Entries by TATIANA

Let's take a look at the products that I use for my face. I have a lot of face products but I tend to use like less than half of them, more like 1/3 or so.  The rest are taking up space in my bathroom cabinet and taking up thoughts like "hmmmmm I should use that sometime" and then I don't.
I KNOW that sunscreen is super important and that is the one skin care routine that I am am really bad at, I totally fail in that department.
Last summer before Burning Man I bought the EltaMD UV Daily Broad Spectrum SPF 40 (the white tube to the very right).
I used it like twice at Burning Man. Instead I just covered my face in bandanas during the day and yes during one of the dust storms I got a sun burn on my face even though I had covered my face with the bandanas. I hope it is still good to use because I will try to make an effort in using it as soon as the sun starts peeking out more. It comes highly recommended by dermatologists by the way as a great sunscreen.
Let's go through the products from right to left. Next to the EltaMD is the RoC Retinol Correxion Deep Wrinkle Night Cream, can be used nightly although I would probably start off every other night due to the retinol. I have only used it like two or three times though and for desired results you should use it for at least three months on a regular basis. It goes on nicely and it smells good. 
Paula's Choice 2% BHA Liquid Exfoliant is a great and affordable exfoliant. It really works on keeping the pores clean. I highly recommend it. Mario Badescu Vitamin C Serum is a serum with vitamin C and yes I think it delivers.
Tingles on the skin, not to be used excessively and be careful if you have sensitive skin. DHC Deep Cleansing Oil is not expensive and works OK (not my fave cleansing oil that I have tried though and I won't buy this product again). I recently ran out of my Neutrogena face cleanser (Neutrogena Naturals Purifying Facial Cleanser), I think they discontinued it because I looked for it in a couple of different stores and no luck. So when looking for a replacement I found a cleaser by It Cosmetics called Confidence in a Cleanser and it works well. I sometimes double cleanse. That is when you first use a cleanser with oil and then follow up with a water based cleanser.

Now these are the two face creams I have been using for a few months. One for day and one for night. Andalou Naturals Goji Peptide Perfecting Cream (for day) and Andalou Naturals Resveratrol Q10 Night Repair Cream (for night). I really like both, they feel like good quality face creams. The night cream is especially luxurious, soothing and smells amazing.
For the delicate skin around the eyes I have been using Wild Carrot Wild Rose Hydrating Eye Cream. I like it a lot, it is gentle and nice and affordable. My latest skin care product is a sunscreen by StriVectin, Advanced Retinol Daily Repair Broad Spectrum SPF 30. I got curious about it because it contains retinol and that is usually not a day use product. So far I have only used it once but it felt very nice on the face and goes on smoothly. I will make an effort to start using sunscreen on my face, hands, neck and décolleté on a regular basis. My biggest skin care regret is frying myself in tanning beds for years and burning my skin in the harsh sun too many times. That is one sure way to ruin and age your skin. I am vain so I want to have nice and supple skin of course. I can see the sun damage on my hands and my chest area (décolleté). Plus I have a LOT of moles/freckles all over. I want like 90% of them lasered off. 
And what about the Q-tips you might wonder......? How are Q-tips fitting in here with all those products? Well, I have a thing for Q-tips and their "hidden" message (says my imagination). Seems like each time I am getting ready to run out of Q-tips I also come to a change or event of some sort in my life. I just ran out of a box and yes I am going through some rather difficult and often upsetting stuff that I am trying to work through right now......a one day at a time kind of situation. A rather big change in the situation happened today, not sure of the outcome yet. I opened this new box of Q-tips yesterday, I used two so far so 623 to go. I wonder how long this box will last? And will something happen in my life when the Q-tips in this box are gone?
As far as face creams go.....my next purchase will probably be the SkinCeuticals Triple Lipid Restore 2:4:2, I have been eyeing that one for some time. I got a sample of it last year and it really felt amazing on my face.

I do not celebrate Easter.....once in a while I do something "traditional", like put on bunny ears for a picture but this year I have nothing planned. No church visits for me and I do not fast or follow special diets based on certain religious beliefs. That's me. And other people can do whatever fits them and their beliefs.
Anyhow.....Happy Easter. I saw this pretty trillium flower earlier today, it kind of looks Easter-y.

Right now it is late. I am debating with myself whether I should wash my hair tonight or not. My scalp is itchy because I have not washed my hair all week. I have been very unmotivated lately, even brushing my teeth has been something that I have to force myself to do. The hand incident, then the rash plus being around toxic individuals/behaviors lately has drained me of my energy. Like I am done, spent.
I might just read a bit more until I fall asleep. Reading is my therapy, it has been one of my favorite things to do since I learned to read in first grade. Six years "old", six years young and innocent. 
People sometimes ask what I read. I have not bought many books lately because I don't even have a proper bookshelf right now, most my books are put away in boxes. So I read online......about all kinds of things. I pick a topic and go from there.
Happy Easter (again) I hope you have a wonderful and relaxing Sunday.

What did I eat today? Who wants to know? I drank two cups of coffee at home, in bed around 10 am. The coffee is from Trader Joe's, I put sugar and whole cream (preferably organic) in my coffee. I usually sprinkle ground cinnamon on top.
But not today because I ran out of cinnamon. 

Then I spent a large part of the afternoon doing errands so I did not eat until around 5 pm ish. I have been craving vegetables lately so I had some today (again). An orange bell pepper, a hot house tomato and radishes (all organic) and a salad dressing called Green Goddess that is super good (from Trader Joe's). I chop everything up and pour lots of salad dressing on top. I also had a ready made broccoli and brusseel slaw that I recently discovered at New Seasons.

Then I had a carrot cupcake, I love these cupcakes!

Around 10 pm I had yesterday's leftovers, veggie dumplings (gyoza) and some gyoza dipping sauce.

And a couple of hours after that I needed some ice cream. Vanilla ice cream with raspberries - SO YUMMY. Breyers Natural Vanilla is the Breyers with the least ingredients. I heat up the raspberries (organic) on the stove and pour over the ice cream. This is really good in case you never had it.

I love food and I enjoy eating. I am not much of a cook.....I have been a vegetarian for years, in the good company of Leo Tolstoy and Mahatma Gandhi. I encorage everyone reading this to eat less meat (if you eat meat).
I am super grateful for the food that I eat. That has been on my mind a bit today - food. The ones that do not have to worry about eating everyday and the ones that go hungry and do not know when they will be able to eat next time. A rather thoughtful and quiet evening here in my little part of the world. It just finished raining, a real downpour. I will go to bed soon.

Well I STILL have red itchy bumps, especially on my hands. My face has a reddish brown hue and the texture of the skin on my face is different and not in a good way. Red blotches on my chest. Itchy around my ears and jawline. So the allergic reaction is hanging on, I think this condition is called an amoxicillin rash. Perhaps I have to wait for my skin to renew itself and that will take weeks. The older you are the longer it takes.....
My hand has healed really well, not even a scar. I really wish there were no stitches in the first place. Then I could had avoided the abscess, the IV experience and the reaction to the antibiotics.
I can't hold myself up on the pole yet because that makes the skin where it has healed feel too stretched. By the way my arm feels weird/not normal in the area the IV was put in. And even thinking about that makes me feel weird. Like I am going to pass out if I think about it. All I need now is a complication due to that. 
Today I got up early to drop off my 2022 paperwork and numbers to my tax person, it is that fun time of the year again!
The hurdle of getting those taxes done. Due on April 18 this year. Afterwards I was in the mood for a veggie bagel, while waiting for my bagel two guys came up to me with a picture of Rapunzel up on one of their phones.....you look like Rapunzel they stated. I was like.....you should had seen me a couple of weeks ago I just trimmed 4-5 inches. Yes, I finally got a haircut. If I remember it right, the last time I did that was in December 2021. 
This pic is from January, my hair was past my butt when standing. Shorter now.

Tomorrow I am going to get more sauerkraut. I love sauerkraut. My Mom would make a soup called Kapusniak, that is sauerkraut soup - so good!
This one from Trader Joe's is yummy. I eat all of it at once. You need more saurkraut in your life!

Now let's talk about the weather. You know.....older ladies like me often talk about all their ailments and then how awful the weather has been lately so let's keep it going..... It has been hailing for three days in a row. Sometimes it hails several times a day. But the flowers are coming out, like these in my backyard. I do not do any gardening so do not expect to see a well manicured lawn or anything. I don't mind weeds, in fact I like them. I have squirrels that I feed (two) and a fat rat (its name is Ratski and it is super cute). Plus all kinds of birds, even hummingbirds.

I am actually at work right now......one hour or so left. It is freezing and I have a small heater next to me. When I get home I am going to shower, make something to eat and curl up under my electric blanket - I love that thing.

Well....I started getting itchy on my back a few days ago and yesterday I woke up with hives, a red rash and itchy bumps spread arcross my chest, torso, some on the back, behind my ears and on my hands. My face, like the whole face is red. Like bad.
So I went to Urgent Care today and I am having a reaction to the antibiotics I was given. I got pills to take right after my first Emergency Room visist and I also got several bags of antibiotics in IV fluid form when I was at the hopsital for my stay. Then I got a precription for more antiboitics the day I left the hospital. And my body reacted.
There is nothing I can do besides take Benadryl and wait this out, it should improve in a few days. I am not happy because this is uncomfortable. I feel warm, very itchy, the skin on my face has a different texture, more like a thick rubbery texture and I am a bit weak and dizzy. I just want this adventure to be over so I can go back to normal. And no more amoxicillin (I guess that would be penicillin) for me. I need to get some good sauerkraut tomorrow - good for the stomach.

Yesterday I said Goodbye to Julia, she was here in Portland for a couple of short days. We went to one of my fave places for latte and pie - Bipartisan Cafe.
Of course I had pie and ice cream (that is a very delicious strawberry rhubarb pie). This is why I need to join Buy Me A Coffee. For all my lattes. We reminisced about when we first met, at The Stratosphere in Las Vegas (I guess it is called The STRAT Hotel nowadays?) where we both worked as hostesses. Julia said I was reading a book when we first met. We had fun working there.
Many awkward situations that we can laugh at. Fun memories, should had taken more pictures from our hostessing days.

These last three weeks have been full of stressful things, one after another. I really just want peace and quiet for a while. I need to rest and heal. My injured hand is doing well, I just need this allergic reaction to go away. I don't want it to get worse.

So I had a small accident. I injured my hand. And for the first time since I have been in the US I had to go to the Emergency Room. NOT a good experience. The accident happened around 11 am on a Monday almost two weeks ago, hence no blogging. It also coincided with a person coming from Europe here to Portand kind of last minute so I have been busy with that. Basically driving them around and helping out with the DMV, banking stuff and looking for a vehicle and housing for them. Yes I am also many people's private assistant and a go to person when they are in need. I should open up my own private assistant business. Good idea actually.

OK back to my hand injury. The doctor at the Emergency Room decided to put four stitches in my hand. I have a REAL fobia of needles so when she numbed my hand SIX times I almost fainted and yes I cried LOUDLY. Then I was given a tetanus shot, one antibiotic pill, a prescription for antibiotics and told to go home and take some Tylenol or something for pain. I was not offered any kind of Tylenol or anything at the Emergency Room. Oh no. They are avoiding giving out any form of pain management in case you happen to be an addict looking to get high. I came in looking very disheveled so they probably thought I was homeless or something (they probably thought I was an addict, it would not suprise me).
Two days later by Wednesday my hand was getting very swollen, warm and red. The day after, so Thursday I go back to the Emergency Room in the evening and ask if this is what my hand is supposed to look like? No of course not. I was seen by a doctor a bit after midnigt and was told that I had to spend 24-48 hours in the hospital on an IV antibiotic drip.

I was like.....say what?! 😱

Again, I have a REAL fobia of needles (this stems from an extended VERY traumatic hospital experience as a child).
I NEVER had an IV. I almost passed out sitting down when the doctor told me this.
Also, I brought NOTHING with me going there cause I did not expect a longer stay. No toothbrush, no contact lense case, no glasses, no face cream, no comb - NOTHING.
Then the moment when the nurse came in to put the IV in my arm. OMG...sheer TERROR for me. Somebody came in to see if everything was alright cause I screamed so loud and they had to close the doors to the room I was in to not alarm the other people waiting to be seen. From then on I received a bag of antibiotic IV drip every six hours, it felt cold in my arm going in. Uncomfortable.

I could barely move my right arm that the IV was lodged into and I did not like the feeling in that arm plus I had no function of my left hand that was injured. To make things even MORE fun.....there was an abscess in my hand.
The stitches prevented the pus from coming out so my hand got infected. A hand surgeon came to look at it while I was sobbing and told me he had to take the stitches out and clean the wound really good. And in order to do that he had to numb my hand with Licodaine that came in a long needle that he had to basically stick into and around the wound. Like six times to numb my hand. I could not believe that this was happening to me. Again, LOTS of loud screaming (like horror movie style screaming) and crying on my end but I did not yank my hand away, I kept it still. 
He told me afterwards that some people get combative and try to punch him. I just felt terror and sadness.
And on top of it, the last night a nurse came in to my room at around 4 am to get more blood from me....I was like ABSOLUTELY NOT! So she came back with "my" nurse and my nurse told me it was necessary for them to get a blood sample, so I gave in.
I spent like 36 hours in there, or more? I lost count, it was all a blur. Got out last Saturday afternoon. The food was good though! I had vanilla latte twice. Yummy breakfast burritos. Mac and cheese and mashed potatoes. The nurses were nice but somewhat neglectful and not on top of things which was surprising. And of course those four stitches should had never been put in my hand in the first place, I would had been better off with no stitches. Got sent home with a prescription for more antibiotics, lots of gauze and a great thing called xeroform gauze dressing. Everybody needs that at home. I am feeling much better today.....almost back to normal now. I never ever want another IV again, I hope I never need one. I do never ever want stitches. Or another hospital stay. 

So in case you wondered where I have been... I was in the hospital and also been occupied with a lot (drama with others and trying to help others while injured). I hope next week will be less hectic so I can spend more time on the blog.