Thoughts of
The Web Wizard

Personally, I used a plastic loofah for years. They're about a dollar, you can get them just about anywhere, and they exfoliate your skin. Nothing seems to bad on the surface, my family has almost always used them and I didn't see a reason for change. Up until I really thought about it. If you've ever had a cheap plastic loofah, probably from the dollar store, it's came apart at least a little. That webbed structure is what exfoliates the skin, but also reminds me of how they prep petri dishes. And also the plastic, another issue, bacteria seems to love sticking to it, making your loofah a great provider for it. And unlike a washcloth, you can't really ring it out, you could shake it but the nooks and cranies just makes it so difficult to get it all out. It all seems like the perfect grounds for bacteria growth, the webbed structure, the plastic, the inability to fully dry . . . seems awfully gross. According to Cleveland Clinic, "Some kinds of bacteria that may be found in your loofah? How about: E. coli bacteria. Pseudomonas aeruginosa bacteria. Staphylococcus bacteria. Streptococcus bacteria." Let me give you the run down on those bacteria.

E. coli bacteria. You've probably heard of this one before. Typically found in the gut, it's a common bacterial infection for those who come in contact with fecal matter. You can get these infections from the bacteria being on your hands and you eating, or from it entering through any cuts or wounds on your body. As you can imagine, both are plausible with an infected loofah.

Pseudomonas aeruginosa bacteria. Commonly found in the environment and moist areas, this bacteria will find a perfect home in your loofah. While for most people this bacteria won't cause an infection, anyone with a weakened immune system needs to be wary. Though don't think you're in the clear, if you do get an infection from this bacteria, know it's resistant to antibiotics, meaning it won't go down without a fight. According to Cleveland Clinic, "Pseudomonas aeruginosa bacteria can cause a potentially fatal infection that spreads to other areas of your body and triggers other serious conditions, including sepsis and organ failure." While it's not likely to effect you, you wouldn't want to take the risk.

Staphylococcus bacteria. You've probably heard of a staph infection at some point, but I'll explain anyways. Similar to E coli, this bacteria can start causing problems when in enters through a wound or your mouth. In other words, it's not what you want to be rubbing all over your body. This bacteria can cause skin irritation, abscess and boils, blisters and sores. If left untreated, this could be deadly. The best way to prevent this is by practicing good hygiene, although ironically, what you're washing yourself with could be the cause.

Streptococcus bacteria. Again, another common bacteria, you've probably heard of Strep before. A Strep infection is very contagious. While all of the other infections listed are as well, this one is by far the worst. Strep throat starts with the hands and skin, touching the bacteria and then touching your face can cause this infection. This infection can cause a sore throat and fever, amongst other symptoms. Some strains can even cause a skin rash known as Scarlet Fever, a red peeling rash that starts at the head and can spread to your entire body. It's best to try and stay away from this bacteria as much as possible to avoid getting this rash and spreading it to anyone else.

Now knowing what all these bacteria are, knowing you could be rubbing it all over your body everyday seems a bit concerning. Even if there's not that bacteria in it now, there's a good chance it will be later, I wouldn't take the risk. There's plenty of other options that are both non-single use and not nearly as bacteria hoarding as loofahs.

Washcloths. Sure, I know what you're thinking, won't those hold bacteria too? Yes, but . . . I promise it's not that bad. Washcloths don't have the webbing nor the plastic the bacteria loves on the loofahs, making it less worrisome. Plus, washcloths are easier to dry and wash. Just throw it in with your laundry and you're good to go, rather than having to replace your loofah constantly, you can just take the easier, cheaper route with the washcloth.

Silicone Scrubbers. Washcloths not your style? Me neither, silcone is a better option due to most silicone washers not only being less bacteria holding, but also typically being made with bacteria in mind. Most silicone scrubbers are antimicrobial, which means that they are not nearly as likely to be keeping house waiting for some bacteria to come along. These scrubbers are easy to dry and can be rinsed and sanitized easily, and unless torn or ripped, almost never needing replacement.

Natural Loofahs. While not my favorite choice, it is still better. These gourds are grown and dried to be used as the OG loofah. Sadly, the issue with these is that they can also hold bacteria, just not as well as plastic loofahs. They are naturally bacteria resistant, and while not made of plastic, they can still hide some bacteria in them. Though, these can be grown at home, making you not break the bank trying to replace these as often as you need to.

Knowing the downsides and your replacements, you've got no reason to keep using that gross plastic loofa. Seriously, those silicone scrubbers are also at the dollar store, also a dollar. What are you waiting for? Save yourself from an infection today and make that swap, you deserve better.

Lately I've been trying to get my sleep schedule back to normal, at least before school starts again. My biggest issue was always that groggy feeling when you wake up in the morning that'll inevitably make you fall back asleep. It's called sleep intertia, as I found out from my research online. I always hated the, "Just get a cup of coffee" or, "Just go to bed earlier." While I do understand where they are coming from, it just doesn't work for me. I'd gotten so good at falling back asleep thing, I wouldn't even have to be awake to turn off my alarm. Which meant just getting a cup of coffee in the morning wouldn't cut it. I wanted something with more detail. A list of things I could do to both help me get sleep and wake up in the morning. So I made my own list. I made a page on here dedicated to my research, complete with a TLDR, and a full description of each aspect incase you wanted to learn something today. Here's the page link. I tried to make it simple enough to understand, but with enough detail so you know what everything is. So far I've been able to wake up, I just have nothing to do with the extra time until school starts. Funny, I never thought that could be an issue, I was so worried about if I could wake up early I didn't even think about what I'd do with my extra time.

The FBLA state leadership was April 14th-16th, and this year was my first year competing, if I'm correct, it's also it's first year being held in Myrtle Beach. Luckily for me and those who also went, the hotel we were staying at (and doing conferences in) was right on the beach. It was my first time going to the beach in a little over a decade. I couldn't stay off the balcony looking at it all. April seemed to be a good time to go to the beach, it's not too hot, and there's not too many people. It would've been nicer if I wasn't stuck doing workshops from 8am-4:45pm. On Sunday, the first day there, there was an opening session around 9pm. Most of it was boring, but I did get to see those who were running for district, state, and national president. Most got an obligatory applause, but some got the crowd roaring, and it was actually pretty fun. On Monday I was taking my test, my laptop nearly died midway, the wifi was spotty, and I had a time limit of an hour, bleh. That night there was a social event, but I left early. Tuesday morning was the award ceremony, although it was supposed to start at 8:30am, there were technical issues so it was more like 8:50am, but it was fine. The FBLA has a vast variety of fields to pick from, so waiting for mine to show up and determine whether I was going to nationals was a little tense. I convinced myself that I hadn't won anything, just a defense incase I really didn't get to go. Business communications came up, and...my name was called. Jesus Christ, ok, totally not puffy from crying the night before, and shakey out of nervousness and a little bit of coffee, totally fine. As I was standing up there waiting for my placement to be called, even though 4th place would still get me to nationals, it just honestly sounded bad, at least 3rd right? Waiting, waiting, 3rd. I walked up next to the FBLA state president, posed for a picture that wasn't being taken, and walked off stage just as shakey as before. I told all my friends, my girlfriend, my mom who was in the hospital at the time, and my sister. My school is a virtual school, and our group was only five students in all, but three of us still came out with trophies in our hands, and an awkward smile to pair with it. Nationals is in late June, as far as I know now, my school is going to pay for a plane ticket for me and one family member to go to Orlando, Florida. Even if I don't rank high there, I still feel good knowing I at least made it there, especially in my first year of being with the FBLA.

Howdy! Welcome to my first blog post, ultimately this is just a tester for me so I can set up the CSS for my blog posts. Stick around for more actual content lmao.