This Little Piggy Went to Market

Day 16: Get a Pedicure

Those who know me well know that I stick to a strict regiment of cleansers, moisturizers, and beauty products and my attention to my personal appearance is meticulous even to a fault...in opposite world! (that was for you Deb)  Okay, so I'm not exactly known for my femininity.  In fact, aside from reluctantly wearing a dress and makeup for my sister's wedding, getting a pedicure is perhaps the girliest thing I've ever done.  So what on earth would cause me to agree to such an uncharacteristic outing?  Sarah said she'd pay that's what!  Her and our friend Kari have a tradition of treating each other to pedicures for their birthdays, so now, with my 30th birthday approaching, it was my turn to join the festivities.

The other thing you must understand, that makes a pedicure a completely foreign concept to me is that my feet virtually never see the light of day.  If they are not nestled in a pair of plush cottony socks it is because I am either asleep, in the shower, or at the beach (and even at the beach they don't get liberated from their cottony cocoon until I step foot in the sand.)

After I dug out the one pair of sandals I own, and let me feet have a breath of fresh air we headed out. As we walked into the nail salon the nice Asian lady behind the counter uttered something unintelligible to me so I deferred to my chaperones for guidance.  Apparently I was supposed to choose a color.  Decisions, decisions.  Should I go with Tarnished and Varnished, Cha-ching Cherry, or possibly Mauve-lous Memories.  In the end I chose a deep shade of purple called Violet Flare.  That's right, if I'm going girly I'm going all the way.

As she opened up her sealed bag of sterilized equipment I got a little nervous.  This was beginning to resemble an intense medical procedure rather than a relaxing beauty treatment.  However, once she got started all was well.  I enjoyed the massage chair.  I enjoyed the warm water with the soothing jets.  I enjoyed the clipping and trimming and massaging and buffing.  I did not enjoy the filing!  That emery board was a mild form of torture, but apparently a necessary evil to complete the process properly.  Finally out came the disposable foam flip-flops and my very first pedicure experience was all but over.

I still haven't quite come to grips with the fact that the toes I see when I look down now actually belong to my foot.  If it weren't for the iridescent glow of my foot's sun starved pigmentation and my carefully crafted tan line I would argue that I was looking at someone else's feet.  In the end, I wouldn't be opposed to doing it again, although in my opinion that money is better spent on a nice new package of fluffy white socks!