Dudes

At the National Gallery, I admired "Bacchus and Ariadna" and thought,

Hit the Can Nat Gallery, pondered Ariadna & Bacchus. Girl saves boy's ass, boy strands her on island (men!) to be comforted by god of booze
— A (@youputonweight) April 12, 2013

Here's Antoine-Jean Gros's painting. Isn't it thought-provoking? While you're there, check out the other collections. There's some really good stuff.

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I brought "Kiss My Tiara" (Susan Jane Gilman) on the trip and it mostly hit the spot. Some of it annoyed me--it was wordy, sometimes preachy, and unnecessarily dismissive (she almost lost me with her slam on vegans... apparently, feminism needs less of them, because...?). But there was a lot of good stuff. She asks women to quit slamming each other for their body shape (and that should go both ways) and family members to quit slamming each other, period. And she offers some advice for dealing with dudes. My favorite:

...women have been taught that beauty is essential for attracting a mate. Men are aroused by what they see, we're told.

 And yet, when it comes to men, we've also been told something else with equal fervency: Men will fuck anything.

So which one is it? Do we have to be beautiful, or will they fuck us anyway?

An informal survey conducted by yours truly reveals that, Goddess bless  'em, men are far more likely to fuck us anyway.

Women are more discerning, as well we should be. I can't speak for other women, but one thing that won't win me over is bacon condoms. Another: this shit.

Oh, and Dave Brooks, to be marriageable, it's not about higher wages; men need to clean up their acts.

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Sexual behavior by sect.

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Right now, the only Eden product I buy is ume vinegar. I guess I'll have to find another source for that, too.