Also since that's pretty much all they do, these anesthesiologists are very, very good at the epidural.

Which JZ thinks she'd rather avoid, and just get through the labor with the narcotic shot. She doesn't like feeling numb, but thinks that being able to possibly nap and get some pain relief would be helpful.

I wanted an epidural with Sara and it was too late by the time I got to the hospital. So I had the narcotic shot with her (Nubain? Something like that.) and it was lovely. Just enough to take the edge off, and I actually did doze off during contractions. So, yay for narcotic shots as a good way to go.

(I will say also that it made me the slightest bit loopy, in the interest of full disclosure. One of them times I dozed off, I woke talking about windshield wipers, at which point the doctor and Stephen were both, like, "Helloooo? You in there?" It was funny.)

That's another thing that's kind of new. The window for the epidural is a lot longer now. They prefer to give it after you're 4 or 6 cm, but will give it all the way up to about 8 cm of dilation. If it's given too early then it tends to stall or slow down labor. At the the end they like to taper it off so the mom can feel as she's pushing.

I wonder if they'd kept Buffy through S7, and let Angel live another seaon or two, if we'd be seeing this new network.

I'm thinking no. Keeping Buffy might not have saved the WB, but I had the distinct impression that enough independent stations were about to give up on UPN that it would have crashed and burned—until they used the Buffy aquisition to generate press and sign those stations for a few more years. There might not have been a UPN for the WB to merge with this year if things had shaken out differently.

Going away for the weekend really screwed me up, TV-wise. I wish I had taped Angel and Buffy and the Amazing Race! But no. I got like the last 20 minutes of TAR. Is football going to fuck up the scheduling? Anyone know?

Also, going way back, I thought Viagra meant that male porn stars no longer have to have the natural ability to get and keep it up on demand, which would open up the pool considerably.

I haven't slept later than about 7:30 in weeks, but at least I went to be really early this weekend. Did people know that there's the X-Files on TV (TBS, maybe?) wicked early on Saturday mornings? Like, 5 and 6 am or some shit. Are they showing it at other times? Edit: And I see that they do: Tuesday from one to five am, at least.

They prefer to give it after you're 4 or 6 cm, but will give it all the way up to about 8 cm of dilation.

I think I was almost at 7, but I also had to have an antiobiotic run through beforehand for Strep B. At least I think that was the issue.

Anyway, the narcotics rocked.

At the the end they like to taper it off so the mom can feel as she's pushing.

Yeah, with Jake, fifteen years ago now, I had an epidural that made me completely numb from the waist down. So weird, and not in a good way. And then had a C-section, so...

Well, here football didn't mess up the CBS schedule at all. TAR started at 7:30 which is when it was supposed to this week.

Okay, I think that on TAR I'm going to hate Rob and Kimberly. They are already getting on my nerves. I am so glad that Lyn and Karlyn and Mary made it up the Great Wall. I know that I couldn't have done it.

TAR question: Did I lose track of someone along the way? What happened to the team of male friends, the Muslims? And weren't there twelve teams to start, and they ended with the eleventh being eliminated, or I am smoking crack?

Confused. It's so common for me.

Amyliz, in a new twist - TAR eliminiated the last team to arrive on the first day of competition.. . or Bilal and Saeed. That was the thing I didn't like up thread. I'm trying to figure out if this means we have 7 more elimination episodes or 6.

Well, here football didn't mess up the CBS schedule at all. TAR started at 7:30 which is when it was supposed to this week.

That's good, anyway. I am totally screwed, tv-wise, this week. I'm jettisoning shows left and right! No Justice, since Top Model is two hours, and Criminal Minds is on!

They prefer to give it after you're 4 or 6 cm, but will give it all the way up to about 8 cm of dilation. If it's given too early then it tends to stall or slow down labor. At the the end they like to taper it off so the mom can feel as she's pushing.

Recent studies have shown it doesn't really stall labor, according to my OB. Some docs don't make you wait to 4. But since it takes awhile for them to stick you, then for the meds to hit your system and start working, I could see where there would be a cut off point if delivery was imminent.

I had issues with our WB affiliate when I first started watching Buffy. We didn't have one and the UPN/WB share agreement screwed my watching Buffy & Angel back to back. It was weird and annoying.