I like to think of myself as a tinkerer, a re-inventor, and on wild days-an artist. I have created paintings, pottery, and jewelry, but while I strive to create things that are beautiful-my nails are never pretty.

They are gauged, chipped, and stained. Sometimes I try to cover them with a dark lacquer, but the colors do nothing to hide the red torn skin that cradle them. My hands just aren't pretty.

Over the years friends have given me countless gift cards for manicures. I'll go and enjoy them, but their effects never last long. Soon the polish will peel, my fingertips will bleed, and my nails will no longer be pretty.

I'll probably never be one of those "salon girls." My nails will most likely always be broken. I hope that for holidays and birthdays my father continues to give me wire, rough gems, and old dirty watch parts. I can never see myself with long, red, and polished nails. To me, that's just not pretty.