'Splainin'

So Alert Readers have raised some good questions recently, and since I should be working on my last paper of the semester (I have two pages!), I thought I'd go ahead and respond here.

1. What does marathon running have to do with toenail loss?
I probably blog more about my toenails than I ought to, but I guess I've never exactly explained what happens. So if you run long distances, one of the potential side effects is what they call black toenails, or runner's toenails. Well-fitting shoes can help prevent this (make sure you have a thumb-width of room in the toe box!), but some people just seem to be prone to subungual hematomas, which is the technical term for what happens when you develop a bruise under a nail. The swelling causes pressure, and sometimes the nail loosens and comes off. It's a bummer... but they do grow back.

2. What is a facial like?
I've had two now, with the same girl at the beauty college, so I can only speak from very limited experience. Mine were quite long--about an hour and 15 minutes--and I lay on my back the whole time, wrapped up in sheets and a blanket. Basically, it felt like a series of substances being applied to and then removed from my face, with a close inspection under a bright light after the initial cleansing. At one point, she applied a masque and put me under a steamer while she massaged my arms and hands. After that, the masque came off and she used an electrotherapy wand to dilate my pores before performing extractions. That hurt a LOT! Then there was another substance and more electrotherapy to re-constrict the pores and kill bacteria. She applied more substances, and finished up with some sort of pressure point massage. Other than the extractions, it was really quite pleasant; as with the massage, I felt very cared for. I did break out a little bit in the next day or two, but the spots seemed to dry up and heal very quickly. I would do these weekly if I could afford the time and money.

3. What is an iron pour?
Remember when I did this at Bowling Green? This was pretty much the same thing, only inside instead of outside, and thus much smokier! Students make molds they want to cast, and then they're all lined up and filled with molten iron (the molds, not the students...). It's very exciting; there's just something about glowing liquid metal, and the accidental sparks and spills, that I find completely irresistible.

I think that's it for the questions, but please remind me if I've missed anything. Or, you know, submit more questions. For a year in college, I actually wrote an advice column for the school paper. I like answering other people's questions.

Here are my post-pedicure toes, which are pretty happy. She seems to have rounded the corners of the nails, though, which seems like trouble. I hope it doesn't prove to be so.

Printemps

A few are obvious: the warmer temper- atures, the longer days, and the budding trees and blooming flowers, for starters. Here, however, are a few slightly more subtle signs that it's really spring in BG:

1. Gale force winds. Ohio may be short on hills, but 39 mph gusts have surprisingly similar effects on a runner. It was hardest running against them, of course (uphill), but they proved challenging even when I was running with them (downhill); one gust propelled me forcefully across an intersection with barely enough time to check both directions. The don't call it Blowing Green for nothin'.

2. Thunderstorms! One woke me up this morning, which, as any of you who have tried to, know, is not terribly easy to do.

3. Runner's tan. It's been warm enough to wear shorts and tank tops, and my pallidity is slowly decreasing. Probably too slowly to be noticeable in this picture, which also doesn't quite show the sweet sock line I've been developing (extra sexy with a skirt and heels!). Also visible is the stunning "black toenail," which is actually purple and another sign that it is, indeed, training season.

4. Biking weather. Some people apparently don't believe in riding in the snow. Or the rain. Or, say, the months between October and April. That's how long my neighbor's bike was parked in my spot on the porch. Then, Thursday morning when I headed for work at 8:30, it had been extracted from behind mine and locked to his own pole. I find it unlikely that the neighbor had ridden anywhere and returned that early in the morning; I think a more likely explanation is that he intended to ride, discovered his chain was rusted solid after six months of disuse, and abandoned the plan. It's a nice enough bike; hopefully he'll be able to fix it and use it this spring and summer. Or if not, at least have the sense to leave it immobile in his own spot.

And, finally, 5. My taxes are done! For one of my jobs I'm technically self-employed, which generally means I owe hundreds of dollars each April (and thus tend to put off filing for as long as possible). This year, however, not only did I not work as many hours at that job, due to the other two, but I was old enough (and poor enough) to take the EIC! I was surprised that Bryant had been able to take it, because I'd thought it pretty much required having children, but then I looked into it* and remembered that the reason I hadn't been able to take it last year was not necessarily that I was childless, but that I was too young. I think you can claim it younger if you do have kids; otherwise, the cut-off is 25. I'm going to call it a major adult milestone.

Ahhh... spring.

* I've done my taxes with a pencil and printed forms, self-employment and all, for the past five years. I know more about taxes than is probably healthy, and am still slightly paranoid and undoubtedly missing some possible break. This year, however, Bryant convinced me to use H&R Block's preparation and e-file service. It was totally free, matched up with the hard copy of the 1040 I'd already started, and calculated my EIC automatically! I think I'm hooked.