On Monday, December 5 at 6:30 a.m., I was kneeling on the floor in front of my toilet, hand plunged into the nearly opaque dark red water, fishing for the warm clumps that had sunk to the bottom. I had cleaned the toilet the night before in preparation, and the sterile specimen jar from the doctor’s office was waiting by the sink. I carefully sorted through the mess in my hand, looking for something to stand out. A small grayish oval with a black dot on the side emerged, no larger than my pinky nail. So that was the head, then. I put it in the jar and my hand back in the water, halfway up my forearm, to search for the body. Another grayish lump, nothing discernible, but then I wasn’t looking too closely because the dizziness was overtaking me.
This was my third miscarriage.
This is what a miscarriage looks like.
Month: December 2016
In memoriam: The brands that we lost in 2016 | Digiday
R.I.P Vine. So long, Meerkat. Rest in power, Sports Authority. This was a rough year all the way around.
EFF’s full-page Wired ad: Dear tech, delete your logs before it’s too late | Boing Boing
EFF has run a full-page ad in this month's Wired, addressed to the technology industry, under the banner "Your threat model just changed," warning them that the incoming administration has vowed to spy on and deport millions of their fellow Americans on the basis of religion and race, and that they are in grave risk of having their services conscripted to help with this effort. (Trump is also an avowed opponent of net neutrality)
The 45th President | 60 Minutes (CBS News)
President-elect Donald Trump speaks to a divided country on 60 Minutes; and, Bill Whitaker reads mail received about a story Dr. Jon LaPook reported on legalizing recreational pot. First aired 11/13/16
Best of Enemies | Documentary about Gore Vidal and William F. Buckley, Jr. Debates | Independent Lens | PBS
Best of Enemies captures the legendary 1968 debates between two ideological opposites: leftist Gore Vidal and neoconservative William F. Buckley.
Why did William F. Buckley Jr. talk like that? | Slate
He was an upper-class prep. English was not Buckley's first language: His nanny taught him Spanish, and he attended university in Mexico for some time. But there's little evidence of any Spanish influence in his Connecticut lockjaw sound. Instead, his aristocratic drawl, quasi-British pronunciations, and fondness for Latinate vocabulary seem to have originated at the schools he attended as a boy: St. John's Beaumont in England, when he was 13, followed by the Millbrook School in upstate New York. According to Buckley biographer Sam Tanenhaus, few of the writer's siblings shared his peculiar way of speaking. Tanenhaus also points out that Buckley picked up elements of a Southern drawl from his parents, both of whom were from the South.
William F. Buckley Jr., conservative icon, dies | The Boston Globe
William F. Buckley Jr., who as author, journalist, and polysyllabic television personality did more to popularize conservatism in post-New Deal America than anyone other than Barry Goldwater or Ronald Reagan, died yesterday at his home in Stamford, Conn. He was 82.
Watched Barry on Netflix
A young Barack Obama forges his identity while dealing with race, divergent cultures and ordinary life as a New York City college student.
Underwater Hebrew Tablet Reveals Biblical-Era Ruler of Judea
A huge slab discovered offshore in Israel has revealed the name of the ancient prefect who ruled Judea just before the Bar Kokhba revolt.
A Cinderella Christmas (TV Movie 2016)
Directed by Tosca Musk. With Emma Rigby, Peter Porte, Sarah Stouffer, Marc Barnes. Angie works hard to run her uncle's events business while her cousin Candace takes the credit. When Angie takes a night off to have fun at the Christmasquerade Ball, the mask and gown allow her to let loose, and she quickly catches the eye of Nicholas, a wealthy local bachelor. But then Angie has to go before revealing her identity, leaving Nicholas searching for his mystery woman in this modern take on the classic fairytale.
As I look at the credits after the fact, it dawns on me that I tangentially knew the director back in the day through a friend at Hopkins.
The movie that doesn’t exist and the Redditors who think it does | New Statesman
Over the years, hundreds of people online have shared memories of a cheesy Nineties movie called “Shazaam”. There is no evidence that such a film was ever made. What does this tell us about the quirks of collective memory?
Tim Cook On Why He Met With President Elect Trump | TechCrunch
In a series of answers to questions posted on Apple’s internal employee info service Apple Web today, CEO Tim Cook commented to employees on some hot-button topics. We obtained some of the answers to interesting questions about a few topics, including the fate of the Mac — but more on that later.
First up is probably the most topical: Why did he feel it was important to meet with President-elect Trump? The short answer: You have to show up to have a say.
Dear Santa (TV Movie 2011)
Directed by Jason Priestley. With Amy Acker, David Haydn-Jones, Emma Duke, Patrick Creery. Beverly Hills 90210 alumni Jason Priestly takes the helm for this warmhearted romantic comedy about a die-hard party girl struggling to change her frivolous ways. Crystal (Amy Acker) comes from a wealthy family. She loves spending money. Her parent's money. When they decide it's time for her to make something of her life they give her until Christmas to clean up her act. Should Crystal fail to ...
It’s interesting to see some of Amy Acker’s early work. I’ve been a fan of hers from her many television series. It’s nice to see her playing the lead rather than playing 3rd or lower fiddle.
About the New Statesman
📕 100.0% done with Fletch Reflected by Gregory Mcdonald
I think this was the first (and only) in the Fletch series with an A and a B plot going on simultaneously. There wasn’t as much mystery or whodunnit as past books despite the number of suspects in something like Fletch’s Fortune. The ending was relatively interesting and certainly unexpected. I wouldn’t say it was very satisfying.
I’d rank this one toward the bottom of the series overall.