Thanks :D It's amazing how quickly he bounced back from a major invasive surgery - I'd be a lump of sad for a month or two! Day 4 on the prozac and I swear I can note a difference... but not saying it's a solution - just a big help.

Eating crow isn't my thing, but it was important to my husband that he be able to hang out with the guy, and with the ladies at odds, it was awkward. But definitely for the best - you can't have too many friends, and she is a good person.

How do you deal with swimming + winter!??!!? My hands look AWFUL they are so dry! A million pounds or lotion? Is there a trick?!?! (hell yeah I swam this am!)

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You. You make me stronger.

Yes, get some good lotion, like Eucerin cream. I have also taken to putting bag balm on my hands (it is like vaseline but a little less slippery, I guess), just a little bit, before I get in the water - that seems to help.

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maybe she's born with it, maybe it's chlorine
If you're injured and need some sympathy, PM me and I'm very happy to write back.
disclaimer: PhD not MD

Yikes, you've had a lot to deal with! Glad you're taking so many positive steps for yourself, and I hope your husband recovers quickly.

I really like Gore base layers with windstopper, they do a good job of keeping the cold off of your core: http://www.goreapparel.com/...-geartype-baselayers

Stay warm!

Wow, just wow. Glad you are back. Was wondering where you wandered off to... :-)

I'm glad to hear about the mending of broken bridges. It's definitely something I'm not that good at (I basically give up before I try), so it's nice to know it's possible...

AP

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"How bad could it be?" - SimpleS

I LOVE my Icebreaker long underwear.

As for gloves, it's really hit & miss with what works. My current favourites are glove liners with mittens overtop. Those are for walks/sledding/shoveling/playing with the kid. I warm up really fast when I bike/ski/run in the winter, so for that I have a pair of Castelli "winter" cycling gloves that work great. Windproof on the outside with a light layer of fleece (or something else that is soft & keeps me warm) on the inside. It really just depends on how much you heat up & how cold the temps are.

We had some new friends over last night. They are from Germany & -10°C is the coldest it gets there. I didn't realize how many toques/gloves/scarves we owned till we were digging extra stuff out...

Ooooh, good recommendations!

It's hilarious, but even when we went skiing in CA, I wouldn't need much more than a t-shirt and leggings under my ski kit. Here, I wear fleeced leggings and long-sleeve shirts under jeans and a t-shirt. I'm SLOWLY acclimating (it was 45 the other day and I was okay in jeans and a sweatshirt), but it's just a very different level of cold.

My mom is an elementary school teacher and gets scarves every year for Christmas, many of which she has given me, so that's been super helpful. She also sent me a pair of snow boots that I have been living in.

But hey, it makes doing laundry and dishes with warm water FAR more pleasant!

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You. You make me stronger.

Sorry to hear you've had so much awful to deal with - glad things seem to be turning toward the bright side for you now!

I'll second the recommendation for Icebreaker clothing, or really any merino wool. I practically live in the stuff year-round: amazing temperature regulation, so soft and silky against your skin, and naturally antimicrobial so it doesn't stink even sweating in it multiple times between washes. I seriously wish I could afford to never wear anything else again. I'll never go out for a winter run in anything other than merino socks, either - Smartwool Phd run socks are my favs.

Apart from that, Craft makes some really good synthetic base layers and cold weather gear - I have a 2 different weight pairs of their xc ski pants that I wear for skiing and winter running (they both have waterproof/windproof panels on the front that are awesome when things get extreme out), plus a Warm and an Active Extreme base layer top. The Swedes really know how to handle the cold!

Cheers!

-mistress k

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ill advised racing inc.