Back home: the day of relaxation

I drove through most of the night, but now I’m back home, trying to force myself to stay awake for a few more hours before going to bed. Tomorrow is my first day at the new job, so I’m just going to take it easy today, catch up on some reading, and chill out in the AC (it’s over 90 degrees today, blah).

So, it seems that my travels didn’t do any good for my skin. Looks like I’ll be taking my reputation to work with me. At least I’m not slinging pizzas, though. As much as I liked that job, the symbolism was a bit too much for me to tolerate.

Typically, getting away from home gives me a chance to relax, which seems to have a positive impact on my skin. I guess I tried to cram too much activity into my brief vacation, so I didn’t get to chill out like I normally would. In retrospect, driving to Mexico City by yourself isn’t all that relaxing, especially when you have to pull an all-nighter to make sure you get home in time to start your new job.

But I’m glad that I did it. Mexico City was a fun place. More than anything, I’m attracted to the way that it sprawls outward and upward. It’s like the Sprawl that William Gibson imagines, a vast metropolitan area that links Boston and Atlanta.

Now back to a smaller city, where I can start to invest in my daily life again instead of escaping into the desert wilds.

Pollution and acne

I’ve been having a blast in Mexico City. The food here is unbelievable and the people have been so accommodating. 

My hopes that I might return with a clear face, however, are slipping. As spectacular as this city is, it’s also crowded and full of pollution. Seriously, this might be the most polluted place that I’ve ever visited. If, as I’ve read in various places, pollution contributes to acne problems, then I’m going to end up with more pimples rather than fewer.

That’s not exactly what I had hoped for, but I’m trying to go with the flow and enjoy myself. I might, however, leave the city earlier than I had planed so that I can spend some time in a place with less air pollution. I wake up in the morning and feel like I’ve smoked a pack of cigarettes. It’s that gross. And still, I’m willing to tolerate the thick air because it is such a vibrant city.

There is something disturbing about seeing the morning sun through a thick haze of smog. I’ve been to New York, LA, San Francisco, and Rome, so I’ve seen my share of sunsets made even more beautiful by chemicals in the atmosphere. But I’ve never seen a place where the air was so thick that you can feel each breath like inhaling smoke.

I bet that a lot of the people here live with tremendous health problems caused by all these emissions.

I’m having a blast, but I’m looking forward to heading on to a place that’s a bit cleaner. Besides, it’s time for me to rush back to Louisville so that I can start my new job.

The real Mexico

There is a noticeable difference in roads from one country to another. The ones in Mexico are for brave drivers. No one I’ve seen so far displays any signs of anxiety regardless of how fast or slow they are moving. Whipping from one to another, some times with oncoming traffic barreling towards you at unknown speeds: that’s par for the course here. I wonder if they have driver’s ed?

Maybe it’s the freely available prescription meds that keep everyone so calm when facing the rapidly approaching grill of a mac truck. Maybe it’s just a way of life that disregards the things that could kill you.

Perhaps you just don’t worry much about car accidents when other people in your country are regularly beheaded by drug lords.

The heat has been unbearable today, and I don’t have much faith in my car’s ability to take me all the way to  Mexico City and back with the AC on full blast. So I’m sweating it out, letting the perspiration clean my pores as the sun’s light burns bacteria out of my skin.

If it weren’t for the increased cancer risk, this would definitely be the way to eliminate pimples. Just sitting back, watching the road stretch ahead, and the occasional wheel jerk whenever someone enters  my lane (heading the wrong direction, of course) for no reason that I can discern. People out here on the Federal Highway just don’t operate like average human beings. There’s something wild in them. They’re uncivilized in a marvelous, life-affirming way. I just hope it doesn’t lead to my death.

Borders are permeable

After driving across the US-Mexico border, I’m struck by how absurd our notion of national boundaries are. Borders are so much more permeable than we like to believe. It’s not only people slipping across these invisible lines, but culture too. An hour before you reach Mexico, you have already entered a watered-down version of it. You start to see more signs in Spanish; you find that it’s difficult to order a hamburger unless you know some Spanish; the number of taquerias and burrito stands explodes. And who are we kidding, at least half of the population looks like they come from a Mexican lineage.

The American influence continues deep into Mexico, too. As you travel further from the border, you find that people are less will (or able) to accept American dollars or speak in English.

The power imbalance between Mexico and the US creates this weird bubble on the other side of the border. Mexico’s border area is, to some extent, a playland for Americans. The laws are looser there, so Americans head down to participate in behaviors that would never even  occur to them at home. They stumble drunkenly through the congested streets; they search for powerful drugs and inhale them leaned against a post office; they solicit sex from women who may or may not be prostitutes, and become angered beyond belief when rejected. They keep their ears open for “donkey shows,” cock fights, and chances to watch women perform the most depraved acts with each other. They wander into pharmacies looking for anti-anxiety meds, pain killers, prescription acne lotions, speed, and male performance enhancers.

It reveals the dark side of humanity. I stayed for one day and a night, and then it was time to haul my maimed brain towards Mexico City.

Memphis, TN: Stress and Storm

I made it to Memphis last night in a single shot of five hours behind the wheel. More than an hour sooner than my GPS system anticipated. There isn’t much traffic along I-64 and -40 after midnight. You mostly just see truckers rolling through, trying to keep pace with their own insane schedules.

The storms hit me somewhere outside of Nashville, and that was a bit to deal with. My windshield wipers became completely useless for about ten minutes, but I plunged ahead trusting that the darkness ahead of me meant that no one was out there driving with their lights off. I admit that I was sweating in all manner of places during the storm. Adrenaline doesn’t do you much good when you’re driving. More than anything, it causes distractions as you become hyperaware of factors that don’t impact your safety in any significant way. But I made it to Memphis in one piece, knocked on the early -morning door of a friend’s apartment and slept straight on until lunch.

So far, I wouldn’t call this a relaxing trip. Maybe this trip isn’t about relaxation, though. Maybe it’s about adventure. Maybe it’s about taking risks before facing a period of life that promises more stability and tediousness. Am I happy to have found a job that will reward me with interesting problems? Absolutely! My joy, however, has a shadow of apprehension. I wonder if this is what a mid-life crisis feels like. Perhaps this is a quarter-life crisis. Perhaps I am the combination of a middle age man and a teenage boy. That would explain the acne, I guess.

On the road again

I’ve decided to meander my way down to  Mexico City. I’ve never spent more than a couple of days along the Mexico side of the border, so this will be an unprecedented journey. It feels like getting ready to disappear into an undiscovered world that is somehow more real than the one I’ve always lived in. Even with my GPS system, I fully expect that I will get lost somewhere in Mexico.

I can’t wait to get south of the border, where I can enjoy some unique foods that it’s nearly impossible to get here in Indiana and where I’ll have access to some super-cheap prescription acne medications sold right over the counter. Nah, I’m just kidding. That stuff dries my face out way too much. I’ll stick to the over-the-counter stuff that doesn’t make my face turn into ashes.

On the way, I’m going to stop in Austin for a bit. I’ve never been there before, and I hear that it’s a great town. From what I understand, it’s this little oasis of awesome surrounded by a state that is decidedly unawesome.

Google Maps tells me that it takes one day and nine hours to drive from Louisville to Mexico City. I assume that their estimation doesn’t include any time for sleep, so I’m just going to play it by ear and find out how long it takes me to get there without stressing out. If I have to drive for 24 hours straight to make sure that I get back in time for my new job, then so be it.

Acne throughout the ages

It occurs to me that people today probably worry more about their complexions than any other generation throughout history. That’s largely because of how exposed today’s individuals are to the public. We not only encounter throngs of people when we purposefully go into public to shop, socialize, or enjoy recreational activities. We’re also exposed to the public while sitting inside our homes.

No, I haven’t gone totally off my rocker, and I’m not suggesting that some conspiracy has placed cameras inside our homes to monitor every moment.

What I’m suggesting is that the proliferation of personal media exposes each person to (potentially) millions of people at any time. Even a decade ago, I never would have suspected that someone would carry a camera with them at every moment of the day, let alone that all of my friends would have these devices tucked away in their pockets literally every time that I saw them. But that is what we have today: mobile phones that double as cameras.

Of course, there is also the rise of social media. I don’t think that the growing number of camera phones in the world is unrelated to the growing importance of websites like Facebook. They are co-dependent. Without social media sites, who would really want to carry a camera phone?

The problem is that social media sites offer advantages and disadvantages. Obviously we’re into sharing our experiences with each other through new formats. But we’re also more aware of how we look at any given moment. After all, that moment could turn into an impromptu photo opp, right?

Just think, a hundred years ago, not even presidents had to worry that much about their appearances. Only the people around them regularly really knew what they looked like. Today, though, we’re all exposed to a worldwide audience that could criticize the way we look. No wonder so many people have image issues.

Treating Acne with Garlic

According to a post at South Asia Mail (one of the most respected “internet independent weekl[ies],” I’m sure), you can eliminate acne by rubbing garlic juice on your skin once a week. Hey, you only need to let the garlic work its magic for about an hour…

Um, can anyone say “gross.”

I love garlic. I probably eat at least some of it once a day. I put it in eggs; I put it on pizza; I’m throw huge amounts of it in hummus. That doesn’t mean that I’m going to rub garlic juice on my face. My overall goal over here is to feel better about myself by becoming more attractive. Somehow, I don’t think that reeking of raw garlic is going to help me reach that goal.

The site also says that you can reduce the appearance of acne scars by apply a mixture of milk and lemon juice. That’s not as bad as the garlic, but still…

To be fair, the South Asia Mail post also says that natural remedies aren’t as helpful as medical treatments. This is mostly due to the inefficiency of natural remedies. The garlic cure, for instance, could take weeks before it yields any positive results. Some pimple products sold over the counter, however, can virtually eliminate all of your blemishes within the same amount of time.

That’s not to say that all OTC products are terrific. Some are definitely better than others, so you should always read the ingredients before you spend your money on them

Driving away from acne

Just two weeks before I start my new job. Actually, it’s more accurate to say “just two weeks before I start my career” since this is the first time that I’ll be putting my anthropology degree to use.

In the time between now and then, I’m going to hit the road and try to relax. Sunday was my last day working at the restaurant. I can honestly say that there are things about that place that I’ll miss. The owner said that there will always be a position available for me, so I know that I’ve done a good job and that I have something to fall back on if the museum doesn’t work out.

My travel plans are designed to meet two goals.

1) See new stuff.

2) Clear up my face.

Traveling, and the relaxation that comes with it, always seems to help  my skin heal. I don’t know exactly what’s up with that, but I’m not going to question what has worked so far. More than anything, I would just like to start my new job with skin that is as clear as possible. I figure that two weeks on the road should serve that purpose. Of course, I’ll have to make sure that I keep my skin clean, even when I decide to sleep in my car (hey, I’m not exactly rolling in money over here).

Certainly there will be some cafes with free wifi access, so I’ll continue to update this blog when I have a chance.

No win for me or acne at the Derby

I visited the Derby last weekend with hopes of raking in some cash. Since rain was in the forecast, I thought that I would also do some very unscientific tests to determine whether race track mud can prevent acne.

No big surprise here, but a muddy face does not help you get rid of acne. Betting on the ponies also isn’t the best way to make money, unless your some kind of horse whisperer or psychic.

Oddly enough, the morning of the Derby, I went to my neighborhood farmers’ market to pick up some food (and flowers for Mother’s Day). While talking to someone about the approaching rain, she mentioned that she always tells the workers at her flower farm that the rain is good for their hair and skin. I thought about this for a second, and decided that it’s probably just as likely that the in field’s mud would do my skin any favors.

Rain water, after all, isn’t the purest substance in the world. It contains all kinds of problematic chemicals that I’m fairly certain won’t do your skin any favors. I suppose the acid rain might provide some exfoliation, but that’s a painful approach to microderm abrasion. Come on, we’re all advised not to drink rain water prior to filtering, so what would make anyone think that it’s good for the health of skin, hair, or anything else?

You won’t find me frolicking in the rain to get rid of my acne. Quite frankly, I’d rather use a product that contains chemicals that I know about rather than a grab bag of ingredients that falls from the sky.