What's That Noise?

I decided to be girly and paint my toenails sparkly silver.  As I enjoyed my moment of solitude, my memories went to the goofy 8-year old who loved to improvise.    

I didn't grow up painting my nails like many little girls do in this country.  I had no idea what a manicure or pedicure was. I most definitely NEVER had long fingernails.  I was a young pianist.  You could not possibly pay respect to the piano with that clicking noise on the ivories.  It would be like blasphemy.  

I was never a Barbie girl either.  I grew up a tom boy playing soccer with my bros, and got in plenty of trouble.  I was also a bossy tom boy who liked to play "teacher" at home - I was ALWAYS the teacher.  Imaginary students always obeyed my orders.  Our house had a big chalkboard for messages, grocery items, etc.  I stood in front of the chalkboard, pointing to the whatever imaginary lessons I prepared for my class, and taught away.  

Teachers were authoritative figures in my little head.  One of my fiercest teachers had long painted fingernails.  Long painted nails = authority.  I needed long painted nails for my class.  Poor Little Daisy.  I was so misguided...  It is a miracle I haven't needed to devote three-quarter of my paycheck to a therapist as an adult.  

Back to my nails.  I had no materials that could make me an authoritative figure. There was NEVER any nail polish around the house.  Worse yet, I had these little piano fingers that were strong as hammers but they wouldn't make the clicking noise I wanted. 

Then something caught the corner of my eyes. Tiny bottles of model paint with which my brother painted his tiny soldiers, his tiny tanks, his tiny planes.  Silver paint!  

"A bag of pistachios!!" I grinned as my eyes lit up. I found treasure!  I loved that goofy, creative kid in me. "Quickly!" The pistachios were delicious, but I was after the shells. Meticulously, I painted ten pistachio shells with the tiny paint brush. "Double-sided tape!" 

My authority is within reach.  My class shall obey my barking orders very soon...  

Carefully, one by one, I adhered the double-sided tape inside the pistachio shells, and pressed them onto my fingernails.  Viola!  I just created instant Lee Press-On Nails in silver.  I was elated!  

"Click click click click."  I tapped on the chalkboard.  Instructing Little Johnny on addition and subtraction.  Authority!  "Click click click click click..."

"What's that clicking noise?"  "What's screeching on the chalkboard?"  "What is that on your fingers??"  Mother asked.  Uh oh. 

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I think we were all goofy and creative not that long ago.  Let's claim that bag of Pistachios back.