Reset Password
If you've forgotten your password, you can enter your email address below. An email will then be sent with a link to set up a new password.
Cancel
Reset Link Sent
If the email is registered with our site, you will receive an email with instructions to reset your password. Password reset link sent to:
Check your email and enter the confirmation code:
Don't see the email?
  • Resend Confirmation Link
  • Start Over
Close
If you have any questions, please contact Customer Service
Confessions of a Lifestyle Man
 
A decidedly pointed view of the swinging lifestyle, both personal and at large. Your comments help shape its direction -- so opine away!

And... please feel free to pimp any and all posts, including (especially?) the monthly virtual symposium. Watch this blog for updates on voting and symposium dates!
Keywords | Title View | Refer to a Friend |
Participants List For the Twenty-first Virtual Symposium: Teachers
Posted:Aug 7, 2016 5:36 am
Last Updated:Dec 10, 2018 12:46 pm
186922 Views

Welcome to the twenty-first virtual symposium, an informal collection of bloggers who – purely for the hell of it – voted on a single topic ("Teachers") and agreed, on or about August 7, to post their interpretations of that topic.

A public service announcement: Some folks find the default font size for long blog contributions small. Others find the much larger sizes offputting and hard to read… but I could see size 2 being a compromise. (This post has been posted in size 2, for what it’s worth…) Of course, there’s always the trick of holding down the control button and hitting either the + or – keys, which for most websites serves to enlarge or shrink copy and images. Whether or not folks decide to use the larger sizes is purely a matter of personal taste, and has no bearing on symposium eligibility.

As for the symposium itself: there are no prizes or awards, save for the opportunity to build a more-closely knit blog community. All bloggers are invited to participate in this, as well as all future, virtual symposiums. To participate, watch this blog for future symposium topics: We offer one per month.

The rules, such as they are, are simple: Once the blogosphere voted on a topic, all bloggers were and are invited to interpret the topic as loosely as they choose, and offer any type of post they like which either tangentially or directly addresses the topic, whether through fantasy/fiction, essay, photographs, image collages, poems, one-liners, or any other form they choose. Contact me through a comment on this post to be included on this list, which I will update as new participants make themselves known.

We (that’s the editorial we – or perhaps I have a tapeworm) hope readers will use these virtual forums to discover new, interesting voices. A request of readers: If you find an entry you especially like, please don’t be shy about leaving an attaboy/attagirl on the appropriate blog. Applause never hurts!

A continually updated list of participants can be found below: Please check back often, as I’ll add new posts as often as appropriate (and as other responsibilities allow). Please leave a note here if I haven’t included your submission!

Note: The site's system is being temperamental about posting hot links: Sometimes they work, sometimes they don't... sometimes they take a few attempts. If a link isn't hot, please track down the appropriate blogs. They're worth it.

AND... BY ALL MEANS, IF YOU HAVEN'T CONTRIBUTED AND WANT TO, PLEASE DO SO! Was hoping to get most of the submissions input at the start of the day... but people do keep checking the list for new contributors... so if you're so moved, write a post and let me know here so I can include you.

Hey, gang, looks like we picked up some new participants! Check the list, and give ‘em an appropriately inappropriate welcome!

In no particular order at all, our participants include:


2trythis: Personal Preferences Twenty First Virtual Symposium Teachers
yesmamallthetime: Mellifluous Musings [post 3867063]
wickedeasy: wicked and that ain't so easy synposium post teacher
[blog KtMnDu]: Ramblings.............. [post 3866916]
VenusRising11: TALESPINNER TEACHERS Virtual Symposium XXI
pocogato12: Musings,Memories, Mysteries Symposium 21 Teachers in my Life
jayayoung0791: Joyfully Kinky Seducing the Teaching Assistant
[blog Curious_Ginger80]: Gingers Always Have More Fun [post 3866806]
Annie_34: ♥ Annie est dingue ♥ [post 3865746]
pirate2late: Echo On the Wind XXI Virtual Symposium Teachers
effer2910: Mots jetés VS XXI_Mon bulletin scolaire_My report card
[blog fantasmasse1]: C'est peut être.. [post 3863006]
LemonSqueezy7116: Just a little tart The 21st Virtual Symposium Unlikely Teachers
satyrnsheepzskin: Satyr In Sheep's Skin 21st Virtual Symposium Life and the Lessons She Teaches Us
Not_here2meet: If you're bored, read Virtual Symposium Entry Teachers
TrucknLuvn: Songs of the Trucker Babe Teach Me Tonight The 21st Virtual Symposium
ChocolateNinja1: ☁☁Cloudy With a Chance Of..... [post 3867321]
nawtyinaus: Tales of the Nawty Virtual Symposium 21 My Fucking Teachers
sweet_VM: In your Dreams School Teachers and a problem growing Virtual Symposium
[blog spunkycumfun]: Sexy TIMES [post 3867353]
gardenboy321: Thoughts from the Garden... The Greatest Teacher I Know Isn39t Even Real
[blog aflower2c]: Flowers world of words... [post 3867444]
LiveLifeDoU: My Blog The 21st Virtual Symposium my dad the teacher
[blog veryfunnyguy64]: Musings and other Thoughts! Teaching Via Trial and Error Life Lessons in Sex
[blog author51]: My Best ASSets [post 3867783]
rachel0718: Insights & Observations We all teach each other something in this life
ProfPlayful: The Naughty Professor Falling In Love With Your Professor
27 Comments
”Teachers” is The Topic For The Twenty-First Virtual Symposium
Posted:Aug 2, 2016 4:51 am
Last Updated:Aug 7, 2016 11:52 pm
177933 Views

The populace has spoken, and pocogato12’s suggestion, Teachers, is the topic of choice. Can’t wait to see the various interpretations on Saturday, August 7!

For those new to the virtual symposium: In short, it’s a simultaneous act of blogging. Anybody with a blog on this site is welcome to join in. Contributors create something – an essay, a cartoon, an erotic story, a memoir, a series of one-line aphorisms, an image collage, a photo montage, a poem, or anything else – relating to “teachers.”At a pre-arranged time and date (see below) all participants post their contributions.

Want a better sense of how it works – or just some good reads? Here’s a link to the participants’ list from the most recent symposium: Participants List For the Twentieth Virtual Symposium CravingsAddictionsObsessions

Feel free to take the basic idea of “Cravings/Addictions/Obsessions” and stretch it to as wild an interpretation as you like -- the post should reflect you! Anything goes, as long as there is a trace of the original idea in the post.

On the morning of Sunday, August 7, all participants will post their creations and notify me via a post on my blog. Please, please, post ‘em to your own blogs early: I want to link to them in a central post here, but I don’t want to be stapled to my desk all day.

I'll be responsible for posting links to your blogs – I want to make this as effortless for participants as possible! Again, once you’ve posted, leave a note in the comments section here so I know to link to your submission. I will, of course, post latecomers… people do check back to see whether new participants have joined the symposium. But after the morning of August 7, I may not be updating the list as obsessively.

As for contributions themselves: The idea is to create something new, as opposed to using posts to respond to other posts (although the comments section will, of course, remain fair game). Leave a note in the blog comments, and I’ll use a post on this blog that day to link to all contributions.

First suggestion: Participants may want to refer to either the virtual symposium or the topic itself in their headline. Not a requirement – there are no requirements, save for originality and participation – but a suggestion which will let the wide blog community know what we’re doing.

Second suggestion: Consider using one of the larger sizes, which can be found in the box when inputting a post. I find the much larger sizes offputting and hard to read… but size 2, to my mind, balances having to squint and the vertigo-inducing larger sizes. (This post has been posted in size 2, for what it’s worth…) Of course, there’s always the trick of holding down the control button and hitting either the + or – keys, which for most websites serves to enlarge or shrink copy and images.

This is not a contest. No souvenir mugs will be sent, nor ribbons awarded. The idea here is for those interested to, on a single day, offer an interpretation of a single topic for the sheer fun of it.

By all means, encourage other bloggers to participate – and to let me know they’re doing so through this post, so on the morning of Sunday, August 7 I can link to their posts. Oh, and please consider this an invitation – if not a request – to the symposium both on your own blogs, and in individual requests to bloggers whom you’d like to see represented. The more the merrier, right? There are some folks with very distinct voices on this site who aren’t yet participating – let’s bring ‘em in and make ‘em one of us, one of us, one of us!

Remember, of course, to keep things in your voice!

Every symposium, there are a few newbies who contribute posts, and don’t let me know about their contributions (I catch some by watching the “recent posts” feed, but that’s hit or miss). So… once you post, please leave me a note on the master list post, or here! (I get messages about the symposium which are attached to the blog a little faster than the ones which are emailed to me.)

Can’t wait to see the results!

Final note: When the page with all the contributors goes live, please consider adding the link to your post, even if the contribution has already gone live. Doing so allows people to readily access all the other offerings… which is, after all, one of the purposes of this exercise.
29 Comments
The Virtual Symposium Returns: Let’s Pick A Topic!
Posted:Jul 28, 2016 10:20 am
Last Updated:Aug 7, 2016 5:40 am
225504 Views

With this, the symposium turns 21 – 21 editions of this exercise in simultaneous blogging, that is, and about two years old in total.

It’s time to pick the next topic, a topic which hopefully will open itself for a cornucopia of essays, fiction, poems, photos, erotica, personal memories, artwork, and all-around goodwill and support of the blogosphere. And we all want goodwill in the blogosphere, right, folks?

Let’s pick a topic from those listed below, and on the morning of Sunday, August 7 I’ll provide a central landing page which will have links to all contributors’ offerings. No matter which topic we ultimately choose, I hope folks will warp it as wildly as befits their personalities. The more offbeat the interpretation, the better!

A suggestion: Since there have been a few site hiccups, I’d recommend writing your contribution in either a word processing program or (if you don’t want it hanging around on a shared computer) an email you send to yourself. On symposium Sunday, all you’ll have to do is cut, paste, and place images. Oh, and once I’ve put up a master list, if you could edit your post and provide a link so your readers can enjoy the other contributions, that would be jolly good show…

Once you do, be sure to leave a message on either this post the master list post indicating that you've made a contribution. I get notifications here faster than through any other channel...

A note: While we’ll accept contributions all day, this site’s problems with links going live should come as no surprise to anyone. The earlier folks post their contributions, the sooner, it seems, links go live.

Regarding the symposium itself, the only two rules are: A ) Please post as early on the chosen day as possible, to allow for maximum exposure (and, quite frankly, so I’m not glued to my desk all day), and B ) the posts should be entirely original, as opposed to commenting on other posts from the topic. Ideally, posts should be created beforehand, and put on the site on the designated day. (The comments sections, of course, would be fair game!) In deference to those of us with advancing ages and eyesight to match, posting entries in size 2 (this size) is appreciated, but not necessary.

A suggestion: Participants may want to refer to either the virtual symposium or the topic itself in their headline. Not a requirement – there are no requirements, save for originality and participation – but a suggestion which will let the blog community know what we’re doing. They should definitely let me know, once they’ve posted, that they’ve done so in the comments section on the blog: I get those notifications faster than through the site email system.

And… this is not a contest. No souvenir mugs will be sent, nor ribbons or bling awarded. The idea here is for those interested to, on a single day, offer an interpretation of a single topic for the sheer fun of it.

By all means, encourage other bloggers to participate – and to let me know they’re doing so through this post, so on August 7 I can link to their posts. Oh, and consider this permission – nay, encouragement – to the symposium and link back to this post! I’d like to make sure folks interested in participating have the opportunity to do so. , , – and remember, pimping is a great way to influence your topic of choice.

Electioneering is perfectly legal, here… so feel free to leave reactions, persuasive arguments, and snide asides (about topics, but NOT bloggers) in the comments section below. Also: A comment or two here will increase the symposium’s visibility… and it would be nice to affirm what the blogosphere can be.

So what topic will we use for the next virtual symposium? I’ve listed four – I think they’re general enough that, whichever one we end up choosing, most folks should be comfortable offering reactions. At any rate, here are the choices. Feel free to electioneer in the comments, below, for any you find particularly compelling.

Voting for the topic will close at end-day on Monday, August 1. this vote… and let’s get some more newbies involved!

Participants are encouraged to note in their contributions that they’re part of a communal effort and provide a link to the central page (adding that link retroactively, after I’ve created the central page, would be very helpful). Doing so allows someone who stumbles on one individual’s blog item to enjoy as many of our pieces as he/she wants… and further strengthens a sense of virtual community.
Chocolate
Surrealism
Cats
Teachers
Other (Write it in below and lobby for it. Longshot, but… why not?)
66 Comments , 59 votes
Twentieth Virtual Symposium on “Cravings/Addictions/Obsessions”: The Swinging Buddhist
Posted:Jun 4, 2016 10:04 pm
Last Updated:Apr 21, 2021 8:26 pm
228559 Views

This blog entry is part of the twentieth virtual symposium, an informal collection of bloggers who – purely for the hell of it – voted for a single topic (“Cravings/Addictions/Obsessions”) and agreed, on or about June 5, to post their interpretations of that topic. A continually updated list of participants can be found here: Participants List For the Twentieth Virtual Symposium CravingsAddictionsObsessions

The Devil, it is said, is capable of quoting Scripture for his own purpose. But what to make of a religious tradition which does not embrace demonic personifications of the profane… yet whose adherents raise the question of whether or not swinging is within the realm of permissible behavior?

“Buddhism’s ‘Sexual Misconduct’ Defined,” a post on the Wisdom Quarterly: American Buddhist Journal blog, does not directly address swinging, although readers did in the comment section. The post itself does talk about craving being a barrier to achieving a noble life.

To quote the authors, “Sexual misconduct or ‘wrong sensual indulgence” is karmically harmful behavior…. This is because craving arises, and one habitually tries to satisfy it in an ultimately unsatisfactory manner.”

Two questions immediately jump out: First, what exactly is sexual misconduct? And second, does simply abstaining from an activity eliminate the craving?

First question first. For the most part, the post notes that “‘sexual misconduct’ has been hastily defined … based on Judeo-Christian thinking as “fornication and adultery.” But the Buddha did not teach that householders should abstain from sex, nor did he proclaim that they should engage in sex only in the context of marriage as many Christian sects teach.

“It is mistaken and off-putting to confuse the Puritanical teachings of other religions with the ethical universals taught by the Buddha.

“Consenting individuals … are free to engage in and enjoy sex without being admonished. What is important is that in so doing they are neither being harmed nor causing harm to others.”


Rock the bed, you beautiful-bellied bastard! As for the second question – the one about whether not indulging in pleasure eliminates the – ahem – craving, addiction, or obsession… in the comments section, poster Russell notes “…sexual misconduct doesn't include things such as Polyamory or Swinging, so long as both partners in the marriage and happy with it and everyone is consenting.

“Misconduct happens when lies are told or bullying happens. So you can go to a Swingers party with your partner, you can both have multiple sexual partners and Sexual Misconduct will not happen”


Heh. So it seems the path to Buddhist enlightenment is that if one must be a slut, one should be an ethical slut, right? Works for me.

But it didn’t apparently work for a few anonymous posters. Here’s a sampling of their arguments:

“Having multiple sexual partners would lead one to overdevelopment of the sensual self. If the goal of Buddhism is to eliminate craving, we can see where sex would be a problem. One does not stop craving sex by having it.

“[One’s] desire would have to be rather high if one is seeking out other partners for sexual pleasure. Fetishes and sexual practices come from a need to feel ‘more’ sexual excitement, more pleasure. Thus orgies and many other sexual activities fall into the realm of earthly lust. Committing these activities keeps one tied down in kama.”


Editor’s note: Don’t confuse kama with karma. Kama refers to the pleasures of the senses. Think Kama Sutra.

Back to the naysayers: Write another anonymous arguer: “[W]hile technically an orgy with consenting parties wouldn’t be sexual misconduct you must ask yourself.... is this action creating craving? Does this action come from craving?”

Well, you know what they say – “Never provoke a bodhisattva to rage.” Okay, virtually nobody says that – bodhisattvas are enlightened people who, despite reaching nirvana through study, choose not to do so to serve as earthy examples to others. They’re generally pretty chill folks. But a few of these enlightened folks weighed in with pro-swinging views. To quote yet another anonymous poster (with his or her grammar left intact):

“Swinging and polyamory are against ‘the Way’? Bullshit. They're just things people do that yr uncomfortable with, so therefore ‘those’ people have too much desire, they couldn't be as ‘enlightened’ as you, surely not.....

“The idea that orgiastic sex and spirituality are mutually exclusive is almost laughable when you consider that there are respectable spiritual traditions that make it an integral part of their ritual and worship, even within Buddhism, although usually in symbolic form.

“You say that such a lifestyle is indicative of extreme craving, but thats just judgement. Swingers are just being open and honest with their partners and the world about their sexuality. This is likely to lead to REDUCED suffering. Who's doing more to overcome their egoic desires, the renunciate who swears off all sex to meditate for years, or the orgiast who overcomes jealousy and monogamy to please their partner? Yr just pissed that someone may be having group sex and realizing the Infinite at the same time, while you spent 20 years in a cave.”


The last word on the blog went to Stay True, who is indeed a True Believer:

“People assume that multiple partners = more attachment/more craving, but I have experienced the opposite... Craving/Posessiveness/Attachment is common in monogamous relationships… Neither swinging nor not swinging is the way... Attachment to either is probably not going to serve”.

In short, if you meet the Buddha on the road, blow him. Provided he reciprocates, of course…
28 Comments
Participants List For the Twentieth Virtual Symposium: Cravings/Addictions/Obsessions
Posted:Jun 4, 2016 10:02 pm
Last Updated:Apr 21, 2021 8:25 pm
246775 Views

Welcome to the twentieth virtual symposium, an informal collection of bloggers who – purely for the hell of it – voted on a single topic ("Cravings/Addictions/Obsessions") and agreed, on or about June 5, to post their interpretations of that topic.

A public service announcement: Some folks find the default font size for long blog contributions small. Others find the much larger sizes offputting and hard to read… but I could see size 2 being a compromise. (This post has been posted in size 2, for what it’s worth…) Of course, there’s always the trick of holding down the control button and hitting either the + or – keys, which for most websites serves to enlarge or shrink copy and images. Whether or not folks decide to use the larger sizes is purely a matter of personal taste, and has no bearing on symposium eligibility.

As for the symposium itself: there are no prizes or awards, save for the opportunity to build a more-closely knit blog community. All bloggers are invited to participate in this, as well as all future, virtual symposiums. To participate, watch this blog for future symposium topics: We offer one per month.

The rules, such as they are, are simple: Once the blogosphere voted on a topic, all bloggers were and are invited to interpret the topic as loosely as they choose, and offer any type of post they like which either tangentially or directly addresses the topic, whether through fantasy/fiction, essay, photographs, image collages, poems, one-liners, or any other form they choose. Contact me through a comment on this post to be included on this list, which I will update as new participants make themselves known.

We (that’s the editorial we – or perhaps I have a tapeworm) hope readers will use these virtual forums to discover new, interesting voices. A request of readers: If you find an entry you especially like, please don’t be shy about leaving an attaboy/attagirl on the appropriate blog. Applause never hurts!

A continually updated list of participants can be found below: Please check back often, as I’ll add new posts as often as appropriate (and as other responsibilities allow). Please leave a note here if I haven’t included your submission!

Note: The site's system is being temperamental about posting hot links: Sometimes they work, sometimes they don't... sometimes they take a few attempts. If a link isn't hot, please track down the appropriate blogs. They're worth it.

AND... BY ALL MEANS, IF YOU HAVEN'T CONTRIBUTED AND WANT TO, PLEASE DO SO! Was hoping to get most of the submissions input at the start of the day... but people do keep checking the list for new contributors... so if you're so moved, write a post and let me know here so I can include you.

Hey, gang, looks like we picked up some new participants! Check the list, and give ‘em an appropriately inappropriate welcome!

In no particular order at all, our participants include:


SilverPhenix: Musing Phoenix 20th Symposium Wacky Addictions
BrownEyedBBW: For the Kiss of the Wind Twentieth Virtual Symposium Cravings, Addictions amp Obsessions
pirate2late: Echo On the Wind XX Virtual SymposiumCravingsAddictionsObsessions
VenusRising11: TALESPINNER Twentieth Virtual Symposium CravingsAddictionsObsessions
2trythis: Personal Preference Twentieth Virtual Symposium CravingsAddictionsObsessions
kzoopair: Take two- they're small Addiction
humorlife: Confessions of a Lifestyle Man Twentieth Virtual Symposium on CravingsAddictionsObsessions The Swinging Buddhist
[blog Curious_Ginger80]: Gingers Always Have More Fun [post 3836408]
yesmamallthetime: Mellifluous Musings [post 3836425]
[blog aflower2c]: Flowers world of words... [post 3836255]
Annie_34: ♥ Annie est dingue ♥ [post 3835682]
LemonSqueezy7116: Just a little tart 20th Virtual Symposium my current obsession
[blog JN63JPN]: JN's Jottings [post 3836490]
nightsoul1962: Tales of a night soul [post 3836487]
lok4fun500: A NORTHERN GENTLEMAN [post 3836480]
LiveLifeDoU: My Blog Cravings, Addictions, Obsessions
effer2910: Mots jetés VS XX_Addictions
[blog yckare]: Rêves d'envols... [post 3836592]
Furbal1972: Journal of a Taxi Driver Obsessed With Nature PhotoBlogging
[blog author51]: My Best ASSets [post 3836546]
satyrnsheepzskin Satyr In Sheep's Skin 20th Virtual Symposium I Crave Obsessively Addicting Brains
myelin36: Dirty Little Secrets Symposium Entry Face It, Youre Addicted to Love
[blog LadyLeo1949]: STEPPING STONES INTO MY LIFE.. [post 3836493]
[blog Boris4772]: The Weekly Dose...Of Reality [post 3836500]
1tongue4yall: sensuality virtual symposiumVS
NaughtyInSO: It's a Mad, Mad, Mad World... Twentieth Virtual Symposium
[blog spunkycumfun]: Sexy TIMES [post 3836627]
39lawless: The Chronicles of Me.... Passion and obsession Blogger Symposium
gardenboy321 Thoughts from the Garden... SPREAD Kate Moss an Obsession
Tmptrzz: Tmptrzz's Erotic Adventures DESCRIPTION OF A SEX ADDICT
[blog chatgal_awes2]: Confessions [post 3836736]
[blog BiggLala]: The Lalaverse [post 3836737]
[blog TerraNova4Two]: Terra Nova [post 3836781]
rachel0718: Insights & Observations Cravings, addictions amp obsessions Oh I have my share
gardenboy321 (Second time around!): Thoughts from the Garden... GB does OBSESSION
ChocolateNinja1: ☁☁Cloudy With a Chance Of..... [post 3836899]
CookiesNMischief Hands in the Cookie Jar The 20th Virtual Symposium Kicking It Up With My Soleful Obsession
Eros_Space: LOVE AND ROCKETS [post 3837183]
[blog Fatgirl1976]: Mmmomentos de prazer ou não... [post 3837262]
sweeetnspicy: A Debaucherous Mind My longing
KItkat1415: Kinks and High Jinks Bloggers Symposium Addictions, Obsessions, and Cravings Kitkat39s Take On It
pocogato12: Musings,Memories, Mysteries Late Entry Symposium 20
45 Comments
“Cravings/Addictions/Obsessions” Is The Topic For The Twentieth Virtual Symposium
Posted:May 31, 2016 4:31 am
Last Updated:Jun 5, 2016 6:04 am
237418 Views

Is the electorate smarter than the candidate? Symposium-participant-suggested topics win with regularity, and this month is no exception: NaughtyinSO’s offering, Cravings/Addictions/Obsessions, is this month’s top choice for the upcoming virtual symposium’s topic. Good on her, and well voted, everyone!

As with all symposium topics, this one does not necessarily refer to anything sexual: Let Cravings/Addictions/Obsessions reflect as wide a range of interpretations as there are symposium participants!

For those new to the virtual symposium: In short, it’s a simultaneous act of blogging. Anybody with a blog on this site is welcome to join in. Contributors create something – an essay, a cartoon, an erotic story, a memoir, a series of one-line aphorisms, an image collage, a photo montage, a poem, or anything else – relating to “Cravings/Addictions/Obsessions.” At a pre-arranged time and date (see below) all participants post their contributions.

Want a better sense of how it works – or just some good reads? Here’s a link to the participants’ list from the most recent symposium: Participants List For the Nineteenth Virtual Symposium Science

Feel free to take the basic idea of “Cravings/Addictions/Obsessions” and stretch it to as wild an interpretation as you like -- the post should reflect you! Anything goes, as long as there is a trace of the original idea in the post.

On the morning of Sunday, June 5, all participants will post their creations and notify me via a post on my blog. Please, please, post ‘em to your own blogs early: I want to link to them in a central post here, but I don’t want to be stapled to my desk all day.

I'll be responsible for posting links to your blogs – I want to make this as effortless for participants as possible! Again, once you’ve posted, leave a note in the comments section here so I know to link to your submission. I will, of course, post latecomers… people do check back to see whether new participants have joined the symposium. But after the morning of June 5, I may not be updating the list as obsessively.

As for contributions themselves: The idea is to create something new, as opposed to using posts to respond to other posts (although the comments section will, of course, remain fair game). Leave a note in the blog comments, and I’ll use a post on this blog that day to link to all contributions.

First suggestion: Participants may want to refer to either the virtual symposium or the topic itself in their headline. Not a requirement – there are no requirements, save for originality and participation – but a suggestion which will let the wide blog community know what we’re doing.

Second suggestion: Consider using one of the larger sizes, which can be found in the box when inputting a post. I find the much larger sizes offputting and hard to read… but size 2, to my mind, balances having to squint and the vertigo-inducing larger sizes. (This post has been posted in size 2, for what it’s worth…) Of course, there’s always the trick of holding down the control button and hitting either the + or – keys, which for most websites serves to enlarge or shrink copy and images.

This is not a contest. No souvenir mugs will be sent, nor ribbons awarded. The idea here is for those interested to, on a single day, offer an interpretation of a single topic for the sheer fun of it.

By all means, encourage other bloggers to participate – and to let me know they’re doing so through this post, so on the morning of Sunday, June 5 I can link to their posts. Oh, and please consider this an invitation – if not a request – to the symposium both on your own blogs, and in individual requests to bloggers whom you’d like to see represented. The more the merrier, right? There are some folks with very distinct voices on this site who aren’t yet participating – let’s bring ‘em in and make ‘em one of us, one of us, one of us!

Remember, of course, to keep things in your voice!

Every symposium, there are a few newbies who contribute posts, and don’t let me know about their contributions (I catch some by watching the “recent posts” feed, but that’s hit or miss). So… once you post, please leave me a note on the master list post, or here! (I get messages about the symposium which are attached to the blog a little faster than the ones which are emailed to me.)

Can’t wait to see the results!

Second-to-last note: I’ve been very, very behind in commenting on, and thanking contributors for, their offerings. I’m about halfway through the submissions for the EIGHTEENTH symposium: They’ve been terrific, and I’ve loved ‘em… but a workload during the past two months has been pretty heavy, in a “we’re-going-to-actually-make-the-rent-this-summer” sorta way. I WILL get to all of ‘em – and those offered for the nineteenth as well. I apologize to all, especially the newbies: I really do appreciate and value your efforts.

Final note: When the page with all the contributors goes live, please consider adding the link to your post, even if the contribution has already gone live. Doing so allows people to readily access all the other offerings… which is, after all, one of the purposes of this exercise.
57 Comments
The Virtual Symposium Returns: Let’s Pick A Topic!
Posted:May 27, 2016 6:16 am
Last Updated:Jul 28, 2016 10:13 am
244428 Views

Welcome to voting for the double X – or 20th, for those who don’t speak Roman – virtual symposium! It’s time to pick the topic, a topic which hopefully will open itself for a cornucopia of essays, fiction, poems, photos, erotica, personal memories, artwork, and all-around goodwill and support of the blogosphere.

Speaking of the support of the blogosphere and bloggers, [blog Darling_Annette] has created a number of promotional tiles which tout the topic-suggestion process, the voting process, and the symposium itself. Several of these feature photos of contributors. She’s always looking for more subjects, so contributors who are interested – and who have face photographs – are encouraged to contact her.

On to the symposium itself! Let’s pick one from those listed below, and on the morning of Sunday, June 5 I’ll provide a central landing page which will have links to all contributors’ offerings. No matter which topic we ultimately choose, I hope folks will warp it as wildly as befits their personalities. The more offbeat the interpretation, the better!

A suggestion: Since there have been a few site hiccups, I’d recommend writing your contribution in either a word processing program or (if you don’t want it hanging around on a shared computer) an email you send to yourself. On symposium Sunday, all you’ll have to do is cut, paste, and place images. Oh, and once I’ve put up a master list, if you could edit your post and provide a link so your readers can enjoy the other contributions, that would be jolly good show…

Once you do, be sure to leave a message on either this post the master list post indicating that you've made a contribution. I get notifications here faster than through any other channel...

A note: While we’ll accept contributions all day, this site’s problems with links going live should come as no surprise to anyone. The earlier folks post their contributions, the sooner, it seems, links go live.

Regarding the symposium itself, the only two rules are: A ) Please post as early on the chosen day as possible, to allow for maximum exposure (and, quite frankly, so I’m not glued to my desk all day), and B ) the posts should be entirely original, as opposed to commenting on other posts from the topic. Ideally, posts should be created beforehand, and put on the site on the designated day. (The comments sections, of course, would be fair game!) In deference to those of us with advancing ages and eyesight to match, posting entries in size 2 (this size) is appreciated, but not necessary.

A suggestion: Participants may want to refer to either the virtual symposium or the topic itself in their headline. Not a requirement – there are no requirements, save for originality and participation – but a suggestion which will let the blog community know what we’re doing. They should definitely let me know, once they’ve posted, that they’ve done so in the comments section on the blog: I get those notifications faster than through the site email system.

And… this is not a contest. No souvenir mugs will be sent, nor ribbons or bling awarded. The idea here is for those interested to, on a single day, offer an interpretation of a single topic for the sheer fun of it.

By all means, encourage other bloggers to participate – and to let me know they’re doing so through this post, so on June 5 I can link to their posts. Oh, and consider this permission – nay, encouragement – to the symposium and link back to this post! I’d like to make sure folks interested in participating have the opportunity to do so. , , – and remember, pimping is a great way to influence your topic of choice.

Electioneering is perfectly legal, here… so feel free to leave reactions, persuasive arguments, and snide asides (about topics, but NOT bloggers) in the comments section below. Also: A comment or two here will increase the symposium’s visibility… and it would be nice to affirm what the blogosphere can be.

So what topic will we use for the next virtual symposium? I’ve listed four – I think they’re general enough that, whichever one we end up choosing, most folks should be comfortable offering reactions. At any rate, here are the choices. Feel free to electioneer in the comments, below, for any you find particularly compelling.

Voting for the topic will close at end-day on Monday, May 30. this vote… and let’s get some more newbies involved!

Participants are encouraged to note in their contributions that they’re part of a communal effort and provide a link to the central page (adding that link retroactively, after I’ve created the central page, would be very helpful). Doing so allows someone who stumbles on one individual’s blog item to enjoy as many of our pieces as he/she wants… and further strengthens a sense of virtual community.
Bad Taste
Cravings/Addictions/Obsessions
Bisexuality
Movies
Other (Write it in below. Longshot, but… why not? One of these days a write-in is going to win!)
66 Comments , 76 votes
Nineteenth Virtual Symposium: App Brings Silicon Valley Swinging Into The Digital Age
Posted:May 7, 2016 9:05 pm
Last Updated:May 18, 2016 4:38 pm
273474 Views

This blog entry is part of the nineteenth virtual symposium, an informal collection of bloggers who – purely for the hell of it – voted for a single topic (“Science”) and agreed, on or about May 8, to post their interpretations of that topic. A continually updated list of participants can be found here: Participants List For the Nineteenth Virtual Symposium Science

The smartphone has insinuated itself into yet another pastime. Those of a certain age may remember key parties, a hallmark of 1970s suburban swinging in which, after a social gathering, men would put their keys in a bowl, women would draw them out, and the resulting matchups would provide the evening’s carnal entertainment.

How quaintly analog that is! As CNN Money reporter Laurie Segall stated in Inside a high-tech San Francisco swinger's party, “For certain communities, the mobile device is the new key, and tech is connecting modern-day high-tech swingers.”

The report covers the Bronze Party, a series of events based in San Francisco's Potrero Hill which draw heavily from the region’s Silicon Valley workforce.

Bronze Party events hosted by entrepreneur Ben Fuller, and as befits their Silicon Valley surroundings, they have a strong technology component. As CNN’s Segall writes, “In preparation for events, many Bronze Club members use a feature called, ‘Auto Date,’ Fuller says. ‘The mobile phone is a great tool. We have a thing called Auto Date which allows you in the party itself to choose the people that you're interested in, and if you choose and they choose, you get a notification. You can meet these people. Their information pops up. It’s a modern-day key.’”

Guests are not just swingers: In some cases, they’re technical consultants. Writes Segall: “’They often have great ideas about technology ... that I can apply here at Bronze Party,’ [Fuller] says, citing an iPhone developer who helped manage contact information, email experts who've helped get around Gmail filters, and a user experience designer who helped redesign the website and mobile app.”

Does tech design really matter to people who show up at Fuller’s parties? Yes, says Stella, an attendee who, like her husband Greg, is an engineer. “We are in Silicon Valley," Stella told CNN Money. "People here don't have a very high tolerance for bad websites.”

For all the high-tech gadgetry, the ultimate goal is a fairly low-tech activity. The Bronze Party is an on-premises event, meaning that couples who mingle and meet in a downstairs area have the option of going upstairs to a playroom, as opposed to heading to a hotel or host’s home.

Does the technology offer something new to swinging, or is it just putting an unnecessary bell or whistle (or, perhaps, beep or ping) on something which was chugging along just fine without it?

Fuller seems to think the former. "In the old days, you never knew where you were going," he told CNN Money. "Now you get a really good sense. The event details ...even the pictures of the people that are going to be attending the party."

*Sigh* And people wonder why there’s no mystery left…
55 Comments
Participants List For the Nineteenth Virtual Symposium: Science
Posted:May 7, 2016 9:02 pm
Last Updated:May 31, 2016 4:28 am
279384 Views

Welcome to the nineteenth virtual symposium, an informal collection of bloggers who – purely for the hell of it – voted on a single topic ("Science") and agreed, on or about May 8, to post their interpretations of that topic. We’ve picked up a double handful of newbies with this one, so search ‘em out and show ‘em a little love!

A public service announcement: Some folks find the default font size for long blog contributions small. Others find the much larger sizes offputting and hard to read… but I could see size 2 being a compromise. (This post has been posted in size 2, for what it’s worth…) Of course, there’s always the trick of holding down the control button and hitting either the + or – keys, which for most websites serves to enlarge or shrink copy and images. Whether or not folks decide to use the larger sizes is purely a matter of personal taste, and has no bearing on symposium eligibility.

As for the symposium itself: there are no prizes or awards, save for the opportunity to build a more-closely knit blog community. All bloggers are invited to participate in this, as well as all future, virtual symposiums. To participate, watch this blog for future symposium topics: We offer one per month.

The rules, such as they are, are simple: Once the blogosphere voted on a topic, all bloggers were and are invited to interpret the topic as loosely as they choose, and offer any type of post they like which either tangentially or directly addresses the topic, whether through fantasy/fiction, essay, photographs, image collages, poems, one-liners, or any other form they choose. Contact me through a comment on this post to be included on this list, which I will update as new participants make themselves known.

We (that’s the editorial we – or perhaps I have a tapeworm) hope readers will use these virtual forums to discover new, interesting voices. A request of readers: If you find an entry you especially like, please don’t be shy about leaving an attaboy/attagirl on the appropriate blog. Applause never hurts!

A continually updated list of participants can be found below: Please check back often, as I’ll add new posts as often as appropriate (and as other responsibilities allow). Please leave a note here if I haven’t included your submission!

Note: The site's system is being temperamental about posting hot links: Sometimes they work, sometimes they don't... sometimes they take a few attempts. If a link isn't hot, please track down the appropriate blogs. They're worth it.

AND... BY ALL MEANS, IF YOU HAVEN'T CONTRIBUTED AND WANT TO, PLEASE DO SO! Was hoping to get most of the submissions input at the start of the day... but people do keep checking the list for new contributors... so if you're so moved, write a post and let me know here so I can include you.

Hey, gang, looks like we picked up some new participants! Check the list, and give ‘em an appropriately inappropriate welcome!

In no particular order at all, our participants include:


satyrnsheepzskin: Satyr In Sheep's Skin Early Sunday Symposium Science and the Endless Fathom of Imagination
wickedeasy: wicked and that ain't so easy Scientific repercussions
effer2910: Mots jetés VS XIX_Science
TrucknLuvn: (Part 1 of 3 -- see below): Songs of the Trucker Babe Weird Science Nineteenth Virtual Symposium Pt 1
VenusRising11: TALESPINNER THE BIG THREE OF SCIENCE FICTION 19TH VIRTUAL SYMPOSIUM SCIENCE
nawtyinaus: Tales of the Nawty Why Do I Want to Fuck You Symposium 19 Science
marriedcretin: Rambling of a Brit in Texas Science Symposium history of the earth via death
Honeydripper126: A Sticky Situation [post 3822803]
[blog TerraNova4Two]: Terra Nova [post 3822830]
SlenderGal88: To Be Consumed [post 3822824] i
[blog aflower2c]: Flowers world of words... [post 3822807]
[blog Curious_Ginger80]: Gingers Always Have More Fun [post 3822805]
humorlife: Confessions of a Lifestyle Man Nineteenth Virtual Symposium App Brings Silicon Valley Swinging Into The Digital Age
[blog JN63JPN]: JN's Jottings [post 3822793]
[blog KtMnDu]: Ramblings.............. [post 3822787]
kzoopair: Take two- they're small The Silence of the Trees
KItkat1415: Kinks and High Jinks Science And The Quality Of Life Nineteenth Bloggers Symposium
ReBar100: Just The Right Amount Of Wrong Fucking in Space The Nineteenth Virtual Symposium
[blog eMANrising]: going LOCAL [post 3821552]
[blog eMANrising]: going LOCAL [post 3822598]
[blog elastic_heart]: ❀Blackberry Fields Forever❀ [post 3820423]
NaughtyInSO: It's a Mad, Mad, Mad World... Condoms Before And After Nineteenth Virtual Symposium Science
[blog kinkyfem73]: Kinkyland [post 3822616]
[blog whome1963]: Thoughts from a Shiny Skull [post 3822577]
2trythis: Personal Preferences Nineteenth Virtual Symposium Science, or in my case S C I E N C E
Annie_34: ♥ Annie est dingue ♥ [post 3821494]
sweetflower67: Une fleur parmi les fleurs Ma participation au xixme symposium La science
JDC_41: JBlog How Science and technology will change your sexual life my contrib to the XIX symposium
[blog LadyLeo1949]: STEPPING STONES INTO MY LIFE.. [post 3822852]
LemonSqueezy7116: Just a little tart 19th virtual symposium dating science or art
Furbal1972: Journal of a Taxi Driver Science Symposium
Golly06: Naught My Blog [post 3822886]
CookiesNMischief: Hands in the Cookie Jar The 19th Virtual Symposium The UnSenually Scientific Way We No Longer Talk To One Another
TrucknLuvn: (Part 2 of 3 -- see below): Songs of the Trucker Babe Chemistry Nineteenth Virtual Symposium Pt 2
[blog author51]: My Best ASSets [post 3822973]
seingalt23: Geschichten meines Lebens Science The Art of Copy Paste 19th Virtual Symposium
[blog spunkycumfun]: Sexy TIMES [post 3823046]
TicklePlease: 🚢Tickle's Travels✈ Science and UnScience
HermanG67: untangling my mind [post 3823069]
gardenboy321: Thoughts from the Garden... The Vastness Before Me
[blog chatgal_awes2]: Confessions [post 3823133]
missthee: me, myself, and missthee
ProfPlayful: The Naughty Professor Science and Living
[blog RibaldAmusement]: Piquant Ruminations [post 3823147]
Eros_Space: LOVE AND ROCKETS [post 3823191]
bipolybabe69: ..yes I said yes I will Yes." The UnScientist
yesmamallthetime: Mellifluous Musings [post 3823345]
Seraphim13: My Kingdom of Hearts Sexual Chemistry and more
pocogato12: My Blog Medicine as Science and as Art
[blog Fatgirl1976]: Mmmomentos de prazer ou não... [post 3823757]
missthee: me, myself, and missthee The Princess and the Pea Virtual Symposium
ChocolateNinja1: ☁☁Cloudy With a Chance Of..... [post 3823889]
BeccaLuvs: Me to u Sexy New Tech Fun Cos of Science
TrucknLuvn: (Part 3 of 3 -- see above): Songs of the Trucker Babe Rules Don39t Stop Nineteenth Virtual Symposium Pt 3
57 Comments
“Science” Is The Topic For The Nineteenth Virtual Symposium
Posted:May 2, 2016 3:34 am
Last Updated:May 8, 2016 10:34 am
269690 Views

Hey, folks, it's been brought to my attention that, due to some boneheaded planning on my part, the symposium falls on Mother's Day. Yowza! Feel free to post early -- say, Saturday May 7 -- and drop me a note saying that you've done so. For the glory of motherhood, I reckon I can do a little extra coreographing... just be sure to let me know that your post is up.

See, now THAT’S how to have an election season! Engaging choices, every vote counts, a real contest (one option jumped out to an early lead, but others came on strong toward the end.) Oh… and short. Mercifully, blessedly short. Not like – ah, but why go there? In this case, the early front runner prevailed, and last month’s runner-up – Science – is this month’s top choice for the upcoming virtual symposium’s topic.

As with all symposium topics, this one does not necessarily refer to anything sexual: Let Science reflect as wide a range of interpretations as there are symposium participants!

For those new to the virtual symposium: In short, it’s a simultaneous act of blogging. Anybody with a blog on this site is welcome to join in. Contributors create something – an essay, a cartoon, an erotic story, a memoir, a series of one-line aphorisms, an image collage, a photo montage, a poem, or anything else – relating to “Science.” At a pre-arranged time and date (see below) all participants post their contributions.

Want a better sense of how it works – or just some good reads? Here’s a link to the participants’ list from the most recent symposium: Participants List For The Eighteenth Virtual Symposium Secrets

Feel free to take the basic idea of “Science” and stretch it to as wild an interpretation as you like -- the post should reflect you! Anything goes, as long as there is a trace of the original idea in the post.

On the morning of Sunday, May 8, all participants will post their creations and notify me via a post on my blog. Please, please, post ‘em to your own blogs early: I want to link to them in a central post here, but I don’t want to be stapled to my desk all day.

I'll be responsible for posting links to your blogs – I want to make this as effortless for participants as possible! Again, once you’ve posted, leave a note in the comments section here so I know to link to your submission. I will, of course, post latecomers… people do check back to see whether new participants have joined the symposium. But after the morning of May 8, I may not be updating the list as obsessively.

As for contributions themselves: The idea is to create something new, as opposed to using posts to respond to other posts (although the comments section will, of course, remain fair game). Leave a note in the blog comments, and I’ll use a post on this blog that day to link to all contributions.

First suggestion: Participants may want to refer to either the virtual symposium or the topic itself in their headline. Not a requirement – there are no requirements, save for originality and participation – but a suggestion which will let the wide blog community know what we’re doing.

Second suggestion: Consider using one of the larger sizes, which can be found in the box when inputting a post. I find the much larger sizes offputting and hard to read… but size 2, to my mind, balances having to squint and the vertigo-inducing larger sizes. (This post has been posted in size 2, for what it’s worth…) Of course, there’s always the trick of holding down the control button and hitting either the + or – keys, which for most websites serves to enlarge or shrink copy and images.

This is not a contest. No souvenir mugs will be sent, nor ribbons awarded. The idea here is for those interested to, on a single day, offer an interpretation of a single topic for the sheer fun of it.

By all means, encourage other bloggers to participate – and to let me know they’re doing so through this post, so on the morning of Sunday, May 8 I can link to their posts. Oh, and please consider this an invitation – if not a request – to the symposium both on your own blogs, and in individual requests to bloggers whom you’d like to see represented. The more the merrier, right? There are some folks with very distinct voices on this site who aren’t yet participating – let’s bring ‘em in and make ‘em one of us, one of us, one of us!

Remember, of course, to keep things in your voice!

Every symposium, there are a few newbies who contribute posts, and don’t let me know about their contributions (I catch some by watching the “recent posts” feed, but that’s hit or miss). So… once you post, please leave me a note on the master list post, or here! (I get messages about the symposium which are attached to the blog a little faster than the ones which are emailed to me.)

Can’t wait to see the results!

Final note: When the page with all the contributors goes live, please consider adding the link to your post, even if the contribution has already gone live. Doing so allows people to readily access all the other offerings… which is, after all, one of the purposes of this exercise.
74 Comments
The Virtual Symposium Returns: Let’s Pick A Topic!
Posted:Apr 29, 2016 4:24 am
Last Updated:May 26, 2016 6:00 pm
268165 Views

At last! It’s time to pick the topic for the ninteenth virtual symposium, a topic which hopefully will open itself for a cornucopia of essays, fiction, poems, photos, erotica, personal memories, artwork, and all-around goodwill and support of the blogosphere.

Speaking of the support of the blogosphere and bloggers, [blog Darling_Annette] has created a number of promotional tiles which tout the topic-suggestion process, the voting process, and the symposium itself. Several of these feature photos of contributors. She’s always looking for more subjects, so contributors who are interested – and who have face photographs – are encouraged to contact her.

On to the symposium itself! Let’s pick one from those listed below, and on the morning of Sunday, May 8 I’ll provide a central landing page which will have links to all contributors’ offerings. No matter which topic we ultimately choose, I hope folks will warp it as wildly as befits their personalities. The more offbeat the interpretation, the better!

A suggestion: Since there have been a few site hiccups, I’d recommend writing your contribution in either a word processing program or (if you don’t want it hanging around on a shared computer) an email you send to yourself. On symposium Sunday, all you’ll have to do is cut, paste, and place images. Oh, and once I’ve put up a master list, if you could edit your post and provide a link so your readers can enjoy the other contributions, that would be jolly good show…

Once you do, be sure to leave a message on either this post the master list post indicating that you've made a contribution. I get notifications here faster than through any other channel...

A note: While we’ll accept contributions all day, this site’s problems with links going live should come as no surprise to anyone. The earlier folks post their contributions, the sooner, it seems, links go live.

Regarding the symposium itself, the only two rules are: A ) Please post as early on the chosen day as possible, to allow for maximum exposure (and, quite frankly, so I’m not glued to my desk all day), and B ) the posts should be entirely original, as opposed to commenting on other posts from the topic. Ideally, posts should be created beforehand, and put on the site on the designated day. (The comments sections, of course, would be fair game!) In deference to those of us with advancing ages and eyesight to match, posting entries in size 2 (this size) is appreciated, but not necessary.

A suggestion: Participants may want to refer to either the virtual symposium or the topic itself in their headline. Not a requirement – there are no requirements, save for originality and participation – but a suggestion which will let the blog community know what we’re doing. They should definitely let me know, once they’ve posted, that they’ve done so in the comments section on the blog: I get those notifications faster than through the site email system.

And… this is not a contest. No souvenir mugs will be sent, nor ribbons or bling awarded. The idea here is for those interested to, on a single day, offer an interpretation of a single topic for the sheer fun of it.

By all means, encourage other bloggers to participate – and to let me know they’re doing so through this post, so on May 8 I can link to their posts. Oh, and consider this permission – nay, encouragement – to the symposium and link back to this post! I’d like to make sure folks interested in participating have the opportunity to do so. , , – and remember, pimping is a great way to influence your topic of choice.

Electioneering is perfectly legal, here… so feel free to leave reactions, persuasive arguments, and snide asides (about topics, but NOT bloggers) in the comments section below. Also: A comment or two here will increase the symposium’s visibility… and it would be nice to affirm what the blogosphere can be.

So what topic will we use for the next virtual symposium? I’ve listed four – I think they’re general enough that, whichever one we end up choosing, most folks should be comfortable offering reactions. At any rate, here are the choices. Feel free to electioneer in the comments, below, for any you find particularly compelling.

Voting for the topic will close at end-day on Monday, May 2. this vote… and let’s get some more newbies involved!

Participants are encouraged to note in their contributions that they’re part of a communal effort and provide a link to the central page (adding that link retroactively, after I’ve created the central page, would be very helpful). Doing so allows someone who stumbles on one individual’s blog item to enjoy as many of our pieces as he/she wants… and further strengthens a sense of virtual community.
Doctors/Lawyers/Professionals
The 1960s
Science
Bisexuality
Other (Write it in below and lobby for it. Longshot, but… why not?)
74 Comments , 80 votes
Participants List For The Eighteenth Virtual Symposium: Secrets
Posted:Apr 3, 2016 4:24 am
Last Updated:May 1, 2016 8:54 pm
318627 Views

Welcome to the eighteenth virtual symposium, an informal collection of bloggers who – purely for the hell of it – voted on a single topic ("Secrets") and agreed, on or about April 3, to post their interpretations of that topic. It's early on Symposium Sunday, and I've already seen some wonderful and wide-ranging interpretations of the topic.

First, a public service announcement: Some folks find the default font size for long blog contributions small. Others find the much larger sizes offputting and hard to read… but I could see size 2 being a compromise. (This post has been posted in size 2, for what it’s worth…) Of course, there’s always the trick of holding down the control button and hitting either the + or – keys, which for most websites serves to enlarge or shrink copy and images. Whether or not folks decide to use the larger sizes is purely a matter of personal taste, and has no bearing on symposium eligibility.

As for the symposium itself: there are no prizes or awards, save for the opportunity to build a more-closely knit blog community. All bloggers are invited to participate in this, as well as all future, virtual symposiums. To participate, watch this blog for future symposium topics: We offer one per month.

The rules, such as they are, are simple: Once the blogosphere voted on a topic, all bloggers were and are invited to interpret the topic as loosely as they choose, and offer any type of post they like which either tangentially or directly addresses the topic, whether through fantasy/fiction, essay, photographs, image collages, poems, one-liners, or any other form they choose. Contact me through a comment on this post to be included on this list, which I will update as new participants make themselves known.

We (that’s the editorial we – or perhaps I have a tapeworm) hope readers will use these virtual forums to discover new, interesting voices. A request of readers: If you find an entry you especially like, please don’t be shy about leaving an attaboy/attagirl on the appropriate blog. Applause never hurts!

A continually updated list of participants can be found below: Please check back often, as I’ll add new posts as often as appropriate (and as other responsibilities allow). Please leave a note here if I haven’t included your submission!

Note: The site's system is being temperamental about posting hot links: Sometimes they work, sometimes they don't... sometimes they take a few attempts. If a link isn't hot, please track down the appropriate blogs. They're worth it.

AND... BY ALL MEANS, IF YOU HAVEN'T CONTRIBUTED AND WANT TO, PLEASE DO SO! Was hoping to get most of the submissions input at the start of the day... but people do keep checking the list for new contributors... so if you're so moved, write a post and let me know here so I can include you.

Hey, gang, looks like we picked up some new participants! Check the list, and give ‘em an appropriately inappropriate welcome!

In no particular order at all, our participants include:


yellowflower56: Follow your Bliss [post 3804520]
39lawless: The Chronicles of Me.... Blogger Symposium Sounds of Silence
Eros_Space: LOVE AND ROCKETS [post 3804472]
CookiesNMischief: Hands in the Cookie Jar The 18th Virtual Symposium Workplace Social Secrets
Furbal1972: Journal of a Taxi Driver There Is No Secret Here Symposium XVIII
yesmamallthetime: Mellifluous Musings [post 3804443]
Honeydripper126: A Sticky Situation [post 3804439]
[blog KtMnDu]: Ramblings.............. [post 3804429]
[blog Curious_Ginger80]: Gingers Always Have More Fun [post 3804417]
jayayoung0791: Joyfully Kinky Secrets Good or Bad
LemonSqueezy7116: Just a little tart 18th Virtual Symposium Just a few of my Secrets
dayzeeme: Mimi's Musings Secrets
humorlife: Confessions of a Lifestyle Man Eighteenth Virtual Symposium Query Is Secrets Resorts A Swingers Place Offers Views On Swinging
[blog aflower2c]: Flowers world of words... [post 3804397]
khuXBFXM8u: The Down and Dirty [post 3804357]
NaughtyInSO: It's a Mad, Mad, Mad World... The Big Reveal Eighteenth Virtual Symposium
KItkat1415: Kinks and High Jinks Eighteenth Virtual Symposium You Trusted Me With YOUR Secrets
kzoopair: Take two- they're small The Secret Shit
sexysixties2: Not quite done yet [post 3804296]
[blog TerraNova4Two]: Terra Nova [post 3804227]
[blog author51]: My Best ASSets [post 3804173]
PerleDeSoie: Sur la route de Soi.... [post 3804111]
sweetflower67: Une fleur parmi les fleurs Ma participation au XVIII me symposium Secret
Annie_34: ♥ Annie est dingue ♥ [post 3803446]
[blog RibaldAmusement]: Piquant Ruminations [post 3804064]
JDC_41: JBlog What happens during the last few seconds my contribution to the XVIII symposium
[blog 1SexyGoodguy]: A Little of This and That [post 3803857]
TrucknLuvn: Diary of a Trucker Babe Dirty Little Secret The Eighteenth Virtual Symposium
[blog spunkycumfun]: Sexy TIMES [post 3804553]
seingalt23: Geschichten meines Lebens (German translation) [post 3804548]
seingalt23: Geschichten meines Lebens (English translation) Virtual symposium 18 The Burning Secret
2trythis: Personal Preferences Eighteenth Virtual Symposium Secrets
Golly06: Naught My Blog [post 3804602]
myelin36: Dirty Little Secrets Symposium Entry Don't Say I Didn't Warn You
VisualSinsuality: Sensual Pickles Symposium 18 Secret Desires and other Inquisitive Reveals
missthee: me, myself, and missthee 42 Virtual Symposium
[blog chatgal_awes2]: Confessions [post 3804657]
Tmptrzz: Tmptrzz's Erotic Adventures 18th Virtual Symposium Secrets Of The Site
Tmptrzz: Tmptrzz's Erotic Adventures (a second helping!) Sexy Secrets Of The Site
gardenboy321: Thoughts from the Garden... The Perils of Sin a continuation
[blog Fatgirl1976]: Mmmomentos de prazer ou não... [post 3804857]
ProfPlayful: The Naughty Professor Three Secrets, And The First One Doesnt Count
[blog JN63JPN]: JN's Jottings [post 3804920]
satyrnsheepzskin: Satyr In Sheep's Skin Sunday Secrets Palaver's Parley
ChocolateNinja1: ☁☁Cloudy With a Chance Of..... [post 3804956]
[blog SweetCirce]: Magic and Mayhem [post 3804758]
[blog LadyLeo1949]: MY SAFE HARBOR [post 3804849]
[blog ethicalslutMissy]: An Ethical Slut Named Missy [post 3804812]
[blog veryfunnyguy64]: Musings and other Thoughts! Secret Eighteenth Symposium
rachel0718: Insights & Observations Here39s My Secret
Seraphim13: My Kingdom of Hearts Secrets
[blog Darling_Annette]: Darling Dayz [post 3807638]
51 Comments
Eighteenth Virtual Symposium: Query “Is Secrets Resorts A Swingers’ Place?” Offers Views On Swinging
Posted:Apr 3, 2016 4:02 am
Last Updated:May 31, 2016 6:24 am
298018 Views

This blog entry is part of the eighteenth virtual symposium, an informal collection of bloggers who – purely for the hell of it – voted for a single topic (“Secrets”) and agreed, on or about April 3, to post their interpretations of that topic. A continually updated list of participants can be found here: Participants List For The Eighteenth Virtual Symposium Secrets

The Tr1pAdvis0r topic board which addresses the query “Is Secrets resorts a swingers place” is closed for comment, so we won’t have the opportunity to offer our two cents. But the comments are still up, and they give an interesting cross-section of reactions to swinging.

Before we get into the responses, a note: It’s easy to see why the questioner was confused. A quick search revealed two adult stores called “Secrets” – one in Denver (tagline: “It’s Cheaper Than Dating”) and the other in Pleasant Hill, CA. The comments for Secrets in Pleasant Hill offer a sterling example of the value of customer service: There’s an inordinate amount of space dedicated to bashing one particularly unreceptive retail-level employee.

As for Tr1pAdvis0r: On Nov. 19, 2012, a would-be vacationer asked “Is Secrets resorts a swingers place? My wife and I are looking to book a vacation to Cancun or Cozumel and love the concept of Adult only.”

The short answer: No, unlike the Desire and Hedonism resorts, it’s not. As the open-minded Llisa from Calgary, Alberta noted, “I don't believe that participation is mandatory as it appears from a couple of forum threads that some people enjoy just the clothing-optional aspect of those resorts.”

But on an internet chat board, posters are rarely content leaving well enough alone. The puritanical KKJACKS from Oklahoma City jumped in with “Let's certainly hope not!!! I read up [on the resort before it was rebranded Secrets] and … it sounded like maybe they wanted it to be...but that was years ago and it seemed mosts [sic] posts indicated that idea fell flat…Thank goodness… I can assure you if I get the hint that is going on, even if it isn't ‘mandatory’ I'll be relocating. It bothers me to even know that is out there and going on.”

The libertines weren’t going to let that lie, of course: Froglegs55 responded “‘Thank Goodness?’ Some people want what you don't....evidently...and you shouldn't look down on them.”

That didn’t sit well with at least one reader. DIVESD of Presho, SD asked “Is there no behavior we are "allowed" to look down on anymore? Geeesh.....”

Llisa to the rescue! She quoted KKJACKS sentiment "It bothers me to even know that is out there and going on" and added – almost certainly correctly – “Oh, it's out there and it's going on - maybe even in your very own neighbourhood.”

But haters gonna hate, as the say, and CO_Pilot54 from Colorado Springs, Colo., had to add his two cents: “A previous ‘plan’ [an early rebranding effort which included a different name] was geared towards deviant behavior. Yep, looking down on perversion.”

Aww, really, CO_Pilot54? Because pretty much anything that ain’t missionary sex for the purpose of procreation is going to be looked down on by someone, somewhere. Hell, even the Shakers eschewed sex entirely – which is why there are very few Shakers these days. (they replenish their ranks through recruitment, for the curious.)

Desmei from Ontario weighed in with a fair question: “Does adults only=swingers? I'm sorta naive, so maybe it does. There's always Temptations in Cancun. Or hey, just ask your waiter...he might be game!”

Up jumped Llisa with an answer! “Not so far as I know. If any sort of risque behaviour occurs, you'll typically see a whole spate of postings about it on these forums and in the reviews. By all accounts, Temptations is VERY tame compared to Desires.” Quoting Desmei’s “Or hey, just ask your waiter...he might be game!" she replied “OK, now that's funny - but do I tip him before or after and should that be in dollars or pesos?”

The worldly kclady66 observed “I think you tip the waiter after. You don't ususaly [sic] tip unless you get good SERVICE. LOL?”

20WorldTraveler11 tried to get the conversation back on track. “It's very entertaining reading all of the posts. All of the names seem similar Secrets, Desires, Temptations, Dreams and we haven't visited any of them. We aren't into the swinging thing, don't care if someone else is, but didn't want to end up at a resort where we were uncomfortable.”

Llisa, who Sseems to know a thing or two about the branding of adult resorts, responded “Dreams is a very popular FAMILY FRIENDLY resort; the last place I'd associate with any sort of swinging activity! As stated above, Desires is the ONLY resort I know that actively touts itself as a ‘lifestyle’ resort and even they've toned down their website of late… Temptations' website byline states: adults only + topless optional + all inclusive + sexy + fun. It also talks about "’dults only oriented shows and games’. Secrets does NOT specifically cater to the "sexy" side of adult only; their focus tends to be more "romantic" and they're a very popular choice with honeymooners. All kidding aside, I think anyone dismissing Secrets resorts out of hand due to some mistaken idea that they specifically target and attract a swinging clientele is doing themselves a disservice.”

At this point the “comment deleted” notifications started appearing fairly frequently. The next which appeared intact fell squarely in the “live and let live” category, when Fort Macmurray, Alberta-based PalaceHo wrote: “Just avoid any "Too-Friendly" couples. Lol…Secrets Resorts are NOT Hedonism or Temptation type resorts….Hubby and I will be staying at Aura in June, we enjoy the Secrets chain because of the Adults Only environment and the generally quiet atmosphere… And we don't share so I guess you could say we don't play nice with others.”

I’ll give the final word here (although the thread went on for a few more responses) to BrandiLove of Raleigh, N.C.:

“I'm astonished by some of the replies in here. Are we really this threatened by people who live outside the ‘norm’?

“All kidding aside, I think anyone dismissing Secrets resorts out of hand due to some mistaken idea that they specifically target and attract a swinging clientele is doing themselves a disservice.

“I think anyone dismissing a resort because there may be people in The Lifestyle there is a sign that one needs to evolve. Contrary to popular belief, just because one is a swinger doesn't mean they want to sleep with everyone. Additionally, all research supports the position that swingers tend to be happily adjusted, upper middle class Christians. That doesn't sound like a horrible demographic.”


BrandiLove quoted KKJACKS’s sentiment “I can assure you if I get the hint that is going on, even if it isn't ‘mandatory’ I'll be relocating. It bothers me to even know that is out there and going on.”

BrandiLove then postulated “So if I was there vacationing and you found out you would actually move resorts? You should at least get to know someone before dismissing them. Never know.. you may actually like me!

“I think I may just plan a trip to Secrets with my swinger & adult industry friends. It sounds like this place could use an infusion of life , tolerance and FUN!”


No word on what KKJACKS thought of the whole mess, but I know which responders I’m going to for travel suggestions…
30 Comments

To link to this blog (humorlife) use [blog humorlife] in your messages.

  humorlife 56M
56 M
August 2016
Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat
  1
 
2
1
3
 
4
 
5
 
6
 
7
1
8
 
9
 
10
 
11
 
12
 
13
 
14
 
15
 
16
 
17
 
18
 
19
 
20
 
21
 
22
 
23
 
24
 
25
 
26
 
27
 
28
 
29
 
30
 
31