Whiter Than Whitey White

It's that time of year again when I realize that I live in the land of cold weather because I'm getting ready to go somewhere warm. Tomorrow morning (at a happy 4 a.m.) I go to Coconut Point, FL (Florida, admittedly, is not my favorite place... but who's to argue when you've suffered through negative temps for the past 5 months and work is footing the bill?). And as I was trying on my white bikini to make sure that it still fit (it does), I couldn't help but notice my very white legs blending right into the suit... and I mean transluscent white... where my bright blue veins were happily swimming around just under the surface of my skin (ewwww....).

Don't get me wrong; living in cold weather has had its benefits: 6 months (okay, maybe a slight exaggeragation) out of the year, you get to wear bulky layers to hide the added weight you may have gained; there's seasons, REAL seasons, not just summer and slightly less than summer; you get to wear a coat (or two... or three... come on; I grew up in southern CA-- I didn't OWN a coat until midway through my freshman year at Vassar...). But then, there's the downfalls: I no longer look like my identical twin sister (she lives in Hawaii... yeah; who's the headcase of the pair??); this half-Hawaiian chick can't get a tan (ahh... i fondly remember the days where I could get a golden glow after being in the sun for 30 minutes... now it's just lobster central). Clearly these days I'm living my southern/Irish/English roots instead of the Hawaiian ones.

So, this wayfarer is off to the sunshine state (oh... is that CA? Oh no; CA is the golden state. Either way, I'm neither golden nor sunshine-y); well, in any case, the land of sun, beaches and old people... to hopefully get a tan before the working stiffs drop in (on Monday-- because I wouldn't be caught dead in a bathing suit in front of co-workers), and to maybe have some fascinating stories to tell upon my return... well... maybe...

Ummm... okay... it's 12:37 and I have to wake up at 4... maybe I shouldn't bother going to sleep?