Sex, Chocolate, and Other Things Geeky

The end of a series.  Wow.  Not many of the series I read come to a definite end.  Kelley Armstrong has pulled off a great finish to a fantastic series.  Savanna has grown a lot over the course of the series, not just physically but also mentally and emotionally.  This book, like the last, mostly focuses on her. My least favorite thing about this book?  That it's the last full length novel for the Otherworld for the foreseeable future.  My favorite thing?  Savannah and Adam finally get together!  That's the only spoiler I'm going to give you, cause I don't want to ruin things. There a number of loose threads that could use some tying up, and I hope there are some short stories that will take care of them, but coming to the end of Thirteen I was able to have a moment of contentment that all had ended well.  It's always nice to close a book with that happy little sigh.

Waking the Witch saw Savannah heading out on her own as a detective for the first time.  She became emotionally attached to one of the people she met during the case she was working, a little girl named Kayla. The last thing Savannah does in the book is think that she'd happily give up her powers to help Kayla, crashing asleep and waking up to find that her powers were indeed gone. Spell Bound picks up with the thoughts of one watching Savannah.  Someone who can do just what she "wished" in that moment.  All we get to know about him is that he has some agenda and Savannah is at the heart of it. As much as Savannah grew in the last book, I'd say this is her real coming of age story.  She has always been the most powerful witch on the block, and she knew that all too well.  Her contempt for humans and for other witches less powerful than her was always in her thoughts.  She never tried to learn how to do things the normal way, because she knew she had her powers to

I've been trying to figure out for a while how to motivate myself into exercising more.  I think I might have it figured out. My goal is to engage in physical activity at least 3 times a week.  This can be an exercise video, a Kinect game, my physical therapy, a one mile bike ride or walk, as long as I move for 15 minutes or more, etc.  At the end of the week, if I meet my goal, I will transfer $2 to my savings account.  This money can be used for whatever I want it for: books, clothes, jewelry, whatever and it will be guilt free (or that's the plan at least).  If I don't make my goal, then all the money I've transferred to that point goes back into my checking account and I start all over again.  If I should manage to exercise more than my goal of 3 times per week, I can add $.50 for each time. So far this week, I walked a mile to my work and earlier today I did my physical therapy.  I'm not sure if my walk to and from the store 2 blocks away counts, so I need

I've been reading this blog called Mark Reads , specifically his chapter by chapter reviews of one of my all time favorite series, which just happen to be the books that started me reading fantasy in the first place, The Song of the Lioness Quartet by Tamora Pierce.  Her books are amazing coming of age stories and often focus on strong, female characters (right up my alley!).  In the second book of the series, Pierce includes a sexual relationship between the main character and a friend of hers.  It's important to remember that these are young adult fiction, published in the 80s, and she's got a female character having sex with someone without being in a relationship with them.  Completely awesome, right?  I read these books for the first time somewhere between 1992-1994 and have reread them more times than I can count since then.  The blog review I'm reading about book two phrased it like this: "To have this sexual relationship presented so plainly and without sh

I just posted this on Facebook and thought I'd share it here, too.  "I have no indignation left.  No surprise.  It's all been drained from me as the blows keep coming.  There is no violation of another person's body that is ok!  If there is no consent, then it is rape.  And I'm not talking about rape play or other consensual non-consent kinks.  Those are a completely different animal.  I'm talking about date rape, stranger rape, she's-my-wife-and-therefore-owes-me-sex-when-I-want-it rape.  I'm talking about removing someone's sense of self so you can have power over them, rape.  None of these are ever ok. The so called Christian leaders who espouse these vile positions are performing a different kind of rape: the rape of our rights.  They are violating every single person in this country, be they female, male, genderqueer, trans, or cis.  They are violating our individual choices and they are ignoring our boundaries.  It is time for all of us to s

Today is National Coming Out Day.  I support all of those folks who have come out and all of those folks who haven't, for whatever reason.  Coming out as bi, gay, poly, trans, or anything else isn't easy.  Our society doesn't make it easy.  Being different is opening the door to being vilified and abused.  But we can change all that and that's why there's a National Coming Out Day.  It's easier to be different if you know you're not the only one.  Ironic, isn't it? I try to be open and honest about who I am, but I still let that fear of being bullied and misunderstood control me.  Every year for the last 8 or more I've watched from the sidelines of Coming Out Day.  I've watched, but I haven't participated.  I've rationalized it because my close friends and family already know all my secrets, so why would I need to come out to anyone else?  But if I don't, how can I really think of myself as being truly open and honest about who I am