This Life is Under Construction

A Moment of Silence...

Tue, 04 Mar 2008 18:46:52 GMT

For those who haven't heard, Gary Gygax has died.

http://www.freeyabb.com/phpbb/viewtopic.php?t=4373&mforum=trolllordgames

So long, and thanks for the memories.

Terminated: The Sarah Connor Chronicles.

Wed, 20 Feb 2008 18:01:54 GMT

Last night I watched the most recent episode on Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles. I've been giving the show a lot of slack regarding basic things like their own internal consistency, because I really wanted it to get better. Last night, I decided that it won't.

Allow me to paraphrase the scene that did me in:

Set Up: Derek Reese, brother of the famous Kyle Reese and therefore uncle of John Connor, has been shot. He's coughing up blood and looking like he's done for.

Paramedic Guy: He's lost a lot of blood. He needs a transfusion. His blood type is AB and that's really rare.
River...errrr, I mean...the perky li'l Terminator: Sarah Connor is type O negative.
Paramedic Guy: That's no good. He needs at least three units of his own type!
Me, sitting on the couch: Ummm...why is that exactly?
John Connor: Ooo...oo! Test me! See if I'm a match!
Me, seeing where this is heading: no, No, NO!!!!

Wrap Up: Of course John is a match and Derek gets his transfusion. Everyone is happy...ish.

Here are my problems:

1. AB is the universal receiver, they can literally take blood from any blood group (minor exceptions exist, but do you really care?)

2. O neg is the universal donor, they can give blood to anyone (again, minor exceptions)

3. There are three possible flavors for the blood type gene: A, B and O. Everyone gets one gene from each parent. The only way for someone to be type AB is to get an A from one parent and a B from the other. Now, pay attention. Here comes the tricky part: both A and B are dominant to O. Since Sarah is type O, she only has Os to give to John. Therefore and ergo, John CANNOT be type AB.

Now I get the fact that not everyone has the qualifications to work in a blood bank, like I do. But I seem to remember learning the basics of the ABO system in high school. Even if that's too much to expect from today's public education, why in the name of all that is cute and fuzzy didn't the writers call in a science consultant when they were writing about something that they clearly didn't understand? I mean, this is basic real-world science, not something that is open to debate like the effects of time travel on a fluid time stream!

This ends my rant. Thank you for tuning in.

Did you know?

Wed, 13 Feb 2008 19:56:51 GMT

After a recent, ummm.... contraceptive malfunction, I emailed my doctor to discuss what I should do next. Because I was early in my cycle and I have a slightly quirky reproductive system, I was at a low risk for conception. However, she advised me to use Plan B just to be safe.

I was already familiar with emergency contraceptives and thought she had a good point, so I asked her to phone a prescription to my pharmacy. What she told me next floored me. In some states (including MA) it's available to women 18 and older OVER THE COUNTER!!!

From the Plan B website:
"If you live in Alaska, California, Hawaii, Maine, New Mexico, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts or Washington, you can get Plan B^® without a prescription at some pharmacies; however, you should call your pharmacy in advance to make sure they offer and stock Plan B^®. "

Now, I consider myself a pretty well informed person, but I had no idea. Why aren't women's groups shouting this from the roof tops? Why aren't the pro-lifers, for that matter? I get why the abstinence-only people would want to keep this quiet, but aren't there ANY level heads out there? How many women without easy access to medical care, have had to deal with an unwanted pregnancy because they didn't know that there was something they could do without professional assistance?

Am I the only one who didn't know this? Really, I want to know. Please leave me a comment and tell me if you knew. And PLEASE, spread the word!

She speaks...

Wed, 13 Feb 2008 16:49:59 GMT

OK, so I've had my LJ for over a year now. I guess it's time to actually start writing something.

I have a few things on my mind, so keep an eye out over the next few days!