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I went into the wrong field...
Since early 2005 (so, for the last 6 years) there has been fewer than 6 months when I was not on some sort of hormonal birth control. The last time I went off the pill was in early 2009 when I ran out, didn't have insurance and Planned Parenthood decided I made too much money to get them for free, meaning I'd have to pay $20 a pack, so I went off it to figure out what to do (can't remember why The Ex wouldn't split it with me...). About a month after I stopped taking them was when I developed eczema and began my avocado and latex intolerance, which I only realized because I had to actually use condoms again. That same week I was laid off, which meant suddenly I was poor enough to get free pills again, so I went right back to Planned Parenthood. The eczema cleared up with some heavy duty steroids and has been dormant for the majority of the last two years.
Fast forward to a little more than a month ago when I decided to take some time off the pills again. And guess what? Starting to see signs of the eczema returning. Which is no fucking fun.
Coincidence? Nothing else has changed recently, and nothing else is the same as it was in February of 2009. I'm living in a different place (and have been for a while), it's not the same time of year, so far I can still eat avocado and Planned Parenthood gave me a stash of latex-free condoms (I've said this before and I'll say it again and again, Planned Parenthood is the absolute best) so I don't have to further aggravate my skin. The only other thing that might be the same is my stress level: I knew I was going to be laid off back then and wondering how I'd pay rent on the studio I just moved into was weighing rather heavily on me, and now I'm working in a stressful environment, have still a good ways to go to be caught up with things that cost a lot of money, and am still on the hunt for a job I like. So possibly stress is causing me to be rashy... However, one very compelling reason I believe the hormonal birth control might be a factor is because I experience rashes in hormonal areas, like armpits (where there are glands) and... other hormonal areas.
For the time being I'll use my body as a mini experiment. I haven't decided how long I'm going to stay off the pills, but I loosely figured I'd go back on if I started a relationship, or like 6 months, or until I am annoyed enough with not knowing when I'll get my period or whatever other thing might annoy me. I've been on birth control for so long it's strange being off it, and if it turns out eczema is one reason to stay on it I'll happily do so till menopause.
"I'm an excellent judge of character."
It feels like there are some universal truths as far as mankind goes: we're all good drivers, we would all make great parents and we're all good judges of character. Never mind that these things are nearly impossible to be objective about, these are things most people truly believe, yours truly included. But let's focus on that last one: good judge of character. The people we date are good people, hands down. It's only after we break up that we see the other side of them, see what there isn't to like, and why it's better that we're not dating anymore.
As far as this post is concerned, being a good judge of character means someone is a good person, or at least the person you believed them to be, simply because you were fucking them. If a person was deserving enough of your private parts they have to be good all around, right? They have to be the person they led you to believe they are, or at least the person you you led yourself to believe them to be. Maybe it's giving others the benefit of the doubt, maybe it's thinking we're so good at getting to know people, maybe it's just me. But I think if we were more objective about our ability to judge character, more honest about the hottie we're boning and less likely to make excuses for them we wouldn't end up disappointed. Just because a person has access to our genitals does not make them deserving or good.
That's not to say believing this about the people we're having sex with is entirely a bad thing. It's unfortunate when people don't live up to the expectations you set for them, but it's also most likely not the person's fault (and if you're like one of Barney's girls... well, it's hard to know where to put the blame). If we were completely objective about the person we're fucking we might not have relationships that last more than a night, or relationships at all. We have to compromise sometimes and on some things because expecting perfection is probably a huge reason people get divorced. We should be thinking the person we're sleeping with is amazing... but take each person with a grain of salt and an honest mind.
Check the name tag.
I got my period. (Yep, that's what this post is about. Keep reading, boys!)
For the first time in more than 3 years I stopped taking birth control pills and decided to go au natural for a little bit, and it feels like I'm 13 again and learning everything for the first time. All of a sudden I'm dealing with pimples, which hasn't been an issue for years. (Also, I'm TWENTY FIVE and shouldn't have pimples in the first place.) Cramps have all but disappeared, which is bittersweet because duh, no more cramps, but they're also a great way to know when I'm getting my period, which is super helpful when I'm not taking pills.
I decided to take some time off the pills partly because it's been a while since I've taken a break, partly because I'm not getting laid for the immediate future, and partly because I've forgotten how my body would react off the hormones. My theory is if birth control pills make your body believe its pregnant constantly (hence the whole bigger boobs thing), then wouldn't you be storing belly fat? And if you stop taking the pills, wouldn't you be more likely to lose some of that belly fat? The same could be said about the boobs but I'm not too concerned about that: taking hormones for the last 6 years gave me a nice stock pile. And so far I'm feeling much lighter in all the right places, even this week.
After a month, the consensus is there are reasons to be on the pills and reasons to be off. Obviously the next time I'm having sex on a regular basis I'll be back on them, but for the time being I think I'll be happy taking a few months off. I may have to deal with acne and not knowing when I'll get my period, but feeling a little lighter and saving those pills for when I'll need them is worth it.
Stay tuned for the next time I feel like blogging about my bodily functions.
I went into the wrong field...
