A Banner Week for Women's Health

In case any of you happen to live under a rock and have not been watching the news for the past week, women's health was again at the forefront of news broadcasts and publications beginning last week, with Pfizer's announcement that it was recalling 14 lots each of Lo/Ovral-28 and generic Norgestrel and Ethinyl Estradiol birth control tablets.  I really had no concept of how many women this recall would affect at the time, but apparently, approximately 1 million packets were recalled, because some placebo pills were accidentally intermixed with active tablets.  It will be interesting to see what the implications of this grave mistake are (my money is on more than a few lawsuits).

Then, later in the week, the Susan G. Komen Foundation, one of the most visible breast cancer organizations, with a focus on providing care for early detection, and also on honoring survivors, announced that it was withdrawing its significant financial support from the Planned Parenthood organization, which, among other activities (such as providing breast cancer screening or getting access to it elsewhere for women who would not otherwise have access), happens to be the country's leading provider of abortions.  The news spread like a wildfire via the internet, with Facebook and Twitter users and bloggers alike (myself included) voicing their opposition to or support of the foundation's decision.  Within 24 hours, the Komen Foundation's CEO rescinded the decision, but not before the abortion debate was awakened again.

I have discussed abortion, and the pro-choice/pro-life debate with many of my friends, and I think each of us, no matter which side of the argument we fall on, has a problem with the language that is used in the debate.  I personally identify with the pro-choice argument, because I believe that it should be a woman's right to choose how to respond if she accidentally becomes pregnant, whether by consensual sex or by the act of rape.  I honestly do not know what I would do were I to find myself in that situation (and I hope that I never do), but I think it is my right to exercise control over my own body.  I say all of this with a caveat: while I am pro-choice, I also do not believe that women should go around having lots of random, unprotected sex and then, in the event that they do become pregnant, get an abortion. However, going back to how important language is in the construction of this debate, just because I identify with pro-choicers does not at all that I am pro-death or anti-life.  That, I believe, is where the problem lies.
I was just reading responses to an editorial in the New York Times regarding the Catholic Church and its strict pro-life stance (to the extent that Catholic institutions, such as the one I graduated from and now work for will not provide methods of birth control to employees or patients.  This means that, for example, were a woman whose doctor practices in a Catholic hospital be prescribed birth control, she could not fill the prescription in the hotel's pharmacy).  What I noticed, as I was reading these responses, was that all of them came from MEN.  Check it out.  Ladies, whether you are pro-life or pro-choice, I think we should all be able to agree that what we do with our bodies should not be dictated by a man, much less an organization whose entire leadership is MALE.  I am a practicing Catholic, and I certainly do not want my church's leadership, much less my government or my employer, to dictate my reproductive health.

I know that this is WAYYYYYYYY more political than I ever get on my blog, but this issue has really been on my mind a lot in the past week, so I wanted to get my thoughts out there.  I think that it is vitally important for all women, no matter what their political leanings, to be effective advocates for their own health, and the current news items that I have highlighted in this post further solidify that sentiment in my mind.  Please know that I respect any and all opinions that all of my readers have on this subject, because, as many have said, this really is the biggest and most divisive issue in American politics today, and it is certainly not black and white. I fully encourage you to voice any differing opinions that you may have here!

A Very D.C. Weekend

I hope you all had a fabulous weekend!  I know I did! 

Last week was sort of a slow week after the event we had had the previous weekend.  So, by the time Friday afternoon rolled around, I needed it to be the weekend so desperately that the minutes seemed to tick by.  On Friday night, Dan and I went to our favorite Chinese place in Rosslyn (which always provides the guarantee of enough leftovers for a second meal!) and then went to see Moneyball at the Avalon Theater in Chevy Chase.  I had never been to the Avalon before, and it is a really beautiful old theater that, after having been closed for some time, was able to re-open thanks to popular demand about ten years ago.  Being that we are both big-time baseball fans, we really loved the movie (I was even able to overlook my dislike of Brad Pitt), and I was positively beaming towards the end of the movie when Billy Beane travels to Fenway to meet with John Henry prior to the fateful 2003 season (effing Aaron Boone).  I really do miss New England, as well as the chance to visit America's Most Beloved Ballpark once or twice a year.  Anyway, after the movie, we went to this ADORABLE diner just down the block from the theater that was straight out of the 1950s and got milkshakes.  It felt reminiscent of a high school date night...mostly because the majority of the people there were high schoolers haha.  It was the perfect way to spend what I called our 11 monthiversary (I honestly can't believe it has been so long! Time flies when you're having fun!)!

On Saturday, we headed down to the Sculpture Garden to go ice skating (despite my impression that ice skating merely lasted for the Christmas season, the rink is actually open until March!).  Dan said that he would probably be a little rusty, since he hadn't skated in three years or so.  Well...he completely wiped the floor (er, ice) with me, and I went just a few months ago!  I couldn't believe his modesty.  We somehow avoided getting sideswiped by a guy who had no business being on the ice (seriously, he wiped out each time he moved!) and, thanks to a nice catch on Dan's part, we were fall-free! 

We figured out that neither of us had ever been to the National Archives so, since we were mere steps away, we hopped on over there...and lasted about 15 minutes.  The Archives are not all that extensive, and our attention spans were certainly not helped by our aching legs.  After I made a quick hot chocolate run (my body really couldn't keep heat in if it tried), we headed home and said our goodbyes until the Super Bowl party that Dan and his roommates were having, and I was left to contemplate all of the fun DC things we had done within the first 24 hours of the weekend's start.  Go us!!!

On Saturday night, we went out to Adams Morgan (more specifically, to our favorite bar there, Brass Monkey) for LOTS and LOTS of dancing.  It was fantastic, exactly what I needed (although, by the end of the night, with the combination of skating for 1.5 hours, running for nearly an hour and dancing for God knows how many hours, my legs were crying), and it was a great night out with friends!

On Sunday, Molly and I went to Mass in Georgetown, followed by brunch at, you guessed it, Tombs (we had initially decided on Chadwicks, but then both confessed that we both really wanted coffee cake!).  After running some errands, I headed over to Dan's for some football (which we all know I love...not.  I did argue to him, though, that for a girl, that's not bad, given that I love every other major sport, which he agreed with) and food (more specifically, cake! (and guac...and chips...and veggie crisps)).  It was the perfect end to the week (other than the fact that all of those insufferable New York fans have yet another reason to be insufferable), and, on the bus ride home, I actually ran into one of my old roommates, who is still a very close friend, so that made my trip home feel a lot shorter!

I hope everyone is having a very happy Monday!  With the blue, blue sky that I can look out on from my office, I wish I was playing outside right now :(

Decompression Weekend

As I said in the last post, I worked myself into the ground at work the past two weeks, so I was more than ready for a fun and relaxing weekend in Pittsburgh to recharge the batteries.  Once we knew for sure that I could go, I could finally get bouncing-off-the-walls excited about it!

We ended up getting on the road a bit earlier than I had anticipated, since I got to leave work on-time, so we were in Pittsburgh by about 10:30 on Friday night.  We sat around chatting with Dan's parents for a while, and I got a tour of their house before we crashed.  Over the course of the weekend, I came to realize that being at the R family's house made me really nostalgic for my own childhood home in Massachusetts.  Sure, I love the house that my parents moved into in Virginia, and I know that they're loving being in the DC area, but it's kind of sad not to have that childhood home to go home to over the holidays.  A townhouse can only feel like "home" to a certain extent, so I guess being in the house this weekend reminded me of that.

I woke up on Saturday morning much more rested, and Dan drove me around town to give me the grand tour of his hometown.  Though it was significantly larger than Longmeadow, it still had that small town charm about it, so it reminded me a lot of home.  I got to see the first house Dan lived in, the house where his dad grew up, all of the schools that he went to, and a bunch of other places around town.  After a delicious lunch that his mom whipped up for us, we drove over to Mt. Washington, which boasts beautiful, scenic views of downtown Pittsburgh.  However, when we were up there, it started hailing, which, when accompanied by strong winds, had us running back to the car.  We drove around the South Side, the city's bar district, before driving over to Oakland, more specifically, to Pitt's campus, where our Hoyas ended up suffering a depressing defeat at the hands of the Panthers.  After licking our wounds for a reasonable amount of time, we met up with some of Dan's high school friends at a bar in his hometown.

On Sunday morning, we went out to breakfast at a wonderful local diner with Dan's parents.  We got DELICIOUS hotcakes (pancakes with almost crepe-like thinness, mine rolled with cream cheese and blueberries), and then settled in back home to watch most of the Australian Open men's final.  We said our goodbyes shortly after 1 and were back on the road.

When we got home last night, I felt completely rejuvenated emotionally.  I had spent a fantastic weekend with my wonderful boyfriend and his family, who have been nothing but welcoming and sweet to me since I met them.  I feel so at-ease around them that I almost forget that it's not my own parents that I'm hanging out with, and I definitely count myself lucky in that respect!  Hopefully we'll be able to make another trip up there sometime soon, particularly when the weather is nicer :)

Sorry for being a delinquent blogger...

So, I've really dropped the ball in January, whether it has been with blogging or with journaling, and definitely with being in touch with friends.  When I got back from "vacation," work got hectically busy immediately, and my nights and weekends have gotten rather busy, too.  Because of that, I really can't tell you where January has gone, and I feel like I haven't really been balancing the people and things in my life very well.

This weekend is Welcome Weekend for our admitted students, so that, combined with the revving up of interview season again, has meant that I have been working myself into the ground for the past two weeks.  I'm not complaining, because, if I hadn't been logging those extra hours, we would not be in very good shape at all, but, due to a family emergency in the office, I have had to take more ownership of Welcome Weekend responsibilities, which has been both empowering and exhausting.  We have made it through the first half-day, though, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed that everything continues to go smoothly.

Back in December, when I discovered that I did not need to be here for the second day of Welcome Weekend, I was practically jumping for joy, because THAT meant that Dan and I could go back to Pittsburgh this weekend, first of all, for the Georgetown game (obviously we have our priorities straight haha), and also to spend some time with his family and friends.  There was a slight blip earlier on in the week when, because of that family emergency of a coworker, I thought that I might not be able to go, but luckily, despite my volunteering to cancel my travel plans (even though I would have been distraught had I not been able to go), my boss told me that she didn't want me to have to do so (bless her heart).  This trip was really my light at the end of the tunnel after these uberstressful last few weeks, so I was so relieved that I didn't have to cancel my plans.  I couldn't be more excited to see the town where he grew up, especially because he talks about it so much, and his family was so wonderful the first time I met them (they were so warm and welcoming that I instantly felt at-ease in their presence) that I'm thrilled that I'll get to spend some more time with them this weekend.  I even teased him last night and asked if there are lots of Little Dan pictures lying around the house, because I will definitely be on the prowl for them ;)  I am particularly excited to see Pittsburgh because I feel like, unlike with some other cities, Pittsburghians have such a fierce loyalty to their city, and it really defines who they are.  I was saying to him last night that it actually makes me slightly sad that, even though he has met my parents on multiple occasions and has also gone over to their house a few times, their house is not the house I grew up in, and their town is not the town I grew up in.  But, on the flip side of that, my parents now live a mere Metro ride away, so I'm not complaining...even if I AM slightly jealous of those two little girls who now live in the house I grew up in.

Another thing I have to look forward to?  A visit to TX with Kristin to go and see Kate for a few days, which, given that I have never been to Texas (and also have not seen my friends in a while), is definitely giving me something exciting to look forward to.  You had better bet that I'll be bringing my cowboy boots along with me :) C'mon, a girl has got to bust them out every once in a while, right?!  February should hopefully be much calmer at work, meaning that I hopefully won't feel as though I'm clawing my way to the finish line, like I have felt with our trip this weekend.

Movie Review: Gone Baby Gone

Yes, I know that the movie came out a few years ago, but last night, Dan and I watched Gone Baby Gone, one of many Boston crime dramas that, strangely, leave me unable to turn away.  I am not the crime drama type of person (chick flicks are more my style), but whenever it involves the state I grew up in, I just can't resist it.  The Departed, Boondock Saints, The Town, and now Gone Baby Gone...the Bostonians in those films have such a rawness and toughness to them, as well as a fierce sense of family.  I remarked at one point during Gone Baby Gone, "Wow, Bostonians are TOUGH!".  Anyway, the gist of the story is that Casey Affleck and Michelle Monaghan play private detectives brought on to a missing child case.  The child's mother (fabulously portrayed by Amy Ryan- why she did not win an Oscar for that performance, I have no idea) is the epitome of a negligent mother, lost in an underworld of drugs, sex and intimidation and entirely detatched from her four year-old daughter, Amanda. 

**SPOILER ALERT*** While it appears that Amanda has died in a set-up, Patrick (Casey Affleck) is so haunted by the case that he stops at nothing to find out what really happened.  It turns out that Amanda is alive, and has been living safely all along with a retired police captain (Morgan Freeman) whose own daughter was kidnapped and brutally murdered when she was twelve years old. Patrick, after agonizing over what he should do once discovering Amanda's whereabouts, decides to turn her over to the police and return her to her mother.  This film raised a lot of questions for both Dan and I, the first being, what would you do in a situation like that?  Would you turn a blind eye and condone kidnapping if it meant that the child would ultimately lead a happier life, or would you return her to her mother, where she is more than likely to be lost in the same heartbreaking cycle that her mother is in?  We both said that we would probably ultimately have returned Amanda to her mother, because, as guilty as we would feel for inevitably subjecting her to a terrible life, we cannot justify kidnapping a child.  However, this case is absolutely not black and white, so I could absolutely see arguing for the other side.  Does anyone have any thoughts?

Above all, we both remarked at how lucky we are to have been raised by the parents that we were raised by, who provided us with a stable home environment and no shortage of love and support.  There are so many children who do not have that advantage, and that is truly saddening.  Watching movies like that really make me count my blessings.  This was a real tearjerker, but I would highly recommend it.

2011 Wrap-Up and Thoughts on the New Year

Yes, I know we are now 12 days into the new year, but hopefully you'll cut me some slack since I was away when I normally would have written this post.  2011 was one wonderful year, that's for sure, and I will be amazed and grateful if 2012 is half the year that 2011 was!  Instead of doing a massively long post, I think I'll just bullet point all of the things I had to be grateful about last year:

• My parents moved back to DC, and I realized how truly fortunate I am to have them just a Metro ride away
• I moved into a wonderful new apartment!
• I gained lots of experience and had many more opportunities at work
• I got to spend time with old friends and get to know new ones
• I was fortunate enough to be reunited with my best friends 3 TIMES!
• My family and friends were in reasonably good health
• I got to explore new cities (namely, Chicago) and have gotten to know DC so much better as well.  Considering that I never left Georgetown as an undergrad, my overall understanding of the layout of DC has improved by leaps and bounds!
• 
  I met the guy who would turn into the most wonderful boyfriend a girl could ever ask for.  I can't believe we're coming up on our first anniversary so soon (March 3rd), and he makes me feel like the luckiest girl in the world!

I am not big on making New Year's resolutions (I am that angry everyday gym-goer who is visibly annoyed each year as my gym becomes infinitely more crowded for the month of January), but I actually kept mine last year (running my half-marathon!), so it made me want to try it again.  One of them comes with a caveat: if I am healthy enough (and if I can manage to avoid injury for longer than a week, which I have thus far been entirely unsuccessful at), I want to run the Marine Corps Marathon this year.  It is at the end of October/early November, so I'm hopeful that I can make it happen.  My other goal is to be more honest, however that manifests itself.  I am just about the most non-confrontational person you will ever meet, so speaking my mind can be difficult at times.  But I am committed to working on that this year, and have already had some good success with it! 

I can't wait to see all of the adventures and memories that 2012 holds! Wishing you all the happiness and good health in the world in this not-so-New Year!

Europe Photos

 For those of you who know me, you are well aware that I took far more photos than this!!!  But here are some highlights:

Edinburgh Castle (we actually got to go to a castle!!)

 View of beautiful Edinburgh from the castle...before the rains

 Fits right in haha

 Marche de Noel in Place Kleber, Strasbourg

Cathedrale de Notre Dame, Strasbourg

 

 My La Duree dessert...my mouth is watering just looking at the picture...le sigh

 Big Ben as seen from our bus tour

 Obligatory Tour Eiffel photo.  There really is nothing like it!!!

 Le mur de je t'aime, probably my favorite spot in Paris :)

 At Buckingham Palace (you can see the balcony where Will and Kate's post-wedding kisses were!!!)

 Sibs at the Guinness Storehouse

 Mom and Dad at a pub in Edinburgh

Outside the Guinness Storehouse...wearing his newly purchased Guinness hat