Should I Peel This Potato?

Word of the Post
Today's word is: tszuj
/zhoosh/ verb
Note: When pronounced, the beginning and ending sounds (phonemes) are the same, the 'zh' sound of the z in 'azure'. The spelling I gave is the preferred spelling, though the pronunciation guide spelling is also acceptable.
Definition: To style something or someone, as in hair; style up, tart up or mince, as in food preparation.
The origin of the word is from Polari, which is a slang mixture of several languages, including Italian, Yiddish, Cant and Cockney. It is primarily used in the gay subculture in Britain, and can be traced back to at least the 19th Century. Polari has been revived in recent years in America, because of the popularity of "Queer Eye for the Straight Guy" on TV. I have also heard Rachael Ray use this when adding hot sauce to a dish.
Sentence: "I want to tszuj your riah." This same sentence in English becomes, "I want to style your hair." The Queer Eye guys used to fluff the hair of a straight guy who was in the stylist's chair, and say "add a little tszuj."
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I suppose I should apologize to many of my readers. I have been very lax on blogging, and the reading of blogs. I have had a busy week. Last Saturday, I got a call from Monkey's Momma, telling me that her brother-in-law was in the hospital because he had a stroke that morning. He was in bad condition, and had to be taken by helicopter to the hospital, since they live so far out of Oklahoma City. She was coming from Texas to be with her sister at the hospital.

I am happy to say that, today, only one week after such a massive stroke, he is home again. He can now move his arms and legs, and stand on his own. He will have a little trouble and will need therapy to regain full use of his fingers (fine motor skills) and will also need speech therapy. But... he is on his way to a complete recovery. If he continues to improve in the same way, within six months, the doctors say they should not be able to tell that he had a stroke. Please praise the Lord with me for the answering of prayers on behalf of my friend and her family.

I have spent this week being available to Monkey's Momma, and RoadRunner, who needed childcare and emotional support. Emotional support and light housecleaning together are exhausting. My brain has been tired, and I have not had time or brain power to devote to typing for you. God's work never sleeps. So, today, I slept in. It felt good to know that I could be of help to a friend in need. This is one (the major) reason I gave up my paying job back in December. I love being the one to hold a hand through a tough time. God has made sure that I am available when He needed me to support His children.

Speaking of God's children, I also got to visit with Niki recently. She was in town for a camp. She was Head Female Counselor, and is a founding member of the staff for this camp. They were at my Alma Mater, Oklahoma Christian University, and we had a lovely visit over a quick dinner. Those times always move too fast. It was over before I knew it. I really appreciate Niki and her Godly influence on our friendship. I don't have many friends who will offer to pray over a meal in public. She honored me in that prayer, and I am truly thankful that God sent her to bolster me up. Jared also said "Hi" via a text message that day. Thanks to both of them, for reminding me that I am not alone.

For the second time in as many weeks, I have dared to trim my own hair. I don't normally cut the back of my hair, because I don't think I can cut a straight line across the back of my head. But, I was tired of the length and the look, and I just decided that I could go get someone else to fix it if I didn't like it. I regularly trim my bangs, because I have a couple of cow-licks that force me to cut my hair crooked to make it look straight. I have known how to deal with that for a long time. This time, I even figured out how to layer the back a bit. It is not totally crooked, so I suppose I did a good job. I did get the bangs too short, in my opinion, but they are not noticeably horrible. DH always laughs at me, telling me that I need not criticize my work. I can cut his hair any day, but mine I am even more picky about. I can't help it. Most stylists don't know how to deal with baby-fine hair. One little cut in the wrong place, and the whole "do" is wrecked.

The sunburn of two weeks ago is gone. I am now itching while peeling like crackled paint. My skin looks like dried soap. I have a couple places where I can see the "tan line" (if you can really call it that), and the rest is just as white as always, but with more and darker freckles. I have decided that RoadRunner and her kids must take me swimming more often this summer. I may actually be able to hold a little color, if I can add it gradually. Thanks to all who made lotion suggestions. I ended up buying one that has worked for me in the past, Coppertone's Baby Faces 50. It smells like baby lotion instead of a pineapple-coconut-banana (eeewwww, banana), I-am-sitting-in-the-tropics-so-I-should-smell-like-fruity-alcohol smell. I know I will be fine, especially if I keep applying it. I just need to remember that I am a piece of paper, and that paper burns quickly.

Madness And Mayhem

Word of the Post
Today's word is: educate
/ed"u*cate/ verb
To give learning to. I am doing this post to educate my buddy Monkey's Momma how to do this here blog thing.
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Earlier this evening, I have shown her how to move stuff around on the template, change the settings, and generally fiddle with stuff. We like punching buttons.

Now, we move on to the complicated move of adding pictures.

See? Wasn't that easy? You can do it too!

I hope that most of you don't think I am crazy. You should know by now that I am. I am really showing my friend how easy this hear blog thing is... she was afraid of the computer. But, in love, I am educating her.

That is all.

Keep it in Perspective. (borrowed without permission, got forgiveness instead)

Holy Cow, I'm White... Oh, And Nerdy

Word of the Post
Today's word is: effigy
/ef"fi*gy/ noun
An image, representation or likeness of a person. This could be a coin, a sculpture, a painting or a full-body token for burning in the public square. I wish I had burned my own effigy, rather than endure the sunburn I have.
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I am a bad influence. I am teaching my niece bad things. I taught her to say "Don't work too hard," as DH was walking out the door to go back to work. I taught her to put up her hands and say "Ta-Da!" when she has fallen down and gets up quickly and without injury. She already puts her hands in the air, and says either "Touchdown!" or "I did it!". I didn't teach her those.

My next project, much to the chagrin of my mother-in-law, will be to get her to say "Behave yourself" to her grandmother the next time we all get together. That is my mother-in-law's favorite goodbye tag. She says it to her own mother! So I think she should get a little of that medicine back. She will glare at me, and giggle at the granddaughter. But, I think it could be worth it.

Does anyone out there have suggestions as to which brand of sunscreen works for you? I have a bottle of Ocean Potion Anti-Aging Sunblock that is SPF 15 (I know that isn't much, but...let me 'splain). It says it is water/sweat resistant. A couple of years back, I remember a news story on the companies being required to change the phrase from Water Proof to Water Resistant. Something about water still actually took off the product. Anyway, this is what I used on Tuesday, to go swimming with RoadRunner and her little boy and his friend. We were not in the sun for two hours, and I might as well have had baby oil (to promote the burning) on for all the "protection" this stuff gave me. I am white ("whiter than sour cream" is a reality for me, I am a piece of paper, seriously) where I had swimsuit, and cooked-lobster RED where I did not have covering. My right shoulder is the worst. It hurts to reach up, because that crinkles the skin against itself. OUCH!

I know, I know.... water reflects and intensifies the sun. I know that. But we weren't even there for two hours. I have done four hours in the front yard with no shade, and gotten no color whatsoever with the same sunscreen lotion. And my legs, which got no lotion at all, are the same as they were. This is Soooo not fair! My face had this and a layer of some 40 stuff that RoadRunner had, so I was not looking like I cooked over an open pit. I now wish I had taken her up on the offer to get my back with her better lotion.

So, I am now killing Aloe plants to recover. I was told to put vinegar on my burn, that it would help me heal. I have heard that before, but I don't want to smell like a pickle. I would rather be sticky with Aloe, or use lotion with the healing power of Melaleuca oil (essential Tea Tree oil, so not an oil at all, but essence of no more pain) in it. And my freckles are looking quite nice. Paper, burn, freckle, peel, paper. Repeat. I have no color, and no way to retain color. This won't even give me the whisper of a tan. I may have lines for a week after the actual burn is gone. Then, it will be back to the diving board. For now, I wear light tagless T-shirts, nothing with straps, and wear a light jacket, lest I burn more whence I venture outside again.

I don't like summer. I don't hate it, but I really don't like it. Quoth Paul Riser in Mad About You: "No, I don't want to go OUT. That's where they keep the HEAT." I would love it if the world stayed somewhere between 55 and 75 all the time. A little rain shower, a little light snow, a little warm sometimes.... but nothing extreme. If it is going to be close to Zero, I want snow up to my knee. None of this biting wind and freezing rain. No more blazing, scorching hot days. There is a reason I don't live in Phoenix... 113 in the shade, that's the reason. But, 113 in the shade in Phoenix is much more tolerable than 92 with 89 percent humidity in Oklahoma. That whole "dry heat" thing is true. I have experienced both. Summer in Colorado, Winter in Phoenix. I would love that. Alas, that takes money I have yet to earn. Sigh.

So, what sunscreen works for you? Will vinegar really do anything? Where do you want to be when the weather at home is unbearable? I look forward to seeing your comments.