A few months ago I made something I received via a Google alert on sex my QOTD because it applied to not only to sex but to many other things as well. Ms. Block had her own Google alert, noticed my post, and commented on my post. Cool!

I sent her an email thanking her for stopping by for a visit and I ended up on her email list for notifications of things such as her book (Open: Love, Sex, and Life in an Open Marriage) signing yesterday afternoon in Seattle. I decided to go because the kids were attending a play (a musical–I seldom like musicals) and the Father’s Day activities weren’t happening until the evening. Barb was unavailable being at work in Moscow Idaho so I went alone.

I found Ms. Block to be very energetic, funny, and quick witted. It was a real pleasure to hear her talk. I added a few comments which seemed to be well accepted. One was in regard to a book that discussed sex and the evolution of women. Here is more information on that book, Sex Time and Power. This was a great book. A lot of it was speculation which has the high probability of being wrong but it was very intriguing speculation.

Some links to Ms. Block’s web presence:

http://www.open-marriage.blogspot.com/
http://www.jennyonthepage.com/

She also writes on the blog The Huffington Post such as this post.

I’ve added her blog to my blogroll but it appears she is only blogging to promote her books and other writings and not so much about the psychology and sociology of sex in our society which is more of my interest. But at least I will get links to that sort of material.

I don’t have a T.V. in my Seattle area bunker so the only shows I watch are DVD sci-fi stuff with James (we just started the third season of Farscape).

With Barb I watch DVDs/on-line stuff like:

• Bones She is extremely smart, likes guns, and is hyper-rational–where was Temperance when I was a freshman in college and looking for a mate?
• Columbo He’s like a puppy dog wagging his tail and digging holes in the yard–but what the murders don’t know is that he’s placing land mines (from the episode “How to Dial a Murder”).
• Medium Just accept the premise and enjoy the show.

Barb and I might have to add Swingtown to our list of things to watch while in bed (together).

The following review came to me from someone who picked it up from a email list they subscribe to. This was in response to a comment where someone said they had never been to a party that they didn’t know what was going on before they arrived.

I thought it did a pretty fair job of portraying reality without being hostile to swingers. The biggest thing I noticed was that, as with nearly all Hollywood, the time scale was sped up dramatically. From the time a newbie couple was told by people they had just met they were swingers until they decided to participate there would be a lot more time and talking involved rather than just a few glances and walking off to the back bedroom with the experienced couple.

I do know of a case where a couple had monthly parties and the next door neighbors asked why they were never invited. The hosting couple told them to just show up next time–without telling them the nature of the party. The neighbors did show up, figured things out after a half hour or so and left–never to ask about attending again. So, I know it does happen.

The bottom line is I think the writers know a lot about swinging. I think they either have been involved or did a lot of research with people who are or have been involved. I think in order to make the show interesting they will, of necessity, have to introduce stress of some sort into the characters and situations. In the pilot they introduced characters who will enable them to do that. The reality of swinging is not the utopia we would like it to be (neither is monogamy or anything else). The writers of the show will have to exaggerate reality some and create conflicts to make things interesting. I believe it’s possible they can do this without making swingers out to be immoral perverts and I think they have made a good first step toward that goal. I’m looking forward to the next episode.

It’s not prostitution. It’s nuptial gifts.

We are just animals with a more developed brain. The low level wiring isn’t all that much different.

Just like penguins and other primates, people trade sex for resources:

Female penguins mate with males who bring them pebbles to build egg nests. Hummingbirds mate to gain access to the most productive flowers guarded by larger males.

New research shows that even affluent college students who don’t need resources will still attempt to trade sexual currency for provisions, said Daniel Kruger, research scientist at the University of Michigan School of Public Health.

The exchange of resources for sex—referred to by scientists as nuptial gifts—has occurred throughout history in many species, including humans, Kruger said. The male of the species offers protection and resources to the female and offspring in exchange for reproductive rights. For example, an arranged marriage can be considered a contract to trade resources.

However, the recent findings suggest that such behaviors are hard wired, and persist no matter how much wealth, resources or security that people obtain.

“It’s remarkable to find these patterns in the students in the study,” Kruger said. “We have seen many examples where people do this out of necessity, but we still see these tendencies in people who are already well provided for.”

I think Barb said she wanted some chores done around the house. Would that be considered an exchange of services?