Flora Fling's Filings

The Reader

Shamefully I have started many books this year, probably at least ten of them. I've finished none except two. This is completely out of my character. I am a more voracious reader than that.

I've read Posed for Murder by Meredith Cole (a friend of mine) and Man Gone Down by Michael Thomas, which, by the end, I didn't even like.

New Year's Resolution #1 - read and finish some books. Maybe pick up with some of the ones you didn't finish.

True Confessions Quotable Moment

"I'm not a slut! I'm an honor student!"

A Sign of my True Commitment

If training for triathlons is not a sign of true commitment, then my 1 year anniversary at the In the Flesh Reading Series is!!!

This Wednesday is the annual repeat of my favorite In the Flesh theme, True Confessions night (scroll all the way down the page once linked through)!! Last year at this time I had such a fantastic time at the reading, that I become a devotee and rarely miss a month!

Behave yourself!!

This Thursday night is the book launch (you may have to scroll all the way down the page to read the post) party for Rachel Kramer Bussel's He's on Top and She's on Top book releases. Yes, one book is about female dominance and the other, male dominance in all its various forms.

We'll be hitting the usual spot for the party, where the monthly In the Flesh series happens. Bring your fetishes and see you there!

In the Flesh

Its that time again! The In the Flesh reading is tonight at 8pm at Happy Ending Lounge. Get there early and if you haven't been before, definitely check it out. The last reading I posted on was a laugh riot!

Sleeping with Elvis

Last night's In the Flesh was my second favorite one ever (my favorite was True Confessions)! It was Memoir night and full of some great writing. I enjoyed them all and cannot emphasize enough to people to come out to the reading one month. My friend Molly said "Its not smutty. Its really smart writing and stimulates you on all sorts of levels."

A few of my favorites were:

Gael Greene who brought down the house reading from: Insatiable: Tales from a Life of Delicious Excess. This woman slept with Elvis Presley (the young Elvis!!!!) and recounted the story as we all listened with our mouths gaping open. Only in NYC can you be in a room and hear a story like that recounted in public!! But she's done far more than slept with the King.  Twenty-five years ago, she co-founded Citymeals-on-Wheels to bring meals to the homebound elderly. She's had quite a life and I can't wait to get her book. Ok, one more sexual secret. She may be the only woman to have slept with two men who were simultaneously on the cover of Time Magazine.

Yes, both of them.

Gael was followed up by the edgy Grant Stoddard with his sexy British accent (god I'm a sucker for a European accent!) as he revealed a gay, golden shower adventure in his turn as sex columnist in Working Stiff: The Misadventures of an Accidental Sexpert.

Susan Shapiro read from Lighting Up. It doesn't get more neurotic than this. You just gotta read the damn book.

The evening ended with Marty Beckerman who actually pulled out a dildo (albeit the size of a finger and I hope not the one actually used) to recount his experience losing his anal virginity to his girlfriend.

My Blog Muse

I met my blog muse last night. Stephanie Klein, the woman who inspired me to start my own blog. Only she doesn't know that. Hers is the only blog I read faithfully and last night I went to see her at the JCC's Lit Cafe. She's moving to Texas next week so I thought, "What the hell! I'll go see her read and meet her in person."

Usually meeting a "celeb" (actor, writer, singer) is somehow disappointing on some level. It always feels like there are affectations. With Stephanie, I was not disappointed at all. What you read is what you get when you meet her in person. That is a rare quality in a person. A quality that I don't find in New Yorkers very often and a quality I don't usually find in an artist. She is exactly like her photos (gorgeous) and has the personality that you read on her blog. She is just plain REAL.

She read from her blog as well as an excerpt from her upcoming book Straight Up & Dirty. I'm not an aspiring writer so I don't usually go see writers at readings. I realized a difference right away.  Writers aren't interpreting their work (as an actor would), they are just reading it. But as Stephanie read an excerpt about her first marriage, she came to tears. It was very moving. I saw first hand that her writing is powerful because she is so connected to it. I've never met a more open woman in my life. She lets it all hang out but without anger, apologies or neediness. She accepts who she is and her subtext says, "This is who I am." And she wants to know about YOU too.

I highly recommend you too become addicted to her blog. And buy her book. She's about to begin a whole new chapter of her life in my home state of Texas.

And if she'll do me the honor, I would love to add her to my blogroll.

What Do You Read First?

I subscribe to Time Out NY (TONY) and I always turn to the Get Naked sex column with Jamie Bufalino right away. Its the first section I read. I never imagined myself as the 'type' to flip to a certain section in anything I read. Some people read the end of a book first and then start from the beginning. Some people are skimmers. Some read the front page of the NY Times and then head inward. I have a friend that gets The Times and immediately discards the sections he doesn't read so as to carry around "less weight" when he takes the paper in transit. I read The Times online in this order: skim the headlines, go directly to Sports, then Arts. I read the Get Naked column in TONY immediately upon retrieving the issue from my mailbox and then start from the beginning and thumb through.

No one has had any interesting sex questions/letters in months. Its quite dull. There are the freaks who write in like the one who got blow jobs from his brother and wondered if it was 'normal' (rolling of eyes). There are the chicks that wonder if they are too fat to ever get a date. There was an infamous guy who took sh*ts in the shower and then smashed it all down the drain with his feet.....but I haven't found anything kinky that actually arouses me in the column anymore (do you blame me after the examples I just gave?). I think Jamie does a good job of choosing themes for the week. He asks for letters regarding certain topics in an effort to fan the flames, but none of the letter are erotic turn-ons.

I would love for the column to be hot enough one week that I have to phone my booty call right away and go "get some." Or better yet, read it to my date at dinner thus forcing us to ask for the check immediately and leave. It would be great if the column was sooooo hot one week that I would have to masturbate before I could even put the magazine down.

I do read beyond sex -- I just have sex on the brain lately.

In your reading habits what section/column do you read first in your regular periodicals? (I can't believe I just blogged the word periodical).