Well, I had the blood test this morning. It was negative. No pregnancy. I've now called NYU clinic to see if I could get a second opinion.
Let's see what happens.
Kate
Monday, November 17, 2008
Saturday, November 8, 2008
One Week Until The Test
So, the prior two times I've done IVF I got pregnant. Exactly one week before the pregnancy test at the doctors I had a little mini-melt-down as I was SURE I didn't get pregnant.
This time, although I would normally take the test on November 15, that's a Saturday, so the test is scheduled for Monday, the 17th.
That makes today, Saturday, a week before the pregnancy test should be.
And no freak-out. I mean, I don't think I got pregnant, but I didn't burst into tears about it, which makes me think that I'm right this time, because there are no crazy hormones coursing through my veins.
I'll take a home pregnancy test next Saturday, but I'm not optimistic. Although, statistically speaking, I only had a 50% chance each time I did this, I just figure it wasn't my time.
Keep your fingers crossed anyway.
This time, although I would normally take the test on November 15, that's a Saturday, so the test is scheduled for Monday, the 17th.
That makes today, Saturday, a week before the pregnancy test should be.
And no freak-out. I mean, I don't think I got pregnant, but I didn't burst into tears about it, which makes me think that I'm right this time, because there are no crazy hormones coursing through my veins.
I'll take a home pregnancy test next Saturday, but I'm not optimistic. Although, statistically speaking, I only had a 50% chance each time I did this, I just figure it wasn't my time.
Keep your fingers crossed anyway.
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
When I Knew
At 8:30 this evening Chris and I went down to grab dinner at our friend's, Marc and Blue, resturant (which is just downstairs from our apartment). They didn't have a TV so we set them up with our extra TV and an antenna. In exchange for the use of the TV & rabbit ears we got a free dinner. Hooray!
At 8:30 the only possibly weak state that went for Obama was Pennsylvania. Virginia, Florida and Indiana were too close to call. I was a little nervious and a little down.
So we went to dinner.
And we slowly watched the returns come in I felt better and better and at about 9:30 when Ohio went easily for Obama and the electoral count went to 195 I knew, it was done. I sent an email out to a bunch of my friends. It said:
195 + CA, HI, WA & OR = win
And he just did. It got called moment ago.
And I started to cry.
At 8:30 the only possibly weak state that went for Obama was Pennsylvania. Virginia, Florida and Indiana were too close to call. I was a little nervious and a little down.
So we went to dinner.
And we slowly watched the returns come in I felt better and better and at about 9:30 when Ohio went easily for Obama and the electoral count went to 195 I knew, it was done. I sent an email out to a bunch of my friends. It said:
195 + CA, HI, WA & OR = win
And he just did. It got called moment ago.
And I started to cry.
Saturday, November 1, 2008
I Am A Bad Democrat
Instead of going to the Obama rally today (which started at 11am), I stayed home and watched a marathon of The West Wing first season on Bravo.
Yes, I know I own the first season of the West Wing on DVD. What's your point?
(We're up to What Kind Of Day Has It Been.)
Yes, I know I own the first season of the West Wing on DVD. What's your point?
(We're up to What Kind Of Day Has It Been.)
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
I Was Looking For A Specific Quote...
...and I was pretty sure it was from The West Wing so I started to dig around. Unforntunately I couldn't find the quote I was looking for, but I found this one instead:
I love this quote for so many reasons. One of the main ones is that it was written almost ten years ago. And the past ten years have been largely about privacy and health records and the Internet. Oh Aaron Sorkin! Why couldn't you write more stuff like The West Wing!
It's not just about abortion, it's about the next 20 years. Twenties and Thirties it was the role of government, Fifties and Sixties it was civil rights. The next two decades it's gonna be privacy. I'm talking about the Internet. I'm talking about cell phones. I'm talking about health records and who's gay and who's not. And moreover, in a country born on the will to be free, what could be more fundamental than this?
I love this quote for so many reasons. One of the main ones is that it was written almost ten years ago. And the past ten years have been largely about privacy and health records and the Internet. Oh Aaron Sorkin! Why couldn't you write more stuff like The West Wing!
Thursday, October 23, 2008
Grandmothers
My Grandmother, Elizabeth Rauh Machol, died on July 4, 1998 at the age of 81. If she were alive today she would be celebrating her 92nd birthday today. Happy birthday Grandma.
Libby, as she was known, was a brilliant woman who was born in an era when brilliant woman weren’t necessarily valued. Fortunately she was born into a family that believed women were equal to men (her mother was a college graduate and worked for most of her adult life, by choice) and that racial and ethnic minorities were equal to whites. Her father spent much of his time as President of the Cincinnati Dental Association attempting to get it to allow black dentists to join. On the first anniversary of his death, when my Grandmother was 19 years old and a junior at Radcliff College, the Cincinnati dental association did just that, as an honor to him.
My Grandmother worked for years to ensure that civil rights in the town she lived in were available to all. Until her death, she persevered for all families and helped make Teaneck, NJ an integrated and diverse community. In the 1960s she even had a young black woman from the south come and live in her house because the high school where the woman lived was so awful and the one in Teaneck was so much better. She kept in touch with Cynthia for years afterwards, and was a surrogate grandmother for Cynthia’s son.
I am sorry that my Grandmother isn’t around for this election season. She would have loved to volunteer for the campaign -- although she would have had a terrible time deciding whether to vote for Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama in the primary. I know that if we told her a decade ago that the Democrats were going to nominate a man who had a black father and a white mother and whose name was Barack Obama she wouldn’t have believed us. That he would have an excellent shot of winning would also have shocked her. That it turns out to be true would have shocked her even more, but made her very, very happy.
I’m glad Grandma isn’t around to have witnessed the last eight years. My Grandfather (Grandma’s husband) died on January 23, 2001 and I always claimed that the Bush inauguration was what finally killed him (although it seems clear it was actually heart failure and uncontrolled diabetes). I was glad that they never saw the attack on the World Trade Center (my Grandfather would have been appalled at all of the good wines that were lost in the Cellar in the Sky…as well as the terrible devastation and loss of life), glad they never witnessed the fiasco in Iraq, glad that Grandpa didn’t see his retirement savings lessened.
But Grandma (and Grandpa, but especially Grandma) would have been so excited about this election. So proud of what our country was doing and so amazed at how far we had come.
No she wouldn’t have voted for just any female or black candidate. Christie Todd Whitman got no love from Grandma. Nor did Alan Keyes.
She would have loved that Barack Obama was tall and handsome. She would have loved his Ivy credentials; especially that he had gone to Harvard…even if it was only for grad-school (Grandpa, a Columbia graduate, got no love for his Ivy). She would have loved his strong, powerful, smart wife and his two adorable daughters. And she would have loved his policies and his speeches.
I know Barack Obama’s own Grandmother is gravely ill. I hope that she can hang on long enough to know that her Grandson whom she raised starting when he was ten years old became President of the United States (knock wood, we still have a week and a half to go). I’m not a religious woman, but on behalf of my Grandmother who was, I will say a little prayer for her well being and for Barack Obama’s as well.
And for the first time in a long time I have Hope. Hope that things will get better, hope that we’ll do better as a country. And it’s the first time in a long while that I wish Grandma was here to see it. I was going to vote for Barack Obama anyway. But this year when I step in the voting booth Grandma will be with me.
Libby, as she was known, was a brilliant woman who was born in an era when brilliant woman weren’t necessarily valued. Fortunately she was born into a family that believed women were equal to men (her mother was a college graduate and worked for most of her adult life, by choice) and that racial and ethnic minorities were equal to whites. Her father spent much of his time as President of the Cincinnati Dental Association attempting to get it to allow black dentists to join. On the first anniversary of his death, when my Grandmother was 19 years old and a junior at Radcliff College, the Cincinnati dental association did just that, as an honor to him.
My Grandmother worked for years to ensure that civil rights in the town she lived in were available to all. Until her death, she persevered for all families and helped make Teaneck, NJ an integrated and diverse community. In the 1960s she even had a young black woman from the south come and live in her house because the high school where the woman lived was so awful and the one in Teaneck was so much better. She kept in touch with Cynthia for years afterwards, and was a surrogate grandmother for Cynthia’s son.
I am sorry that my Grandmother isn’t around for this election season. She would have loved to volunteer for the campaign -- although she would have had a terrible time deciding whether to vote for Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama in the primary. I know that if we told her a decade ago that the Democrats were going to nominate a man who had a black father and a white mother and whose name was Barack Obama she wouldn’t have believed us. That he would have an excellent shot of winning would also have shocked her. That it turns out to be true would have shocked her even more, but made her very, very happy.
I’m glad Grandma isn’t around to have witnessed the last eight years. My Grandfather (Grandma’s husband) died on January 23, 2001 and I always claimed that the Bush inauguration was what finally killed him (although it seems clear it was actually heart failure and uncontrolled diabetes). I was glad that they never saw the attack on the World Trade Center (my Grandfather would have been appalled at all of the good wines that were lost in the Cellar in the Sky…as well as the terrible devastation and loss of life), glad they never witnessed the fiasco in Iraq, glad that Grandpa didn’t see his retirement savings lessened.
But Grandma (and Grandpa, but especially Grandma) would have been so excited about this election. So proud of what our country was doing and so amazed at how far we had come.
No she wouldn’t have voted for just any female or black candidate. Christie Todd Whitman got no love from Grandma. Nor did Alan Keyes.
She would have loved that Barack Obama was tall and handsome. She would have loved his Ivy credentials; especially that he had gone to Harvard…even if it was only for grad-school (Grandpa, a Columbia graduate, got no love for his Ivy). She would have loved his strong, powerful, smart wife and his two adorable daughters. And she would have loved his policies and his speeches.
I know Barack Obama’s own Grandmother is gravely ill. I hope that she can hang on long enough to know that her Grandson whom she raised starting when he was ten years old became President of the United States (knock wood, we still have a week and a half to go). I’m not a religious woman, but on behalf of my Grandmother who was, I will say a little prayer for her well being and for Barack Obama’s as well.
And for the first time in a long time I have Hope. Hope that things will get better, hope that we’ll do better as a country. And it’s the first time in a long while that I wish Grandma was here to see it. I was going to vote for Barack Obama anyway. But this year when I step in the voting booth Grandma will be with me.
Sunday, August 24, 2008
Friday, August 22, 2008
Sunday, August 17, 2008
Backlash to the Backlash
Michael Phelps is amazing.
We knew he was. He's already won 6 gold medals and two bronze ones in Atlanta. He had set the goal to get 8 golds at this Olympics. It is an unparalleled achievement and no one thought he could really do it.
I mean it was a nice idea, but the stars would have to align to get 8 gold medals in one Olympics.
NBC pimped the hell out of the idea and drove ratings up. And it was fun to watch him try at first. But all the 'rah ... eight medals ... rah' schtick was getting an little old. Truth is when you spend days screaming at the top of your lungs that, "THIS GUY IS THE MOST AMAZING THING EVER! PAY LOTS OF ATTENTION!" people tend to stop listening and get sick of your jumping up and down hysterically screaming.
But he did it. He lived up to the expectation and hype. He smashed seven world records. He won eight gold medals.
And no matter how sick of him we are, no matter how annoying the NBC coverage is and how the 'rah pay attentions' are now a dull echo we tune out because we've heard it a million times before we need to remember the following:
Michael Phelps just did what no one has ever done before. He has a total of sixteen medals over two Olympics, 14 of them gold. He holds, individually or as a member of a team seven world records and in several cases broke his own best time. And he won eight gold medals in a single Olympics.
So, despite how much I hate the rah-rah coverage and NBC and I've gotten a little annoyed by it, I have to say, Michael Phelps is extraordinary. Wow. Just Wow.
We knew he was. He's already won 6 gold medals and two bronze ones in Atlanta. He had set the goal to get 8 golds at this Olympics. It is an unparalleled achievement and no one thought he could really do it.
I mean it was a nice idea, but the stars would have to align to get 8 gold medals in one Olympics.
NBC pimped the hell out of the idea and drove ratings up. And it was fun to watch him try at first. But all the 'rah ... eight medals ... rah' schtick was getting an little old. Truth is when you spend days screaming at the top of your lungs that, "THIS GUY IS THE MOST AMAZING THING EVER! PAY LOTS OF ATTENTION!" people tend to stop listening and get sick of your jumping up and down hysterically screaming.
But he did it. He lived up to the expectation and hype. He smashed seven world records. He won eight gold medals.
And no matter how sick of him we are, no matter how annoying the NBC coverage is and how the 'rah pay attentions' are now a dull echo we tune out because we've heard it a million times before we need to remember the following:
Michael Phelps just did what no one has ever done before. He has a total of sixteen medals over two Olympics, 14 of them gold. He holds, individually or as a member of a team seven world records and in several cases broke his own best time. And he won eight gold medals in a single Olympics.
So, despite how much I hate the rah-rah coverage and NBC and I've gotten a little annoyed by it, I have to say, Michael Phelps is extraordinary. Wow. Just Wow.
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
Some Things That Babies Like (according to my 7 month old niece)
Babies like spoons.
Babies like doggies.
Babies like chewing on doggie tail.
Babies like pulling doggie fur.
Doggie does not mind any of the aforementioned activities as doggie likes attention to be paid to her, regardless of the size of the person paying the attention.
Babies like being tickled.
Babies like being showing the restaurant bar and having all the different types of liquors described to them.
Babies like being held upside-down (but not when they have been crying).
Babies like boobies.
Babies like knuckles (to gum on).
Babies like strained peas.
I like Babies.
Babies like doggies.
Babies like chewing on doggie tail.
Babies like pulling doggie fur.
Doggie does not mind any of the aforementioned activities as doggie likes attention to be paid to her, regardless of the size of the person paying the attention.
Babies like being tickled.
Babies like being showing the restaurant bar and having all the different types of liquors described to them.
Babies like being held upside-down (but not when they have been crying).
Babies like boobies.
Babies like knuckles (to gum on).
Babies like strained peas.
I like Babies.
Sunday, August 10, 2008
Saturday, May 10, 2008
What The Heck is Wrong With Me?
I just watched a marathon of America's Net Top Model. Like 6 episodes. And it's awful, and I can not stop watching.
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
My Favorite Scene in all TVdome...
But actually just an excuse to test out embedding Hulu.com clips.
NewsRadio is one of those cute little shows that only those of us who watched it regularly loved. Unfortunately it was always *just on the cusp* of being cancelled (my like How I Met Your Mother is...but I digress). This was the scene that won the show over for me.
The set-up. Surprisingly enough NewsRadio took place at a...wait for it...news radio station in New York City. The show starts when Dave Nelson, a guy from the Midwest, is hired to be the new news director, much to the chagrin of the stations young ace reporter, Lisa Miller.
Now the network didn't want Dave and Lisa to "get together" because they wanted them to have "sexual tension" but smarter heads prevailed and got them together in episode 2 of the first season (which only had 7 episodes). Their affair is clandestine at this point, the only person who knows about it is Dave's assistant Beth (the redhead at the end of this scene).
This is possibly my favorite episode of the series for a whole host of reasons. All four story lines are funny and the title is funny (the title of this episode is: "No, This is Not Based Entirely on Julie's Life" which makes you wonder who Julie is). The A storyline, Beth, the assistant, has a boyfriend in London who wants her to send nude photos of herself to and the contortions she goes through to take the photos. The B storyline involves gelatto being stolen out of the stations common refrigerator. The C storyline is about the station owner, a billionaire, trying to figure out what to do with his vacation, and the D storyline hearkens back to the A storyline.
Beth's intention to send nude photos to her boyfriend prompts Lisa to ask Dave if a girl has ever sent him nude photos. As it turns out, the answer is yes and Lisa becomes obsessed with this fact. The following is the payoff to what had, up until this point, only been a few throw-away lines.
I'll dissect the Dave and Lisa relationship at some point later on, but, if the embed worked, I just want to point out how awesome it was. Now if only Hulu would put up my second favorite episode...a season 3 episode entitled Halloween, I would be very very happy.
NewsRadio is one of those cute little shows that only those of us who watched it regularly loved. Unfortunately it was always *just on the cusp* of being cancelled (my like How I Met Your Mother is...but I digress). This was the scene that won the show over for me.
The set-up. Surprisingly enough NewsRadio took place at a...wait for it...news radio station in New York City. The show starts when Dave Nelson, a guy from the Midwest, is hired to be the new news director, much to the chagrin of the stations young ace reporter, Lisa Miller.
Now the network didn't want Dave and Lisa to "get together" because they wanted them to have "sexual tension" but smarter heads prevailed and got them together in episode 2 of the first season (which only had 7 episodes). Their affair is clandestine at this point, the only person who knows about it is Dave's assistant Beth (the redhead at the end of this scene).
This is possibly my favorite episode of the series for a whole host of reasons. All four story lines are funny and the title is funny (the title of this episode is: "No, This is Not Based Entirely on Julie's Life" which makes you wonder who Julie is). The A storyline, Beth, the assistant, has a boyfriend in London who wants her to send nude photos of herself to and the contortions she goes through to take the photos. The B storyline involves gelatto being stolen out of the stations common refrigerator. The C storyline is about the station owner, a billionaire, trying to figure out what to do with his vacation, and the D storyline hearkens back to the A storyline.
Beth's intention to send nude photos to her boyfriend prompts Lisa to ask Dave if a girl has ever sent him nude photos. As it turns out, the answer is yes and Lisa becomes obsessed with this fact. The following is the payoff to what had, up until this point, only been a few throw-away lines.
I'll dissect the Dave and Lisa relationship at some point later on, but, if the embed worked, I just want to point out how awesome it was. Now if only Hulu would put up my second favorite episode...a season 3 episode entitled Halloween, I would be very very happy.
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
Deconstruction: Televsion Couples and Why they Didn't (or Did) Work -- Part I
I have long had a theory about the romantic relationships between fictional characters on TV. Every time you get a Ship together some schmuck complains that the show will now go the way of Maggie and Joel, Ross and Rachel, Dave and Maddie, et al. And I think we're missing a vital component here.
Those couples were douchebags.
Both halves of each couple. They were not only totally wrong for each other, but totally wrong for anyone.
So in this continuing series I am going to analyze TV couples and explain why the show died when they got together.
David and Maddie:
Maddie: A too serious, self important, not particularly bright, bitch.
David: a self important, stupid, childish, hack.
There was no depth the the characters, the only things they had in common was where they worked, the ability to quickly recite snappy dialog, and sexual tension. Once you killed the tension what were you going to do? Have them chat over the Sunday Times and some bagels? Adopt a dog together? Take a ballroom dancing class? The relationship was destine to fail from the outset. They had nothing in common and, regardless of what kind of person you are, if you have nothing in common with the person you're sleeping with then it'll never last past the 3 month fucking-like-bunnies stage. I speak from experience.
Now, it doesn't help that there were set tension, a writers strike (which is what really killed the show), delayed episodes, power struggles between the various actors in the cast as well as the cast and crew as well as various creatives. So it's no wonder the creative aspects of the show were killed.
But the first 2-3 seasons, (before David and Maddie shtupped) were pretty good, partly because the actual sexual tension was pretty much all there was to the relationship between Maddie and David. In addition, the entire focus of the show was a will-they-won't-they dynamic where that was literally one of the only reasons to watch the show. Well, that and dialog like this:
Security Officer: I'm sorry, but you're not on the guest list.
David Addison: That's because we're not guests. We're looking for a man with a mole on his nose.
SO: A mole on his nose?
Maddie Hayes: A mole on his nose.
SO: [to Maddie] What kind of clothes?
MH: [to David] What kind of clothes?
DA: What kind of clothes do you suppose?
SO: What kind of clothes do I suppose would be worn by a man with a mole on his nose? Who knows?
DA: Did I happen to mention, did I bother to disclose, that this man that we're seeking with the mole on his nose? I'm not sure of his clothes or anything else, except he's Chinese, a big clue by itself.
MH: How do you do that?
DA: Gotta read a lot of Dr. Seuss.
SO: I'm sorry to say, I'm sad to report, I haven't seen anyone at all of that sort. Not a man who's Chinese with a mole on his nose with some kind of clothes that you can't suppose. So get away from this door and get out of this place, or I'll have to hurt you - put my foot in your face.
But also David and Maddie weren't real people. They didn't do things on the weekends, they didn't have hobbies, they didn't have friends (except for plot devices). There was nothing else too them. So of course, when they finally did it, nothing came next. The show should have ended, because they couldn't sustain the romance...nor would these two dimensional people wanted to
Those couples were douchebags.
Both halves of each couple. They were not only totally wrong for each other, but totally wrong for anyone.
So in this continuing series I am going to analyze TV couples and explain why the show died when they got together.
David and Maddie:
Maddie: A too serious, self important, not particularly bright, bitch.
David: a self important, stupid, childish, hack.
There was no depth the the characters, the only things they had in common was where they worked, the ability to quickly recite snappy dialog, and sexual tension. Once you killed the tension what were you going to do? Have them chat over the Sunday Times and some bagels? Adopt a dog together? Take a ballroom dancing class? The relationship was destine to fail from the outset. They had nothing in common and, regardless of what kind of person you are, if you have nothing in common with the person you're sleeping with then it'll never last past the 3 month fucking-like-bunnies stage. I speak from experience.
Now, it doesn't help that there were set tension, a writers strike (which is what really killed the show), delayed episodes, power struggles between the various actors in the cast as well as the cast and crew as well as various creatives. So it's no wonder the creative aspects of the show were killed.
But the first 2-3 seasons, (before David and Maddie shtupped) were pretty good, partly because the actual sexual tension was pretty much all there was to the relationship between Maddie and David. In addition, the entire focus of the show was a will-they-won't-they dynamic where that was literally one of the only reasons to watch the show. Well, that and dialog like this:
Security Officer: I'm sorry, but you're not on the guest list.
David Addison: That's because we're not guests. We're looking for a man with a mole on his nose.
SO: A mole on his nose?
Maddie Hayes: A mole on his nose.
SO: [to Maddie] What kind of clothes?
MH: [to David] What kind of clothes?
DA: What kind of clothes do you suppose?
SO: What kind of clothes do I suppose would be worn by a man with a mole on his nose? Who knows?
DA: Did I happen to mention, did I bother to disclose, that this man that we're seeking with the mole on his nose? I'm not sure of his clothes or anything else, except he's Chinese, a big clue by itself.
MH: How do you do that?
DA: Gotta read a lot of Dr. Seuss.
SO: I'm sorry to say, I'm sad to report, I haven't seen anyone at all of that sort. Not a man who's Chinese with a mole on his nose with some kind of clothes that you can't suppose. So get away from this door and get out of this place, or I'll have to hurt you - put my foot in your face.
But also David and Maddie weren't real people. They didn't do things on the weekends, they didn't have hobbies, they didn't have friends (except for plot devices). There was nothing else too them. So of course, when they finally did it, nothing came next. The show should have ended, because they couldn't sustain the romance...nor would these two dimensional people wanted to
Monday, April 21, 2008
And I'm Feelin' Fine...
I love How I Met Your Mother. I had completely weened myself off of sitcoms and yet, here they are, The Office, 30 Rock, HIMYM, suddenly back on the TiVo (and up-yours, I can call it a TiVo because it actually is a TiVo). Tonight's episode of HIMYM was an example of how perfect this show can be. Barney and Robin hooked up (which has really been coming since season one) and we had a fabulous Robin Sparkles episode.
And we had James Van Der Beek.
Look, I don't know if I can add anything to the brilliance of the show, but it is so much fun, I really hope they keep it around for just one more season (at least) I actually think it's the best 30 minute show on TV.
As embarrassing as it is.
And we had James Van Der Beek.
Look, I don't know if I can add anything to the brilliance of the show, but it is so much fun, I really hope they keep it around for just one more season (at least) I actually think it's the best 30 minute show on TV.
As embarrassing as it is.
Saturday, April 19, 2008
It's Frikkin' Hot!
And not in a Paris Hilton way.
It's fascinating. My absentee landlord (whom, over the course of my tenure in my apartment is actually four to six different people) never seems to be able to turn off the heat in the apartment the first day spring really comes so here we are in the apartment with all the windows open and it is ridiculously hot because the heat is still on.
You would think with the price of oil they'd actually want to turn off the heat.
It's fascinating. My absentee landlord (whom, over the course of my tenure in my apartment is actually four to six different people) never seems to be able to turn off the heat in the apartment the first day spring really comes so here we are in the apartment with all the windows open and it is ridiculously hot because the heat is still on.
You would think with the price of oil they'd actually want to turn off the heat.
Anatomy of a Shipper -- The Office
I love romance. Interestingly enough I'm not a particularly romantic person, but get two characters on a TV or movie screen together (or in the pages of a book, I'm really not picky) and I love it. I get all squishy inside.
For those not in the know, a "relationshipper", or "shipper" for short, is someone who focuses on the possible romantic or sexual relationship between two characters in a fictional medium. When referring to the character's relationship in this context it is referred to as the "ship". Now we've got the lexicon down, let me explain a little more.
The most often description of a shipper is that they are a person who would rather watch two characters making out for a half hour (on a show, in a movie, for chapters on end in a book) then watch or be involved in the whole of the show (or book, or movie) itself. For me this is not the case. Like many shippers I've turned to fan fiction to see if something good is there and most often I have been disappointed because I miss the other elements of the show (or book, or movie). Most shows work because they are a sum of their parts.
So, now I'm going to talk about a "ship" done right...and recite a bit of the shipper's mantra, "don't fuck it up".
The Office has finally come back after the evil writer's strike hiatus and on Thursday night they had an episode where Jim & Pam, the local ship, had a little conversation wherein Jim was teasing Pam about being evicted from her apartment, Pam was teasing Jim about just moving in with her boyfriend, and then Jim was not so quite teasing about it being fine with him, and then Pam was not teasing at all about needing to get engaged first and suddenly it was clear, Jim is going to ask her to marry him, and that's his intent.
Cut to what they call a "talking head" (for those that do not know, the show is done in a fake documentary style) where Jim interviews that he has already bought the ring and then shows it to the camera people.
Cut to Pam and Jim leaving for the day, walking down the street. Jim asks Pam to wait, gets down on one knee...and says he need to tie his shoe. She laughs while she tells him she hates him and they join hands.
Why is this a ship done right? This was the C storyline in the episode, this was not the main focus. When Jim and Pam are the main focus, it can get cloying. But this is a background conversation. It shows how serious these people are, how right they are for each other, and how happy they make each other. It's not about what they say, but how they say it. It's more subtle than that.
Besides, it's always nice to watch happy people. Writers tend to think conflict is required. But it's not all the time. The Office would be a boring show if it were simply about Jim and Pam, but, because it's not, the Jim and Pam story thread gives us a nice point of reference for the rest of the story.
The mantra "don't fuck it up" is very important here. I don't want manufactured conflict. These people don't have to have a perfect relationship but I want them, at the very least, to be pretty happy. There is a belief amongst TV writers that happy relationships don't happen. I don't think this is the case (maybe it is for TV writers). I think relationships change and grow and develop, but as someone who has been married for almost 9 years (and in a relationship with the same guy for 14) you still have fun with the person, you still laugh and flirt. And someone writing a ship in a TV show should never forget that.
For those not in the know, a "relationshipper", or "shipper" for short, is someone who focuses on the possible romantic or sexual relationship between two characters in a fictional medium. When referring to the character's relationship in this context it is referred to as the "ship". Now we've got the lexicon down, let me explain a little more.
The most often description of a shipper is that they are a person who would rather watch two characters making out for a half hour (on a show, in a movie, for chapters on end in a book) then watch or be involved in the whole of the show (or book, or movie) itself. For me this is not the case. Like many shippers I've turned to fan fiction to see if something good is there and most often I have been disappointed because I miss the other elements of the show (or book, or movie). Most shows work because they are a sum of their parts.
So, now I'm going to talk about a "ship" done right...and recite a bit of the shipper's mantra, "don't fuck it up".
The Office has finally come back after the evil writer's strike hiatus and on Thursday night they had an episode where Jim & Pam, the local ship, had a little conversation wherein Jim was teasing Pam about being evicted from her apartment, Pam was teasing Jim about just moving in with her boyfriend, and then Jim was not so quite teasing about it being fine with him, and then Pam was not teasing at all about needing to get engaged first and suddenly it was clear, Jim is going to ask her to marry him, and that's his intent.
Cut to what they call a "talking head" (for those that do not know, the show is done in a fake documentary style) where Jim interviews that he has already bought the ring and then shows it to the camera people.
Cut to Pam and Jim leaving for the day, walking down the street. Jim asks Pam to wait, gets down on one knee...and says he need to tie his shoe. She laughs while she tells him she hates him and they join hands.
Why is this a ship done right? This was the C storyline in the episode, this was not the main focus. When Jim and Pam are the main focus, it can get cloying. But this is a background conversation. It shows how serious these people are, how right they are for each other, and how happy they make each other. It's not about what they say, but how they say it. It's more subtle than that.
Besides, it's always nice to watch happy people. Writers tend to think conflict is required. But it's not all the time. The Office would be a boring show if it were simply about Jim and Pam, but, because it's not, the Jim and Pam story thread gives us a nice point of reference for the rest of the story.
The mantra "don't fuck it up" is very important here. I don't want manufactured conflict. These people don't have to have a perfect relationship but I want them, at the very least, to be pretty happy. There is a belief amongst TV writers that happy relationships don't happen. I don't think this is the case (maybe it is for TV writers). I think relationships change and grow and develop, but as someone who has been married for almost 9 years (and in a relationship with the same guy for 14) you still have fun with the person, you still laugh and flirt. And someone writing a ship in a TV show should never forget that.
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