Strange But Special

Sweat is the worst. There’s things out there to make sweat season better, though. Without further ado, my “sweat sucks” checklist, in no particular order! All product names are links- mostly Amazon- but you can get many of these items in a lot of places.

0, the ur-anti-sweat task force item. A good anti-perspirant of your choice. If you’re sweaty and you hate it, you probably already know which one you like best.

1. Gold Bond powder spray. The powder itself is ok, but the spray is where it’s at. If you hate underboob sweat, this is the way to go. Start dry- don’t do this right after a shower, and towel off if you’ve already been sweating. Before putting on a bra or binding, lift one boob, spray underneath, and hold that boob up for a bit to let the spray dry. There’s other things that work for this, too- Fresh Balls, Monkey Butt, etc.- and I have tried all of them and this is the one I keep reaching for. Also, Fresh Balls and Monkey Butt are terrible names.

Just don’t use it on any mucus membranes. If you’ve got a sweaty groin area, be careful with it.

2. Slipshorts. Recently I stopped hating myself and wearing pants in the summer. It’s just too humid out. But a combo of chub rub and sweat means that I feel super uncomfortable if I’m not wearing something- which is where a nice pair of undershorts/bike shorts come in handy. Get cotton ones or wicking ones, and they help combat the sweat and the chafing. Jockey’s Skimmies are really good for this- the ones that wick away moisture. This is not shapewear, mind you- that would only make the sweat problem worse! 

3. A fan. I’ve got a really goofy electric one that mists me with water, but it looks really, really goofy. It might look silly, but it let me survive my family’s ill-planned hike up Diamond Head in the middle of the day. That was worth looking silly. When I’m super hot and gross, I don’t care- but it’s not convenient everywhere, or you might have more dignity than me. (Most people probably do, really.) In that case, a folding fan is extremely useful. Pick one that you like- if you carry purses, maybe even get a few cheap ones and toss one in each purse.  

4. Another kind of goofy thing that really does work is the Cooldanna, which is a bandanna that’s been sewn into a head band and stuffed with water crystals. You soak it in water, tie it around your head, and it keeps you cool for a very long time. If you were clever, you could make your own with some water polymer crystals and whatever fabric you liked- and this way you’d have more control over design and size and everything. You could even get creative about shape and placement!

5. Around April, I stop wearing closed shoes unless I absolutely have to- sandals all the way for me. I’m a Birkenstocks person, but honestly, any supportive sandal’s good. I’ve had the same pair of Milanos for well over a decade now, and they don’t stink and my feet feel pretty damn good in them.

6. A Ta-Ta Towel. It’s not fun to wear a bra all the time, but it’s equally unfun to be sitting at home and dealing with underboob sweat. You can get these other places, or make your own even, or if your boobs are shaped right, just stick a washcloth beneath them and call it a day- but nothing dries quite like a towel. 

7. Bun formers. Getting the hair off the back of the neck is vital, and a bun works pretty much anywhere.

8. Cucumber wipes and a towel. Sometimes if I have to walk or take the bus somewhere in the summer, I’ll actually take face-washing stuff with me in my bag so that I can de-sweat when I get there. If not, cucumber wipes and a small towel work fine. 

Botox (or dysport or xeomin) injections in the underarm area. It paralyzed the sweat gland to make it stop overproduction of sweat. The effects usually last 3-4 months. Y’all, my sweating was under control for A YEAR AND A HALF. I wasnt sweating through three layers of clothing in the winter anymore. I was sweating a normal amount in the summer. This is the best thing I’ve ever done! It also works for palms of the hands and bottoms of the feet.

Sweat is the worst. There’s things out there to make sweat season better, though. Without further ado, my “sweat sucks” checklist, in no particular order! All product names are links- mostly Amazon- but you can get many of these items in a lot of places.

0, the ur-anti-sweat task force item. A good anti-perspirant of your choice. If you’re sweaty and you hate it, you probably already know which one you like best.

1. Gold Bond powder spray. The powder itself is ok, but the spray is where it’s at. If you hate underboob sweat, this is the way to go. Start dry- don’t do this right after a shower, and towel off if you’ve already been sweating. Before putting on a bra or binding, lift one boob, spray underneath, and hold that boob up for a bit to let the spray dry. There’s other things that work for this, too- Fresh Balls, Monkey Butt, etc.- and I have tried all of them and this is the one I keep reaching for. Also, Fresh Balls and Monkey Butt are terrible names.

Just don’t use it on any mucus membranes. If you’ve got a sweaty groin area, be careful with it.

2. Slipshorts. Recently I stopped hating myself and wearing pants in the summer. It’s just too humid out. But a combo of chub rub and sweat means that I feel super uncomfortable if I’m not wearing something- which is where a nice pair of undershorts/bike shorts come in handy. Get cotton ones or wicking ones, and they help combat the sweat and the chafing. Jockey’s Skimmies are really good for this- the ones that wick away moisture. This is not shapewear, mind you- that would only make the sweat problem worse! 

3. A fan. I’ve got a really goofy electric one that mists me with water, but it looks really, really goofy. It might look silly, but it let me survive my family’s ill-planned hike up Diamond Head in the middle of the day. That was worth looking silly. When I’m super hot and gross, I don’t care- but it’s not convenient everywhere, or you might have more dignity than me. (Most people probably do, really.) In that case, a folding fan is extremely useful. Pick one that you like- if you carry purses, maybe even get a few cheap ones and toss one in each purse.  

4. Another kind of goofy thing that really does work is the Cooldanna, which is a bandanna that’s been sewn into a head band and stuffed with water crystals. You soak it in water, tie it around your head, and it keeps you cool for a very long time. If you were clever, you could make your own with some water polymer crystals and whatever fabric you liked- and this way you’d have more control over design and size and everything. You could even get creative about shape and placement!

5. Around April, I stop wearing closed shoes unless I absolutely have to- sandals all the way for me. I’m a Birkenstocks person, but honestly, any supportive sandal’s good. I’ve had the same pair of Milanos for well over a decade now, and they don’t stink and my feet feel pretty damn good in them.

6. A Ta-Ta Towel. It’s not fun to wear a bra all the time, but it’s equally unfun to be sitting at home and dealing with underboob sweat. You can get these other places, or make your own even, or if your boobs are shaped right, just stick a washcloth beneath them and call it a day- but nothing dries quite like a towel. 

7. Bun formers. Getting the hair off the back of the neck is vital, and a bun works pretty much anywhere.

8. Cucumber wipes and a towel. Sometimes if I have to walk or take the bus somewhere in the summer, I’ll actually take face-washing stuff with me in my bag so that I can de-sweat when I get there. If not, cucumber wipes and a small towel work fine. 

Botox (or dysport or xeomin) injections in the underarm area. It paralyzed the sweat gland to make it stop overproduction of sweat. The effects usually last 3-4 months. Y’all, my sweating was under control for A YEAR AND A HALF. I wasnt sweating through three layers of clothing in the winter anymore. I was sweating a normal amount in the summer. This is the best thing I’ve ever done! It also works for palms of the hands and bottoms of the feet.

I also have used this website to practice fingerspelling, https://asl.ms/. You can select the speed, and though it’s designed to help your receptive skills in knowing what the spelling was, you can practice your own fingerspelling by signing along with it.

But!

1. You can’t learn a language, and certainly not a visual language, alone. If you want to learn conversational ASL, you will need to seek out opportunities to connect with the Deaf community in your area. Dialects and accents vary greatly, and signs you learn online may not actually apply to your IRL conversations.

2. Don’t. Learn. From. YouTube. It is full of hearing people with one or two ASL classes under their belts “teaching” flat out incorrect signs. Related! If you are not a fluent ASL user (and you know if you are or aren’t) don’t. Post. “Instructional”. Videos. It is a huge pet peeve of mine and I find it disrespectful to the Deaf community.

Seeking Council  ♕

to my beautiful dark skin queens if you have someone like this in your life they are NOT your friend. excommunicate them immediately and go on and shine like the day is bright.

‘‘Enlightened’‘

“Nothing is more creative than death, since it is the whole secret of life. It means that the past must be abandoned, that the unknown cannot be avoided, that ‘I’ cannot continue, and that nothing can be ultimately fixed. When a man knows this, he lives for the first time in his life. By holding his breath, he loses it. By letting go he finds it.” ~Alan Watts

im baby. 

He was a enjoyable cuss who didn’t care for war mongering.

Especially profitable war mongering and excuses for it!

He certainly didn’t like selfish husbands and fathers!

Politicians who turned on their words once they got theirs weren’t safe.

He said fuck the police!

He absolutely didn’t like people ruining little things for kids.

He stood up for foreigners. Especially those doing their best to communicate with limited second language knowledge.

He was not having any tomfoolery when it came to gun safety and laws. Especially with youth involved.

You had better not abuse a animal with him nearby. He’d right that wrong real quick!

And best of all him and his wife were both prickly cusses together. Relationship goals.