Sex, Erotica, and the Blogsphere

So, my little comment the other day about keeping this site PG-13 got me think about whether people do keep blogs about their sexual exploits. I did a little research and OH MY GOD!!! There is a whole world of sex blogs out there waiting for reading pleasure...and to my surprise, a lot of it is very well written and not at all simplistic, sexist, or written completely from the perspective of the penis. AND...AND...there are tons of couples who map, step by step, their entire sex lives...it's fascinating!

Now, anyone who really knows me knows that I like my porn and erotica as much as the next sexually liberated woman...and I thought I had a fairly comprehensive collection of porn and erotica (BTW, I really need a porn buddy - that person who comes over to my place in the case of an unexpected death and clears out my porn before my parents show up)...but DUDE, the stuff on line puts my collection to shame...shame!

I'd post a few links here but then I fear I'd reveal just a little too much about my own sexual preferences...some things have to remain a mystery. ;-)

Do a little digging of your own...and report back to me! Hee hee...

Baldness = Hottieness?

Is it just me or are bald guys hotties? I never was really attracted to bald men, but recently (if my dating history is any indicator) I'm finding them increasingly attractive. Maybe it's just a sign of my accelarating pace towards old age. In any case, the last 4 out of 5 guys I've dated since January have all possessed either a shaved head or a hairline that is very much in the hot pursuit of baldness. And current date guy shaves his head a la Moby. I am finding that bald heads are quite fun to play with.

For all my superficiality (they need to be a certain height, they must have a certain level of education, they must be able to coordinate their shoes with their pants) head hair has never been on my list of priorities. Now, body hair...well, that's a completely different story.

Could it be possible...more jam?

I'm going berry picking with some girlfriends this weekend. I'll be joined by the lovely KC, MK, and the newest friend to join us on this side of the pond, GS. Strawberry season is over but there should be some lovely blackberries to pick.

And we all know what I like to do when I have an excess of lovely fruit...Yup....JAM!

Seriously, next time I see you, you'll be getting some jam.

I'm also running out of jam jars...and I originally purchased 2 dozen! I might have to make another jam jar run!

Conspiracy Theory

I'm convinced there is a conspiracy going on in the city right now. Last night, from about 7pm - 10pm all of 3rd Ave. was shut down from 34th St. to 42nd street. The entire area was taped off by the police and there were more cops and law enforcement agents than I have ever seen before. The cops were yelling at anyone on their cell phone to "GET OFF YOUR PHONE! GET OFF YOUR PHONE NOW!!"Luckily my building is far enough off of 3rd Ave. that it wasn't taped off. I was able to access it from 2nd Ave. The people living in buildings facing 3rd Ave. were not so lucky. I overheard a cop talking to someone over his walkie talkie and there was talk about a suspicious package and bombs and "in front of the building". There are a number of foreign embassies near my home. I live fairly close to the UN. It was all very surreal.

Anyway, I waited up to watch the local evening news to see what all the action was about...but there was nothing. Not a peep. I thought maybe they couldn't get the story on the air in time. I made sure to catch the news this morning but again...NOTHING. I checked all the newspapers...and NOTHING. The only reference I could find was another NYC blogger who got caught in all the craziness.

What is going on? Furthermore, the trains were all screwed up this morning and there were tons of "switching" problems. I smell a conspiracy.

Op-Art about Stanley Kunitz

stanley kunitz
Originally uploaded by jboylee.

Stanley Kunitz is a former US poet laureate. This is a beautiful ode to the man that appeared in today's NY Times. I'm assuming that the words on the wall are his own. Click on the picture to see the larger image. Hopefully, you'll be able to read the words in the image. I particularly like this portion...

"You have to fight for your poems. I write my poems in the middle of the night, fairly till dawn sometimes. In the end you are so tired, exhausted, you just jump into bed. Many of my dreams have to do with the woods and the wild creatures. When I go there now, I always try to explore so I can see what traces I can find. The surprising thing is, they have not been invaded or changed. The woods are intact."

I don't like Lance but...

A very interesting op-ed in today's NY Times by Thomas Friedman about what's so wrong with the current American approach to business and economic growth. Go check it out. It's unfortunate that Mr. Friedman chose to use Lance Armstrong as his metaphor for all that is right. I don't really like Lance all that much.

Holiday, Celebrate

I have no real reason for not posting in over a week...well, there was the whole Harry Potter fiasco but that ended sometime last week. No, my real reason for being so negligent of you, kind readers, is that I've hit a bit of a creative funk as of late. I don't know what it is really. Could it be because I've only taken 3 days off since last August? That's probably it. One needs to take a good long vacation at least once a year. This whole living frugally thing kinda sucks in that regard. Well, I'm hoping to take a short 4 day vacation next month. I probably won't be going anywhere. Just sitting in my shorts in my new apartment...maybe playing the role of tourist in the city. Catching up on a few movies that I've been meaning to see...March of the Penguins, Rize, and Hustle and Flow.

A certain friend described me as possessing bountiful energy and a joyful spirit last week...completely unsolicited too. That made me smile. It's nice to get another person's perspective every once in awhile. The human ego a little stroking from time to time. Other human parts also need stroking from time to time but I'm trying to keep this G rated (or PG-13 at a minimum).

Wish me luck. I'm going to be engaging in a couple of forced creativity hours tonight. I will paint regardless of whether or not I want to. I will paint from 9PM - 11:30PM. I am not be allowed to put the paintbrush down except to switch it for a different one. It's gonna be me, my paints, and good old Sufjan Stevens singing about Illinios in the background.

Too much jam!

I know I said I'd skip a week in my jam making...but it's so much fun. And the blueberries at the farmer's market were so beautiful and inexpensive - 4 pints for $10. So I bought the blueberries, a few lemons...and tada...lemon-blueberry-apricot jam. I know what you're thinking. Where exactly do the apricots come into play? Well, I got a whole bunch in my CSA this past week...more than I wanted to eat...and there you go.

I think I'm getting much better at this too. I made jam in just under 1.5 weeks. My first batch took me over 3 hours. And I think I used just the right amount of pectin. The consistency is nice and jammy.

Oh, and did I mention that it's quite tasty!

Now, I really need to host a brunch. I have absolutely no idea how I'm gonna get through 10 jars of jam. I suppose I could make some jam drop cookies.

If I keep making jam at this rate, jam may become my birthday, anniversary, special-day gift of choice. I'm warning you right now. And it doesn't end once summer ends. Autumn is apple, pear, and cranberry season...and late autumn brings us citrus. Cranberry-orange chutney anyone?

I've been reading some really interesting recipes that use various liquors - Chambord etc... Very interesting. I don't like alcohol but I love the flavor of alcohol in cooked foods. I wonder if can find a fig based jam that uses a nutty alcohol. Figs are awesome with walnuts and almonds.

Tonight I will...

Tonight
I will not
contemplate my aloneness

Instead,
I will write songs and
praise
about the noble
billy goat men

With hair
matted and skin
blistered

tongue swollen
and hoves splintered

And when all
this luxury we call
necessity
ceases to exist

They will remember my
song of the wayward

And elaborate on
my simple tale

until my shy men

are made into kings and
masters
Cruel in action
Wise in reason
and tainted
black heart
and wicked smile

Oh, my dear men
so gentle and long suffering
Such a fate I
do not wish for you

Oh, you who
sojourn with little more
than what you can
carry on your backs

Always ready with
a pipe for
my amusement

May I introduce you to...

...the singer/songwriter Sufjan Stevens.

If you aren't familiar with his music, I encourage you to check him out.

He wrote a song especially for NPR. You can download the song here. Download the song. It's beautiful.

He's performing at the Bowery Ballroom on Aug. 20th. I'll be there. Will you?

They also have a few free downloads on Amazon from his new album.

For A Friend

You're like me and sometimes all you want is for someone to acknowledge that you are not as strong as you sometimes play it, and that you need a hug and someone to stroke your hair, and make you a cup of tea with lemon and honey and maybe read you a passage from a good, old, favorite book.

While I can't do that for you right now, I can send you a big internet hug....SQUEEEEEZE

I love you babe. Whatever doubts that may cross your mind, never doubt my love for you. That will never diminish.

Harry Potter version 6.0

This note is to inform you that I will be completely disconnected from the outside world starting Saturday, July 16 @ 12:01 AM. I will be at the Borders two blocks south of my home picking up my copy of Harry Potter and The Half-Blood Prince. I will return to my normal life once I have completed the book. If you need to contact me, please do so before July 16th. Be prepared to discuss Harry Potter.

Although this is only a rumor, I have been informed that it may be possible to entice me away from the book with promises of homemade cheesecake or cherry pie. A nice hunk of Saint-Andre Cheese, some slices of Granny Smith apple, and good oat crackers may also do the trick. Avoid mangos at all costs. I have been known to get quite upset at the mere suggestion of mango.

CSA Week 4 Roundup and more jam stories

First things first...the weekly CSA round up:

1.5 lbs of summer squash
1/2 lb of mixed greens (kale, collard etc...)
1/2 lb of broccoli
1/2 lb of yummy, yummy baby carrots
1 fennel
12 oz. of spring onions
10 garlic scape
3 beets

and...lettuce!

LOL

I love this.

Onto some jam news.

I finally made jam this weekend...and I think I did a good job. I made strawberry-rhubarb- key lime jam and the scraps from the pan were mighty tasty. I don't like my jam very sweet so if you get a chance to taste it, it will not be very sweet. It sort of tastes like a cross between key lime marmalade and strawberry-rhubarb pie filling. Just a warning. I think I used a little too much pectin. My jam seems a little too thick! But only time will really tell and the texture shouldn't diminish the taste too much. All the seals seemed to have taken (meaning all the little cute jars have a vaccum seal on them.) Just to be on the safe side though I think I shall store them in my fridge in the crisper even though technically I could store them at room temperature. I have 6 cute 8 oz. jars in total. I think I shall skip a week and then try a second batch in a couple of weeks. If the figs at the market look lovely I might try a fig-blueberry or a fig-peach. I might actually try canning some peaches in the near future. I LOVE canned peaches.

I am so proud of my little half dozen row of jam jars. They look like a little collective of portly, round bellied, ruby colored army of goodness and food love. I'm tickled! (I'm being very not humble right now.) Although I love my job, I never create anything tangible. Just lots and lots of paper. Jam making (and baking) allows me to create something wonderful and substantial.

If you are very good and promise me lots of hugs, I might invite you over for brunch for some freshly baked biscuits with fresh-churned butter (making your own butter is super easy and tastes much better than the store bought variety) and my jam.

Live 8, Monetary Relief, Debt Cancellation, and a Load of Bullshit

I do not support Live 8, the purpose of Live 8, and the methods used by the concert organizers of Live 8. I fear that the popular facade painted by the celebrity supporters of debt cancellation is creating a generation of kids (and adults) who actually believe that simply cancelling debt and sending more monetary aid to African nations will solve all of the continent's problems. In the last 20 years, over $500 billions of aid has been sent to Africa. Yet, Africa is the only continent where the standard of living has worsened over the same period of time. More people live in extreme poverty, civil war still ravages many nations, and now AIDS is quickly creating a dying population and a society of orphans. Debt cancellation and aid will not solve Africa's problems.

Bob Geldof and Co. reinforce every bad stereotype about celebrities. They are self-interested, self-involved, and highly misinformed. No wonder so many of them have adopted Scientology. They understand about 1% of the problem and believe themselves to be experts in the field. Don't get me started on Bono. I have no desire to see another celebrity visit Africa as an official UN ambassador.

The social structure of Africa is near completely broken. The economic structure of Africa is largely broken. Funneling money into such a broken structure will only feed existing problems. Corrupt national leaders and powerful regional and tribal leaders have been syphoning off billions of dollars of aid for decades. Aid never reaches the people it is intended to. Aid does not create a government that actually respects the value of sound fiscal and social policy. It does not create educational systems. It does not provide health education. It does not dismantal a social structures that still treats women like animals and property.

I do not have the answer to solve Africa's problems. But I do not go around telling people that I do. I plead lack of intellegence. I am not very smart. That's why I don't work for the world bank or world trade organization. But I have just enough education to realize that the Live 8 concert and its message is naive, limited in scope, and potentially dangerous.

People of the world...please take an introductory economics class.

I send out a prayer

For the world entire, but especially to the people of London.
I pray that you are safe and all your loved ones are safe...even though I know that at least 33 families will be without a loved one tonight.
I pray that you may once again travel without a forboding sense of terror...although the psychological scars may linger far after all the physical evidence has been removed, cleaned up, and polished.
I pray that you do not descend into a spiral of hatred and revenge...although recent history has shown that it is an all too common reaction.
I pray that this tragedy does not diminish your faith in the goodness of the earth...although at this moment it seems so easy to wallow in grief.

Above all, I hope that if you are reading this you know that I love you, and I miss you, and I wish that I could give you a HUGE hug. Be safe tonight, be safe tomorrow night, be safe until the next time can give you a big SQUEEEEEEEZE.

Book recommendation

I recently began reading A Million Little Pieces. It's a memoir by James Frey. Frey is a former drug addict and the book is his story of recovery.

The book is intriguing to me on so many levels but mostly because it is a world that is so foreign and removed from my reality. While I can be obsessive at times, addiction has never been a problem for me. And the use of external stimulants, depressors, and other altering chemicals is something that I cannot relate to at all. I can probably count every drink I've ever had (the number hovers around 35 or less), I've never smoked or used an illicit drug, and you can probably fit the number of OTC medicines and perscription drugs I've used into a shot glass. The last one is due largely to being blessed with good health (and an aversion to pain killers) more than anything else.

I am naive to the psychology of drug and alcohol use and abuse. Just as many people can't understand the psychology of eating disorders - no matter how much I try to explain it to them, I will never appreciate or understand the full scope of factors that drives someone to use and then absue alcohol and drugs. It's so easy for me to not use either substance. Cough medicine makes me feel wonky and weird and I couldn't imagine what stronger drugs would do to me. I don't even like the affect of caffine and have thus not consumed more than one or two cups of it in the last 5 or so years.

This is why I find the book so interesting. It exposes me to a world that I will likely never know first hand. And while I can't understand it fully, it helps me appreciate on some feeble level, what percolates beneath the surface of every recovering, surviving chemical abuser.

Playing for both teams...not if you're a guy, apparently

So, I came across this article in today's NY Times. What to say. First off, I never knew the numbers of bisexual people were so low. I have known a fair number in my day - but then again I travel in weird crowds.

I always just assumed when my gay friends said that all bi men were just gay men lying to themselves, that they were being selfish and greedy, but this study seems to give them and their cause a little backing. Of course, this study is far to limited to be conclusive in any way. God forbid if some therapist starts actually using this info and telling bisexual men that they are in denial and really gay. Could you imagine the ramifications of that?

One highlight of this article is this quote...

"Most of them seem to lean one way or the other, but that doesn't preclude them from having a relationship with the nonpreferred sex," [said Dr. Diamond.] "You may be mostly interested in women but, hey, the guy who delivers the pizza is really hot, and what are you going to do?"

I've never had quite that thought but it's close enough. I'm more likely to say..."I like mostly men but, hey, that gal dancing in the corner is really hot, oh, and she's looking my way. How do I look?"

The joy of cooking

I love to cook.

Cooking, when it is done with care, is an art form. It is one of the most fundamental acts of love when shared with another person. It is another opportunity for self expression. It is love.

My home (I like the sound of that) is filled with the most magnificant aromas right now. I am currently roasting beets, yellow summer squash, and spring scallion onions in my oven. To make good use of all the other veggies I have, I've concocted a lovely vegetable korean curry (not to be confused with a thai or indian curry) filled with tatsoi (a bok choi derivative), bok choi, carrots, onions, some garlic scape, some napa cabbage, baked tofu, and a handful of shitake mushrooms. I made enough curry to feed me for a month so I'm freezing 3/4 of it for days when I'm not in the mood to cook. The rest of the napa cabbage will likely become a coleslaw with apples and carrots and a touch of lime. I still have 4 HUGE heads of lettuce and all the tops from the beets. I can't eat that much salad.

I'm also going to bake the strawberry rhubarb pie sometime during this long weekend. LB is coming over tomorrow night and bringing along her hubby and adorable son J. I'm gonna try and make it in time for their visit. The additional 3 stalks of rhubarb finally pushed me over the edge. I've dug out my pie plate and food processor (to make the pie crust dough) and everything.

I do enjoy cooking.

I'm so easy to please.

What other 29 year old, single, hottie (sic), female spends her Friday nights roasting veggies, making curry, and sketching pictures of flowers on her bathroom walls? I'm weird.

PS: I found a place in Brooklyn that sells all the supplies I need to make jam. I'm heading over their tomorrow morning after I teach a yoga class. I'm probably not going to make jam this weekend - that'll be my adventure for next weekend. I've also found some lovely recipes for a fig-rhubarb jam.

Sorry...this is a very insipid journal entry...and that's saying a lot given the quality of my recent posts.

CSA Week 3 Roundup - aka - Would you like some free veggies?

We've been experiencing some extreme heat these past few weeks and it appears to have affected the growing cycle for some of the veggies from Norwich Meadows Farms. Veggies are growing faster than expected thus this week was a dousy. Here's what I got this week:

6 ounces of sweet onion scallions
4 beets
2 green lettuces
2 red lettuces
1 Bok Choi
1 Napa Cabbage
1 Tatsoi
10 Garlic Scapes
1 Summer Squash
3 Apples
1 bottle of raspberry apple cidar
1 jar of concord grape jelly
3 stalks of rhubarb

I could barely carry my poor canvas bag home. I have no idea how I'm going to eat all of this in one week. If you are in NYC and would like some free, fresh, seasonal, organic veggies, send me an email. I would feel really bad if I had to toss some of these veggies because I couldn't eat them all.