Durn durn durn! I was hoping for a break from work with a furlough but alas, the House Repubs and Senate Dems came to an agreement and passed a continuing appropriations bill to keep the machine running for another 2 weeks. Ah well, at least now I will be paid. That’s always a good thing. Here’s another good thing: The days are getting longer and warmer. Before you know it, 70 degrees!

For the past 3 months (at least), I have been trying to solve this mystery rash on me. Doesn’t that sound lovely? I would come home and start itching for no reason. Everywhere. And I noticed that when I was out at work all day, no itch. Whenever we left the house, it would go away. Then I’d come home and immediately start scratching and I would get these red hives. At night, I’d be scratching and I’d even wake up from it. I think I’ve gotten more flexible from all of this because I’m pretty capable of reaching my back. Sometimes I’d take a Benadryl and then try to go back to bed but that wasn’t the solution I was looking for. I started sleuthing a bit.

At first, I thought it was our couch throw. Maybe it was dirty? I washed it. And washed it. And washed it. No help.

The sheets and comforter. I washed those too, constantly. Nada.

Dry skin? I tried Eucerin calming lotion. No relief.

Then I thought it was the laundry detergent or soaps and shampoos. That wouldn’t explain why the rash went away when I left the place.

Maybe I’d developed an allergy to the chinchillas or their poops. So I asked for the litter box to be cleaned. We vacuumed up the area, and the floors got a thorough mopdown. Not them either (thank goodness!).

Then I thought it was the couch. I wiped that down to clean it. No help.

Saturday, at around 3 am, I woke up all itchy. Not just my body, it was my scalp and face too. I knew this wasn’t make up or face product related because I didn’t use any new products. Thursday night, I had taken a Benadryl, but I didn’t want to keep relying on that. I couldn’t sleep from all the itching so I got up to surf the Internet and look for causes of allergic reactions and hives. One site listed possible culprits. Among them, electric outlet air fresheners. I thought, why not. It can’t hurt, and went and unplugged the two we have (Glade Scented Oil). I’ve used Glade gels, and Air Wick brand ones too with no issues but I had to try something. An hour later, the itch stopped. The rash went away. I think found the culprit. And I feel like a new woman!!

I’ve read up on these scented air freshener doodads and I’m starting to realize how bad they are, even if you’re not allergic to them. Even perfumes are evil. Now I just use baking soda and place it all around the house. And there’s a plant my parents read about that has deodorizing effects so I’m trying to grow that too. And there’s the one I learned from coworkers (who learned it from their Italian grandmothers), cook tomato sauce for dinner and it will help deodorize the house. Not to sound too crunchy granola but I am staying away from the chemical air fresheners if I can help it. Having a 3 month rash and not being able to be comfortable at home will do that to you. I almost started thinking I was losing my mind.

Sometimes I think companies tell us we need something and we follow the pied piper like lemmings. I don’t need my house to smell like fake vanilla to please me. Plus now that I think of it, what a waste of electricity.

Today, on my way home from work, I witnessed 4 young (15-16 year old) black guys about 5-5.5 feet tall mug a guy for his phone. The man was standing there waiting for the train and they ran up to him to snatch it and he instantly fought back and they in turn jumped on him, punching him in the face. It was surreal. Right in front of me!! I immediately thought, Kitty Genovese!! I should do something!! Kick? Punch? OMG!! My heart was racing and as they ran off with his iPhone, with the victim in pursuit, I called 911. They transferred me to transit police and the victim came back and I handed him my phone to tell them what happened. I think he managed to wrangle his phone back but he had a cut lip. Another guy there said he thought of fighting them but with 4 or maybe even more of them, it was a planned, organized group. Crazy. And unfortunate. I wish I had my camera but I’m sure the metro stations have cameras everywhere.

Do you notice anything unusual about the photo above? See how the cork is perfectly intact with no hole drilled in the middle of it? I thought like vodka, I could put any alcoholic beverage in the freezer and it would not freeze. Not true! Evidently, vodka has a colder freezing temperature than wine so it won’t freeze in a regular home freezer. But I learned wine can because when I forgot the bottle in the freezer, the cork popped out. Thank goodness it didn’t crack the bottle in the freezer. That would’ve been a messy clean-up.

When I first heard the US Treasury was borrowing more money (by selling bonds to China) to save our butts, I wondered if all that cash in the system would lead to inflation.  But so far, prices haven’t gone up.  Gas is still less expensive than it was last year and retailers have discounts left and right just to tempt me to browse.  Looks like I’m not the only one watching my wallet though.  The Consumer Confidence Index – how people feel about their economic future, just declined again.  In the July 28th report it was 46.6 points, which is 2.7 points lower than June.  At this rate of consumer spending, I don’t think inflation is going to be much of a worry. 

Today, the Producer Price Index – how much the manufacturers pay to make things we buy,  decreased as well.  So if what they make costs less, what we pay, the Consumer Price Index, should decrease too.  Is this how deflation starts?

Maybe I should invest in Diageo.  Hehehe

Who cares about basketball anyway? I LOST the know-nothing bracket! I was winning up until the Final Four and then *poof* my chances disappeared when Villanova lost to UNC. I am done. Done with NCAA. Done with college basketball. Next year, my pretties… I’ll get you next year!!