Historical context matters people!!

http://persephonemagazine.com/2010/12/listening-while-feminist-in-defense-of-baby-its-cold-outside/

https://www.theodysseyonline.com/baby-its-cold-outside-2622425571?utm_source=Facebook&utm_medium=Owned+Social&utm_campaign=Aud+Dev

The above links should be required reading for people who are suddenly up in arms about Baby It’s Cold Outside.

Back in the day when this little ditty was written, it was UNACCEPTABLE for a woman to stay the night at her boyfriend or fiancé’s house. Like, if you emerged from your boyfriend’s/fiancé’s house the next morning after a party, and someone saw you…girl you’d better be ready for some serious scandal and everyone questioning your reputation. Now-a-days, that viewpoint seems very anti-feminine…women should be allowed to stay the night with whomever right?

“What’s in this drink” was a common phrase of the time, often used by a person who wants to blame what they’re about to do on alcohol. It has NOTHING to do with him putting GHB or other date rape drugs in her drink.

In the song, the woman maintains her convictions to leave and never once does she cede them. She is only doing this to protect her reputation (see the lyrics about her family…since they’re obviously thinking the worst of her for staying).

The song was innocently written and has been around for 74 years!! And only now is it an issue. It wasn’t an issue for the people who wrote it, as they instantly became very much sought after for parties. It was a song sung to indicate to party attendees that it was time to head home.

If people want something to be enraged about in terms of songs that degrade women, here’s a list of songs:

Blurred Lines (Robin Thicke, T.I, Pharrell)

So Much Better (Eminem)

Gold Digger (Kanye West)

Better Than Revenge (Taylor Swift)

Fine China (Chris Brown)

Ain’t No Fun (Snoop Dogg)

U.O.E.N.O (Rocko, Rick Ross, Future)

It’s So Easy (Guns ‘n’ Roses)

Talk Dirty (Jason Derulo, 2 Chainz)

Bitches ain’t Shit (Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg)

Love Game (Eminem, Kendrick Lamar)

One Less Bitch (N.W.A)

Arms Around You (XXXTentacion, Lil Pump)

I Love It (Kanye West)

And there are many many more. Any of the above songs would be horrifically unacceptable and not tolerated on 1940s radio. But now they’re perfectly acceptable as they never made the news about how degrading they are to women in light of the #MeToo movement.

I hope this has enlightened the people who like to twist things to fit their own agendas (regardless of historical context), as well as those who like to blindly jump on bandwagons without doing their own research first.

All in all, listen to what you want…take it as you want…but don’t get pissed off when people point out how wrong you are and how hypocritical you are if you listen to any of the above songs or others like them.

In regards to the recent Avengers: Infinity War Piracy…

For those who love to watch/make pirated films, you should probably think twice. I get it, yes the stars and directors and studios make millions to billions of dollars. But that still doesn’t give you the right to steal. Not EVERYONE in the movie industry earns 6 or 7 figures. Some crew members earn $70,000/year which evens out to just under $6,000 monthly. And that’s probably before taxes. And only if the studio you work for can afford that. So you are stealing from them as well and their families.

It’s the theatres who’ve jacked up the ticket prices, and that’s because of you. The pirates. See, the money you pay at the theatre goes to the employees who give you your ticket and make sure the theatre is clean (or relatively) and who serve you your snacks and beverages. It goes to making sure your screen and sound work properly (so your pirated films look nice). To making sure the projector is up to date and they can replace parts if they need to. But if your argument then is how much money the theatre brings in, let me tell you this.

Someone somewhere will look at what YOU have and how YOUR house looks and say “pfft, they drive that kind of car” or “they live in that type of house in this type of neighbourhood. They can afford it..”…and break in and rob you. Would you just roll over and take it? No! You’d call the cops. You’d rant and vent about how much hard work you do to earn what you have. Well guess what?! THE SAME IS TRUE FOR THOSE YOU STEAL FROM. Piracy is a FEDERAL CRIME. They can charge you thousands in fines and you risk jail time. The movie industry has to deal with roughly a 3-4 billion dollar loss from piracy each year. Just yesterday, Avengers: Infinity War hit just over $1 billion. So think about that.

I get it. I get it. You’re stealing from the rich and giving to the poor. No. Sorry. You’re not Robin Hood. You’re stealing from people who may be trying to make ends meet (crew members, movie theatre employees). It’s not cheap to live where they live, but they are following their passion. Why would you make it harder on them to do that? Just because you want to make money off their work.

Films take a long time to make. Some can take 2 years or more. After convincing a studio to fund you, it’s writing, concept art, pre-production, filming (which isn’t as easy as some think), and post-production stuff. It’s years of hard work. Long hours. Blood, sweat, tears. Frustration. Set backs. Unexpected budget cuts. Sometimes death. Delays. But hey, they make millions of dollars. They don’t deserve to make money for their hard work ALL THE TIME. Bullshit. Hard work is hard work regardless of the amount of money in your bank account. And honestly, the belief that all actors and actresses make millions each movie is a myth. Some make quite a lot, yes. But not millions. Only the well-established actors can make that demand.

The bottom line is that it’s never okay to steal from another person. Even if that person regularly gets paid a 7-figure salary. Theft is still theft. I know this post won’t end pirating, but perhaps it will make a couple people think twice about supporting or participating in it. For those of you who read this and it still won’t change your mind, don’t bother filing a police report next time you get robbed. That’s just hypocritical.

CONFIRMATION!!!

So on March 13th, I had my 5th chemo treatment. Prior to that I had another PET scan and MUGA scan. The MUGA scan came back great, my heart is still doing it’s job like a pro.

But the PET scan revealed…..nothing. I had no visible lymph nodes on my scan!!!! They all look like they are down to normal, invisible size!!!!!! This means my last dose of chemotherapy will be on April 3rd!!!! After that I’ll be able to get my port removed and eat RAW VEGGIES, FRUIT, and SUSHI!!!!! I am so excited and I feel like I am almost over this hill!! I’ll post the before and after pictures when I find them, the envelope is here somewhere.

2 left…hopefully

I had my 4th chemo infusion on February 20th. It went well, just like the others before it. And after I got the Neulasta Onpro attached to my arm.

However the nausea really got the better of me this time. As well as the bone pain from the Neulasta (thank god for heating pads). It’s expected and honestly, it could be worse. I haven’t thrown up once during this (knock on wood), and it used to be that most people would deal with that through the entirety of their sessions.

This past Tuesday, I had labs done and was ordered to stay home and take it easy due to them being low and prednisone causing temporary leg swelling. It’s normal, but I need to listen to my body when I’m tired. Frankly, I dreaded taking a week off from work, but some people can’t even get out of bed. So I am thankful that I can still work. A huge shout-out to my boss who is allowing me to work from home for a bit so I can still get paid. Have i mentioned how awesome my bosses are and how lucky I am to have this job?

Since I’m near the end of the infusions, I have been scheduled for another PET scan and another MUGA scan. Hopefully things will be good, which the doctors think they will, and I will be done with this at the end of April. If not and I have to go until June, that’s okay too. It can be much worse.

On a lighter note, I’m looking forward to all the hair styles I can try out now. My plan is to grow my hair back out, so I won’t get it cut other than just a shape up when it grows out (a pixie cut when it’s long enough…1940s when I hit that length) just so it stays healthy. Perhaps I’ll dye my hair to match Daenerys Targaryen’s when it’s long enough? Besides, if I hate it, I can just shave it off again and it will look awesome.

Half way there…hopefully

So I had my third infusion on Jan 30th, and it went pretty well. I was unable to take my Varubi (anti-nausea meds) due to a sudden copay I had on it (despite being told earlier that day that I DIDN’T have a copay). Anyways, I informed the nurses at the clinic (ALWAYS DO THIS IF YOU ARE UNABLE TO TAKE A MEDICATION PRIOR TO CHEMO!!! It may have to be postponed until you can take the medication and that is OKAY!) but they said it was fine and I could still get my infusion. The anti-nausea injection they give prior to chemo helped, but it did eventually wear off later that night.

The nausea is irritating, I’ve ended up missing an additional day of work due to it. The Neulasta shot is a god-send, it’s great being able to have my WBC where it needs to be. But, the bone pain that accompanies it is the worst. I got permission to take Tylenol though (again, ask permission to take certain OTCs, you don’t want to take something that will screw with your treatment).

I have been told to take it easy, don’t over-do it, and listen to your body. That’s what I’ve been doing. My counts are great, the PA at the clinic didn’t feel any lymph nodes, my body is doing it’s job pretty well. The PA said she would discuss with the other doctors when to have me get another PET Scan, perhaps at the end of February. Fingers crossed that the end of April will be the end of this 🤞🏻

Neulasta Onpro

So I got the Neulasta Onpro device put on yesterday after my chemo session ended (2 down, 4 to go!!). The nurse applied it to my arm (but you can have it put where it’s comfortable), and explained that I’ll hear a tone, there will be a flashing yellow light (both of which soon happened), and there would then be a snap like a rubber band hitting your skin (which is exactly how it felt…it startled me). Then it would be a slow, flashing green light. After that, it would remain on for 27 hours, which means that my Neulasta would be injected at around 6pm.

Around 5:57pm tonight, there was a tone. It’s actually a funny story. I was taking out the trash and had just closed the lid when I heard beeping. Confused, I looked around. What was that? Where was it coming from? Did I throw something away that was going off? I checked my Apple Watch 3…no not that. OH! My device!! I looked and sure enough, the green light was blinking quicker. At around 6, there was a series of clicks that lasted for about 45 minutes. I had my mom check the level on the device to let me know how much longer I had left.

There is some discomfort on occasion, but it’s not too bad. Some leaking, but that’s normal. Not long after my mom checked and said it was right on the empty line, there was a long tone and then the light was a solid green. Time to remove it! My mom helped me remove it, it wasn’t too uncomfortable. Like removing a large bandaid. And the needle is a flexible plastic. After that you can just toss it in the trash.

Accessing

Helpful hint: USE NUMBING CREAM 30 MINUTES BEFORE!!!