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susandennisYears and years and years ago, I dated a guy who was a single father to an 8 year old boy. He knew little about cooking or grocery shopping but plunged ahead with both and had for the five years he'd had the boy on his own. I remember being with him at the butcher counter looking at pork chops. I was trying to explain that price per pound was a way better decision point than price per chop. He wasn't buying it at all. For the two of them, price per chop was the only way to go. And he was right. I wasn't looking at the big, practical picture.
Very often since then thought of the lesson there. Economies of scale are sometimes not economical at all.
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When I was about 11, my Mom sat me down with a little booklet and a package of sanitary napkins and explained menstruation to me. It was all very secretive and mysterious and not very interesting. When I was 12, I got my period. I was in school, after gym. I went to the school nurse and told her and she kitted me up. It was not traumatic. It was annoying.
And thus began about 40 years of having to deal with it every month.
During those years (starting in the 60's) there were not a whole lotta options. Sanitary pads that required a belt, or tampons. Most mothers in my circle of friends would not let their daughters use tampons. In the late 80's they came out with the sponge (and later a hilarious Seinfeld episode was created around it) that was actually pretty cool and very revolutionary.
And there were 498,792 euphemisms. Even those were rarely said out loud and never ever in front of anyone of the male persuasion.
Today I read on the internet - reddit, LJ, blogs all about periods, all the options and, all the information and I'm astounded. Half of me is jealous. I would have loved to have known all that shit and had all those options.
But the other half of me is soooooo friggin grateful that is it No Longer My Problem!
Very often since then thought of the lesson there. Economies of scale are sometimes not economical at all.
---
When I was about 11, my Mom sat me down with a little booklet and a package of sanitary napkins and explained menstruation to me. It was all very secretive and mysterious and not very interesting. When I was 12, I got my period. I was in school, after gym. I went to the school nurse and told her and she kitted me up. It was not traumatic. It was annoying.
And thus began about 40 years of having to deal with it every month.
During those years (starting in the 60's) there were not a whole lotta options. Sanitary pads that required a belt, or tampons. Most mothers in my circle of friends would not let their daughters use tampons. In the late 80's they came out with the sponge (and later a hilarious Seinfeld episode was created around it) that was actually pretty cool and very revolutionary.
And there were 498,792 euphemisms. Even those were rarely said out loud and never ever in front of anyone of the male persuasion.
Today I read on the internet - reddit, LJ, blogs all about periods, all the options and, all the information and I'm astounded. Half of me is jealous. I would have loved to have known all that shit and had all those options.
But the other half of me is soooooo friggin grateful that is it No Longer My Problem!
(no subject)
Date: 2017-01-19 01:01 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2017-01-19 01:22 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2017-01-19 01:51 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2017-01-19 04:11 am (UTC)I've often thought if I menstruated, I'd be a diva cup user.
(no subject)
Date: 2017-01-19 04:16 am (UTC)The one I used was not. Birth control, back then, was even more primitive than period control.
I do think the diva cup is fascinating and probably something I'd give serious thought to.
(no subject)
Date: 2017-01-19 04:17 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2017-01-19 07:17 am (UTC)Also, placing it correctly requires poking your fingers quite deeply into intimate places multiple times every day, which in itself takes some getting used to. It's one thing to be comfortable poking those spots every now and then when you're in the mood, but having to poke those spots over and over even when you're really not in the mood at all can get kind of bothersome.
I'm glad to have a lot of options, but having tried pretty nearly all of the options by now, I find that all of the options have significant drawbacks.
(no subject)
Date: 2017-01-19 01:13 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2017-01-19 05:31 pm (UTC)But the other half of me is soooooo friggin grateful that is it No Longer My Problem!
Fuckin' AMEN to that!