My new friend, and Halloween plans...

Happy Fourth of July to my USA readers!

Last Saturday was the day for my fill.  At the salon, things were hopping, as usual...many women wanted to get their nails done for the upcoming holiday, and I had to wait for Miss Judy.  But as I sat down, the daughter of one of the techs (my new little friend) came running up to greet me with "I remember you from last time, we talked about my project."  Well, for about 15 minutes she proceeded to read to me out of a book (I had to help her with some of the words),  recited her multiplication tables (she did very well at that), looked at the elements table, and it was like the old days when our son was younger.  We were both having a good time!

But as she was reading to me,  she stopped.  "Out of the blue" came an unexpected question:  "Are you a boy or a girl?"  I answered truthfully "When I'm dressed and looking like this, with nail polish, girl clothes and makeup, I'm a girl.  But there are times when I'm a boy."  And that's all I said, to see what would happen next.  She looked up, smiled, and casually said "Oh, OK!"   Then she went right on reading to me from her book, like nothing had changed.   I'm not sure if she understood, or if any of the other women heard me, but now I've said it...and it didn't seem to matter.

If she didn't have a discussion with her mother earlier, and doesn't understand, likely her mother will now get a chance to explain cross dressers and transgender folks to her.  Better to discuss it at an early age...   There's at least some hope that kids will be more tolerant if they learn about us from parents (particularly those who have a vested interest in us as a customer) at a young age, and not from whispers in the back of their classroom (or while roaming the shopping mall) when they're in their early teens.

It was finally my turn to sit at the nail station.  As Miss Judy started to prep my nails, she told me that they held up well, and that shorter seems to work better than longer for me.   So, she shortened them again (her choice), then proceeded with my fill.  When that was finished, she had me pay, but left me seated there.  She went to the nail polish rack and pulled what I thought was the same bottle of silver polish she used last time, then proceeded to paint my nails..."Your nails are simply gorgeous, Miss Mandy!"  I agreed, as did the ladies nearby, but silently doubted the sameness of the polish...they looked TOO good!

In the car, right after my fill and polish.  

She then applied a UV-cured "something", to protect my pretty polish.  If there are no bright highlights nearby, my nails are pink from the acrylic.  The silver you see is reflections from daylight, on metal flakes suspended in the polish. 

Can't hide these nails, that's for sure!

Without bright areas to reflect, my nails look quite natural...

Turns out it apparently wasn't quite the same polish.  My wife waited until Sunday morning to take exception to my nails, assured me that it wasn't the same color I'd been wearing, and told me to "not wear that again."  But the bright side is: when I told her I'd have it changed at my next fill, she didn't object.  So, I get to enjoy wearing it till then.  (And maybe she'll even get used to seeing me wearing it...I'd love to make it my standard color!)

On Sunday, I visited Mom.  

This time I showed her some more pictures of me in a skirt.  She thought I looked very good, but those old "worry demons" hit her..."You shouldn't wear those in public."  So I asked her why not, and her answer was "You look like a girl.  They might get the wrong idea."  I reminded her that the secret is to look good enough that nobody can tell I'm not a girl.  Then I told her that she might not recognize me on Halloween, because I'll look like a girl when I come to visit her.  Surprisingly, she didn't take exception to that - apparently it was OK with her!

On the way out, I dropped in to see the female staffer who knows about my wearing makeup, and recognizes my everyday clothes for what they are.  She's going to try to confirm the date and time for the Halloween party, so I can see how badly it conflicts with my antique show.  I hinted to her that I might "dress up" when I come by that day, but if the party itself is at or after lunch, I may have to miss it. 

Her eyes instantly lit up - and she got a big smile on her face.  She knew exactly what I meant without further explanation, and asked if I'd be recognizable or was I planning to wear a pretty wig?  I told her I don't know for sure yet.  She said that either a wig or my own hair would be fine - they had a female former staffer come in a couple years ago, dressed like a guy plumber...and nobody recognized him/her.   So maybe in August, I'll find my way clear to buy that shorter wig...it would be fun to be unrecognizable for a change!   Now I just have to figure out which outfit to wear...  Since Halloween's not for four months, I have plenty of time to make that decision... 

The shop where I bought the necklace and bracelets was not open as I went by on the way home.  Hopefully that will be different the next time I go by...