As most of you know, the passenger side mirror on my car was clipped off when I was at LAX a few years ago picking up a friend. Because it was snapped off and left hanging, the one tiny tension post that keeps mirrors like mine on, was broken in half (with half still being in the housing on the car side). This meant that I wasn't really able to fix it, so, being the classy gal I am, I flooded it with epoxy and slapped some black Gorilla Tape on it. I always hated it, but I could live with it... Until I started working in Brentwood.

Now, all of a sudden it's bothering me. What can I do? I can't really get a new one because the epoxy I originally used would have to be removed, and that would probably entail use of a heat gun. I figured I would probably melt off the plastic housing as well, so that's out. How about this, take off the tape and the adhesive residue (from 4 years of slapping new tape on) and see how well the mirror does on its own?

Great idea!!! So this past Sunday morning I go out to my car (early) armed with a microfiber cloth and a bottle of Goof Off. For AN HOUR I scrubbed. I kept going until all the adhesive was gone. Off the frame of the car and off the plastic housing for the mirror.

I thought my fingers were gonna die! Constant scrubbing for sixty minutes!

When I was done, I was really proud of myself! The mirror stayed up (barely) and my car looks presentable. A job well done!!

Until...... I woke up Monday morning to fingers swollen up to twice their normal size. It felt like I had on really sticky thick rubber gloves. It didn't hurt much, but it was hard to work (and grab things). Now that they're almost back to their normal size, guess what they're doing? Yup, PEELING!!!! Just from the knuckle to the tips mind you. So glamorous!

I hope, at the very least, the young kid who drives the Porsche and parks next to me every day at work notices the mirror before it falls off again. Maybe he won't give my car that sad look with a shake of his head anymore. :-(. Meanwhile, I'll just sit here scrubbing my hands and applying lotion.

What price vanity indeed!

(I typed this on my phone, so please excuse typos until I can get to a computer to fix them).