicity you mean and they were spotlessly clean. Over the top really. R once had such a toenail infection and he has never had a pedicure. It was eventually cured by a doctor prescribed ointment.
DeleteI am currently taking Lamisil for a blackened nail on my left thumb. Several years ago, I shut the thumb in a door, and nearly lost it when it got infected. The thumb still looks swollen, and the nail will always look funky, but having a funky looking nail is better on practical level than having no nail (I know this because the nail falls off from time to time, and without the nail, some things are a bit harder to do). When it got infected, my doctor told me to put Vicks Vapo Rub on it every night, and in about six months, the fungus would go away. I thought it was an odd recommendation, so I looked it up and found that it often works, and so I did as advised. However, the fungus didn't go away, so he then prescribed Lamisil, which is working very well. However, I have to take it for one week every month for an entire year.
DeleteI would have no idea what ethnicity you're talking about unless you were to tell me, and I also wonder how you know that the problem is related to ethnicity instead of to an individual salon. I believe that such opinions as you offer are hurtful in that when they spread from person-to-person they become a source of prejudice. Of course, it's true that ethnicities differ, but I would still hesitate to blame ethnicity for a problem unless I had better evidence than you offered to back my opinion. Here in the US, salons have to pass health department inspections, and I wouldn't feel good about going to one that was in a country where this wasn't the case, so perhaps you or Andrew can speak to that concern.
DeleteSnowy, yes it was Lamisil R was prescribed. It is interesting about Vicks.
DeleteI suppose 90% of nail salons here would be staffed by the same ethnic group. I can only say as I found the salon I experienced and it was spotless and all reasonable hygiene standards would have been exceeded. However, I don't think Caro was blaming ethnicity, she was remarking about the very obvious really. I suppose ours are checked by authorities. I would hope so.
Andrew, there is no licencing or regulation of nail salons. There are some very unscrupulous operators who bring workers in from overseas with little to no training. It looks like yours was a good 'un.
DeleteCaro, I did wonder if Immigration came and checked, how many would be here legally and whether they were being paid award wages.
DeleteSnowy, read Roentare's earlier comment. That really concerns me. Are the like our tattoo parlours? Turf wars, money laundering, tax dodging?
DeleteOnce I had a pedicure and foot massage in Thailand. My adult feet have never felt as cared for as they did that day. I can certainly understand the attraction.
ReplyDeleteI had forgotten that I had the same YP. My toenails were painted with what I think was furniture varnish and it turned yellowish and I had to wait for it to grow out as nail polish remover was ineffective.
DeleteWhatever floats your boat, is my motto.
ReplyDeleteStrayer, I would be surprised if you said otherwise.
DeleteI don't mind painted fingernails, but don't like that pale blue. I read somewhere the reason for a long pinky nail is for easy scooping of cocaine for sniffing, no need to lay a line on the table.
ReplyDeleteRiver, so I will go for black, not pale blue. I wonder if I have a black texta and do it with that. Yes, I can imagine a long fingernail could be useful for scooping up coke. It is though for me something Asian men do.
DeleteBack in the 1960s, taxi drivers in Singapore all seemed to have very long pinky nails. Used to intrigue me as to why but I was never game enough to ask anyone. Maybe River has a point.
ReplyDeleteCathy, I worked with some Asian men who had seriously long small fingernails. I did ask why but I've forgotten the answer now.
DeleteFor digging out the earwax? Eewww!
DeleteI really should go have mine cut, what a pain to do it myself
ReplyDeleteTP, damn hard work for me.
DeleteIn the Army, I knew an Egyptian man who had one long nail. His other nails were neatly cut short. I asked about that. He said that he used the long fingernail to clean under his other fingernails. I thought that was interesting.
ReplyDeleteI have had one manicure in my life. I guess that I'm not a nail person. I'm always fascinated by women with extremely long manicured nails. I always have the same question. How on earth do you wipe your ass with fingers like that?
Debby, I have been known to do as the Egyptian described. It makes it hard for me to type if my nails are long, let alone any wiping.
DeleteAndrew, you told me things I never heard of or thought about. I also wondered why you don't have your partner do your toenails. I know I would, but then I don't value having attractive nails. Perhaps you're old enough to have noticed that nails tend to thicken with age, which makes them a bit harder to cut, particularly the ones on your toes.
ReplyDeleteIn other thoughts, I take 15 mg of sleeping pills nightly, but since the pills come in 10 mgs, I have to cut them in half. They are oblong instead of round, so that makes things easier to cut in half, but because pill cutters don't work well, I hold each pill between my thumbs and forefingers, and then use the fingernails on my forefingers to break them in half. It helps if my nails are long, but I hate having long nails, so what I do is to cut all of my fingernails except for the ones on my forefingers when it's getting close to the time that I can refill my sleeping pill prescription (I get three months worth at a time).
Snowy, for the same reason I won't cut my mother's toenails, the ick factor. It seems too intimate to me and if I can't cut my own, with my shaky hands, there would be Mother blood spilt. Oh yes, I know about thickening nails alright. Generally we can only get one months supply of prescribed medications. Three months at a time would be useful. I've used a pill splitter in the past and aside from a few tiny pill crumbs, it seemed to work well enough. I think what you do is called by the overused word, a hack.
DeleteI'm fascinated with all the various comments and your replies. I have one to add, as well. :) A few months back I surprised myself by offering to and actually cutting a friend's toenails. He suffers severe joint issues, and thinking of one another as brother and sister gave me the courage and will. Still, I was nervous about hurting him somehow (he's in constant, severe arthritic pain as it is) but all went well. He was very grateful as walking had started becoming even more difficult. I was pleased the 'ick' factor didn't get to me but am glad he has since found a good pedicurist. Be well!
ReplyDeleteDarla, that was good of you, though I do think such things are best left to experts.
DeleteOh, and I'm with Strayer. Have fun with nail polish, Andrew. Life is short.
ReplyDeleteI never got around to it Darla. I will soon.
DeleteMani-pedis are one of my only treats. John enjoys going as well. I like seeing men with painted nails.
ReplyDelete