u/NimdokBennyandAM

Still learning how to polish nails and my girlfriend gave me some more practice today! To celebrate the 4th, some red and blue glamor.

For my girlfriend: Cracked Rhubarb Pie Guts, the red polish on the left.

For me: Cracked Another Day in the PNW, the blue on the right.

For both of us: Olive and June primer base coat and quick dry top coat.

Still learning and lord knows I have a ways to go, but we are pretty happy with how this turned out!

And man, painting your own nails is challenging. Using my non-dominant hand is hard. Any tips or pointers for self-polishing? So far I am much better at polishing my gf's nails than my own.

Happy 4th! Enjoy the fireworks! Fight the good fight against fascism!

Hello, fellas.

Checking in from my first real attempt at doing my and my GF's nails, and looking for 1) guidance, and 2) consolation. Lord above, did I make an unholy mess.

Let's start where, perhaps, the fuck-up started: TJ Maxx. We went in search of some cheap polish to paint with while we awaited an order of some great colors and bases and top coats from Cracked.

I went with OPI Midnight Mantra. I also bought a Nail Tek filler base coat.

I realized, quickly, I have no idea how to push cuticles back. I think I made progress but was left with white bunched up material at the end of the nail bed. I don't know how to remove it, how to get the happy half-circle nail bed cuticles you all seem to have. I still have what looks like little pieces of skin here and there, and the skin just kind of bunched up rather than folding in on itself. Do I need to use a cuticle remover cream? Do I need to scrape harder? Do I need to cut anything away?

The Nail Tek filler was great. No notes. It was the only thing that went great. Went on evenly and was easy to paint with.

Then there was the paint, that OPI. It goes on THICK. And you have to really nail the application in one go, because correcting it using acetone on a brush or lint-free wipe turns it into watercolor that spreads all over your finger, seeping along like oil. Utterly miserable to clean up and contour.

My GF got a few paints, too, one of which was Orly Skystone, which spread like a dream and was easy to clean up. She also got an OPI - OPI Pose-in Ivy, which too late, we realized was a jelly, and wondered why it was going on so thin and translucent.

Eventually, with weird cuticles, watercolor fingers, and paint-by-number patchwork nailbeds, we called it quits and bathed in acetone until we were back to naked skin and nails. My GF, the pinnacle of patience and virtue, has consented to letting me try again, even as she digs paint out from under her nails.

So, a few things:

1. Your first time doing this for real, did you fuck up royal, make a mess, take it all off, and wonder if you'd ever get even passable at this?

2. Tips? Advice? I've been considering painting and stripping one nail over and over again to get a sense of brush control, paint control, motion/direction/etc.

3. How important is the quality of the paint? Dumb question, I am certain. But when I did my GF's nails last week, it was with higher quality paint. It spread like a dream, was easy to correct/contour, and gave me some false confidence because it ended up looking damn good with just a little bit of elbow grease. This too-thick, too-thin OPI stuff was a nightmare to work with. I'm guessing not all paints are created equal?

4. Hold me, I'm scared.

Thanks, all. I'd post pictures of my work tonight but Geneva would consider it a war crime. Any advice, wisdom, or consolation you can share will be appreciated.

My first trip report from my first round of serious roller coasters! My GF and I took advantage of a BOGO ticket deal Hersheypark was offering and spent the day riding coasters and eating good food.

This was a big trip for me. I've spent the past few years getting healthy and lost a lot of weight in the process. I've been celebrating by doing all sorts of things I couldn't do at a higher weight, and I'd always wished I could ride roller coasters but was just too big.

Well, no more, and this was my first time riding real coasters. Safe to say I am a newly minted addict.

We had one day and our time was a bit limited, so we focused on rides with shorter wait times and are planning a return trip to ride the coasters we didn't get to. Without further ado, here's what we rode:

1. Comet. My first coaster! That initial drop was KILLER! It felt like the car was going to fly off the track on the way down, like we were somersaulting down at high speed. A few more bunny hops and steep drops followed, with a lot of rolling, rocking, rickety wooden coaster charm. This was a wild ride and a lot of fun to start with.

2. sooperdooperLooper. My first looper! Oh man, I'd be lying if I said I wasn't shitting bricks waiting in line. superdooperLooper is a short ride but packs a nice little punch - a tight inversion, a few tight spirals, a lot of G's and explosive energy. A steel coaster, a smooth ride, with the inversion hitting hard and ending quick, this was a great intro to loopers.

3. Coal Cracker. Not a coaster - a log flume, a short ride but some much needed respite on this hot, humid, summery day. A surprising amount of oomph for a log flume, this ride earns it spot nestled amongst the coasters rather than over in the water park with its twists, turns, and hills, but its primary attraction is the nice spray of cold water on a sweltering day. We loved this ride.

4. Great Bear. This was one of the best experiences I've had, period. My first foot-dangler coaster, this was WILD. This is a relatively short ride but it packs punch after punch after punch, wild inversions left, right, and upside down, tightly veering from steep pitch into steep pitch. For a newbie, an unpredictable ride - wild, rolling, breath taking. I loved this ride, and it was my favorite of the day.

5. Kissing Tower. Not a coaster - it's a relaxing air conditioned ride where we cooled off after Great Bear and a quick lunch. [We got pretzels and lemonade first, then walking tacos later. Pricy, but okay for fuel.] At the top of the tower, it offers a really lovely view of the park, and my GF and I took the ride instructions seriously and shared a few smooches while taking in the view.

6. Wild Mouse. I've ridden tinier versions of the Wild Mouse before on boardwalk amusement piers, but none this big and rollicking. A LOT of great jumpy bunny hops plus the usual Wild Mouse fare - a lot of scurrying up on top of the coaster, the constant feeling that you're about to be launched off the track to ride through the air like Santa, sans reindeer. I loved this ride. My GF hated every second of it.

7. Reese's Cupfusion. A fun haunted house style ride - a very slow moving indoor coaster, family-friendly, and this one had an interactive element: you used light guns in the cars to shoot at projections on the walls of the ride as you go through, racking up points for baddies you knock out or down. A fun mash up of ride and video game, and importantly - air conditioned!

Wait times and our time limits prevented us from riding all the coasters we wanted. We're planning a return trip soon to knock out the big boys, and at the top of my list is Candymonium, Wildcat's Revenge, Jolly Rancher Remix, and Fahrenheit. We think we'll start with these on our next trip, hoping to beat any long lines, and we're heading back soon to cross these and other rides off our list.

For my first foray into coaster riding, I think we did pretty well. I was thrilled to start in this hobby with my GF and had a blast dipping my toe into the water at Hersheypark.

I'll post more as I ride more. Thanks, y'all. Open to any and all tips and if you need any other details in these reports, please let me know.