you'd think the reason i carry a pointed, metal nail file in my purse is because i want to be able to file down snags on my nails whenever they occur, but you'd be wrong.

• nancy drew. she opened a lot of locks with a similar nail file. i was a big nancy drew fan when i was a kid.

• jamie buchman. (the helen hunt character in "mad about you".) they did an entire episode on jamie and her sister lisa's purses, and the effects when the two accidentally picked up each other's purse. by the end of the day, jamie, normally the most organized, pulled-together woman in NYC, is a misreable wreck. On the other hand, lisa discovers everything she needs in jamie's purse to look well-groomed for a job interview, resulting in her being employed for the first time in her life. a swanky little zippered nail grooming kit is featured as an item in jamie's purse. i've been looking for one ever since; the nail file is my stop-gap solution.

• buffy. buffy defends herself against her mother's evil new boyfriend, "ted" (played by the late, great john ritter), with a very pointy little metal nail file. the wounds inflicted by the file reveal a shocking secret about ted, which i won't spoil for you here.

that's why i carry a pointed nail file in my purse. i want to be more like nancy, jamie, and buffy.