Ovarian Health Seminar at Sibley Memorial Hospital

Yesterday I had the privilege of attending a free informative seminar are Sibley Hospital titled: Ovarian Health: Knowledge Is Power. As many of you may know, October is Breast Cancer Awareness month. Around this time of year, I often see many women sporting pink ribbons in honor of this month. But, how often have you seen an individual wearing a ‘teal’ colored ribbon? Probably not often.

Not to demoralize or minimize the severity of breast cancer, but I sometimes feel that ovarian cancer doesn’t quite get the recognition it should. It’s one of the most deadly forms of cancer that affect women, and often when it’s diagnosed, most women are in stages 3 or 4. I know first hand how scary this form of cancer can be, as a close family member of mine was treated for this very disease. I truly appreciate the doctors who took time out of their busy schedules to inform us, the public, about this deadly form of cancer. The doctors that spoke on this issue are four of the most outstanding leading medical professionals in the field Gynecologic Oncology. And I know that two in particular specialize in ‘bloodless’ surgery – which in and of itself has a host of health benefits whether you have cancer or not.

While there’s no way I can relay all the information discussed in this seminar, I would like to summarize some of the notes that I took. I was quite shocked that I was one of three women between the ages of 20-30 to attend this seminar. The other audience members were mostly comprised of middle aged to elderly men and women. More women need to educate themselves about ovarian cancer, as it truly is a ‘silent malignancy’. There are rarely any glaring symptoms, as some symptoms are often mistaken for gastric problems. I think you will find the points below very interesting. If you suspect that there could be any problem at all, you should definitely follow up with a doctor. I personally think prevention for any disease can start with regular check-ups – especially if you notice something out of the ordinary.

Wednesday September 29, 2010
6:30pm – 8:00pm
Sibley Memorial Hospital
Program MC: Frederick R. Smith, MD, Medical Oncologist
Click here for seminar description

1. Ovarian Cancer is often found after it has spread to other organs


2. Risk Factors include: Family history, BRCA 1 + 2 mutation, age; and women who have not had children, and women who have had other cancers increase the risk.


3. Individuals of Ashkenazi Jewish descent have a higher risk of carrying the BRCA mutation


4. Factors that decrease the risk of Ovarian cancer: Having been on birth control for 4+ years and removal of ovaries (though not 100% effective)


5. Ovarian cancer is the most lethal form of cancer, and the symptoms are often very vague.


6. Symptoms of ovarian cancer: excessive bloating, abdominal distention, pelvic pain, urinary symptoms, feeling ‘full’ quickly, gas/nausea/indigestion, tiredness and fatigue.


7. Ovarian Cancer is typically diagnosed by: a pelvic exam, a rectal exam, abdominal exam, tests-such as a pelvic ultrasound, CA125 (although there can be false negatives and false positives), and a CT scan.


8. Ovarian cancer is rarely found in stage 1, and because of this, there is not much data available for stage 1 patients.
   

Chuck Close Prints: Process and Collaboration at the Corcoran Gallery of Art

This review is belated. In fact, the Chuck Close exhibit at the Corcoran is now closed – so I hope you were one of the fortunate ones to view the gallery before its closure on September 26th. I had the pleasure of attending this gallery show in the middle of the summer, a day shy of hearing Chuck Close’s formal lecture.

I must admit, before touring this show, I only thought of Chuck Close as the ‘big portrait’ artist. He’s so much more than that. Chuck Close is not only a portraitist, he’s a printmaker, a photographer, a painter, colorist, master of grid-structure, and even a paper-maker. Working in large scale medium is a challenge for any artist, but Chuck Close created phenomenal pieces with ease. He devised calculated methods to piece-together his large scale creations. His work is often viewed from afar because of the scale – but the real technique is seen when you view his pieces up close. One such piece (photo below) was so fascinating to me. In this piece, Chuck used layered pieces of color paper in grey scale to create a portrait with the depth and three-dimensional appeal of an actual painting. I must admit I started at this one for about 20minutes.

Hopefully this is a traveling show, and will hit a few other cities. It’s a real treat to view Chuck Close’s pieces in person. And it’s so rare to be able to view the magnificent work of an artist who is still alive to ‘tell the tale’.

close up

actual portrait

Food Review: DC Lobster Truck

On Friday September 24th (quite possibly the hottest fall day DC has ever had), I ventured out for lunch around 2pm. Much to my surprise, I spotted the coveted DC Lobster truck across Farragut Park! I finally had my chance to score a juicy, tender lobster roll - the very food I've been hearing about all over town for the last 3 months. If you're an avid Twitter-head, you'll know that many Washingtonians stalk this lobster truck all around town. They're pretty easy to find, but once you do, you have to sometimes wait in an hour long line to score a lobster roll or shrimp roll.

It was my lucky day, because not only did I spot the truck, but the line was only 10 people deep. It only took about 15min to score my lobster roll, Cape Cod chips and Iced Tea ($17 with my $1 discount).

I will tell you now, the lobster rolls LIVE UP TO THE HYPE! The lobster meat was sweet and fresh, with hardly any filler. I think the mix only had a bit of mayo, celery, and Old-Bay. For $15, at first, I thought the roll looked a bit small. But the size will deceive you, because the roll is very filling. I was totally satisfied after lunch, and was happy licking my fingers on my way back to the office.

Famous DC Foodie Tom Seitsema also favors this little truck, and we all know Tom is always right when it comes to DC eats.

Follow the Red Hook Lobster Truck on Twitter!

Virgin Mobile Free Festival 2010

Thanks to a contest sponsored by the Maryland Department of Tourism and the 9:30 Club, I had the privilege of winning 2 VIP tickets to Saturday's Virgin Mobile Free Fest. The package included VIP treatment in the Pavilion and West Stage, some free 'swag', and a Backstage Tour. We had a blast as this was my first time at the Festival. Since I didn't attend the first one a couple years ago at the racetrack, I've not been able to score pre-sale tickets (and regular tickets sell out rapidly).

This is the best venue to 'people watch', although any festival or event that is FREE will bring out the craziest of people. While all the bands were awesome, I enjoyed my backstage tour, and my meet-up with Rob Garza of Thievery Corporation (my favorite band by the way). He was super nice, and I got a chance to take a couple photos, and chat with him a bit.

Another highlight was getting in the front near the stage during the Thievery and Ludacris show. Both were phenomenal. I will hold my tongue on what I thought of MIA (hey, it's FREE!). I was sad to miss LCD Soundsystem, but I heard they killed it during their closing performance.

All in all, I hope I can score tickets next year. Thanks again to MD Dept of Tourism and 9:30 Club. You made my week! Below are a few photos I snapped of the festivities.

DC Turkish Festival

(Click image to enlarge text details)

http://www.turkishfestival.org/

Denzel Washington & Ashanti in DC

Denzel Washington and Ashanti were in DC this week, speaking at the National Press club in behalf of the Boys and Girls Club of America. Imagine how excited I was to catch them leaving the Press building today around 1pm. There were only about 10 people standing around, which meant I was able to get quite close to both celebs. Let me tell you, Ashanti and Denzel are both gorgeous on screen - but they are both even more attractive in person. Ashanti looked lovely in her black studded pumps and pink iPhone. And Denzel was equally as attractive in a dapper suit and pastel color tie.

I'm hoping the next photos I snap will be of the Transformers 3 set!
On a side note, apparently Wilmer Valderama is in town for something as well this week. (Click photos for a larger view)

Spielberg & Lucas Team up for Art in DC

This is a must see gallery event.

American Art Museum

Indie Music

As you know by now, (500) Days of Summer quickly became one of my favorite films. I love the movie, and better still, I adore the soundtrack as well. I have one friend who’s the ‘king’ of discovering indie tracks. I have no idea how he finds his music, but he always has awesome compilations. Here’s a few artists he’s turned me on to recently. If you’ve downloaded Pandora on your iPhone, try creating a ‘Florence + the Machines’ station, and most of the artists will queue. Here’s my recommended list:

1. Florence + the Machine – “Cosmic Love” (Lungs)

2. Phoenix – “If I Ever Feel Better” (United)

3. The Temper Trap – “Sweet Disposition” (Conditions)

4. Lykke Li – “A Little Bit” (Youth Novels)

5. Donora – “I Think I Like You” (Donora)

6. Anything by Sia, Regina Spektor, or Cat Power

San Diego Comic-Con 2011

I can't believe I haven't blogged since July! It's been a busy summer. Well, I have some great posts for you coming up this month. Most notably, Transfomers 3 is still scheduled to film in our Nation's Capital at the end of the month. (Shia sightings!)

I also found out some other very important news. Tickets for San Diego Comic-Con 2011 will be going on sale on Monday November 1st! Be sure to mark your calendars! These tickets sell out fast - like, within 10-15 minutes.