Update...

SHOCK, i didn't keep this updated. Well for one, I don't believe anyone reads this so it does seem pointless to keep it updated. Anyways, the egg retrieval was on Oct. 4 and then my lovely period came 10ish days later. Luckily, I was not hyperstimmed, which was awesome. Yes, I had some discomfort near the retrieval date (both before and after) but it was very manageable. I did take a few hydrocodene afterwards mainly to help me be able to sleep because laying down was a bit painful, moreso discomfort. It did take a week and a half to be able to fit in my jeans again because I was pretty bloated. To me I looked a few months pregnant, the stage where you don't neccessarily look prego but just look a bit fat. I had the follow up u/s yesterday and my ovaries are still large but nothing abnormal. Finally, I am going back on the pill. Although I may not need birth control, I do feel so much normal on it. The plan is to do this in a few months again, of course I would have to be picked by a "couple/ recipient". They were able to retrieve 14 oocytes/eggs, which to me was pretty darn good. I was worried that for some odd reason it wouldn't work or they would go in there and no eggs were there. I know 14 were retrieved, but after that I know nothing; how many embryos formed correctly and if the recipient will have a successful pregnancy. Of course I hope that everything works out and in 9 months a new baby will be born. Then, when they decide to add to their family they will be able to "thaw" an embryo or 2 and become pregnant again. My thing is as expensive as it is to use an egg donor they are people that will thouroghly love this child or children. Yes, money is not everything but it sure helps.

Other news is school is crazy busy. Since I changed my major to Social Science I have to take some basic classes so this semester I am taking US History I, Elementary Statistics, English Compostion II, and Public Speaking. There are a few issues with my classes but overall everything is going well.

My sister is almost 30 weeks with my twin nephews so it is getting reeeally close to meeting the boys. It will be interesting to have boys around since I only have sisters. Her baby shower is this weekend so if course that will be fun.

Still single, but really when would I have time for a relationship? Yes, at times it SUCKS being single but for one how would I deal with going through IVF (minus the transfer) while being with someone, it would be crazy. It would be one thing if we had been in a relationship for a long time, but would be weird being in a new one. Really when I see my life down the road I really dont see me being with someone, I just see me as a mom. I dont know if that means I will adopt or do IVF myself but I really see me single. Hopefully that will change but if not I am surrounded by love.

I got a print out about the egg retrieval surgery and about my weird uterus and on the papers it says I have a "uterine didelphis" which means I have a double uterus and 2 cervixes. I have never had symptoms so without me doing egg donation I may not have known about it until I could have problems. I don't necessarily think about it daily... but I know it may come into play down the road when I want (a) kiddo(os)...

Day 8

I have now been doing Lupron for 8 days. Injections are now crazy easy. I just wake up and give the injection, put the needle in sharps container and then eat breakfast. The only effects that I have been noticing on Lupron are more facial acne and headaches. The acne may be partly from the birth control pill that I am on. Unfortunately, with the headaches I can only take Tylenol, which doesn't work for me. I have figured out if I take tylenol with Coke it kinda works, so I have been doing that. It sucks because I gave up caffeniated sodas a few years ago for my migraines, but I will just drink them this month and then give them up again. Tonight I am taking my last BC pill and then my period should be coming soon...
That's where I am at now....

Number One

My first ever injection I gave myself went well. There were no issues, other than the skin around injection site was red probably 15 minutes. I was happy that it didn't even bleed.
Ugh after this is all over, I need to figure out what pill to go back on, Reclipsen is not it has gave me more acne than usual, oh well....

Lupron

The other day I picked up my box of goods: lupron, syringes, alcohol swabs, and intructions. I begin my daily morning injections and then eventually will add evening injections to my regimen. It seems pretty easy and the needle is tiny. The instructions for lupron are clean top of lupron bottle with alcohol wipe, with another wipe clean area where injection will go, put syringe in bottle, go to 10 units and make sure no air is inside, then squeeze fat, and inject. It doesn't seem to difficult at all. Headaches are possible with Lupron so I have already picked up sugar pills, I mean Tylenol to take as needed. Hopefully if I get headaches they will be manageable. I continue to take my BCPs for a bit longer. I finally told my dad what is going on, they only thing he said was so is it true that you may not be able to have kids down the road based on the septum. He hates needles so he has also let me know that he doesn't want to see me inject myself.
I will post tomorrow after the injection...

Calandar

Hello Blogger world,
I have been on Birth Control Reclipsen since Monday (8/22) and will stay on that until 9/14 with Lupron injections startin on 9/7. Lupron will continue and on 8/22 an evening injection to stimulate ovaries to produce more eggs will be added in addition. The estimated egg retrieval date is 10/3, so hopefully someonw will have an awesome Thanksgiving and Christmas present.

School started 8/18 but with Hurricane Irene coming school has been closed from 8/26 through 8/29. This hurricane is more frightening because the eye of the storm will be making landfall here. Yes, hurricanes have come before, but they had made landfall which then weakened the storm. At 7am it is raining and windy, not too badly yet, but by the end of the day and into early tomorrow, it will be way worse.
Going to try to get more sleep...

Next Step...

Yesterday I recieved another packet in the mail about the ED (egg donor) stuff. It was about the general types of medicines (the protocol varies some), what the medicines do, and rough timetable of the meds/injections. I am finishing up my bc pill packet, period starts, and then I start injecting myself. I am not that nervous about the actual injections but want to make sure I insert the needle in my abdomen correctly and to make sure I take the absolute correct medication. Before I begin the injections I have to go to the office and they will give me a 'lesson' on how to do it so I am sure all will be fine. I am also hoping that don't get OHSS (Ovarian Hyperstimulation Syndrome), sometimes it happens, it can be really bad but is watched closely to make sure that it doesn't become that bad.

In other news, school is starting in a week... Great, school begins around the same time I am injecting myself and not feeling that comfortable. Hopefully the way I made my schedule will work well with this and I won't have to miss any school, that is what I am hoping. The goal is if (hopefully it's not) the ER (egg retrieval) falls on a school time that the ER will be in the morning, I will come home sleep it off and then someone can drive me to school that night since I won't be able to drive. That is the goal, hopefully it isn't too far fetched.

I am getting excited about the the egg donation. Yes, to some it may seem far out there, but I am giving someone the possibility of a family. Yes, there are no guarentees that it will work, but hey it might, and hopefully it does. Since it is an annonymous donation, I probably will never know the family, and while some may not be fine with that, I believe I am. It would be cool if years down the road somehow we did become in contact, but if that never happens, that wil be fine also. There is the option to do egg donations up to five times, and although I doubt I will do it that many times, if all goes well I may do it again.

Until next time....

period...

This morning I started my period, the first one back on the pill. I am loving it, as much as you can- no cramps and very light bleeding. When all of this is over with I may request this pill to take. The recipient is still getting testing done but medications for me have been ordered, so maybe in the few weeks I will be 'shooting up' so to speak.

Matched....

I have been matched with a recepient of my eggs. I am doing this anonymously so I am not sure how much information that I will recieve about the prospective family. To me, there are different types of families- 1 mom 1 dad, 2 moms, 2 dads, step parents, and finally families through donor products (sperm, eggs, and/or surrogacy). Just because someone is not genetically related to their child does not mean that they are any less of a parent. Also, prospective parents through donors normally do not come to this decision lightly. Normally they themselves have gone through infertility procedures such as IUI and IVF, and none of that comes cheap. Although I have never been there, I am sure using donor products is a hard decision because one or both of the parents have to realize that although they are parents, geetically the child(ren) are genetically someone elses. To me, deciding to donate eggs was a big decision, but was not that difficult one. I am giving someone the possibility of half of a child, and with the sperm, hopefully will create one or more beautiful children. I do not look at it as 'my child' because there is no way that it is. For one, is the sperm guy, who knows who he is. Secondly, the prospective parents will raise their child(ren) differently than I would have. I am not saying that is a bad thing, just is different. I look at the difference in the ways that I was raised versus each one of my sisters and yes it is different, but it makes us who we are.

Other 'reproductive news' is that my sister is having (drum roll...) twin BOYS! That is going to be very different because in the family there are mainly females.

Rambles....

There is no new news in the egg donor world. I am still on the pill and hasn't felt any different. My first period on the pill is not expected for 2 1/2 weeks. The boyfriend and I are no longer together anymore, there was barely any communication. I guess it was good while it was lasted. The bad thing about summer break is that after a few weeks I actually wish that school would start again. I have been going to the gym several times a week and am actually enjoying it, it gives me something to do since I am not taking any summer classes.

Talking to myself is over because dinner is ready.
Until next time... (lol)

Birth Control Pills

Whenever my period begins I will be going on the pill which will be Loestrin 24 Fe. I have always been on Orthro Tri Cyclen and then OTC lo but for me I feel so much more 'normal' on the pill. Some people feel like they are not normal on the pill but for me it has been completely opposite. I am hoping that this pill agrees with me. They want me on the pill so when they find me a match, hopefully soon, then my cycle will be regulated.

Uterine septum pics.

Here are 2 u/s pictures of uterine septum and of course for privacy I erased my name and the office that I got the u/s done at. The first picture was labled 'fundus' but am not exactly sure about the pictures.

accepted...

Well I have been accepted to be an egg donor and now has to wait for a couple to 'accept' me. I guess my weird uterus isn't coming into play here, or at least yet. Tomorrow I start back up on the pill, which I am LOVING because I very much dislike my periods off of the pill. While off of the pill I have crazy cramps the day my period begins, while on the pill I would have no other symptoms other then blood.

Other good news is that I have been faithfully going to the gym. There is no sense on having a gym membership but not going so now I am getting my moneys worth.

:)

The big news is... my sister is pregnant with twins. Everyone is over the moon excited about that. Now the big question are they 2 girls, 2 boys, or a boy and a girl. Only time will tell that answer.

No news on the egg donation thing yet. I doubt there will be any issues in my bloodwork but will they accept me on my 'uterus problem' even though that would never come into play with the egg donation since they are only going to effect my ovaries.

Starting place...

I started this blog as an extra credit assignment for a school class and has decided to periodically update it. I have no clue who is reading it and am not sure if I will even tell people about it. It may just be a journal of me talking to myself.

Lately, a lot of things have changed. I was going to school for a career in the medical profession, but has changed to become an elementary teacher. Also, I am in a crazy new relationship, haven't been in one of those in a while, but still has no clue how long the relationship will be. Finally, the big news is that I an in the process of egg donation. To even begin the process has taken several months. First, there was a 17 page packet of general info, family history, and why you are doing this. Then, there was a psych exam (yes, it's a proven fact that I am not crazy). Third, there was bloodwork during my period to see the certain levels. Fourth, there was a "lovely' vaginal u/s. From there I found out that I have a weird uterus. There is a septum in the middle and then apparently I also have 2 cervixes. Yeah, who knew that I would have 'uterus problems'. More bloodwork and urine was taken and that is where the process is at now.

Dirty Dancing Reseach paper

Research Paper 3: Film
April 25, 2011

Dirty Dancing: The Movie

Some may believe that the movie Dirty Dancing is just a dancing movie but there are several issues that arise in the movie. Some issues that occurred in the movie are illegal abortion, stealing, falling in love with the wrong person, the differences in being rich and poor, affairs, premarital sex, having sex with multiple partners, growing up, seeing the times changing, the differences between sisters, going against family’s beliefs, and jealousy. The movie tells the story of Frances “Baby” Houseman (Jennifer Grey) growing up and falling in love (Gottlieb, & Ardolino, 1987). The iconic film, Dirty Dancing, from 1987 is continuing to be popular even twenty-four years later.

“Baby” begins as a very naïve teenager that is a daddy’s little girl. Her sister, Lisa is a very much goody-goody, wears more normal clothing for her age, and is into boys more than Baby. Johnny Castle is that bad boy dance partner that in the end Baby falls in love with. Penny is Johnny’s dance partner that has a botched illegal abortion that Baby’s father unknowingly paid for and then helped her because he is a doctor. Robbie was the father of Penny’s baby but he wanted nothing to do with her. Lisa also liked Robbie, and was going to have sex with him, but he was with another person at the time. Dr. Jake Houseman was Baby and Lisa’s father that wanted the best for his daughters and did not enjoy seeing Baby growing up. The Schumachers were a little old couple that seemed the sweetest but were actually wanted in a few states and had made a profit from stealing peoples’ wallets at the surrounding hotels (Gottlieb, & Ardolino, 1987).

The story begins as the Houseman family arrives at a Castkill’s resort called Kellermans in the summer of 1963. While exploring the property she found where the entertainment staff has their parties and joined them. She is surprised at their risqué dancing because it is nowhere near the proper dancing that she was exposed to prior. She finds out that Penny wanted to have an abortion and asks her father for the $250 to fund the illegal abortion. Baby then has to learn Penny’s dance moves to cover for her during Penny and Johnny’s dance job at a nearby hotel. Unfortunately, the abortion was not a good one because the so called doctor had a folding table, dirty knife, and no drugs. When Baby realizes how sick Penny is, she gets her father so that he can rectify the botched abortion. When Penny’s father asks who is responsible for Penny’s pregnancy, Johnny says he is even though Robbie is really the one responsible (Gottlieb, & Ardolino, 1987). Instead of Baby following her father’s instructions, she goes to Johnny’s room to apologize and they consummate their relationship. Penny realizes Johnny and Baby’s relationship and tells him to stop it because it is dangerous for the staff and guests to have sexual relationships. Johnny was fired because a jealous woman blamed him for stealing her husband’s wallet (W, &C, n.d.). His alibi was that he was alone in his room reading. Baby tells the boss that really she was with him, and Johnny is then fired for that reason. Baby is sad that she let down her family, and then he was still fired. Johnny on the other hand explains to her that nobody has ever done anything like that for him. Johnny leaves the resort but then returns for the iconic scene where he and Baby dance together to the song (I’ve Had) the Time of my Life. Dr. Houseman begins to give Robbie money for medical school, where he learns that Robbie was responsible for Penny’s situation. Dr. Houseman apologizes to Johnny for everything and tells Baby that she looked wonderful (Gottlieb, & Ardolino, 1987).

The last scene of the movie is definitely an iconic one where various people and TV shows have tried to recreate it. The last scene to the song (I’ve Had) the Time of my Life was recreated in a wedding dance and has generated more than 1.2 million views. The song (I’ve Had) the Time of my Life has become a popular first wedding dance choice and some even include the signature lift (Wong, Lynch, Stoynoff, & Sundel, 2007). One quote from the movie that almost did not make it in to the movie was “Nobody puts Baby in the corner.” That quote occurred when Johnny came back to the resort, found Baby sitting at the table with her parents, and took her to the stage where they did their beautiful dance. A less known quote but was a funny one was “I carried a watermelon.” In the beginning of the movie while exploring the resort grounds she finds an entertainment worker, which is Johnny’s cousin, carrying three watermelons, was sworn to secrecy, and enters the party. When Johnny asks his cousin why is she here, she just says “I carried a watermelon” (Gottlieb, & Ardolino, 1987).

Most of the actors did not think that this little summer movie would become such an iconic movie, even more than twenty years later. The movie’s budget was very small at $5 million. It has since grossed more than $170 million. The budget was so small that the extras were not provided a hot meal, but maybe at times peanut butter crackers. Jennifer Grey who played Frances “Baby” Houseman did not have that many big time roles because she was in a bad car accident and also had a nose job that made her look unrecognizable. On the other hand, Patrick Swayze who played Johnny Castle had a very successful career afterwards until his death to Pancreatic Cancer. The known star and who continued to be well known was Jerry Orbach who played Dr. Jake Houseman unfortunately also died to cancer. He became well known on Law and Order. Although the setting of the movie took place in the Catskills in New York, the filming was actually done in Virginia and North Carolina. That decision was based on filming in New York was too expensive (Wong, Lynch, Stoynoff, & Sundel, 2007).

In conclusion, Dirty Dancing is not a movie just about dancing but goes much deeper than that. It tells the story of how Baby grows up, does not follow her father’s instructions, and falls in love with the boy Johnny. A botched illegal abortion was also performed in the movie with it being unknowingly paid for by Baby’s father. In the end, Baby’s father was able to get all of the information and became happy for Baby falling in love, even though it was hard to see her grow up. The last scene of the movie continues to be an iconic scene with people even attempting to recreate it.


Works Cited
Gottlieb, L (Producer), & Ardolino, E (Director). (1987). Dirty dancing [Motion Picture]. USA: Lionsgate.
W, A, & C, L. (n.d.). Dirty dancing (1987) plot summary. Retrieved from http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0092890/plotsummary
Wong, M., Lynch, J., Stoynoff, N., & Sundel, J. (2007). Dirty dancing. People, 67(21), 110. Retrieved from EBSCOhost.

The holocaust research paper

Research Paper 2: Major Event
March 21, 2011

The Inhumane Holocaust

One of the most devastating events in world history was the Holocaust. To this day, some do not even believe that the Holocaust occurred but how do they explain the 11 million people that were brutally murdered? More than likely, there will not be an event in world history that comes close to the Holocaust.

To understand the Holocaust one must understand a few events that occurred. World War I devastated Europe, especially Germany. 8.5 million men died on battlegrounds during World War I, which lasted from 1914-1918. Many of the European Jews lived in the Russian Pale of Settlement in Eastern Poland, which is where the armies fought and struggled a lot here. In 1915 the Tsarist command actually blamed the Jews for the defeat and even expelled them from certain border areas. World War I was one of the first times that there was such a large mass killing by civilized countries. In 1933 there were 9.4 million Jews living in Europe. More than 78% lived in Poland, the USSR, Rumania, and Hungary. In the western industrialized countries the Jews were economically integrated with jobs that were merchants, industrialists, craftsmen, and professionals. On the other hand, in the east where they were less industrialized they were not able to become economically integrated. Although in the Poland population Jews were only 10%, they paid 40% of the taxes. In May 1919 a peace treaty was presented to Germany by the Allies and it was later signed the next month. It was an ultimatum which stated that Germany was solely responsible for the war, the army would be limited to 100,000 men, the army to 15,000, unification with Austria would not be allowed, they would pay reparations at an unknown amount, and will lose all overseas colonies in both the East and the West (Bauer, 2001).

October 1919 Adolf Hitler began speaking to Drexler DAP where he eventually became a leader of the small group. The group name eventually was changed to National Socialist German Worker’s Party. They had various beliefs including Jews were the major source of Germany’s problems, and all recent Jewish immigrants of Germany should return to the countries that they had came from. January 1933 the Nazis came to power in Germany with Hitler as the chancellor. April 1, 1933 it was ordered to have an economic boycott with the Jews (Bauer, 2001).
In the late 1930s ghettoes were created, which was mainly where all the Jews went, so that they were removed from society, even more than they had been. The ghettoes were terrible living conditions- old homes made of wood, with no toilets or running water or sewage. March 5, 1940 all Jews in Poland were ordered to move to the ghettoes. They were also overcrowded, had a lack of food, lack of sanitation which created typhus epidemic. The first internment camp was created in March 1933 at Dachau. In 1938 the use of the camps increased which basically would work people until they died or were killed sadistically. There were three types of camps: transition camps, labor camps, and concentration camps. They also believed that chronically ill people, habitual criminals, and mental patients had no right to live (Bauer, 2001).

Auschwitz was created in 1942 as a death camp for Jews. October 1942 it was ordered that all Jews from all other camps should be concentrated here. In 1944 it is estimated that 1 million Jews were killed by the gas chambers. At the Auschwitz camp complex there were five gas chambers. Normally, they were deceived in thinking that they were going to the showers, but were actually getting gassed, which would lead to their deaths. Afterwards, the bodies would be burned in a crematorium. At Auschwitz there were two crematoria which would burn 2,000 bodies in less than 24 hours. Before burning the bodies they would extract the gold from teeth, remove rings, remove women’s hair to be used for mattresses and submarines, and the clothing from them that was removed would be distributed in Germany. The inmates at the camps were also used for medical experiments such as sterilization of inmates, twin and dwarf ones, the effects on altitude on pilots, injected with viruses, and many other brutal experiments. In 1941 there were 18,000 prisoners but by 1945 there were 714,211 prisoners. 70 to 80% of Auschwitz inmates were Jews (Bauer, 2001).

Many of the countries stood by and let the Holocaust occur. Although they did not do anything necessarily bad they did try to stop the Holocaust either. Towards the end of the war SS guards transported inmates by trains or “death marches.” They did this on hopes that the Allies would not be able to free the large amounts of prisoners. March 7, 1945 the German armed forces unconditionally surrendered to the Allies. Many survivors would be placed in displaced persons camps. 700,000 Jews emigrated to Israel between the years 1948 and 1951. In 1957 the last displaced persons camp was closed (USHMM, 2011).

The Holocaust was the worst event in world history. Many people when they think about the Holocaust they say that 6 million Jews died but 5 million “forgotten” people died as well. Jehovah Witnesses, Gypsies, priests and pastors, homosexuals, disabled, black children, and those in inter-racial marriages were also brutally murdered. In total the rough estimate of those murdered is 11 million. Those people did not have an easy death but were humiliated, removed from their homes, tortured, starved, ordered to do hard labor, and various other things just because they were not of the Aryan race- “blond hair, blue eyes” (Pencak Schwartz, 2002).

References
Arad, Y. (1990). The pictorial history of the holocaust. New York: Macmillan Publishing Company.
Bauer, Y. (2001). A history of the holocaust revised edition. Danbury: Franklin Watts.
Pencak Schwartz, T. (2002). Five million forgotten- holocaust's non-jewish victims. Retrieved from http://www.holocaustforgotten.com/fivmil.htm
United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. “The Holocaust.” Holocaust Encyclopedia. http://www.ushmm.org/wlc/en/?ModuleId=10005143. Accessed on March 18, 2011.

Pablo Picasso Research paper

Research Paper 1: Biography
February 14, 2011

The Artist, Pablo Picasso

Pablo Picasso was an artist that was extremely popular, even while alive. To him, painting was a way to say everything in a way that words couldn’t. He has gone through various painting periods, where his art was different, but he said he would always paint in the present (Boutang and Daix, 1999). Pablo Picasso is one of the greatest artists of all times, and will remain that way.

Pablo Ruiz Picasso was born October 25, 1881 to Jose Ruiz Baiasco and Maria Picasso Lopez in Malaga, Spain. By 1901 he dropped Ruiz in favor of Picasso because he believed it sounded more distinguished than Ruiz. Picasso’s early drawings were of pigeons, bullfights, and Hercules (McCully, 1997). In 1891 at the age of 10 he started studying art with his father at La Coruña. His father recognized Picasso’s talent so he helped him instead of furthering his own talent. In 1895 the family then moved to Barcelona for the father’s teaching position, and Picasso studied art there as well. Picasso then moved to Barcelona where he continued to be an artist but not in the school setting. He then moved to Paris with his studio roommate, Carles Casagemas. Unfortunately, Casagemas was depressed about a failed love affair and committed suicide. Picasso had lost a close friend and since he was not there at the time he thought that he abandoned him (McCully, 2011).

After Casagemas death, Picasso went through a Blue period between 1900 and 1904, where he used blue in his paintings primarily. He did three paintings related to his friend that had died. One painting was called The Burial of Casagemas. Other paintings in his Blue Period were about syphilitic whores and pregnant women that he met in his visits to the Saint-Lazare women’s prison in Paris (McCully, 1997). Then he moved to Paris in 1914, which signified an ending to the Blue Period. He met his mistress, Fernande Oliver in 1904, which inspired several artworks before Cubism began. Instead of painting with blues, he began painting with pottery, flesh, and earth tones that then became known as the Rose Period (McCully, 2011).

The starting point of Cubism was him painting Les Demoiselles d’ Avignon in 1907. He began painting faces of people mask like, which was influenced by African art. Les Demoiselles d’ Avignon was not the normal beautiful women but were prostitutes. Afterwards, he had collectors and dealers that wanted the painting but instead he rolled it up for several years. He then met Georges Braque who with him developed Analytical Cubism. Many of the paintings looked like geometric shapes (McCully, 2011). Many of Picasso and Braque’s paintings look very similar (Boutang and Daix, 1999). Picasso and Braque began gluing papier collé and other material onto canvases in 1912. Still life and heads were the main subject matter of both painters during this time. Unfortunately, in 1915 his latest mistress, Eva (Marcelle Humbert) died. The painting dedicated to her, Harlequin, showed his grief of a half Harlequin and half Pierret with an easel with an unfinished canvas against a black background (McCully, 2011).
Then, World War I began which separated many of Picasso’s circles of artist friends; some went to the war front while others went to their native countries. Picasso remained in France, where he met a new friend Erik Satie. They created a theatrical event with Sergey Diaghilev’s Ballets Russes that was called Parade. Picasso was in charge of the sets and costumes. Although he disliked traveling, he agreed to travel to Rome, regarding the production. He then met his dancing wife there, Olga Kokhlava. The play was considered an attempt that undermined the solidarity of French culture (McCully, 2011). July 12, 1918 Picasso married Olga Kokhlova. January 1921 Picasso’s only legitimate child, Paulo was born (Boutang and Daix, 1999). Picasso’s studio was very dirty and the cleaning lady was forbidden to disturb the dust. On the other hand, his apartment that he shared with his wife and son was immaculate and had impeccable décor that they could entertain Persian society (Boutang and Daix, 1999).

Picasso’s next mistress was Marie- Thérèse Walter. He enjoyed being with her because his life was less hectic with her than with Olga. His next child, Maya was born on September 5, 1935 (Boutang and Daix, 1999).
Although he did not live in Spain, he did support it because it was his native country. In 1937 he made a series of etchings called Dream and Lie of Franco and the proceeds went toward the support of the Republican cause. Guernica was a mural painting named for the Spanish town Basque that was bombed in 1937 by the Fascists. In the painting there was the bullfight, gorged horse, the fallen solider and screaming mothers with dead babies. The bull represented the hope to overcome Fascism. Dora Maar worked with him to finish Guernica in just three short weeks (McCully, 2011).

In 1943 he met a young painter, Françoise Gilot and she became his next lady friend. They had two children together, Claude in 1947 and then Paloma in 1949. They moved to the Mediterranean and his paintings during this time identified with that because of the vivid colors related to both living in the Mediterranean and his happiness with Gilot. Although he is known for his paintings he also did ceramics. His plates, jugs, and vases were made and then altered by being reshaped, painted, gouged out, scratched, or marked by fingerprints. As a result, they were regarded as useless (McCully, 2011).

After World War II in 1953 Gilot and their two children left Picasso. In 1954 he met Jacqueline Roque in the pottery shop where he did his pottery. They eventually married in 1961. She was the inspiration for his later work. In 1958 Picasso bought a castle in Vauvenargues, that they were both later buried in (McCully, 2011).

Pablo Picasso was an artist that was even able to support himself while alive, unlike some artists that are not popular until after they have died. Picasso’s paintings varied based on what was going on in the world, such as war, to which mistress he was with. His artwork spanned more than 80 years. One of his paintings called La Lecture from 1932 recently sold for more than $40 million, which was a portrait of Marie- Theresa (McCully, 2011). Although since then there have been great artists, none have come close to the level that Picasso was of.




References
Boutang, P. A., & Daix, P. (Producers), & Philipe, P. (Director). (1999). 13 Days in the Life of Picasso [Video cassette]. France: Fox Lorber Centre Stage.
McCully, M. (2011). Pablo Picasso Biography. Retrieved February 8, 2011, from Encyclopaedia Britannica website: http://www.biography.com/articles/Pablo-Picasso-9440021
McCully, M. (1997). Pablo Picasso: The early years. USA Today Magazine, 126(2626), 38. Retrieved from EBSCOhost.