coffee blog

_drafts/2024-10-13-idiots-guide-to-skincare.md

@@ -0,0 +1,124 @@
+---
+layout:  2col
+title:  "the idiot's guide to basic skincare"
+date:  2024-10-13
+tags:  skincare
+show_blog_footer: true
+---
+I've had a couple of people ask me to write a guide on how to start taking care of your skin if you know nothing about cosmetics/skincare.
+
+Having been there myself when I got started (my mom very rarely wore makeup and just bought whatever the lady at her hair salon would sell her for her skin. She also never wore suncream.), and being confused by the absolute *onslaught* of information out there, I thought I'd pen this (hopefully) handy guide for anyone out there wanting to learn how to take care of their skin properly.
+
+**A disclaimer, to begin**: *I am not a professional aesthetician or dermatologist. I am just a person in their 30's whose tried a lot of things.*
+
+**If you have a severe skin problem: please see a dermatologist!! Do not take my, or anyone on the internet's advice! Consult a doctor, please.**
+
+## the absolute bare minimum
+the fundamentals, or absolute bare minimum you need to maintain your skin's moisture barrier and health are as follows:
+- a cleanser
+- a moisturizer
+- sun protection
+
+our skin gets dirty, and oil (called sebum) from our pores, pollution, dirt, etc. gets on our face as we go about our day, so we need something to remove the grime of the day, but not strip our skin of moisture.
+
+'but mana', you may say, 'my skin is so super oily, how could I possibly need moisture?' very good question! and one I asked as well when I first began taking care of my skin.
+
+In my mid-twenties, I went for a spa day at a makeup counter because I was friends with someone who worked there and she invited me to partake in this free exercise. the makeup brand she worked for had released a new skincare range and was doing this hour-long "spa" thing as a promotion (read: ad for their product), and I worked a very stressful job and could use the time to de-stress, so I went.
+
+I remember as I was there, one of the girls who was massaging some product or another into my face mentioned how much nicer my skin looked afterward and that "see? all you needed was a little hydration!" which confused me - I was convinced I had oily skin (there are skin types - you may have seen that products are very often marked as "for all skin types" or "for dry skin," etc.)!
+
+After all, my skin very frequently was shiny and wet to the touch after a long day of working, and my bangs were constantly greasy even the morning after I'd showered. She had to be mistaken. I informed her as much, and she explained to me that dry, dehydrated skin frequently overproduces oil as a reaction to skin being dry in an attempt to moisturize it. That sounded like a product pitch to me, so I wrote it off, but scrawled that information down in the corner of my mind.
+
+I had been using the same skincare regimen my mom had put me on when I was a teenager and had acne - salicylic acid gel to spot treat, and noxzema to wash (like I assumed most teenagers used back then - this was the 90's). by the early 2000's, when I started my ![sparkles](/img/emoji/sparkle.gif)skincare journey![sparkles](/img/emoji/sparkle.gif), my cleanser had changed a few times to whatever really struck my fancy at the drugstore. I'd used [Clean & Clear](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clean_%26_Clear) and [Biore](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kao_Corporation#Brand_ownership) before, in addition to [St. Ives](https://www.stives.com/product-category/face-scrubs) (their apricot kernel scrub was *the* thing in the late 90's/early 00's, little did I know at that time it was shredding my poor skin with its crushed apricot kernels ;w;) and [Neutrogena](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neutrogena) products. Basically whatever smelled nice or had packaging that appealed to me and was affordable enough. It's skin - it can't be *that* complicated, right?
+
+Well, yes and no...allow me to explain. Most skincare products are soaps or other detergents or surfactants that are too basic (as in pH, so, opposite of acidic) for your skin and irritate it. We associate that "squeaky-clean" feeling with cleanliness and assume everything is fine, but we're actually depleting our skin's moisture barrier. Why is that important?
+
+## Why is moisture important?
+Your skin is designed to keep your bodily fluids and organs inside, and to keep bacteria and other things out. It is an organ like your other organs, but it exists as a barrier between your internal body and the outside world. It has needs just like any other organ in your body.
+
+Basically, your stratum corneum (aka the "horny layer" - that's literally what it means in Latin) has three "building blocks" that are essential for the health and maintenance of your skin: ceramides, cholesterol, and fatty acids. If you look in the most popular and well-rated skincare products, which, in the USA is mostly just [CeraVe](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/L%27Or%C3%A9al#Active_cosmetics_division) (a division of L'Oréal - not sponsored), they have all three of these components: ceramides, cholesterol, and fatty acids.
+
+Your skin uses these three materials to produce more skin cells and keep everything functioning, so if you have a damaged skin barrier (sunburn, irritation, redness, dryness, chapped skin, etc.) you're going to want to look for those kinds of ingredients. I recommend using a website like [CosDNA](https://cosdna.com/) or the Environmental Working Group's [Skin Deep](https://www.ewg.org/skindeep/) database to look up different ingredients, if you are so inclined. These two resources have been especially useful for me as I am allergic to *so* **so** ***so*** many things. ;w;
+
+### the tl;dr so far:
+- skin has types (dry, oily, "normal", sensitive, etc.)
+- you need a cleanser, a moisturizer, and sun protection at the bare minimum
+- your skin needs ceramides, cholesterol, and fatty acids to function
+    - ceramides will usually be named ceramide with a number following it (ex: ceramide 3), or ingredients that can end in -sine (ex: phytoshingosine)
+    - cholesterol is usually animal-derived (lanolin), but plant cholesterols exist (squalene)
+    - the most common fatty acids in cosmetics are usually [omega-3](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Omega-3_fatty_acid), [omega-6](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Omega-6_fatty_acid), or [omega-9](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Omega-9_fatty_acid). 
+- overcleaning your skin can result in an overproduction of oil which may trick you into thinking you have oily skin when you don't
+
+## ok ok, but how do I tell *what* to use?
+the short answer is: experimentation. unless you live in a country where you can see a dermatologist for low cost and without any sort of referral or other hoops to jump through, experimentation is going to be your best bet. I like to start with products formulated for sensitive skin (because they will be the gentlest, as they're formulated to be minimally irritating).
+
+That being said, the first major thing you'll want to try and learn is: **what is your skin type**?
+
+I'm sure there's more types than this out there, but the ones you see the most marketing & labeling for are as follows:
+- dry skin
+- "normal" skin
+- oily skin
+- "combination" skin
+- sensitive skin
+- aging skin
+
+products for dry skin will provide more moisture, products for "normal" skin will provide the basic building blocks for maintaining your skin's structure without targeting anything else, oily skin products will focus on dealing with excess oil, "combination" skin will usually be dry on the outer area of your face (chin & cheeks) but oily in your "T-zone" (forehead, nose, and under-nose, maybe even the chin, depending). Products for sensitive skin will focus on calming & soothing and will avoid having irritants & perfumes in them, and products for aging skin will usually have some kind of aging treatment in them (either low-dose retinol, collagen, CoQ10, etc. there's a ton of these ingredients, but [retinoids](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Retinoid) and [peptides](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peptide) are the only ones *that I know of* that are proven to do anything).
+
+## so how do I tell what skin type I have?
+in my experience, the best way to determine this is by washing your face with whatever your regular cleanser is, towel-drying your skin and waiting a few moments (maybe 5 mins maximum?) until your skin "feels" dried (like...internally...you know how when you know you've dried off from toweling after a shower or leaving the beach? that feeling, lol).
+
+Take a piece of tissue: it can be toilet paper, a facial tissue (like a kleenex), a piece of crafting tissue paper, whatever. just something thin, like an oil blotting paper that could stick to your skin if it was wet.
+
+Take the tissue and pat it against your forehead first. don't press too hard, but press firmy with the back of your hand (to avoid transferring anything from the palms of your hand to the tissue and thus sullying the test). Does the tissue stick to your face when you pull your hand away? Or does it fall immediately? Does it stick for a moment but if you turn your head slightly, it falls?
+
+If it sticks, then that area is oily. If it falls immediately, your skin is dry in that area. If it sticks for a second but falls if you turn your head, then it's "normal."
+
+If the tissue is sullied by oil, then take a fresh one and move to your cheeks: you can do one or both, it's up to you, but they will usually be the same, so if you only want to do one then that's fine. Same process & question as before: does it stick? does it fall? Note this, and repeat the test with a fresh tissue (if needed) on your nose, and then finally, your chin.
+
+If any area was oily, but not all of them, then that indicates combination skin type. If no areas were oily and the tissue fell immediately every time, then you have dry skin. If every area stuck, then you have oily skin.
+
+Now, let's study our skin in the mirror. Do you notice any redness? uneven tone? are parts of your face, like your cheeks, more flushed naturally than others? these things can indicate sensitivity, so if you notice anything like that, keep it in mind.
+
+finally, if you have any fine lines or wrinkles you're worried about, take note of that as well. My personal philosophy on fine lines and wrinkles are that they are the signs of a life well-lived, but I am aware that society still places unreasonable expectations on everyone's (especially people who read as feminine's) appearances, and if you choose to address these things then I don't fault or judge you. Do what you must to be happy with yourself! ![hearts](/img/emoji/heart.gif)
+
+## now what?
+now that you know your skin type, you can try and choose products and experiment with them to see what works for you. everyone's skin is different, so it might be that not everything labeled as being for your skin type works for you. my advice is to start cheap and work your way up as you figure out what works for you.
+
+basically, you can pick out a cleanser (ones advertised as being mildly acidic - again, as in pH may be better and less stripping if you run into problems with other types of cleansers bc of your skin's [acid mantle](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acid_mantle), I include this information mostly for my sensitive-skinned homies but it might also help you even if you don't have sensitive skin!) and a moisturizer using the information you are now armed with!
+
+next comes the most effective anti-aging and cancer-reducing skincare item: sunscreen!
+
+## ok so what do I look for in a sunscreen?
+if you live in the USA you will be on the lookout for suncreams/sunscreens/sunblocks advertised as being "broad spectrum" and have an SPF rating of 50+. If you live elsewhere, depending on where you buy from, you may look for the same, or labeling that says "UVA & UVB protection," or a PA rating of PA++++ or higher.
+
+I am not a scientist, and frankly, Michelle over at [Lab Muffin Beauty Science](https://labmuffin.com/sun-protection-basics/) explains the reasons you need sun protection in a much more scientific (and complete!) way than I am able to, but I can summarize what she's said here for those that aren't so curious.
+
+While the sun is beneficial for Vitamin D synthesis and your health, excessive sun exposure is not; it can cause premature skin aging and skin cancer, which can be deadly. You need sun protection if you're going outside at all.
+
+## bringing it home
+ok so what we learned today was:
+- a little bit about what your skin does/how it works (a VERY little bit)
+- how to tell what your skin type is
+- the three products you really need to take care of your skin, which are:
+    - a cleanser
+    - a moisturizer
+    - and sun protection
+
+I feel like this barely scratched the surface on what's available out there (serums, creams, eye creams, face masks, etc.) but I wanted to make something as like...low-maintenance and basic as humanly possible.
+
+I know that there is a wealth of conflicting information out there, and if you have never tried to take care of your skin before or learn anything about skincare before, it can be *extremely* overwhelming and frustrating, especially when one article says one thing and the next says something totally different.
+
+## parting advice
+once you figure out a few products that work well for you, you may want to branch out and learn more about skincare & what it can do for you! that's awesome! but there's a lot of misinformation out there, so my advice for further reading is as follows:
+
+- stick to scientific journals if you're able to read them, their information is going to be the most well-backed and researched.
+- if you aren't technically inclined, or the thought of reading a scientific journal makes your eyes roll back into your head, maybe find a science blogger (or vlogger) you like; and look for people who cite their sources when they make claims (I am a huge fan of Dr. Michelle Wong's blog, [Lab Muffin Beauty Science](https://labmuffin.com/)).
+- avoid anyone who talks about "toxins" or uses other fearmongering techniques to persuade you to buy snake oil, homeopathic or DIY solutions. your skin is your body's largest organ, treat it as you would the rest of your body: trust doctors and scientists, not charlatans peddling false "cures."
+- be aware that *many* if not **most** beauty & skincare bloggers do paid reviews and always take everything with a grain of salt. I'm more inclined to trust people who tell me they are being paid to review something than people who don't, because I have no way of knowing if that potentially influenced their opinions on a product.
+
+
+### further reading
+- [CosDNA](https://cosdna.com/)
+- [EWG Skin Deep](https://www.ewg.org/skindeep/)
+- [Lab Muffin Beauty Science](https://labmuffin.com/)
+- [Stratum Corneum](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stratum_corneum) on Wikipedia

_layouts/2col.html

@@ -35,19 +35,19 @@
             {{ content | external_links }}
         </section>
         {% if page.show_blog_footer %}
-        <p style="clear: both; text-align: right; position:sticky; bottom: 15px;">
+        <footer>
             <a href="/blog/" title="back to blog posts">
               <i class="ph ph-arrow-bend-down-left"></i>
             </a>
             <a href="#top" title="return to top">
                 <i class="ph ph-arrow-fat-lines-up"></i>
             </a>
-        </p>
+        </footer>
         {% endif %}
         {% if page.show_footer %}
-            <p style="font-size: 1.5em; text-align: right; margin: auto; position:sticky; padding-right: 10px; bottom: 15px;"><a href="#top" style="text-decoration: none;" title="return to top">
+        <footer><a href="#top" style="text-decoration: none;" title="return to top">
                 <i class="ph ph-arrow-line-up"></i></a>
-            </p>
+        </footer>
         {% endif %}
     </body>
     <script src="/profile.js" defer></script>

_pages/about.md

@@ -31,6 +31,7 @@ if you'd like to link to me, I've provided the following buttons! if you do, [le
 ![peach moon button animated](/img/peachmoon2.gif)  
 
 ### milestones
+- **2024.10.15**: 1100 views
 - **2024.09.26**: 1024 views, or 1 kibiview :3
 - **2024.09.17**: 1000 views  
 - **2024.08.11**: 900 views  

_pages/music.md

@@ -306,11 +306,15 @@ I don't know nearly as much about Korean idol culture as I do Japanese, but my u
 - 高橋朱里/쥬리 [Takahashi Juri](https://www.instagram.com/irujuri_1oo3/)
 
 <a id="saymyname"><img src="/img/music/saymyname.png" alt="SAY MY NAME"></a>
-- 本田仁美/히토미 [Honda Hitomi](https://www.instagram.com/10_hitomi_06/)
+- **本田仁美/히토미 [Honda Hitomi](https://www.instagram.com/10_hitomi_06/)**
+- 寺田芽衣/메이 [Mei](https://kpop.fandom.com/wiki/Mei_(SAY_MY_NAME))
+- 승주 [Seungjoo](https://kpop.fandom.com/wiki/Seungjoo_(SAY_MY_NAME))
 
 <a id="twice"><img src="/img/music/twice.png" alt="twice"></a>
-- 모모 [Momo](https://www.instagram.com/momo/)
+- **모모 [Momo](https://www.instagram.com/momo/)**
 - 사나 [Sana](https://www.instagram.com/m.by__sana/)
+- 미나 [Mina](https://www.instagram.com/mina_sr_my/)
+- 채영 [Chaeyoung](https://www.instagram.com/chaeyo.0/)
 - 쯔위 [Tzuyu](https://www.instagram.com/thinkaboutzu/)
 
 ### soloists

_posts/2024-10-18-coffee.md

@@ -0,0 +1,51 @@
+---
+layout:  2col
+title:  "my relationship with coffee"
+date:  2024-10-18
+tags:  girlblogging
+show_blog_footer: true
+---
+this week, my good friend [lucidiot](https://lucidiot.wordpress.com/2024/10/16/my-beverage-my-beverage-and-me/) and I decided we'd both blog about coffee, so this is my contribution! >w<
+
+when I was a small child, I idolized my dad. I remember seeing him drinking coffee out of his cool IT guy mugs each morning and associating the smell of brewing coffee with him and wanting to emulate that, so when I was in third grade, one morning at breakfast, I asked him if I could have a cup of coffee.
+
+I remember my mom being like >:T "idk if that's a good idea" and my dad being delighted and making me a cup in an old flintstones glass mug we had from mcdonald's (this was back when fast food restaurants in the USA did fancy movie tie-ins like this) and filling it about half-full with coffee, topping it off with water, and handing it to me for me to try.
+
+I remember scrunching my nose at how bitter it was, but it had a pleasant flavor, and I think I likely put on a brave face out of wanting to be accepted. ![hehe](/img/emoji/x3.gif)
+
+He asked me if I wanted cream or sugar and I think I just asked him to fix it for me like he did his and so he doctored it to his liking and handed it back to me.
+
+Needless to say, this became somewhat of a morning ritual from then on, but only when he was home. Mom wouldn't let me have coffee on my own. ![pout](/img/emoji/tantrum.gif)
+
+That began a lifelong interest and enjoyment of coffee, as it was something I always associated with my dad growing up, and I really admired him as a small child, thinking he was so cool and smart, and really wanted to be just like him when I grew up (thankfully that did not end up the case, but that's neither here nor there ![single tear](/img/emoji/singletear.gif)).
+
+Years later, one of the first jobs I ever had was at the campus coffee shop during my first year of university. It was some of my first exposure to espresso, lattes, and the like, and I was *addicted*.
+
+Some time after that, I found myself managing a small coffee shop in my city, and I got *really* into it. I set to learning as much as I could about coffee beans, how and where they were grown, and what constituted "good" coffee; I became fascinated by the various types and styles of espresso machine, how to froth the perfect milk, etc. I crafted most of the menu at that shop myself, and it was a massive point of pride, even though I was being taken advantage of for my extreme enthusiasm (by being paid much less than your average shop manager - about 0.50 USD more than minimum wage at that time).
+
+I got involved in the selection process, tasting coffee from vendors, determining what blends we'd use in the shop, crafting new latte flavors and other, non-coffee fare we also provided. I helped determine what pastries we'd source from a local bakery to sell at the shop, and I felt like I really belonged there.
+
+It was my dream, at that time, to own a small bakery/coffee shop and to bake all of our goods in-house and provide a small amount of espresso beverages and other refreshments, and I found out about a year into working there that the shop owners wanted me to agree to buy the business from them.
+
+Unfortunately, the shop had been losing money since before the current owners had come into it, and I was a poor university dropout with no capital of my own, so that was simply not an option. When I told them this, the shop abruptly closed down within a month or so, and I found myself without work for the first time since I had moved out of my parent's house.
+
+Things ended up okay, I moved in with my then-boyfriend whom I married a few years later, but it was a very stressful time. I never lost sight of that dream of owning and operating a small bakery/coffee shop and even ran one in Final Fantasy XIV as a venue in my spare time to try and recapture some of those days.
+
+These days, nearly 20 years later, I have allowed that dream to die, much like my hopes of ever owning a home in the current economic climate. I was not born to wealthy parents, nor was my partner, and with my myriad illnesses, I know that I wouldn't truly be able to run a shop like that anyway without having to trust other people much more than I am comfortable with; not to mention the startup cost!
+
+Anyway, these days, I still enjoy a nice cup of coffee, usually at least once daily, sometimes multiple times a day. I've since swapped my regular coffee for decaf and primarily drink instant coffee out of convenience, but I still own a french press and know how to do a pour-over from my short time at Starbucks (a place I spent about six months working at following the closure of the small local shop I mentioned before).
+
+I still stop for coffee when I'm out as a treat for doing difficult things, like going to the doctor or meeting with my therapist, as a tiny motivator for leaving the comfortable walls of my apartment; I find it helps with any negative experience I may have while away from home and reframes my experience as something positive, thus making these excursions easier to repeat in the future.
+
+My go-to these days is usually a decaf instant coffee with a tiny bit of honey and some oatmilk to take away some of the acidity if I'm at home, or an iced latte with brown sugar and oatmilk if I'm visiting a shop.
+
+What is your favorite coffee or coffee-adjacent drink? What sorts of memories do you associate with drinking coffee?
+
+For me, I am always taken back to that morning at 8 years old asking for my own cup and sipping it at the kitchen table with my dad, even if only for a moment. I am reminded of my great-grandmother's home during the holidays and the scent of chicory coffee brewing on the stovetop; I am reminded of the smells of my paternal grandparents' home and the smell of microwaved breakfast sandwiches, my aunt cooking eggs and sausage on the stove, and the smell of a fresh pot of folgers brewing in the kitchen while I'd sleepily pick at my food.
+
+I hope your next cup is comforting and drinkable. ![cofe](/img/emoji/cofe.gif)
+
+<div style="text-align: center">
+<i>*pours you a fresh cup of cofe*</i> <br>
+<a href="https://www.deviantart.com/koopix/art/Hot-brew-703117740"><img src="/img/emoji/koopix_hotbrew.gif" alt="hot brew by koopix on deviantart"></a>
+</div>

_posts/updates/2024-10-18-title.md

@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+---
+title:  "site update"
+date:  2024-10-18
+---
+new blog post about [my relationship with coffee]({% link _posts/2024-10-18-coffee.md %}), new site [milestone]({% link _pages/about.md %}#milestones) (1100 views!); fixed the way paragraphs display on mobile (or very smol screens).

style.css

@@ -114,6 +114,31 @@ nav a:hover:not(.active) {
   section {margin-left: 0; width: 94%;}
 }
 
+footer {
+  font-size: 1.5em;
+  clear: both;
+  text-align: right;
+  margin: auto;
+  position:sticky;
+  padding-right: 10px;
+  bottom: 15px;
+}
+
+@media screen and (max-width: 700px) {
+  footer {
+    font-size: 2em;
+  }
+  footer a {
+    background-color: var(--metaColor);
+    opacity: 0.25;
+    border-radius: .25em;
+    padding: .8rem;
+  }
+  footer a:hover {
+    opacity: 1;
+  }
+}
+
 .menu a {
   display: block
 }
@@ -215,6 +240,12 @@ p {
   margin: 1rem 1.5rem 1rem 1.5rem;
 }
 
+@media (max-width: 640px) {
+  p {
+    margin: 1rem .5rem;
+  } 
+}
+
 a {
   text-decoration: none;
   color: var(--linkColor)