I'm the Boss - Week 2
The Riding Club Paint N Pinot, Aug 11th, 2016
I began week two on a bit of a sour note. or should I say, in Hell.
Have you every experienced Hell's Itch? Some call it Suicide Itch and that is apt as after about two hours I was considering very drastic options such as a cheese grater, and I can't say my mind didn't consider whether a leap off of our balcony would provide enough pain to stop the 'itch'.
Hell's Itch is a histamine reaction to a sunburn. This is not your usually itchy burn. This feels nothing like hives. IF you have had it, YOU KNOW you've had it, and if you haven't, nothing compares. It is, for lack of a better description an 'itch'. It travels like an itch, and feels like scratching would relieve it, and has a similar I-can't-stand-it-any-longer edge to it. Except instead of a tickle, it's a full blown searing, stabbing sensation. Some say it feels like fire ants crawling under your skin and biting you. I would say it's similar to when your foot falls asleep after sitting on the toilet too long and even minor movements are agony. Except keeping it still is also agony. and the I-can't-stand-it-any-longer edge is more than an edge. My mental stability was severely tested.
Creams don't help. All aloe, moisturizer or vitamins will do is make the pain twice as bad. The only thing that helped was a 5 hour cold shower, searing hot water (on a sunburn, yes, it was the best thing I've ever felt) and being doped up on Benadryl.
They say it only happens to about 5 - 10% of the population, mostly redheads and blonde, blue eyed people. Of course redheads are cursed with all of the pale skin problems, but this episode (which at one point left me flailing my arms uncontrollably while sobbing incoherently) made me wonder if this may be the reason redheads were considered the spawn of the devil.
At first I was happy that I didn't have a job to show up to because I couldn't stop screaming long enough to make words, and my hand wouldn't stop shaking enough to hold things. But when the Benadryl took effect, I started wondering if I actually wished I had a job, because I realized the day would be a write off, and a sick day from work would pay me anyways.
Luckily I was too stoned to think about it long, and slept until Tuesday.
Luckily, this week has been very productive since, making some connections at a networking meeting, running a highly successful paint party at the Sarnia Riding Club (seen above), designing an Art for Lunch program, working with Lisa a bit, teaching, and designing some upcoming fundraisers for the United Way. I will be a part of the Sarnia Modern Women's show in October, and I have a couple of art sales in the works. Things are starting to roll and I'm excited to see where the momentum will take me.
This job has been so rewarding already that it doesn't feel like work, and I am so humbled that there are people out there that are interested in helping me make this happen!! It has been amazing being back in this community because everyone is so supportive of what I am doing. I promise to keep you updated on what is happening on my end, and I'd love it if you would comment below about what you would love to attend/learn/try with me!