According to this piece by Eric Black on MinnPost, every single DFL candidate for next year's gubernatorial race is in favor of 100-percent, straight-up full gay marriage.
While the point of Black's piece is that this very well could end up being a de facto referendum for Minnesota on gay marriage and/or could end up being a significant wedge issue the Republican party uses in the 2010 race for governor, I still can't help but feel a little bit hopeful.
This might help me to avoid the crisis of faith I experienced in the 2006 election. Then again, with T-Paw not running for re-election so he can tell Minnesota to fuck off while he starts his run for president in 2012, half the problem has already solved itself. I still hate that dick from the DFL who told me I was throwing my vote away. Asshole.
Now for the disheartening part. I was at The Boy I Currently Like's place Saturday and we were watching "Weekend Update" on SNL when we learned the House had passed the health care reform bill. Oh my God. Awesome, right? I totally thought so at the time. Oh, but it wouldn't take long for me to see the downside.
That downside is the Stupak-Pitts amendment. This amendment would be the single largest blow to abortion rights since Roe v. Wade was decided. My understanding is that not only will the public option not cover abortion and anyone receving a public subsidy couldn't purchase health insurance that covers abortion, but it also prohibits insurance companies from offering a plan that covers abortion if anyone receiving a subsidy was to buy in to the plan. Insurance companies offering two separate plans, one for those without subsidies and one for those with subsidies, isn't very bloody likely.
Currently, something like 80 percent of private insurance plans cover abortion. So, how is this "reform" really making health care better? I mean, I know we're only women. And the poor women who need this kind of reproductive health care really don't matter.
Mother. Fucker. I am so fucking pissed. I don't want to say "Fuck this health care reform bill," but with the Stupak-Pitts amendment attached to it, I have no other choice. Health care reform is supposed to make ALL health care more affordable and accessible to ALL people. That includes women and it includes abortion, which is a LEGAL MEDICAL PROCEDURE. End of fucking story.
The good news is that people are up in arms about this. I've not seen it mentioned in any sort of "mainstream" kinds of places. I've gotten e-mails from NARAL and Pro-Choice Resources. Planned Parenthood is on the ball. Jezebel has written about it. Rachel Maddow is talking about it. I can only hope the Senate doesn't have any similarly ridiculous amendments and Stupak-Pitts gets dropped in conference committee. Because that isn't health care reform, so it's totally fucking pointless.
10 November 2009
09 November 2009
If only it could be this version.
My sister and I will be singing at The Nun's vigil and funeral this weekend. I guess they have an actual vigil mass instead of a wake, which is odd. But this is a religious order, so, I suppose it's a bit fancier, what with being closer to God and all.
One of the songs we're singing is "How Great Thou Art," and while I've heard the song and am vaguely familiar with it, I've never had to sing it. So, I hit the interwebs so I could employ The Google. And I found the version below. We won't have an awesome backing choir (at the most, we'll have a bunch of nuns and an organ), nor will we have sweet jumpsuits. But I can pretend, right?
One of the songs we're singing is "How Great Thou Art," and while I've heard the song and am vaguely familiar with it, I've never had to sing it. So, I hit the interwebs so I could employ The Google. And I found the version below. We won't have an awesome backing choir (at the most, we'll have a bunch of nuns and an organ), nor will we have sweet jumpsuits. But I can pretend, right?
08 November 2009
The last of a generation.
When The Boy I Currently Like sprang out of bed around 11:30 this morning to answer the phone, I was a little disappointed to be getting up so early (when you don't go to bed until 3:30, 11:30 feels kinda early). But it turned out to be ... good, I suppose. My mom had called a few minutes before I checked my phone. I could kind of tell by her message that there would not be good news when I called her back.
My great aunt, The Nun, had a stroke this morning. She's not going to recover. She was sent back to the convent; to the third floor. She often told us that when nuns go to the third floor, they don't come back. That's where they go to die.
She is 96. She has congestive heart failure. But this was unexpected. My dad talked to someone at the convent who said she spent yesterday with friends and had popcorn last night -- she had a good day. All that ... well, it doesn't make me feel better. Maybe a little.
Sister Noreen is the last of my grandpa's siblings left. She is the last person from that generation left on my dad's side of the family. When I was a kid, I was apparently scared of her. She could be a little brusque and set in her ways, but she really was a remarkable woman. I mean, how many 90-plus-year-old-nuns can you have a reasonable discussion about abortion and politics with at Christmas dinner?
Her given name was Lucy. When she was 13, my great-grandparents took her to the convent and basically said, "You're going to be a nun." Someone from each generation in my family went into religious life; they alternated sexes each year. So, one of her uncles was a priest. She didn't have a choice and that has always bothered me. However, because she was a nun, she got an education and worked and was able to travel ... things she might never have done if she'd stayed a lay person.
My poor sister. Today is her birthday. Not exactly the kind of news you want to hear on your Special Day. Unfortunately, I know how that feels. My grandpa died the day before my 13th birthday and we buried my grandma the day before my 23rd birthday. I thought it would be my 33rd birthday that we'd lose another relative, but I guess it was her 33rd.
I'm not really sure what else there is to say or what I might want to say. I know there is more, but I'm fairly drunk right now, and hours of crying have left me pretty wiped out. I just hope she knows how much we love her.
Sister Noreen died a short time after I wrote this.
My great aunt, The Nun, had a stroke this morning. She's not going to recover. She was sent back to the convent; to the third floor. She often told us that when nuns go to the third floor, they don't come back. That's where they go to die.
She is 96. She has congestive heart failure. But this was unexpected. My dad talked to someone at the convent who said she spent yesterday with friends and had popcorn last night -- she had a good day. All that ... well, it doesn't make me feel better. Maybe a little.
Sister Noreen is the last of my grandpa's siblings left. She is the last person from that generation left on my dad's side of the family. When I was a kid, I was apparently scared of her. She could be a little brusque and set in her ways, but she really was a remarkable woman. I mean, how many 90-plus-year-old-nuns can you have a reasonable discussion about abortion and politics with at Christmas dinner?
Her given name was Lucy. When she was 13, my great-grandparents took her to the convent and basically said, "You're going to be a nun." Someone from each generation in my family went into religious life; they alternated sexes each year. So, one of her uncles was a priest. She didn't have a choice and that has always bothered me. However, because she was a nun, she got an education and worked and was able to travel ... things she might never have done if she'd stayed a lay person.
My poor sister. Today is her birthday. Not exactly the kind of news you want to hear on your Special Day. Unfortunately, I know how that feels. My grandpa died the day before my 13th birthday and we buried my grandma the day before my 23rd birthday. I thought it would be my 33rd birthday that we'd lose another relative, but I guess it was her 33rd.
I'm not really sure what else there is to say or what I might want to say. I know there is more, but I'm fairly drunk right now, and hours of crying have left me pretty wiped out. I just hope she knows how much we love her.
Sister Noreen died a short time after I wrote this.
Big time!
I had a blog post featured in a story in the St. Paul Pioneer Press today. How terribly exciting!
The piece is called "A Day in the Life: Who is Minnesota? Look online at some blogs to find out," and is basically just a collection of posts from Minnesota blogs throughout the day on October 28.
It's shocking that Alleen Brown, who wrote the piece, managed to catch me on a day where I had not a single profanity in my post. Nor did I talk about my lady parts, blow jobs or anything else that would be wildly inappropriate for a major metropolitan newspaper. Don't get me wrong -- my post might still have made it in. The PiPress, after all, is the sexy newspaper in MSP. Or it was when I was in Journalism school.
My name isn't even on it, so it's not like it's a big deal. Actually, I'm fairly glad about that. I hesitate to let my family know that I have a blog. They don't need to read profanity-laced tirades. They don't need to know about my lovelife. There's really so much they don't need to know. But at the same time, I kind of don't care. I mean, I went and posted the link on Facebook (though, I didn't say which post was mine ... if someone wants to visit each blog and figure out the one written by Jess, more power to them). Can't make it too easy, right?
The piece is called "A Day in the Life: Who is Minnesota? Look online at some blogs to find out," and is basically just a collection of posts from Minnesota blogs throughout the day on October 28.
It's shocking that Alleen Brown, who wrote the piece, managed to catch me on a day where I had not a single profanity in my post. Nor did I talk about my lady parts, blow jobs or anything else that would be wildly inappropriate for a major metropolitan newspaper. Don't get me wrong -- my post might still have made it in. The PiPress, after all, is the sexy newspaper in MSP. Or it was when I was in Journalism school.
My name isn't even on it, so it's not like it's a big deal. Actually, I'm fairly glad about that. I hesitate to let my family know that I have a blog. They don't need to read profanity-laced tirades. They don't need to know about my lovelife. There's really so much they don't need to know. But at the same time, I kind of don't care. I mean, I went and posted the link on Facebook (though, I didn't say which post was mine ... if someone wants to visit each blog and figure out the one written by Jess, more power to them). Can't make it too easy, right?
05 November 2009
Leave yoga angry in a few simple steps.
It should be noted that I was in a good mood before class started.
1. Bear Fitness instructor's class runs long. Because I can't ever get enough ear-splitting techno and hollering over said techno.
2. Bear Fitness instructor hangs around, chatting with a student about why she seemed so tired, taking up more of our class time.
3. Bear Fitness instructor finally leaves, promising to turn off the lights in the studio.
4. Bear Fitness instructor didn't turn off the lights. Nor did the front desk. Spend entire yoga class looking at your dry, ugly feet; ugly face; fat ass and other various disgusting body parts in harsh, fluorescent lighting.
5. Martial arts students chatting and practicing on the studio floor, in the mirror, distracting the shit out of you, what with all the fucking lights and all.
6. Have a yoga instructor who doesn't know her left from her right, a thigh from a shin, Warrior One from Warrior Two or Tree Pose from Triangle Pose.
Want to keep feeling bad after you leave?
7. Buy a prepackaged bag of lettuce mix at Trader Joe's because you don't want to make another stop at Rainbow just to buy a head of lettuce, when the other things you need are cheaper at TJ's.
8. Avoid the second grocery stop because you have to drive to the rental property management office to drop off your rent check because you just can't fucking get it together enough to put your check in an envelope, put a stamp on the envelope and get it in the mail in time to avoid a late fee. Feel a tiny bit less bad when someone else pulls up at the same time doing the same thing.
9. Something else about valet dudes running into traffic on Lake Street and playing chicken with other drivers on Bryant.
10. OH! Drive past a house on Bryant Avenue, just north of 31st Street, that has CHRISTMAS DECORATIONS IN THE THEIR FUCKING YARD.
Fuck.
1. Bear Fitness instructor's class runs long. Because I can't ever get enough ear-splitting techno and hollering over said techno.
2. Bear Fitness instructor hangs around, chatting with a student about why she seemed so tired, taking up more of our class time.
3. Bear Fitness instructor finally leaves, promising to turn off the lights in the studio.
4. Bear Fitness instructor didn't turn off the lights. Nor did the front desk. Spend entire yoga class looking at your dry, ugly feet; ugly face; fat ass and other various disgusting body parts in harsh, fluorescent lighting.
5. Martial arts students chatting and practicing on the studio floor, in the mirror, distracting the shit out of you, what with all the fucking lights and all.
6. Have a yoga instructor who doesn't know her left from her right, a thigh from a shin, Warrior One from Warrior Two or Tree Pose from Triangle Pose.
Want to keep feeling bad after you leave?
7. Buy a prepackaged bag of lettuce mix at Trader Joe's because you don't want to make another stop at Rainbow just to buy a head of lettuce, when the other things you need are cheaper at TJ's.
8. Avoid the second grocery stop because you have to drive to the rental property management office to drop off your rent check because you just can't fucking get it together enough to put your check in an envelope, put a stamp on the envelope and get it in the mail in time to avoid a late fee. Feel a tiny bit less bad when someone else pulls up at the same time doing the same thing.
9. Something else about valet dudes running into traffic on Lake Street and playing chicken with other drivers on Bryant.
10. OH! Drive past a house on Bryant Avenue, just north of 31st Street, that has CHRISTMAS DECORATIONS IN THE THEIR FUCKING YARD.
Fuck.
Glitter is illegal.
Glitter is also considered jewelry by the Minnesota State High School League.
My cousin is running in the state cross country meet on Saturday at lovely St. Olaf College in Northfield and I went to the MSHL website to try to figure out what time she was running, since my mom failed to mention that critical bit of information. This is where I stumbled on the Jewelry Rule. How could I not? It was bolded and the link said "Jewelry Rule Emphasis."
I find it a bit odd that insulin pumps and heart monitors fall under "jewelry." As do glasses (extending this rule to my own life, I actually do have a very nice, fairly expensive piece of jewelry -- my Prada glasses). Thankfully, those are all legal jewelry items.
Also considered jewelry -- tattoos. They're legal unless they are objectionable. Then they are objectionable and illegal. Face paint, though? Illegal.
I understand the general intent of the rule. You don't want someone getting an earring ripped out. And you can't have kids wearing outlandish wristbands or scarves while they're running. I guess it kind of makes sense to throw everything under one rule, but calling it a jewelry rule when you're covering everything from insulin pumps and casts to glitter and nose rings ... well, it's not exactly descriptive.
However, it made me giggle, so kudos to you, MSHL. I'll be sure to wear as much glitter as possible on Saturday to make up for the lack of it amongst the runners. Because, you know, I'm certain if I was running in a cross country meet, I would be devastated to find out I couldn't adorn myself with glitter.
My cousin is running in the state cross country meet on Saturday at lovely St. Olaf College in Northfield and I went to the MSHL website to try to figure out what time she was running, since my mom failed to mention that critical bit of information. This is where I stumbled on the Jewelry Rule. How could I not? It was bolded and the link said "Jewelry Rule Emphasis."
I find it a bit odd that insulin pumps and heart monitors fall under "jewelry." As do glasses (extending this rule to my own life, I actually do have a very nice, fairly expensive piece of jewelry -- my Prada glasses). Thankfully, those are all legal jewelry items.
Also considered jewelry -- tattoos. They're legal unless they are objectionable. Then they are objectionable and illegal. Face paint, though? Illegal.
I understand the general intent of the rule. You don't want someone getting an earring ripped out. And you can't have kids wearing outlandish wristbands or scarves while they're running. I guess it kind of makes sense to throw everything under one rule, but calling it a jewelry rule when you're covering everything from insulin pumps and casts to glitter and nose rings ... well, it's not exactly descriptive.
However, it made me giggle, so kudos to you, MSHL. I'll be sure to wear as much glitter as possible on Saturday to make up for the lack of it amongst the runners. Because, you know, I'm certain if I was running in a cross country meet, I would be devastated to find out I couldn't adorn myself with glitter.
04 November 2009
Not exactly a great start.
Last week, preseason college basketball polls came out, and the Gophers were ranked 25 in the AP poll and 18 in the coaches poll. Awesome! I was excited about the start of college hoops anyway, but the prospect of having a Good Team this year, well, I was getting close to Cloud Nine.
Golden Gopher Basketball news this week, though ... not so good. Royce White, Minnesota's Mr. Basketball and the team's top freshman recruit this year, was arrested at the Mall of America and is suspended indefinitely. Well, that's just excellent. Devron Bostick was also suspended indefinitely, but there's no word on just what he did. But wait! There's more. JuCo transfer Trevor Mbakwe is also off the team until his felony assault case in Florida is resolved. He could miss the entire season, as it seems his December trial is almost certainly going to be pushed back.
And then there's the recent football team trouble with the law.
Honestly. (I'm shaking my head sadly, here, by the way.) I know you're young and stupid. We've all been young and stupid. However, when I was 18 and making poor choices, I was an anonymous college student. You are Big Time, D-1 athletes. Your fuck-ups will be noticed. One hopes you can learn from your mistakes, but I tend to not have a lot of faith in people. So, you know, prove me wrong and shit. Oh, and Ski-U-Mah!
Golden Gopher Basketball news this week, though ... not so good. Royce White, Minnesota's Mr. Basketball and the team's top freshman recruit this year, was arrested at the Mall of America and is suspended indefinitely. Well, that's just excellent. Devron Bostick was also suspended indefinitely, but there's no word on just what he did. But wait! There's more. JuCo transfer Trevor Mbakwe is also off the team until his felony assault case in Florida is resolved. He could miss the entire season, as it seems his December trial is almost certainly going to be pushed back.
And then there's the recent football team trouble with the law.
Honestly. (I'm shaking my head sadly, here, by the way.) I know you're young and stupid. We've all been young and stupid. However, when I was 18 and making poor choices, I was an anonymous college student. You are Big Time, D-1 athletes. Your fuck-ups will be noticed. One hopes you can learn from your mistakes, but I tend to not have a lot of faith in people. So, you know, prove me wrong and shit. Oh, and Ski-U-Mah!
03 November 2009
The Worldwide Leader isn't completely useless.
Tuesday, since it's nothing but Monday in a Hat, seems to be a TV wasteland. Summer Tuesdays, I was forced to watch E:60 and the World Series of Poker at the gym. Gah. I don't even know what E:60 is, quite frankly. It's human interest sports stories?
Recently, however, ESPN has been running the 30 for 30 documentaries at 7:00, so I'm gone by the time poker starts. Yay! Incidentally, The Boy I Currently like has been raving about the 30 for 30 films. I've seen half of a few of them while at the gym and thought they were good -- from far away and without really being able to read the closed captioning. Maybe one of these days I'll remember to set my DVR. I would have liked to have really watched the one on Len Bias tonight.
Back to tonight, though. So, I'm watching E:60 while I'm on the treadmill and they had a brief feature on mutton bustin'. Mutton bustin' is like the rodeo. Except it's kids under six years old and they're riding sheep.
And yes, it is as awesomely hilarious as it sounds.
Recently, however, ESPN has been running the 30 for 30 documentaries at 7:00, so I'm gone by the time poker starts. Yay! Incidentally, The Boy I Currently like has been raving about the 30 for 30 films. I've seen half of a few of them while at the gym and thought they were good -- from far away and without really being able to read the closed captioning. Maybe one of these days I'll remember to set my DVR. I would have liked to have really watched the one on Len Bias tonight.
Back to tonight, though. So, I'm watching E:60 while I'm on the treadmill and they had a brief feature on mutton bustin'. Mutton bustin' is like the rodeo. Except it's kids under six years old and they're riding sheep.
And yes, it is as awesomely hilarious as it sounds.
02 November 2009
Why am I not surprised?
That the smelly hippie lady who teaches belly dancing and subs for yoga at the gym would not flush the toilet after she uses it? Your water conservation is probably canceled out by the enormous amount of toilet paper you used, lady.
Or,
That A-Rod would have not one, but two, portraits of himself in his bedroom. Oh, did I mention that it's him as a centaur? Yeah, gross.
Or,
That A-Rod would have not one, but two, portraits of himself in his bedroom. Oh, did I mention that it's him as a centaur? Yeah, gross.
The ups and downs of Sunday afternoon drinking.
Don't get me wrong, I had a delightful time with everyone at KayGee and The Prison Librarian's place yesterday, even if we were watching the Vikings-Packers game (thanks for not having any dam game breaks, Fox. Contrary to popular belief here were other games on, you douchebags).
However, today I'm really feeling the effects of having Sunday afternoon plans. I'm not hung over or anything. I just realized that I failed to do most of my usual Sunday-getting-ready-for-the-work-week stuff. I was only home for a couple of hours Saturday after my nephew's football game before I went to The Boy I Currently Like's place. And it was tough tearing myself away from there yesterday, so by the time I got home, I had like, an hour to shower and get ready.
So, here it was, Monday morning and I realized I have nothing for breakfast. Not even any bread, which also puts a crimp in my pre-gym snack. Speaking of the gym, I left my water bottle at home. Either I stop at Target and buy another one, or just buy a bottle of water at the gym. The first seems a bit much, but then I always have a bottle in my gym bag. The latter seems wasteful.
I managed to scramble up a couple of eggs and throw them in a tortilla and still make it to work at a reasonable time, so there's that. I forgot a bunch of other shit at home that isn't that important. I'll just have weird hair and when my makeup wears off, there will be no touch-ups. The good news is, I managed to remember everything I need for the gym (save for the water bottle). So, yay for that.
You know, it felt like there was something I should have been doing last night instead of laying on the couch reading Y: The Last Man and watching the Wolves game. Oh well. I got my laundry done and I'll get through today.
However, today I'm really feeling the effects of having Sunday afternoon plans. I'm not hung over or anything. I just realized that I failed to do most of my usual Sunday-getting-ready-for-the-work-week stuff. I was only home for a couple of hours Saturday after my nephew's football game before I went to The Boy I Currently Like's place. And it was tough tearing myself away from there yesterday, so by the time I got home, I had like, an hour to shower and get ready.
So, here it was, Monday morning and I realized I have nothing for breakfast. Not even any bread, which also puts a crimp in my pre-gym snack. Speaking of the gym, I left my water bottle at home. Either I stop at Target and buy another one, or just buy a bottle of water at the gym. The first seems a bit much, but then I always have a bottle in my gym bag. The latter seems wasteful.
I managed to scramble up a couple of eggs and throw them in a tortilla and still make it to work at a reasonable time, so there's that. I forgot a bunch of other shit at home that isn't that important. I'll just have weird hair and when my makeup wears off, there will be no touch-ups. The good news is, I managed to remember everything I need for the gym (save for the water bottle). So, yay for that.
You know, it felt like there was something I should have been doing last night instead of laying on the couch reading Y: The Last Man and watching the Wolves game. Oh well. I got my laundry done and I'll get through today.
28 October 2009
Is this what it's come to?
Oh Facebook. What havoc have you wrought on our lives?
I was e-mailing with The Boy I Currently Like this afternoon and mentioned to him that I'd been dizzy all day. He came back with "I saw on Facebook about you being dizzy. What's that all about?"
This isn't the first time that one of us has said something like that to the other. He often launches into a story and I'm all "Yeah, I read what you posted on Facebook."
Clearly, this is a sign of the End Times.
I was e-mailing with The Boy I Currently Like this afternoon and mentioned to him that I'd been dizzy all day. He came back with "I saw on Facebook about you being dizzy. What's that all about?"
This isn't the first time that one of us has said something like that to the other. He often launches into a story and I'm all "Yeah, I read what you posted on Facebook."
Clearly, this is a sign of the End Times.
27 October 2009
It's good the little things make me happy.
Like hearing "Radar Love" when I walked into Trader Joe's tonight. Mary Lucia played it one day last week for her "No Apologies" track. I heard it once in between somewhere, possibly again at Trader Joe's. I fucking love that song. When I hear it, I want to say "I fucking love this song!" And I often do. But I try not to curse too loudly when I say it in public. Sometimes.
Another little thing tickled the shit out of me today, too. For the first time in six months, I was able to park on the street right outside my front door when I got home from a long day of work and the gym. Six months! It felt weird. It feels weird looking out there and seeing my car, especially since there are very few cars parked out there right now.
Oh, but it's nice. Soon, when it gets cold, it'll be really nice. As long as I have my remote starter, I'm going to use the fuck out of it. I might as well, right?
It's nice to have the street back to normal. I'll miss the quiet, but it's a bit more quiet with the nice, smooth blacktop out there. Other benefits: the lovely boulevard (though, some trees would be nice), the left-hand turn lanes and the marked parking lane. No more assholes thinking there is a second lane and nearly clipping your car. Or totalling your car, as it were.
Then again, given the number of people driving the wrong way down Lyndale just this weekend while the west side of the road was still blocked off ... I shouldn't get my hopes up, I guess.
Also nice, my boss popped over to my desk to thank me for the work I'm doing on this huge project -- for the extra hours. It was almost 6:00. It's nice that the long hours are being noticed, but staying at the office until almost 7:00 isn't so nice. Oh well. At least my assload of vacation time for December was approved. For now.
Another little thing tickled the shit out of me today, too. For the first time in six months, I was able to park on the street right outside my front door when I got home from a long day of work and the gym. Six months! It felt weird. It feels weird looking out there and seeing my car, especially since there are very few cars parked out there right now.
Oh, but it's nice. Soon, when it gets cold, it'll be really nice. As long as I have my remote starter, I'm going to use the fuck out of it. I might as well, right?
It's nice to have the street back to normal. I'll miss the quiet, but it's a bit more quiet with the nice, smooth blacktop out there. Other benefits: the lovely boulevard (though, some trees would be nice), the left-hand turn lanes and the marked parking lane. No more assholes thinking there is a second lane and nearly clipping your car. Or totalling your car, as it were.
Then again, given the number of people driving the wrong way down Lyndale just this weekend while the west side of the road was still blocked off ... I shouldn't get my hopes up, I guess.
Also nice, my boss popped over to my desk to thank me for the work I'm doing on this huge project -- for the extra hours. It was almost 6:00. It's nice that the long hours are being noticed, but staying at the office until almost 7:00 isn't so nice. Oh well. At least my assload of vacation time for December was approved. For now.
26 October 2009
Mammogram Monday.
Oh, what a way to start a week. As if a mammogram on its own wasn't bad enough (it's really not that bad), the tech who x-rayed my rack somehow managed to not get a nipple profile on the first two shots, so I had to have a total of six instances of boob-squashing.
Yeah, I said "nipple profile."
This was my second mammogram. I had my first two years ago. The tech said it was good I was starting early, what with my mom and her sister having had breast cancer. Oh, and with my dad's mom and sister also having it ... she kind of trailed off there. I wanted to finish it with "you've got it coming and going."
The experience is unpleasant, to say the least. But it's better than going to the dentist (really, a root canal isn't even that bad. Paying for it is another story). Shit. Getting a mammogram is better than going to work. I know I've got it better than some, because apparently, having huge cans is actually a good thing when getting a mammogram. I can see why, since I have a fucking F cup and the skin from my neck was still being pulled into the vise. Actually, I think I may be back down to a DD cup. Or close.
Anyway, I got my mammogram. It was no big deal. I remember my mom making a big day of it. Her group of friends all had appointments around the same time, and then they'd get lunch and go out for drinks and shopping and shit. Because she was diagnosed with breast cancer at 48, I don't get to have that experience. I didn't have any friends to take the day off with me to "make a day of it" when getting our mammograms. Nor do I have that at 35. So, I got my mammogram and then went to the gym both times. I was going to stop at DQ on the way home, but it would have meant going backward, so fuck that shit.
Before my mammogram, I had my consult with the gynecologist about my IUD/Essure. My gynecologist -- she is awesome. I love her. There was no "You're sure you don't want kids? Positive? You've come to terms with never having kids? You've made peace with it?" Nothing. She asked if I wanted kids, I said no, that's it.
She's fully on board with me getting Essure. She addressed my concern about the fact that it's only been approved for use in the U.S. since 2002 -- the material is used inside the body in a number of different applications. It was just approved for this particular use in the U.S. in 2002. And it's been used in Europe for a while. She's having the allergy department call me to set up a patch test to see if I have the nickel sensitivity or not. I guess that's the bridge I should wait to get to before anything else.
There's also the procedure. Since I've not had a kid, I would probably need to do the procedure under IV sedation with a local in an outpatient setting. That's going to be much more spendy than the $15 I'd pay for having it done in the clinic. FIFTEEN DOLLARS! That's for never having to worry about birth control EVER. AGAIN. And she actually said, "Hey, we could try it here if you wanted." Um ... yeah, maybe not. I like her willingness to work with me.
She was also on board with the IUD. After the PMS I went through last week, I would give anything to not have a period for a while. That's the biggest plus on the Mirena IUD side. She couldn't say one way or another whether I'd suffer the acne freak out or not. However, she said, "If you try the Mirena and you don't like it, we can take it out and do Essure. I just ask that you give it three months."
Seriously. Love. Her.
I've got more calls to the insurance company to make. Much pondering to do. I was really surprised to have two very good friends advise me against Essure. Really surprised. One wants kids. The other never, ever wanted them until she met someone she was madly in love with and then she was on board with the idea. However, they ended up not having a second bedroom, so the opportunity and the urge are gone. Either way, they've both known me for years and have never known me to even want a baby a teenie tiny bit. It's a little disappointing.
Most likely, it'll be January before I do anything. If I get the IUD, I need to time it with my period, which just happens to coincide with the next two major holidays, which will make major scheduling problems. Also, I've got the grace period for my flex plan. If I do it after the first of the year and it ends up being fairly expensive (Essure), I can use up 2009 and then tap into 2010 flex funds. Oooh, I'm clever!
Yeah, I said "nipple profile."
This was my second mammogram. I had my first two years ago. The tech said it was good I was starting early, what with my mom and her sister having had breast cancer. Oh, and with my dad's mom and sister also having it ... she kind of trailed off there. I wanted to finish it with "you've got it coming and going."
The experience is unpleasant, to say the least. But it's better than going to the dentist (really, a root canal isn't even that bad. Paying for it is another story). Shit. Getting a mammogram is better than going to work. I know I've got it better than some, because apparently, having huge cans is actually a good thing when getting a mammogram. I can see why, since I have a fucking F cup and the skin from my neck was still being pulled into the vise. Actually, I think I may be back down to a DD cup. Or close.
Anyway, I got my mammogram. It was no big deal. I remember my mom making a big day of it. Her group of friends all had appointments around the same time, and then they'd get lunch and go out for drinks and shopping and shit. Because she was diagnosed with breast cancer at 48, I don't get to have that experience. I didn't have any friends to take the day off with me to "make a day of it" when getting our mammograms. Nor do I have that at 35. So, I got my mammogram and then went to the gym both times. I was going to stop at DQ on the way home, but it would have meant going backward, so fuck that shit.
Before my mammogram, I had my consult with the gynecologist about my IUD/Essure. My gynecologist -- she is awesome. I love her. There was no "You're sure you don't want kids? Positive? You've come to terms with never having kids? You've made peace with it?" Nothing. She asked if I wanted kids, I said no, that's it.
She's fully on board with me getting Essure. She addressed my concern about the fact that it's only been approved for use in the U.S. since 2002 -- the material is used inside the body in a number of different applications. It was just approved for this particular use in the U.S. in 2002. And it's been used in Europe for a while. She's having the allergy department call me to set up a patch test to see if I have the nickel sensitivity or not. I guess that's the bridge I should wait to get to before anything else.
There's also the procedure. Since I've not had a kid, I would probably need to do the procedure under IV sedation with a local in an outpatient setting. That's going to be much more spendy than the $15 I'd pay for having it done in the clinic. FIFTEEN DOLLARS! That's for never having to worry about birth control EVER. AGAIN. And she actually said, "Hey, we could try it here if you wanted." Um ... yeah, maybe not. I like her willingness to work with me.
She was also on board with the IUD. After the PMS I went through last week, I would give anything to not have a period for a while. That's the biggest plus on the Mirena IUD side. She couldn't say one way or another whether I'd suffer the acne freak out or not. However, she said, "If you try the Mirena and you don't like it, we can take it out and do Essure. I just ask that you give it three months."
Seriously. Love. Her.
I've got more calls to the insurance company to make. Much pondering to do. I was really surprised to have two very good friends advise me against Essure. Really surprised. One wants kids. The other never, ever wanted them until she met someone she was madly in love with and then she was on board with the idea. However, they ended up not having a second bedroom, so the opportunity and the urge are gone. Either way, they've both known me for years and have never known me to even want a baby a teenie tiny bit. It's a little disappointing.
Most likely, it'll be January before I do anything. If I get the IUD, I need to time it with my period, which just happens to coincide with the next two major holidays, which will make major scheduling problems. Also, I've got the grace period for my flex plan. If I do it after the first of the year and it ends up being fairly expensive (Essure), I can use up 2009 and then tap into 2010 flex funds. Oooh, I'm clever!
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