3 Things . . .

When people ask me what I think of D.C., one of the first words you'll hear coming out of my mouth is "humidity." It was the first thing I noticed coming off the plane, and it has been my constant companion for the past almost-four weeks. Apparently it's really not that humid here compared to places like Florida or Thailand, but as far as I'm concerned I'm living in a sauna. It's all relative. When you come from a place like Idaho where you have not only no humidity, but "negative humidity" as I like to call it, it seems pretty intense.



The Good

The good thing about the humidity, well I guess there are two good things about it - Number one: everything is green and lush; beautiful; my favorite color. Number two: I can get away with applying lotion only once each day! It's amazing, and it saves me money because I won't have to buy lotion while I am out here. This is so nice after growing up in an area that makes your skin as dry as toast. It seems I was constantly applying lotion, but it was just never enough.



The Bad

I have one word for you: sweat. For some reason the humidity just makes it that much worse. I don't know very many people who sweat as much as I do. Back home I would attend aerobics classes on campus. Mirrors line the whole front wall of the room so you can always see yourself along with everybody else in the class. I remember always looking around and wondering Why is nobody else sweating like I am? When raising our arms, nobody would have a hint of sweat in their armpits. Nobody except me that is. Wallyball is another good example. It's pretty sad when you sweat three times as much as your boyfriend, but I just say that there is something wrong with Britton and not me. It's not that I am sweating too much, he just doesn't sweat enough. :) It's true, sweating is a sign of good fitness; and I'm not making this up. I learned in my Exercise Physiology class that those in better shape sweat earlier on in their workout, and they sweat more. The body is accustomed to that type of stress placed on it and knows how to adapt accordingly in order to release heat. My body is so good that it starts sweating while I am walking into the fitness class just because it knows what's coming. (Ha. Not really, but the sweating part is true.)



The Ugly

Yet another bad thing about the humidity is what it does to my hair. My hair is naturally pretty wavy, but I prefer it straight. I use a straightener every morning to try and tame my poofs and waves, but straightened hair and humidity do not mix. My hair looks great for maybe an hour after I fix it and then it's a hopeless cause. A few hours outside and what does it do? My bangs go straight and hang down in front of my eyes. The rest of my hair curls, my layers flipping out and under in all different directions, and going wavy at the crown of my head. Lovely. Good thing I work in a fitness center and it's ok to wear your hair in a ponytail.

From what I have heard, the humidity is only going to get worse as we approach the blessed month of August. I have simply resigned myself to the fact that I am going to be a sweaty girl with a bad hairdo for the next seven weeks. (sigh)