Spring Fever

Ever since I started on hormones my skin has been incredibly dry. The testosterone blocker I take makes my sebaceous glands produce much less oil, so my skin has a tough time maintaining moisture levels. As many of you may know, when it is winter in Saskatchewan there isn't a lot of moisture in the air. Most of that moisture can be found sitting in a two feet deep layer outside where it does nothing for my dessicated legs and cracked lips. I do what I can to help my skin out. I use all sorts of lotions, creams and oils in hopes of replenishing and holding in moisure as well as diminishing the almost constant itchiness, but this winter just felt like it was a losing battle. I often woke up from a deep sleep and found I had scratched bloody grooves into my legs during the night. I used to daydream of the approach of spring, but not because I was sick of the cold, but because I was craving air that didn't suck every bit of moisture from my body.

I think I have conveyed how dry my skin was, but did I mention I was staticky? I used to be amused at how Heather hated touching her car door after a drive because she always got a shock from it. She'd either make me close my door first and take the shock for her, or she'd use anything she could as a buffer between her and the car. I'd see her closing her door using sticks, or her boot and I couldn't help but smile. I should really apologize to her for my amusement because now I am nothing but mindful of shocks at all times. I not only get a shock from my car door, but I get a shock from nearly everything that isn't attached to my body. I mean everything - even my bed. Emerging from the nice warm blankets into the relatively cold atmosphere of the bedroom is a shock to any system, but my shock is worse. Each morning as I get out of bed I feel a ten thousand volt shock to one of my ass cheeks. It really pains me to think that the only electricity going on in my bed this winter has been due to dry air.

This weekend though was a weekend of melting and I found myself filled with spring fever. I opened all the windows in my apartment, and I even had the balcony door wide open. I think the cold fresh air smelled and felt great (even though I think it killed one of my house plants). I spent the weekend filled with the urge to go outside. I went for a couple walks, delighted that I only needed a light jacket on. I thought it was great to see others had emerged from their winter cocoons as well. Others were out walking, riding bikes, some where spreading snow around so it melted faster and others just seemed to be taking stock of the state of their yards (I even saw Ryan shovelling snow off his roof). Later on I went for a drive in my car just so I could feel the wind in my face and drive through a couple of huge puddles.

When I got home from my drive I noticed I didn't get a shock from my car at all. Not only that but later on as I began my nightly moisturizing ritual I noticed my skin already felt great. My legs were smooth and soft as if in just a few days of above zero temperature my skin had soaked up its fill of moisture. I took a close look and found that my skin had plumped it up like a ballpark frank. I wasn't itchy anywhere and I even hopped into bed without a shock.

I'm eager to say goodbye to this winter, its cold weather and its lack of humidity. I have all this energy built up that I can finally put to good use outside instead of into my computer. Maybe I'll even be able to find a way to add some electricity back into my bedroom without static.