A Bunch of Bad Ideas
LUNCH TODAY
so, in addition to the butter chicken, mom had also packed me a sandwich and a frozen entree. Normally, I dont bother popping the entree in the freezer and i just let it defrost in my lunch bag and then just nuke the dish for half the time. This hasnt proven to be a problem until today. Mom had packed a “Hungry Man” lunch- their BBQ ribs entree. and when it started to thaw, the tangy southwestern sauce got into the brownie section of the tray.
very disappointing as I was looking forward to some chocolately goodness.
I still ate it though.
SPITE AND BUTTER CHICKEN
My mom laughingly criticized me for putting leftover butter chicken in my thermos overnight to take for lunch. She warned me of bacteria, admonished me for not refrigerating it, and laughed at my feeble-mindedness, telling me i’d be best off throwing it out when i got work. I felt emasculated (forgive the gendered term) and belittled. So much so that when i got to work that morning, the first thing i did was pop open my thermos and eat my butter chicken at my desk. all of it.
I know, i have issues. So far, no ill effects. I’ll keep you posted.
ACNE
I have of late, spent quite a bit of my time contemplating the condition of my facial complexion. While physical appearance is always a concern, it normally takes a back seat to other, more bankable personal qualities as a value-indicator. Being gainfully employed, demonstrating strong academic promise, and generally being a chatty, easy-going gal have served me well over the years in getting me through life reasonably unscathed. They’ve even allowed me to share in some of the more pleasant experiences life has to offer.
In more recent years however, performance in this arena has been steadily declining, often falling short of expected gains (bouts of joblessness, a stalled academic career- both of which have dampened my mood and soured my cheery demeanor) , and I have been forced, consequently, to explore my options in previously untapped areas to compensate.
While I havent delved very deeply into the world of skincare I have experimented with toners, moisturizers, masks, exfoliators and even facials (of both the at-home and professional variety)- all amounting to very little in terms of results. I once bought a mask at the recommendation of a friend (there’s something quite childish and yet at the same time glamourous about smearing mud all over your face). But when I applied the mask to my face later that night(after testing it on the inside of my wrist)- my face started to burn. At first i thought it was *supposed* to feel that way and, like an idiot, I actually KEPT THE MASK ON trying to wait out the full 20 minutes. Eventually the common sense that comes with pain finally kicked in and i washed it all off with little damage to my face (bit of redness). Unfortunately, a delayed response to pain isn’t the only flaw in my evolutionary design and months later, thinking that perhaps the irritation was caused by something else and/or the “tingling” sensation wasn’t all that bad I went through the same experience again.
Simlarly, toners and moisturizers seem to give me rashes or clog my pores and whether due to the quality of the product, misapplication and/or infrequent use, in any case, I have been unsuccessful. Upon speaking to a couple individuals, I have come to believe that perhaps excessive washing may be the problem and accordingly, I have embarked on an experiment. Hoping that perhaps if i didnt strip my face of its natural oils that I would get a silky, smooth complexion, I have used nothing but water to wash my face for the last week and a half. Results you ask? Definitely more spots. And not just little superficial zits but big ones that are kinda sore and swell and seem comfortably nestled under my skin. This morning I woke up to a reddish bump just below my left eye. Hadnt seen one of those before. They do however seem to all be popping up on one side of my face. I am beginning to wonder if i need to change my pillow.
But despite these observations, like with the mud mask, I insist on riding it out until the end of the week before taking any decisive action. Will keep you updated.
November 23rd, 2005 at 10:52 pm
Re: Acne
For the longest time I was only peripherally conscious of the imperfections that plagued my face. Then, one day, I acquired a girlfriend who loved me for who I was on the inside, but found some of my outsides problematic; And so she set out to make me beautiful on the outside. First she took care of the obvious things, like my lack of interest in using deodourant. My technique of splashing on rubbing alcohol after a shower wasn’t satisfactory. Then there was the stubble and the superfluous hair growths. Lastly, the acne. She opened me up to a world of chemicals that I never bothered stepping foot in to on my own; Astringent, Benzoyl peroxide, specialized facial soaps, moisturizers, exfoliating creams… This was ridiculous to a guy who used rubbing alcohol as deodourant/antiperspirant and the same bar of soap on his face that he used to clean his ass with.
So what happened to my acne? It outlived my relationship and withstood the chemical warfare that my naturally beautiful lover waged on it.
If you want to put a more than human effort in to ridding yourself of the acne I found some website of this dude who applies a *ridiculous* amount of 10% Benzoyl Peroxide (an anti-bacterial and a pore unclogging agent) twice a day. But you have to let it sit for a while, then moisturize. It’s expensive and time consuming and the results come only after a couple months of treatment. Also, consistency is key, miss an application and you can count on a few of those little bastards showing up.
So, in the end I’ve managed to obtain a reasonable measure of success with a minimal amount of effort, but by no means a victory. I wash my face twice a day with Nutrogena facial bar-soap and apply astringent with a cotton pad after each washing. My face gets really dry after that, and that supposedly provokes outbreaks, but I have been too lazy to moisturize(using a proper facial moisturizer like Cetaphil, which I do have in my medicine cabinet). Just doing this, I notice an improvement in the condition. If I don’t follow this routine then I am almost guaranteed to suffer from an outbreak continuously for the next week (acne is very vengeful). Now, I’ve tried doing minimal washing, but in my own experience, it was worse than just using the regular bar soap. Some people *need* to wash their face to prevent really painful boils from developing (yes, I know exactly what those deep pimples are like).
If I only was motivated enough to moisturize, *NEVER* touch my face, gently pat-dry when I wash it, lance all my pimples properly, and not scratch them, I bet I could improve my odds even more.
December 2nd, 2005 at 4:49 am
Get rid of acne? Drink tonnes of water. Don’t eat crap. Wash yer hands a lot. Get enough sleep. Get enough sun (15 minutes a day).