I see that the first comment here by Francesca stole my fire!

I found myself withdrawn into a shell that was paralyzing. I cringed at work tasks, particularly communicating with customers or colleagues. Aside from my wife and kid, I didn't even really want to interact with anybody. A friendly phone call from my folks was unbearable for me.

I was seeing my doctor regularly at the time as I was recovering from a serious illness. We discussed this withdrawal and he diagnosed depression. Depression?

I was never SAD. I didn't feel "depressed." I wasn't weepy or emotional. I was just sort of dead to the world.

Well, lo and behold, apparently "depression" needn't manifest itself as SADNESS. Some sufferers unconsciously build barriers between themselves and the rest of the world. What felt to me like apathy, boredom, anxiety and perhaps fear was, apparently "depression."

I'm sure everyone can guess what came next...

Yes - the prescription for Prozac and it's literally LIFE-CHANGING impact on me - something I starting feeling just two weeks after the first dose.

Once the Prozac had taken hold, I remembered that THIS IS HOW I USED TO FEEL and/or THIS IS HOW I'M SUPPOSED TO FEEL. It was a spectacular and very positive change.

The LW's story reminded me of myself pre-Prozac.

I unconsciously assigned a gender to the LW and found it jarring when one of the comments here referred to LW as the other gender. I reread the letter and realized that it was gender neutral.

Does everyone automatically assign a gender without thinking when it isn't obvious in the letter?

What assumptions did you make re: this LW?

Hagee is the head of an evangelical Christian organization yet he advocates loudly for a US-led military strike on Iran? One might think that Christianity and airstrikes would be incompatible with one another, particularly within an ideological organization. Obviously this is not the case here.

CUFI expects both presidential candidates to attend their conference this summer. Will John McCain cower before King Hagee, kneel and kiss his ring? Will a McCain Whitehouse consult with CUFI and AIPAC on foreign policy?

In addition to its efforts on Capitol Hill, CUFI has also held meetings with senior officials in the Bush administration, such as one in 2006 with Deputy National Security Advisor Elliott Abrams that focused in part on Iran, and one this past fall, around the Annapolis peace conference, with National Security Advisor Stephen Hadley.

From where do Hagge and CUFI derive the power that affords them this sort of access to policymakers in the Whitehouse

Is there somewhere I can move to where they've got liquid Percoset on the public tap?

I'm surprised, Andrew, that revelations that he procured the services of prostitutes changed your opinion of him. Dalliances with prostitutes doesn't undo his heroics. Where he dips his wick and whether or not he pays for it should have no bearing whatsoever on our appreciation of him as a strong and fair force fighting the good fight on our behalf.

Prostitution comes in many flavors, some of which are ethically problematic. Prostitution is NOT a victimless crime when the women are indentured servants working off the debt they owe the "coyote" or "snake head" who smuggled them into the country. At one end of the prostitution morality continuum one finds underage women sold into slavery by their parents. At the other end, however, one finds what Spitzer was allegedly/apparently involved with: high-class prostitution for the rich and powerful costing as much as $5500 per hour, according to one account I read today. If there was any victim in a $5500/hr sexual transaction, I daresay the victim was the customer.

Spitzer is a great man, but a flawed man, just like the rest of us. Had he done something unambiguously bad or offensive his downfall might merit celebration or at a minimum a reevaluation of his character. With what was exposed today, the only strong conclusion one can walk away with is that he isn't Superman, after all.

Eliot Spitzer: human being.

One of the many strange and wonderful things I've stumbled across in the midst of an uncontrolled Wikipedia exploration session:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bristol_Stool_Scale

*Not* one of the most important stories of the moment, imo.

I'm a married man with generally rather low libido. I wouldn't ever think about making use of a prostitute nor am I even interested in a one-night stand or an affair.

I must confess, however, that the idea of this woman having a "magic pussy" completely turns my prudish attitude upside-down. What on earth does this woman bring to the table that has people talking about her in this manner? This sounds like a spectacle that must truly be observed if not actively engaged.

I'm sorry honey, but my non-cheating heart has been stolen by a strange woman who I don't even know. More information must be collected!

To the LW:

Use your computer to make up a batch of official looking "coupons" that each entitle the bearer to one use of the pool. Make perhaps ten of these and make a big deal out of giving them to this cousin as a gift. Throw in a little fanfare. "I'm giving you TEN WHOLE VISITS to my pool to use anytime!" Witnesses to "ooo" and "ahhh" might be helpful here.

Make a show of enforcing the use of the coupons. You might even include a "schedule ahead" provision in text on the coupons as well.

Now instead of this cousin potentially being there EVERY NIGHT for an entire pool season, you'll have to deal with her ten times maximum.