Okay, the article I'm editing -- the pay-to-be-in-this-study article -- does say, in the section where they discuss results, that the fact that the patients had to pay might have biased the results.

I feel a little better now, though I still question the importance of publishing this.

The mindset around here seems to view pregnancy as "Excellent, you're fulfilling your purpose in the world, well done, good and faithful servant."

That may be the problem right there. Putting pregnancy on the level of having your teeth cleaned doesn't exactly promote a joyful outlook.

There is the distinct possibility that I'm becoming a nasty crone.

I hear the club meetings have some terrific potlucks; I've been toying with joining myself.

I feel a little better now, though I still question the importance of publishing this.

Can you take your concerns to anyone? Or is the decision set in stone?

Eh, it's hard to judge other people's joy. Some women are so worn down by the physical demands of pregnancy that taking joy in it is just about impossible. Every one of those that I've known has been crazy happy about the baby once it was born, though.

Ugh. Ouch. Headache.

Damn, this has been coming and going all day, but I thought it was from not eating or something. Now I just had lunch and I've had a half-gallon of water to drink and it's still hitting me.

connie, when we were in Utah over Thanksgiving, I was well aware of how much we fit in, what with a barely toddler-aged child and me visibly pregnant. The only significant difference was my age.

Hey, Susan, we could kick M's ass. Would you like that? Stupid contest winning bitca.(we could put a note in the women's that she steals her plots from coffee commercials and she stuffs her bra.)

Hey, Susan, we could kick M's ass. Would you like that?

I think I'd rather you find my judges and kick their asses.

I'm hip. Paulie Walnuts, "literary agent" could talk to them. The next time they wrote "I'm sorry..." they really would be, guaranteed.

The alligator eats the larger thing, vw. That's how it's taught down here, and it's always worked for me.

Bwah!

Oh, Susan! That totally sucks! I’m so sorry.

Dude. This was NOT a commercial weight-loss program like WW or Jenny Craig. It was a medical study! And they wanted the guinea pigs to PAY for the right to be guinea pigs?

Holy cow! Isn’t that unethical? It sure seems like it should be anyway.

Go Nora! Definitely head out early. It’s nice out, and it’s Friday. Plus, HOUSE!

It's deeply weird.

Eek. I imagine that felt very strange.

If I were you, vw, I'd quote the dictionary and then provide my definition or brief discussion of how it is used (no more than 1 or 2 sentences, however). But I'm an ex-grad student, so I like to cover my bases.

Actually, I really like that idea. I think that’s what I’ll do…definitely covering the bases.

I kind of fucked up today, or at least I feel like I fucked up. When it was apparent that this whole situation I dealt with this week wasn’t going to end quickly or easily, I e-mailed my profs letting them know what was going on. My psych prof e-mailed me back and offered that I could have extra time on my article critique, which was due today. So, when I crashed yesterday, I decided to take her up on that.

Well, she didn’t hear back from me, so she assumed I would have it done today (plus, I’d told her that the situation had resolved). So, I showed up to class, without the work done, with her expecting it, and found out that we were going to spend the hour working through our critiques in workgroups. I told her what happened, and she was visibly frustrated but told me to stay in class. I sat down to start and decided to talk to her again as we started the workgroups. I was like, “I feel really uncomfortable with this. I feel like I’m cheating.” She said, “Well, if it makes you feel any better, you’re not the only one. Plus, I know you would have gotten them all right anyway.”

That last bit should have made me feel a little better, and it does a little. But, I still feel like I really messed this one up. I don’t think she’s going to mark it late, since she had already told me I could have extra time. But, who knows how she’ll grade it…which is fine. I just feel really stupid.