aliya

Jeez - it can be days before the father sees mom and the baby: https://www.expatica.com/ru/healthcare/Having-a-baby-in-Russia_107704.html

These poor young people. I'm a bit teary. Steven wants to do the right thing; I don't know why Russians don't let the father in the room. She doesn't have a family, right? Is that why there's no female with her or to talk her off the ledge while she was watching the videos? I was all the way on the left coast when I had Aliya jr, and it was just me and his father, but at least his father was with me and we both spoke the same language as the medical team. : ) It's probably a good thing there was no internet then. : ) I just thought it would be painful - I wasn't thinking of 2 days in back pain labor, tho. I coulda done without that. : )

Whoa - joint bank account and credit card w/his mom??? Why? You can be close and not blend your finances. Are they going to share finances after the wedding? And, no leather couch because of the cats. I'm not in favor of leather, but dang. Cats can't come first. Mama can't come first. This is going to be a difficult relationship.

So I went to look at her FB pages. No way has this woman practiced medicine anywhere. Aliya jr spent the last year working in our uni's graduate medical education office (he's doing a PhD in higher ed admin). This is the administrative office for doctors coming in for residencies and fellowships. Even out here in flyover country, we have plenty of international students. These folks are serious and driven. I audit human subjects research and frequently run into members of this same group. Let me say it again, these folks are serious and driven. No way on God's green earth could she even sit in the same lunchroom with them, much less practice with them.

I guess I missed it - what does Colt do for a living? What are his interests, besides his cats? I'm trying to get a handle on what these two people will do as a couple. Do they travel? Go to museums? Restaurants? Baseball? Wha? Why are they even together (OK, we know why Larissa is here, but Colt seems happy enough with mom and the cats)?

No. It's not some kind of Mormon thing. In my ward (parish) we are mostly academics, doctors & dentists and grad students in these programs (college town). None of the women looks down when a man comes in the room. A lot of them don't even stop talking when the bishop comes in the room. There are different understands of 'modest,' I guess. Modest to me is modest speech (which I fail at, usually), dress (check), not wasting money (getting better), etc. That kind of thing. It doesn't mean walking 10 steps behind some man. Y'all need to get away from Hollywood's interpretation of Mormonism. At least for those of us outside of Utah/Idaho, life is very different from how it's betrayed on TV and in the movies. The Church is a proselytizing church. There are more LDS outside of the US now, than inside, and people bring their own cultures when they convert. Maybe the downcast eyes is a Samoan thing, not LDS.

OMGoodness. I don't eat Dinty Moore any more, tho if pressed, that's what I would buy. But the description of the bread in the bowl and the stew on top - I can't tell you how many times I've had that - especially with Aliya, jr. when I was in grad school. Sniff sniff. Those were the days.

I moved to Philly from the DC area. Never heard of 'hoagie' before in my life; it took some time to get used to. Never heard of 'Wawa' either, which is another strange name. Aliya jr (who was quite junior at the time) hated the word. "Just say you're going to the store, ma. 'Wawa' sounds stupid."

OMGoodness! Not for me! Plus, I've seen pics of people's cats on their keyboards or knocking things over on their computers. Nope. If the cat doesn't have a job to pay for broken stuff, the cat needs to go live elsewhere.

I know cats jump on kitchen counters, but how did the cat get on the closet shelf? Can they jump that high? I've got a co-worker w/cats. There's always cat hair all over her clothes. Yuck.

I had breast reduction maybe 20+ years ago. They removed 8 lbs of boobs and I was nowhere near as big as Renee. Nowhere.

Mother of Mercy.

I saw Animal House in the theater. Once was enough for me, so I didn't remember the line. I did think that Trevor was joking, though.

Hey, most of my previous knowledge came from 'Big Love' as well. I happen to live in a town which was the last stop on the train for Mormons converts coming from Europe to go to Utah. They would join a wagon train from here, and hundreds who couldn't afford a wagon, made carts and walked from here to Utah. Walked. I got interested in the history of the area and a few months later, missionaries knocked on the door, and here I am, no more tea. : ) Not offended at all. As an older convert with a 'past,' I think I am kind of 'out there,' at least to the Utah folks (of which we have lots because they come here for grad & med school).

One of my sisters was dating a guy who had to pay child support. She also tried to get him to stop. I had to tell her that she wouldn't want some new hussy taking food out of her kid's mouth. She was only thinking of herself - this was before they got married and had a kid. All she saw was $$ going out the door and not being spent on her.

The caffeinated thing is Utah culture. One of the first things I asked the missionaries was could I still drink Diet Pepsi (yes). Also, the Church came out with a statement a few years ago that caffeinated stuff is OK. There's caffeine in cocoa, so we'd have to stop drinking that if you couldn't have caffeine. That said, some people choose not to have cola drinks. Also, the missionaries are crazy for Mountain Dew, which has a ton of caffeine.

I'm Mormon. I drink diet Pepsi, flavored sparkling water, and cocoa. I'd drink more stuff, but I'm diabetic and have limited non-sugar, choices. When I go to other people's houses, they drink stuff besides milk, but obviously not coffee or tea. eta - If they are observant Mormons, Colt wouldn't be in bed with Larissa. No way.

Holy Moley! I'm right with you, Larissa - get the animal off of the bed and out of my face. Sorry, cat people, but the idea of an animal roaming around my bed freaks me out. Jumping on the counter, etc., freaks me out. We had rabbits. Rabbits don't jump on the counter. Rabbits love you and don't look at you like they would cut you if they had opposable thumbs.

And holding the bowl up to his mouth. That alone would have put me back on the plane to Brazil. I'm just gonna say it, they did 'The Grinch' right the first time. We don't need no stinkin' remakes.

And holding the bowl up to his mouth. That alone would have put me back on the plane to Brazil.

His grandparents may have given him some money. There's not a lot he could carry on the plane; it makes sense to buy stuff there.

I love how he keeps saying the baby is coming in 9 days. You have no idea when that baby is going to come, kiddo. I still think he's sweet, and he is trying. I was surprised that in Russia dads can't be in the delivery room. Strange.

Reminds me of an African grad student of mine with a couple of kids. They had been here in our very white state for a number of years while he and his wife got degrees. They were finally able to take a trip back to the motherland and the kids are in the airport, surprised as heck, "Dad, there sure are a lot of black people here!"

There's cheap and there is rude and lacking manners. No one says any of these guys have to buy women a Mercedes. But they should bring flowers or do something else that well-brought up people do in these situations. That said, a well-brought up person wouldn't make a comment about not having flowers. I'm sure she built up their meeting in her head, and I understand that, but she shouldn't have said anything. And yes, it is cheap for a 40 (cough cough) yr old man to split a hoagie between 4 people. Sorry. It's cheap unless everyone in the group is broke and they agree to eat this way.

I think beef. Isn't it hot as Hades there? How 'bout a nice salad and some ice tea?