Thursday Thirteen ~ The Sexiest Car in the World

1. I think this one is from the early seventies.
It's a favorite color and one of my favorite body styles.

2. A classic.
This reminds me of one a former boyfriend's uncle owned

3. Or was Skip's car more like this?  It's been too long, I guess.

4. Love that logo.  I wore out a cool shirt sporting it.

5. This looks like the '84 model that transported me on prom night.

6. Yellow is another good color.

7. Race day!

8. Look at that shine.  The owner sure loves this baby.

9. I'm not nuts about these back windows but it's definitely a 'Vette.

10. I love this pace car.

11. The weather is certainly perfect for a convertible.

12. This is just cute.  What can I say?

13. 1969 Stingray ~ this looks just like one my father restored.

Thursday Thirteen ~ Japanese Rockers on my Listening Rotation

Cali Gari – named after the silent film “The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari”, these guys have really fun hooks to their music

Chachamaru – technical guitarist for Gackt Job, this beautiful man also put out a solo project of his own called “Air”

Dir en Grey – I can’t get enough of them; their sound is varied and intense.

Gackt – I’ve gone on about him before ~blush~ All About Gackt

Kiyoharu – this former lead singer of Kuroyume came out with a good release called “Poetry”

Kuroyume – Live at Shinjuku Loft is a great energetic show

Malice Mizer – this visual kei band is no longer together but I love their look and sound, especially during the Gackt era

Mucc – these hard rockers actually toured the US in 2008; I wish I’d known them then

Nightmare – good music, good looking, these guys spell the band name in katakana as ナイトメア

Penicillin – some of you might have heard of these guys; they have a stunning eleven albums

Versailles – they have a rich, goth appeal

Vienna – this was an early project of Chachamaru and shares some music with his later solo offering

X Japan – I received a free DVD by way of introduction and still haven’t gotten over how cool their amazing hairstyles were

My Interview with A. B. Gayle

Come on over to the Nightlight blog for an interesting read:

Nightlight

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Thursday Thirteen ~ Japanese Mecha Art by Naochika Morishita

I'll mostly let these speak for themselves. My favorites are the last two winged robots. I'm grateful to Pink Tentacle for another great collection of images. Be sure to click for an enlargement.

1. Jaburo

2. Mobile Suit-2

3. Dom - I like the lighting and the name.

4. Jaburo-2

5. Daijyushin - robots and dinosaurs?  Cool!

6. GM Custom

7. Gundam vs. Elmeth

8. GM Cold District Type

9. Cockpit - great POV if you ask me...

10. RX-93 Nu Gundam

11. Scopedog and Berserga

12. MagiDragon

13. Wing Gundam Zero Custom

Thursday Thirteen - Ways I Uphold Product Loyalty

1. I’m lazy and hate wasting time searching for a decent product, so I’m likely to remember the name of anything decent.

Thursday Thirteen - Animal Lovin'

I have seen quite a few animal mating rituals, if not the actual act of procreation itself. In retrospect, it’s sort of funny.

Banned Book Week

This week, the American Library Association is promoting the right to read anything we want.  No fan of censorship, I like the idea.  Various libraries have displays of banned or threatened books.  I imagine it's a big thing in some schools.

Have you heard of this peaceful protest?  I'd like to know what you think of the idea.  Any suggestions on such a book I should read?

Opening a Door or Tripping Over a Threshold

It's not racy, but I have a commentary on my group's blog today. I'll hope you'll pop over for a read. Let me know what you think.

Writer's Retreat Blog

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Thursday Thirteen - Trademarked Japanese Characters

I found these images courtesy of the fun website Pink Tentacle. Though I don't know what companies commissioned them or why, they're just fun. You can find the whole collection of 99 trademarked characters here:

Pink Tentacle

And without further ado, number 1. A ghost with a flying saucer for a hat?

2. There's nothing like a smart, talented guy:

3. Not the helpless Humpty Dumpty, this egg is dressed for success.

4. A dentist with a cherry for a head?  I got nothin'.

5. This reminds me of a joke:

What do you do with an elephant with three balls?

You walk him and pitch to the rhino.

6. A message about monkeys using underarm deodorant, apparently.

7. Awww...

8. Anda gain...

9. Toilet paper man to the rescue!  I think we could all use one of these whenever the bathroom runs out of the stuff in the middle of taking care of business.

10. Who exactly started the pink = girl and blue = boy?  The fact that's all I can say should tell you something.

11. Definitely a message reinforced by cuteness...

12. Potato and carrots make me think of stew.  Then again, the potato man reminds me of my chubby cat.  I'm so conflicted!

13. Water never looked so adorable, even if it does have a weird leaf attachment.

A Life In The Day Of Wednesday

Today I finished reading what I thought would be a light-hearted, saucy take on a BDSM trio. It's called "Fun with Dick and Shane: The Life and Times of a Submissive Houseboy".  The tale turned out to be a journalistic story with some profound messages.

More than once, I paused to hear music the author mentioned or to investigate a particularly unfamiliar British idiom.  In short, I found myself quite engrossed.

In the chapter of the same name as my post, there is a thought provoking treatise on life and death. Essentially, Gillibran Brown says we're all humans going through variations on a theme. His Wednesday was one of mourning at a funeral.  Others might be celebrating a new relationship or some success at work.

Here is his brilliant summation:

In short, as individuals, we are all just a life in the day of Wednesday, or whatever day of the week it happens to be.

Thursday Thirteen - Illustrations by Gōjin Ishihara

The following images are from a book illustrated in 1972. I thank the folks at Pink Tentacle, where you can find more images here:

Macabre Kids Book Art by Gōjin Ishihara

1.

Yamasei, the mountain sprite, just looks like a disagreeable fellow if you ask me

2.

The kappa are river imps
Their behavior goes beyond what I ever would expect from the name

3.

Yūrei are simply ghosts
This depiction is both beautiful and scary

4.

Jorōgumo “whore spider" I own a wonderful rendition by a gifted American artist
Matthew Meyer is currently living in Japan

5.

Kubire-oni is a strangler demon new to me

6.

Kyūbi no kitsune is the nine-tailed fox
I'm not certain of the significance of the woman's face
Nine (kyū) tails is the limit, showing great age and wisdom

7.

Rashōmon no oni is an ogre at the Rashōmon gate
The detachable arm is just creepy

8.

Rokurokubi, the long-necked woman
I've run into her ilk in other renditions of eerie folklore

9.

Onmoraki is a bird demon adapted from Chinese folklore

10.

Nekomata is a cat monster
The neko (cat) being a housept of mine,
I'm rather alarmed that this one went for the jugular

11.

Waira, the mountain-dwelling chimera, gives me another reason to stick to flatlands in Japan

12.

Baku is the dream-eating chimera
This notion scares me more than anything else

13.

Tenjō-sagari dwells in the ceiling, which is pretty obvious here
I feel sorry for the sleeping young man and at the same time,
it's such an eerily sensual scene I can't look away

Save! Save! Save! The GLBT Bookshelf Rummage Sale is Here!

It's September, and that means Mel Keegan's GLBT Bookshelf is hosting its second rummage sale.  I'm honored to have two titles alongside the talented Mr. Keegan, the original "Miya" from March's discount sale table and now the characters are back in "Unmasking Miya".  There's a little something for everyone among the offerings, so I hope you'll join me in checking out the bargains!

The GLBT Rummage Sale *

* for mature audiences only

Quote of the Day

Lately, I've been reading gay fiction in addition to m/m romances.  The differences are intriguing.  I'm devouring "Best of Gay Asian Erotica".  Let me share a beautiful paragraph from Andy Quan's "Positive":

I celebrate masculinity.  I saw a photo of your younger self and the face was round, like a boy's: the shapes of sun and moon and celestial bodies.  Soft forms.  Now the drugs have made your face gaunt, your cheekbones have risen like mornings, and your cheeks have strong lines carved into them.  I say this to you: you look like a man.  Your profile is an exaggerated model, a cartoon superhero, sleek and virile.  And strong like seaside cliffs that weather wind and salt night and day and all of the middle hours.  A few of my body parts fit perfectly into those crevices.

Thursday Thirteen ~ Celebrating Men

Looking at gorgeous men, especially while they're interacting intimately, could easily become an addiction for me. Just Us Boys, which Dilo Keith introduced me to, has enough eye candy to fuel my fantasies for years (Thanks, dear)!  Here are thirteen of my favorite poses, after which you'll get progressively naughty examples, hence the m/m and NC-17 tags, so please be warned:

The Strongest Shape

I've been reading the m/m/m romance "The Strongest Shape" by Tessa Cárdenas.  She tells the story of two strong and silent types who love one another but rely on the third in their tri-fold love to be their peacemaker and communicator.  I have to share perhaps the best line yet.

AIR by Chachamaru

I'm always looking for interesting music. A lot of that lately has been of the Japanese rock pursuasion. I just received this in the mail. The artist, soloist Chachamaru, is a large contributor to the music and stage show of another favorite (Gackt Camui).

Interview with Josh Lanyon!

Come enjoy my quirky email interview with gifted writer Josh Lanyon. I'd love comments to make him feel welcome!

Nightlight

Thursday Thirteen ~ Turning Japanese

Thirteen benefits to studying the Japanese language: