a revolution in the girl world.

so. unbeknownst to most people I encounter, I've been wearing a little rubber accoutrement somewhere on my person for the last couple of days. you can't see it. it set me back about thirty bucks. and it's a little early to tell, but this tiny device may turn out to be life- (and planet-) changing. it's called The Keeper.

I first heard about The Keeper last season on the ice. a flier went up in the girls' restrooms on station that erin p., a recreation coordinator, was going to give a talk on a new kind of feminine hygiene product. the name of the talk was 'A New Surfboard for the Crimson Wave.' (oh - hey - guys, if you're the type that likes to leave the room when girls start talking about their periods, you may want to wait for the next blog entry. although being knowledgeable about womens' bodies and what happens to them between puberty and menopause is actually a good thing, especially if you plan on ever having a girlfriend or wife.)

so, intrigued, I went to the talk. erin is possibly the world's peppiest person. she's about as tall as I am, with curly blond hair and a megawatt smile, and has the energy of a hummingbird on speed. she gave the talk in the back room of the coffeehouse, where there are comfy chairs and sofas, and there were about fifteen girls gathered in them, waiting to hear what she had to say about this new surfboard.

she started out by saying that decades and decades of women using traditional feminine hygiene products has caused tons and tons of decaying garbage in landfills around the world. in addition, some of those products cause health problems -- toxic shock syndrome, anyone? but for several years now, she's been using something different, something that doesn't produce the same amount of waste, that pays for itself after a couple of months, and is easy and convenient to use and carry. it's called the Keeper.

the Keeper, as she explained, is a simple device -- a rubber or silicone menstrual cup -- that looks like a little funnel. it is designed to catch, not absorb, menstrual fluid, thereby eliminating the need for tampons or pads. instead of being thrown away like other kinds of feminine hygiene products (or FHPs, as I refer to them), it is simply emptied, cleaned and re-used -- for up to ten years if cared for properly. it's great for the environment. but not only that, it's great for active girls who find leakage to be a problem with traditional FHPs (like me), as it fits snugly under the cervix. AND it's perfect for girls who like to travel (again, like me), especially in foreign or developing countries where finding 'your' brand of FHP is a real problem. (I wish we had known about this when I was in the peace corps in mongolia. russian-made FHPs are sorely lacking in variety and quality.) but the implications, especially in antarctica, where all used FHPs have to be specially handled (because they contain biohazard) and shipped off the continent for disposal, are mind-blowing! instead of producing thousands of pounds of hazardous medical-grade waste, Keeper users can Do Their Part for the earth -- just by substituting this ingenious little cup.

now, if you're the squeamish type (guy OR girl), you may be grossed out by the prospect of handling something that catches blood. yes, it can be a little messy. you ARE dealing with a bodily fluid, and you need to be careful not to get stuff everywhere. I've been using it for a couple of days now, and I admit my expertise could use a little finessing. insertion and removal can be tricky, especially when the Keeper is full. I found this out this morning after wearing it all night. but the wonderful manufacturers of the Keeper suggest in their literature that you take a couple of damp paper towels into the stall with you to clean up any wayward spills, and this advice has proven invaluable. and the more I practice, the more I find that it's really not that hard. to insert: squeeze the top and fold it over on itself, then -- SPROING -- let 'er go! wear it around for a few hours, smiling serenely at the fact that nobody knows you're dealing with your period creatively AND saving the earth at the same time. to remove: well, kind of the opposite of what you did for insertion. empty and wipe. repeat. in between periods, wash with soap and water and store in the cute little calico cloth bag it was shipped to you in.

of course, there are few private bathrooms here on station. in my dorm, I use a bathroom down the hall that has three stalls and four sinks in it, as well as a shower. so I've learned that I need to practice in order to deal with the Keeper silently, as rubbery suction noises could prove extremely disconcerting to the girl in the next stall. I also have nightmares of squeezing the thing and having it shoot out of my fingers, over the wall, and onto the girl in the next toilet. at which point I would probably hear one of three things -- (1) screams of laughter (2) screams of horror or -- the absolute worst possibility -- (3) complete silence.

you can read more about the keeper here:

www.thekeeperstore.com

it's so cool! I've run into a couple of other girls that use it, and all of them say that they can't imagine ever going back to other FHPs. the Keeper is just too convenient, easy, environmentally sound, and cost-effective.

anyway, it's 6:25 pm and I'm still at the chalet. I need to get my butt over to the galley for some dinner. the menu says tonight it's chicken marbella, grilled pork loin, and seitan bouruignonne, whatever the heck that is.

serenely,
cindy