I am absolutely thrilled that my model for the upcoming competition couldn't make it in this afternoon for another practice set of nails. She graduates with her bachelor's degree tomorrow morning and, understandably, found too many things on her to-do list today to worry about her nails or my competition.

Seeing as how the BF and I will be attending her graduation at 9 a.m. tomorrow morning and then leave from there for a road trip to Phoenix (why Phoenix? *shrug,*), I also have too many things on my own to-do list to worry about not getting in a practice set of nails this week.

So I went to the bank, dropped off some clothes at a local charity thrift store — which happens to be where the manicurist who preceded me at Attitudes now works— picked up something for lunch, which apparently will suck up exactly half of my daily allotment of Weight Watchers points (GRRRRR!), and headed home to make sure my blogging got done on schedule and hopefully figure out why my laptop computer says it doesn't have a battery anymore. Well, at least I can get the blogging done.

So I'm stopped at the four-way stop near the house, waiting my turn (or more like eyeing other traffic suspiciously since it's a wonky, off-center intersection that people often can't seem to negotiate according to California's rules for four-way stop signs), when I spy a city bus approaching the intersection directly across from me.

I had time to start reading all the advertisements on the side of the bus while the pick-up truck pulling the lawn care trailer sat at his stop sign two turns past the time he should have gone.

The first thing I saw on the sign that dominates the side of the bus was that it said "The Perfect Ten" in a very classy font with a lovely rich, chocolatey brown background. Of course, I immediately thought to myself, "Hmmm, I wonder how much she paid for that sign?" Then I noticed that in much smaller print above "The Perfect Ten" was the name of a local restaurant and "announces." Oh. So it's not that "Perfect Ten."

Which got me wondering how many other people will see that sign on that bus and think of the nail salon instead of noticing the restaurant name? Or how many people will be staring blankly at their computer screen later this week and suddenly think, "Hey, didn't I see "The Perfect Ten" on the side of a bus earlier this week? Maybe I should Google that? And get directed to the salon instead.

Seems to me like this is a great example of woefully poor marketing for this restaurant. But it’s quite serendipitous for the nail salon that didn't have to spend advertising dollars to get its name printed in 2-foot-high letters on the side of a moving billboard!

Now... I wonder if I can convince a local hardware store that "The Art of Nails" would make everyone in town think of building supplies?