How is it possible that my skin feels so dry, yet look so oily. Winter winds and dry air have wicked moisture from my face. As a tropical breed that has been made hearty with years of living in a continental climate, I have adapted to the seasons but only with lots of care.

Rich emollients that aren’t greasy are necessary for my face. Home-rendered coconut oil is used for the ashy joints, torso, thighs and calves for that glistening “just burnished male stripper” look. Burn-victim grade salve is used for my dry heels and feet.

The applied moisturizers and all the glasses of water don’t seem to be enough. Sometimes I wish to spend winter months somewhere warm so my pores can exude sebum and give me a healthy well-lubricated glow. Alas I am here, desiccating along with the other tropical transplants, bundled up and waiting for the warmer weather.

As travel.state.gov and cbsa.gc.ca says under the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiatve:

Beginning January 23, 2007, ALL persons, including U.S. citizens, traveling by air between the United States and Canada, Mexico, Central and South America, the Caribbean, and Bermuda will be required to present a valid passport, Air NEXUS card, or U.S. Coast Guard Merchant Mariner Document, or an Alien Registration Card, Form I-551, if applicable.

Ok, so you need a passport to fly to/from US/Canada.  Though 99% of Canadians flying to the States are carrying passports and those crossing by land aren’t required to carry official documents until next year, there are still complaints of the requirement. Big businesses are complaining that there’s going to be a breach in the USD 450 billion trade. Canadians and Americans are complaining of the processing fees and bureaucracy.

Personally, I’ve been abstaining from crossing over, just because my American, non-descript, clean, car – transporting only me gets stopped and harassed by homeland security.  Ever since 9/11, I have been turned off to cross the border and return to my homeland.  Coupled with the non-smoking ban in my hometown not even the lucrative grey market of quasi-contraband (absinthe, cuban cigars, gay marriage, and weed) is enticing me to cross the border.

Despite my reluctance to put up with border crossing and the “Big Brother” features built into the latest iteration, I am a big proponent of owning a passport.  Next to my voter registration card, it’s the most important document I own as it embodies my birth certificate, my naturalization papers, and the International number that recognizes me as an American citizen.  Exercise your right to a passport and become a part of the global village.  There’s a lot of power in the little blue book.

I was flipping through the channels and found a product that was both tasteless and repugnant. Sweater-set clad ladies of leisure clutching wine-filled goblets giving an air offaux-fistication, were pedaling an indoor waterfall. A stand alone water feature that can be placed against a wall or your existing fireplace; it is a gleaming example of our American excesses.

I don’t claim to be a feng shui artist but I have enough sense that fire and water elements do not go together. Placing this waterfall in front of a fire, one is mixing this revitalizing/harmonizing symbol above and in front of – practically extinguishing the symbol of energy, good luck, and inspiration. Much like people who put large paintings of a mountain and stream over their fireplace, one should never place fire and water together. Placing this waterfall against a blank wall, albeit a good element to bring balance and wealth in the home, shows me that you have too much room and too much money. I hope your McMansion gets foreclosed on.

No judgement – hearthfalls[dot]com