5 things you didn't know about sperm

Watched this show about sex myths with Dr. Drew (love him) on the Discovery Channel. Some interesting findings:

1) Sperm can live in a woman's body for up to three days. So while you think pregnancy occurs during sex, it can occur up to three days after intercourse.

2) Not all sperm are created equal. Leading the charge are warrior sperm, which destroy any sperm left from another partner. So if Guy 1 had sex with a woman at noon and she hooked up with Guy 2 at 6 p.m., Guy 2's warriors would kill the sperm from guy 1. These warrior sperm clear the way for the quarterback sperm, which go for the long haul to the egg.

3) Sperm containing male and female DNA behave differently. Male sperm are quicker but less hardy, while female sperm swim more slowly but last longer in the body. Therefore, there is something to be said for timing sex near ovulation to predict your child's gender.

4) When a man has sex with a tall woman, he makes more sperm. It's also theorized that the more powerful the man, the more sperm he produces. The guy on Dr. Drew hypothesizes that the reason there is so much infertility is that the role of men has been downplayed in society.

5) A man's sperm is turned over every few weeks in his body, and it takes several months from start to finish to create new sperm.

Yes, I am a science geek. I think this stuff is fascinating.

Have a great weekend. Ours is action-packed. Get your mind out of the gutter!

Paying the rubber toll

So now that I've been given the green light, I have to think about something I haven't considered in a long time: Birth control. Doc gave me a scrip for the Pill, but until that time, we have to use a backup. So I did something today I haven't done since M and I met: I went into the drugstore to buy condoms.

Now, I don't get as embarrassed buying stuff like condoms and tampons as I did when I was in my 20s (another sign I have grown up), but it's still a bit unnerving walking up to the counter with a big box of contraception in your hand. It's like saying, "Yes, I WILL be getting some." I was picking up my Pill prescription, too, so it was like, wham-chicka-boom-BOOM. Thankfully I got a female to ring me up. And they rang up properly on sale so there were no price checks involved. The cashier looked in her 20s and more flustered than me. I should have leaned across the counter and said, "Gotta play it safe, you know?" and added a lecherous wink.

On this day that's a command

March fourth, get it? Dork humor.

Today I had my official postpartum OB appointment. As anyone who has had a baby knows, this appointment is when you get the green light to march forth on certain activities. You know, the kind that make babies. OK, I'm just going to say it:

The OK to HAVE SEX.

I do have the green light. This was also a momentous occasion in that six weeks ago, I had a postpartum appointment with the same doc and was admitted to the psych ward from her office. Today, she commented that I look a ton better. I gave her a picture of Boo and a very big hug. Her intervention is a major reason why I'm in the shape I'm in.

To anyone reading this who's suffering from postpartum depression or thinks they might be, my advice is simple: Don't try to tough it out. Get help. Fast. Not only will it help speed your recovery for your own sake, it will help you to bond with your child. Ain't no shame in that game.

Can we say bus-ted?

A dude is suing 1-800-Flowers for sending a receipt for flowers to his girlfriend to his home -- which his wife promptly found and used to file for divorce. (Here's the story.) That bad, bad 1-800-Flowers. Don't you know you're supposed to support infidelity?

Test to see if you're a child of the '80s

Watch this video. I DARE YOU to not sing along and/or dance. I remember constructing elaborate dance routines to this at Camp Madaca.

And if that doesn't get you, this one will. Guaranteed. Otherwise, you are not human.

A premarital sex, no kidding story

A new study shows 95 percent of people have had premarital sex. Whoo.

Here's my personal take on it: I wasn't exactly the town pump before I got married -- my count still fits on one hand -- but M isn't the only person I've been with. I do wish my number were lower. Waiting for marriage, though, would have been too much. So I officially don't regret the past.

Pour on the Syrup, and Let's Get it On
This blog post is not as dirty as the title might have you believe. I was thinking about my five favorite songs that are syrupy and sweet and some say cloying, but I love them. Then I was thinking about the five songs that make me want to tear the sheets off the bed and get down to it. So I thought I would put them in two lists within the same post. Click on the song titles for lyrics, if interested.

First, the syrup (otherwise known as the power ballad):

• Phil Collins, Take a Look at Me Now (Against All Odds): I know people who hate this song with every fiber of their being. But it literally sends chills up and down my spine. Who can't relate to stewing over a breakup, wishing the other person could just see you now and come on home?
  
• 'N Sync, This I Promise You: Yes, they 'N Suck. But this Richard Marx-penned song isn't another bust-up-the-club dance anthem or stupid ballad. It sounds like mature love and forever and devotion. As a grown, married person, I love it.
  
• Aerosmith, Angel: M refers to this song — and the album it came off of — as Aerosmith's dark years. I disagree and get swept up in the sweet emotion.
  
• Richard Marx, Now and Forever: Richard Marx isn't the kind of guy anyone admits to liking, but everyone likes at least ONE of his songs. This is another song that doesn't just talk about the hearts and flowers, but the day-to-day stuff of true love. I wanted this one as a wedding song, but M used his veto power. Ditto for Amazed by Lonestar (he hates country) and I'll Still Be Loving You (ditto). Which leads us to our ACTUAL wedding song...
  
• Edwin McCain, I Could Not Ask for More: All I have to do is hear the opening strum of the guitar and I'm back on the dance floor with everyone I love watching me dance my first dance as the wife of the man of my dreams. 'Nuff said.
  

Now, for the hot stuff:

• (tie) Prince, Gett Off and Head: We saw Prince at the Fleet Center a few weeks ago, and neither of these raunchy hits did he perform, having become a devout Jehovah's Witness. But back when he was dirty, he was dir-tay. The former reminds me of the infamous number with the assless pants on the 1994 MTV Music Awards; it's a wonder any of them got off the stage. The latter...well, this is a family blog. Let's not go there.
  
• Paula Cole, Feelin' Love: This sensual groove was used in the great movie City of Angels during a bathtub scene, and the mood is totally set by Paula's groaning vocals and slithering backbeat. Mmm-hmmm.
  
• Toni Braxton, You're Makin' Me High: I don't know what' s sexier — Toni's rumbling alto or the lyrics about getting off. A definite smoking groove.
  
• Sting, Forget About the Future: So the lyrics aren't the sexiest thing ever (even though he slyly refers to "an optimism in romantic music and candlelight"). The backbeat and Mr. Stingaling, who I have a major thing for, sure are.
  
• TLC, This Is How It Works: A paint-by-numbers guide to satisfying the ladies set against a stuttering, smooth backbeat. Guys, take notes.