tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30203557.post3680557365393486430..comments2024-03-26T01:10:13.720+00:00Comments on Teach Me Tonight: Beyond the FairytaleE. M. Selingerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00426524354823232002noreply@blogger.comBlogger49125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30203557.post-34893805148274691832008-02-19T14:03:00.000+00:002008-02-19T14:03:00.000+00:00If you like ecards from Jacquie Lawson, you may wa...If you like ecards from Jacquie Lawson, you may want to check out the artistic ecards from Ojolie, <A HREF="http://www.ojolie.com" REL="nofollow">www.ojolie.com</A>.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30203557.post-91395704793251458962008-02-05T01:31:00.000+00:002008-02-05T01:31:00.000+00:00Well, rfp, lots of people think I'm kind of shifty...Well, rfp, lots of people think I'm kind of shifty-looking...talpiannahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13978075304795724185noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30203557.post-1788724259692100352008-02-05T01:29:00.000+00:002008-02-05T01:29:00.000+00:00Are you certain you want to look like a linen shir...Are you certain you want to look like a linen shirt, however freshly pressed?<BR/><BR/>BTW, Laura, thanks for the link. I'm in the middle of reading <I>Ember</I>--great timing, as I'm also listening to Rossini's <I>La Cenerentola</I>.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30203557.post-24237461735290860152008-02-05T01:22:00.000+00:002008-02-05T01:22:00.000+00:00If you've figured out how to set your biological c...If you've figured out how to set your biological clock on Rewind, rfp, <B>PLEASE FORWARD INFO SOONEST!!!</B><BR/><BR/>WV: olhev - Olhev what she's heving...talpiannahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13978075304795724185noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30203557.post-52031560108332492852008-02-05T01:18:00.000+00:002008-02-05T01:18:00.000+00:00I do like my puerile jokes. Sorry about that.Laur...I do like my puerile jokes. Sorry about that.<BR/><BR/>Laura, I have a 4-year-old non-wrinkling shirt that's getting a bit tatty, but still has nary a wrinkle.<BR/><BR/><I>could the nano-particles rearrange themselves or do they stay where they're put?</I><BR/><BR/>Ah, that's the best feature. I've noticed my skin taking on a lovely non-wrinkling smoothness, particularly round the neck where the collar touches the skin....Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30203557.post-12385014261763053812008-02-04T22:08:00.000+00:002008-02-04T22:08:00.000+00:00There's always Scotchgard--if you aren't too busy ...There's always Scotchgard--if you aren't too busy huffing it. Invented by a woman, too: <BR/><BR/>http://tinyurl.com/269ozgtalpiannahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13978075304795724185noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30203557.post-39643778291338753912008-02-04T10:16:00.000+00:002008-02-04T10:16:00.000+00:00Those self-maintaining clothes are interesting. I ...Those self-maintaining clothes are interesting. I wonder how long all the special coatings last? I imagine that some of these things might work in the short to medium term but then stop after a while (like anoraks, which eventually stop being waterproof, or waxed jackets, which need to be re-waxed). And could the nano-particles rearrange themselves or do they stay where they're put?Laura Vivancohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00906661869372622821noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30203557.post-13717602138062425202008-02-04T02:42:00.000+00:002008-02-04T02:42:00.000+00:00Well, clothes that maintain themselves would be co...Well, clothes that maintain themselves would be cool; but clothes that take themselves off could be awkward, unless they have a really excellent sense of timing...talpiannahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13978075304795724185noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30203557.post-44810903132677092042008-02-04T01:55:00.000+00:002008-02-04T01:55:00.000+00:00Yes, it's not proper oatmeal unless it stands up.L...Yes, it's not proper oatmeal unless it stands up.<BR/><BR/>Laura, I just had an interesting conversation in a clothing store about <I>The Man in the White Suit</I>. Fiction becomes reality--nanotechnology "<A HREF="http://www.askmen.com/fashion/fashiontip_250/253_fashion_advice.html" REL="nofollow">self-maintaining clothes</A>" are really taking off.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30203557.post-42499796689664009572008-02-03T01:49:00.000+00:002008-02-03T01:49:00.000+00:00I like oatmeal with lots of brown sugar, a lump of...I like oatmeal with lots of brown sugar, a lump of butter, and milk. I've heard that Scots put salt on it and eat it standing up, out of respect.talpiannahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13978075304795724185noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30203557.post-71500953287207796272008-02-02T20:59:00.000+00:002008-02-02T20:59:00.000+00:00Do you actually get to wear an umbrella hat in an ...<I>Do you actually get to wear an umbrella hat in an academic procession? Or do you just have a mortarboard the size of Rhode Island?</I><BR/><BR/>I've never been in an academic procession and I don't have a mortarboard.<BR/><BR/><I>You're Scottish! Of course you're a golfer!<BR/><BR/>(My college world history text referred to the Scots as "soured by a diet of oatmeal, whiskey, and Calvinism."</I><BR/><BR/>No, I've never tried golfing, I know next to nothing about Calvinism and I've never appreciated whisky (whiskey with an "e" is the Irish spelling). I like oats, though.Laura Vivancohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00906661869372622821noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30203557.post-74537556192650019332008-02-02T03:50:00.000+00:002008-02-02T03:50:00.000+00:00Do you actually get to wear an umbrella hat in an ...Do you actually get to wear an umbrella hat in an academic procession? Or do you just have a mortarboard the size of Rhode Island? I've only ever seen those umbrella hats marketed for golfers. But wait! You're Scottish! Of course you're a golfer!<BR/><BR/>(My college world history text referred to the Scots as "soured by a diet of oatmeal, whiskey, and Calvinism." I actually like one of those.)<BR/><BR/>Have you considered having the spokes of the umbrella modified to spray or inject cobra venom in case you are paired in procession with someone who disagrees with your theories? Then you can fire up the propellor and flee before he drops.<BR/><BR/>Or perhaps you should just go with this: http://tinyurl.com/269wbf<BR/><BR/>As for the Phrygian cap, do you think its phallitude has anything to do with its becoming a symbol of Liberty?talpiannahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13978075304795724185noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30203557.post-48596653618504829332008-02-01T10:45:00.000+00:002008-02-01T10:45:00.000+00:00So your professional, academic hat is actually a c...<I>So your professional, academic hat is actually a condom?</I><BR/><BR/>No, it looks <A HREF="http://www.umbrellahat.net/" REL="nofollow">more like a very large umbrella</A>. It's waterproof and fireproof and I had it made specially. It also has a propeller on top, so that I can make a quick getaway. I still haven't worked out how to make my academic gown <A HREF="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Man_in_the_White_Suit" REL="nofollow">repel all dirt and never wear out</A> but I'm working on it (in my spare time, of course).<BR/><BR/>As for condom-like hats, what do you make of the shape of the <A HREF="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phrygian_cap" REL="nofollow">Phyrigian cap</A>?Laura Vivancohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00906661869372622821noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30203557.post-41200087408855444452008-02-01T01:21:00.000+00:002008-02-01T01:21:00.000+00:00So your professional, academic hat is actually a c...So your professional, academic hat is actually a condom? That must be one hell of an interesting-looking academic procession at your university's ceremonies!talpiannahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13978075304795724185noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30203557.post-44158515800342697152008-01-31T09:31:00.000+00:002008-01-31T09:31:00.000+00:00Thanks RfP. I think that the heroine being forced ...Thanks RfP. I think that the heroine being forced into surgery in the way you describe would probably be sufficient to make me feel squeamish, even without any additional factors, but thanks again for the warnings. I'll avoid this one (unless for some reason I find I absolutely have to read romances about sperm, in which case I'd just have to read it with my professional, academic hat on, and hope it kept me safe from the squeamishness).Laura Vivancohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00906661869372622821noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30203557.post-76026294075992771782008-01-31T01:43:00.000+00:002008-01-31T01:43:00.000+00:00Yes, well, that's not all. There were still more ...Yes, well, that's not all. There were still more aspects that I found squeam-inducing, though they weren't germane here. I thought I'd better be very clear with my warning, given you normally read category romance!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30203557.post-79617144125574048992008-01-30T11:30:00.000+00:002008-01-30T11:30:00.000+00:00I've not read a lot of paranormal romance, or a lo...I've not read a lot of paranormal romance, or a lot of erotic romance, so that's fascinating to know, RfP. It's interesting when you can spot a theme being used so explicitly like that (not sexually explicitly, but textually explicit) in a novel or novels, because it can help you trace it back to novels where it's only present in disguised/vestigial form.<BR/><BR/><I>Note: the squeamish may not enjoy a number of aspects of the book.)</I><BR/><BR/>LOL! Yes, I'd sort of worked that out from your description!Laura Vivancohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00906661869372622821noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30203557.post-55014310537703414782008-01-29T15:54:00.000+00:002008-01-29T15:54:00.000+00:00the heroine's been infertile but, with no explanat...<I>the heroine's been infertile but, with no explanation given (e.g. was her previous husband infertile), the hero's magic sperm gets her pregnant, the resultant offspring begin to look like they're included in the story as proof of the hero's virility.</I><BR/><BR/>A number of erotic romances fetishize semen; some <I>paranormal</I> erotic romances explicitly (in both senses of the word) imbue it with magical healing powers. I think it's another interesting example of the paranormal setting being used to heighten the gender/cultural themes that cause so many arguments in "realistic" contemporary romance. We've talked about the paranormal romance's tendency to create a more explicitly alpha male, but I'm not sure I've seen discussion of the "sperm fixes all" idea.<BR/><BR/>In Lora Leigh's <I>Tanner's Scheme</I>, the sperm-doctor idea is completely articulated. The heroine has been through a forced abortion and sterilization, but the hero expects his sperm to reverse her sterilization over the course of a few months. He also has prior evidence that Breed mating/sperm can effect such miracles. (I wrote a brief <A HREF="http://www.librarything.com/work/2310955/reviews/17806386" REL="nofollow">review</A> on LibraryThing, actually, in which I complained about this as one of many "shortcuts" in the story.)<BR/><BR/>If I'm recalling the storyline correctly, I believe Sarah McCarty's <I>The Others: Conception</I> has a similar take on sperm-doctoring. The heroine has been forced into extensive surgeries, endangering her life. Once the hero rescues her, his kind's mating ritual involves highly unusual quantities of sperm--enough of the stuff that her belly inflates visibly. It's not only the sperm that heals her, but it's an essential part. (Note: the squeamish may not enjoy a number of aspects of the book.)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30203557.post-17153584547206548112008-01-24T23:40:00.000+00:002008-01-24T23:40:00.000+00:00C.S. Lewis is hardly noted as an advocate of femin...C.S. Lewis is hardly noted as an advocate of feminism (he once boasted in a letter about voting not to admit women's colleges to full status at Oxford); but he has something interesting to say about the varieties of love in both <B>The Allegory of Love</B> and <B>The Four Loves,</B> particularly about how passion can evolve into something more real and enduring. There's also a good essay in <B>God in the Dock</B> about the so-called "Right to Happiness."<BR/><BR/>WV--ukfav--he certainly wastalpiannahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13978075304795724185noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30203557.post-78344276350254488702008-01-24T00:01:00.000+00:002008-01-24T00:01:00.000+00:00How are you defining "true romantic love" piercing...How are you defining "true romantic love" piercing the veil?<BR/><BR/>Where the romance genre's concerned, I tend to think of it in terms of Sternberg's <A HREF="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Triangular_theory_of_love" REL="nofollow">triangular theory of love</A> but I'd have to shift his terms around a bit. He defines "consummate love" as including intimacy, passion and commitment. That's the kind of love I think of as "romantic" in the sense of being the kind of love that's usually the ideal presented in the modern romance genre.<BR/><BR/>Sternberg himself defines "romantic love" as a combination of passion and intimacy, but lacking in commitment. So, as you suggest, it's not likely to last forever.<BR/><BR/>I think the term "romantic" can be rather confusing, as can "romance," because there are so many different possible meanings for both words.Laura Vivancohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00906661869372622821noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30203557.post-83773311150926473392008-01-23T23:28:00.000+00:002008-01-23T23:28:00.000+00:00true romantic love does not lasts forever it is di...true romantic love does not lasts forever it is different from that of true love ....<BR/><BR/>nice readPiercing The Veilhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17029997155400774905noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30203557.post-10168329552768955502008-01-23T02:15:00.000+00:002008-01-23T02:15:00.000+00:00Do you think they are clever enough to set traps o...Do you think they are clever enough to set traps or tripwires for him? Of course, I don't think he actually lives in BFF country, so we'd have to hand this assignment over to the weasels and the stoats.talpiannahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13978075304795724185noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30203557.post-12542083438453356562008-01-22T23:57:00.000+00:002008-01-22T23:57:00.000+00:00Yes, that was an unfortunate typo. But I think by ...Yes, that was an unfortunate typo. But I think by now the ferrets will have moved on to wreak havoc elsewhere in the romance-related world. As I said <A HREF="http://www.smartbitchestrashybooks.com/index.php/weblog/i_am_finally_free_to_divulge_my_opinion/" REL="nofollow">at the Smart Bitches'</A> I don't think the ferrets would approve of the <A HREF="http://men.style.com/details/blogs/thegadabout/2008/01/fabio.html" REL="nofollow">fact that</A> Fabio "likes to tear up the nearby trails on his motocross bikes, despite the persistent efforts of local park rangers to arrest him."Laura Vivancohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00906661869372622821noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30203557.post-33160814985582548492008-01-22T23:48:00.000+00:002008-01-22T23:48:00.000+00:00And I quote:AgTigress: 'Oh, Ms. Edwards!' [heave]And I quote:<BR/><BR/><B>AgTigress:</B> 'Oh, Ms. Edwards!' [heave]talpiannahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13978075304795724185noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30203557.post-3656751881597277822008-01-22T23:44:00.000+00:002008-01-22T23:44:00.000+00:00Laura: It's true that ferrets sicking up don't en...<B>Laura:</B> It's true that ferrets sicking up don't enhance the ambience (or even the ambiance) of any blog...talpiannahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13978075304795724185noreply@blogger.com