Realistically, I can get away with three weeks, msbelle. I've gone longer with French manicure since the pink is so close to my nail bed color - it's harder to notice casually. With color, though, it starts to look pretty rough after three weeks. Not that that stops me sometimes.

Um, I don't do fills because I'm doing it myself with full plastics from Tarjay, I just trash 'em and start over roughly about every 3 weeks. That's the point where the fake is starting to get above the cuticle and lifting is an issue. So I may be no help. I used to try to do my own fills at that point, but got really lazy. Easier to just redo for me, but I don't go to a manicure place.

My housemate and I decided that the epitome of this cookbook was the "recipe" for mint tea that cooked for two hours (!?!) and used tea bags, water, and 2 drops mint extract. I kid you not.

::facepalm::

I get acrylics, I should add.

So I ended up in the ER today, and the doctor's plan was to give me what I take at home (but had run out of). The attending asked him (in front of me, which was almost embarassing) "Whose idea was that?" He almost tried to pass the buck back to me. Almost my most frustrating visit to date. The stadol (which I take at home, but run out of in a week) gives me an hour or two if I double the dose. That's so not what I go to the ER for.

Still, the good news is that the staff was all "Long time no see!" Well, the rest of the staff, not unsure resident. But I have started out 2009 with increased time between visits, so that's good.

As well as quelling the migraine I'd had for a couple dates, the procedure soreness seems to be quieter. So that's good too.

I'm only at 2 weeks, but I'm kind crazy about pushing and cutting my cuticles so the gap from the tip to the base is like an eighth of an inch.

Work has confirmed they are sending me away on TDY. Five fully comped winter weeks in south Florida instead of Kansas City, yay!

I wish you didn't have to roll the dice with each ER visit, ita. I wish you could see the same crew who knew the drill every time. The main nurse when I was with you was so sure he could stick you and so frustrated when he couldn't. I wish you could get the ones with the right drugs and the surefire stick every time. All after, of course, I wish you didn't need to go at all.

msbelle, I usually went 2-2 1/2 weeks between fills. I've been biting so badly, I should go back to acrylics.

Ugh, ita. I'm sorry.

Grace had her g-tube replaced at bedside today (which is excellent because her g-tube had been leaking for several weeks). The procedure took 2-3 minutes but, from the RTs report, was probably pretty uncomfortable. It made for crabby girl the rest of the day. But she was willing to sit on her stool.