@e.b.: That's what he said but I'm guessing he meant "six more years." Or has had him for six years, because he should be in sixth grade. But probably six more.

Okay, not OT from the article, but OT from the thread... Steve Almond was my writing teacher at Emerson and he is AWESOME. And you should all totally buy his books. I highly recommend "Which Brings Me To You," which he co-wrote with Julianna Bagott and his new-ish collection of essays, "Not That You Asked."

@citnos: Depo is serious medication. I get upset whenever I hear stories about people getting side effects that their doctor should have explained to them beforehand- not that anyone saw your particular side effects coming. I mean, weight gain is common but not 60 lbs. in a month. I saw a doctor online claim that…

@Too Hot For TNR: Don't you watch The Dog Whisperer? Guilt=weakness, meaning you're allowing yourself to be subservient in the relationship and the dog, feeling thrown into the "packleader" position without wanting it, is acting out. You need to be calm and assertive. Or something.

@odinsraven: Where do you live? The doctor at Planned Parenthood (I've had many different insurances and periods of no insurance over the past 8 years) once told me she'd only give it to me after I passed the blood test that I wasn't in early menopause. Given my family history, there's no way I'd be in perimenopause…

@RisaPlata: Goddammit. My grandmother hid her marriage so she could keep nursing/i.e. being a nurse.

@Lymed in Cali: Absolutely. My mother was one of nine children. My grandfather one of 13. Women couldn't work outside the home except as nurses or teachers, but if they got married they had to quit their jobs. My grandmother hid her so she could keep nursing, but that didn't last long.

@lalaland13: He WHAT? I'm on the shot and I love it, but I went on after a long, careful conversation with my doctor about pros and cons and side effects, because the side effects can be very serious. You don't... just... RAGE!

@gherkinfiend: I've had doctors freak out when they learned how long I've been on Depo (8 years and counting) and suggest switching me to something else, but there's no way I'm going off until I want to get pregnant. The pill made me clinically depressed, so basically anything with estrogen is off the table (Depo is…

@badmutha: Yes. Like, in that SNL sketch, when Amy Poehler as Hillary Clinton said, "ask this one about dinosaurs." But that's a comedy show.

Okay, since we're discussing it, I tried Activia once, for the recommended 2 weeks. And it caused spotting. Which, since I am on depo and haven't had a period in seven years, was very very disturbing to me but I haven't seen one mention anywhere of that as a possible side effect.

@Zlevee: May we have Canadian overlords please?

I know after a good Buffy marathon I find myself walking down the street, daring someone to try and bite my neck. Because I am woman and I will stake you so fast...

And if you're going to insult someone publicly, own it. They posted an unflattering picture and encouraged criticism, then released a statement that said, "what? we think she's pretty!" Backpeddling is so not attractive.

I wasn't comfortable with tampons until after I lost my virginity, so I would have been screwed. Pads crinkle in pockets. I remember once being caught by surprise in school. We actually had those vending machines in the bathrooms, but I visited every one (it was a small school) and they were all out. I ended up in the…

No, seriously, I got one of those alcoholic questions, and I've never had a drink in my life. (#15 was enough to convince me I probably never should.) So even I think the bar is being set pretty low there.

@elysium_kitschen: Oh, and the reason you don't know any Nielson families is there are only about 100,000 in the whole country. Supposedly they're fixing this, but I don't know when. [Thefutoncritic.com] has an excellent FAQ section that explains ratings.

I work in television (at least, when I'm working. I'm currently gainfully temping) and there's a book you should read. It's called Billion Dollar Kiss by Jeffrey Stepakoff, and basically it's about how since the end of the Fin/Syn laws, TV shows are being run not by the studios that finance them, but by the networks…