To Tan or Not To Tan

I am plagued.

I am pasty pale and very much white. It wouldn't be so bad if my body was all one color, but my upper body will get a little tan whereas my legs have a tendency to remain nearly transluscent. And I am more often then not faced with one of those dilemmas that pop culture refers to as a 'catch 22'.

I wear pants to cover my pasty pale legs. However, if I wear pants, they will never see sun. But if I wear shorts, I am baring my legs for all to see. And they are pasty and very pale and not suitable for public display. The swedish blood is quite evident. It doesn't help matters when it is still snowing and its almost April, so therefore, my legs will see even less sun.

The thing is, I hit the trail in May (trail being army term for Drill Sergeant duties). I am going to Kentucky, and I hear the climate there is a little more warm then Eastern Washington. I fear that one day, I will be out in the sun a little to long and I will burn. And nothing screams sexy like the fashionable army tan. Red face, neck, hands, and nowhere else.

Furthermore, the climate will mean doing Physical Training in Shorts. So even if I choose to wear ACUs and Combat boots most of the time, my legs will be on display in the mornings at the very least.

Last year, I got some minutes at a tanning booth, just to give myself a little color I guess. I've noticed my complexion does a lot better when I have a bit of a tan. Well, I went for a few weeks and stopped going. Driving by the other day, I decided to look at doing it again, because I really do need some color! If nothing else, to prevent me from going beet red that one day I see a bit more sun then usual.

Low and behold, I still have minutes! So I'm working on building up that base tan again and hopefully getting some color in these rather dingy and transclucent legs of mine.

I even got some tanner to put on them, the heavy duty tingly girl stuff to force them to get color. I put it on my legs and only on my legs, sit back and relax in the tanning booth listening to music for a few minutes.

So far, I'm noticing a difference in my face and arms and body, the areas that tan.

My legs still remain unsuitable for public display.

I'll give 'em a month. If I can't get them tan in that time, I give up.