Turquoise and Caicos

I picked out a new summer nail polish earlier this week.  I love it!  I have a telephone interview tomorrow so I don't have to worry about looking EXTREMELY professional and taking off the polish.  I've never really had a serious telephone interview before.  It seems like an odd way to assess someone when they're not right in front of you.

Essie polish

I had my lifeblood sucked out of me yesterday at UC Davis Med Center to test for some diseases including chicken pox (?) and I had to get another TB test because the one I had in February for my immigration exam wasn't sufficient enough.  UC Davis needs two tests administered in case the first one is a false negative.  I really dislike the thought of needles.  Once I'm actually getting the blood drawn I feel fine but the whole waiting thing makes me queasy.  

The Dr. made me turn my neck, twist to the side and lift my arms.  He asked me if I had scoliosis but then pressed on my spine and decided I didn't so that's good news.  I don't know if this was part of the medical exam but he said that Canada produced a lot of good comedians and asked me to remind him of their names.

Once my blood and TB tests are reviewed then I am ready to be placed somewhere within UC Davis for a temporary job.

Glitterific

It's Friday! Party time!  We are going to Vallejo to go thrifting, wander around the waterfront and possibly have a beverage at My Office.  What a great name for a bar.  They have a ping pong table, a bright blue drink called adios motherf*$&r, and a patio with lawn darts (safe?).  The last time we went a dude was selling pirated adult videos.

I am going to dazzle the locals with these beautiful nails.  Two kinds of glitter polish.  POW!

Let me in, let me in!

Good grief.

Going a week without a computer is strange and kind of alienating.  I read two books (one really long one and one really short one), framed and hung some art in the house, cleaned, moped, made some cards, met friends for coffee, cooked some new recipes, and moaned about my computer being in the shop.  My phone doesn't always notify me of emails or facebook messages so I am doing some catching up today.  Sorry to anyone who is wondering why the heck I'm ignoring them.

I did my nails too using the stamp set that came in the mail.  I love it.

Most importantly, this week I worried about my immigration medical exam, which ended up not being so bad at all, except on my wallet.  After draining $335 (cash only) from my wallet, the physicians assistant DRAINED ME OF MY LIFE BLOOD.  He was really friendly and tried to get me to sing O Canada in French.  Before I could think about passing out, the blood had been drawn.  The TB test needle was uncomfortable.  Even though it was a little itchy, I never reacted and have been deemed free of tuberculosis among other things (syphilis, HIV, mental disorder).

Want to see what a syphilis outbreak looks like?

I don't.  How about this cute kitten instead?  (Photo by mngl).

I also went for the bio metrics exam Friday morning at 8 am which is part of the process for applying for a green card.  The Social Security office didn't open until 8am so I stood outside with all the other American wannabees and waited for the doors to open.  The lady handing out the paperwork to complete must have been working there for a long time.  Some of the people there couldn't speak English very well and she became very frustrated and almost rude when they didn't understand what she was saying.  It was uncomfortable.

The lady who took my fingerprints and photo was quiet but friendly and had a bright red fake flower in her hair.  Also, she said she liked my coat so I gave her an "excellent" rating on the survey I was asked to complete after my visit.  I was out of there in about 15 minutes.

Now, I have to send in the medical exam results to USCIS, which are sealed in a stamped envelope and V has to complete an affidavit of support proving that he can support me and I won't be a drain on the U.S. system.  It seems like it would be a good idea to give out the work permits long before issuing a green card so people can work while they're waiting for their application to be approved.  The money I earn will be going right back into the economy anyway.

V's car was in the shop for a few days this week so I got to see some of the latest visitors when I dropped him off and picked him up from work.

This tame possum snacked on a pomegranate...

Sniffed my feet...

And drank some water.  His fur feels like a husky pup's fur.

Manicures

I've been a little more than obsessive with doing my nails since I first started wearing nail polish in grade 8.  I got an A+ that year in English class during a debate about the pros of painting your nails.  I can't remember what my reasons were at the time but they're probably the same as they are now.  It saves money, it makes me feel fancy, and it keeps me busy while Gossip Girl is on Monday nights (or some equally trashy show where I don't need to pay attention.) I watched part of last Monday's episode and was lost since I'd missed the previous six episodes.  What the heck is going on?  Blair might be ditching the Prince to get back together with Chuck?  So excited!

Hmm, what colour should I paint my nails?

Pinterest has some good nail painting inspiration.  And this website has some great tutorials.  It's also where I read about Seche Vite, a fast drying top coat.  It sets your manicure to a hard finish in ten minutes!  It's about 4$ a bottle and it's available at many online stores including amazon.  I'm curious to try it.

Yesterday evening I painted my nails using tape to section off the tips for a variation on French tips.  It worked out pretty well.  I added some gold glitter bits to make it extra fancy.  Hopefully this manicure will last long enough to see how my wedding ring looks with it (still waiting...).  For the past two months every time I paint my nails I consider how the colour will look with my elusive wedding ring.  Maybe this is the manicure that will do it!

I still need to clean up the edges a little.

Nailpolish roundup

These little stainless steel manicure stamp plates have me very interested.  I have a few in my amazon shopping cart but am still deciding if I'm ready to go for it.

After you paint your nails one colour you put a layer of a different colour onto the round plate, scrape off the extra and roll a stamping tool over the remaining nail polish left in the design on the plate.  You then roll the stamp onto your nail and the nail polish design is deposited on top of your nail.  As a lady who has spent way too much time trying to draw flowers, stripes, and uneven nail tips only to have them look like a glob of nail polish fell on my nail, I really want to try these.

This video tutorial shows how it's done.  If I plan a nail painting party and consider it a party expense then I'll feel less guilty about buying the plates.  Also they're only about 5$ per plate for YEARS OF ENDLESS FUN.  Do you price out your purchases like that too?  Who wants in on the nail polish party?