Did someone say...Zombies?

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I hear so much about zombies lately that I had asked myself more than once, what is it with the fascination with Zombies? Why do so many seem so enamored with them? Zombies. They’re everywhere: Comics. Movies. Books.  The Internet.  Video games. You name it and you’ll find it. Incredible. There are even blogs about it. People on twitter say they love zombies. Why? What for? What gives? Personally, I don’t get it and this caused me to write this post. Do these people know something that others don’t? I’m curious. What do you think? 

 

     The Bible does say that the dead will one day walk again. Perhaps, it will be zombies. It isn’t as if the Bible says, that the dead will actually rise up breathing and be back to their selves again. Who knows what will really happen on that dreadful day. A great number of people seem to think that the end will come with zombies. When I did a search for zombie related material for this post, I was inundated with information.  Put ‘zombies’ into a search engine and see what comes up. I did and found quite a bit to use for this post. In fact, you can find a rather interesting article about zombies at:  http://www.cracked.com/article_15643_5-scientific-reasons-zombie-apocalypse-could-actually-happen.html       that is entitled, “5 Scientific Reasons a Zombie Apocalypse Could Actually Happen.” It is both interesting and scary to read. Interesting and scary because the speculation it presents can lend credence that it can happen. After all, if zombies aren’t a real possibility why are U.S. soldiers practicing in ‘secret’ by shooting ‘zombies’? Hmmn…excellent question, huh? Huffington Post actually has a zombie column: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/news/zombies/     The Center for Disease Control has a zombie preparedness page: http://www.cdc.gov/phpr/zombies.htm   

 

     Back to the original point of this post, what is the fascination with zombies? Good question. I have no idea. I have no interest in zombies at all. I don’t watch “Walking Dead”. I admit. I started to. I watched the first three seasons, but then, I lost interest. It was boring. After all, how many story lines can one write about zombies? They all become basically the same. Though, I must confess that I do watch Night of the Living Dead from time to time. “They’re coming to get you, Barbara.” Anyone else remember that famous line? Do you remember what scene it came from? What is your take on Zombies? Do you believe in them? Why? I’d love to hear about it. Do you think Zombies are a good thing or a bad thing?                                  

That's my take on it anyway. Zombies? Perhaps they may come around one day. Maybe not. If we've learned anything about life and this world is that anything is possible. Probable? Your guess is as good as mine. It'd be both interesting and scary to see, won't it?

Until next time, I wish you well. Have a great day, a great week and a great month.  May all your dreams come true. Be Safe. Be happy. Show compassion. Be kind to one another, especially those without a voice. Don't share your personal information just because one asks for it.     

    Regards,

    S.J. Francis
    Advocate for the underdog, and cat, et al.
 
   In Shattered Lies: "It's All About Family."  Coming in 2015 from Black Opal Books.

       My Black Opal Books Author Page:

             http://www.blackopalbooks.com/author-bios/bio-sj-francis 

 

View My ShoutOut:  http://bit.ly/1r3oynM 

 

     My Official Web page: http://sjfranciswriter.com

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 My Writing Blogs:  http://sjfranciswriter.blogspot.com

                                                  

                         A Book Review 4 U: http://abookreview4u.blogspot.com 

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And now for some legal stuff: Copyright 2015 by S.J. Francis.

Opinions expressed here are solely those of the author, S. J. Francis and are meant to entertain, inform and enlighten, and intend to offend no one.

Prone to Sunburn? Watch Out for Hell’s Itch! Ouch! Aargh!

Prone to Sunburn? Watch Out for Hell’s Itch! Ouch! Aargh!  

Prone to Sunburn? Watch Out for Hell’s Itch! Ouch! Aargh! Prone to sunburn, then you have to read this post. It may save you a hell of a lot of suffering. And believe me when I say I know what I mean.  I’m prone to sunburn. Naturally, I wear suntan lotion. A great deal of it. Sometimes, I do forget. Usually, when I do I don’t get sunburn because I wasn’t out in the sun that long. You know what I mean. If I walk to my mailbox to get the mail, I don’t put on suntan lotion. If I go sit in the backyard for some air to get some Vitamin D, I don’t wear any lotion. Why would I? Other times, I forget and then, I get the dreaded sunburn. Ouch! Ooh! Youza! I’m sure you know what I mean there too. You know the routine. You get sunburned. It hurts for a few days. It peels and then, that’s the end of it.

     Uh-Uh-Uh. Unfortunately, the last sunburn I received a few weeks ago wasn’t the usual sunburn and the effects of it are with me still nearly two months later. I’m talking about a sunburn that doesn’t hurt, barely peels, but results in a lasting, painful, itch that doesn’t seem to want to go away. I know. I’m dealing with it now. I made the mistake of mowing my property without wearing lotion or proper coverage. To avoid problems that first night and thereafter, I applied Gold Bond Skin lotion and everything seemed to go well. Then, one night after dinner, my two forearms which were sunburned began to itch relentlessly. I applied Gold Bond Skin lotion without respite. I applied Cortisone without letup. My skin felt as if angry red ants were trying to burrow their way out of my arms. My spouse suggested a cool shower, which I gladly took. I applied Aveeno Body Wash for Itchy, Dry skin with oatmeal. It felt good in the shower, but once I got out, the itch returned. I applied Coconut Oil to it and the maddening itch subsided. The oil worked wonders for a few days, but never truly got rid of all of the insane itch. I next tried applying cortisone cream again. It worked for a few days then stopped. 

I tried Cetaphil skin lotion, which worked for a couple of days and then, nada. Desperate, I searched online and found a few sites that mentioned this “Hell’s Itch” or as someone else nicknamed it, “Satan’s Red Ants.” It definitely feels like the monikers. Others out there endured this itch and tried numerous medicines and treatments to no avail. I, too tried them all. Some had relief with Aloe lotion. Others with Ocean Potion, which I could not find anywhere. Poor me. Others said they had luck with A&D ointment, which I just happened to have and it worked, (Thank god!) for about a week and then didn’t. I must admit it. I have a strange body in the way that medicines don’t always work on me as they should. I quickly found out that I had to use something different every couple of days to get the itch down to a tolerable level. I tried Benadryl spray but it didn't work at all.

 

 I even tried what others recommended: I took two Benadryl pills at bedtime, which helped me sleep. Unfortunately, for the first couple of nights, I woke up at 3 in the morning with the itch driving me nearly insane and desperate for a solution. Unlike some others, hot showers didn’t work for me. Cold compresses didn’t work either. The itch just worsened. The coconut oil seemed the best solution. Yesterday, I went back to applying the Cetaphil cream. Thing is, this sunburn is the weirdest, not only because of the itch, but because it made my skin so very dry, almost like sand paper. Yuck. I never had such terribly dry skin. Today, thanks to online shopping, I received my Ocean Potion, Aveeno Skin Cream for Sensitive, Itchy Skin to try and see what happens.  So far, I get by with using each one for a day or two and switch back to another. Truthfully, the best treatment that seems to work for me is applying coconut oil as often as I can before any itching starts. Don't let the itching start. As soon as you feel a twinge apply whatever works for you because once the itching begins, it is very difficult to get it down to a tolerable level. One good thing though: The itching means the sunburned skin is healing deep within, but does it have to itch so badly?

    Now, here’s the real rub. Whatever you do, while you have this sunburn, or this itch, don’t go outside in the sun without a cover-up. The itch will return with a vengeance you do not want to encounter. It’s terrible. I know. I made the dumb mistake of going outside for a quick run to fill the humming bird feeder and get the mail and then that night the itch returned. I could almost hear it snickering at me. Now, I will never, ever go outside without adequate coverage, and never again will I be so foolish to ever go outside without suntan lotion, even for the fifteen minutes to absorb some Vitamin D. If there is a hell, I’ve already been there. It’s called Hell’s Itch and I never want to see it again. If you are currently experiencing this, I feel your pain and hope you find what works for you. If you are over it, please let others know here what worked for you.

     Prone to sunburn? Always wear suntan lotion, or proper coverage. Otherwise, you may encounter the itch from hell and trust me it is way worse than the worst sunburn you can imagine. I know. I had the worst sunburn that hurt so badly that I wanted to die. This itch is worse than that. If you’re so unlucky that you do get sunburn and with it the resulting Itch, there are a couple of things you can try. You can search for solutions on the internet, as I did and see what works for you. You can try the things that I’ve mentioned here that may or may not work for you. You can go to your doctor or emergency room and get something stronger to help stop the itch. Or you can suffer with it. I wouldn’t recommend the last option, but, hey, maybe you have the patience of a saint and the hide of a rhino and the heart of a Lion. I don’t. Whatever you choose, be reassured that you are not alone. Others have, are, or will also encounter “Hell’s Itch”. I hope you never do. It is definitely hell. How about you? Have you ever encountered “Hell’s Itch”? If so, what worked for you? What didn’t? How did you deal with it?

Want to learn more about the Hell's Itch as the aftermath of sunburn? Check out this fellow blogger's take on it: http://lowgravityascents.com/2013/06/05/the-worst-sunburn-aftermath-ever/   or you can try searching for "sunburn and itching like crazy" and view all the results....or...

Read more: What causes this particular type of sunburn itch? http://www.medhelp.org/posts/Dermatology/What-causes-this-particular-type-of-sunburn-itch/show/1301105   

Curing the Sunburn Itch From HELL   by John Curry: http://goarticles.com/article/Curing-the-Sunburn-Itch-From-HELL/6828954/

Sunburn fire ant hell itch: http://kathrynjennings.blogspot.com/2011/12/sunburn-fire-ant-hell-itch.html

How to Survive Post Sunburn Itch: http://underscoopfire.com/how-to-survive-post-sunburn-itch/

              

Update: Nothing worked for me to get rid of this itch. Nothing. Hence, I made the dreaded trip to my doctor's office. Shockingly, he was very familiar with it. His brother had it once. Also, while in college, a mutual acquaintance had this itch. It was so bad that this student committed suicide from the itch. It seems, according to my doctor, there is only one way to treat this was with oral steroids, which I didn't want to do. Instead, I applied my topical cortisone to the itch. Three months later, the itch is slowly diminishing without the oral steroids. Hopefully, this means I'm in the clear. We'll see. If you ever get this itch, you're not alone. There are a number of things you can try as attested above. However, what may work for one may not work for you. Experiment and see what works for you. I wish you well on the road to healing and finding what works for you.

UPDATE 10/5/17: The dreaded itch returns from time to time whether I was out in the sun or not. ARRGH!  I use my prescription cortisone cream when that happens. I visited with my dermatologist recently. The physician educated in disorders of the skin never heard of it. that is scary. Here is another article I discovered about it. Hope your itch goes away and never comes back.

Whitest man's burden: For an unlucky few, sunburn means a debilitating itch torture:

      http://nationalpost.com/news/whitest-mans-burden-for-an-unlucky-few-sunburn-means-a-debilitating-itch-torture

     That’s it for now. Until next time, I wish you well. Have a great day, a great week and a great month. May all your dreams come true. Be safe. Be happy. Show compassion. Be kind to one another, especially those without a voice. Love one another. Don't follow the crowd. Go against the flow. And no matter what, don't ever share your personal information just because one asks for it, even it's your doctor's office that is asking.

    Regards,

    S.J. Francis
    Advocate for the underdog, and cat, et al.
 
   In Shattered Lies: "It's All About Family."  Coming in 2015 from Black Opal Books.

       My Black Opal Books Author Page:

             http://www.blackopalbooks.com/author-bios/bio-sj-francis 

View My ShoutOut:  http://bit.ly/1r3oynM  

     My Official Web page: http://sjfranciswriter.com

                                     Twitter: https://twitter.com/sjfrancis419

Face Book: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100006313201444 

 My Writing Blog: http://sjfranciswriter.blogspot.com

                    A Book Review 4 U: http://abookreview4u.blogspot.com 

             A Consumer's View: http://aconsumersview.blogspot.com 

One for the Animals:    http://onefortheanimals.blogspot.com 

                             Pinterest:   http://www.pinterest.com/sjfrancis419 

Google Plus: https://plus.google.com/u/0/104831238907682620486/about 

                Good Reads:       https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/33550975-s-j        

                                       

And now for some legal stuff: Copyright 2015 by S.J. Francis.

Opinions expressed here are solely those of the author, S. J. Francis and are meant to entertain, inform and enlighten, and intend to offend no one.

Getting Unplugged-The Importance of Cutting Yourself Off from Electronics.

Getting Unplugged-The Importance of Cutting Yourself Off from Electronics.

I’m a writer. I have been for a very long time now. Over thirty years. You know the drill. Most of my time is spent writing, editing and/or conducting research. Most of it is done on the computer, but I also write longhand. It’s what I love to do. It’s what I need to do. Writing to me is as important as breathing is.

 

     I’m also a person that needs time to unwind to catch my breath. Hence, no matter what, once a week at a minimum I unplug from all electronics. Yes, no electronics. No phone, no television, no computer. Nothing that requires electricity. I do it not only for my sanity, but in order to catch up with all the little and necessary things that go on in real life such as paying bills or running errands or doing chores. I also like to get outdoors. Hiking, kayaking and diving are just some of my interests. There’s nothing like getting outside to relax. My dogs love romping about our woods. When I can, I take an entire weekend off. That means no social media, no phone, no television, etc.

 

 

Instead, I read a great deal. Books, magazines, anything I can get my hands on. It’s not unusual for me to read five books at a time with a mix of non-fiction and fiction, classic literature to academic journals. Along that line, on my one day off, I read an average of twenty magazines. Though, sometimes I just lounge around, veg out on old movies and television shows, but no computer, no internet and no phone.  The weekend I reserve for getting away, either overseas or local. I’ve been known to visit places that have no phones and no internet service. Of course, I never seem to completely get away from writing. Hence, the longhand. When an idea strikes, I have to write it down.

     Modern times take so much time out of our lives. Electronics are supposed to make life easier, but in the end it never does. Add social media to the mix and the seconds turn into hours before you can get back to where you initially started. Making time for yourself, away from the madness of the electronics in your life is important. If you don’t do it already, consider taking time off and away from it all. Take a long and deep soothing breath. When you get back to your electronics, you’ll feel refreshed. Your mind will be sharper. Try it and let me know how it works for you. If you already do it, what is your schedule like? How often do you unwind? What do you do to unwind?

 

Read more: This Woman Unplugs Every Saturday (and Will Convince You to Do the Same): https://www.yahoo.com/health/this-woman-unplugs-every-saturday-and-will-125784720268.html

 

7-Day Digital Detox for Real People: http://greatist.com/grow/one-week-digital-detox-plan?utm_source=syndication&utm_medium=yahoo

 

31 Awesome Resources to Help You Unplug, Relax, and Stress Less: http://greatist.com/grow/unplug-resources?utm_source=syndication&utm_medium=yahoo

 

Why Everyone Should Unplug More Often: http://greatist.com/happiness/unplugging-social-media-email?utm_source=syndication&utm_medium=yahoo

 

 

Until next time, I wish you well. Have a great day, a great week and a great month.  Take time out for yourself, your family and friends. May all your dreams come true. Be Safe. Be happy. Show compassion. Be kind to one another, especially those without a voice. Don't share your personal information just because one asks for it.     

    Regards,

    S.J. Francis
    Advocate for the underdog, and cat, et al.
 
   In Shattered Lies: "It's All About Family."  Coming in 2015 from Black Opal Books.

       My Black Opal Books Author Page:

             http://www.blackopalbooks.com/author-bios/bio-sj-francis 

 

View My ShoutOut:  http://bit.ly/1r3oynM 
 

     My Official Web page: http://sjfranciswriter.com

                                     Twitter: https://twitter.com/sjfrancis419

 

Face Book: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100006313201444 

 

 My Writing Blogs:  http://sjfranciswriter.blogspot.com

                         A Book Review 4 U: http://abookreview4u.blogspot.com 

             A Consumer's View: http://aconsumersview.blogspot.com 

One for the Animals:    http://onefortheanimals.blogspot.com 

                                            Pinterest:   http://www.pinterest.com/sjfrancis419 

Google Plus: https://plus.google.com/u/0/104831238907682620486/about 

                Good Reads:       https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/33550975-s-j

 

                                    

 

And now for the legal stuff: Copyright 2015 by S.J. Francis. Opinions expressed here are solely those of the author, S. J. Francis and are meant to entertain, inform and enlighten, and intend to offend no one.

 

Did someone say it's time to elect a new U.S. President???

I don’t usually vote anymore.  I used to, but I saw too many bills that the people overwhelmingly voted for turned over by the court and decided it just wasn’t worth the bother anymore. However, when it comes to something important such as voting for taxes, or for the next Commander-In-chief, I vote. Which brings me to the matter of the next Presidential election. Who will you vote for in 2016? In my opinion, So far, I haven’t really seen anyone worth voting for, though ever since I was a child, I hoped to one day see a woman become President. After all, other countries, even those that are considered not to be as advanced as America have/had women leaders.  Isn’t it time the U.S.A. has a woman leader?

     Of course, it has to be the right woman. Hilary Clinton has decided to run again on the Democratic ticket. Already, there are those that are against it. Loudly too. Personally, I’m not particularly fond of her since she threw away thousands of emails from when she was Secretary of State. However, she’s for women’s rights while her opponents aren’t.

The Republicans, or men have proven they care less for women and their rights. They want to take away a women’s right to choice, to an abortion should they need to do so. They want women to go back to the days of filthy, tortuous butchering in alleyways so that they can have their way. Government doesn’t belong in the voters’ bedrooms. Even with birth control, some pregnancies can’t be avoided. And though, they’d be glad to jump into bed with any woman willing, or not willing to do so, they refuse to pay women the same fair wages that men get.  Sadly, it isn’t just the male Republicans that feel that way.

     So, Hilary Clinton is sneaky. Can you name one politician that isn’t? One has to be in order to survive the game of politics. Look at her husband for one. When Barack Obama was running for President, he claimed he’d be open and above board with his Presidency, but he hasn’t been transparent about everything. Take a look at the Republicans: Marc Rubio flip flops on his stances. Ted Cruz isn’t even a native born American and don’t forget about NJ governor Christie and the bridge traffic jam and him being bought out by pig farmers to keep gestation crates. 

 

 

 

Clinton wants to champion for the middle class, yet she is attacked because she is far from middle class. It didn’t help that when the Clintons left the white house, she claimed, “We left broke.” Obama claimed to be the middle class champion too, though he’s worth about ninety one million dollars, people believed him. How many politicians in the U.S. Congress and Senate aren’t millionaires? Most of them are. Look it up for yourself and see. Any reasoning person knows that Clinton is competent. She has proven that as both the U.S. Senator for New York and the U.S. Secretary of State. In fact, she has more experience to become President of the United States than Obama did, but the people elected him. Of course, there is only one reasonable explanation why so many don’t want Hilary Clinton for President. It’s simple enough: Clinton is a woman. There’s no other explanation.

     That’s my take on it anyway, my humble opinion. Again, I’m not for Hilary Clinton, I lost respect for her when she had none for herself when her husband cheated on her with Monica Lewinsky and she stood by his side, but until someone better comes along when it comes time to vote, I’ll take Hilary Clinton over a bunch of anti-women Republicans. Of course, that's my take on it now. A great deal can change by time election day rolls around. What do you think? Whatever you do, choose wisely.  Sometimes, when it comes right down to it, when you have two evils in a corner, one has to take the lesser of two evils.

Until next time, I wish you well. Have a great day, a great week and a great month.  May all your dreams come true. Be Safe. Be happy. Show compassion. Be kind to one another, especially those without a voice. Don't share your personal information just because one asks for it.     

    Regards,

    S.J. Francis
    Advocate for the underdog, and cat, et al.
 
   In Shattered Lies: "It's All About Family."  Coming in 2015 from Black Opal Books.

       My Black Opal Books Author Page:

             http://www.blackopalbooks.com/author-bios/bio-sj-francis 

 

View My ShoutOut:  http://bit.ly/1r3oynM 
 

     My Official Web page: http://sjfranciswriter.com

                                     Twitter: https://twitter.com/sjfrancis419

 

Face Book: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100006313201444 

 

 My Writing Blogs: http://sjfranciswriter.blogspot.com

                                                  

                         A Book Review 4 U: http://abookreview4u.blogspot.com 

             A Consumer's View: http://aconsumersview.blogspot.com 

One for the Animals:    http://onefortheanimals.blogspot.com 

                                            Pinterest:   http://www.pinterest.com/sjfrancis419 

Google Plus: https://plus.google.com/u/0/104831238907682620486/about 

                Good Reads:       https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/33550975-s-j

 

                                    

 

And now for some legal stuff: Copyright 2015 by S.J. Francis. Opinions expressed here are solely those of the author, S. J. Francis and are meant to entertain, inform and enlighten, and intend to offend no one.