Prejudice rears its blonde head

Greetings lovely ladies and lacquered lads...

I've been having an exchange with a woman on POF. She saw my profile and took the time to write "Hey, my brother is gay, there's nothing wrong with it - maybey you should try it!!!"

She seemed to be wanting to have a little fun at my expense, so I decided to play with her. Here's the rest of our convo:


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Your conversation with addisyn   

steve44077oh 5/23/2012 8:54:56 AM I am wondering though, what inspired you to suggest that I should try going gay?

addisyn 5/23/2012 9:21:50 AM I Have alot of Gay friends that are awesome, and Maybey that willwork for you too!!! Just because you paint your toe nails dosen't me your gay, but maybey you should try that lifestyle because there is nothing wrong with it!!! Good Luck to you!!! Let me know what happens!!!

steve44077oh 5/23/2012 6:24:05 PM Ok... I just went to Flickr and looked at some photos of guys' boners, and a few shots of dudes getting it on. Nothing happened. No tingling, no stiffening, no erectile function at all. OTOH, when I looked at women touching themselves, the reaction was instant and complete. I'm very sure that I wouldn't be able to perform an act of gay sex - it would be easier (though not much) for me to get busy with Madeline Albright. How about you? Have you ever made love to a woman, or gotten yourself off thinking about what you would do to make her painted toes curl?? You seem to have a fascination with the gay lifestyle - maybe you should try it if you haven't already! :D

addisyn 5/24/2012 8:10:33 AM LOL!!! I have a few Encounters with them, But I rather be with a man. Good Luck To You!!!

steve44077oh 5/24/2012 12:49:49 PM I'm always amused by how many women say "OMG - you paint your nails?? Are you sure you're not gay?"... when their own histories include multiple same-sex encounters and they're NOT asking themselves "OMG - I had sex with a woman, and liked it enough to do it a few more times - am I sure I'm not gay?" I mean, nail polish is really just paint, the only thing that "makes" it "for women" is the same arbitrary, random social assumtion that used to say "tattoos are or men only, any woman with a tattoo is probaly a dyke". OTOH, a woman having sex with a woman is actually doing something that is actually gay. She doesn't have to BE gay to do a gay thing - I think you're proof of that - but same-sex sex is a lot more relevant to the gayness question than a bottle of paint. Just sayin'... I mean, I ask everybody "what is it about this bottle of paint that makes it feminine - what are the reasons a man should not wear it?" The only answers I ever get are: '"everybody" thinks it is', and 'I've never seen a man wearing it'. If you have a different answer, I'd love to hear it! Anyway, thanks for a fun and interesting discussion! Good luck to you too!

addisyn 5/24/2012 1:08:21 PM Well One must ask themself-- Why do you like to paint your toes and nails? and What makes you think that it is Weird? or Femine? Maybey you want to be a woman? or have Woman Tendencies? Who Knows or cares, That really isn't a reason to for someone not to go out with you!!! Do you paint your nails at work? Would you? and Do you really care what others think? Society is unreal, They look at everthing black and White!!! I do not!!! But people Find that strange!! Are you in a band? Anyway-

steve44077oh 5/24/2012 8:56:26 PM Ok.. I like to wear color on my nails for the same reason many people get tattoos - because I think it looks good, and it's a form of self-expression. I don't think it's "weird". I recognize that it's uncommon among men, but to me, what's "weird" is the idea many people have that paint is somehow related to gender identity or preference. I also don't think it IS feminine. I know that PEOPLE THINK it is feminine, but there's no real reason to think that, only their assumption of what other people think. Try this thought experiment: Imagine that we're a couple, and I have a machine that can transport us to an alternate universe. Imagine that the AU is exactly like ours in every way except that the societal assumptions about nail color, and hats, are swapped. In other words, we go to a place where it's no big deal for men or women to wear nail color, but the only people wearing hats are women. All hats are made in feminine styles - there are no ballcaps, no berets, no fedoras, no cowboy hats, no military covers... only tiaras, bridal veils, pink French pillboxes and wide-brimmed pastel summer hats. Looking around their internet, I find four companies that are making "Men's Hats", and I order a green ballcap, and wear it publicly. Almost everyone there wonders if I might be gay, after all.. I'm wearing a hat, and hats are for women.. "real men" don't shade their eyes from the sun. NOW, imagine we meet your twin there, the alternate "you", and she asks why you're with a gay guy in a girly hat. Would you tell her that there's no REAL connection between a hat and gender identity or preference? Would you tell her that you can imagine a place (this place we came from) where hats are acceptable attire regardless of gender? Would you tell her that by following everyone else's silly idea about "hats are feminine", she's missing out on a really great guy? OR - would you ask me to please hide my ballcap, because everyone there THINKS it's gay? That's about where I am. I see our society with an idea every bit as silly as "hats are feminine", I can imagine a world where anyone can use nail color as "acceptably" as they can get tattoos, and I think the only thing keeping our society stuck in this silly idea, is that everyone's afraid to go first, everyone's afraid of questioning the rule, and everyone's worried about what others will think. I'm not afraid to go first, and I don't care what strangers think. I do care what YOU think though, which is why I've bothered to explain myself a little. I HOPE you'll at least try to examine WHY you feel the way you do about nail color, and consider that it might be possible for a man to wear nail color as a man, without "woman tendencies" or "trying to look like a woman". Finally, quickly... google "Crowe Gladiator Photo", or pop in the DVD if you have it. Look for a photo where you can see Crowe's knees. Look closely at what he's wearing... Does he look like a woman?

addisyn 5/25/2012 3:53:54 PM Hey Steve there is a person on the akron personals that would be perfect foryou!!! "Just looking for acceptance is on her profile" under-6gffw-3036801307@pers.craigslist.org- Good Luck!!!

steve44077oh 5/25/2012 6:54:36 PM That's cute... but "she" is looking for a woman - NEITHER of us is looking for a partner with a dick. We're definitely not a match. "She" and I also have a totally opposite viewpoint regarding nail color. I'm presuming a bit, but I'd bet that when "she" crossdresses, "she" wears nail color BECAUSE "she" considers it to be feminine. I couldn't disagree more. When I wear nail color, it's NOT "to look like a woman" - my point is that nail color is not related to gender, and whether I'm wearing it or not, my masculinity is not affected. And, anyone who thinks about it, and decides that there's something about nail color that makes it "for women only", is a moron. Most people aren't morons, they're sheep - they've never thought about it, they just accept "the way things are" without thinking, and they don't question the herd because they're afraid of standing apart from it. A sheep has no identity except what they get from being part of the herd of sheep (that's why "sheep" is both a singular and plural noun.) It's OK to be a sheep - sad, but OK... and it's OK to be a moron if one chooses to be a moron. It's EVEN ok for one to TRY to bully another, pick on them and try to hurt their feelings based on assinine prejudices - just as long as they're honest and admit to themselves that they're NOT 'defending an important cultural value', they're perpetrating intolerance, prejudice and hatred. I say "TRY", because I am immune to bullying - I know the bully is wrong, I recognize that they're making a pathetic, desperate attempt to elevate their miniscule self-esteem by grabbing onto someone they see above them and dragging them down. I give the bully no respect at all, so I deny them the power to hurt me. I am so far above the common bully that all I feel for them is pity. I laugh in their bigoted, piggish faces and leave them with less self-esteem than they had before. But, it's Friday, I'm headed to the casino, so I have to go paint my nails. Take care.

===================== As you can see, she made it clear throughout that she associates nail color with femininity, and on a man, nail color translates to gayness. I asked her several times to think about, and provide some explanation WHY  - and she couldn't do it. And, she failed to persuade me to adopt her POV or to embarrass me for wearing nail color. She failed on all points, and her pitiful attempt is hysterically funny to me. So, I thought I'd share the laugh. Stay polished, my friends.

EOTD & My First Zoyas

Hello lovely ladies and lacquered lads!

First, you may be wondering "WTF is an EOTD??" Simple really, get ready to smack your forehead... it's an "Enabler Of The Day". My EOTD today is Michelle,who totally RAOKed my world with this surprise in my mailbox:

For no reason at all, she sent me Zoya "Breezi" and "Jules", and also a mini bottle of Sally Girl black. This is awesome, because I've been wanting some Zoyas ever since I learned that they're headquartered in Cleveland. Sadly, between buying for a birthday swap, Ulta's display of both the Layla holos and the OPI Spiderman collection, a transaction with an angel in Brazil, and my wish to save money to become a producer of nail polish, I just haven't had the budget to bring a Zoya girl home. Then, out of nowhere, Michelle sends me not one, but two!

Of course, I had to try Breezi right away. She's a nice sky blue creme, almost a faded denim color - similar to OPI's "Fly" but without Fly's hint of greenishness, and with a little more opacity. I just love it... Thank You MICHELLE!!

This went on so smooth - check out the reflection of my lamp here:

My First Lippmanns - "Dancing In The Sheets"

Greetings, lacquered lads and lovely ladies! It's my turn to jump on the Lippmann bandwagon - I got in on the HSN "Footloose" clearance, and picked up Deborah Lippmann's "Dancing In The Sheets" and "Let's Hear It For The Boy" for $5 each. I have to say that I love the name of LHIFTB... but I'm not terribly fond of the color. So, I decided to try DITS first.

This is a really interesting dark purple with blue shimmer.

Everything I've read about Lippmann's formula is true. This went on great, covered in two coats, flowed out and leveled really nice - the finish is amazing, I don't think my nails have ever looked so good! My only complaint is that at night, this color is dark enough to be mistaken for black. I try to stay away from blacks, because I don't like how black polish is associated with the goth/emo fashion thing - but that's just personal preference. With summer coming, and more of my time spent outdoors in the sun, this is a great daytime color for me.

I can see why people are so enthusiastic about Lippmann colors. For me though, the regular price is still hard to justify - I'm a meat & potatoes kind of guy, and at $16/bottle, Lippmanns are filet mignon - but this was a STEAL at $5. Thank You Michelle for giving me the heads-up on this sale!

How Lazy Am I? Versatile Blogger Award

I've been putting this off for a while. Six wonderful people have nominated me for the Versatile Blogger award, and I've been totally lazy and neglectful about thanking them! I'm going to try to do this quickly, before Kanye West shows up, grabs my KB and starts typing a tribute to Beyoncé...

The Versatile Blogger Award

I'd like to thank these amazing bloggers for nominating me:
Amanda Berry of BerryPolished
Pixel of Pixel's Polish 
Eugenia of Talon-ted ... but Tawdry
Becky of Paint My Nails at Midnight 
Holly Dodd of Paint on the Glitz 
Emily Esqueleta of Macabre Manicures

Versatile Blogger Award acceptance rules:

1. Nominate 15 fellow bloggers who are relatively new to blogging.
2. Let them know that you have nominated them.
3. Share 7 random facts about yourself.
4. Thank the bloggers who have nominated you. 
5. Add the Versatile Blogger Award picture to your post. 

These are my nominees (in no particular order):

The rules don't define "relatively new to blogging", so I used these eligibility/selection criteria:

1. Blogs with less than 100 followers are eligible, ("followers" is the number reported by the GFC widget when present),
2. Blogs with 100<followers<400 are eligible if their first blog post was published in 2011or 2012,
3. Blogs with more than 400 followers are eligible if their first blog post was published in 2012.
4. Blogs must demonstrate creative use of communication media (blogging tools, social media, contests etc..)
5. Blogs must demonstrate creative use of art media (nail lacquers and other art materials used for nail decoration)

My 15 nominees are:

1. Liesel of http://liesllovesprettythings.blogspot.com/,
2. Guy of http://menwithpaintednails.blogspot.com/
3. Tara of http://tarabl3.blogspot.com/
4. mozzer0906 of http://sytycp.blogspot.com/
5. Zoe of  http://ocnpd.blogspot.com/
6. amiablerain of http://raindownonmebeauty.blogspot.com/
7. Vanessa Ortiz of http://www.confessionsofapolishaholic.com/
8. Essie Rae of http://iheartprettypolish.blogspot.com/
9. Jade of http://polishedimperfections.blogspot.com/ 
10. Nubbinnails of http://nubbinnails.blogspot.com/
11. Tess of http://footballandfingernails.blogspot.com/
12. Jen of http://www.jenspolishwonderland.com/
13. Heidi of http://diypolish.blogspot.com/
14. CupK8 of http://cupk8.blogspot.com/
15. polishedtothenines of http://polishedtothenines.blogspot.com/

7 random facts about me:

1. I once taught the Boy Scouts how to row a boat! (seriously, my folks were dealers for a brand of rowing shells, the kind with the sliding seat and racing oars, and I was asked to bring one out to a Boy Scout facility to demonstrate the differences between this style (aka pull with your legs, twist the oars for the backstroke) and their familiar dinghy rowing (aka, pull with your back, lift the oars for the backstroke)
2. I was for two years, the youngest certified Windsurfing instructor in the USA.
3. I have operated forklifts, loaders, excavators, cranes, bulldozers, boats - and once, I drove a train!
4. I skipped the 7th and 8th grades in junior high school, I graduated at 16 y/o.
5. My favorite author is Harlan Ellison (he is credited as an inspiration at the end of the first Terminator film - though he might have had to sue for that recognition) - and, though I live about a mile from Ellison's boyhood home, I might be the only person in my town who knows who he is.
6. I once proclaimed that "The personal computer has peaked - people don't need / won't buy more computing power than this".... I was speaking of the Tandy TRS 80...
7. I have operated a vodka still, legally, to make vodka for retail sale.

Layla "08 Flash Black" HOLO

Hello lovely ladies and lacquered lads!

I know it's been a while since I've posted anything here - I was out of town on a job, and couldn't play. But I'm home now, and with the overtime pay, I was able to buy me a LAYLA HOLO!

Here it is:

The funny thing about the Layla holos is that they sell a special two-grit buffer to use for nail prep. I compared it to my yellow 220 buffer, and I'd say the "rough" pink side is at least a 400, and the white, smooth side is something above 1600. The white side might not be abrasive at all. I used it on my existing "Grenade" mani, which I decided to keep as underwear for the Layla. The 220 buffer smoothed off all the ridges and scratches and de-glossed the polish. The pink 400? made the surface look a little smoother, but still not glossy at all... and the white side squeaked while rubbing, it warmed up the nails from friction, it barely picked up any color from the Grenade (I think all it picked up was dust from the earlier buffing).... and it restored a mirror-like gloss that I've never seen anywhere except a Scrangie swatch! The Layla buffer is intended for use on bare nail, and the color is intended to be applied without a base coat - the instructions say "Holographic effect develops as the polish dries" - so apparently, smoothness and thinness of coating are important to achieve alignment of the holo particles.

Anyway, with the buffing done, I applied a thin coat of Flash Black. It went on a little streaky - I could see a couple of gaps where the coat was weak. So, after drying, I added a second coat. That's what's shown in the photo.

I love this finish! I can definitely see this becoming a traffic hazard! Even in the muted light of my bedside CFL, I can see the holo rainbow easily, and I can't wait for sunrise tomorrow! (The photos are with flash..)

**UPDATE 5/12** - This is so awesome I've worn it the whole week. I had a little tip wear, which I just touched up. Also, in the photo above, you might have noticed my nubbin pinky, from a breakage the week before. Ironically, my right pinky had the longest nail of all - so I've spent the week wondering if I could transplant some of it from right to left. Yesterday, I tried it... cleanly sliced off 1/4" of right pinky nail, sanded the piece square and the left nail to match, filed a long chamfer on the top of the left, and used my Dremel to put a matching angle on the underside of the piece. Then I used Superglue to attach the piece, used a file to blend the top surfaces, then applied two layers of fiberglass wrap. Then I buffed smooth, applied base coat and a coat of black, then two coats of this Layla.

Here's the result:

I am very pleased with this - the rebuilt nail feels as strong as the others, all four are the same length now, there's absolutely no sign that this isn't natural growth... I couldn't be happier!


My personal NP "Holy Grail" is a bottle of original '07 MPJ. The hard part for me will be saving some of this to compare, if/when I ever get an '07 MPJ in my hands.

I bought this from Ulta with my own money, and I have not been compensated for this review...