Nails (爪 (Tsume)

My girlfriend recently brought up the fact that I don't ever cut my fingernails, or not that she ever noticed. I explained that there was an easy explanation: I never cut my fingernails because I always bite them off before they become long enough. It's been a bad habit of mine since I was a kid, and I don't think I've even once cut my nails with a clipper since I was about 13 years old: 16 years of chewing anxiously, trying to relieve stress by biting into something, ANYTHING. Also probably why I chomp down on my teeth at night while sleeping and feel soreness in my teeth the next day. (BTW, do you know that one of the biggest markup retail items are mattresses?) They charge like $600 for something they spent $250 to make. Incredible. A good night's sleep is valuable, but I've been fine using one mattress since I was 16, sleep like a baby every night.

I DO do my toenails, which would be pretty disgusting if I let them grow or (gasp) bit them off myself, I don't even think my mouth  could reach my toes. It's a pretty satisfying experience, walking around with freshly cut toenails, like I've shed some excess pounds or something, or shaved a full beard. So I should probably try to do so with my own nails.

My girlfriend, like many woman, paints her nails from time to time, and I understand the need to do so, to look nice and colorful, but I personally don't treat her any differently based on whether or not she did her nails. Not that I don't appreciate them, but it doesn't say much about her personality, it's just a nice bonus to her entire package. It's like an ornament on the top of a cake: nice to look at, but not edible and doesn't make the cake. Girls apparently take around an hour to do their nails, which I did not know. I'm not saying it's a waste of time, but I could personally have better use of an hour than doing my nails. My girlfriend is great and doesn't make me wait hardly ever, but I could see some marital conflict between married people or even just people in a relationship regarding how long takes to do nails, put on makeup, wear earrings, find exactly the right outfit, etc. I totally get that it's harder for one gender than the other (men just wear a suit and a tie, not much of a hassle there) but women can have hundreds of combinations of dresses, shoes, nails, headgear, etc., etc. etc. Decisions, decisions.

I guess what I'm saying is, nails are symbolic of the steps I have to take to become good in a relationship: I had no understanding of the process before I met my girlfriend and didn't try to understand, but it is important to realize the necessity for women and compromise a bit, see it from the other side's perspective, not to play on gender stereotypes but nails and outfits might be akin to men and spending time reading sports scores: it's just in each gender's nature to do those sort of things. Just don't force me to paint my nails (whatever is left after I bite them) ever.

Fantasize on,

Robert Yan