(photo by Treyevan)

Taking a pill every day at the exact same time really sucks if you can’t remember to do things as elementary as brushing your teeth or watch Lost whenever it’s on. But with birth control, there’s that extra scary side effect of not taking the pill — you know, birth. Ever since you convinced your parents that you needed the pill at 16 to “keep your skin clear and your periods regular” you’ve taken it every day at the same time. But for those of us just starting out with the daily baby blockers or switching contraceptives, here’s a few ways not to remember to take the pill:

1. Planning on taking them right in the middle of your daily staff meeting
2. Tattoo “No babies” right on your forehead
3. Tie a little piece of string around your cervix
4. Knock them back right before your daily martini lunch
5. Have the office assistant bring them in on a tray every day at noon
6. Keep them in a PEZ dispenser for whenever you “just need a taste”
7. Just take all of your pills once a week at the same time — you may grow a second uterus, but at least you’re not having a baby anytime soon
8. Swap pills with the smelly guy on the subway. His stuff is more potent, anyway

Public Citizen is pushing a petition to get the Federal Food and Drug Association to ban Ortho-Evra (you know, quitting babies one step at a time). According to the petition, the patch releases waaaay too much estrogen (60 percent more on average exposure), an increased risk of blood clotting, and even worse side effects than other hormone-based birth control.

Also, there has been a crazy drop in demand for the patch, probably because it’s not the most pleasant thing to deal with. In 2004, nearly 10 million women were knocking down the pharmacy door to get a supply of patches. In 2007, prescriptions dropped 73 percent, to 2.7 million. Oh, and there are those women who have died or become sick using the patch.

Sucks for Ortho-Evra. Well, it really sucks for the women who take it and then have to deal with a lot of terrible side effects — you know, like death. Many women turned to the patch as a way of convenience, but then it turns out that the side effects are worse than a daily dose of the regular old bc pill… and how do you wear that thing to the beach? How do you hide your baby quitting patch?

Here’s a bunch of things to know before anyone else…

Sue Johannsen, Oxygen’s 77-year-old “Talk Sex” Host Calling it Quits {HuffPo}
She’s been doing it for about the same amount of time I’ve been alive… mommy?

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(Photos.com)

It seems as though people are writing more an more about the pending recession each day. It’s not without reason: The Dow is tanking today, people around the world are rioting for food, gas is around $4 where I live, it hurts to buy basic groceries, the unemployment rate is inching up, and McDonald’s stock price is rising because it’s the cheapest place to eat. It’s bad, people. After the jump, peep a few articles here and there to help you figure out a game plan for when Wall Street suits start jumping out of buildings (you do have a plan, right?)

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What’s great about the internet, is that you can really expose yourself for the world to see. Because of this, setting goals for yourself (like dropping a few or finishing your first 10k) is a great thing to do in blog form, since it keeps you accountable to others and yourself. Some of the bloggers below are documenting their journey to stay healthy, one keeps you motivated, another highlights great tips & gadgets, and then, there’s everything else. Here’s our list of top-notch health-focused blogs.

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