Notes about my professional availability...

Well, the appointment with the mortgage broker went reasonably well. Based on that, I'm talking to an agent, letting him show me some houses, and thinking about all of my different options. But the end result of this is going to be me writing some mighty large checks. I've been preparing for that, financially, for a while. But things always cost a little more than you think they will, don't they?

What that means to you, dear beloved clients of mine, is that for the next two months or so, I’m going to be a little more professionally available than I usually am.

Here’s how that will look: I generally book appointments starting at two pm and ending at eight pm, and I don’t see people on the weekends. However, I’m going to relax those rules temporarily. As of today, I’ll book appointments as early as twelve noon, and if you’re someone I’ve met before, I’ll take appointments with an ending time of up to ten pm.

I’m also going to be so somewhat available on the weekends. I have social engagements booked for every Saturday night from now through Christmas, so Saturday night is right out. But Saturday afternoon, and Sunday afternoon or evening, will be possible.

As far as evening appointments go, notice what I said: if I’ve met you before. I absolutely will not make late appointments with new people, just because there’s a very high no-show rate for first-timers on late appointments. Don’t ask me why, there just is. People call on a whim, and then they flake out, and I don’t have time for that.

Or they don’t flake out, and you wish they had, because they’ve been drinking or otherwise impairing their judgment. Bad, bad, bad.

So I’m not ever going to put myself in a situation of dealing with someone I’m not comfortable with, even to buy myself a mansion. I’m just expanding my hours a trifle, and it’s probably only until I close on the house. So this is a limited-time opportunity.

(Unless I decide I want to remodel or something…)

You know, I’ve gone pretty much my whole adult life thinking of myself as a renegade. A societal outlaw. A cultural desperado, if you will.

But as of today, all that ends.

For today, I have an appointment with a mortgage broker.

Sigh.

So while I try to reassemble my personal identity to include this experience, go read the newest column and calendar.

Various silliness…

Cute men’s restroom art in New Zealand.

And more Kiwi-related information: The Blokes Guide To Taking A Leak. You boys worry way too much about this stuff, did you know that? Catching one glimpse of another guy's dick will not make you gay. If that was true, there would be way, way more lesbians in the world, because we all see other women naked at some point or other.

And speaking of naked women, apparently Scooter Libby has written a smutty book. (It doesn't sound like a very good smutty book, you understand. Young girls forced to have sex with bears? Ew. )
Those silly Republicans! Don't they know dirty books like that are all part of a Communist plot to take over the free world? Tsk, tsk.

Interesting thread about a often touchy topic: weight and body image. In this case, specifically about the bodies of people in the BDSM community.

It does seem like there are a lot of big people in the community. Why is that? Well, I don't know, and I usually refrain from speculation. It's one of those topics where I think you have to be a member of the group (meaning, a big person) to speak with authority about it, and I ain't, so I shut up.

I listen, though, and some of the things I hear said are:

-It's just a reflection of our culture in general.
-It's a way for big chicks to get dates/laid. (I heard this from a large female-bodied person.)
-It's because BDSM people value other things over traditional beauty.
-You don't have to be thin to get dates in the BDSM community, so people "let themselves go".

Now, if I believe any of these theories, it's probably the first one: lots of Americans are big, and the BDSM community is no exception. I can't believe any woman would do BDSM if they didn't really want to, just to get guys. And I'm so sorry, kinky people are not somehow "above" being attracted to traditional beauty. I don't buy the "let themselves go" theory, either. (Go where?)

But I'm curious to know what some of ya'll might think.