Sunscreen test number one

Let's hear it for Contender One:



The test did not begin well. C1 is about five bucks an ounce and full of that evil brand-name false trustworthiness. (Yeah, I'm susceptible. I read Neutrogena and I think of splashing clear water and famous teeny boppers with smooth blemish-free skin telling me they hate their stress-related breakouts. Water is wet, teeny boppers within and without Hollywood get acne; THUS IT MAY TOO WORK FOR ME.) So I gave the clerk my money and talked about Naturalizer shoes. It was a good time at the drug store.

Test continued to go poorly when I got home after the farmer's market (they had a llama! Good time at the market, yo!) and followed the directions by "liberally applying" C1. I looked like I was wearing mime paint. My face didn't itch, but it felt greasy. Worse: a couple hours later when I got the dog ready for a walk, A. looked at me strangely and said, "Are you wearing...sunscreen?"

I looked in the mirror and saw I still looked like a mime. "Um. Yarp."

But I didn't rub it in, because I have always been taught that when you think you're rubbing sunscreen in, you're actually rubbing it off,* so I slapped on my hat and out we went around the block. And here's where C1 finally worked - sort of. It sank into my skin like sunscreen does, and it lost some of the greasiness, and even after a nice long walk at the brightest time of the day, I'm not sunburned. So I think I'll keep going with this puppy for a week, spend a lot of time outdoors and see how it goes.






<sup>* Or I've always been taught that there is no shame in looking like a fool. Mime, fool, same difference, right?**

** OR MAYBE I just used to wipe off all the sunscreen onto the car seat before we got to the beach. Sounds like I might need to have another conversation with the mom...</sup>

The Big C

Hi, hi hi hi! My brief hiatus was due to a smashing visit from my folks and then A.'s folks. Good food, beer and awkward photos were had by all.

- Anyhow, the Big C.
No, I'm not talking about the show, I'm talking about the scope! I scheduled the ass-tube party with my gastro earlier this week. Of course, I also forgot to get a quote, since my insurance these days blows big yellow dong and I will most likely have to pay for some of it. (The colonoscopy, not the dong. Obviously. Who would pay for that? Who indeed?) But some is better than all, I guess.

- A soothing, oatmeal/aloe-based, womanly products question
So I've been on Imuran for a while now, going on six-seven years, and one of the big warnings is sunlight exposure. At least, it was when I started taking it - the above link doesn't mention it, as far as I can see. But anyway. Extended exposure to sunlight, bad. And being closer to the equator in Texas, that's probably bad, too. So in addition to adopting the proper Ulcerative Colitis Attire: Operation Cover-Up (also known as Audrey Hepburn Goes Skiing in Charade, except with a brimmier hat) I need to stock up on sunscreen.

But (yes, but), there's a problem. My skin and sunscreen do not get along. The Colazal I'm also taking tends to encourage breakouts, and when I slap on the sunscreen it's like I'm just fertilizing the already-extremely-fertile manure.* My shoulders and back break out, and the bits of my face that don't lump up with tiny zits and oil, well, they dry out to a nice wrinkly parchment. So I'm looking for suggestions: does anyone out there know of a sunscreen that didn't send their skin in the black forests of acne?

Notes/caveats: I'm planning on going to the drugstore tonight in search of something. Also, as usual, I'm unable to spend giant bucks. I realize that "giant bucks" may vary; let's just say I'm really broke and looking for the cheapest, meanest, stingiest option. Which, honestly? Is probably a big ol' brimmy hat.


-In closing I shall take refuge in the smartzors** of others: links.

If you like astronomy, check this out:
10 Surprising Moon Facts (I think...via BB, as usual)

The Daily Dish linked to this blog/Tumblr/Blumbr (oh, please):
A Lie of the Mind
She's a kicky Chicago girl with a startlingly clear gaze, fine bones and a sharp wit.
He'sIt's a...kicky brain tumor.
Together, they won't fight crime. No, I hope she kicks its ass. Or maybe, its mass? Eh, argh. My wit is all sewn up in my colon and related parts/emissions; I'll quit trying to branch out into other areas of health. But check her blog out regardless.

In my head:

Debbie Reynolds own voice - Would You? - Singin' in the Rain from Mark on Vimeo.

(except in my head, it's all Jean Hagen. Sigh.)







^{* What - doesn't everyone compare their skin to manure? Where have all the gardening/flesh metaphors gone?
**Oh yeah, I'm portmanteauing it up over here. And smartzor sounds more fun than razart, in my head.}