So that little cloud is my best effort at capturing weather.com's "forecast for today." I have no idea how Wendi and other people save the webpage, cut and crop and all that fancy stuff, to get the little box showing "today's high," etc. Would someone clue me in? Anyway, I was SHOCKED to leave work today to.... clouds!!! I stepped outside and was immediately like, "something is very weird here." Truthfully, I have not seen really a single cloud since I moved here. Every day is sunny and clear. I even felt a couple of raindrops on my way home and was saying to myself, "No way!" I think I've forgotten what rain is like. It was as close to "muggy" as Sacramento gets, although I think it was only in the 80s, so it really wan't that warm, and it certainly (by Virginia-standards) was not humid. It didn't rain, by the way.I really do think sunshine is good for the soul and has really added to my positive mood while out here... but, as everything, it is best enjoyed in moderation. Here is an interesting tidbit I read in a recent AAFP journal regarding the addictiveness of tanning.... Is Tanning Addictive?
"Research published in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology may confirm that tanning under ultraviolet light is addictive. Of 385 college students who participated in the study, 76% of the women and 59% of the men reported purposely tanning their skin. Using a modified CAGE questionnaire [for those of you unfamiliar, these are the questions we ask patients to screen for alcoholism/substance abuse-- 1) have you ever felt the need to cut down, 2) have you been annoyed by others commenting or remarking about you drinking, 3) do you feel guilt about your habit?, 4) have you ever had to have an eye opener (drink in the a.m. to calm your nerves)?], researchers asked the students questions about their personal views on tanning. Eighteen percent of the participants who regularly tanned outdoors and 28% who tanned indoors scored positively on the CAGE questions. Furthermore, 41% of students who tanned did so to relax, and those with a known family history of skin cancer were significantly more likely to tan than those without a known family history (!). The authors note that these results indicate the possible existence of a substance-related disorder with respect to ultraviolet light. " Remember: white is beautiful.
Tanning is evil (I don't even care if you are getting married and have to wear white).
WEAR YOUR SUNBLOCK (SPF 30 or greater). Love,
Your very health-conscious family medicine doctor (who really does like it to be sunny outside).
5 comments:
Tara... please ask Wendi about her latest sun experience... I'll just leave it at that and hope that you being an M.D. and all will be able to make some progress with her. :)
JB, WHATever. I do think Tara is naturally tan. So how can a "naturally" tan person say white is beautiful when she has never been as white as I am when I am tan.
All right, going to write my blog. I'll add a bit about my burn.
I would like to echo Wendi's opinion here (was going to do it on my own, but she got here first!)... Naturally tan/olive skinned people are lucky to never have to deal with the "winter blues" of being so white that every blemish in your skin sticks out like a sore thumb! I like to get a little sun, but I promise to wear sunscreen to minimize my burning, especially in the South. :-)
Ha- JB, as an M.D. AND her husband, you haven't made progress??!
Wendi- just wait. I'm going to post a post on "gratitude" sometime soon. You have to be happy with the way God made you :) Don't try to change it.
Laura-- I'm very proud you didn't get burned at the beach. You should tell Wendi that 30 is better than SPF15.
Tara, http://natashadagreat.blogspot.com/
I finally did it, let's see if I can stick with it!!!
Love,
me
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