Hair

Over the years, we've all had lots of...oh shall we say...conversations of the "personal" nature with fellow runners...and especially through our blogs.

• We happily discuss the trials and tribulations of our intestinal tract and running with complete and total strangers.
• We boast about being able to shoot snot rockets with enough force so as to clear the running path and NOT spray fellow runners OR
• We fret about not being able to shoot snot rockets with enough force...
• We acknowledge that, when a porta potty, or other public restroom is not available, we will willing go "anywhere" if the need is great enough;
• We admit that when a public restroom doesn't have any toilet paper, there are acceptable alternatives;
• We share the optimal places where one really should put GLIDE so as to avoid chafing.

I'm pretty sure, I've blogged about almost all of these topics in the last three years.
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A few weeks ago, Mik's mother contacted, Betty, and Elsie and me a couple of weeks ago and asked us to join her at a surprise birthday dinner for Mik.  We, of course, accepted the invite.

.Mik's mom went all out with the decorations. 

All I had was my iPhone camera...but there was a definite cow theme...

Mik's  mom also had some Lilja's HeiferWeisen posters for us...she had them specially shipped from WISCONSIN! because, apparently you can't get HeiferWeisen here. Mom went to quite the effort to get the posters for us... An effort which involved calling the owner of the brewery, AND explaining the Hefferblog, (I have NO idea how she did THAT)...

And apparently Mik's mom can be very persuasive, because the owner even figured out a way to send us some actual BEER... which we didn't drink that night, but we will at some point, yes we will...

Any of you had this beer before? We love the cows!

And cow balloons

And the cow napkins...

Anyway, given our proclivity to discuss JUST ABOUT ANYTHING, it won't surprise any of you to know that during Mik's birthday last week, the pinnacle of the dinner conversation was...

HAIR...

Betty: Why do women wax to get rid of unwanted hair?
Alice: Yeah...and why do men not wax? Anything? Even when they need to?
Mik: As we grown older, why does hair start growing in places that we really don't want?
Betty: Like my chin, for example...

For answers to all questions that require some knowledge of science, we turn to ex-biology teacher and resident phone-a-friend, Elsie, who gave us a rather thorough on the biology of hair growth which involves something about cell division.

Elsie saying something like: "are you following me here girls. This cell division talk I'm giving is really, super important STUFF!"

Alice: So...why do the hair cells keep dividing even once I've plucked them out, but
Elsie: That's because you hadn't gotten all of it, and to do so, you need something like a laser
All: oooooohhhhhhhhhh!


(Dramatic pause...then)

Betty: So... years ago, my husband was not growing hair out of his nose and ears. Why have the cells from his widow's peak migrated to his nose and ears?

Elsie: (in an email the following day, explained it to all of us) Yucky fast growing facial hair in women — hirsutism to get techinical, — affects more than 20 million Americans and is a pain! The hair usually grows on the upper lip or chin and you are lucky if it's not also on the cheeks, chest, tummy or back. Facial hair is more visible in women with dark hair (that would be you….)

In most cases, the condition is genetic (another thing to blame your parents for) BUT sometimes there may be a medical reason - it can be a sign of a hormonal imbalance with the male-type hormones (androgens/testerone) overpowering the female–type ones (estrogens). This imbalance may occur to some degree as women enter menopause (as in the second 1/2 of your forties).

About your husband…..get him a good trimmer and offer to help him : ) Take pictures! Ear and nose hair is controlled by male hormones. Aging men can get excessive ear and nose hair for the first time when their bodies start to produce less female hormones to balance the male ones. Men can easily grow 1cm of hair a month (about 1/2 inch), which means trimming is required.

So there you have it...all you needed or wanted to know about hair growth, even if I still don't understand the whole migration issue...

Perhaps on next weekend's long run I'll find someone who can explain it to me...

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Hey! Congrats to everyone who ran this weekend including Irene and Penny who ran (and finished together) the Carlsbad 1/2 Marathon yesterday! It was a fabulous day for running and I can't wait to read their race reports

I know that many of you are living through an "udderly" ridiculous winter. I suggest a vacation. It's been beautiful here! !

Hospitality Point - Saturday morning...