Nix the Nickel

< Whine >
Stupidly I wore the same metal bracelet twice in three days, and have reacted to the nickel in it. So I now have a two inch wide band of throbbing red rash around my right wrist. I've also got a similar rash on my calves, so I'm wondering if that is an allergy to the elastic in my new socks (which is something that has happened in the past). I can feel something similar happening with my bra straps - but I'll just have to put up with that, as I can't be doing with going bra-less.

My nickel allergy definitely seems to be worse in the summer, as if sweat exacerbates the rash. It was during another hot summer that I finally gave up wearing a wrist-watch.

I'm also allergic to the plastic folders we use at work. If I have to carry a pile of folders somewhere and I'm wearing a short-sleeved top, I get red wheals across my skin, although they're usually gone in half-an-hour or so. Which reminds me that when I used hair-removing cream under my armpits, I was left with red wheals that hurt for a fortnight, even though I left it on for less than the recommended time.
< end of Whine >

Hot, Hotter, Hottest

UK hits 100F for first time.

The Friday Five

Two days late:

1. What's the last place you traveled to, outside your own home state/country?
Last summer I went on holiday to Iceland. See my LJ entries of 20/07/2003.

2. What's the most bizarre/unusual thing that's ever happened to you while traveling?
My mother and aunt taking my brother and me to watch the 1979 European Cup final on a large screen in an American-style burger bar while we were on holiday in Bruges. If you knew my mother and aunt you would know how far-fetched that sounds (football? burger bars?). It must have been a sudden attack of local pride, since Nottingham Forest were in the final. The only other people there were the British crew of a dredger who had also come to watch the match.

3. If you could take off to anywhere, money and time being no object, where would you go?
Assuming a stable political situation in the region, I would like to follow the route of the ancient Silk Road through Central Asia to China (probably on an organised trip). It appeals to my romantic side.

4. Do you prefer traveling by plane, train or car?
I'm extremely prone to travel-sickness, so that is one of my main considerations. I get very nauseous in boats, coaches & cars, and can't read a book on any of them. Trains would have to be my favourite, as there is a good view of the countryside, I can read a book to pass the time, and I can go for a walk every now and then to stretch my legs. A good train journey counts as part of the holiday, not just as a means of getting there. So far I've never been travel-sick on an aeroplane (but haven't experienced any major turbulence yet) and I can actually read a book on a plane, so that would be my favourite for long-distance travel.

5. What's the next place on your list to visit?
I have a hankering to see Canada, but I haven't arranged anything yet. I would really like to see some bears. I really ought to get out of Europe at some point!

One Word: Almost

I've seen this in various people's LJs and I thought I'd have a go:

Almost good enough, almost one of the group, but not quite, never quite . . .

Never quite what? I'm not sure.

But almost, not quite, nearly, maybe some day. . .