The beauty complex does not get my fingernails.

Ha! Well, I don't mean anything fancy -- just filed and neat -- which mine are not right now.

My nails are supershort too, both because of years of abuse and also playing stringed instruments. But I do like polishing them even short.

I've become convinced that prescribing psych meds is an art, not a science. There are enough meds out there, and the reaction of any person to any particular med unpredictable enough, that it's about 1.5 steps above a guessing game.

ITA, Fred Pete!

And Consuels, I think the above advice is pretty good.

I am with David on the eyebrows. I don't tweeze between appointments, though; I HATE it. I use Nads' cold wax strips -- that way, I just get pro waxes when I can afford it, and REALLY need a little more shaping refined.

The haircut, I can be lax on. I keep up with color pretty well, though, since I HATE my dishwater brown-silver roots. But I color myself; after doing it for 22 years, it's a cinch.

I don't mean anything fancy -- just filed and neat -- which mine are not right now

... well, mine are filed, anyway. ::shrugs:: I'm not ragging on anyone--if my nails were attractive, I'd make more of an effort, but the beds are flat so when they get any length on them, they're both uncomfortable and kind of ugly. I can't be bothered.

I've become convinced that prescribing psych meds is an art, not a science. There are enough meds out there, and the reaction of any person to any particular med unpredictable enough, that it's about 1.5 steps above a guessing game.

My BF from HS is a psychiatrist and she said something along these lines once. What she said was they don't really know what pill X works on Person A, but not Person B and why no pills at all seem to work on Person C. I think they learn more about the brain everyday, but I think it's still so mysterious in many ways.

next time he says it (or before if you think this needs to be addressed right away), ask him for feedback about your demeanor. Mention to him you don't think you are bristly, but if that is how you are coming across, you'd like to change that.

I think this is great advice. Sometimes the difference on how you perceive your reactions and how they are interpreted by others can be huge. (And I say this as someone who thinks of myself as quiet and shy, but who regularly gets told that they seem mean and intimidating.)

I'll be interested to see, now that I've weaned myself off of the acrylics and then the plastic ones for a couple months after because they were so bendy, whether my nails will be as strong as they once were so that I can keep them longish. I have long nail beds, so it's all good even if not.

And, yeah, for practicality of playing instruments and climbing, I'd chop them right off, no issue there.

Deva Curl salons

Is that a salon chain? Because all I'm finding on Google is the Deva Curl products.

I'm not ragging on anyone--if my nails were attractive, I'd make more of an effort, but the beds are flat so when they get any length on them, they're both uncomfortable and kind of ugly. I can't be bothered.

No, no, I didn't feel ragged on. I totally get it, and it's not practical with climbing anyway. I just wanted to make clear that I wasn't trying to rag either. Or sound judgey. Eyebrows and nails are just two of the things that bug me about me when I don't have them the way I like them. More than hair, actually, which I'm not sure I realized until just this second. Huh.

Jen, I did acrylics for a long time and stopped a couple of years ago. My nails were weak for a while but have improved month over month. Now they grow well and look pretty darned good. Not to say it takes a couple of years but I used to keep them short on purpose while they healed and only just recently let them grow.

LeNubian, Jesse, thanks. For all that I'm forthright about work, I'm not that good at this kind of conversation, so I'll have to psych myself up for it.

And I don't want it to be a big deal, it's just that it's a bit difficult to figure out what he means. I mentioned it to my sister and she immediately responded that there was probably an element of sexism in it--that he wouldn't call a man with my demeanor "bristly". She's probably right, and it doesn't help that this is a military environment...