…love embarrassing sex writing.

…this past week, instead of posting to this blog:

I’ve finally moved most of my possessions into storage, so the condo can be made all pretty and saleable. It took four truckloads and one carload. Thanx to Todd and Sean for the assistance.

Arranged more freelance gigs, and potential new living spaces.

Dealt with my mom’s continuing health issues, including a long-put-off bunion surgery that’ll keep her off her feet for the next month.

Attended various picturesque events, which I’ll put up on the site one day very soon.

Until then, here’s a site that claims to offer
“the worst album covers ever.”

Kerrick Mainrender responds to a recent link item on this site:

“Out of curiosity I linked to that Morgan Hawke article, and while romances may indeed not be mindless, I found some misconceptions that are anything but helpful.The author seems to think that all women have the exact same development and needs–not true. Not all follow the same ‘character arc’ [or zigzag, or whatever]. Neither do men–this ‘mythic past’ stuff always seemed simplistic and overgeneralized–stereotyped, in fact.

Some children had secrets from Daddy right from the start [from Mommy too–where’s Mom in all those fairy tales anyway?] Sometimes a horse symbolizes something other than ‘masculine sexuality’–mobility, speed, endurance, for starters. Sometimes Beauty meets a female Beast. And so on.

Finally, first sex is NOT always painful. I don’t see why it should ever have to be, and if the young were educated right maybe it wouldn’t. That myth has got to go.

Ms Hawke can write about whatever fictive universe, with whatever rules, she wants to–we all have our favorites I am sure–but it isn’t a good idea to get ’em mixed up with the world you and I live in every day.

My sympathy for the loss of your father, and hopes that these difficult times can be surmounted, for you and all of us.”

Thanks. As I always say, women aren’t just different from men, they’re different from other women.

Mainrender also sends along a recommendation for the sexuality-info site Teenwire.

Once again, it’s time for the annual return of the MISCmedia In/Out List, the longest-running and most accurate list of its type anywhere in the western quadrant of the northern hemisphere.

As long-term readers know, this is a prediciton of what will become hot and not-so-hot in the months to come. If you think everything hot now will just keep getting hotter forever, I’ve got some Thailand beachfront timeshares to sell you.

…a new abode, and been having fun reading the often snarky reviews at ApartmentRatings.com.

…at least one potential origin for that way-overused tech-biz cliché.

…of death by lava, but never of death by lava lamp!

…in quite the same precise way as supposedly “wholesome entertainment” that’s actually creepy/offensive/horrific. I’m thinking right now of Santa Claus Conquers the Martians, “Starving Artist Sale” mass-produced oil paintings, the old Today’s Chuckle front-page newspaper joke, Leave It to Beaver, The All-New Leave It to Beaver, and retro diners decked out in Fifties Fetishism.

Thus, I suspect I’ll love that new kiddie movie, The Polar Express.

First, it has Tom Hanks (my vote for the most overrated ham actor since Richard Burton) in not one but five roles, including Santa Claus and a ten-year-old boy.

On top of that, Hanks and the rest of the cast have been digitally transformed into hyper-realistic versions of the paintings in Chris Van Allsburg’s original book—figures that were haunting in an intentional, moody way.

The result, according to several reviewers and online essayists, is a “creepy” spectacle filled with “zombie-like,” “dead-eyed mannequins.”

And it’s in 3D at Imax theaters!

Sounds like entertainment to me.

…continue among our neighbors to the south.

…of This American Life‘s fun-with-fraud report.

We like her. She made a monologue movie in Seattle. She also made a touring show with an election-year theme, which you can now view online.

…still lives, at “Kerry Haters for Kerry.”

…the current Stranger cover story, depicting
“2004’s Scariest Halloween Costumes” modeled by real children, is getting linked to from approximately coast to coast.

…has a list of “The ten worst cover songs.” Its #1 choice is the same as mine. I haven’t heard several of the runners-up.

“Member of the Reality-Based Community.” (Hey, at least it’s not “All Your Base…”)