I am in a pickle.

Normally I bumble through my life and somehow, maybe by the Grace of God, I manage to pretty much make it through unscathed. Then there are moments like now and the predicament I am currently in.

I've pretty much quit sleeping. That's really not that germane to this story except I need you to know why I am often in a drug induced stupor. Because I cannot sleep and also it's kind of fun.

Ambien is one Hell of a drug. It works. Very well. And I had the conversation with my doctor where I asked her if I would wake up in the morning with a Baby-Ruth stuck in my hair because I'd been sleep-eating and she says 'Nooooo. That's really rare.' She did not warn me however that once you take the Ambien you had better be where you plan on staying for a couple of hours because it is almost instantaneous stupor.

You need to take all of this into consideration right about now because I'm getting ready to tell you about the pickle I'm in.

I am on a steady birth control regimen (No, I'm not preggers. Thaaaaaaaat would be way more than just a pickle of a predicament.) and I would like to take this moment to thank the folks at Merck for coming up with this brilliant form of birth control where I don't have to remember to take a pill everyday, the NuvaRing. I'm not sure why I continue to take said birth control because my poor uterus isn't seeing much action these days but one can never be too careful so hence I am on said birth control. The convenience of not having to take a pill everyday is somewhat offset by the fact that when it is time to remove said device from your vaginal cavity you have to reach up there and get it. No big deal.

Except when you've put two in. And the second one has squished the first waaaaaaaaaaaaay up there and your fingers are just too damn short, no matter how far you can get your legs behind your head. All this because you decided to take your Ambien before you put your first ring in and then woke up the next morning and panicked that you forgot and went ahead and stuck the second one in. Fast forward an hour or so and you start to kind of have remembrances of maybe putting one in the night before but you aren't sure because you were in a daze from the Ambien and the only choice left to you is to go on a spelunking mission looking for one, or both, of them.

I'm no medical expert but I'm reasonably sure that they only want you to wear one ring at a time. (Is it considered 'wearing' when it's not on the outside of your person?) I'll probably actually have a stroke in the next couple of days unless I manage to get this thing out. And I'm not exactly sure how I'm going to get this done. This is just simply not one of those favors you can call in to your best friend(s).

'Hi Bestie! How's it going?'

'Good, how are you?'

'I'm in a pickle and I need your help with something.' (Notice how I don't say what it is. That would be favor suicide.)

'Sure thing. What is it?'

'Weeeeeeeeeeeell I might need you to stick your fingers in my vagina and fetch my NuvaRing.'

'----  uh. ---- Hmmmm. ---- ---- ---- You know Anna, I really gotta go. I have to go ---- do ---- things. But Good Luck!'

Maybe I should have just asked for a crochet hook instead.

This is why I need a boyfriend.