brenda, I would say yeah, tell her to see the doctor. Smokers' phlegm is usually yellow, not gray. That doesn't sound good.

Luck to P-C!

(She's in Sweden for the next month and uninsured, hence the reluctance)

I've never been asked to pay for medical care in Sweden. In theory they are supposed to charge people who don't live in one of the Nordic countries, but it's usually more trouble for them than it's worth.

Is it odd that my father and stepmonster, who are a hair's breadth from NeoCon, should allow their nine yo to buy "American Idiot"? Because when they brought it up at dinner, I thought so... But they put my aunt's shit out on the street, so maybe they don't really care what adult stuff they expose him to. (Not that there's anything wrong with GD, but nine isn't nineteen, and I was not encouraged to aspire to hipness in the fourth grade. )

Good morning, my Bitches. I've skipped a lot of stuff, but job~ma to Susan, P-C, and Jilli, hugs for Gloomcookie, happiest of belated birthdays for Jen and meara, and love and kisses for whomever else.

Celebrated our 1-year anniversary on Sunday. If it's true that the first year is the hardest, I'm glad to have that one over with. FAR too much excitement this past year.

Oh, juliana, Happy belated Anniversary to you!

I think the first year was the hardest for us couple-wise, but we hadn't lived together beforehand. I'm not so sure how much that first year business has to do with the state of being married or if it has more to do with settling in together. You broke your beautiful face though, which I hereby declare is enough of hard times in your marriage.

(Not that there's anything wrong with GD, but nine isn't nineteen, and I was not encouraged to aspire to hipness in the fourth grade. )

GD is Green Day an American Idiot is a song/album: [link]

Thanks, Gud.

Erika, what is GD? Also, what's American Idiot?

Not Erika, but GD=Green Day, a currently popular pop-punk band. American Idiot is their most recent album; if you've heard the song that starts "I walk a lonely street," "Boulevard of Broken Dreams," that's from it. The album has a whole has a political (anti-war/anti-conformity) message, and most people who have heard it, including me, like it a lot, though not necessarily because of the politics.

To answer erika's question, I don't think it's inappropriate music for a 9-year-old. It would surprise me if the parents, or for that matter the kid, knew about the politics. We know them because we care about that kind of thing, but I'm not sure how obvious it is just from the music. I'd say buying the album now is about on a level with buying The Joshua Tree in 1987 as a political act.

I am mildly disconcerted that today's kids are so much cooler than I was -- at nine, I was all about Debbie Gibson and Tiffany, and I don't think I was even aware of rock released after 1970. And if you'll excuse me, I have a lawn to clean off.

Edit: Gudanov beat me to it. Ah well, I was more thorough.

If it's true that the first year is the hardest, I'm glad to have that one over with. FAR too much excitement this past year.

Happy belated anniversary! I hope you have a nice, calm, peaceful, and above all HAPPY second year of marriage.

Had the craziest dream last night.

I was in love with a Mennonite boy who was a friend of the family. I wanted to marry him and be with him, but wanted him to be a little less Mennonite-y. His parents were freaky deaky Mennonites but in my dream, they were more like David Koresch/survivalist Mennonites. Building log cabins and such. We were discussing it when Joe woke me up to kiss me goodbye this morning. I vaguely remember asking him if we could become Mennonites. I'm pretty sure he said "No".

My dream Mennonite was awfully cute. Dark, curly hair. A little on the pudgy side but tall. And so loving and sweet. Sigh. But I'm also pretty sur the reason he was single was that his first wife, who was 90 years old had died.