A Kiss and a Good Rogering

As it rains in March so it rains in June. ~Farmer’s Almanac

Rain, sleet, fog, apprehension and motion sickness could not keep Book Club’s most dedicated members from attending the meeting this past Saturday night. One member said she was apprehensive about attending because she imagined everyone in their bondage collars, stilettos and flogging accessories and she was uncertain that she wanted to be part of that scene. Imagination aside, we were a pretty tame crowd. While we were waiting for dinner we discovered that only one of us in attendance had heard of the Citadel in SF and she amazed us by sharing her experience with touring a real life dungeon set up for BDSM play.

These steakhouse nachos are not
quite as ugly as the Pub Nachos

Maguire’s was a fun meeting location; small but cozy and warm and not crowded at all. It was one of the only Irish pubs that I’ve been too that offers fish tacos and this weird concoction they call Pub Nachos. The Pub Nacho platter had me pondering the definition of Nacho, which, according to Dictionary.com is “a snack or appetizer consisting of a small piece of tortilla topped with cheese, hot peppers, etc., and broiled.” If you go by that definition then these pub nachos were not nachos at all; they were a sinful dish consisting of a bed of bbq kettle chips, generously drizzled in buffalo sauce, sprinkled with bleu cheese, salted pork and tomato. When the dish arrived at our table it was this terrible looking sea of red and browns, with some bleu cheese muddied in on top for some extra ugliness. However one taste sent the imagination soaring. How can something as ugly and wrong as this dish taste so damn good?

Gloria and I split the Shepherd’s pie which was delicious and made us realize that, unlike pub nachos which cannot be remotely related to nachos, the tater tot casserole is the red-headed step child of the shepherd’s pie. The main differences in the tater tot casserole are tater tots instead of mashed potatoes and processed cheese instead of gravy.

Bodice Ripper and Democratic Role Playing?

At our January and February meetings, several V-Town members said that they are chomping at the bit for a "bodice ripper", a good story with a strong erotic undercurrent. In order to quell the requests we thought a clever segue from our Sookie vampire series would be to explore Mistress Roquelaure’s erotica, aka Miss Anne Rice, famously known as the author of The Vampire Chronicles. Subtly paying tribute to the sexy vampire theme that started Book Club, we assigned “The Claiming of Sleeping Beauty”, by A.N. Roquelaure*. However, we discovered by choosing the “Claiming of Sleeping Beauty” V-Town crossed the line from bodice ripper to straight up BDSM. We understand that this book may prove too strong a subject for some members, and that’s okay if you did not like it, the month is almost over, April and May will bring new book topics, probably not as shocking or controversial but hopefully intriguing.

Now let’s bring out our silken ropes or leather straps (or chains, you sicko’s) and tie up this review, we will start with the relentless questioning. Why does Anne Rice use a classic Fairytale inspired title for her book? Do you think Anne Rice named her character “Beauty” as a euphemism (for?) or to demonstrate how we may be trapped by beauty? We may desire beauty but it comes with consequences? Does Anne Rice use her character Beauty to demonstrate the conflict of mind, heart and desire we may encounter when first exposed to BDSM? What Beauty experiences at the hands of her Prince may mirror some of our deepest desires, to be the object of someone’s vehement passion, to be admired, to be possessed by someone’s fierce affections. Or do you have a more democratic perspective of her situation wanting her to be freed from her humiliating subjugation long enough to switch roles with the Prince? Do you find yourself thinking about the miserable existence she has been forced to lead and about how nobody should have that kind of oppressive authority over another without back and forth role playing?

Prep for Spring Busi-Beesness

Whoah, it’s been a fun and busy few weeks for V-Town Book Club members! This post is a summary of a small part of that business. Please let me know if you know of more business that deserves acknowledgment and I’ll provide the update.

A couple members recently found love (outside of Book Club) and are sweetly entrenched in love’s first bloom. I’m not going to name the love afflicted here but if you have attended a meeting lately then you know who was struck with cupid’s arrow.

Many of us attended Kim’s Happiness Workshop on February 26th, and from Kim we learned to be happy from the inside out. Kim demonstrated her teaching skills and her natural leadership skills while reminding us to be true and thoughtful to ourselves and honor our feelings. The Happiness Workshop was the first of its kind for Kim and she packed a full house. I counted over 20 women in attendance and Kim led us all through the workshop; her friendly, warm energy radiating over us so that it was easy to personally identify with one another even though most of us were just meeting for the first time.

On March 4th, Melissa was awarded Teacher of the Year and I was honored to attend the ceremony as her BFF date. She looked positively radiant as she accepted her award for teaching high school math and algebra at Jesse Bethel High School in Vallejo. Teaching high school in Vallejo takes dedication, courage, and skill. Melissa is 100% engaged in her role as teacher and I see her dedication as she interacts with her students in public, when she talks to me about various ways she’s incorporating technology in the classroom, and when she excitedly describes the latest teaching method that she implemented in order to help her struggling students comprehend math. The award ceremony was held at the Elk’s Lodge in Vallejo and their 70’s leather furniture, comfortable bar and huge stone fireplace (no, I didn’t get a picture…dammit to hell!) would make a perfect Book Club meeting location. Now we just need to become Elks!

Sadist or Masochist

Hi Jenny,

I have this fun poll for you.  Just a question.  Don't get weird.