"You'll take these pills for five days, starting tomorrow. Then on the 12th through 17th day of your cycle..." he glances at the calendar, then pulls out a small credit card size calendar and starts counting. He scrawls numbers down on the sheet of paper in front of him. "December 5...10...." More scrawling.
Meanwhile I sit, watching, not sure what to think. I watched his pen move on the paper. The paper is a part of a file. A thin file in comparison to the thick ones stacked in four piles on his desk. Some were very thick, some were just slightly thick. Were the thinner ones new patients or ones who were successful on the first try? I counted the thicker ones and felt a tug of sympathy for their owners. We were all here for the same reason, but the goal wasn't to make the files thicker.
I sat alone. Gareth had stepped outside before my ultrasound. Said he had to make some calls, but I know the idea of the ultrasound had been a bit disconcerting for him, since it wasn't the type you normally think of when you hear the word ultrasound. Let's just say it wasn't an abdominal one. The ultrasound had taken all of 10 minutes, but he hadn't come back in yet. I don't know, I think he would've found the pictures of my full bladder and cystic ovaries interesting.
It was late. We'd been in the doctor's office since 3 p.m. and after sitting in the waiting room for 40 minutes, we met with Dr. C, an embryologoist who took down my medical history. Moon-faced, soft-spoken Chinese man with a hesitant but pleasant smile. He asked a few uncomfortable questions, but his gentle demeanor was encouraging. He told me that my case looked pretty straight-forward and it looked like all I needed was a little help ovulating.
It was supposed to be just a consultation meeting where Gareth and I would learn more about our options. We wanted to start family, you see, but since my miscarriage in 2005, I haven't been able to get pregnant. My plan had been "Kids by 35 or never." There was something wrong with that plan, apparently. I think the biggest problem was that it was my plan. There is a supreme being who controls our destinies having a good chuckle over that.
Dr. M came in almost a half-hour after Dr. C's interview was done. He's the obstetrician. Where Dr. C had shaken both our hands when he met us, Dr. M hurried in, made the hand-shaking gesture in the air before settling behind his desk. I found it amusing, as I did his other idiosyncracies like asking me how to pronounce my name, then proceeding to make accent marks on my file label, after dividing my name in 3 syllables with slash marks. Gareth and I glanced at each and shared a worried smile as he did this.
Where Dr. C was round, Dr. M was angular. Classically Italian, hawk nose, a hint of New York Italia in his speech, sharp eyes, complete with pomade styled hair. As he counseled us, you could just see his mind working, and with all the degrees on his wall, it was a very intelligent mind. He's one of those people who are so smart, their mouths can't keep up with their brains, and he has to pause every once in a while to catch up. In some people, it's would appear socially awkward and over-anxious. But when you MD & Ph. D. attached to your name, it's becomes a mark of high intelligence.
He's encouraged that since we've gotten pregnant before, and began writing out a prescription for me to induce my cycle. When I mention I just started a couple days ago, he rips up the prescription and says, "Let's get you in the exam room and do an ultrasound." When the nurse came to take me to the exam room, Gareth made his exit. Chicken.
As Dr. M continued to scrawl notes in my file, I glanced at the clock. 5:15 p.m. We aren't going to make to puppy training. Mahal & Prada will miss their 3rd class. Again. They missed the 3rd class when they first registered for obedience school, so I had rescheduled them to a different course, and here we were missing the same 3rd class.
"So here's the plan," Dr. M announces, taking me out of my reverie. "Take these pills for 5 days starting tomorrow. You're a big girl, so 100mg a day to start." Big girl, more milligrams. Got it.
"On Dec. 5, you take an ovulation test in the morning. This is my favorite brand." He holds up a Clear Blue Easy Ovulation Test kit like he's doing a commercial for it. "Do that through the 10th. When you get a positive sign, you need to have sex. With your husband." Aha, doctor's got a sense of humor. As if on cue, Gareth walks in.
"Got me something to eat - I didn't have anything for lunch," he explains sheepishly.
"Did you bring something for your wife?" Dr. M asks.
"Oh, yes, it's in the car," Gareth sounds almost defensive.
"Good! Good! It's almost dinner time, I'm sure she's hungry, too!" I notice the more Dr. M talks, the more he sounds like Al Pacino. He turns back to me and continues with "The Plan."
"Call me when you get a positive sign and tell me. I'll say, 'Genevieve, that's wonderful! Now what's the plan? Because I probably won't have your file in front of me, so you have to remind me what the plan is." He's writing "The Plan" on a yellow Post-It note as he talks. "You'll need to call me if you get all negative. But when you get a positive sign, have sex -"
"Woohoo!" mumbles Gareth.
"Then come in and see me and we'll do a post-coital exam to make sure things are moving along."
Post-coital exam? Eww. But okay. We do have a mission here. I take the yellow Post-It from Dr. M. It's almost unreal that a little 3x3 piece of paper could hold the key to the future for us. "So this the plan?"
"That's the plan."
Thursday, November 29, 2007
Tuesday, June 26, 2007
"Bridge to Terabithia" an Interview with Annasophia Robb & Josh Hutcherson
Annasophia Robb walked back into the hotel room looking clearly disappointed. “It wasn’t what I thought.”
Josh Hutcherson, her co-star in Bridge to Terabithia, lounging casually on the couch, shook his head and smirked. “I was wondering why you got so excited and tore out of here.”
“He said ‘chocolate bar’ so I thought..y’know…a bar just for all kinds of different chocolate.” Annasophia pouted playfully towards the door through which her father had just exited. He had gone in before me to let the kids know of the spread of snacks and drinks that was available just outside the interview room.
Apparently, AnnaSohia had heard the words, “chocolate bar” and immediately envisionied a bar overflowing with chocolate. Possibly a lingering after-effect of working with Johnny Depp in Charlie & the Chocolate Factory. She had rushed out of the room just as I was entering, so intent on finding chocolate that her father had to remind her to introduce herself.
Stopped in her tracks by his gentle chiding, Annasophia immediately turned, shrugged sheepishly and offered her hand with a charming smile, “Hi, I’m Annasophia!”
Introduction made, she continued on her quest for chocolate, leaving me to wonder at the strong, firm grip of a wispy 14-year old. At that point, Josh had stood to greet me with a charming smile and as strong a handshake as Annasophia’s before resuming his casually slouched form on the couch. Like a flick of a switch, movie star brilliance off, teenage nonchalance on. When Annasophia returned he was ready with friendly derision.
He goaded Annasophia with, “But it was what? Just. A. Chocolate. Bar. Right?”
Sighing, Annasophia flopped gracefully back on the couch with a sigh, “Right.”
Annasophia (Anna pronounced Ah-na) and Josh were in Seattle promoting the June 19 DVD release of Bridge to Terabithia. They’d gotten in late the night before and had been doing interviews since 8:30 a.m., which had meant an early wake up call. Despite the early morning and the long day of interviews with a few more still stretching before them, the two teenagers looked freshfaced and animated. An early flight to Montreal at 6 a.m. the following day wasn’t going to deter them from making the most of this stop, the second of a six-city publicity tour. This being their first time in Seattle, both planned to take in the city at night.
“I want to go up the Space Tower – I mean the Needle and watch the city light up,” Josh said with a smile. In fact, a smile never seemed to leave his face during the interview. Quite the contradiction to the character he played in Bridge to Terabithia, a somewhat melancholy figure who is bullied at school and neglected at home. Josh plays Jess Aarons in the movie to Annasophia’s Leslie Burke, an adventure-seeking free spirit who befriends Jess. Combining their imaginations, the two create Terabithia, a magical land they can only get to if they keep their minds wide open.
The movie is based on Katherine Paterson’s award-winning young-adult novel of the same name. It tells the tale of the two soul mates who find sanctuary in the imaginary kingdom they create, where they reign as king and queen and fight off a giant troll, evil creatures and plot against the schoolmates who tease them. I remember this was the book to read when I was in 5th grade, so I asked the two stars of the film how familiar they were with the book prior to filming.
“I was homeschooled for 5th grade because I was working, and that was the grade when a lot of kids read the book, so I didn't actually read it until after I heard about the script,” admitted Annasophia. “After reading it I was even more interested in the part and excited to be part of bringing the story to life.”
Josh also admitted that he didn’t read the book until he was approached with the script, but both teenagers immediately fell in love with the book, finding the characters easy to relate to.
“Where Jess gets teased and feels left out because he’s artistic and all he wants to do is draw…I kind of felt that way because I wanted to act,” Josh explained.
Both stars seemingly burst onto the Hollywood scene around the same time, first in television roles then the big screen. Josh’s first major role was a CGI version of himself as Hero Boy on Polar Express in 2004 opposite Tom Hanks. Annasophia’s first major film was Because of Winn-Dixie but is probably best remembered for her turn as Violet Beauregard on Charlie & the Chocolate Factory, the girl who ate the blueberry gum and turned into a blueberry.
Both have been working steadily every since. Josh has two films in post-production while Annasophia has four. I shook my head in wonder just imagining their schedules with filming, traveling, promoting. One of the reasons I loved the film was the fact that they played kids being kids. I asked them how they balanced the workload of traveling, acting & school. Josh explained the requirements of building 3 hours of instruction and homework into a 9 hour day that includes lunch and breaks. He shrugged as he thought about his schedule. “You just have to make time because education is very important.”
Annasophia was exuberant about attending a private school next year with a pool and cross country tream. “They’ve been very positive and excited to have me and they’ll be flexible with my filming schedule. I was homeschooled before and was really fortunate to work one on one with a tutor. Learning something new goes lot quicker when you aren’t competing for your teacher’s attention. But high school will be different with electives to choose from.”
When I asked if her interest in cross country running came from the movie, she shook her head claimed, “I just like to run. I run all the time.”
Josh turned to her with an incredulous look and asked, “Why?”
Annasophia seemed to waver a bit, shrinking back into the couch. "Oh-kaay! So maybe it's more like jogging!"
Since the conversation went in that direction, I asked Josh what he enjoyed doing outside of acting. “I like going home to Kentucky and just hanging out with my friends. Go to the mall, watch TV. It may sound boring, but I like being bored.”
Annasophia leaned away, out of Josh’s line of sight, rolled her eyes and mouthed, “I. Don’t.”
Suspicious of my snicker, Josh shot Annasophia a glance. Quickly composing herself, Annasophia rattled off more of her favorite things to do, which included reading and hanging out with her cousins.
Their comfortable banter and teasing was heartwarming to watch and it was apparent that their friendship played strongly on-screen because of the off-screen camaraderie. The two did spend almost four months together filming Bridge to Terabithia in New Zealand. Luckily for fans, the old adage of familiarity breeding contempt didn't apply here. Their faces lit up when asked about their stay in New Zealand.
“It was amazing! It was awesome!” They both exclaimed, almost in unison, talking over each other in their excitement. “We practically lived on the beach! It was the best time ever!”
Under the direction of Gabor Csupo, whose writing, producing & animation work includes The Rugrats Movie and The Wild Thornberrys Movie, Josh and Annasophia’s characters escape from school troubles and turmoil at home by letting their imagination run rampant. Asked how they felt about working with Csupo, Josh’s answer hinted at a maturity and thoughtfulness not usually seen at his age.
“Working with Gabor was incredible. It was just amazing how he conceived his images of Terabithia. When you think about it, we just acted in it, but Gabor created Terabithia. If I learned anything from Gabor, it’s to not be afraid to let your imagination stretch.” Annasophia was equally reflective, “It’s one thing to imagine something in your head, but then to be able translate
it into something others can see and appreciate and get excited about, that’s
just unbelievable. ”
Josh Hutcherson, her co-star in Bridge to Terabithia, lounging casually on the couch, shook his head and smirked. “I was wondering why you got so excited and tore out of here.”
“He said ‘chocolate bar’ so I thought..y’know…a bar just for all kinds of different chocolate.” Annasophia pouted playfully towards the door through which her father had just exited. He had gone in before me to let the kids know of the spread of snacks and drinks that was available just outside the interview room.
Apparently, AnnaSohia had heard the words, “chocolate bar” and immediately envisionied a bar overflowing with chocolate. Possibly a lingering after-effect of working with Johnny Depp in Charlie & the Chocolate Factory. She had rushed out of the room just as I was entering, so intent on finding chocolate that her father had to remind her to introduce herself.
Stopped in her tracks by his gentle chiding, Annasophia immediately turned, shrugged sheepishly and offered her hand with a charming smile, “Hi, I’m Annasophia!”
Introduction made, she continued on her quest for chocolate, leaving me to wonder at the strong, firm grip of a wispy 14-year old. At that point, Josh had stood to greet me with a charming smile and as strong a handshake as Annasophia’s before resuming his casually slouched form on the couch. Like a flick of a switch, movie star brilliance off, teenage nonchalance on. When Annasophia returned he was ready with friendly derision.
He goaded Annasophia with, “But it was what? Just. A. Chocolate. Bar. Right?”
Sighing, Annasophia flopped gracefully back on the couch with a sigh, “Right.”
Annasophia (Anna pronounced Ah-na) and Josh were in Seattle promoting the June 19 DVD release of Bridge to Terabithia. They’d gotten in late the night before and had been doing interviews since 8:30 a.m., which had meant an early wake up call. Despite the early morning and the long day of interviews with a few more still stretching before them, the two teenagers looked freshfaced and animated. An early flight to Montreal at 6 a.m. the following day wasn’t going to deter them from making the most of this stop, the second of a six-city publicity tour. This being their first time in Seattle, both planned to take in the city at night.
“I want to go up the Space Tower – I mean the Needle and watch the city light up,” Josh said with a smile. In fact, a smile never seemed to leave his face during the interview. Quite the contradiction to the character he played in Bridge to Terabithia, a somewhat melancholy figure who is bullied at school and neglected at home. Josh plays Jess Aarons in the movie to Annasophia’s Leslie Burke, an adventure-seeking free spirit who befriends Jess. Combining their imaginations, the two create Terabithia, a magical land they can only get to if they keep their minds wide open.
The movie is based on Katherine Paterson’s award-winning young-adult novel of the same name. It tells the tale of the two soul mates who find sanctuary in the imaginary kingdom they create, where they reign as king and queen and fight off a giant troll, evil creatures and plot against the schoolmates who tease them. I remember this was the book to read when I was in 5th grade, so I asked the two stars of the film how familiar they were with the book prior to filming.
“I was homeschooled for 5th grade because I was working, and that was the grade when a lot of kids read the book, so I didn't actually read it until after I heard about the script,” admitted Annasophia. “After reading it I was even more interested in the part and excited to be part of bringing the story to life.”
Josh also admitted that he didn’t read the book until he was approached with the script, but both teenagers immediately fell in love with the book, finding the characters easy to relate to.
“Where Jess gets teased and feels left out because he’s artistic and all he wants to do is draw…I kind of felt that way because I wanted to act,” Josh explained.
Both stars seemingly burst onto the Hollywood scene around the same time, first in television roles then the big screen. Josh’s first major role was a CGI version of himself as Hero Boy on Polar Express in 2004 opposite Tom Hanks. Annasophia’s first major film was Because of Winn-Dixie but is probably best remembered for her turn as Violet Beauregard on Charlie & the Chocolate Factory, the girl who ate the blueberry gum and turned into a blueberry.
Both have been working steadily every since. Josh has two films in post-production while Annasophia has four. I shook my head in wonder just imagining their schedules with filming, traveling, promoting. One of the reasons I loved the film was the fact that they played kids being kids. I asked them how they balanced the workload of traveling, acting & school. Josh explained the requirements of building 3 hours of instruction and homework into a 9 hour day that includes lunch and breaks. He shrugged as he thought about his schedule. “You just have to make time because education is very important.”
Annasophia was exuberant about attending a private school next year with a pool and cross country tream. “They’ve been very positive and excited to have me and they’ll be flexible with my filming schedule. I was homeschooled before and was really fortunate to work one on one with a tutor. Learning something new goes lot quicker when you aren’t competing for your teacher’s attention. But high school will be different with electives to choose from.”
When I asked if her interest in cross country running came from the movie, she shook her head claimed, “I just like to run. I run all the time.”
Josh turned to her with an incredulous look and asked, “Why?”
Annasophia seemed to waver a bit, shrinking back into the couch. "Oh-kaay! So maybe it's more like jogging!"
Since the conversation went in that direction, I asked Josh what he enjoyed doing outside of acting. “I like going home to Kentucky and just hanging out with my friends. Go to the mall, watch TV. It may sound boring, but I like being bored.”
Annasophia leaned away, out of Josh’s line of sight, rolled her eyes and mouthed, “I. Don’t.”
Suspicious of my snicker, Josh shot Annasophia a glance. Quickly composing herself, Annasophia rattled off more of her favorite things to do, which included reading and hanging out with her cousins.
Their comfortable banter and teasing was heartwarming to watch and it was apparent that their friendship played strongly on-screen because of the off-screen camaraderie. The two did spend almost four months together filming Bridge to Terabithia in New Zealand. Luckily for fans, the old adage of familiarity breeding contempt didn't apply here. Their faces lit up when asked about their stay in New Zealand.
“It was amazing! It was awesome!” They both exclaimed, almost in unison, talking over each other in their excitement. “We practically lived on the beach! It was the best time ever!”
Under the direction of Gabor Csupo, whose writing, producing & animation work includes The Rugrats Movie and The Wild Thornberrys Movie, Josh and Annasophia’s characters escape from school troubles and turmoil at home by letting their imagination run rampant. Asked how they felt about working with Csupo, Josh’s answer hinted at a maturity and thoughtfulness not usually seen at his age.
“Working with Gabor was incredible. It was just amazing how he conceived his images of Terabithia. When you think about it, we just acted in it, but Gabor created Terabithia. If I learned anything from Gabor, it’s to not be afraid to let your imagination stretch.” Annasophia was equally reflective, “It’s one thing to imagine something in your head, but then to be able translate
it into something others can see and appreciate and get excited about, that’s
just unbelievable. ”
This wasn’t either’s first time in a movie with special effects. When asked how the physical work in Bridge to Terabithia compared to movies like Zathura and Charlie & The Chocolate Factory as far as special effects, Josh was pragmatic. “Well the trailers made the movie look like there were a lot more special effects than there actually were. There weren’t too many scenes that required too much stunt work or acting out a scene with something that wasn’t there. What there was required just a little more imagination than physical work.”
Given their young career, the number of big Hollywood names they’ve starred with is impressive. Citing Tom Hanks, Robin Williams and Johnny Depp as examples, I asked them who they regarded as inspirations in the acting world.
“I haven’t worked with him yet, but I admire what Jake Gyllenhaal has done. I want to pattern my career after his,” was Josh’s answer. “He’s a great actor.”
“Mmmhmmm!” Annasophia agreed wholeheartedly. “He’s cute , too. How old is he?” This was asked with an impish smile and a faraway look.
“I don’t know…twenty-eight?” Josh replied.
“Well, darn.” Annasophia said with a regretful snap of her fingers, then answered in all seriousneess. “Me? I’m inspired by Charlize Theron. She's just an amazing actress, and I see her as a mentor and a very good friend.”
At this point it was on to the next interviewer for the two kids, a colleague I caught up with the next day at another movie screener. First question out of his mouth, "Wasn't that the most fun interview you've ever done?" I have to admit, it was.
---------------------------------------------------------------
For more about the actors, visit their websites at:
http://www.joshhutcherson.com/ & http://www.annasophiarobb.com/
For more about the movie, visit www.disney.go.com/terabithia
For more about the book & author, visit www.terabithia.com
Thursday, June 14, 2007
Introducing....
The newest furry member of our family....
Prada's fitting in nicely. Getting incredibly spoiled by his Nana and even Gareth's smitten, but he'll always say, "I'd like him more if he was a cat." Prada was timid & shy at first around the girls, but he was over it quick by the next day. He used to step back when Mahal snarled, but now when she growls he pounces, as you can see. I think Mahal's having a blast. Finally a chew toy that fights back! Zoe and Nina are still reserving their opinions.
Prada's fitting in nicely. Getting incredibly spoiled by his Nana and even Gareth's smitten, but he'll always say, "I'd like him more if he was a cat." Prada was timid & shy at first around the girls, but he was over it quick by the next day. He used to step back when Mahal snarled, but now when she growls he pounces, as you can see. I think Mahal's having a blast. Finally a chew toy that fights back! Zoe and Nina are still reserving their opinions.
Friday, June 08, 2007
Message in a Bottle
Watched The Police in concert last night at the Key Arena. Awesome, awesome show. It was simply amazing. Three guys rocking the arena with songs I grew up with. These guys are real musicians. Sting's voice is still sexy and haunting, Stewart is a genius on percussion, and Andy is truly gifted. I've seen bands that just make a lot of noise rock the arena, but these were three guys playing music AND rocking the arena.
I have to be honest though and say I was never a big fan of The Police. I knew their music, it was part of my formative years when MTV only played videos. I hear them and I think junior high. I really liked Sting when he went solo, and he was the real draw for me when Gareth asked if I wanted to go. However, after last night, I'm converted. I have a huge crush on Stewart Copeland, the drummer. He's just incredible with the sticks. Gareth asked me what I liked so much about him and I said, "I don't know. There's something endearing about him. He looks like he was the geek in high school who became the rockstar." But from his younger photos, I don't think he was a geek. He was actually pretty hot.
His current publicity photos don't do him justice. He has this great mane of silver hair and a beatific smile. A drummer with glasses. So cool!
None of them have lost their touch. They actually sound younger than their years, and I appreciate their music more so now. Sting and Stewart are in prime shape. Andy Summers? Not so much, but he played around on stage more than Sting, and his fingers are still incredibly nimble.
I was watching some old concert clips on Youtube, and sound quality notwithstanding, they sound so much better now. Their younger performances had an unpolished, almost manic drive. Last night, they were flawlessly smooth. Sophistacated rock stars. Oxymoron? Well it applies here. You could say they've slowed with age, but I think, like anyone who's matured and gained more experience, The Police just knew how better to entice, entrance, draw out the pleasure and satisfy their fans.
I get a little OCD when I find something I like, so I've been scouring YouTube for clips of Stewart. I think this one gives great insight to his gift:
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