Megan, what's the November Nine?

My skin is KILLING me today. We're having the godawfulest weather (90 degrees and dry.... but only 90 degrees for like 30 minutes... when I go to work, it's closer to 50 degrees and I end up wearing a wool sweater all day). I need a new moisturizer, I think. I've been wearing Origins for years and I love it but... I don't know. I guess I'm craving change.

Any suggestions for moderately dry skin face moisturizers?

I swear by Aveeno.

November Nine = Final table at the World Series of Poker.

Bathing in olive oil? OK, not helpful. I manage with a strong salici-whatever moisturizer for my face and occasional straight up vaseline on parts that dry too much.

My body skin is beginning to act up from the pool + running the heat. Bad when mild soap stings hitting your back. Not much to be done, and I can only reach so much of my back...

I have used to good ends both Neutrogena's non-comedogenic face lotion and Mario Badescu's buttermilk lotion.

I also need special hand lotion and my nails are cracking all to hell.

Is this the universe's way of saying drink more milk, wipe with less bleach?

(Not really related, I had a student in my Advanced Comp class tell me he couldn't complete his rough draft on the death penalty -- he is for it strongly -- because he couldn't find enough outside research to support his claim.... I told him it was perhaps the universe inviting him to consider a change of opinion. He disagreed.)

OHHHH Since I'm bitching about students. I have a kid who is latino (and whose father, I think may have been armenian... the kid is 15 and has "Armenia" tattooed on the back of his neck, thus pissing off the latinos and offending the aremnians). He's a gangbanger and a tool and just a little shit. His girlfriend is pregnant. At what point do you look at this idiot, who only attends school because and I quote "The gov'ment makes me" (to which I replied, "do you really care what the government thinks? All evidence points to no") and think, "He's a great baby daddy candidate!"

Kat, my nephew didn't get past ninth grade, got his GED in juvie jail at 17. He's a convicted felon. He's an pill popper who hasn't held a job for longer than three months in his life. He's had a least one overdose. His 17 year old girlfriend had his first daughter and then two weeks later, some other stupid girl had his second daughter.

Cash, I know. The story of this kid is NOT unique. In fact, I have another girl who is on her second pregnancy (at least with the same guy) and can't wait to marry him. Yet he's an abusive ass as a 17-year-old, steals stuff at school and in general is a tool. What makes him a great candidate to have kids with, to the point where you get pregnant not once but twice before you finish high school?

I love teaching high school. This part of it enrages me.

Kat I swear swear by Neutrogena hand cream in the little tubes. My hands get so dry they hurt if I don't moisturise them after washing them, and it's the only thing I've found both unscented and strong enough to help right away.