At least I packed this.

Let me get you up to speed. On Thursday, I drove 330 miles.

On Friday, I drove 551 miles.

Saturday I hung around and tried not to drive. On Sunday and Monday, I did it all again, except backwards, and in high heels. (OK, that last part is hyperbole.)

I realize this is America, and not weirdo America like Mackinac or Manhattan islands, but the part of America where we do a lot of driving.

However, I've been doing so much traveling lately that parts of my brain are chipping off. I know that nobody is actually looking at me in these jaunts wherein I escort my daughter to various interviews and auditions. She's the one getting judged; I'm just her talent agent / long-haul truckdriver / person with the credit cards.

But honestly, I think I could stand to Think Things Through a bit more. I'm as frazzled and crazed as the mother of newborn twins, but unfortunately, I look more like their grandmother. Grooming has not been prioritized enough. Omissions have occurred.

I forgot to pack body lotion. Not smart when you're staying in those hotel rooms with those under-the-window heaters that blast huge quantities of extremely dry hot air at you. Really loudly. All night long.

I forgot to pack facial cleanser. I had no cleansing oil, no wipe-off cleansing cream, no micellar water, no foaming cleanser in a tube. It was just me, my Clarisonic, and those little tablets of hotel soap.

But that was almost OK, because I also forgot to pack makeup. For five days my face remained innocent of any cosmetics except for lipstick--and when I remembered and felt like it--a Korean cushion foundation I've been testing. What am I, Amish?

No! Because I managed to pack a few of my stalwarts as well as a new one: a Tommy Bahama lip balm that I bought in Florida.

Tommy Bahama Bluemonade SPF 30 Lip Balm Sunscreen by COOLA®

$4.00

I have to say that after two weeks of regular use, I'm really delighted with it. I mean, as delighted as I'm likely to be with a lip balm. Why? Well, because unlike this

it doesn't contain so much mint that it burns my lips and makes them peel.

Unlike this

and this

it doesn't dry my lips out.

Unlike this

it has SPF30.

So, this product has a nice, light, almost imperceptible lemonade-like fragrance and taste, has no lip-searing peppermint, is moisturizing, keeps my lips from peeling, and prevents skin cancer and its evil cousin, actinic keratosis. Both of which you'll be disappointed to learn, occur not just on the face, but also on the lips.

I'm glad I remembered to pack it.