The Heat is On

     One thing about summers in New York is that my apartment is hotter than Hades and its not because my apartment building is pumping up too much heat. It is hot because its summer. In the winter I resist turning on the AC because I refuse to pay for AC when its really cold outside. In the summer I use the AC as much as I need to. In the winter everyone at work complains about the cold. In the summer work is properly chilled and no one objects. I prefer winter to summer. Too bad I live in a city where there is extreme indoor heat year round. 

weight loss mania

     I have been attending weight watchers meetings for over a year and finally its sinking in .  For the past four weeks I have lost weight. What is my secret you ask?  Well I have been cooking a lot lately. Leave it to me to wait until there is a record breaking hot summer to go on a cooking spree.  But seriously folks, preparation is key to weight loss. If you don't have anything on hand that is low calorie you are doomed to fail.
     I have stocked my fridge with seasonal veggies. I happen to like zucchini and eggplant so I go to the farmers market and buy fabulously fresh ones. I also stock up on tomatoes and onions to give them flavor. I spray cut veggies with Pam and flavor them with Italian seasoning and pop them in the oven for about forty five minutes. Its delish. Sometimes I add chickpeas or tuna and a teaspoon of olive oil once they are out of the oven.
      I spend my nights preparing lunch for the next day. Its grueling , especially when all I want to do is sit after a long day at work. It has been paying off. The other thing that has helped is the fact that it is so hot outside that my appetite has decreased.
     I also have found low calorie ice cream and snack bars to keep on hand in case I feel the need to nosh. The key is to keep each portion lo-cal so if you eat more than one you haven't blown your entire diet.
      I don't know how long this manic diet phase will last , but hopefully I will be able stick to it for awhile. At least long enough to lose the weight I want to lose. The truth is I need to make this a lifestyle so the weight will actually stay off.

sunscreen

I try to stay out of the sun as much as possible. Even a few years ago I had friends who would mock me for this. They were forever on the beach soaking up some rays.  Not anymore.  Several sunburns and sun damage removal later they are singing different tunes. I never thought that this would happen. Not the sun damage part, but the fact that less of my friends are sun worshippers.  The fact is the best way not to burn is to stay out of the sun. Sunblock helps, but the best way not to burn or have sun spots is to stay out of the sun.  I think that the laws of tznius actually help Jewish people get less sun damage. If you are more covered with clothing one is less likely to suffer from the ravages of the sun. If you are more covered up outside the heat will affect you more so you really better stay out of the sun. Being more clothed in the heat can cause you to pass out from the heat. This is why I opt to stay indoors with my air conditioning on. Wake me up when it's fall.

heat wave

There has been a blistering heat wave in New York city this week. I  am not a fan of the heat. I live in the air conditioning. I saw this cute picture and I thought I would share it with you . FYI  I just bought a popcorn popper last week.

endless summer

sometimes being single can kind of be like  endless summer. there is always a party to go to. there is always someone else to meet. i have met a lot of people who get caught up in all of the fun that they forget about moving forward. summer isn't the only season that is enjoyable.
i for one am sick of summer. freedom is fun, but its nice to be coupled. it might not always be summer or one long frat party , but i am ready for a change of season. after all the parties i have attended i have learned that parties are not all that and best in moderation.

never let them see you sweat

please explain this one to me. why on earth are many frum brooklyn women wearing sweater in the 95 degree weather that we are having and  they aren't passing out from the heat? i am not wearing a 'summer sweater' and i  feel like im swimming in perspiration. i  can barely move. i don't get it. they don't even seem to be sweating , even those who are wearing shaitels. how is this possible?
all i can say is wake me up when its september when the weather is  less oppressive.


p.s. the above photo was taken in september 2009.

dog days of summer

why is it that the dog days of summer usually mean that i am working like a dog instead of lazing around like a dog?  being an adult really stinks. all of the responsibility, but none of the perks. then again, as a kid i always wished i was an adult so i could stay up all night. now that im an adult i wish i could get myself to sleep earlier and not stay up half the night.  as a kid i always wanted to be able to eat as much junk food as possible. now i can eat as much nosh as possible and wish someone else was cooking for me so it would be easier to eat a more nutritious diet. homework was always such a drag . now i wish that homework was my only responsibility! as and adult i have realized many of my childhood wishes and now i wish i was a kid again without the realities of adulthood. in fifty years i am sure i will wish i was back at this phase of my life. i guess we people are just a bunch of kvetchers. there advantages and disadvantages at every stage of life. the trick is to consciously appreciate the good parts as much as we can.  its tough , but necessary.

the not so good old days....

i recently came across a facebook group from one of the summer camps i attended . when i saw the photos it struck me just how very young my fellow campers and i were. even the counselors looked like babies. the jappy girls looked so angelic. they also looked too young to have been so cliquish . in the photos some of the rowdy boys appeared just as wiley as they did when i knew them years ago. it was nice to view those photos in the safe distance of memory. i did not like that camp much. it seems like such a lifetime ago. its almost hard to believe that i was that young even though i recall it so vividly. the good thing about looking back is that it will always be the past.

summer and psoriasis

the only two things i like about summer are wearing sandals and the fact that there are alot of free events in new york in the summer, otherwise im really not a fan. every summer my psoriasis gets worse. this year it wasn't as bad as it could have been because it wasn't as scorching as usual.
compared to many who have psoriasis my case is not so bad. its all relative. even if its not so bad its not so good either. this year i had the honor of having psoriasis on my right eyelid. let me tell you its not too cute. i looked like someone had socked me in the eye. whenever psoriasis manifests in the eye area it is on my right eye. when i get migraines the pain is greatest behind my right eye. i wonder what that means?
ive been tempted just to stay holed up at home weekends so i wouldn't have to deal with the pitying looks of friends as they ask me what is wrong with my eyelid. if i would stay home my eyelid skin would be all id obsess about. this is why i go out anyway. for sanity's sake.
finally the medication kicked in and my lid is starting to look and feel more normal. bh. when its bad my upper lid looks very dry and wrinkly which scares me.when it first happened i was afraid it would stay that wrinkly. it did not . it went away.
even if my hands get a little dry in the winter its nothing compared to the itchy mayhem i experience in the summer before the drugs kick in and give me relief.
i cant wait until fall which is my favorite season. fall weather is cooler. my skin itches less and its not as hot so i can breathe.

sunscreen queen

in the days before sun protection consciousness, when i was fourteen, i got one of the worst sunburns of my young life. the kind that blisters and peels. it was a nightmare. it itched, it hurt, it looked contagious. shortly after i became the sunscreen queen.
though it was a slightly before the days of global sunblock awareness, there still was sunblock and sunscreen. yes, even then. my dad is a pharmacist and he would get tons of sun protection samples. i was the only fourteen year old around slapping on the stuff. at school and at summer camp everyone would mock me. they'd say"dont you want to tan" and of course id say" no, i just dont want to burn." and i would also say, " trust me, i will still tan, i just wont burn. "
and so it would go. i went women's day at the separate beach in tel aviv and put on tons of sunblock. my friends donned baby oil. they couldnt believe i wanted to block the sun. i said my mantra" trust me, i will still tan, i just wont burn." and burn they did. i had a slight tan. they were scratching their sunburns. i was not.
what really strengthened my resolve to wear sunblock was something that happened to my friend leora. leora fell asleep on the beach. when she got home her body was burnt and swollen. it was scary looking. it looked quite painful and worthwhile to avoid such an experience.
my mom, who is not as fair skinned as i am shuns the sun as well. she doesnt want wrinkles.
though skin cancer may be more prevalent amongst fair skinned snow whites, darker complected individuals need to be careful of the sun. when they have skin cancer sometimes it is only caught in the later stages because it was harder to see on their skin.
in short, we all need to be careful to wear sun block, and wear protective clothing. this is where ultra tznius clothing come in handy...
my favorite sunblocks are clinique spf 50 and neutragena heathy defense daily moisturizer with heliplex spf 45. neutragena has several higher spfs but i find them a little too chalky.
its also important to wear sunglasses in the sun because doing so can prevent cataracts.
go ahead, become a sun shunner like me. you will still have fun in the sun, just fewer sunburns , wrinkles and age spots.