Mommy, I want to be an astronaut!

So remember when you were a kid, and people asked you want you wanted to be when you grew up and you said 'Astronaut!' And you really, really wanted to attend Space Camp at the Kennedy Space Center over the summer but weren't allowed to? So then you made do with the awesome field trip there in the 5th grade but were uber-disappointed when you weren't picked to ride in the flight simulator?

Well I do.

But today I heard some very disturbing news that potentially made me regret ever having that dream. Apparently, the gloves used in the space suit can make your fingernails fall off! Seriously, read on!

I mean, I don't know about you, but I'm kind of fond of my fingernails. I get annoyed when they get any longer than the tip of my finger and I have to cut them, but I'm glad they're there. They scratch things, portray my annoyance or boredom with a situation, and keep the tops of my fingers warm...

I actually lost an entire thumbnail in college when I slammed my finger in a car door. It turned black and was only hanging on by one side of my thumb, so you could actually lift it up because I was waaaaay too wimpy to pull the thing off. Here's an unattractive pic for your viewing pleasure:

Fun Fact: I had red hair for a time in college ... I got over it.

Gross, right? And although it was awesome that I was rocking Spider-man Band-Aids all the time to keep the nail attached, it was still pretty disturbing. And that was just a thumb! I can't imagine how I would feel if I lost all of my fingernails.

...

Although really, I suppose it is a small price to pay for actually being in freakin' space. So it's weird and gross, but I think I could handle losing some fingernails to be able to say that I took part in an EVA.

Maybe then I could rock some of those ridiculously long acrylic nails that some women have!