October 25, 2007

Yes! A moisturizer that works for me!

Haoles (Caucasians) shouldn’t live in Hawaii. No, I’m not talking politics or the righting of historical abuses. I’m referring to the effects on our bodies, specifically to our skin. That same tropical sunshine that lets me garden year round and has given my Polynesian neighbors such lovely skin tones is brutal on Caucasian skin. After twelve years of living in paradise the best comparative for my skin is … old, badly cured leather. And what is leather but dried skin, anyway? I’ve spent a small fortune on the “better” moisturizers over the years, but my skin has continued to be dry, flaky and itchy. The sun is not the only factor that’s damaged my skin. I handled pesticides for much of my career. I’ve always been conscientious about handling treatment materials, following label precautions and wearing appropriate safety gear. I’ve probably had less pesticide exposure than many of you because of my career choice. The problem generated by my work comes not from the pesticides but from the frequent washing that their labels recommend, especially of my hands and arms. My work is now limited to structural inspections (no pesticide handling,) but I still need frequent hand-washing. I open greasy cabinets, move diaper pails and rubbish cans and crawl around in grimy attics and crawl spaces. It’s long been my habit to wash my hands as I move from one task to another, and that habit carries over to my time away from work, too. All of that scrubbing has been really harsh on my hands, sometimes leaving the skin cracked and bleeding. I also have a medical condition that causes me to constantly battle dehydration, and I have numerous allergies, some of which cause itching and skin damage. Add it all up and my skin is under constant assault from various drying and irritating factors. Most of the skin care products I’ve tried have had little or no effect, no matter how diligently I’ve applied them. If you have dry skin you know where the problem lies. You slather the stuff on and get a nice greasy film that doesn’t penetrate and does nothing for you skin. Any effect at all is completetly gone the next time you wash your skin. That’s been my experience with numerous products over the years.

A friend who knows about my skin problems recently recommended Skin MD Natural. Personal recommendations always carry more weight than advertising for me, but I was still skeptical based on past disappointments. My skepticism increased when I read the directions for use, because most skin care products don’t tell you that you should start off by applying them every two to eight hours. I took that as a ploy to get you to use more product and buy more frequently, but I wanted to give it a chance to work for me, so I applied it every couple of hours. The first thing I noticed is the way it felt when I applied it - very silky and soothing and it didn’t leave a greasy feeling. Most skin care products feel pretty good going on, though, so I wasn’t terribly impressed yet. That happened a few days later when I realized that my skin felt hydrated hours after an application, despite several hand-washings, and that my hands weren’t itchy. Seriously, after only a couple of days I was seeing the kind of results that I’d been hoping for. I had a painful, scaly patch on my left elbow (maybe eczema?) that was noticeably softer in that short time, too, and it’s healed and disappeared completely a few weeks later. I’m now applying two or three times daily and that’s enough to keep my skin moisturized, itch-free and much more supple than it had been. I understand now the benefits of using a shielding lotion instead of the more traditional formulas. The short explanation is that Skin MD Natural actually bonds with my skin instead of just sitting on top of it like a coating, and that it adds moisture and helps my skin keep its own natural moisture. The web site explains it better than I can, though, so check the link if you want to know why it works. Some other pluses for me are the natural ingredients (with no lanolin, which I’m allergic to) and it doesn’t have added fragrance to compete with whatever scent I’m wearing. Did I mention that I wear shorts year round and shave my legs frequently? Guess what? No more white, flaky skin on my legs! Skin MD Natural is a little more expensive than the products I’ve used in the past. That’s fine with me. The money I spent on them was wasted because they weren’t helping me. Skin MD is doing a good job for me and I’m fine with the price. It isn’t available in as many outlets as some brands, but I found one place nearby that carries it. You can get it online if there’s not a distributor near you. My only disappointment is that Skin MD doesn’t conatain sun blockers, which are absolutely necessary for me. I’m using two products on exposed skin whenever I go out, so I’m hoping they’ll develop a formula with sun protection someday.

Just so you know, this isn’t a sponsored post. I really like Skin MD Natural and know that some of you have problem skin, too, so I wanted to let you know how happy I am with it.

Technorati Tags: dry skin, moisturizers, skin care, Skin MD Natural

October 24, 2007

Blog Day for the Mothers Act

If you were to ask me what was the happiest day of my life, I would not need to hesitate before answering. There’s no doubt it was January 31, 1971, the day I became a mother. My son was then, and remains today, the greatest blessing ever bestowed on me. I was deleriously joyful to be his mother. That joy carried over into the heady days of getting used to the changes and responsibilities that accompanied it. I had all of the uncertainties and self-doubt that come with first-time motherhood, but they were small things compared to the fullness, the sense of rightness that motherhood brought me. I’m one of the lucky ones, you see. I’ve blogged openly about my depression and my regular readers know when it’s overshadowing my days again, but depression and I were strangers when my son was born. Not so for so many others. Many mothers who wanted and loved their children every bit as much as I did are so burdened down with depression that they literally can’t take care of their infants. Yes, you’ve heard the horror stories when Post-Partum Depression has been in the headines, but did you know that twice as many women suffer from PPD as do from breast cancer? Katherine Stone has blogged eloquently about her own experience with Post-Partum Depression and the needs of mothers. Did you know that there is an entire constellation of pregnancy and birth-related mental health disorders? I didn’t, but I do now. They include antenatal depression (depression during pregnancy), PPD, postpartum OCD/anxiety, postpartum psychosis and postpartum post-traumatic stress disorder and each can be seriously debilitating. Katherine’s blog, Postpartum Progress is a wonderful source for information and support for those suffering postpartum mood disorders.

Today is a good day to let your voice be heard on the woefully inadequate health care and information available about postpartum mood disorders. Here’s some information from Lisa Stone of BlogHer about The Mothers Act:

Mothers Act is a bill introduced into the Senate by Senator Menendez of New Jersey that would provide for education about postpartum mood disorders for new mothers and their families, require healthcare professionals to screen new moms for postpartum mood disorders during the first year postpartum, and train those professionals on how to conduct proper screenings and care for women who are diagnosed with these illnesses. This bill is currently with the Health, Education, Labor & Pensions (HELP) Committee of the Senate. If the majority of the Help Committee Members endorse the MOTHERS Act, the bill will move forward for consideration by the Senate. Without Senate sponsors, the bill could languish in committee and await reintroduction at a future date.

Read Lisa’s entire post for information on how you can help. These are conditions that can be seriously impacted by education, awareness and the availability of proper health care. I hope you’ll consider contacting your representatives in Washington and asking them to support The Mothers Act. Every woman deserves the joy of pregnancy, childbirth and motherhood. The Mothers Act will help.

Technorati Tags: Blog Day for the MOTHERS Act, Blog Day for the Mothers Act, Blog for the MOTHERS Act, BlogHer, BlogHers Act, MOTHERS Act, Postpartum Progress, Postpartum Support International

Honolulu tops for bloggers!

Honolulu comes in fifth in a recent survey:

“Honolulu ranks as one of the top five local markets when it comes to people who read or contribute to blogs, according to a new survey.

The ranking by Scarborough Research found 12 percent of Honolulu adults have read or contributed to a blog in the past 30 days. That tied Honolulu with San Diego.”

Read the rest of the story in today’s Honolulu Advertiser

I don’t know why we bloggers feel so all alone out here in the middle of the Pacific. I think most of us have thought that there just weren’t that many Hawaii bloggers. I’ve found and joined several local networks of bloggers lately, though, most of them new, so I guess I should have spotted the trend. More local bloggers = more local stories = more local networking = more local folks to become friends with. Great for advertisers, too, to know which markets are actually getting the traffic. Good news, indeed!

Other good stuff in the local news:

Hawaii ranked as top state to avoid collision with deer Um, yeah. No deer on Oahu, the most populous island.

Halloween skits for youngsters I love it that high school kids are putting on this story-telling for the keiki!

Don’t forget that tomorrow is the day to Share the Good Stuff! Submit your local good news story by cliking the “email skeet” link on the right sidebar. I’ll post all of the good stuff tomorrow - Thursday, October 25th.

Technorati Tags: good news, Hawaii, Honolulu Advertiser, local stories

October 23, 2007

Dansko Women’s Shoes and Clogs

I’ve admitted before that I don’t quite “get” the passion some women have for shoes. I like shoes. I like to have the right shoes for every outfit and every occasion. Beyond that it’s a bit of a mystery to me. To me, selecting shoes is a matter of pragmatism. I want my shoes to be, first and foremost, comfortable. Secondly, I don’t want to spend a fortune on them, so they must be affordable. I also need them to be durable. I spend a lot of time tramping around on the rocky shoreline, and I expect my shoes to stand up to a little abuse. Dansko fits the bill. They offer an extensive line of fashionable shoes that meet all of my criteria. The Dansko Women’s Brown Latigo Margrete (pictured) goes well with shorts or jeans, the two outfits I wear most frequently. They’re sturdy enough for my little tidepool explorations, and they help to create the illusion that I possess some fashion sense (I don’t.) Dansko shoes appeal to my budget-mindedness, too, because they’re competitively priced and I can get free shipping on any order of over $100.00. I don’t have to be passionate about shoes to know a good deal when I see one. Just sayin’.

Technorati Tags: Dansko shoes, shoe-shopping, shoes, women’s shoes

Tempest in a teapot(ter)

I’ve never considered anyone else’s sexuality to be my business unless I was contemplatinging an intimate relationship with them. Truely, I can’t imagine any other circumstace in which another’s sexuality would matter to me. It stands to reason, then, that whether or not Albus Dumbledore is seen by J.K. Rowling as gay has little impact on my life. Yet her statement to that effect has caused an uproar and been taken completely out of context to be used as ammunition to castigate her for endorsing a gay lifestyle. Let’s try to put the thought back where it belongs: in the author’s internal creative processes as she developed the character. Surely we can accept that most authors know more about their characters than ever makes it into print. Rowling’s official website is a goldmine of information she developed while writing, but which was never used in the books of the Harry Potter series. One of the magical qualities of the stories is that Rowling has imbued her characters with full-blown personalities. It’s not surprising then, that she spent a great deal of time in forming her own picture of each of the players before she brought them to life in publication, or that she could not possibly have used everyting that she knew or thought about each of them once the writing began.

Was it a mistake for Rowling to make her startling revelation? I don’t think so. She has a reputation for being honest with her fans. A question concerning Dumbledore’s love life was asked by a fan during her recent Open Book tour of the US. Should she have ignored the question, or, worse yet, dressed up the answer in a wardrobe that would have disguised the thoughts that helped her shape Albus Dumbledore into the wise headmaster beloved of many? J.K. Rowling has never talked down to her young fans. Should she have started now, after they’ve helped her become one of the richest and best-known authors of our time? I, for one, relish the opportunity to look inside the mind of the billionaire author, and find nothing offensive in the revelation. Not to belabor the obvious, but Dumblefore is a fictional character. Why, oh why, are so many of you suddenly feeling judgemental of a part of his history that doesn’t change a thing about the role he played in a series of books you all adore?

Rowling herself stated today that she knew Dumbledore was gay “probably before the first book was published” and felt no need to point it out to her readers. Could that be because the information was merely part of the developement process and had no impact on the stories? More to the point, she’s saying that Dumbledore was always gay. He was gay when you first met him. He was gay when you were admiring his wisdom and when you grieved his passing. Nothing has changed except that you now know that he was gay. Can someone please explain to me how that little bit of hindsight has suddenly colored so many people’s opinion of a series and a character they’ve loved?

Sources:

Washington Post.com

Newsweek.com

Canadian Press.google.com

Technorati Tags: Albus Dumbledore, fictional characters, Harry Potter, homosexuality, J.K. Rowling, public opinion

Tuesday Teaser photo verification

Curses! Foiled again! My devious scheme to generate blog traffic has been thwarted again, this time by Jo over at Fickle Foods, who correctly guessed that I was showing you a tiny slice of my blow dryer. Christie and Leigh deserve honorable mention (and a well-earned link) for guessing correctly but having really bad timing. Y’all are getting pretty hard to stump, but I’m already working on digging up a real toughie for you for next week.

Congrats to Jo, who will get a review here on skeet’s stuff and will be entered in the drawing next week for a gift card. Mahalo to you all for playing!

Technorati Tags: contest, photo puzzle, puzzle

Protecting your space on the web

The widespread distribution of information and technology through the internet has changed the face of business forever. That same exposure, though, has created vulnerability for those who use the internet within their corporate environment. Open Invention Network (OIN) has announced that they have signed a license agreement with Barrracuda Networks which will enhance the protection they offer for the stated purpose of “creating a shielded Linux Ecosystem that is a deterrent against organizations looking to harm or slow the pace of Linux and open source growth and adoption.” Barracuda Networks, a leading provider of network security appliances, has won the Community Choice Award for Anti-Spam Applications in Business from Windows IT Pro two years in a row with their innovative Spam Filter. This new partnership combines Barracuda’s powerful, cost-effective and user-friendly network security appliances with OIN’s shielded Linux Ecosystem, providing a protected environment where web developers, software vendors and their clients can continue to embed and use Linux to host specialized services or create complementary products.

“As we grow the Linux Ecosystem, we are pleased to have Barracuda Networks become a licensee. Barracuda Networks is one of a growing number of companies that value the openness and collaborative culture of the Linux and open source communities.” said Jerry Rosenthal, CEO of Open Invention Network. You can read the entire press release for details of the new partnership.

Open Invention Network plus Barracuda Networks equals security for your creative innovations. Check them out to start protecting your work today.

Technorati Tags: Barracuda Networks, internet security, internet technology, Linux systems, Open Invention Network, spam protection, web development

Tuesday Teaser for October 23, 2007

Can you identify the item depicted above? Just take your best guess and post it in the comments below. If your guess wins, you’ll win a nifty prize. Here’s how it works:

1. Write a comment giving your guess as to what the item is.
2. First person to identify the item wins.
3. The author of this blog will be the sole judge as to what constitutes a correct answer.

What will you win?

1. The author of this blog will write a LINKY LOVE POST (review) about the winner’s blog (commercial sites ineligible.) The LLP will contain the url for your blog plus at least two deep links and will be posted here on Skeet’s Stuff, a PR4 blog. Skeet writes good reviews.
2. The winner’s name will be entered into a drawing for a $10.00 gift card from Starbucks or Amazon.
3. Drawing for the gift card will be held on or about October 31, 2007, and will include all weekly winners for the month. There are five Tuesdays in October, thus the maximum number of people who will be eligble is five.

Other stuff

1. All comments to this blog are time and date stamped. The winner will be the first person (according to time and date stamp) to provide the correct answer.
2. No hints will be given.
3. Answers must specifically identify the item. For instance, if the item depicted were to be a button on a remote control, the answer “button on something electronic” would not suffice.
4. Decisions of the judge are final. Don’t argue with me. I won’t answer.
5. I will attempt to post every few hours as to whether or not a winner has been declared, but I am not continuously at the keyboard so please be patient.
6. Entries must be posted before 3:00 a.m. Thursday, October 25, 2007, Hawaii time (GMT -10, approximately forty-eight hours from now.)
7. This is intended to be an ongoing feature at Skeet’s Stuff. If it turns out to be a dud it will cease to exist, but all qualified winners will get their prizes.
8. Skeet’s Stuff is a do-follow blog, so you get some link value just for commenting.
9. Let the fun begin!

Technorati Tags: contests, photos, photo contest, blog contest

October 22, 2007

Do we need Never Summer Snowboards in Hawaii?

Of course we do! We don’t get to snowboard on Oahu. It might surprise some of you to know that you can play in the snow in Hawaii, though. Our tallest mountains, Mauna Loa, Mauna Kea and Haleakala get snow every year. When a good snow falls people here grab their gear, hop on inter-island flights and take their surfing to the mountains. (You’d be surprised how often I see snowboards and skis in the local homes I inspect.) Most snow bunnies go to the mainland, though, if they want to play in the snow, since our’s is usually not very deep and doesn’t last long. There are a lot of ski clubs and travel clubs here that arrange trips for snow-lovers. Whether you get your snow fix in Hawaii or the more traditional spots, you’ll want to check out Never Summer Snowboards to get yourself geared up for the fun. They’re built tough in Denver, Colorado by folks who know what you want, and come with a 3-year warranty, one of the longest in the industry. Pick out a styling design and make sure you get a Dakine Super Tune Kit to keep your board in tip-top shape. Dakine? Like da kine, the Hawaiian pidgin catch-all term for something everyone knows? Well, there ya go! Snowboard experts with a Hawaii connection! Winter’s coming. I know because I had to sleep in sweats last night (must have been way down in the sixties!) It’s time to get outfitted for winter fun. What are you waiting for?

Technorati Tags: Hawaii, snowboards, Never Summer Snowboards, sports gear, winter sports

Paint your face!

I’m not much of an impulse shopper, but I saw the Halloween stuff last time I was at WalMart and tossed some clown paint into my cart on a whim. It’s just a couple of bucks a pack and I thought it might make for a fun self portrait some time soon. I haven’t costumed for Halloween for a long time. The last few years I even turned off my lights on Halloween night and didn’t have candy for the keiki. I’m not an old Scrooge. There just haven’t been many kids trick-or-treating in the neighborhood. There are kids here, but I think most of them go to the malls or haunted houses deemed “safe” instead of going door-to-door. My home, like most in my neighborhood, has a gate at the street. The only reasonable way to pass out candy is to secure the dogs, open the gate and drag a chair outside, where I sit for several hours waiting for the occasional little moster to come begging. I like Halloween, though, and I hate it that the few kids who do go door-to-door aren’t finding many grown-ups willing to play along. I mentioned it to my friend this weekend and showed her the clown paint, expecting her to shrug it off. Well, she thinks it would be grand to sit outside for hours on end making the keiki smile at our silly faces. I guess that means I’m committed. Or should be committed, maybe.

I guess I have contests on the brain, because this thought intruded just now as I was typing. Shall we have a face-painting contest for Halloween? I’ll paint mine, you’ll paint yours and we’ll all post a picture and link each other up. Send me a link to your post and we’ll find some independent judges to declare a winner. The champ will get a winner’s badge for their blog, with a link up in a post announcing their win. What do you think? Shall we all re-visit childhood this year and have a little fun?

Technorati Tags: clown paint, contest, face-painting, Halloween