Always wear sunscreen...

So, once again, I have taken a month off from posting. But you all know how it is...life gets busy, you have 2 final papers to write in 2 weeks, you take your only final and get out of town so your roommates don't kill you because you are sitting around the house in your pajamas all day long while they are headed up to take their finals, you then have to put everything together for a week of field camp, move out of your apartment and into a new one all in the same day, then go TA field camp, and then you forget anything interesting that you could blog about because you waited so long and are now working 7 hours a day and not eating lunch because you forgot to buy mayonnaise when you went to the store. Also, I am not as good at manufacturing things to write about as some of my blogging counterparts.

So, as far as getting out of town went, I went down to Capital Reef National Park with my Dad for a few days of camping and hiking during finals week. We put in quite a few miles and had some sore feet, but we saw some beautiful scenery. I wish I had pictures to share, but unfortunatly I need new rechargeable batteries for my camera, so my Dad took all the photos and I don't have any. What I do have, though, is some advice all of us have been given throughout our lives...don't forget to wear sunscreen. Many of the readers of my blog may even remember a song that came out a while ago that shared that message, way back when I was in high school. I did not, however, follow this advice on this particular trip and I paid the price. On our first hiking day, my Dad and I hiked about 12 miles unprotected from the sun, and I got the early summer pink that we all need after a long winter of long sleeves. I knew the next day I would need sunscreen to prevent pain, but we didn't have any, so I went without. I actually hiked with a jacket on in near 80 degree weather to save my arms. But the sun still got the better of me, burning the tops of my ears and the backs of my legs. Being pale and prone to sunburns as I am, I knew if I took a cold shower that night my sunburn wouldn't hurt as bad. Well, that worked, except that a few days later my ears started to peel. So much skin peeled off that they started to bleed. Two weeks later they are finally done peeling.

Now, I know the title of my blog exhorts you to examine your preconceived notions to see if they are holding you back. However, in the case of sunscreen, I don't recommend testing the advice you have no doubt received many times. When going out in the sun, learn from my mistake and put on some sunscreen.