September 2009
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Come say hi at tonight's Women's Community Fair!
If you’re concerned about discrimination, sexual assault, the wage gap, reproductive rights, or issues of equality in general, come by and introduce yourself at the RUS booth at tonight’s Women’s Community Fair.
I’ll be tabling tonight with the Radcliffe Union of Students (RUS). Drop by our booth to learn more about Harvard’s oldest feminist organization, which...
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$20 Boston Symphony Orchestra Tickets
The Boston Symphony Orchestra 2009-10 season opened last week, and this year, they’re running the same <40 = $20 promotion. All patrons under 40 years old are eligible to purchase tickets (first-come, first-served) for only $20. I went to a few shows last season and got pretty decent orchestra seating each time, which is to say, you get a lot more than what you pay for.
In the next few...
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"I thought no one would ever want me because I...
An excerpt from a reader’s email:
Hey Lena - I’ve been reading about your HPV experiences and I wanted to write and tell you that I was diagnosed with it last… fall (maybe?). I completely freaked out. I thought no one would ever want me because I have/had an STD - but a friend helped me realize that it’s VERY common (which you know). She also told me that it’s...
Holy Crap, School
I’ve apparently forgotten what it was like to be a college student. This week’s schedule:
Monday: German Bab essay & Sex and the Bible paper
Wednesday: German Bab test & Reality Physics test
Friday: Thesis prospectus
Saturday: Reality Physics problem set
I also get my IUD on Tuesday. Oh. God.
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Kim Gandy on "Winning Across Progressive... →
Former NOW President Kim Gandy is a fellow at the Institute of Politics at the Kennedy School this term. Her study group, “Winning Across Progressive Movements”, meets from 4-5:30pm every Wednesday. I have two conflicts, but today’s meeting was so energizing that I’m just going to have to skip out on German table and the sociology department’s optional senior thesis...
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“Don’t talk about the embittered masses like this either. It’s not kind. We...”
– response by unshared to my previous post Spare me the lecture on pseudo-meritocracies. I’m well aware that there’s nothing meritocratic about higher education or occupational outcomes. If you could point out examples of a “self-congratulatory sense of entitlement” and a...
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On Privilege & the Ivy League
what a spoiled little life you lead. how DO you pay for all your globe trotting and partying? you must have rich parents or a sugar daddy. or maybe you moonlight in addition to your ‘writing career’? anyway, enjoy your life of privilege while it lasts. someday you may find yourself scrubbing floors or pots and pans or caring for the sick or elderly. life is not a beach, as the saying...
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2009 Asian American Women In Leadership Conference
I was a panelist at last year’s AAWIL Conference and loved meeting the other women (and high schoolers) in attendance. I expect that this year’s held at Boston University) will be just as well-planned and even bigger! Details below:
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5th Annual Asian American Women in Leadership Conference Fearless Leadership: Taking Charge with Confidence Saturday, October 3, 2009 | 8:30am...
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Why I Won't Shut Up About Having HPV
In case you haven’t heard, my pap smear came back abnormal. I’d be surprised, actually, if you haven’t heard considering that I’ve been practically shouting this fact from rooftops. (I first mentioned it on Twitter and later on this blog). Probable cause of the funky stuff going on down there? HPV.
Which means that I have a STI. That’s not so surprising, given that...
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Giveaway Winners & New Social Media Contest
ROUND 1 WINNERS
I know, I know, I’m a day late. Cut me some slack — today was my first test in my Intensive German class (and I didn’t fail though I didn’t ace it either). But now without further ado, the winners:
Chelsea B., who wins the We-Vibe, Jeanette B., who wins the C-Case, and Mike C., who wins the Chandra by Emotional Bliss for scoring the most referrals in the...
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Colposcopy Day
Today was the follow-up to the botched IUD appointment. Tune in to my Twitter (@lenachen) to learn more than you ever wanted to learn about the cervix.
And if all goes well with my test results, which should be likely, then I’m getting an IUD (finally) on September 29th. I’m crossing my ovaries!
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Last Chance To Enter Round 1!
Round 1 of my giveaway ends tonight at 11:59pm. How to enter before then:
1. Add me as a Facebook friend to sign up for Groupon and get an entry in the raffle for these prizes:
The We-Vibe (Retail: $130)
The C-Case™ Red (Retail: $16)
2. For the bonus contest, help me recruit new Facebook friends (and have them include your name in the add request). Each referral gets you an extra entry in...
Did I mention that my mother is visiting?
Yes, Mama Chen is in the house. This is the first time she’s visited me since she moved me into my freshman dorm in Canaday D.
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Bonus Prize for Facebookers!
Not so happy with your chances in a raffle? Have a ton of Facebook friends? If you’re determined to win a prize in my my month-long giveaway but don’t want to leave it up to Lady Luck, I’m sweetening the pot during Round 1 with an extra toy that will be the prize in a merit-based competition. THE PRIZE
The Emotional Bliss Chandra Finger Vibrator (Retail: $49.95)
HOW TO ENTER...
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Correction To My Comments On The Mirena
snazzified:
lenachen:
…I’m led into a room, where I get my blood pressure taken and am told to undress from the waist down. The nurse asks whether I’m getting the five- or ten-year Mirena, and I decide on the five-year since it has a small amount of estrogen which decreases menstrual flow. She leaves so I can undress, and I’m generally feeling pretty good —- a little nervous, but calm (thanks...
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My IUD Debacle At MGH
If you were following my Twitter yesterday, then you might have been witness to my debacle of an appointment at Massachusetts General Hospital (supposedly one of the best hospitals in the country). The short version: I went in expecting an IUD and came out with a colposcopy appointment. For an abnormal pap smear. That I had done in July. The long version requires some backstory:
I went into MGH...
IUD Day
I’m an hour away from my IUD appointment and attempting to chronicle this experience via my iPhone despite feeling slightly woozy due to the medication I took in preparation. Since my last liveblogging attempt fell flat, I’m hedging my bets this time with Twitter. Wish me luck! (On both the procedure and the blogging).
Follow my Twitter stream, @lenachen, throughout the day for live...
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The Great Giveaway: Round 1
Tweet, reblog, and share the news about the first in a series of contests:
A penchant for high-end sex toys is not compatible with a college budget, but then again, neither is sushi and I’m not giving that up anytime soon. Since even the brokest of dorm dwellers should be able to brandish well-made toys (in my opinion), I’m holding a month-long giveaway, the perfect opportunity for...
“Soon you’ll be able to speak to Hamlet.”
– Rob, on my enrollment in Intensive German
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So this happened.
From: Tara Moross To: [redacted list of mutual/non-mutual friends] Date: Mon, Sep 7, 2009 at 11:02 AM Subject: New Phone Number
Hello everyone, I am moving to Los Angeles for the next three months and have switched my cell phone number. It is now: [redacted]. This used to be Lena Chen’s cell phone number so don’t be confused if it already appears on your phone. Please, please call....
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“I feel like I’m comping the Lena Chen Jazzercise Society.”
– Gracye, in reference to our gym date
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All Moved In
I now understand why moving is the third most traumatic experience in life (next to divorce and death of a loved one). From coordinating the actual move (with actual movers — a first!) to installing the final brushed steel cabinet handle, I was there for it all, willingly or not. I’ve never had to participate in a “real” move before, since the last time I moved was at age...
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First Day of School
It’s perfectly normal to be nervous, right?
Keep in mind that I am going to be a “super senior”, someone who took way too long to graduate. This means that I will know approximately two people, one of whom is my resident dean, a woman who would have a much easier job if I refrained from Internet hijinks. It’s a good thing she’s patient.
I guess in typical super...
