Got restraints? 

No?  You may be the only one left who doesn't.

For the record, I consider myself to be an enlightened kind of girl.  I grew up in the city and the suburbs and for the most part don't consider myself to have led a sheltered life.  I spend a considerable amount of time on the internet and feel comfortable saying that my breadth of knowledge is fairly vast, if not always comprehensive.  In other words, I know a little bit about a lot of things.

That said, the acronym BDSM was not something that came across my path very often until about a year and a half ago.  Now it seems I'm practically tripping over it ever where I go.  (Where have YOU been hanging out Abstract_Truth?  Yeah I know...I called your question from way over here in cyberville!)  Surprisingly enough, I haven't been going out of my way to find it.

Now for the sake of full disclosure I will admit that the majority of my exposure (heh) stems from reading and reviewing romance and erotica novels, but as ubiquitous as the "tie me up, tie my down" scenes have become in Romancelandia..it certainly isn't limited to it.  From The Dirty Show to local conventions, this once hidden culture is suddenly everywhere. 

As for me, I think anyone who really knows me knows that I'm no prude, and although I don't advertise it I have a pretty high tolerence for viewing things that rank high on the erotic scale. Even so, I have to admit my eyebrows went to my hairline when I was directed to the Canadian Mini-Cooper ad sporting the "Mini Cooper Dominates Winter" tagline.  Check it out:

www.mini.ca/DominateWinter/ 

Uh huh...have fun clicking through that one.  (Side note: Smartbitchestrashybooks.com had a funny thread going where commenters debated whether the chick is a real dominatrix or just plays one on a website.)

Now I'll admit, I got a good chuckle clicking away and spanking the car (::snort::) and it was a good way to kill a few minutes.  I also felt as though it was probably all in good fun and likely to be viewed (mostly) by folks who have reached the age of majority.  However, I was not amused when I went to look up a word on dictionary.com during Nanowrimo and was treated to a prominent ad (and ass) banner outfitted in poured on leather.  (Whip included to complete the look).  How's this for a site that gets your attention:

www.fittingroup.com/

And I know that dictionary.com subscribes to clickad.net (or some such advertising sponsor) and they have no control over what pops up randomly, but damn it's getting damn hard to control the content coming at the kiddies these days when it's not even safe to look up a word anymore.

But honestly, this post wasn't intended to be a rant about racy ads and evil sex demons trying to take over the world.  I just think it's interesting how far left the pendulum has come crashing in the wake of the conservative clusterfuck (haa haa) of the past few years.  One does have to pause and wonder, what next?

Don't be surprised if within a year you turn on the TV and see Tyra or Oprah sitting with wide-eyed fascination while Mistress X gives instructions on how to give a proper spanking to a rapt audience of eager house-wives.

Just saying...
 

I'm still here. 

Just lacking motivation to do anything but the bare minimum of everything just to get by.  I'm not sure if I'm depressed, or just bored.

That said, I have made some observations this week:

Bacon in a box.

And I thought wine in a box was bad.  Seriously, has anyone tried this stuff?  Imagine my shock and horror when I saw this product sitting on the shelf in the boxed foods aisle.  It just seems...so...wrong.

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I was listening to a (new?) Janet Jackson song the other day when it dawned on me that everything she sings sounds like she's talking/singing like a baby.  Why guys find that sexy I'll never know.

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While driving to Chicago this weekend, I passed an exit for a town called Climax, MI.  

(uh?)

I wonder how that town got THAT name.

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I'm suffering the ghosts of past lifetimes again.  Someday I hope to make sense of all of that.

And last night, I was either granted a vision...or my imagination is wayyy more actively vivid that I could have ever imagined.

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"Shake it like a Polaroid picture" - Andre 3000, "Hey Ya!"

In my office, we "shake it like the toner's running low" ...

...because it generally is.  And that's the only way you can make sense of the stuff coming out of the printer.  And there's never money to purchase more toner in a timely fashion.

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Rest in Peace Bernie Mac and Isaac Hayes

I just found a leather Dale Earnhardt, Jr. wallet on my front lawn.

The only thing I found inside was a business card for a suburban gay/lesbian book store.

???

Ummm, not to reinforce stereotypes, but doesn't that just scream split personality??

 

Yooooooooooo,

I just saw Mos Def at the gym.

I generally don't get star struck but...

MOS DEF!!!!!!!

SQUEEEEEEEEE!!!!

I'm done.

Just. done.

To compensate for my lack of blog inspiration I thought it would be cool to blog my favorite things, sans the Oprah Winfrey yells of "You get a car, you get a car, and YOU GET A CAR!!"  After all,  though I may temporarily be deficient in my passion for lj-ing, I still gotta live, right?  And I can't deny that LJ sustains me.

So to ease my antsy spirit and to appease my compulsive need to list things, I present to you some of my favorite things:

Now tell me my dear friends..what are some of your favorite things? 

I've always preferred the night as opposed to daytime.

Oh yes, I do have to be up in like 3.5 hours to go to work.  But try telling my brain that.

This can't go on.  I've been getting by on 3-5 hours of sleep every night for the past 5 months now.

:-(

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The voice in my head spoke to me again (1-21-2008).  It said to keep praying.

And I will.

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And although I know we just celebrated Dr. King's birthday, I have nothing profound and uplifting to say.

But I did find this:  Beyonce Causes Trouble at Versace Runway Show

Not that it is right, or funny, or anything at all really, I couldn't help but think that somewhere in the great beyond, Rosa Parks is laughing her ass off.

I went to visit grandma the other day in her building which happens to be a seniors high rise apartment.  Why did one of the residents get on the elevator wearing loose white pants and a pink shirt UNBUTTONED TO THE NAVEL WITH NOTHING BUT BARE CHEST AND A GOLD MEDALLION UNDERNEATH???!!!!

Jaw.Smacks.Ground.

Well...jus'....like what and like WHOA!!!!

He was heading down to the community room to get his socialize on.

Play on Playa!

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I feel itchy.

In my skin, my soul, and in my heart.  Like a sweater that's meant to protect and shelter, but is really too annoying to be useful.

This life is suddenly uncomfortable.

I wonder if I will find relief any time in the near future.

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I just dreamt that the entire top row of my teeth fell out....I was spitting out teeth like they were loose kernels of corn.

A change is comin'.

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Remember "The Epiphany?"

That day I had torn up my house for hours looking for 2 lost items and was absolutely distraught because I could not find them and I really needed to get out to finish my Christmas shopping.  After nearly collapsing under the frustration and futility of it all, a sudden calm came over me and those words were spoken into my head.  I logged onto LJ and posted those words to have a record of the event and decided to give up the search and just leave it for another time.  I also wrote and dated the words on the chalkboard in my kitchen.

Less than an hour later I reached into my jacket pocket and found my iPod that had been missing for 8 months.  I'd given it up for lost and broke down and bought a new one back in October.

As for the other 2 lost items, I found them both this past Sunday.

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your mouth was the daylight and dark of my world,
your skin, the republic i shaped for myself with kisses.
                                         - pablo neruda

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My spanish is hopelessly rusty.  I think I wished someone a "Happy Good Year."

::groan::

At least I tried.  My Peruvian tutor would be shaking his head right now.

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Today in Detroit, MI it was 60 degrees in January.

Wow.
 

For many reasons, last holiday season should have been tough on me, but it wasn't really.  This year was a beast.  The dread started in October and has not let up since.  Anyone who has been paying the slightest attention to some of my recents posts can bear witness to it.

I survived Christmas, but a close family member did not.  The closest I had to a grandfather on my mom's side passed away Christmas morning.

So yeah.

I'm still emotionally limping along.  Trying to get to January 1.  Hoping for a reprieve.

Just...yeah.

Note for the sake of making a note: It sucks to have a sixth sense or subconscious barometer or whatever and have no idea how to read or wield it...not that it would matter in this case.  ::sigh::

Remember,

All things lost are eventually found.

12-24-07