Saturday, March 10, 2007

I finally know what interests you...

Apparently it's my skin.

Seriously guys! We finally got over 40(!) comments on a post, and it's the post about skincare and TMI. :-) I think that's so awesome, and I'm so grateful to everyone who chimed in with advice, commiseration, or whatever. How cool.

An update on the skin thing, I have discovered the problem (at least, a large part of it.) I've been having dry skin issues anyway, which were exacerbated when I had the Mirena coil fitted in late November. (Which--TMI alert!--OUCH.)

So the dryness kept getting worse, and I decided to buy a new moisturizer--this stuff we really couldn't afford (£12!) from Boots that's supposed to be specially for dry, sensitive skin and contains mostly French spring water and pixie dust or some shit like that. Unfortunately, it also contains--ta da!--sunscreen.

Why, oh why do these people insist on putting sunscreen in moisturizer and then telling me it's for sensitive skin? I have never in my life found a sunscreen or a moisturizer with sunscreen that doesn't turn me red. PABA free or not, my skin hates the stuff. This is a large part of the reason why I have avoided the sun as much as possible since I was 18 or so. Any sort of additive in a moisturizer is bad.

(I remember one time I decided to try one of those moisturizers with AHAs, remember those? My face was like pink sandpaper for days.)

So as it got redder and redder, and rougher, I decided to go for the Pond's cold cream and moisturizer, not realizing the moisturizer also has sunscreen. Bastards. It's not really advertised on the box at all.

Why are you people doing this?

Anyway, there you go. I bought some Oil of Olay sensitive skin, and gently exfoliated with baking soda (seriously, try this. It's excellent and also works wonders on babies' cradle cap), and my skin, while not back to normal, is much improved today.

Has anyone else noticed I seem to be doing a lot of "placeholder"-type posts on weekends? Because so few people seem to be blogging on weekends. I don't get as many comments, I don't get as many hits...so I guess I've started "saving" my big posts for the weekdays. My big day seems to be Mondays of late--I had over 130 hits last Monday, which was nice.

What do you think about weekend blogging? Do you notice there aren't as many people around? Do you find your enthusiasm for your own blog wanes?

The latest, and most amusing, Google search term that led to me was "Susan Powter cunnilingus". I come up #3 in that search. Although why anyone would be searching for "Susan Powter cunnilingus" is completely beyond me.

22 comments:

Scary Monster said...

Response on the weekend does seem a little limp, Maybe Me can get Mrs. Powter to spice things up at me lair.
Me own posts don't change much. Me writes about whatever be in me head or on me list of topics and iffin peeps miss them, then they do. No big deal. Me does get a lot of response about older posts in the comment space of something totally unrelated and that makes me a little crazy.
Stomp.

Camille Alexa said...

nobody seems to play on weekends.

Robyn said...

Susan Powter cunnilingus.

DEFINTELY Too Much Information.

Serena said...

I've noticed a definite lag on the weekends. I don't know why. You'd think people would have more time to catch up with their blogging buddies on the weekend. Heh. Maybe everyone's blogging from work during the week and having a real life on the weekends.

Anyway... I'm glad you've gotten to the bottom of your skin problem and are on the mend.

Aren't Google search terms a hoot? I get them for such arcane stuff as "hot Asian chicks." How that relates to my blog is beyond me. But -- but -- Susan Powter? LOL.

Bernita said...

Lately there seems a lag on weekends. I wonder if it's seasonal?
Or if protections against spammers have cut out a lot of week-end bots.

rkfinnell said...

I use Cetaphil in place of soap. It is a lipid soap that you don't have to rinse off. You just wash and wipe away with a cloth. I discovered it when my son was born "old" and had very dry skin.

I don't need to know that about Susan. LOL

Rhian said...

my stats tracking show that traffic slows up on weekends but then there are the diehards and i feel obligated to feed their fix with a little more extra attention probably because i'm one of 'em. Grin. I think as summer comes, it'll slow even more as people crawl out of their winter holes and are actively engaged elsewhere, ya know?

JC Madden said...

Er, how do you find out the Google Search Terms?

(Maybe you used the same phrase as her at one point?)

pacatrue said...

Yeah, my blog traffic grinds to a halt on weekends. Which means it sinks from about 25 hits to 6. I sometimes hold back until Monday because of this, but if creativity hits at 1:00 AM on Friday night, so be it.

My fave search term on my blog so far is "naked women deer hunting." I never knew I had even mentioned such a topic, but Google Knows Best. My co-blogger once mentioned that Lindsay Lohan was too skinny, but he typoed it with "Lindsy". We get hits all the time now for people who can't spell wanting pics of the actress. I've yet to see a request for "Lindsy Lohan naked and deer hunting" but I fully hope that with this comment, you will. Or perhaps it will be "Lindsy Lohan and Susan Powter naked, deer hunting, and engaged in cunn-" Nevermind, I didn't type that.

Anonymous said...

Glad to hear you've found the cause of the skin issues.

My busiest days are Wednesday and Thursday. I would say it was the 13 thing, but I haven't been doing that lately. The hit count definitely drops off to half or less on the weekends.

My strangest google search hit had something to do with 'ladypockets'

Ann (bunnygirl) said...

That's great you're doing better.

I usually am more active online on the weekends, but it seems other people vanish. I don't know why.

But I was out of town this weekend and came home to 251 posts waiting for me in bloglines! :-0

Imagine what that would've been if I'd taken off three weekdays instead! :-0 :-0

Shelli Stevens said...

I notice blog hoppers on the weekend die down quite a bit.

I have sensitive skin too! And I heard about that baking soda, mixing it with cetephal. :)

Anonymous said...

This weekend has been the shits, cause so many of the blogs I visit are in limbo over that epicon thing. I'm hoping everything returns to normal in a day or two.

As far as Susan Powter and cunnilingus, they don't even have to be in the same paragraph to show up on a google search--I don't even think it has to be the same post. If those three words (or even two of them) show up on the same page, then blammo. So if you said on a post, "My friend Susan loves cunnilingus," well, it will probably come up. And, if you misspelled the word powder as powter in a different post that same week, well, there ya go. The odder the search parameters, the more likely you'll get hits that have little or nothing to do with what the perverted freak of nature is actually trolling the internet for. Susan freaking Powter?!!! People are so effing nasty. bleh.

On a less disturbing note, I share your disdain for sunscreens, and use them as little as possible. This whole "zero tolerance for sun exposure" thing is stupid, anyway. There's a whole host of health problems people can end up with when they don't get enough sun, not the least of which is rickets. Moderate sun exposure has been shown to lower the risk of some cancers. Not to mention the fact that skin products containing parabens have been linked to breast and lymph node cancer.

It pisses me off that this UV paranoia means I have to get out a magnifying glass and read the entire labels of moisturizers and even bug sprays, just to find out if they're gonna give me a rash. I don't have sensitive skin, but I am allergic to nearly everything, including some metals. No IUD for me. The copper in it would have me looking all red and scaly like that nun on House.

Glad to hear you've pinpointed the problem. Skin around the eyes tends to regenerate fairly quickly, so you should be presentable in no time.

Stacia said...

Yes, Scary Montster, it's a little odd to get comments for really old posts, isn't it? I always feel bad because I don't notice them for ages.

Non, lbl, they don't, especially not as kis pointed out when there's a con going on. This weekend has been espec ially slow but yes, weekends have been slowing down a lot lately.

Sorry Robyn! :-)

Thanks Serena Joy! I thought the same thing, that blogging etc. would pick up at the weekends! I guess people are using their work computers, naughty them. :-)
And yeah, the skin problem seems to be righting itself. Lovely. I don't have to be ashamed to show my face in public.

Lol on "Hot Asian chicks". I mentioned Susan Powter at some point--I think I was talking about her haircut--but I don't actually remember using the word "cunnilingus" anywhere. Amazing what Google turns up, indeed.

Stacia said...

I'm not sure what it is, Bernita. I know I used to see a lot more going on here at the weekends than I do now. Seems like in the last few months things have just died down.

You know, Roxan, I haven't been able to find Cetaphil over here. I have used it before but it always seemed to make me break out. I have been thinking of giving it another go, though--guess I need to have my Mom send me some! Thanks for reminding me, and thanks for the comment! Welcome!

Stacia said...

You're so kind, Rhian. I do try to post something over the weekend, but as you can see it's usually just a little update or something. I should do better, though. People won't start reading at the weekends if there's nothing to read, eh?

JC Madden, welcome! Thanks for the comment!
I use a statcounter which tells me what people have searched to find me. (Rhian gave me the link for this counter, it's www.statcounter.com and I love it!)


Lol, Pacatrue! I can't wait to have people looking for naked Lindsay/Lindsy Lohan over here, what fun they'll add to our little conversations. :-> People do search for the oddest things, don't they (says the girl who has, at least once, Googled naked pictures of Daniel Craig. Found 'em, too.)

Did you ever mention deer hunting?
The idea of wanting to watch naked women deer-hunting is a fetish I'm not sure I want to think about for too long.

Stacia said...

My busiest day used to be Friday, Jenn, but I've noticed of late it's Monday, followed closely by Thursday. Weekends are slow and Tuesday are pretty slow--maybe because I try to always blog on Monday, so rarely blog on Tuesday? Hmmm.


Ladypockets, lol!

Welcome, Shelli! Thanks for the comment!
You know, I never thought of mixing it with Cetaphil but I bet that would work wonderfully. I do love baking soda, and it has been wonderful for my skin. It also lightens your hair over time if you mix it with shampoo, and adds body if you mix it with conditioner (but not all the time as it is a little drying to hair.)

Stacia said...

Yes, kis, and I was busy as a bee this weekend and so didn't get to come reply to anyone, which makes me feel very guilty and like a bad blog host.

YES! Why does everything have to have sunscreen in it? You know what? I'm capable of purchasing a sunscreen if I feel I need one! I don't need it slipped into every product I use, like a sleeping pill into someone's unattended cocktail. Quit forcing me to put that stuff on my skin. I'd rather wrinkle and get a facelift, thanks very much. (So I'm vain, so what? I totally plan to get a lift one of these days, hopefully quite a few years in the future.)

It bugs me especially because, not only is some sun good for you as you so correctly pointed out, but also, as you pointed out, people are allergic to things. My husband is allergic to aloe, if you can believe it. Aloe is in fricking everything! Don't tell me something is for sensitive skin and then add a sunscreen to it! Sunscreen is an irritant! It's not necessary, it doesn't moisturize, it...arrrgh! I'm going to write a nasty letter to Pond's.

Yep, the red scaliness is already gone. Now we're working on the general dryness. Thank you, Olay!

Anonymous said...

Hmm, should have read this one before I answered your last post. ;)

Good you found your answer though!

Stacia said...

Oooh, that's a really good idea, though, Isabella! I'm going to wash my shower head tonight.

writtenwyrdd said...

Very glad to hear you are feeling better and aren't quite so blotchy. Soak the shower head in a borax solution to remove a lot of built up gunk without chemicals, and thanks for the tip on baking soda for expoliant.

I get a lot more hits on the weekend, but for me a lot is maybe 20. Not to many comments yet, either.

I'd cry about losing the popularity contest, but I wasn't actually participating, lol.

Seriously, it's nice that you are getting more hits and comments. I just started commenting a bit more the past couple of weeks at various sites I've been checking, yours included.

Stacia said...

I don't even know if I can get Borax over here, writtenwyrdd! I need to make a better effort to find it, as it's so useful.

You're welcome re baking soda. I really do love it, it's the gentlest exfoliant I've ever found and leaves my skin feeling incredily soft. Let me know how it works for you!

I neglected commenting back on your blog, I'm so sorry. Shame on me.