Top Comments- 7/22/08 Sunburn Edition

Hey! Here at Top Comments we strive to recognize and promote the talent of this community by highlighting outstanding comments found throughout the day by the diarist, and more importantly through nominations made at TopComments at gmail dot com by your fellow Kossacks. Include your username so we can credit you, and send 'em in by 9:45pm Eastern to ensure they make the final diary.

These nominations are subjective, and certainly not complete (as no one can read the complete site on a daily basis!). But we hope they will serve to shine a light where deserved, and to give the reader a good starting point in finding conversation on the site.

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So many pretty NN photo diaries, so little time. I had planned on doing one of those tonite, complete with images of my time in Austin, gratuitous pics of as many of you as I have pictures of (thank you to all who posed with me!), and a total recap of my experiences there. Then life intervened...

First off, some background. my heritage is... how to say this politely... melanin-challenged. The Irish, English and various other northern european ancestors Mr. Brillig and I am descended from did not get enough sun exposure to make tanning a survival trait worth inheriting. In fact, we burn to a crisp in mere minutes. On our honeymoon nearly 16 years ago in Tahiti, we had to wait outside on the dock over the water for a grand total of 20 minutes while our room was prepared. I hadn't planned on being outside so my sunscreen was packed in the bag that had not yet been unloaded from the shuttle van. It was 9am, and I had on a long skirt that left only the barest strip of skin showing on my leg. Well, I burned to an absolute crisp and had to attempt differential SPF factor usage to even out what was a truly odd-looking tan.

With that bit of history in mind, I go to pick my daughter up from summer camp today. They went on their usual once-a-week trip to the beach. I'd dutifully slathered her with SPF 50 before dropping her off at 8am, and packed her both a shirt to wear as a cover-up, and more sunscreen. I went about my day, and picked her up at 4pm. She looked flushed and tired, I assumed she had a wonderful day, which she said she had.  An hour later, she's in tears saying her back hurts and that there's no way she can make it to swim team. I look at her back, and what I saw horrified me:

To make a long and upsetting story short, turns out the staff never had the kids reapply sunscreen until lunch- that's 4.5 hours since I'd applied the SPF 50. They did not make sure the kids wore T-shirts or other coverups while in the water. And now my kid is sunburned badly enough that her swim coach wouldn't let her in the water until tomorrow at the earliest. She's got her last meet of the season on Saturday, so we're hoping to get her in to practice at least once. She's been dosed with painkillers, slathered with aloe, and we've not yet seen any blisters or other signs that a trip to the doctor is in order. But my nerves are shot and I will have words with the Director tomorrow.

Anyway, that's my evening. I hope yours is much, much happier!! Please do tell... or at the least, share your old folk remedies for sunburn relief!!

And now on to Top Comments!!! First up, the contents of the TC mailbox, that place where we nominate the comments of other Kossacks that struck us as memorable:

From Orangeclouds115:

KidsAreComing explains why we liberals likely have better cholesterol levels.

OMG is all OC had to say to this comment by Deighved H Stern MD

From Liberal Protestant:

In reply to a remark by Greasy Grant, Doggie269 had this to say about the Katie Couric - Barack Obama interview.

From sarahnity:

donnamarie had this comment about Netroots Nation. I think it pretty much sums up the whole week.

From Elise:

kath25 leaves a comment about volunteeringin SamGrahamFelsen's diary Thank you, Kossacks for Obama (w/Video).

From mayim:

Cartwrightdale's brilliant answer to a less than stellar (as in, content removed for copyright violation and the user banned) diary. {Diarist's note: usually I would not include such a comment, but it really is good snark. If you think I shouldn't have, let me have it in the comments :-))

From me:

Two comments, back to back, in Al Rodgers beautiful diary 3,000 GIs MOB Barack in Baghdad (Video and Goodies), the first from wiscmass, the next from Excelscior1.

slinkerwink reminds us that for some it's not so easy to follow politics. Please read the ensuing thread, it is illuminating for those of us not part of the Deaf community.

And lastly, Top Mojo!! Decided by you, the readership who votes with your recommends every day. Calculated using the time-honored formula of cskendrick as tweaked by sardonyx ...

Top 30 comments excluding search identifiable tip jars, first comments, and C&J:

  1) They wanted to have a conversation... by David Kroning — 255
  2) Troops gave more to Obama in the primaries. by Common Cents — 173
  3) The bigger story is that CBS scrubbed the by JakeDalton — 173
  4) LMAO@ "Senator Badass" by Muzikal203 — 134
  5) abc new's Jake Tapper by Kitty — 132
  6) Al thank you so very much by Kitty — 126
  7) I know by jenontheshore — 125
  8) They would have got away with the wingnut garbage by MJB — 122
  9) Fascinating thought.... by speck tater — 121
10) What do they have in common... by droogie6655321 — 118
11) But, but, but... by Kelly of PA — 98
12) Wow again!! by Bronxist — 92
13) McCain looks might pleased with himself by Pacific NW Mark — 92
14) I'm glad he called on Andrea first by kat68 — 91
15) Well if Condi would have approved by LogicaLizE — 89
16) Watching Matthews ask that voters put by dotster — 85
17) I heard that too! by sherlyle — 83
18) Well, we don't have to be worried by Granny Doc — 82
19) Well That Is My Serious Take Away As Well by webranding — 81
20) He is proving to world leaders...that by David Kroning — 79
21) Delete this crap. by BoiseBlue — 77
22) in the face of all of this awesomeness... by jodygirl — 76
23) That Was My First Thought And Then I Had by webranding — 76
24) "The media is in the tank for Obama." by leawood — 74
25) Even nicer pic: by rapcetera — 73
26) that accidental cut to Ledger's Joker by ksh01 — 72
27) You can see the hope in their eyes. by mwmwm — 72
28) It's different because there is a foriegn policy. by DEQ54 — 72
29) With this one next to it by Lisa Lockwood — 71
30) That is a BEAUTIFUL Sight! by CityLightsLover — 70

Top 30 comments with no exclusions:

  1) Tip jar by Brandon Friedman — 521
  2) Tip a marauding liberal by Lefty Coaster — 471
  3) * by JeffLieber — 431
  4) I Don't Think Obama's Staff Could Have Scripted by webranding — 421
  5) Wow... by droogie6655321 — 378
  6) Tips for graphic awareness. by briefer — 372
  7) Intelligent and Strong by drational — 342
  8) Tips and help with this... by dansac — 335
  9) Tips!! by OrangeClouds115 — 298
10) Tip Jar by sheddhead — 281
11) They wanted to have a conversation... by David Kroning — 256
12) Thanks again Keith for this news! by rogereaton — 242
13) Tips for ending this war by JedReport — 198
14) My biggest concern is how will . . . by nyceve — 188
15) The bigger story is that CBS scrubbed the by JakeDalton — 178
16) tip jar by the awful truth — 173
17) Troops gave more to Obama in the primaries. by Common Cents — 173
18) Fill up this thread with your 'Thank You's by Jeffrey Feldman — 159
19) LMAO@ "Senator Badass" by Muzikal203 — 134
20) abc new's Jake Tapper by Kitty — 132
21) Al thank you so very much by Kitty — 126
22) I know by jenontheshore — 125
23) offered for your consideration by teacherken — 122
24) They would have got away with the wingnut garbage by MJB — 122
25) Fascinating thought.... by speck tater — 121
26) Photo bucket by occams hatchet — 119
27) What do they have in common... by droogie6655321 — 118
28) Bite me, Andrea by oscarsmom — 110
29) But, but, but... by Kelly of PA — 100