aliya

Re-reading these for some reason. This has got to be one of the funniest things I've heard in awhile. My lawyer step-father used to say, "Death is the ultimate tax shelter." I thought it was pretty funny when I was 16.

I agree with you in terms of his not listening to what type of pain the patient has. People who have bone on bone knee pain (like my elderly mother), need pain relief of some kind just to function, before, during, and after weight loss. She can get a shot a couple of times of year and is OK. Why doesn't he ever recommend something like that? Or, there are pain clinics. I had hip bursitis that gave me an understanding of why people in pain commit suicide. I ended up going to the pain clinic at my uni's hospital and it changed everything. I could rest, for one thing, and was able to walk and teach, albeit with a cane and a scooter in the store for awhile. He should send the obesee to a pain clinic where they and their medication will be supervised. Yeah, walking in a pool may help - or it may not. Sometimes you need Big Pharma.

I haven't heard that term before in this context, but I will be using it in the future.

Yeah. Entertaining drama aside, I don't like seeing a young woman losing her relationship with her father - because of her father. That's yearssss of therapy.

I can't imagine doing that to my son. "Just get out!"? No. Leida is terrible, but Eric is right there with her. Oy. Wait - who's the little white girl sitting on the living room floor? Is that Eric's other kid?

Wha? "I put a lot of effort into getting the ring and proposing to her." What about, "I really love her and I don't know how I can get Deb and Larissa to get along. I don't want to lose the woman I love or strain my relationship with my mother." That's a problem that needs consideration. So far, all he does is tell Larissa to calm down. I'd be ticked off too if my feelings were never considered or were laughed at, and I get called a "bitch" in public and my fiance doesn't even blink.

Nursing a new baby will do that. Plus, I don't know how much Steven is helping out - like making meals, etc.

I guess it wouldn't make for good TV, but why don't Leida & Eric sit down and learn about the requirements for her to be a doctor over here? Does she need another credential? An exam? Some courses in an American school before she can sit for the Boards? What will it take to do that? Will they have to move? Should they rent a townhouse rather than buy while they're pursuing her medical career? That's working together. Re Deb - she's only a year older than I am. She cooks, drives, dresses herself, can communicate and walks unassisted .... what's her disability? I know she will miss Coltee, but why can't she be happy about a new time in her life, find a place to live near them, and let them be a couple for awhile?

Whoa - Coltee's cousin or whatev calls his fiance a "bitch," and Coltee doesn't get up and knock his teeth down his throat? Larissa - you look like fun. Come on out here to Iowa and let me see if I can find you a nice Iowa or Nebraska boy with some farm land, a good car, an even better harvester, and tons of government farm subsidies each year. : )

"Childlike" That's what I was looking for! Yes, not attractive. I don't know what a person with Kalini's personality sees in him.

We lived in Philly for years. Before we moved, a friend of my mother's, who lived in Philly, told us where we shouldn't move as a mixed race couple (like Fishtown). I understand racism and I'm not saying everyone is going to approve of the marriage. I am saying that I find it hard to believe that people wrote hundreds of racist comments on their registry.

That's some client skills there - "OK, what's the questions?" I had to smile. No. That's not how you work with clients. (lapsed lawyer here)

Where is this Ashley chick - Pennsylvania? How are they having these racial problems? I married a white guy in 1976. The only problems we had was with my lawyer step-father who didn't like that my husband wasn't a doctor or a lawyer. My parents knew a number of mixed race couples (in DC) back in the '70's. I'm not saying everyone was alright with it personally, but no one would have said anything to their face about it. Who is writing hundreds of comments about them being a mixed race couple?

Yeah. I doubt she was serious about the $100,000 wedding dress. She likes to be 'out there.' At least from this distance, it's OK. And I am getting sick of Coltee & mom nay-saying everything she wants.

How did Larissa know where to go? I would have thought that Deb, who knew their budget, would have taken her to David's, if the money was that important. Otherwise, Deb, shut up.

I may be crazy, but I'd ask Larissa to try on a couple of other dresses in the $1000 price range. If she really looked best in this one, and it's what she wanted, I'd spend the extra money. It's not like it's $100,000, it's another thou. I don't think a thousand will put the green card plans on hold. I think Coltee and his mom need to loosen the purse strings a little. It might help the relationship if Larissa gets one friggin' thing that she wants. I get the feeling Coltee has the money and is just cheap. Sometimes you have to help these people out. : )

"Not like a slut" Not like your regular clothes, huh?

Man, I don't know. He sounds like a child. He acts like a child. I don't think he's a terrible person, and I recognize the cultural differences, but it just seems like they are in parallel universes sometimes. Even cruising around on a vacation looking for fun, I'd need to be able to talk to the guy. Please, Leida, go home. Let me pack your bags proper for you.

What kind of work does Eric do? At '40' (cough cough) he should have a few more things in life, even with child support. I'm not saying he has to be in a McMansion, only that he shouldn't have to share expenses with his daughter or decide what bill to pay.

I lived in Seattle, about as liberal as you can get. I'm also very light skinned and generally not a threat to people who have color issues. One late afternoon, I was going into the building where we had research labs and a white woman stopped me at the door and asked what I was doing there and where was I going. WTH? I also like the story of the black guy who was minding his business, studying in his uni's library. Campus security comes up and asks why he's there. Huh? "I'm studying." He called it 'studying while black' in his essay.

If Leida were a better person, she could show what a good job she'd do decorating with IKEA or Good Will furniture. Yeah, Eric is a cheapskate and if she knew the truth, she might not have hooked up with him, but here she is. A 'woman of valor' would have a frugal wedding, have the apartment decked out in second hand furniture, and show what she can do as a wife and mother. Eric would be beside himself with joy. But no, she is a terrible person and wants to put her son ahead of his child support requirements. If she came from such a high background, she should have stayed in Indonesia or kept talking to pen pals until she found a wealthy one. I don't blame her if she did that, but now that she is with Eric, she needs to wake up to what their reality is going to be or say "thanks, but no thanks," and go back home. Whoa - what was that in the preview? "Who is against the queen will die?" !!!

He's making me want to slap him, too, but I still cut him a little slack because there is no one there to smack him upside the head and tell him how to act. There is no one he can talk to in English. They both need to be around an older couple or a church group, but that's ain't gonna happen in Russia. He seems to have a good relationship with his grandparents. Maybe when they get back to the States (if 'they' get back), he will get some help. It is a long shot, tho.

Oh, Steven & Olga. I am not happy anymore. It's harder than you guys, thought, huh?

I'm 65 and still working. I'm gorgeous. Nobody offers me a seat unless I haven't had my roots done in a while. : ) Debbie must have lived a hard life. He did say she was on disability, so maybe her illness is making her look rough.

Not to cut Coltee any slack, but those places often have waiting lists. That said, he should put her name on the list now as it may take months, or years, for her to get an income-based place.