So this is Part II of my writing about the steps involved in IVF. The entire process takes about two weeks and I intend to run these posts in real time (i.e. following the treatment schedule and length of time on each medication).
The second phase of the stimulation stage of IVF is taking medication to suppress my own reproductive system. This whole process is such a science, the doctors don't want to risk my body stepping in and inevitably doing something that will mess up our plan.
After a few days of injecting Follistim, my doctors added Ganirelix to my medication regime. There are two possibilities for this suppression medication: Lupron or Ganirelix. Patients must start injecting Lupron several days prior to getting their period. Ganirelix, on the other hand, can be injected five days into the patient's cycle. Since my cycle is so unpredictable, that option made more sense for me.
The Ganirelix shots aren't too bad. They come in a pre-filled syringe so to give myself the injection, I just wipe my skin with an alcohol swab, pop the needle guard off the syringe and clear out the air bubbles. Quite simple, which is nice, particularly considering at this point, I was giving myself two injections of medication a day.
Ganirelix shots go in the abdomen and the only real side effect I've experienced is itchiness across my stomach. On the first day in particular it was really bad. I don't think it helped that after giving myself the shots, I put on a pair of tights and drove 30 minutes to work. I was seriously ready to claw off the skin on my stomach that day! The second day, the itching was far less, though it picked back up again on the third day. Ultimately I only took Ganirelix four times.
During the stimulation process, I went to my doctor's office for blood work and ultrasounds every 2-3 days. The first day I was set to take my Ganirelix, the nurse called to remind me to bring it with me to my appointment. I assumed that she'd show me how to do the injection or have some other tips. However, once I got there, she explained that I should take the Ganirelix only after I've done my blood work.
Me: Okay.
Nurse: Do you want me to write it down?
Me: Um, no I think I can remember that.
Nurse: Are you sure? It's really important because we want to measure your blood levels...
Me (cutting her off): Yeah, yeah, my pre-suppression blood levels.
She seemed uber-impressed that (a) I managed to come up with a fancy $5 word like "suppression" and (b) that I was capable of remembering such basic instructions without her writing it down.
Again, I swear, there should be intelligence tests prior to procreation. I can only imagine some of the meat heads she encounters on a day to day basis.
Of all the medications I had to take for my IVF cycle, I'd classify the Ganirelix as the least troublesome: no real pain, no real side effects, and easy to administer. Ultimately I took Ganirelix for four days and the evening of my last Ganirelix injection, I took a "trigger" shot of HCG and Lupron so stay tuned Thursday evening to read about that.
Monday, February 28, 2011
Friday, February 25, 2011
Queen Song of the Week: We Will Rock You & We are the Champions
The next song in the set list of Queen's 1982 concert at the Milton Keynes Bowl is Sheer Heart Attack. Read my review of that song here.
Following Sheer Heart Attack, the band launched into the two songs which ended their concerts for nearly thirty years: We Will Rock You and We are the Champions. These songs are played together, not only in concert, but on most radio stations as well!
We Will Rock You was written by Dr. May and appeared on the band's 1977 album News of the World. The song was the B-side to the We are the Champions single in the U.K. and released as a double A-side in the U.S.. I've already written about the fast version of the song here and, of course, all of the details about the song's inspiration and recording remain the same.
Video courtesy of queenofficial.
Perhaps one of the most recognizable songs in history, and a stadium favorite to this day, We Will Rock You has certainly taken on a life of it's own, both within Queen fandom and with the general public.
We are the Champions was written by Freddie Mercury. It also appeared on the band's 1977 album News of the World. It was released as a single in the U.K. and the U.S., charting at #2 and #4, respectively.
Video courtesy of queenofficial.
Freddie also was looking to write an anthem-type song, though he specifically had football in mind. Despite the slightly ego-centric theme, the song became the band's third biggest hit (after Bohemian Rhapsody and Another One Bites the Dust). Though I've personally never been a huge fan of this song, being able to sing it on Rock Band 3 has brought me newfound appreciation for this song, particularly Freddie's vocals.
Ironically though the songs became staples at the end of the band's set lists, the songs actually lead off the News of the World album.
So with that, we end the set list of the 1982 Milton Keynes concert. I've just acquired the second (and hardest to find) CD by The Cross, RT's side project, so perhaps we'll spend some time on solo CDs next.
Happy Listening!
Following Sheer Heart Attack, the band launched into the two songs which ended their concerts for nearly thirty years: We Will Rock You and We are the Champions. These songs are played together, not only in concert, but on most radio stations as well!
We Will Rock You was written by Dr. May and appeared on the band's 1977 album News of the World. The song was the B-side to the We are the Champions single in the U.K. and released as a double A-side in the U.S.. I've already written about the fast version of the song here and, of course, all of the details about the song's inspiration and recording remain the same.
Video courtesy of queenofficial.
Perhaps one of the most recognizable songs in history, and a stadium favorite to this day, We Will Rock You has certainly taken on a life of it's own, both within Queen fandom and with the general public.
We are the Champions was written by Freddie Mercury. It also appeared on the band's 1977 album News of the World. It was released as a single in the U.K. and the U.S., charting at #2 and #4, respectively.
Video courtesy of queenofficial.
Freddie also was looking to write an anthem-type song, though he specifically had football in mind. Despite the slightly ego-centric theme, the song became the band's third biggest hit (after Bohemian Rhapsody and Another One Bites the Dust). Though I've personally never been a huge fan of this song, being able to sing it on Rock Band 3 has brought me newfound appreciation for this song, particularly Freddie's vocals.
Ironically though the songs became staples at the end of the band's set lists, the songs actually lead off the News of the World album.
So with that, we end the set list of the 1982 Milton Keynes concert. I've just acquired the second (and hardest to find) CD by The Cross, RT's side project, so perhaps we'll spend some time on solo CDs next.
Happy Listening!
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
I Want a New Drug, Part I
If anyone out there is at all interested in knowing how it feels to be a pin cushion, I recommend starting IVF.
Seriously, readers. I've got needles in my arms, stomach or legs two, if not three, times every day.
I've gone back and forth on how to approach the inevitable fact that at some point, I'm going to undergo a retrieval and transfer and then everyone (myself included) is going to be anxiously awaiting the results.
What I've decided to do is to space things out with enough time in between posts that we'll have some definitive news that I'm ready to announce (i.e. we're pregnant or, in the alternative, I turn out to be some creature from outer space that can't get pregnant, but I got amnesia when my space ship crash landed on Earth and as soon as I realized who I really was, I killed and ate Husband because I need the nutrients from his brain to survive a la some Twilight Zone episode.)
Hm actually that's more of a Tales from the Darkside episode. Maybe Brent Spiner could star in it as the suspicious doctor who discovers Husband's bones in his office garbage can!
But I digress.
So I'm going to write about my experience with the IVF process, one step at a time. Hopefully by the time I get through writing about the month-long process, we'll have news that I'm ready to share. Or alternatively I'll be putting out an APB for Brent Spiner's contact information so I can pitch him my script.
Stimulation is the first step in the process of IVF. It involves injecting medication designed to stimulate your ovaries and grow follicles on a daily basis. For both IUI and IVF, I used Follistim; however, for IVF I took super-doses of this medication. My final IUI cycle was at 75 iu. I started my IVF cycle at 200 iu. The increase in dose is designed to grow more follicles because the retrieval process is so invasive, the doctors want it to be worth my while.
The IUI shots were not a big deal. I'd trot into the bathroom, inject the medication, and two minutes later walk out, forgetting that I had even given myself the shot. Seriously, there were nights when I'd have to consult my checklist to see if I had injected my medication for the day.
Despite the low dose, I did experience some side effects: namely elevated moods and exhaustion. I'd get home from work and the idea of doing anything other than sitting on the couch watching Star Trek: The Next Generation all evening sounded exhausting. And even doing just that, I'd end up in bed by 9pm on most evenings. The moods I didn't notice so much as Husband did: my moods weren't erratic or unexplainable, they were just increased given the circumstances. For example, I'd get really happy about something that typically would just make me smile. Or I'd become furious over something that probably only deserved an eye roll. Kudos to Husband for putting up with me for the three months that I was dealing with these side effects.
With IVF, the quantity of the injection makes it a lot more difficult. Just injecting the medication is slightly painful because there's a lot more medication that is going into the same small amount of space in my leg. I have to go slow to allow the medication to dispense throughout my body. Then afterwards the injection site is irritated for several minutes. Then afterwards, I can feel (or at least I feel like I can feel) the medication working. It's not pain in my abdomen, but more of a tingling or popping sensation. Actually it's rather unpleasant and since these are evening injections, the aftermath keeps me up at night.
The shots themselves don't hurt. Prior to the first time, I was so anxious about the potential pain that I almost freaked out and couldn't do it. However, giving myself the shot doesn't hurt: the needle is so tiny, you can barely feel it. What is uncomfortable is the amount of medication being injected. So if you're worried about having to give yourself the shot, just go for it: it's really not that bad!
Surprisingly, I've not experienced the same side effects - or for that matter, any side effects - on the higher dose. The bad news is that since my ovaries are poly-cystic, I have a ton of follicles just hanging out in there waiting to gobble up all the Follistim and get big: kind of like Pop-Eye. So the idea is to produce 10-12 decent sized follicles: as of my last ultrasound, I had 8-10 mature follicles and another 30 small ones.
To quote my doctor: "You have a million follicles... [We should trigger ovulation tonight since] we don't want your ovaries to pop."
Thanks, doctor. I'm supposed to be the one prone to hyperbole!
The original plan called for me to inject 200 iu of Follistim for five nights before going in for my first ultrasound. After the third day, I had blood drawn and my doctor decided to lower my dose to 175 iu for the next two nights. After my second ultrasound, he lowered my dose one final time to 150 iu and put me on modified bed rest.
Doctor (and I swear she said this): No activity beyond light walking. No laundry, cleaning, grocery shopping.
Me: Um, you might need to write that down. Husband is never going to believe me.
One Hour Later.
Husband: There is no way she said, "No laundry, cleaning, or grocery shopping."
80% of women take Follistim for seven days. I ended up taking it for eight because the low dose meant that the follicles were growing much slower.
The second medication in the simulation phase of IVF is Ganirelix, which I began taking after five days of taking Follistim. So to read about my experiences with Ganirelix, check back on Monday February 28!
Seriously, readers. I've got needles in my arms, stomach or legs two, if not three, times every day.
I've gone back and forth on how to approach the inevitable fact that at some point, I'm going to undergo a retrieval and transfer and then everyone (myself included) is going to be anxiously awaiting the results.
What I've decided to do is to space things out with enough time in between posts that we'll have some definitive news that I'm ready to announce (i.e. we're pregnant or, in the alternative, I turn out to be some creature from outer space that can't get pregnant, but I got amnesia when my space ship crash landed on Earth and as soon as I realized who I really was, I killed and ate Husband because I need the nutrients from his brain to survive a la some Twilight Zone episode.)
Hm actually that's more of a Tales from the Darkside episode. Maybe Brent Spiner could star in it as the suspicious doctor who discovers Husband's bones in his office garbage can!
But I digress.
So I'm going to write about my experience with the IVF process, one step at a time. Hopefully by the time I get through writing about the month-long process, we'll have news that I'm ready to share. Or alternatively I'll be putting out an APB for Brent Spiner's contact information so I can pitch him my script.
Stimulation is the first step in the process of IVF. It involves injecting medication designed to stimulate your ovaries and grow follicles on a daily basis. For both IUI and IVF, I used Follistim; however, for IVF I took super-doses of this medication. My final IUI cycle was at 75 iu. I started my IVF cycle at 200 iu. The increase in dose is designed to grow more follicles because the retrieval process is so invasive, the doctors want it to be worth my while.
The IUI shots were not a big deal. I'd trot into the bathroom, inject the medication, and two minutes later walk out, forgetting that I had even given myself the shot. Seriously, there were nights when I'd have to consult my checklist to see if I had injected my medication for the day.
Despite the low dose, I did experience some side effects: namely elevated moods and exhaustion. I'd get home from work and the idea of doing anything other than sitting on the couch watching Star Trek: The Next Generation all evening sounded exhausting. And even doing just that, I'd end up in bed by 9pm on most evenings. The moods I didn't notice so much as Husband did: my moods weren't erratic or unexplainable, they were just increased given the circumstances. For example, I'd get really happy about something that typically would just make me smile. Or I'd become furious over something that probably only deserved an eye roll. Kudos to Husband for putting up with me for the three months that I was dealing with these side effects.
With IVF, the quantity of the injection makes it a lot more difficult. Just injecting the medication is slightly painful because there's a lot more medication that is going into the same small amount of space in my leg. I have to go slow to allow the medication to dispense throughout my body. Then afterwards the injection site is irritated for several minutes. Then afterwards, I can feel (or at least I feel like I can feel) the medication working. It's not pain in my abdomen, but more of a tingling or popping sensation. Actually it's rather unpleasant and since these are evening injections, the aftermath keeps me up at night.
The shots themselves don't hurt. Prior to the first time, I was so anxious about the potential pain that I almost freaked out and couldn't do it. However, giving myself the shot doesn't hurt: the needle is so tiny, you can barely feel it. What is uncomfortable is the amount of medication being injected. So if you're worried about having to give yourself the shot, just go for it: it's really not that bad!
Surprisingly, I've not experienced the same side effects - or for that matter, any side effects - on the higher dose. The bad news is that since my ovaries are poly-cystic, I have a ton of follicles just hanging out in there waiting to gobble up all the Follistim and get big: kind of like Pop-Eye. So the idea is to produce 10-12 decent sized follicles: as of my last ultrasound, I had 8-10 mature follicles and another 30 small ones.
To quote my doctor: "You have a million follicles... [We should trigger ovulation tonight since] we don't want your ovaries to pop."
Thanks, doctor. I'm supposed to be the one prone to hyperbole!
The original plan called for me to inject 200 iu of Follistim for five nights before going in for my first ultrasound. After the third day, I had blood drawn and my doctor decided to lower my dose to 175 iu for the next two nights. After my second ultrasound, he lowered my dose one final time to 150 iu and put me on modified bed rest.
Doctor (and I swear she said this): No activity beyond light walking. No laundry, cleaning, grocery shopping.
Me: Um, you might need to write that down. Husband is never going to believe me.
One Hour Later.
Husband: There is no way she said, "No laundry, cleaning, or grocery shopping."
80% of women take Follistim for seven days. I ended up taking it for eight because the low dose meant that the follicles were growing much slower.
The second medication in the simulation phase of IVF is Ganirelix, which I began taking after five days of taking Follistim. So to read about my experiences with Ganirelix, check back on Monday February 28!
Monday, February 21, 2011
Boot Scootin' Boogie: What I Wore
Back in the fall when I was on my boot kick, I expected that I'd get the most wear out of my newly acquired pairs of high heeled boots. In less than I week I'd bought a pair of black heeled boots and a pair of brown heeled boots and I had no intentions of making another boot purchase. But then I was in Macys and these Franko Sarto Panko boots just called to me. They were flat and I had no idea how I'd wear them, but they were so soft! I tried them on and knew they had to be mine.
Shockingly, I've managed to work these boots into my wardrobe with relative ease. In particular, in the past few weeks, with snow still on the ground, but the sidewalks almost completely clear, I discovered that these boots were fast becoming my go-to pair on days when I was sick of wearing my winter boots.
I thought it would be fun to share a few of those outfits here.
Shockingly, I've managed to work these boots into my wardrobe with relative ease. In particular, in the past few weeks, with snow still on the ground, but the sidewalks almost completely clear, I discovered that these boots were fast becoming my go-to pair on days when I was sick of wearing my winter boots.
I thought it would be fun to share a few of those outfits here.
Blouse, The Limited
Dress, Loft
Hue Tights, Macys
Franko Sarto Panko Boots, Macys
Necklace, Loft
Earrings, Anthropologie (I'm not sure what these are called. I'll have to post a picture and ask some day.)
I love this dress, but the pattern is so severe that I can really only wear it a few times a year. I decided to try giving it a pop of color with the pink underneath and I'm relatively happy with how it turned out. In retrospect, I wish I had ironed the collar of the shirt prior to wearing it, but I don't think the outfit suffers: it just really bothers me when I look at the picture.
This is an outfit that I imagined prior to wearing it and it's full of experimentation. The undershirt look is something that I'm still not completley comfortable with, but the real bit of craziness here (for me, at least) is the combination of brown boots with black tights. I know that technically black and brown can go together, but I have a bit of a mental block about it. Somehow the brown boots didn't offend me as much as they normally would and I also managed to convince myself that the pink blouse helped incorporate the brown into the look. I'm not sure if it follows all (or any) of the "rules of fashion", but I was happy with it so there's that.
Free Flow Tank, Anthropologie
Cardigan, Loft
Jeans, Banana Republic
Franko Sarto Panko Boots, Macys
Necklace, QVC
Bright Bulb Posts, Anthropologie
This was my pre-Valentine's Day outfit. I was so happy with it that I wore it to work later in the week on a day where I was only in the office for a few hours. I'm so happy I finally got this cardigan. I've had it for two weeks and I think I've already worn it like four times. Seriously!
When I bought the boots, this was the one look that I envisioned creating. I simply couldn't imagine ever wearing flat boots with a skirt or dress so I just expected that I'd be tucking jeans into them for a casual look. As predicted, this look works nicely, but I'm glad that I figured out other ways to wear them.
Free Flow Tank, Anthropologie
Wily Cardigan, Anthropologie
Skirt, Ann Taylor
Hue Leggings, Macys
Franko Sarto Panko Boots, Macys
Necklace, Kohls
Crystal Peddler Posts, Anthropologie
Oh here was another experiment! I bought leggings! Remember the day that I almost died from cold legs? Well a few days later I found myself at Macys where the leggings were discounted 50% off plus an additional 20% off with my Macys' card. I figured for less than $10, I could give leggings a try and since the weather was still totally freezing, I was able to wear them right away.
I wish the leggings were a little longer, but since I expected that I'd always wear them with boots, these will do just fine. They kept me much warmer than a pair of tights, but still enabled me to wear a cute skirt and boots. Perhaps at the end of the season, I'll buy a few more pairs in different colors and patterns since this brown pair is quite boring. The idea is certainly sound though and the experiment was a success.
The weather is finally warming up so soon I'll be able to wear these great boots without tights. I can't wait to see what kinds of other outfits I can dream up!
Happy Monday!
Friday, February 18, 2011
Queen Song of the Week: Another One Bites the Dust
The next song in Queen's set list at their 1982 concert at the Milton Keynes Bowl in 1982 was Another One Bites the Dust, which I must admit as far as Queen songs go is a guilty pleasure of mine.
Another One Bites the Dust was written by bassist John Deacon. It appeared on the band's 1980 album The Game and was released as a single peaking at #1 on the U.S. charts and #7 on the U.K. charts. Surprisingly this was not the first time that a Queen single charted higher in the U.S. than in the U.K.: Crazy Little Thing Called Love had faired the same way just one year earlier.
I've been rather vocal in the past on my feelings about John Deacon. His musical tastes are light years away from mine: he was very interested in the funk sound. He tended to minimize (or even eliminate completely) RT's trademark drumming and most of his songs lack the layered harmonies which make Queen's music instantly recognizable. Heck, the man even included a synthesizer solo in one of his songs as opposed to using amazing Dr. May's guitar playing!
But, oh my gosh readers, I love this song! I can't help but sing along and I'm convinced that should ever RT and Dr. May come to New England in search of the next great female vocalist, I could totally wow them with my rendition of this song. That is, if my Rock Band perfromances are to be relied on: the first day I had the Queen track pack (back in October 2009), I sang this song something like four times in a row!
In 2009, RT explained, "I remember laying down the backing track with him [Deacon] and it was... he really wanted the drums as dry as they could possibly be, so I just stuffed it all with blankets and made it as dead as I possibly could and very low tuned and... but it’s that thump that... We never really liked that kind of thing. But this actually turned out... we weren’t going to release this as a single and I think it was Michael Jackson that... actually who actually suggested that we release it as a single and I thought he was nuts, but..."
Supposedly when Deaky first presented the song to the band, the lyrics told a cowboys with each verse ending as that cowboy "bit the dust." Oh dear. Luckily Freddie took over and changed the lyrics, making them slightly more contemporary and less...oh shall we say...ridiculous.
As much as I do like this song, I think I like it outside the realm of Queen. It's not an accurate reflection of their music or what they were about as a band, but the fact of the matter is: it's a great song!
Happy Listening!
Another One Bites the Dust was written by bassist John Deacon. It appeared on the band's 1980 album The Game and was released as a single peaking at #1 on the U.S. charts and #7 on the U.K. charts. Surprisingly this was not the first time that a Queen single charted higher in the U.S. than in the U.K.: Crazy Little Thing Called Love had faired the same way just one year earlier.
I've been rather vocal in the past on my feelings about John Deacon. His musical tastes are light years away from mine: he was very interested in the funk sound. He tended to minimize (or even eliminate completely) RT's trademark drumming and most of his songs lack the layered harmonies which make Queen's music instantly recognizable. Heck, the man even included a synthesizer solo in one of his songs as opposed to using amazing Dr. May's guitar playing!
But, oh my gosh readers, I love this song! I can't help but sing along and I'm convinced that should ever RT and Dr. May come to New England in search of the next great female vocalist, I could totally wow them with my rendition of this song. That is, if my Rock Band perfromances are to be relied on: the first day I had the Queen track pack (back in October 2009), I sang this song something like four times in a row!
In 2009, RT explained, "I remember laying down the backing track with him [Deacon] and it was... he really wanted the drums as dry as they could possibly be, so I just stuffed it all with blankets and made it as dead as I possibly could and very low tuned and... but it’s that thump that... We never really liked that kind of thing. But this actually turned out... we weren’t going to release this as a single and I think it was Michael Jackson that... actually who actually suggested that we release it as a single and I thought he was nuts, but..."
Supposedly when Deaky first presented the song to the band, the lyrics told a cowboys with each verse ending as that cowboy "bit the dust." Oh dear. Luckily Freddie took over and changed the lyrics, making them slightly more contemporary and less...oh shall we say...ridiculous.
As much as I do like this song, I think I like it outside the realm of Queen. It's not an accurate reflection of their music or what they were about as a band, but the fact of the matter is: it's a great song!
Happy Listening!
Thursday, February 17, 2011
Outfits & Geordi & Queen, Oh My!
Lots of exciting stuff going on in this post, readers.
First, we have the debut of three brand new additions to my wardrobe.
Ruffle Blouse, Ann Taylor
Jeweled Pocket Cardigan, Loft
Denim Pencil Skirt, Loft
Hue Tights, Macys
Seychelles Ring in the Year Pumps, DSW
Esposito Diamonique Necklace, QVC
Here are two of my new lovelies!
This cardigan is my latest super sale acquisition from Loft. I spied it at full price ($79, I think) and thought, "Cute, but holy heck not at that price." Then Loft ran a 50% off all full priced items promotion and $40 still seemed pricey for a cardigan from Loft. Then they marked it down to sale, but only took $5 off so the subsequent 50% off sale promotion didn't help matters much. During this time, I tried on the cardigan several times, but as much as I did like the color and the fit, the price just wasn't right. Finally Loft marked the cardigan down to $40 (in stores only) and ran a 60% off sale promotion! $16 for this awesome cardigan? Sign me up!
Incidentally a similar fact pattern brought this denim skirt to my home. Originally priced at $70, I ended up paying $7 for it! Oh Loft, you underestimate my ability to be patient once again!
The shoes I'd been eyeing for a while, first on Anthropologie's website where they were dubbed the Raines. I'm wary about buying shoes online, particularly since my sizing in Seychelles seems to be all over the place (anywhere from 9 to 10). Then I ran my Blog-aversary Giveaway and the lovely winner Julie requested a DSW gift card! I'd not been to my local DSW in a few months so imagine my delight when the shoes (in several colors) were on display in the front of the store! I tried on a 9.5 and it was too big. A 9 fit just right (so this particular style runs true to size) and I couldn't help but make them mine!
Blouse, Banana Republic
Wish You Were Here Cardigan, Anthropologie
Field Skirt, Anthropologie
Hue Tights, Macys
Rennselaer T-Straps, Anthropologie
Necklace, Honora for QVC
Rosy-Posy Posts, Anthropologie
Jeweled Cuff, J.Crew
The Field Skirt! In mustard yellow, no less!
Readers, I realize that I have spent the last year assuring you all that I could not wear any variation of this skirt: not the Thousand Days Skirt, not the Circle the Globe Skirt, and not the Field Skirt.
It turns out I was wrong. I happened to be at Anthropologie a few weeks back on a day when I was wearing tights. I had a few items to try on, but needed something to wear on my bottom half. I spotted a whole rack of Field Skirts and figured I'd give the skirt once last try since I really do love the cut of the skirt and the corduroy looked so comfy. In the back of the rack was a lone mustard yellow Field Skirt...in my size! This color has intrigued me for a while: I love how so many bloggers are using it as a neutral and I wanted to add something this shade to my wardrobe. I grabbed the skirt and trotted off to the fitting room.
My issue with prior versions of the Field Skirt is that the elastic waistband slides up my torso to my natural waist, which is freakishly high. Seriously high. This creates a terribly unflattering look of a skirt that sits like three inches below my chest...and barely covers my bum.
What about the Field Skirt is different? Well, nothing actually. It's what I was wearing that made the difference: the tights ended up acting as sort of an anchor, keeping the Field Skirt in place and not allowing it to slide up my body. As soon as I realized the difference made by the tights, I knew the Field Skirt would be mine and then four days later, I got a price adjustment! Whee!!!!
More things that make me go, "Whee!!!" I'm glad you asked, readers!
First, in Star Trek-related news, I've learned that tonight LeVar Burton, who played Lt. Commander Geordi La Forge on Star Trek: The Next Generation (or for all you children of the 80s, the host of Reading Rainbow) is going to guest star on Community tonight! Husband and I began watching Community when it premiered because...well mostly because it was on between 30 Rock and The Office and we're totally those lazy people that the networking executives count on to not change the channel between their favorite two shows. The first season was a bit rocky, but now Community has totally found it's niche as a show that parodies other shows and frequently-used story lines. I'm excited to see how they utilize Mr. Burton (because I'm quite sure that in one way or another, a visor is going to be involved and it's going to be hysterical!)Second, in Queen-related news, in honor of the band's 40th anniversary year (1971-2011), Queen Online is running a contest allowing fans to design their own Queen t-shirt! Click here for details about the contest. Now, I'm not an artistic person in the slightest, but if any of you readers are, I strongly recommend you check out this contest! The prize is $1500 and the shirt will be featured on the band's Facebook page as well as sold in the Queen Online Store and on the Mercury Phoenix Trust website. I think it would be very cool if I "knew" the winner of the contest (especially if there ends up being some secret grand prize that involves trips to London, elbow-rubbing with Dr. May and RT, and the winner being allowed to select a second person to join them for the festivities.) Just sayin'...
Also, Queen-related, Dr. May is going on a mini-tour across the U.K. with Kerry Ellis, the young vocalist that he's been working with since she originated the role of Meat in the West End's version of We Will Rock You. Sadly, I shan't be attending, but anyone who happens to be abroad should definitely check it out. While Kerry's voice isn't exactly my cup of tea, there's no denying that she's very talented and I suppose I shouldn't complain about anyone who's able to convince Dr. May to get back on the stage to play guitar (as opposed to speaking about photography).So to conclude today's post:
1) I finally get the all the Field Skirt commotion.
2) Watch Community tonight.
3) Enter the Queen t-shirt design contest and share the prize with me.
That is all.
Happy Thursday!
Monday, February 14, 2011
Happy Valentine's Day!
Husband and I aren't big Valentine's Day celebrators, mostly because our wedding anniversary is in March and a girl can only get so much lovey-doviness out of her husband in such a short period of time.
Actually I'm very lucky and have a husband who randomly brings me flowers and picks me up dinner when I'm cranky and don't want to cook and makes my sandwich for lunch every day and in general puts up with my ridiculousness so I don't need a whole national holiday to demand special treatment!
This is our 8th Valentine's Day together. Because his work schedule is crazy and because we hate big crowds, rather than go out tonight, we had a nice sushi dinner last night.
And he surprised me by bringing home a mini-cake and flowers from the grocery store!
Then at dinner, he revealed that my gift was that he had tracked down a copy of The Cross' CD Mad, Bad and Dangerous to Know, which is super hard to find!
I'm such a lucky girl!
Here's one of my favorite pictures of Husband and I. It's from the wedding of two of our very best law school friends. Enjoy it now, folks, because the minute Husband realizes that I posted it, I bet he's going to make me take it down!
*EDIT* Well, readers, it took almost 24 hours, but Husband finally caught me and asked me to take down the picture. I hope you enjoyed his adorableness while you had the chance. If you missed it, you'll have to wait until next month when I stealthily post wedding pictures in honor of our anniversary!
Happy Valentine's Day!
Actually I'm very lucky and have a husband who randomly brings me flowers and picks me up dinner when I'm cranky and don't want to cook and makes my sandwich for lunch every day and in general puts up with my ridiculousness so I don't need a whole national holiday to demand special treatment!
This is our 8th Valentine's Day together. Because his work schedule is crazy and because we hate big crowds, rather than go out tonight, we had a nice sushi dinner last night.
And he surprised me by bringing home a mini-cake and flowers from the grocery store!
Then at dinner, he revealed that my gift was that he had tracked down a copy of The Cross' CD Mad, Bad and Dangerous to Know, which is super hard to find!
I'm such a lucky girl!
Here's one of my favorite pictures of Husband and I. It's from the wedding of two of our very best law school friends. Enjoy it now, folks, because the minute Husband realizes that I posted it, I bet he's going to make me take it down!
*EDIT* Well, readers, it took almost 24 hours, but Husband finally caught me and asked me to take down the picture. I hope you enjoyed his adorableness while you had the chance. If you missed it, you'll have to wait until next month when I stealthily post wedding pictures in honor of our anniversary!
Happy Valentine's Day!
Sunday, February 13, 2011
My Own Worst Enemy: Me
The timing felt right for a fertility update, particularly since the last few days have been a bit of a roller coaster.
*Disclaimer* Obviously some medical information is contained in this post.
Don't get me wrong, I did pay attention to most of the presentation and let me just say this: there should be a test before people are allowed to procreate, particularly in a controlled setting like a fertility clinic.
At the end of the session, the presenter (who happened to be our doctor) asked if anyone had any questions. There was a moment of silence and our doctor was ready to wrap up, but then a gentleman towards the front of the room put his hand up.
Random Dumb Dude: "How do you make sure you don't mix up the specimens?"
Doctor: "What"
Random Dumb Dude: (And I swear he actually said this) Well, all babies look kind of alike so I assume that all embryos look kind of alike. How do you make sure that you transfer the embryos into the right uterus?
Doctor: "We label everything. Several times and in several different ways."
Duh.
What I wish my doctor had said was, "You, sir, are too stupid to have children. Please leave now."
So basically this guy is under the impression that the embryos are running around looking anything like their eventual parents and that's how the lab technicians figure out which embryos belong to which couple. I told Husband that I'm going to make it my mission in life to accidentally have Random Dumb Dude's baby.
Husband agreed that would be awesome because (1) it would be freakin' hysterical and (2) he would be able to stay home and watch baseball rather than going back down to our clinic to make a "deposit" of his own.
Thankfully that was the only truly stupid question of the night and the seminar ended without further incident.
Onto step two of the IVF process: an individual meeting with our doctor.
We did this on Wednesday afternoon. I like my doctor a lot and he let us call the shots on a few issues that I thought he might push back on (i.e. the number of embryos to transfer). My suspicion is that Husband wooed him a bit with his questions about success statistics. The doctor was basically chasing us down the hall to give Husband the most up-to-date though not-yet-published statistics from the clinic. I told Husband that he was probably so excited to be asked intelligent questions as opposed to "Where do babies come from?" (Random Dumb Dude, I'm looking at you) that he wanted to extend the conversation as long as possible!
The final step was a teaching session with a nurse. Since IVF requires more injectable medications than IUI (and many people doing IVF didn't do IUI), the nurses walk couples through the process of preparing and injecting the medications. As we left the office on Wednesday, my doctor said we'd schedule that session in the next week or so and asked when I expected my period.
My diagnosis is Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome which basically means that I don't always ovulate. When you don't ovulate, there's no trigger to start your cycle so I tend to go anywhere from 35 to 65 days between periods. I reminded my doctor of this and he agreed to write me a prescription for Provera to trigger my period. He then ordered some blood work to determine if I had ovulated this month.
About an hour later, the nurse called me at home: I had ovulated.
Of course I had! The girl with the condition that means she doesn't ovulate always ovulates the month when she needs an extra week before she gets her period. It's like the plot of a bad made for TV movie.
I spent about an hour on Thursday on the telephone with three different people from the clinic: the insurance liaison, Nurse A, my doctor's lead nurse, and Nurse B from the IVF team. They all agreed that Husband and I could take the training online and made a note for the training nurse (Nurse C) to call me on Saturday.
Just when I had that all resolved, I got a phone call about one of my cases. It was one of those situations that I had known for months was hanging by a thread. There were two possibilities: we'd get the case dismissed before the sh*t hit the fan or we wouldn't. Late on Thursday afternoon, I had confirmation that we wouldn't and on Friday, we had to go to court.
After numerous conferences with attorneys, appearances in front of the judge, and conversations with my client, I came to the realization that my client wasn't going to be leaving the courthouse with her 8 month old child. As we walked out of the courtroom, I explained this to her and predictably, she burst into tears. She started crying, the father started yelling, and the baby, in her mom's arms, stared at me wide-eyed obviously not knowing what was happening.
And I lost it.
I could tell for about twenty seconds before I started crying, that I was going to start crying. I tried the relaxation technique that my therapist had recommended (breathe in through the nose "Time" and out through the mouth "Out"), but it was too late.
Because the father was yelling, several security officers came running to where we were standing. I can only imagine when they saw him yelling and me crying, that they thought he had attacked me because they all rushed to me first. I shook my head to let them know that I was fine. Then I realized that if I wanted tissues, I had to go back into the courtroom, thus exposing myself to even more people who would have no idea why I was seemingly taking this so hard.
It was awful. Of course, it was awful for my client, but (and I know this sounds a little cold) I've been through this exact situation before and I was fine. On Friday, it was something about everything that we've been going through that just hit me...hard.
After I calmed down, and calmed my client down, I went back to my office, where I promptly started crying again. Then when Husband got home that evening, I had my third cry of the day. I swear there's no way I have any tears left!
Oh Kathleen, you stinker!
Happy Sunday!
*Disclaimer* Obviously some medical information is contained in this post.
Following my hysterosalpingogram last month, Husband, my doctor, and I decided that it seemed logical to take the next step to IVF. We'd attempted IUI three times without any success. Though the hysterosalpingogram showed no medical reason for the failed IUIs, it just seemed silly to continue that option, especially when another option, with much higher rates of success was available to us.
Husband and I are super lucky in that his insurance provides amazing coverage in this regard. There have been so many times I've seen other couples handing over hundreds of dollars as a co-pay, or in some instances just paying out of pocket 100%. Our co-pay is only $35 and our insurance pays for four egg retrievals in my life time. This really impressed our insurance liaison since most companies pay for a certain number of "cycles", but by classifying as "retrievals", we have the option for more if we opt to freeze embryos. It's nice to know that Husband's long hours at work are good for something!
But anyway, we met with our insurance liaison and she explained the process of beginning IVF. First, we had to attend an information seminar with about 40 other couples. We did that two weeks ago.
I got to the seminar early and snagged an aisle seat by the door. Husband arrived a little late and joined me. A few minutes after Husband arrived, the husband of the woman sitting next to us showed up: a guy we attended law school with and whose father Husband currently works for. Needless to say Husband spent most of the seminar making sure this other guy didn't recognize him. Whereas I spent the seminar wondering what the law school put in our water since this makes the eighth person we know who had to participate in some sort of fertility treatment.
Don't get me wrong, I did pay attention to most of the presentation and let me just say this: there should be a test before people are allowed to procreate, particularly in a controlled setting like a fertility clinic.
 |
| Let's play Guess That Embryo! Who does this embryo look like? |
Random Dumb Dude: "How do you make sure you don't mix up the specimens?"
Doctor: "What"
Random Dumb Dude: (And I swear he actually said this) Well, all babies look kind of alike so I assume that all embryos look kind of alike. How do you make sure that you transfer the embryos into the right uterus?
Doctor: "We label everything. Several times and in several different ways."
Duh.
What I wish my doctor had said was, "You, sir, are too stupid to have children. Please leave now."
So basically this guy is under the impression that the embryos are running around looking anything like their eventual parents and that's how the lab technicians figure out which embryos belong to which couple. I told Husband that I'm going to make it my mission in life to accidentally have Random Dumb Dude's baby.
Husband agreed that would be awesome because (1) it would be freakin' hysterical and (2) he would be able to stay home and watch baseball rather than going back down to our clinic to make a "deposit" of his own.
Thankfully that was the only truly stupid question of the night and the seminar ended without further incident.
Onto step two of the IVF process: an individual meeting with our doctor.
We did this on Wednesday afternoon. I like my doctor a lot and he let us call the shots on a few issues that I thought he might push back on (i.e. the number of embryos to transfer). My suspicion is that Husband wooed him a bit with his questions about success statistics. The doctor was basically chasing us down the hall to give Husband the most up-to-date though not-yet-published statistics from the clinic. I told Husband that he was probably so excited to be asked intelligent questions as opposed to "Where do babies come from?" (Random Dumb Dude, I'm looking at you) that he wanted to extend the conversation as long as possible!
 |
| This embryo appears to be in disguise. Can you figure out who it belongs to or are you stumped like Random Dumb Dude? |
My diagnosis is Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome which basically means that I don't always ovulate. When you don't ovulate, there's no trigger to start your cycle so I tend to go anywhere from 35 to 65 days between periods. I reminded my doctor of this and he agreed to write me a prescription for Provera to trigger my period. He then ordered some blood work to determine if I had ovulated this month.
About an hour later, the nurse called me at home: I had ovulated.
Of course I had! The girl with the condition that means she doesn't ovulate always ovulates the month when she needs an extra week before she gets her period. It's like the plot of a bad made for TV movie.
I spent about an hour on Thursday on the telephone with three different people from the clinic: the insurance liaison, Nurse A, my doctor's lead nurse, and Nurse B from the IVF team. They all agreed that Husband and I could take the training online and made a note for the training nurse (Nurse C) to call me on Saturday.
Just when I had that all resolved, I got a phone call about one of my cases. It was one of those situations that I had known for months was hanging by a thread. There were two possibilities: we'd get the case dismissed before the sh*t hit the fan or we wouldn't. Late on Thursday afternoon, I had confirmation that we wouldn't and on Friday, we had to go to court.
After numerous conferences with attorneys, appearances in front of the judge, and conversations with my client, I came to the realization that my client wasn't going to be leaving the courthouse with her 8 month old child. As we walked out of the courtroom, I explained this to her and predictably, she burst into tears. She started crying, the father started yelling, and the baby, in her mom's arms, stared at me wide-eyed obviously not knowing what was happening.
And I lost it.
I could tell for about twenty seconds before I started crying, that I was going to start crying. I tried the relaxation technique that my therapist had recommended (breathe in through the nose "Time" and out through the mouth "Out"), but it was too late.
Because the father was yelling, several security officers came running to where we were standing. I can only imagine when they saw him yelling and me crying, that they thought he had attacked me because they all rushed to me first. I shook my head to let them know that I was fine. Then I realized that if I wanted tissues, I had to go back into the courtroom, thus exposing myself to even more people who would have no idea why I was seemingly taking this so hard.
It was awful. Of course, it was awful for my client, but (and I know this sounds a little cold) I've been through this exact situation before and I was fine. On Friday, it was something about everything that we've been going through that just hit me...hard.
After I calmed down, and calmed my client down, I went back to my office, where I promptly started crying again. Then when Husband got home that evening, I had my third cry of the day. I swear there's no way I have any tears left!
On Saturday morning, I woke up feeling crampy. Of course I was!
Luckily we had an appointment to go meet with Nurse C. We needed to sign some releases and she had to go over the instructional packet with us. While we were there I mentioned that I expected to get my period later in the day. The one pharmacy that our insurance allows us to use is closed on weekends...and in Florida so best case scenario we'd have the meds by Tuesday, two days after we needed them. Husband said that he'd be willing to pay for the meds out of pocket and fight insurance ourselves for a reimbursement, but thankfully Nurse C had some sample medication in the lab that she reserved for us. The sample meds will get us through Tuesday when the pharmacy finally decides to ship everything to us.
So we officially start the medications on Sunday. My dose of gonadotropin is 200 iu, up from 75 iu on the last IUI attempt so I'm expecting some more serious side effects. I got off easy with the lower doses, really only feeling slightly elevated moods and more tired than usual.
And lest anyone think that the medical professionals have managed to outsmart my body's attempts to sabotage this entire process, consider this: our projected timeline based on a start date of Sunday February 13 means a transfer on February 25, a day that I had intended to travel two hours to visit a friend and her new baby and that Husband had scheduled a deposition...in Florida.
And lest anyone think that the medical professionals have managed to outsmart my body's attempts to sabotage this entire process, consider this: our projected timeline based on a start date of Sunday February 13 means a transfer on February 25, a day that I had intended to travel two hours to visit a friend and her new baby and that Husband had scheduled a deposition...in Florida.
Oh Kathleen, you stinker!
Happy Sunday!
Friday, February 11, 2011
Queen Song of the Week: Tie Your Mother Down
Next in the set list of the band's 1982 concert at the Milton Keynes Bowl was Bohemian Rhapsody. Check out my review of that song here. Now, of course, Bohemian Rhapsody on stage is quite different from Bohemian Rhapsody in the studio: the band never performed the entire song on stage until 2002 when RT and Dr. May performed at the Queen's Golden Jubilee.
Following BoRhap, the boys played Tie Your Mother Down...
Video courtesy of queenofficial.
Can I make a confession?
I actually hate this song.
Now, there are few songs that I passionately hate. Takin' Care of Business by Bachman Turner Overdrive is one. Wind Beneath My Wings by Bette Milder is another. And then there's Tie Your Mother Down.
Lest I unduly influence any of you, I'll keep my reasons for hating this song to myself and allow you to judge for yourself. I can tell you that many Queen fans not only really like, but love, this song so it's quite possible that I'm completely alone in this opinion.
Tie Your Mother Down was written by Dr. May. It appeared on the band's 1976 album A Day at the Races. The song was released as a single in 1977 and peaked at #31 and #49 on the U.K. and U.S. charts, respectively.
So, there you have it. Take a listen to the song and make up your own mind about it.
Happy Listening!
Following BoRhap, the boys played Tie Your Mother Down...
Video courtesy of queenofficial.
Can I make a confession?
I actually hate this song.
Now, there are few songs that I passionately hate. Takin' Care of Business by Bachman Turner Overdrive is one. Wind Beneath My Wings by Bette Milder is another. And then there's Tie Your Mother Down.
Lest I unduly influence any of you, I'll keep my reasons for hating this song to myself and allow you to judge for yourself. I can tell you that many Queen fans not only really like, but love, this song so it's quite possible that I'm completely alone in this opinion.
Tie Your Mother Down was written by Dr. May. It appeared on the band's 1976 album A Day at the Races. The song was released as a single in 1977 and peaked at #31 and #49 on the U.K. and U.S. charts, respectively.
So, there you have it. Take a listen to the song and make up your own mind about it.
Happy Listening!
Thursday, February 10, 2011
Been Caught Stealin': What I Wore
Today's What I Wore post has a bit of a theme: I bought key items from each of these outfits from Ann Taylor/Loft and got them on super sale! Whee!
Or you could say I got a steal of a deal. But don't really steal. Oh Bob Odenkirk, you write a sketch for everything!
To the outfits!
Dress, Loft
Cardigan, Loft
Plum Paisley Tights, Anthropologie
Dr. Scholl's Flats, DSW
Necklace, QVC
Earrings, Kohls
Inch of Gold bracelets, Cruise ship purchases
My Brian May dress! Yay! This pretty was part of Loft's 50% off new arrivals promotion back in July. That combined with my mom's $15 off birthday discount brought this dress down to about $30. I had long envisioned that the ruffle placket of this dress would look nice with the similarly ruffled cardigan. The tights add a bit of color. And the shoes...oh the shoes. If I had to redo this outfit over again, I'd wear a different shoe. I seem to remember there was a reason why I chose flats that day so I assume it was weather-related. In the future, I'll wear boots and bring along the proper footwear to change into.
Dress, Ann Taylor
Cardigan, Loft
Swirling Villages Surplice Dress Belt, Anthropologie
Hue Tights, Macys
Necklace, Kohls
Bracelets, Kohls
This dress was marked down to $20 final sale at Ann Taylor last Christmas. It's so comfortable and the price was just too good to pass up. There have been so many times I've seen this dress in my closet and considered wearing it, but for one reason or another, I change my mind. Mostly, I think I've got it in my head that it's too dressy for work: the cardigan and belt dressed it down pretty effectively. I got lots of compliments on all different aspects of the outfit so I'm definitely going to have to figure out a way to incorporate the dress into my wardrobe more often!
Ruffled Tank, Loft
Whipped Woolens Cardigan, Anthropologie
Modern Trousers, Ann Taylor
Nine West Boots, DSW
Belt, Target
Necklace, Banana Republic
This tank is one of my latest acquisitions from Loft. It was marked down to $29.99 and then on top of that the store was running a 50% off sale promotion. I've been in the market for more patterned tops and this one fit the bill. I loved the ruffle and the bright colors. For $15? How could I pass it up? I have definitely decided though that I need to invest in another pair of non-leather shoes. Every time it snows, I have no option but to wear these same boots and frankly, I'm getting a little sick of them!
More shopping is in my future, I guess! If only I had the same lunch with getting shoes on super sale!
Oh and for those of you missing a Star Trek post this week (I promise I'll write about Data's role in Nemesis next week), check out my sister's post over at The Square Root of Style. She spotted Mr. Spiner is a pre-Data role and was awesome enough to write a whole post about it! Very cool!
Happy Thursday!
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
Perched and Patterned Mug or a Mug by Any Other Name...
This past weekend I bundled up and headed to Anthropologie to get a price adjustment on my Field Skirt (which I promise I will someday actually wear and photograph). I'd just received my February catalog and had an idea.
Lots of girls just go ga-ga over the catalog, but typically I don't. I must prefer to see the practical side of pieces rather than the whimsical: never in a million years could I ever even dream of wearing that sweater with those boots way. I tend to gravitate towards pieces that are more wearable in my everyday life. However, when I saw the back page of the catalog I gasped.
Enter the Perched and Patterned Mug in Red Motif (to match my guest bathroom). At $14, it is much more reasonably priced meaning that I won't go into heart failure if I ever accidentally knock it off the counter. I couldn't wait to get home to put my brushes into this mug and they look just as cute as I had imagined. Hurray!
And because I'm on a price adjustment roll, this pretty little mug went on sale this morning. I'm debating whether it's worth it to ask for a $6.05 price adjustment, but HEY that's $6.05 that I can spend on some other pretty thing!
Be sure to check out my guest post today over at roxy's awesome blog Effortless Anthropologie. I was so flattered when she asked me to participate in her "Things I Love" feature since her blog is not only one of the first I ever started reading, but also one of my favorites.
Happy Tuesday!
Lots of girls just go ga-ga over the catalog, but typically I don't. I must prefer to see the practical side of pieces rather than the whimsical: never in a million years could I ever even dream of wearing that sweater with those boots way. I tend to gravitate towards pieces that are more wearable in my everyday life. However, when I saw the back page of the catalog I gasped.
How completely adorable are these stackable giraffe and elephant pots? I immediately thought how I could use them for my make-up brushes, which at the time were stuffed in my toothbrush holder in our guest bathroom. I decided that when I did make my voyage out in the cold to Anthropologie, I would definitely see if these items were in stock.
Then I saw the price tags. $128 for three stackable giraffes? $78 for a stinkin' elephant? Yowsers!
Surely, I could find a cheaper alternative. And I did!
And because I'm on a price adjustment roll, this pretty little mug went on sale this morning. I'm debating whether it's worth it to ask for a $6.05 price adjustment, but HEY that's $6.05 that I can spend on some other pretty thing!
Be sure to check out my guest post today over at roxy's awesome blog Effortless Anthropologie. I was so flattered when she asked me to participate in her "Things I Love" feature since her blog is not only one of the first I ever started reading, but also one of my favorites.
Happy Tuesday!
Monday, February 7, 2011
The Super Bowl According to Kathleen: Favorite Commercials
Last night Husband made me watch the Super Bowl. I had assumed that since his team had already been eliminated that we'd be fast-forwarding through most of the game and watching the commercials. So imagine my horror when I realized at one point that Husband had gone to the bathroom and PAUSED THE GAME!
I knew I was in for a long night. Luckily being the resourceful little blogger that I am, I thought I'd take the four hours of time between commercials that I apparently now had on my hands to write about my favorite commercials of the evening.
First Half:
Bridgestone Tires, "Reply All" -- Best Commercial of the First Half
Video courtesy of wish.
This was the first commercial of the night that caused me to actually laugh out loud. This commercial was a success for a few reasons: first, everyone is familiar with that horror of thinking you sent out an email to the wrong person and second, the physical comedy of this guy knocking over the pot of coffee onto the laptop and wrestling the phone out of the hands of the hiker. Then at the end we have the famous "switch-a-roo" of which I'm always a fan! Good work, Bridgestone Tires!
CareerBuilder, "Working With Monkeys"
Video courtesy of CareerBuilder.
You can't go wrong when you include monkeys. That's basically my motto. This commercial made me giggle, but would have been even funnier with more monkey screen time. Strong effort, CareerBuilder, but take note for next year: More monkeys = Happier Kathleen
Volkswagen, "The Force"
Video courtesy of Volkswagen.
Another completely manipulative and exploitative ad featuring a tiny child dressed in a Darth Vader costume. I was already boarding on cute overload before the lil' Vader turned on the car with his powers only to startle himself. Not sure what this has to do with Volkswagen, but it sure was adorable!
Half Time Show:
Now I happen to enjoy the Black Eyed Peas myself. And I have to say, I was pleased when I heard that the Super Bowl had finally gotten brave enough to ask a more current musical artist to perform the half time show. I don't think I'm alone when I say that The Who's performance last year was near embarrassing.
At first I was a little annoyed at the synchronized clapping of the folks on the field. Hm, where have I seen that before? Oh yeah, Queen at Live Aid more than 25 years ago...and that wasn't choreographed.
But then the suits lit up and the choreographed dancing continued (culminating in an awesome quadruple arrow formation and ultimately with enormous red hearts) and at that point I decided that I approved of the shenanigans.
I was glad when Slash actually showed up to perform Sweet Child O' Mine because otherwise that would have been a really random song choice, but was Fergie trying to sing like Axl Rose or did she just develop a bit of a frog in her throat for that song only? Despite Slash's appearance, I'd say that was the weakest song of the set.
Overall, I thought the show was pretty good. I liked how they played snippets of a bunch of different songs instead of playing only three or four songs in their entirety. I remember a few years ago being so annoyed when Bruce Springsteen played 10th Avenue Freezeout, NOT one of my favorites, and I had to just suffer through it for five minutes. Blah. The Black Eyed Peas were slightly reminiscent of Prince, who was one of the best half time shows ever (in the rain no less) so they were definitely operating out of the "Make Kathleen Happy Playbook".
The only thing that could have made the show better? A monkey.
Well played, Black Eyed Peas!
Second Half:
E*Trade, "Talking Baby"
Video courtesy of ZPsBackUp.
Boy this has been a polarizing ad campaign. Ever since it was first introduced a few years back, people either love or hate these "talking" babies. Personally I'm a fan, which is odd because typically posed babies freak me out (Exhibit A. I'm sorry but just because you can stuff your baby into a watering can doesn't mean you should.) Anyway, despite this aversion to the use of babies, these ads really make me giggle. This one in particular was completely adorable at the end when the baby puts his finger to the tailor's mouth and says, "Shush." Love it!
House M.D., Fox - Best Commercial of the Second Half
Video courtesy of MsHousefan1.
Now, I divorced House last season. I'd watch every week and get annoyed at every single character. Finally, I told Husband that I had gotten to the point where the only character on the show I actually liked was House...and that made me feel really rotten about myself...so I wasn't going to watch anymore. This commercial though, was freakin' funny. A parody of the famous Mean Joe Green commercial from the late 1970s, House first refuses a churro from a young admirer then tosses his cane to the boy...knocking him over. Oh House, good work: take something we all know and love and give it the old "switch-a-roo". It's almost enough to convince me to start watching again!
Most Random (i.e. Awesome) Celebrity Cameo of the Night: Kenny G in Audi ad
If you know anything about me, you know that I love a good random celebrity cameo. I'm not talking about Adrian Brody in a Stella Artois ad. Or even Justin Bieber in a Best Buy ad. I'm talking about a 100% completely out of left field, random-ass celebrity. One of my favorite Super Bowl commercials EVER is this Emerald Nuts spot featuring Robert Goulet. This Audi ad had potential. Watching the two wealthy prisoners try to escape was pretty funny, but it could have been an ad for anything, nothing about it was specific to an Audi car. The Kenny G music was an unexpected choice, but the man himself serenading a prisoner at the end of the ad was the best moment. Sadly, afterwards I thought about how I should consider buying a Kenny G CD not an Audi car. Better luck next year, Audi.
WTF Moment: Eminem in Lipton Brisk Iced Tea ad and Chrysler ad
In the Brisk Iced Tea ad, which aired first, Eminem (in voice over) talks about getting asked to do so many ads, but then he ends up hating the product and refuses, but he really loves Lipton Brisk Iced Tea so he was happy to do the ad. Then during the third quarter, Eminem showed up in an ad for Chrysler automobiles.
Um, Eminem, not to be a brat, but did you tell the Lipton folks that you had actually agreed to do another commercial FOR THE SUPER BOWL? If I were the Lipton people, I'd be pretty annoyed! Do you think we're that stupid? That we forget that you're in two Super Bowl ads, one of which is claiming that you don't do lots of ads. Did you assume that because you're animated in one somehow we wouldn't realize it was you? Both of the ads were actually pretty good, but all I'm saying is you've got some 'xplaining to do, Eminem!
Worst Campaign of the Night: Pepsi Max
I'm not entirely sure why the folks over at Pepsi thought it would be funny to build an entire marketing campaign around people using Pepsi Max cans to assault each other, but I was not amused. In the first slot, a woman throws her can at her husband after he checks out an attractive runner. He ducks and the runner gets knocked out. In the second ad, a nerd uses a Pepsi Max cooler launcher to shoot cans at the groin of a man who had previously been teasing him. The point of the first two commercials was to emphasize that Pepsi Max has no calories, but I'm sure there are ways to make that point beyond throwing cans at people.* Clearly, Pepsi Max felt the same way because the third ad abandoned the idea completely: this time featuring a couple on a first date with the young man's desire to sleep with his companion is interrupted only by his wanting her can of Pepsi Max. All I can say is that at least the first two ads had a semblance of a point. Complete miss, Pepsi Max. Try again next year (if you're even still around).
*Lest any of you think me a hypocrite, allow me to distinguish between why I found the Pepsi Max commercials upsetting, yet enjoyed the House commercial where he throws his cane at the young child. In the House commercial, House isn't trying to hit the kid with the cane. He's trying to be inspirational and toss the young admirer a souvenir. That, in addition to the familiarity we all have with the original commercial, is what makes this ad funny. The Pepsi Max ads are just mean.
The good news is that I made it through the entire game and that it ended before 10:30pm! The fourth quarter just flew by because I spent it scouring the Internet for the House ad. Usually the fourth quarter just crawls by so that was exciting!
Congratulations to the Green Bay Packers for winning the 45th Super Bowl. Enjoy my kind words now, boys, because I can assure you that by this evening, I will have forgotten who was even playing.
What were your favorite commercials? Do you agree with my picks?
Happy Monday!
I knew I was in for a long night. Luckily being the resourceful little blogger that I am, I thought I'd take the four hours of time between commercials that I apparently now had on my hands to write about my favorite commercials of the evening.
First Half:
Bridgestone Tires, "Reply All" -- Best Commercial of the First Half
Video courtesy of wish.
This was the first commercial of the night that caused me to actually laugh out loud. This commercial was a success for a few reasons: first, everyone is familiar with that horror of thinking you sent out an email to the wrong person and second, the physical comedy of this guy knocking over the pot of coffee onto the laptop and wrestling the phone out of the hands of the hiker. Then at the end we have the famous "switch-a-roo" of which I'm always a fan! Good work, Bridgestone Tires!
CareerBuilder, "Working With Monkeys"
Video courtesy of CareerBuilder.
You can't go wrong when you include monkeys. That's basically my motto. This commercial made me giggle, but would have been even funnier with more monkey screen time. Strong effort, CareerBuilder, but take note for next year: More monkeys = Happier Kathleen
Volkswagen, "The Force"
Video courtesy of Volkswagen.
Another completely manipulative and exploitative ad featuring a tiny child dressed in a Darth Vader costume. I was already boarding on cute overload before the lil' Vader turned on the car with his powers only to startle himself. Not sure what this has to do with Volkswagen, but it sure was adorable!
Half Time Show:
Now I happen to enjoy the Black Eyed Peas myself. And I have to say, I was pleased when I heard that the Super Bowl had finally gotten brave enough to ask a more current musical artist to perform the half time show. I don't think I'm alone when I say that The Who's performance last year was near embarrassing.
At first I was a little annoyed at the synchronized clapping of the folks on the field. Hm, where have I seen that before? Oh yeah, Queen at Live Aid more than 25 years ago...and that wasn't choreographed.
But then the suits lit up and the choreographed dancing continued (culminating in an awesome quadruple arrow formation and ultimately with enormous red hearts) and at that point I decided that I approved of the shenanigans.
I was glad when Slash actually showed up to perform Sweet Child O' Mine because otherwise that would have been a really random song choice, but was Fergie trying to sing like Axl Rose or did she just develop a bit of a frog in her throat for that song only? Despite Slash's appearance, I'd say that was the weakest song of the set.
Overall, I thought the show was pretty good. I liked how they played snippets of a bunch of different songs instead of playing only three or four songs in their entirety. I remember a few years ago being so annoyed when Bruce Springsteen played 10th Avenue Freezeout, NOT one of my favorites, and I had to just suffer through it for five minutes. Blah. The Black Eyed Peas were slightly reminiscent of Prince, who was one of the best half time shows ever (in the rain no less) so they were definitely operating out of the "Make Kathleen Happy Playbook".
The only thing that could have made the show better? A monkey.
Well played, Black Eyed Peas!
Second Half:
E*Trade, "Talking Baby"
Video courtesy of ZPsBackUp.
Boy this has been a polarizing ad campaign. Ever since it was first introduced a few years back, people either love or hate these "talking" babies. Personally I'm a fan, which is odd because typically posed babies freak me out (Exhibit A. I'm sorry but just because you can stuff your baby into a watering can doesn't mean you should.) Anyway, despite this aversion to the use of babies, these ads really make me giggle. This one in particular was completely adorable at the end when the baby puts his finger to the tailor's mouth and says, "Shush." Love it!
House M.D., Fox - Best Commercial of the Second Half
Video courtesy of MsHousefan1.
Now, I divorced House last season. I'd watch every week and get annoyed at every single character. Finally, I told Husband that I had gotten to the point where the only character on the show I actually liked was House...and that made me feel really rotten about myself...so I wasn't going to watch anymore. This commercial though, was freakin' funny. A parody of the famous Mean Joe Green commercial from the late 1970s, House first refuses a churro from a young admirer then tosses his cane to the boy...knocking him over. Oh House, good work: take something we all know and love and give it the old "switch-a-roo". It's almost enough to convince me to start watching again!
Most Random (i.e. Awesome) Celebrity Cameo of the Night: Kenny G in Audi ad
WTF Moment: Eminem in Lipton Brisk Iced Tea ad and Chrysler ad
Um, Eminem, not to be a brat, but did you tell the Lipton folks that you had actually agreed to do another commercial FOR THE SUPER BOWL? If I were the Lipton people, I'd be pretty annoyed! Do you think we're that stupid? That we forget that you're in two Super Bowl ads, one of which is claiming that you don't do lots of ads. Did you assume that because you're animated in one somehow we wouldn't realize it was you? Both of the ads were actually pretty good, but all I'm saying is you've got some 'xplaining to do, Eminem!
Worst Campaign of the Night: Pepsi Max
I'm not entirely sure why the folks over at Pepsi thought it would be funny to build an entire marketing campaign around people using Pepsi Max cans to assault each other, but I was not amused. In the first slot, a woman throws her can at her husband after he checks out an attractive runner. He ducks and the runner gets knocked out. In the second ad, a nerd uses a Pepsi Max cooler launcher to shoot cans at the groin of a man who had previously been teasing him. The point of the first two commercials was to emphasize that Pepsi Max has no calories, but I'm sure there are ways to make that point beyond throwing cans at people.* Clearly, Pepsi Max felt the same way because the third ad abandoned the idea completely: this time featuring a couple on a first date with the young man's desire to sleep with his companion is interrupted only by his wanting her can of Pepsi Max. All I can say is that at least the first two ads had a semblance of a point. Complete miss, Pepsi Max. Try again next year (if you're even still around).
*Lest any of you think me a hypocrite, allow me to distinguish between why I found the Pepsi Max commercials upsetting, yet enjoyed the House commercial where he throws his cane at the young child. In the House commercial, House isn't trying to hit the kid with the cane. He's trying to be inspirational and toss the young admirer a souvenir. That, in addition to the familiarity we all have with the original commercial, is what makes this ad funny. The Pepsi Max ads are just mean.
The good news is that I made it through the entire game and that it ended before 10:30pm! The fourth quarter just flew by because I spent it scouring the Internet for the House ad. Usually the fourth quarter just crawls by so that was exciting!
Congratulations to the Green Bay Packers for winning the 45th Super Bowl. Enjoy my kind words now, boys, because I can assure you that by this evening, I will have forgotten who was even playing.
What were your favorite commercials? Do you agree with my picks?
Happy Monday!
Saturday, February 5, 2011
Shop My Closet: Scalloped Dots Skirt
**UPDATE: SOLD**
I've had a few readers ask me if I've considered selling my rarely worn items. With all the recent snow days, I've had a chance to take a close look at my closet and I'm sad to announce that I'm ready to part with an item that I love so much yet was never able to incorporate into my wardrobe.
For Sale: Scalloped Dots Skirt, size 14. $50 including shipping (what I paid for the skirt).
The skirt measures about 17 inches across the waistband and about 22 inches across the widest part of the hip. Generally, most reviewers on Anthropologie's website found that this skirt runs a bit small. It has an exposed side zipper and the trim around the "scalloped" portion of the skirt is a bit frayed, but that's the look of the skirt.
I've only worn this pretty little skirt two times (here and here) and sadly it's just too short for me to wear at work, even with tights. It doesn't really fit into my casual wardrobe either so I've decided to offer it up to a community member who can give it the love and wear that it deserves!
If you are interested, please email me at princessoftaylor@gmail.com to make arrangements for payment and shipment.
Friday, February 4, 2011
Queen Song of the Week: Crazy Little Thing Called Love
Apologies for the lateness of today's Queen Song of the Week post. Husband and I had to attend a seminar last night and didn't get home until after 9pm! Unacceptable!
We're still working our way through the set list of Queen's 1982 concert at the Milton Keynes Bowl. That show has been released on CD and DVD as Queen: On Fire at the Bowl.
Now, I'm about to blow everyone's mind: the song Crazy Little Thing Called Love was not written or originally performed by Elvis Presley. Nor was it written by Dwight Yoakam or any other artist who has subsequently recorded the song.
Crazy Little Thing Called Love was written by Freddie Mercury...in his bathtub! The song appeared on the band's 1979 album, The Game. It was released as a single in 1979 where it peaked at #2 in the U.K. and #1 in the U.S. The song was the band's first #1 song in the U.S. and is their fourth best selling single of all time.
As the boys recall, the song came together rather quickly. Freddie wrote it while in the bath and the background vocals were recorded in less than 30 minutes! Another notable fact about the song is that Dr. May does not play his famous Red Special guitar. In fact, he uses a Telecaster owned by RT in order to add to the "period" feel of the song. And of course, the visual aspect of Freddie playing acoustic guitar on this song is rather famous for Queen fans and non-Queen fans alike!
This is a song that sounds nothing like Queen yet still somehow sounds like Queen: the vocals are immediately recognizable and, even using a different guitar, Dr. May has a distinctive style and, of course, the band's trademark background vocals are used here.
Often I forget about this song, but then after hearing it again, I'm reminded of how catchy and infectious it is! And obviously Fred did a great job of capturing the era he was going for since so many people thing the song is about thirty years older than it actually is! Well done, Freddie!
Happy Listening!
We're still working our way through the set list of Queen's 1982 concert at the Milton Keynes Bowl. That show has been released on CD and DVD as Queen: On Fire at the Bowl.
Now, I'm about to blow everyone's mind: the song Crazy Little Thing Called Love was not written or originally performed by Elvis Presley. Nor was it written by Dwight Yoakam or any other artist who has subsequently recorded the song.
Crazy Little Thing Called Love was written by Freddie Mercury...in his bathtub! The song appeared on the band's 1979 album, The Game. It was released as a single in 1979 where it peaked at #2 in the U.K. and #1 in the U.S. The song was the band's first #1 song in the U.S. and is their fourth best selling single of all time.
As the boys recall, the song came together rather quickly. Freddie wrote it while in the bath and the background vocals were recorded in less than 30 minutes! Another notable fact about the song is that Dr. May does not play his famous Red Special guitar. In fact, he uses a Telecaster owned by RT in order to add to the "period" feel of the song. And of course, the visual aspect of Freddie playing acoustic guitar on this song is rather famous for Queen fans and non-Queen fans alike!
This is a song that sounds nothing like Queen yet still somehow sounds like Queen: the vocals are immediately recognizable and, even using a different guitar, Dr. May has a distinctive style and, of course, the band's trademark background vocals are used here.
Often I forget about this song, but then after hearing it again, I'm reminded of how catchy and infectious it is! And obviously Fred did a great job of capturing the era he was going for since so many people thing the song is about thirty years older than it actually is! Well done, Freddie!
Happy Listening!
Thursday, February 3, 2011
Folsom Prison Blues: What I Wore
So...you know how in the future we say, "Remember that time it snowed for like forty straight days and we ended up with nearly five feet of snow piled up in our streets, front yards, and roofs and we had at least one, if not two snow days, every single week"
THIS IS THAT TIME!
Readers, I must admit, the first snow day of the season is exciting. An unexpected vacation spent in jammies, drinking hot chocolate and snuggling with puppies.
The second snow day of the season is a treat. Sure it was a little annoying to have to rearrange three court cases so I wouldn't have to go to court, only to find out that the courts were actually closed and I wouldn't have had to go anyway, but there was the jammies...and the hot chocolate...and the snuggling puppies.
The seventh snow day of the season is just freakin' ridiculous.
I feel like I'm under house arrest. Like I've committed some horrible crime and now I'm stuck in my house, only allowed to wear jammies, drink hot chocolate and if another puppy even thinks about snuggling with me, I'm going to throw it into that nineteen foot snow drift in our backyard.
Seriously. I'm sick of snuggling with puppies! I want to put on pants!
And is it totally irrational of me to be thrilled that for the first time in years, Punxsutawney Phil didn't see his shadow, thus predicting an early spring?
Don't answer that.
That said, here are some outfits from weeks ago, when I actually occasionally left my house and didn't have to wear big snow boots and leave two hours earlier than normal so I could safely navigate the roads at 30 miles per hour.
Today is my first day back at work since Monday and let me just say, I'm thrilled to be out of the house. I sat in court and waited for three hours to get a case continued this morning and there was a smile on my face the entire time.
THIS IS THAT TIME!
Readers, I must admit, the first snow day of the season is exciting. An unexpected vacation spent in jammies, drinking hot chocolate and snuggling with puppies.
The second snow day of the season is a treat. Sure it was a little annoying to have to rearrange three court cases so I wouldn't have to go to court, only to find out that the courts were actually closed and I wouldn't have had to go anyway, but there was the jammies...and the hot chocolate...and the snuggling puppies.
The seventh snow day of the season is just freakin' ridiculous.
I feel like I'm under house arrest. Like I've committed some horrible crime and now I'm stuck in my house, only allowed to wear jammies, drink hot chocolate and if another puppy even thinks about snuggling with me, I'm going to throw it into that nineteen foot snow drift in our backyard.
Seriously. I'm sick of snuggling with puppies! I want to put on pants!
And is it totally irrational of me to be thrilled that for the first time in years, Punxsutawney Phil didn't see his shadow, thus predicting an early spring?
Don't answer that.
That said, here are some outfits from weeks ago, when I actually occasionally left my house and didn't have to wear big snow boots and leave two hours earlier than normal so I could safely navigate the roads at 30 miles per hour.
Secret Treasure Dress, Anthropologie
Cardigan, Geoffrey Beane Outlet
Hue Ribbed Tights, Macys
AK Anne Klein Pumps, Macys
Necklace, Loft
Nonpareil Bracelet, Anthropologie
So this outfit idea was totally borrowed from the lovely Sara over at You, Me & Anthropologie. She owns the Beda Dress is the same green color as my Secret Treasure Dress and styled it really nicely for winter here. This is one of my favorite dresses and I was so sad to have to basically tuck it away for the winter, but thanks to her great idea of styling it with an interesting cardigan but not one that is too crazy. This particular cardigan had just found its way home after a month-long accidental stay at the dry cleaners and I knew immediately that it's black and white pattern would do a great job of toning down the green, but not taking anything away from my pretty dress.
I was right and I got so many compliments on my dress that day! Even more then I've ever received when I wore it alone! Perhaps winter isn't so bad after all if it allows me to showcase one of my most favorite dresses in a brand new way!
Creative Outlet Tank, Anthropologie
Ambrosial Cardigan, Anthropologie
Modern Trousers, Loft
Nine West Boots, Macys
If Color Could Talk Necklace, Anthropologie
Earrings, Kohls
So, funny story about this outfit:
Granted I rarely wear pants. And I even more rarely pull my hair back, but on this particular day, I liked how this look came together so I went with it.
Fast forward to 2pm when I was scheduled for court. Rather than meet in the courtroom, we met in the judge's lobby (i.e. office) because my teenage client was in attendance and we didn't want to freak her out. So we file into the judge's lobby: me, my client, and two other attorneys on the case.
The judge says hello to my client and to the two other attorneys and then asks if I'm the social worker.
He didn't recognize me!
Now, in his defense, I was newly assigned on the case so my name wasn't in the file and he wasn't expecting me to be there, but geesh, I've appeared in front of this judge for nearly five years! Am I that unmemorable?
It reminds me of one of those cheesy teenage movies where the nerdy girl takes down her hair and takes off her glasses and everyone realizes she's actually beautiful. Could I really just put on pants and pull back my hair and then masquerade as a superhero or something, Clark Kent-style?
Something to consider...
Mystery Language Tee, Anthropologie
Skinny Jeans, Banana Republic
Franko Sarto Panko Boots, Macys
Bracelet, Handmade by my sister-in-law
Earrings, Handmade (I think) by my Queen Secret Santa
Now, dear readers, for this outfit I require your assistance. While at Anthropologie this past weekend, I stumbled upon this top in the sale room. It felt super soft and comfy and I've been looking for more patterns so I took it into the fitting room with me...and loved it! I got home and attempted to identify it, but I'm still not 100% sure. I think it's the Late Blooming Tee in a different colorway, but I could be wrong (it's happened like once, or twice, before!) Whatever top it is, I'm in love with it and I'm sure you'll be seeing it often!
This outfit I wore to dinner for my sister-in-law's 29th birthday. When Husband first realized that my sister-in-law is only a few months younger than me, he totally freaked out. It was actually rather funny - it seems he thought dating someone younger than his sister was robbing the cradle. Luckily he's since gotten over that idea. Oh silly Husband!
I think I'm losing my mind!
At least I'm finally wearing pants again.
Happy Thursday!
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
Waiting for a Star to Fall, Part III & Happy Birthday Brent Spiner!
This has been a difficult post for me to write...for a few reasons.
First, everyone who commented on my last post really got me thinking about Data and his role on the Enterprise. More so than I really ever have before. I tend to have my thoughts in spurts as I watch individual episodes or movies, so to have other people manage to come up with a nice coherent comment that is applicable to the entire span of the Star Trek: The Next Generation experience was really eye-opening.
So now I'm struggling with the task of being not only thoughtful, but also of considering the bigger picture and not just Data and his role in this one particular movie.
Second, this is my favorite movie and for some reason I'm having a really hard time articulating why that's the case. It's due, I'm sure, in no small part to Data playing a key role in the plot, but there's got to be more to it than that because there are many scenes that do not include Data that I enjoy and because there is a major flaw in the main plot point that drives me crazy (more on this later).
Luckily I gave myself an extra week because I thought it would be fitting to post a review of Data's role in my favorite Star Trek: The Next Generation movie on the birthday of the actor who so magnificently brought Data to life: Brent Spiner.
Today is Brent Spiner's 62nd birthday! Happy Birthday, Brent! (Although darn you for not being born later in the month so I'd get a little more time to write this post!)
But since I gave myself a deadline, I'm going to meet it, regardless of how completely arbitrary it actually is.
Star Trek: First Contact
Okay so first let me say this, I realize now that I'm writing about First Contact and Insurrection out of order. For some reason, I always thought First Contact was more recent but now looking at the dates, I was obviously wrong. My bad.
Before we get into Data's role in this movie, let's address the major plot point that really bothers me: the Borg Queen.
I know I'm not alone in thinking that the Borg Queen makes little sense as a character in this movie. For anyone not familiar with the Borg, they "manifest as cybernetically enhanced humanoid drones of multiple species, organized as an interconnected collective, the decisions of which are made by a hive mind, linked to subspace domain." (Cite: Wikipedia - I know. I know, but this really is a great description of what Borg are! Give me a break, okay?)
I assume it's this "hive" mind that gave the writers the idea of the Borg having a queen. After all, bees have a hive and bees have a queen. So the Borg should have a queen too, right?
When the Borg Queen is first introduced, Data too is puzzled.
Data: Who are you?
Borg Queen: I am the Borg.
Data: That is a contradiction. The Borg have a collective consciousness, there are no individuals.
Borg Queen: I am the beginning, the end, the one who is many. I am the Borg.
Data: Greetings, I am curious, do you control the Borg Collective?
Borg Queen: You imply disparity where none exists, I am the Collective.
Confused yet? The explanation (which incidentally isn't really provided until the Borg Queen becomes a more frequent character in subsequent Star Trek series) seems to be that the Borg Queen is a single humanoid embodiment of the entire Borg collective. So, for example, if you invited the Borg over for dinner, instead of millions of Borg drones looking for a place in your living room to sit, she'd show up.
I guess.
Basically I think they just needed a female character in order to carry out the storyline that they had created for Data: the Borg want Data in their collective because, let's face it, he'd be an amazing addition and strengthen the collective significantly.
So in exchange for joining the Borg and becoming, in effect, her male counterpart, the Borg Queen offers Data the chance to become more human that he ever thought possible: real emotions, real senses, and, perhaps most extreme, real skin! She grafts a small portion of skin onto his forearm and suggests that she can use the same technique all over his body.
Data assures the Borg Queen that your "efforts to break the encryption codes will not be successful. Nor will your attempts to assimilate me into your collective."
But as is frequently the case where the Borg are concerned, resistance is futile.
While this is all going on, the rest of the crew is engaged in a...wait for it...time travel conundrum!
Ah, that must be the reason why I like this movie the best!
The Borg's plan is to prevent first contact between Earth and the Vulcans. In order to achieve their goal, they go back in time and prevent scientist Zephram Cochrane (James Cromwell) from launching his ship which ultimately obtains warp speed and attracts the attention of the Vulcans.
(And totally randomly, click here to see a news story from just this week which essentially says the same thing, but as actual science and not Star Trek stuff. Basically so long as we continue to operate slower than the speed of light, other potentially more advanced civilizations will have no reason to even know that we're here!)
Initially the Borg are successful and the Enterprise registers a population on Earth of approximately nine billion...all Borg! Captain Picard (Patrick Stewart) refuses to accept this new timeline and off he takes the Enterprise back in time to prevent the Borg from preventing first contact!
Wheee!
So it's hard to really get into too much detail about what Data's up to in this movie without spoiling the plot a bit. I'll try to be as vague as possible but if you haven't seen the movie, be warned!
Here is an example of Data pretending to be influenced by a foe when in reality, he has not been corrupted at all. He does this again in Star Trek: Nemesis, the final movie featuring the Star Trek: The Next Generation cast.
Fifteen minutes before First Contact ended, I was convinced that Data was a goner. And Picard too, for that matter.
It wasn't until the final showdown between Picard and the Borg Queen that I was actually convinced that Data was still loyal to the Enterprise. I mean, look at him. Blech!
Even Data admits to Picard that the Borg Queen's offer of "humanity" was enticing.
Data: And for a time, I was tempted by her offer.
Picard: How long a time?
Data: 0.68 seconds sir. For an android, that is nearly an eternity.
Luckily Data decides that he'd rather be an android on the Enterprise than a "human" in the Borg collective, thus taking the initial step towards becoming more fully human (a goal he ultimately does obtain at the end of Star Trek: Nemesis). He allows himself to be taken to the brink of what he's always wanted, knowing all along that ultimately he'll have to go back to where he started because that is what is best for the Federation. To Data, being human is something which he most desires; however, not, he determines, at the risk of harming the rest of humanity.
Rather altruistic of him, isn't it?
Although there is the consideration that "humanity" in the sense that the Borg Queen was offering it was not what Data aspired towards at all, making his choice an easier one. But remember that even Data's emotion chip couldn't provide him with the ability to "feel". Sure, he could experience emotions, but tactile sensations were totally foreign to him and something presumably far beyond anything he'd ever contemplated.
There's so much more that goes on in this movie that I don't want to give away here. If you have any interest in Star Trek at all, I'd recommend watching it for yourself. I'm sure you'll find plenty of other issues that I've not even touched on here.
Happy Watching!
And Happy Birthday Brent Spiner!
First, everyone who commented on my last post really got me thinking about Data and his role on the Enterprise. More so than I really ever have before. I tend to have my thoughts in spurts as I watch individual episodes or movies, so to have other people manage to come up with a nice coherent comment that is applicable to the entire span of the Star Trek: The Next Generation experience was really eye-opening.
So now I'm struggling with the task of being not only thoughtful, but also of considering the bigger picture and not just Data and his role in this one particular movie.
 |
| Photo: 2009 Las Vegas Star Trek Convention |
Luckily I gave myself an extra week because I thought it would be fitting to post a review of Data's role in my favorite Star Trek: The Next Generation movie on the birthday of the actor who so magnificently brought Data to life: Brent Spiner.
Today is Brent Spiner's 62nd birthday! Happy Birthday, Brent! (Although darn you for not being born later in the month so I'd get a little more time to write this post!)
But since I gave myself a deadline, I'm going to meet it, regardless of how completely arbitrary it actually is.
Okay so first let me say this, I realize now that I'm writing about First Contact and Insurrection out of order. For some reason, I always thought First Contact was more recent but now looking at the dates, I was obviously wrong. My bad.
Before we get into Data's role in this movie, let's address the major plot point that really bothers me: the Borg Queen.
I know I'm not alone in thinking that the Borg Queen makes little sense as a character in this movie. For anyone not familiar with the Borg, they "manifest as cybernetically enhanced humanoid drones of multiple species, organized as an interconnected collective, the decisions of which are made by a hive mind, linked to subspace domain." (Cite: Wikipedia - I know. I know, but this really is a great description of what Borg are! Give me a break, okay?)
I assume it's this "hive" mind that gave the writers the idea of the Borg having a queen. After all, bees have a hive and bees have a queen. So the Borg should have a queen too, right?
When the Borg Queen is first introduced, Data too is puzzled.
Data: Who are you?
Borg Queen: I am the Borg.
Data: That is a contradiction. The Borg have a collective consciousness, there are no individuals.
Borg Queen: I am the beginning, the end, the one who is many. I am the Borg.
Data: Greetings, I am curious, do you control the Borg Collective?
Borg Queen: You imply disparity where none exists, I am the Collective.
Confused yet? The explanation (which incidentally isn't really provided until the Borg Queen becomes a more frequent character in subsequent Star Trek series) seems to be that the Borg Queen is a single humanoid embodiment of the entire Borg collective. So, for example, if you invited the Borg over for dinner, instead of millions of Borg drones looking for a place in your living room to sit, she'd show up.
I guess.
Basically I think they just needed a female character in order to carry out the storyline that they had created for Data: the Borg want Data in their collective because, let's face it, he'd be an amazing addition and strengthen the collective significantly.
So in exchange for joining the Borg and becoming, in effect, her male counterpart, the Borg Queen offers Data the chance to become more human that he ever thought possible: real emotions, real senses, and, perhaps most extreme, real skin! She grafts a small portion of skin onto his forearm and suggests that she can use the same technique all over his body.
Data assures the Borg Queen that your "efforts to break the encryption codes will not be successful. Nor will your attempts to assimilate me into your collective."
But as is frequently the case where the Borg are concerned, resistance is futile.
While this is all going on, the rest of the crew is engaged in a...wait for it...time travel conundrum!
Ah, that must be the reason why I like this movie the best!
The Borg's plan is to prevent first contact between Earth and the Vulcans. In order to achieve their goal, they go back in time and prevent scientist Zephram Cochrane (James Cromwell) from launching his ship which ultimately obtains warp speed and attracts the attention of the Vulcans.
(And totally randomly, click here to see a news story from just this week which essentially says the same thing, but as actual science and not Star Trek stuff. Basically so long as we continue to operate slower than the speed of light, other potentially more advanced civilizations will have no reason to even know that we're here!)
Initially the Borg are successful and the Enterprise registers a population on Earth of approximately nine billion...all Borg! Captain Picard (Patrick Stewart) refuses to accept this new timeline and off he takes the Enterprise back in time to prevent the Borg from preventing first contact!
Wheee!
So it's hard to really get into too much detail about what Data's up to in this movie without spoiling the plot a bit. I'll try to be as vague as possible but if you haven't seen the movie, be warned!
Here is an example of Data pretending to be influenced by a foe when in reality, he has not been corrupted at all. He does this again in Star Trek: Nemesis, the final movie featuring the Star Trek: The Next Generation cast.
It wasn't until the final showdown between Picard and the Borg Queen that I was actually convinced that Data was still loyal to the Enterprise. I mean, look at him. Blech!
Even Data admits to Picard that the Borg Queen's offer of "humanity" was enticing.
Data: And for a time, I was tempted by her offer.
Picard: How long a time?
Data: 0.68 seconds sir. For an android, that is nearly an eternity.
Luckily Data decides that he'd rather be an android on the Enterprise than a "human" in the Borg collective, thus taking the initial step towards becoming more fully human (a goal he ultimately does obtain at the end of Star Trek: Nemesis). He allows himself to be taken to the brink of what he's always wanted, knowing all along that ultimately he'll have to go back to where he started because that is what is best for the Federation. To Data, being human is something which he most desires; however, not, he determines, at the risk of harming the rest of humanity.
Rather altruistic of him, isn't it?
Although there is the consideration that "humanity" in the sense that the Borg Queen was offering it was not what Data aspired towards at all, making his choice an easier one. But remember that even Data's emotion chip couldn't provide him with the ability to "feel". Sure, he could experience emotions, but tactile sensations were totally foreign to him and something presumably far beyond anything he'd ever contemplated.
There's so much more that goes on in this movie that I don't want to give away here. If you have any interest in Star Trek at all, I'd recommend watching it for yourself. I'm sure you'll find plenty of other issues that I've not even touched on here.
Happy Watching!
And Happy Birthday Brent Spiner!
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