Hello, Ugly.

Usually I go through life ignoring my skin as much as possible, since it isn’t really a happy thought. But, it’s been one of those weeks where my face is super dry and beginning to chap, so I’m conscious of it every moment.

It’s tight and peeling off in little flakes, so I’ve been using scotch tape to get those off as easily as possible. Sounds weird I’m sure, but it’s much more effective than scratching. People can’t really see the chapping unless they’re up close, but it still has me wanting to wrap my head in a scarf and hide. It brings back memories of the years when I looked like a monster. It also hurts to smile, frown, or raise my eyebrows.

I hate this idiot disease. I also feel like this post is badly written, and the only explanation I have is that it’s hard to concentrate on anything very long when my skin is making me feel phrenetic.

Is Water Softener Helpful?

A study in England examines the idea that water softener can relieve children’s eczema symptoms.

The blog WaterSonoma has a list of the 10 Most Common Effects of Hard Water, which mentions dry skin.

What I Don’t Want

Or bad presents for eczema sufferers, and the usual explanations that accompany them.

Polyester scarf “But it’s so pretty” And itchy. Receipt please?

Scented lotion “Well I know your skin is always dry, so I thought this would help.” This one really gets me. It isn’t just dry, it’s arid and sharp. We’re talking about something that makes Lubriderm run and hide in impotence. Lavender scented lotion is going to clear that up?

Super fluffy socks “They’re really soft so they should make your skin feel better.” They’re soft to you. To me, their texture is cloying. The closest fabric gets to feeling good on my skin is when it’s non-irritating, and microfiber does not fill that bill.

A Chocolate Orange “Well, it’s chocolate, and doesn’t have corn syrup.” You do get points for remembering the corn syrup part, but – Orange. As in citrus. Another allergy.

Earrings “They’re so pretty -“ I hardly ever wear earrings, since the only metals I’m not allergic to are copper, titanium and platinum.

The basic rule is that anything that touches the skin can cause a reaction. So what’s your best shot?

Ask.

Find out what presents they dread every year. Or, take them shopping and pay attention to their reactions when they touch things.

A present the receiver is allergic to is a waste of your time, energy, and money. It’s also a waste of space for them. Every year I end up with a small pile of things that I can’t use and have to figure out what to do with. At that point I’d rather just have a hug and a great conversation.

Puraderm Update

Puraderm Hair and Body is amazing. [Check out the original review.]

I have no reaction to the soap, and since it only takes a dollop to get me clean all over a 16oz. bottle seems to last forever. It does a great job removing dirt, sweat, fragrance and body odor. I truly love this stuff and recommend it to anyone, but especially those with sensitive skin.

This might sound far fetched, and I know I’m gushing, but Puraderm has improved my quality of life. It’s awesome to bath without breaking out in hives!

Dry Outside

36°F at 5am, fog until 2pm, but still no rain. I’ve been drinking a lot of water but my skin is pretty dry. And anything with sleeves is making my arms itch.

Robot stuff…

Pimping a New Blog

Boobs Begone [NSFW] is a new blog [think less than 24 hours] by my ‘crazy artist’ friend Joslin. A few days before her 66th birthday this year she discovered that she had breast cancer again.  She’s being proactive by electing to have a double mastectomy, and blogging about her experiences. I have to admit that I’m pleasantly surprised by the blogging, because she’s been skeptical about it for awhile, but true to her character she’s bravely diving in.

The painting to the right is an oil Joslin did of Isadora Duncan, that I have in my dining room.

Testing PollDaddy

Check In

I am
… hiding within myself, nurturing the tiniest parts into healthy growth
….. joyous over living somewhere I actually want to be
… contemplative over the death of a dear friend and it’s strange circumstances
….. craving strawberry pie
… sometimes tired of being so good on my diet, but know the pain of eczema isn’t worth it
….. missing my cousin, whom I haven’t had a ‘heart-to-heart’ conversation with in a couple years
… loathing my cryptically written homework assignment
….. relieved that the class is only 8 weeks long!
… ecstatic about taking the Online Business Course from IttyBiz

A Logic Exercise

Everyone has ‘learned behaviors’ from their family. The worst thing that I picked up was to eat something and then have an anxiety attack that what I ate would make me sick. And of course, when you have an anxiety attack you feel sick, and then I wouldn’t want to eat that food again. I realized the pattern when I ate french bread one night and felt ill – now that was wrong. French bread? what could be more safe for me?

Somehow I had to break myself of the unhealthy habit and I worked out a little Logic Exercise that helps a lot. After years of doing this I’m happily at the point where whenever I have acid reflux I know it’s because I was anxious and ate too fast, but on bad days I still do the Logic Exercise to help me calm down.

Arrival in Candyland

The new apartment is excellent, I love it. Big rooms with lots of sunshine, the kind that isn’t too bright and is perfect for stretching out and reading. Everything in the place is functional and much of it is new, and it’s walking distance from all the essential things in town. The area is a bit different from where I grew up [now called WIGU], but the part that’s really getting me is that people are so nice! And happy! And most intriguingly of all – they’re not faking it!