Posts filed under ‘Extracurricular’
Learn Your Body: Ovarian Cysts
By Virginia Ta
For most women, the thought of ovarian cysts is frightening and perhaps even far away in their realm of reality. However, after dealing with my own health issues as of recently, I was prompted to do a little research to figure out what ovarian cysts were really about and if I should be as scared as I was.
What are they?
Ovarian cysts are most common among women in their childbearing years, as cyst-like structures normally form 
during a woman’s monthly menstrual cycle when a follicle forms inside the ovary. It’s during ovulation that the mature follicle usually ruptures, then releasing an egg. However, if the process does not fully complete its cycle, then a functional cyst will form. Functional cysts are not considered harmful and generally do not require any treatment since more than half of the cases dealing with functional cysts usually will disappear on their own within 3 months.
Along with functional cysts, there are also dermoid cysts, cystadenoma cysts, endometrioma cysts, and polycystic ovarian syndrome, which can result in multiple ovarian cysts.
Detection and Treatment
Not all cysts will cause symptoms, however if feelings of pelvic pain, pain during sex, problems urinating, and abnormal bleeding occur, it could be a sign of ovarian cysts. If signs of shock are present, meaning weakness, fainting, or dizziness, fever, and clammy hands occur, a doctor should be contacted immediately.
After a pelvic exam, doctors will usually recommend the “wait and see” method, since there is a chance that the cysts will clear up on their own. At that time, your doctor may also schedule you to undergo a pelvic sonogram, much like the kind administered on pregnant women.
Depending on those results, your doctor may decide to surgically remove your cysts. This is can be done through a procedure called laparoscopy, which allows the doctor to drain any fluids or take a sample of the cyst, or through a procedure called laparotomy, which is done to remove cysts that are at risk of bursting or spilling.
After examining the cysts under a microscope, doctors can then determine whether the cyst is cancerous or not and whether further treatment needs to be done.
Prevention and Staying Healthy
Functional cysts cannot be prevented as long as a woman is ovulating. However, there are a few things that can be done to help a woman’s overall health:
– Using oral contraceptives reduces ovarian cancer by three quarters since it controls the length of time of ovulation.
– Cut down on beef, other red meat, and cheeses.
– Eat more green vegetables.
– Schedule regular gynecological visits to get a pelvic exam.
“Maybe Everything Good Is Based in Some Kind of Truth” – A Review of Mister Lonely
By Danika Stegeman
Harmony Korine’s Mister Lonely was released on DVD in the U.S. on November 18th, 2008. I rented a copy from a Blockbuster in Minneapolis two weeks beforehand. Strange and unsettling, I know. An appropriate circumstance for renting of one of Korine’s films.
Gummo (1997) and julien donkey-boy (1999), the two other films Korine wrote and directed, are strange and unsettling. Both boast disturbing images like adolescent boys huffing glue, cross-dressing, and hunting for dead cats or Werner Herzog wearing a gas mask while high on cough medicine. The films’ narratives, like their images, are highly fragmented. They are not Hollywood fare. Few who are not film afficianados or fans of Korine have likely not seen them all the way through. I probably would not have seen them if my brothers were not weirdos who forced me to watch them with an eye for the complexity, humor, and truth they hold.
Diego Luna as Michael Jackson and director Harmony Korine.
Mister Lonely, is a film no one but Korine could have made, but it is an easier pill to swallow. Late 1990’s Korine is to aspirin tablet as late 2000’s Korine is to gelcap: all the goodness is still there but the act of consumption is subtler and more pleasant. The film consists of two intertwined narratives; one tells the story of a lonely Michael Jackson impersonator (played by Diego Luna) who stumbles on love and friendship among other impersonators in a commune. The other tells the unrelated story of a troupe of nuns in South America who skydive without parachutes and land miraculously unharmed. The real miracle of the film is that both narratives are clear in themselves and are complicated but made more resonant by being told side-by-side. Korine has managed in Mister Lonely to make a work that other human beings can feel and understand without compromising the complexity required to make the work intelligent and true.
The emotionally complexity typically embodied in Korine’s characters is not lost either. The most striking example is the Charlie Chaplin impersonator (played by Denis Lavant) who is cruel, ambitious, petty, lazy, and compassionate at once. In an interview with Alex Moore in the Aug./Sept. 2008 issue of Death + Taxes (which I must also credit for the title of this review), Korine had this to say about the tension between disparate emotions in his films:
“Most people don’t want to go there, but there’s something great about being confused, about emotions in the abstract. Like, looking at something and feeling ten different ways about it: Loving it and feeling guilty about it; hating it, but desiring it.”
Korine creates this tension better than any contemporary filmmaker. In Mister Lonely the tension is at it’s most subtle and therefore most powerful. One feels that the nuns are foolish and is yet awed at their faith. Michael appears both fragile and remarkably self-aware and stable at once.
Because I was not distracted by an obfuscated narrative or by wincingly disturbing images, I was able for the first time to appreciate the acting and directing skills in Korine’s film. I was also able to remark on the beautiful cinematography and editing in the film. There is one scene that shows the Little Red Riding Hood impersonator (played by Rachel Korine—Harmony’s wife) walking alone along a railroad track under a clear plastic umbrella. Focusing on one character idling along while singing to him or herself is classic Korine. The beauty of such moments is magnified in Mister Lonely because it is easier to take them for themselves, rather than as respite from the turmoil of the rest of the film.
Mister Lonely should garner Korine recognition as a serious and important force in film. He is often regarded as an eccentric, artsy, shock-monger and relegated to the (albeit praised and cult-followed) margin. Maybe he ought to stay there so he stays himself. Maybe we need more genuine films like Korine’s to reach the public and fewer poser films like Rachel Getting Married in our independent theaters. Mister Lonely is Korine, grown into a more seamlessly stitched skin. I consider it one of the best films of the year and recommend it to anyone, weirdo or not.
Whatchamacallit in the Kitchen: What You Need To Get Cookin’
By Sarah Klenakis
Your first kitchen can be daunting—especially if you’ve spent the last four years eating out of the dining hall or pizza box. Or maybe you’re anxious to master the kitchen, but you’ve encountered one problem: you only have about two feet of counter space. Well, here are a few tips and items to help get you started:
What You Need Vs. What You’ll Want
Odds are you’ve probably already inherited your grandmother/mom/great aunt’s dishes. Before filling your cart with crockpots and gravy boats, think about what it is you need. Know your lifestyle—and if you don’t know it, give yourself a chance to get to know it. Will you realistically wake up early to make your lunch or just go out? Are you going to follow-through on those bimonthly dinners with friends? Are you a tea drinker or coffee fiend? You don’t want to find yourself with eight appliances you’ll never use and that take up precious counter space.
Get Yourself a Guide
Whether you use it every day or have it just for emergencies, having a good, basic cookbook can come in handy for all the terms you may not know (the difference between mincing and julienning). If you’re not ready to commit to a book, luckily there are plenty of online resources to help you out.
Recommendations: The Joy of Cooking, Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook
Websites: foodtv.com, epicurious.com
Try Things Out
You know that spice rack your mother got you that you only use the cinnamon out of? Give the rest a try! Don’t be afraid to try the recipe you saw on Rachael Ray last night either. Even if it takes you ninety minutes instead of thirty, you can be proud of your effort and know that as you will get better in the kitchen, and next time, it probably won’t take so long next time.
The Essentials: Shopping List
No matter your lifestyle, here’s a list of items you’ll likely use every week:
Colander: For draining pasta and veges.
Cutting Boards: You should have at least two cutting boards handy, since when you cook, you don’t want your raw meat to have contact with your vegetables.
Knives: You don’t need a set of fifteen, just a few good ones. Again, know your lifestyle (if you’re a vegetarian, it’s unlikely you’ll need six steak knives). You’ll want a good paring knife, a serrated knife for bread and tomatoes, and a larger Chef’s Knife for meat.
Measuring Tools: Try these fun, colorful, and collapsible cups for your dry ingredients.
This Pyrex Measuring cup is great for exact measurements and to add liquids to your recipes.
Cork Screw: No explanation needed on why you need this!
Mixing Bowls: They usually come in sets of three or more. But you want at least two, since most baking recipes will want you to separate out wet and dry ingredients. These ones can also act as serving bowls.
Baking Pans: These will change with your baking habits. Cookies, cakes, pies, or breads, oh my!
Spatulas: These are always good for getting the last sauce out of the jar or for licking the brownie batter! I highly recommend the Williams-Sonoma Spoonula which you can find online or at most of their outlet stores.
Also will want a flat one for flipping pancakes and burgers.
Apron and Pot Holder: These are to save you from burning yourself and exorbitant dry cleaning bills for splatters.
Guilty Temptations
These are items you (probably) do not need! (But boy, do they look like fun!) If you find yourself spending more time in the kitchen, you might want to splurge on one of these—but remember to be practical. There are a lot of fun kitchen toys out there, but if you live in North Dakota and have never seen a mango, you don’t need a tool to specifically chop it.
Garlic Press-Slicer—a nice addition to a practical item.
Pizza Chopper—when a knife just won’t do the job.
Vases—for when your boyfriend finally buys you flowers .
Pineapple Easy Slicer—this is just cool.
Espresso Machine—This is pretty extravagant, but if you are spending a lot of money at Starbucks, it might be worth the investment .
Waffle Maker—This is totally fun, but probably unnecessary.
Punch Fountain—For the party giver.
Storage Containers—These are great to keep food fresh and so you know what is where and what you have.
Pitcher—Good for entertaining…or just as an everyday water pitcher.
The Recovering Athlete
By Sarah Klenakis
“It has changed my life,” my friend Katie said as we drove on the Massachusetts Turnpike. We’d just spent the afternoon shopping at a nearby outlet mall and now we were catching up with each other as we rode toward Boston. The conversation shifted from my grad school studies to her job and had now landed on our respective workout routines. I lamented no longer having softball, a sport I’d spent my adolescence obsessing over, but no longer had in my life now that my collegiate career was over and with fastpitch softball leagues hard to come by. Katie, a former swimmer, soon dove into a rave about how running had changed her life. While Katie’s motives for getting in shape were different than mine (she’d started running after a break-up and wanted a way to keep off the weight she’d loss from all the stress), I was tempted to begin running from the enthusiasm she expressed. I wanted the lean body she had and the energy she boasted. I wanted the feeling that running three miles was no big deal, just something I was able to do. She spoke about it with the eagerness of an infomercial spokesperson—“anyone can do it—even you!”—and I was anxious to make running, a once annoying side effect of getting in shape, the focus of my fitness routine. I wanted to be able to participate in the conversations of more and more of my friends who I found to be training for half-marathons. But overall, I yearned for that feeling of being an athlete—pushing myself to do better, to reach goals, and provide me with the excitement and thrill I felt on the softball field.
Immediately after I threw my final pitch in my last collegiate softball game, I began to feel the weight that came with no longer being an athlete. Sure I could join a gym, do Pilates, or play Frisbee in the park, but I couldn’t exactly pick up a softball and pitch it to myself—which was what I loved to do. Not to mention, I no longer had a team to be a part of or a championship to aim for. Every year, hundreds of thousands of athletes share this sentiment when they must say goodbye to the sport they love. Not only do we leave behind the shin-pads and the helmets, but we lose an essential part of our identities. We’ve spent significant portions of our lives lining up jump shots, on uncomfortably long bus trips, and with a stomach full of nerves for the big game—how can we be expected to say goodbye to it so quickly? Long after we’ve graduated, we bring up in conversations the teams we played for in high school, because something in us still clings to this active side. But without the team, constant training, and overbearing coach, can we still consider ourselves athletes?
I hoped so. So I made myself a plan—I would run three times a week, starting with a mile at a time and increase my distance each week. I figured that before I knew it, I would be flying, running races, and kicking ass. But when I got out there, on my suburban sidewalks, with cars speeding through the 25 mph speed limit and my slow self wishing I were inside of them, I didn’t feel the excitement of sport. There was no competitor, no crowd (not that we had roaring crowds at the softball games of my small Division III school), and no deciding factor (win/loss) of if I had succeeded or not. I ran week after week—expecting it to get better as I made progress, but internally that athletic loss still remained.
“I had several conversations with friends of mine about the mourning period you go through when you are no longer an athlete. For most of our young adult lives, our identity is linked to a particular sport and then all of a sudden it’s gone,” Carla Flaherty, a former basketball and softball standout shared. After graduating from Bates College, Carla tried to move onto the real world but found the pull to sports too great. “I stepped away from sports for a year and worked in business, but it slowly crept back into my life. I needed to volunteer and be around it. Then I made it my life. There is something energetic and contagious about being an athlete or being involved with a team. I am so happy I still have that.” Carla is now an assistant basketball coach at her alma mater.
I largely failed at running because I lacked the team support I was so used to. If I wanted to succeed at running (or what I wanted—at becoming a runner, thus once again becoming an athlete), I needed to be satisfied with the fact that I was my own competitor—and that the goal was to improve, not ‘win’ as I had been trained to think. Oftentimes it is the lack of support that causes former athletes to lose their drive. Olivia Zurek spent much of her time in college balancing her volleyball and basketball talents with her studies in neuroscience. And although she had a difficult time getting over the fact that her career was over, she found her athletic experience crucial to her future interests. “I am in medical school now and am interested in surgery in large part because of the fact that working as a team is such a huge part of success in the operating room.” So perhaps I had been conditioned to share my success—it wasn’t so much about the individual accomplishment, but the team accomplishment. Was I then doomed to eternal unathleticism?
I wasn’t yet ready to give up. I interspersed other activities into my running routine. I joined a gym, went to aerobic and yoga classes, and joined a recreational league. Some were more fun than others—but none of them gave me the end all be all. My heart was racing in spinning class, but those hills I climbed hadn’t actually gotten me anywhere. The rec league was fun and good for meeting people, but it just wasn’t the same. I didn’t want the stressful intensity I often felt with the game on the line, but I did want something more than teammates trotting around the bases.
Kristi Guzzo, a former softball pitcher, found some solace in a slow pitch league, but urges college athletes to enjoy the time they have. “While I was still in school I found myself dragging my feet because I wasn’t in the mood for practice or it was too cold to play a game. But now that it’s all over, I would go back in a heartbeat! You hear your parents and grandparents talk about how they “used to be a great athlete in their day”, but you never think that when you’re 24 or 25 years old, you will be using that “used to be” statement also.”
It’s true that we’ve become has-beens in a way—wishing for our past glory days, noticing the extra pounds we’ve gained that weren’t there when we were burning eight hundred calories a practice, telling stories of how things used to be. But the goal is to keep that part of ourselves alive somehow. Even if we can’t get that full athletic identity back, it’s comforting to catch glimpses of it having run four miles, beating someone down the stretch at a race, or getting the last person out in the friendly kickball tournament in the park. You just have to find out how to bring those glimpses out in yourself. Even though I am sure I am the slowest runner in the universe, I do feel some sort of accomplishment when I go out there—and past athletic Sarah can be somewhat proud of that—even though she didn’t strike anyone out.
Tips for the Recovering Athletes
Go Run!
Many people loathe it—but it’s the cheapest and most easily accessible sport (You go outside and run). Set realistic goals for yourself—just because you swim three miles does not necessarily mean running three miles will come to you naturally. If you can only run a mile, start there. Aim to run three times a week and to increase your distance by 10% each week. Download Google Maps to track a path—this way you will have a goal route ahead of time and you will able to keep track of your mileage. Keep track of your progress! You’ll be very proud four, eight, twelve weeks in to see how far you’ve come. Having trouble motivating yourself? Sign up for a race! You’re more likely to get moving if you have a deadline and you’ve paid a fee. You can find a race almost any weekend of the year. Try coolrunning.com for more info. Still having trouble getting motivated? Imagine your former coach staring ominously at you—that should get you sprinting out the door!
Find A League
With youth sports booming in numbers, more and more adult leagues are popping up all over the country. A little Googling is a good way to start. You can also try, sportsmonster.net, a company that oversees adult rec leagues in a number of U.S. cities. Can’t find one? Start one! Spread the word. If you have any former teammates in the area, get them involved. There’s nothing like capturing glory like when you are doing it with old friends. You might also want to try your local Parks Department.
Find a Friend
“Working out sucks and everybody hates it but it is so worth it! Your entire life will improve; not just your body.” Breanne Dunn, a former softball player said. Tons of us join the gym, but can’t stand dragging ourselves regularly—and if we do, our workout often suffers from laziness or monotony. Join with a friend or former teammate to get back some of that team mentality you once had. Track your progress with spreadsheets, gold stars—whatever it takes to keep you going. Look to keep your workout routine diverse by trying different machines or various classes offered. You are paying that gym fee, so you should take full advantage! Also, if you take classes, you will likely push yourself harder under the eye of a watchful instructor.
Reward Yourself!
A reward system can often help get you moving. Just be sure not to make it too frequent (I got out of bed this morning, I should get a Cinnabun!) or something that you would do anyway (Walking to work and stopping at Starbucks). You should make it a true reward, something special and unique that you don’t do very often. Like every ten visits to the gym gets you a pedicure (hey—it’s no championship ring, but it’s something), or for every race you run, you treat yourself to a new piece of clothing.
Tickled Pink Sports Fans
by Sarah Klenakis
A couple of years ago, ESPN Page 2 columnist Mary Buckheit wrote an observant column on the phenomenon that is pink sports apparel. Pink team sports apparel has been invading my viewing pleasure of athletics for years now—jolting me from the fantasy world I enter when watching sports (blame the fairy tales for my still overactive imagination), back into the realization that I am just another fan. From the knotted pink t-shirts on the happy hour waitresses, to the splattering of pink hats in the stands trying to maintain interest in the game—the trend is everywhere. I recently revisited Buckheit’s article while watching the baseball playoffs this October, when I saw yet another of my female compatriots sporting a bubble gum pink Boston Red Sox hat.
Years after the fad was initially introduced, there seems to be no end in sight for the pink phenomenon—spreading from pink hats and rhinestoned jerseys, to salmon crocs and rose-colored booty shorts. All of them a slight shade of baby pink expressing all that is wrong with sports these days.
Now—there is, of course, a difference between the occasional shirts or bats that players and fans sometimes use in support of breast cancer causes that pop up around Mother’s Day. The hate that pink sports apparel churns up inside me has nothing to do with this. It is not even so much about the girls who wearing it to support their boyfriend’s team or as Buckheit eloquently imitates, “I put flair in front of team spirit. My style will not be trumped by distasteful team colors.” What bothers me most is that it is a new thing—that I am part of a generation of free agency, highest bidder takes all, and juicing. So every time I see a pink hat, I feel like that person is calling out, “Hey look! I’m a fan!” And I sadly drop my head because I am reminded there will be no good, old days in my future.
Pink apparel is just one more thing that takes away from our favorite team’s tradition, and today’s sports don’t need any additional help rebranding themselves—the agents, owners, and advertisers do a good enough job there.
When I go to the ballpark, I don’t need seven pieces of team flair—just the sweat-stained official MLB hat I purchased when I was in high school. Pink is a great color and I would have proudly worn a pink jersey had my college, high school, or ASA team chosen it as their colors. But I can’t think of a college or university that has even a lining of pink in their official garb. I would love to see that one day. I would gladly add a shirt or hat to my collection.
While I do think this is a national problem, found in various sports and teams across the country. I think any Red Sox fan before the year 2000 knows what I’m talking about. These are the fans who, thirty seconds after the Red Sox take the ALDS in the bottom of the ninth, feel the need to change their Facebook statuses to somehow mention their love of dirty water.
I love baseball. I love the Red Sox. I even love pink. But why does my love for a team or a sport have to be obnoxiously loud? Why does my love for ‘Big Papi’ have to be pasted in my MySpace profile to be proven? Isn’t the fact that I couldn’t sleep soundly most nights prior to October 24, 2004 good enough? Can’t I just be happy that I even get to view Red Sox game when living in Virginia? Why is it that so many members of my generation need to shout their love from the rooftops?
To this day, I cringe over the memory of the red, white, and blue anklets I made at the age of fifteen, in honor of the 1998 Red Sox. I had twenty-six—twenty-five for each individual player, and one simply reading Red Sox. Like all true Red Sox fans growing up in New England, my fandom was harnessed from birth. My father and I methodically included Red Sox baseball in our evening routines and reading box scores part of our morning. My anklets, hidden beneath my pant leg, were not meant to tell the world of my obsession. Like any true sport fan knows, I was just attempting—in my strangely superstitious way—to do whatever I could to help the team. I thought if I took them off, I’d jinx them. The anklets were frankly irrelevant (as was the fact that I interchanged the anklets with each night’s line-up)—it’s the fact that I knew all twenty-five guys on that team—that I followed them to Anaheim, Kansas City, and Toronto. My love of the Red Sox isn’t just built on Nomar, Manny, and Baseball Tonight’s highlight reel. It’s layered with thousands of games, with players like Donny Sadler and Darren Lewis, just as my father’s love is built on memories of Dick Radatz and Frank Malzone.
When the Red Sox lost to the Cleveland Indians in the ALDS that year, I snapped the anklets out of the frustration of my heart breaking. Unlike the fair-weather fans who forgot the Red Sox after the leaves turned, the Red Sox (and the pain they left behind) continued in my daily life.
It seems to get harder every year to return to this team I love. Most will say since their World Series win, being a Sox fan has never be the same. While it’s true that the agony is gone, the fans seem to grow increasingly obnoxious, the commentators more sycophantic, and the athletes more interchangeable.
Recently a friend caught me sneaking back to a party after I had mysteriously left to check in on the game. I admitted I was checking out the score. She all of a sudden got excited and anxious to know how things were going. I told her the Sox were ahead, but about to blow it. She grunted with annoyance as I headed back to the party and hoped not to have to go any further into the conversation. No true fan would ever forget a playoff game was on.
But never would I have made those anklets pink—even my fifteen year-old self saw what a cop-out that would have been.
So in the meantime, if you are watching baseball because you think Kevin Youkilis is hot—you should really check out Derek Jeter.
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