body2body

Huxley wrote another less well known dystopian novel in 1948. Ape and Essence, this is a wild ride. The book begins at a Hollywood film studio with the discovery of a discarded film script called Ape and Essence. It takes you to a Los Angeles that has survived a nuclear war, people get clothes by mining graves, worship thr devil, and conduct human sacrifices in the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Babies are killed in sacrificial ceremonies if the they have more 14 fingers or 3 nipples. It is a savage satire of religion and modern culture.

China Mountain Zhang by Maureen F. McHugh, is a terrific novel set in a 22nd century U.S. where China is the world’s dominant culture. The protagonist is Gay. It was critically well received ( nominated for both the Hugo and Nebula awards, and winner of the James Tiptree Jr. Award). https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/China_Mountain_Zhang

CA, OR, WA, HI, ID, ND, SD, MT, CO, OK, TX, NM, KS, IA, AZ, NV, UT, NY, NJ, PA, CT, RI, MA, NH, ME, LA, FL, IL, OH, GA, WI, MN. At my ripe old age I’m surprised there aren’t more on the list. As far as the states of being, I strive to exist in a state of simplicity, and acceptance, but often succumb to a descent into anxiety, impatience, and frustration.

I am sorry to hear of Bonehead’s passing. You gave him a life he would otherwise not have had, and it is obvious from your words that he added to your life as well- to quote the Beatles: And in the end the love you take is equal to the love you make

Marty Balin, singer, guitarist, and founding member of Jefferson Airplane has died. I will always remember him for his beautiful vocal on Today, for me the most beautiful ballad to come out of the San Francisco music scene in the 60s.

Damo has been using many of his profile photos since about 2006. Some of the others may be newer. I live in West Hollywood and used to see him around the neighborhood. He had a very muscular body, and a demeanor that that was very cold and aloof. He ran a masseur ad, and I sent him a message asking about a happy ending. The reply- “I am not prostitute”, which struck me as odd since he was running an ad on Rentboy at the same time. At that point I said “bye Felicia”.

I am a blue eyed redhead with very fair sensitive skin. When I was younger I went to an aesthetician for a facial every month. She sold me very expensive products from a French line called Decléor. The products were pleasant, smelled nice, and were naturally sourced. I felt that my skin looked better. In my 50s I began experiencing more sensitivity and began going to a dermatologist. He looked at my Decléor products and told me I was having a reaction to the ingredients. He also told me that expensive products were a waste of money. The only things that he said were helpful were sunscreen an ceramides. Sunscreen to prevent further sun damage, ceramides to restore your skins lipid barrier. Today I use a moisturizer with SPF 30 and Ceramides from Cerave which I buy at Target for about $12, and their SA cleanser (salicylic acid), which helps with exfoliation but does not irritate. The products are unscented and even my sensitive “redhead skin” tolerates them without irritation. If you are younger, make sure you wear sunscreen everyday. I have had two Basal cell carcinomas removed from my face and it was not pleasant. My dermatologist told me that they were the result of skin damage from sun exposure in my 20s and 30s.

This is a superb series. The acting is wonderful. It was a stand alone series with no plans for a second season. This is a very common practice on the BBC.

I'm going to be in London soon and I keep looking at this guy’s ad. He has no reviews on Rent.men, has anyone here had any experience, good or bad? https://rent.men/Englishlad

There was a moment in Westworld season 2 where Marsden’s character finally beds Dolores, and he is lying in bed with her and briefly displays the most beautiful ass. The man has everthing, looks, body, face, talent ( he can sing too), and a superb ass.

I have three fine Swiss watches, but recently found myself wanting a watch with a blue face. I found a Tissot Chronograph on sale at Macy’s. A beautiful design with a navy leather strap with a deployment clasp. It is a Swiss ETA Quartz movement and was on sale for $344. The same model was available with a black face and brown strap, or white face and stainless bracelet. The Quartz movement lacks the cachet of an automatic movement, but will keep perfect time with nothing more than a new battery every 3 years. Tissot has been making watches in Switzerland since 1853, and at this price if I find that I tire of a blue watch, or don’t wear it all that often then I won’t have invested too much.

There is a difference between reading History Books and the study of History. The Study of History is the examination of primary source documents created during a given period. These can be as dry as laws passed, and editorial discussion of the same in Newspapers, census information, shipping records, etc. It can also include, church sermons, political speeches, magazine articles, pamphlets, and essays. It can even include the examination of literature, poetry, popular music, plays, and painting, drawing, and sculpture. All these elements can be examined for their Political, Religous, Intellectual, Social, and Economic content (Historians call it the PRISE system or approach). The most important thing to consider is the Bias of the author or creator of any source. Who were they, what axe did they have to grind? If you don’t understand the author’s bias, then you will never have a clear, honest picture of what you are reading or studying.

Please understand that there is a difference between a Service Animal and an Emotional Support or Therapy Animal. A Service Animal is defined by Title II and III of the Americans with Disabilities Act. That would include Seeing Eye Dogs, Seizure Detection Dogs, and Hearing Assistance Dogs. All Service Animals are the result of lengthy Training and serve very specific functions aiding the Disabled in their day to day activities. Without their Service Animals many disabled people ( including many Disabled Veterans) would be house bound. With Service Animals the Disabled can enjoy much more Freedom. Comfort Animals, Emotional Support Animals, and Therapy Animals are a very different story. There is no Federal Law defining this less specific category. The definitions are made by States and Local jurisdictions. You can often get your Dog declared an emotional support animal by a visit to your Doctor and your Vet. It got really bad here in California where suddenly you couldn’t go into a restaurant or market without someone’s beloved Yorkie or Chihuahua trotting down the frozen food aisle occasionally stopping to take a piss. Many establishments here are now posting signs at the entrance “Service Dogs Only”. Please don’t get me wrong. I love my Dog, and I would love to have her with me wherever I go. But she is not a Service Dog. She is however the love of my life.

I adored “The 21 Balloons” by William Pène du Bois. The Book involves Baloon Travel, Diamonds, and the explosion of the Island of Krakatoa. I first read it when I was 8 or 9, and it was so popular that you had to put your name on a waiting list in my school Library to borrow a copy of it. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Twenty-One_Balloons

Actually, the original “Flex-Straws” invented in the 1937 were paper not plastic. I remember drinking from them in the 1950s. I’m sure with the passing of plastic straws the paper versions bendable straws will be re-introduced. I don’t remember using a plastic straw until the 60’s. https://99percentinvisible.org/article/last-straws-inventing-modern-drinking-tube-flexible-bendy-straw/

Dune should never have been made as a single film. Lynch’s original cut was over four hours long. Even he knew it was too long and reduced it to a bit over three hours. Exhibitors were balking at such a long film so Dino and Rafaella De Laurentiis worked with Lynch to add the Virginia Madsen introduction, voice over narration, and cut many scenes and re shoot others. They brought the film down to about two hours, but rendered it all but incomprehensible to anyone who had not read the books. Lynch never made any other version of the film. The 1988 TV version of the film with the additional material (186 minutes including the crawl) was done without Lynch’s participation. He did not approve of the extended version hence the Alan Smithee credit. De Laurentiis original choice for director was Ridley Scott, who wanted to make Dune into two films, which was rejected. One can only wonder what might have resulted with a Master like Ridley Scott at the helm and shot as two films so there could have been time for the exposition to build these worlds and characters.

Sorry Avalon, that is what my History of Fashion Professor described to us in a lecture(45 years ago), and I should have clarified that the color and month were merely an example of what could have been a requirement. My Prof cited Louis’ approach as being one of fashions most direct influences on History.

Louis XIV controlled the unruly French Aristocracy by insisting that only at Versailles could they have access to the King and his Ministers. He then instituted all sorts of arcane protocols and formalities. For example if you wanted to attend Court in the Month of April of a given year you had to wear a coat of pale blue and ribbons in gold, if not properly attired, you were denied access. Those attending court had to spend a fortune to be properly attired, in fact the French Fashion industry is said to have had its beginnings with the Court of Louis XIV. Louis even insisted on uniformity in the attire of the Clergy. The Anglican Priest who taught my confirmation classes explained the the clergy did not always wear the Cassock, Chasuble, and Surplice common to most Catholic and Anglican clergy today until Louis had his tailors enforce order on the French clergy by standardizing the costumes of Priests, Bishops, and Cardinals

If you want to get a sense of life inside Versailles during the reign of Louis XIV you may want to try reading the Memoirs: Duc de Saint-Simon (volumes I-III). He was there, and chronicles the Court intrigues, and daily life in a way that makes you understand the Palace as much more than a building.

I’ve been several times. The Palace and Gardens are awesome. Book a Tour of the Palace so you can avoid the lines (which can be very long). Many people stop with the Palace and the Garden area immediately behind the Palace, when there is so much more to see. There is the Petit Trianon, an exquisite mini Palace used by Marie Antoinette so she could escape the pressures and intrigue of Court Life in the Palace itself (where Thouands of Courtiers and servants resided). Nearby is the Petit Hameau de la Reine (the Queen’s Little Hamlet), where Queen Marie Antoinette and her friends would dress as Shepardesses and pretend to be peasants in this artificial Village where reportedly they would wash the sheep so the odor didn’t offend the Aristocrats. Also nearby is an exquisite Architectural Folly called The Temple of Love. A cylindrical Pavillion in Classical style surrounded by Trees in an English style Garden. Further away is the Grand Trianon. It was the residence of Napoleon at Versailles during the Empire. Much of the furniture and decoration is from the Napoleonic period giving the decor a more unified appearance. Much of the furniture in the main Palace was sold off when the monarchy was dissolved. A French docent once ruefully said that if you wanted to see the best French Furniture from Versailles you needed to go to the Wallace Collection in London.

I subscribed to the L.A. Times for nearly 50 years. It was delivered 7 days a week. The Times went through so many reductions in staff, and coverage to make me consider canceling. When they changed the agency doing my home delivery, and my paper began arriving everywhere except my doorstep (if it arrived at all) I finally cancelled. After a year of no paper, I tried the online version of the L.A. Times. I am enjoying it. It looks just like the physical paper. You can scan each page and if you want read an article in depth, you tap on it and boom, you have it enlarged with all the attendant images in a gallery. I’ve become very accustomed to reading on my iPad so it really feels perfectly normal. I got a deal for a one month trial for $.99 for the first month and $4.99 a month after that. I am also pleased that I don’t have to recycle all the paper.

In the L.A. Times obituary for Tab Hunter, they pointed out that “Young Love” Tab Hunter’s first record knocked Elvis Presley off the #1 spot on the charts. Jack Warner found out and was furious. It was said that Warner Records was founded largely due to Jack Warner’s anger over Tab’s success. Warner believed he “owned” Tab Hunter. He auditioned 10 times for his role in “Battle Cry” getting the role and beating out both James Dean and Paul Newman for the role. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mEg5oWW5F2c

Take the 5. It is less scenic, but faster. Years ago I learned to watch the Trucks. If they are going fast, then you can go fast. If they are going slow, that means the CHP is near, so observe the speed limit until you see the Trucks speed up again. Given that this is a Holiday weekend this may be pointless. All the roads may be packed. If you take the train, the scenery is spectacular along the central coast. There is a stretch through Vandenberg AFB, that is about as close as you can get to seeing what California looked like before 40 million people arrived. Remember the Train arrives in Emeryville in the East Bay, not in San Francisco.

If you use incontinence pads you will be teaching the dog to pee in the house. It is better to take the dog outside. A puppy has to go out every three or four hours. My last dog was not housebroken when I adopted her. I took her out often, but she still persisted in going in the house. I consulted a trainer who told me to put her on a schedule that I had to adhere to, basically walking her about 1-2 hours after eating, first thing in the morning, and before going to bed. I would put her favorite treats (cubes of broiled chicken) in a baggy in my pocket. Every time she would pee or poop outside, I would praise her and give her a couple of pieces of chicken. This was the only time she got treats. It took about two weeks, but after that she was fastidious. For the next 13 years, unless she was ill, we never had a problem. The only side effect was that for the rest of her life after “doing her business” outside, she would sit and look up at me, head cocked to one side, as if to say- “OK Dad, I did my part, now where’s the chicken”.

This is my favorite