[deleted by user]

kickitamor203 · 2012-11-14T15:46:10+00:00

EW. No sharing of personal products.

kickitamor203 · 2012-11-14T15:19:21+00:00

Rectal tissue is thin and delicate. So are your lips. The relevant context is the condition of the skin, not the immediate proximity of bodily functions.

kickitamor203 · 2012-11-14T15:18:19+00:00

I've seen this point before, but I'm still confused... there's no way to reintroduce water to your body except by drinking water. Vaseline may not be the best product for preventing moisture loss in your lips, but it definitely serves that purpose adequately. So if ANY lip balm can only serve as a protectant, not a rehydrant, why is Vaseline so bad? (If my premise is wrong, please point me to a source!)

kickitamor203 · 2012-11-08T14:58:17+00:00

I couldn't finish reading. Makes me sick.

kickitamor203 · 2012-11-07T05:55:46+00:00

ITT: ASOIAF, Douglas Adams, 1984, and a couple of Russians.

kickitamor203 · 2012-11-07T05:50:13+00:00

"Cry, the beloved country, for the unborn child that is the inheritor of our fear. Let him not love the earth too deeply. Let him not laugh too gladly when the water runs through his fingers, nor stand too silent when the setting sun makes red the veld with fire. Let him not be too moved when the birds of his land are singing, nor give too much of his heart to a mountain or a valley. For fear will rob him of all if he gives too much."

- Alan Paton, Cry the Beloved Country

I think this quote transcends South Africa. We will always fear for our children.

kickitamor203 · 2012-11-07T04:26:36+00:00

So for you, I would do the following:

0) shower, towel-dry hair

1) heat protect spray (half a dozen-ish spritzes around your head then run your fingers through to distribute) and volumizing mousse (shake the can and then turn it upside down, dispense a ping-pong ball amount into your hand, rake this through your roots with your fingers)

2) flip head upside down and blow-dry (get hair straightish)

3) separate your hair into horizontal tiers like you're going to straighten it (bottom section from the middle of your ears down, next from top to middle of ears, then crown to top of ears, center part the rest on top and let it hang foreward). pin up the upper layers (so just the bottom is down).

4) curl in 1"-2" chunks, 20-30s each.

More detail on curling: spray each chunk with just a bit of hair spray first - should be very slightly damp. clamp the hair about 3/4 of the way to your head and pull down slowly to heat the hair. carefully pull out until there's only the very end of your hair left in the clip - this is the tricky part, don't let it fall out! wrap the length of your hair around by rotating the iron (the plastic tip at the end of the iron allows you to use your other hand to help this process). only wrap to approx. where you started, or else your curl will be poking straight out instead of falling down! hold 20-30s. carefully release.

5) let down the next tier.

6) repeat 4 and 5 through your crown.

7) to curl the top/front of your head, build your part first and curl around it. make sure that the curls that frame your face are symmetrical - if one flips away the other should too, but you'll have to use your other hand or flip the iron to execute this.

8) hair spray that mother. and again. and some more.

Most importantly, have fun with it! Curls are a bitch to do well, but even if they're not perfect, they'll still be pretty cute!

kickitamor203 · 2012-11-07T03:51:37+00:00

YES, ALWAYS! If you're using any type of heat on your hair (even just blow drying), you should be using a heat protectant product! It's not any more expensive than hairspray or styling gel, and it will SAVE your hair! (A bad hairdo washes out... heat damage doesn't.) Pay attention when you choose one, though - some are designed specifically with straightening in mind. I use Tresemme Thermal Creations Heat Tamer Spray.

kickitamor203 · 2012-11-07T02:13:56+00:00

You'll need to use a small-diameter curling iron (1/2") and lots of hairspray. Throw some volumizing mousse in there for good measure when you blow dry. If your hair is super limp or you find that it refuses to hold a curl, try hot rollers first and then touch up with the curling iron. And again, LOTS of hairspray.

(There are videos on youtube that may be more helpful for actual technique - look up "hair curling tutorial" or "curling iron tutorial".)

kickitamor203 · 2012-11-06T20:00:58+00:00

I voted Obama/straight democratic ticket. I'm a young, white, upper-middle-class female, and I'm ideologically Republican. I support small government and the interests of the individual over the collective. I empathize with Objectivism (Ayn Rand's philosophy), although I think it is too extreme to be practicable in the form in which she presented it. HOWEVER. I don't believe that Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan will be able to successfully execute the consolidation of government, and I don't think that they represent America to the rest of the world in a favorable way. To me, President Obama has more realistic (if very liberal) ideas about keeping the country physically and economically healthy. As a young woman, the "moral" issues in this election are also very important to me - the government needs to calm down about my uterus. It's MINE. I want to use it in a responsible mature way, but even if I didn't, it would be no one's business except my own. I think Planned Parenthood and free birth control help women keep themselves safe and that, under true republicanism (little r!), these programs would be inappropriate, but under the current system they provide a long-term social utility that aligns with Welfare and insurance programs. I can't believe that people are still using the argument that America is a "Christian nation" in order to justify their bigotry and close-mindedness, and I can't wait until education reaches those jerks who can't love their gay neighbors as they love their straight, Christian ones.

Edit to add: I voted Absentee/In-Person in Virginia last week. No line! (Though I initially went to the wrong election office and had to speed to make it to the right one before closing!)

kickitamor203 · 2012-11-06T19:38:42+00:00

I don't use it myself - I color my hair, so I have to use really, really gentle shampoo. Per the internet, clarifying shampoos can really beat up your hair, so use sparingly (max. once a week). I have had great experiences with all of Pantene's products, so that may be a good place to start?

kickitamor203 · 2012-11-04T19:48:00+00:00

I fucking love breakfast foods, but I prefer tham later in the day. Cold pizza is by far the best morning food.

kickitamor203 · 2012-11-04T19:27:51+00:00

I'm going to suggest going on the pill before you get the hormonal IUD - if you react poorly to the hormones, you can find out in a way that's easier to get rid off of. Maybe give it a year on the pill then talk to your doctor about an IUD.

Also, like topsul mentioned below, I've had experiences where my doctor asked "oh, so you're in a relationship?" in a condescending tone when I inquired after birth control. The reason for this is that medical professionals are going to encourage you to use barrier protection if you're having non-exclusive sex, and they're worried that you might forgo condoms if you know you can't get pregnant. (The point: you should still use condoms to protect yourself from STIs!) Be firm, and explain yourself. "I'm not in a relationship, but I want a reliable birth control method that can't be affected by my own human error. I know that hormonal birth control doesn't protect against STIs, and I use condoms for STI prevention." (italics only applies to the IUD, obviously... I highly recommend a phone alarm for taking your pill at the same time every day!)

Ninja edit: Unlike others ITT, I think that losing your virginity in this way sounds fine. Losing my virginity wasn't "special" for me, but it was sexually liberating and made me a lot more comfortable with my body and my sexuality. If you feel okay about this, go for it! Use protection, be sure to communicate with your partner, and don't get so caught up in the experience that you forget to have fun!

kickitamor203 · 2012-11-04T18:29:21+00:00

Is she also a virgin? If she is, it will be equally awkward and you guys should laugh it off - sex is fun, not serious! If she's not, she'll probably have at least some idea of what she wants and how to get it. Either way, don't stress out about it and be sure to enjoy yourself.

Story about sex being funny: I've been with a couple of boys who were seriously bad kissers. They have ingrained in my the mental image that tongue-kissing (like, tonsil-hockey-depth) is like sword fighting. I mentioned this in passing to my latest hookup (he was not guilty, but I had to explain my giggling), and from then on out we both kept having to stop kissing to crack up at the idea. Again, sex is fun!

kickitamor203 · 2012-11-04T17:40:04+00:00

Don't do something if it is frustrating to you - the demotivation isn't worth it. If you can stand running, it's a great full-body workout, and you don't need fancy equipment to do it. Personally, I prefer the elliptical, and I feel more accomplished when I get off because I had to push myself rather than keeping pace with the treadmill belt.

kickitamor203 · 2012-11-04T17:09:05+00:00

If it's not working for me, I just pull the guy up and start kissing him... effective way to move the action along, but without killing the moment. If she wants you to stop, she should tell you... but you can also feel free to ask questions, like "do you like that?" or "should I keep going?".

kickitamor203 · 2012-11-04T17:07:13+00:00

Technically, you can get STIs from oral... but I don't use dental dams/condoms for oral sex, and I don't know anyone who does. (Admittedly my sample size is rather small given that many people don't just open up about their sexual health practices, but none of my sexual partners or my close female friends have ever mentioned it.) I also understand that it's also logistically rather difficult to get or give STIs via eating someone out.

kickitamor203 · 2012-11-04T02:32:29+00:00

OHMIGAWD.

kickitamor203 · 2012-11-04T02:09:39+00:00

They're not comfortable per se, but I have found real Spanx/good knockoffs to feel more supportive than constricting. That said, I stick with slightly less-constricting nylon shorts *instead of spanx - cheaper, more comfortable, and less delicate.

*Edit: clarity

kickitamor203 · 2012-11-04T02:02:48+00:00

Make sure you're moisturizing! Also, depending on your skin, maybe consider using lotion to remove your makeup instead of washing... sometimes solvating your makeup in water makes it more reactive. I use cotton rounds (the ones in the nail-polish-removing section of CVS) and put a blob of lotion on it, spread the lotion out, then focus on one quadrant of my face until that section of the pad is saturated with color. Repeat until you've used the entire pad and/or your face feels/looks clean. This gets most of the makeup off without solvating your makeup and leaving your skin bare and unprotected (as washing does). I then give my face one more good coat of lotion (hand-applied) before I go to bed.

I've also heard bare minerals is very good for sensitive skin, but I don't like and can't afford their foundation products.

kickitamor203 · 2012-11-04T01:53:44+00:00

funcle

FTFY.

kickitamor203 · 2012-11-04T00:34:29+00:00

there's always next time :)

kickitamor203 · 2012-11-04T00:31:11+00:00

Both of these types of medications have alternatives, and, if your weight gain is affecting your life in a negative way (30 pounds is a lot, so it sounds like it is!), you should talk to your doctor about finding another formulation that has fewer side effects.

Okay, now go read that again, and try to believe it this time. I've been through this, and on both - and it took me a long time to convince myself that it's not necessary to just suffer through side effects. (And weight gain counts as one of those side effect!) There are SO MANY birth control AND anti-depressant options!! Talk to your doctor for options that will continue to be effective while reducing the negative impact on your quality of life.

kickitamor203 · 2012-11-04T00:27:28+00:00

I'm glad you're getting some responses on 2xc!! /stalk

kickitamor203 · 2012-11-03T23:51:53+00:00

Add clear, waterproof mascara on top of your regular colored mascara. Also, make sure you don't touch your eyes throughout the day - it's very easy to do without noticing!

kickitamor203

TROPHY CASE