I'm pretty sure I read she describes herself as a performance artist, so there's that -- I imagine she wouldn't mind people thinking she's a drag queen, since that's basically what she's "doing." She seemed like a nice girl on Ellen the other day.

I'm glad you have the therapist to give you advice, even when it's hard and expensive.

Yes, this. I feel like my brother and sister-in-law had similar issues with my niece, who has Asperger's, when she was having a really hard time in school but came across as basically fine or "normal" with family or small non-school groups. People wanted her to be okay so they minimized/dismissed the issues her parents said she was having. She's been working with a therapist now for a while and has had good support in school and, as far as I know is doing much better now.

Anyway, love to you and Mac and I'm glad you are at least able to vent here.

Steph - I do, but mostly it is online. There is a Eth adopt group in NYC, mac hates going to the get-togethers and they are really get-togethers, not support meetings. The other thing is that most of the single parent adopt thingies and the international adopt thingies that I have found thus far are dominated by people who adopt babies. There is another single mom who adopted a school age boy from Eth, but she is not that active with the groups and she is also at least a hour commute away. Then there is the scheduling issue and what to do with mac if I do find a meeting.

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I have yet to actually hear Lady Gaga. My only knowledge of her is the street posters they had about 6 months ago.

I admit I am a bit dense when it comes to current pop culture, esp music. All I ever see are the random posters on the freeway offramps. Which reminds me--who is Liz Goldwyn? I see her drapey silhouette posed on billboards so clearly someone wants to build a big ol' ad campaign around her, but since they haven't indicated what she does, I remain clueless. Does she sing? Dance? Is she a fictional character in some movie? Who knows?

I know the gaga person only as the maker of the song from that Trek vid. I sometimes feel like my world is made of nothing but pop culture, and is at the same time utterly apart from it.

Then there is the scheduling issue and what to do with mac if I do find a meeting.

Any kind of parent support group that doesn't include child care is so effed up, it makes me furious.

I sometimes feel like my world is made of nothing but pop culture, and is at the same time utterly apart from it.

The paradox of pervasive media.

I sometimes feel like my world is made of nothing but pop culture, and is at the same time utterly apart from it.

I just had a celebrity-gossip conversation with coworkers that made me feel like that, too. I had no idea Alicia Keys was dating Swizz Beats! And that he's not divorced yet! Etc.

msbelle, I'm sorry everything is so damn hard for you and mac and that you're not getting all the meatspace support you need and deserve. I can only imagine how frustrating and exhausting it must be for you.