Bonk!

If the title makes no sense to you, watch this. If it still doesn't make sense, well, it wasn't intended to address the issue anyway.

I've started reading Inferno. The cantos are fairly short, and I should have the book done fairly soon. I'm hoping to have the review up in a week's time. Eve: A Novel of the First Woman and Wicked were the runners-up, so those will appear in the poll for the next review.

I'm not going to comment on the Prop. 8 ruling in California other than to echo the sentiments of the Pharynguloid hordes. The problem is not with California's supreme court, but California law and the members of the electorate that voted for the amendment in the first place.

Work on the C.O.F. charter is somewhat slow, mostly due to my own laziness. I want the meaning of the articles to be clear, but pen and paper doesn't lend itself well to frequent editing and revising. I think I'll have a far easier time once I import it into an electronic format.

While I'm on the subject, I'd like to plug the following column by Greta Christina, and this follow-up interview as well. To me, it sums up much of what I'd been trying to express but couldn't elucidate. It also represents some of what I hope for in C.O.F. as a philosophical 'movement' - not simply a club created between friends.

I got my course registration package from the college this week but I can't register for any courses until June tenth. I'm not disappointed, I'm just eager to start.

I think I may go downtown yet again this Saturday. I found awesome and win at the comic shop, and I can't wait to share it. I want to keep mum on exactly what it is until Saturday evening though to maintain the suspense.

It's been said before by other people, but it's worth repeating. Thursdays and Saturdays have become the highlights of my week. I can't wait to get together tomorrow and I think I'll bring Dirty Minds too. Also Storyteller, you were right. The peach cider is very good.

Mid-May Update

Please go vote on the new poll! I'd like to have even more responses than last time.

It's funny how you can have something in mind to write, but as soon as you sit down it evaporates. That is happening to me now.

Regarding the recent B.C. election, I can't say that I'm particularly pleased with the results. I can't say that I'm surprised either. With the current global economic recession, it was unlikely that voters would be willing to rock the boat. B.C. has certainly experienced an economic boom over the last few years which the Liberal party was quick to capitalize on. Occasionally voters will vote against their own economic interests, but voters in B.C. seemed smart enough to do otherwise. For all their faults (closed hospitals and schools, tree farm license sell-offs, ballooning Olympic costs, high poverty and homelessness) the B.C. Liberals appear to have been good for B.C.'s economy.

I think that the NDP made some critical mistakes in their election strategy. The first of which was raising minimum wage to ten dollars. I strongly doubt business owners would support that initiative given the current fears about the economy. The NDP also campaigned against the Carbon Tax, which I think a fair percentage of British Columbians view as a progressive move.

The push for the Single Transferable Vote failed spectacularly. I saw many pro-STV campaigners in Victoria, but very few anti-STV campaigners. The No on STV campaign seemed to devote a fair amount of their efforts on television ads. I found the claim that votes would be divided into fractions and that the voter would not know where their vote went to be misleading. The disintegrating ballot that accompanied this statement was clearly intended to invoke an emotional response in the viewer. Overall, I think the No on STV crowd ran a slick and effective, if underhanded, campaign. The Yes on STV crowd didn't appear to make as much use of electronic media as their opponents, to their own detriment. The failure of the referendum in B.C. will probably mean that initiatives for electoral reform will not be seen in Canada for some time.

I'm clearly becoming more of a cynic as far as politics is concerned. I've come to the conclusion that no matter what happens, you lose.

TMI Tuesday #185

I meant to post this Tuesday, but I ended up going out for coffee with a few friends and knocking a painting off of a wall. I'll have to tell you the story sometime.

1. Have you ever bought a membership to a porn site? If yes, what is the most recent one and did you like it?
I have never purchased a membership for a porn site. I can think of a few where I would buy one though. DOMAI is probably chief among them.

2. Would you rather watch an erotic/porn movie, read a story, or listen to an audio? Why?
All three have their selling points. Men are more likely to be aroused by something visual, so that's one for films. Stories allow the imagination to be used to great effect, whether it's creating the perfect scenario or the perfect partner. So that's one for stories. Audio provides something tangible while allowing the imagination to be used (and I find certain sounds to be erotic or alluring) so that's one for audio. Of course, 90% of anything is sh!t.
I would have to say I would prefer video (for obvious reasons) and you can just close your eyes if you want audio only anyway. Stories are a close second. I think a lot of it has to do with what mood I'm in. If I was aroused, I'd probably go for the video. If I was aroused and romantic, I'd go for the story.

3. If you have a significant other what do you do for each other to get in the mood? If you don't, what could a future potential long term partner do to get you in the mood?
I'm honestly not sure. I think it varies from person to person and relationship to relationship. A might find something sexy when B does it, but not when C does it in a relationship a year later.

4. When it comes to sex, how much do you talk about it with others? How comfortable are you talking about sex?
Sex and sexuality is a common topic among my peer group. I don't talk about sex at all with family members and occasionally anonymously. The comfort level has a lot to do with who I'm talking to and how old they are. That said, I know I shouldn't be uncomfortable or embarrassed talking about sex with anyone. I just perceive social conditioning (etiquette, taboos, etc.) to be quite strong and that has a subconscious effect on me.

5. What are the last 5 things you searched for on Google (or another search engine)?
I can only give you the last two: 'epanaphora' and 'Woodstock lyrics.'

Bonus: Have you ever had a fantasy that you were ashamed of?
I can't think of anything scandalous. Just two obvious ones that I think most people have: classmates and the attractive girl next door. Of course, this was back when I thought being ashamed of sexual fantasies was in vogue.