The Writer's Poke

Have you ever wondered how we get stuck with the candidates that we're asked to vote for? Actually, this year's crop (with maybe one major exception) turned out to be pretty good.

Voldemort for President. Finally, a candidate that says exactly what he means! (But how do we know that McCain isn't really Voldemort??) Happy Halloween http://davegraff.com/2008/10/29/voldemort-for-president-the-only-candidate-without-a-hidden-agenda/

I wonder if this is how students saw me when I walked around campus? Unfortunately, my wife reminds me that she once overheard two of my students (circa 1999) that were sitting in the hallway after class talking about me. Apparently they thought I wore my khakis tight -- I admit it, I did -- and that could only mean that I had to be gay. Sorry fellas. I might read poetry, but gay I have never been :)

Okay, so I guess I like Rick Roll. So what? Anyway, can you really watch this "literal lyrics" version just once? Thought not!

Here's a funny, funny interactive Palin link. Just imagine what it would be like to have her as our President. Warning: Don't click on the Red Phone!!! http://www.palinaspresident.us/

Can you believe that some people are already talking about a Palin 2012 presidential run? Can you imagine that? I can. It would be glorious. :)

Here's a pretty interesting data clock that I think you'll find worth a look: http://www.shambles.net/worldclock/worldclock.swf In 2008, over 48 million people have died so far. Wanna know how? Click the link. Over 111 million people have been born (vs. 38 million abortions). *** Prefer your information by the day? At the moment: 252,000 people have been born today 108,000 people have died today 86,000 abortions 1,700 divorces (U.S. only) 200 more people have entered the prison system 51 species have ceased to exist

Doug Brown's Just Do It should be better than Charla Muller's 365 Nights. After all, Brown writes for a living, and the book does a lot of the things I was hoping Muller's would do. For example, Brown actually does describe the sexual encounters with his wife. But the descriptions grow pretty monotonous. Brown does include specifics on things they "try" to enhance the experience: toys, lubes, locations, positions. Brown also includes a lot more dialogue, and on the surface, that should be a good thing. It should be good to hear what his wife is thinking along the journey... unfortunately, it's impossible to know who is "speaking." Doug and his wife sound exactly the same in the dialogue portions, and Doug doesn't really go into his own "deep thoughts" (probably because he knows his wife will be reading the book??). *** After a while, I just wondered why I should care, and perhaps that's the main problem I had with both Just Do It a...

Two memoirs were released this summer with sex as the unifying theme. One was the straight-to-paperback 365 Nights by Charla Muller. In her epilogue, she asks that English majors go easy on her, so I'll try to be kind. Muller's book promises to be a book about sex, but while she shows us the gun above the fireplace, she never takes it down off the mantle. The sex itself, which one would rationally assume would be the centerpiece of the book, occurs off stage. All we get are cliches like "doing the deed" and "the Gift." This could have been a perfectly nice book about married life and intimacy, but the book is mis-titled and therefore misleading. As a reader, I'm not looking for any pornographic details, but I am looking for some specifics here. Muller never once mentions what happens in the bedroom, whether she orgasms, or anything like that. She does mention that her husband was once, around the 80th night, too tired to complete, but that's as graph...