26 Comments
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Robyn Ryle's avatar

Thanks for the shout-out, Christine!

Christine Sneed's avatar

❤️ My pleasure!!

Summer of Men's avatar

Robyn! Sex and The Midwest. Right up my alley!!!

Robyn Ryle's avatar

Ha, ha. I like the title because I think they feel like opposites for a lot of people, as in, what’s the opposite of sex? The Midwest.

Christine Sneed's avatar

So funny, Robyn! Certainly Midwesterners are less prone to talking about their sex lives than people out here on the West Coast. (Conversely, I used to teach a business writing class and often said to students that people are more likely to talk about their sex lives than their salaries! Still true, in my experience.)

Robyn Ryle's avatar

I've spent most of my life in the Midwest or the South, so those are my comparisons. Midwesterners certainly talk about sex less than Southerners, in my experience. Maybe it's the weather?

I also just think the associations people have with the Midwest are things like: boring, traditional, white-bread, conservative. All conceivably the opposite of sex.

Christine Sneed's avatar

Flyover country - wrongly, however. The Midwest is great...and you need a center to support the frame (as much as vice-versa).

Robyn Ryle's avatar

Oh, I love that.

Summer of Men's avatar

that's what I was thinking. look forward to reading it!

Erika Dreifus's avatar

There is nothing ridiculous about this! (I keep saying that the best thing my parents did to support my writing life is giving me a Taurus birthdate.) And yes--having grown up in a pocket of the Northeast where the school year never began before Labor Day or ended before the summer solstice, I *still* have a hard time absorbing the calendars elsewhere!

Christine Sneed's avatar

I want to return to those days of school starting after Labor Day (of course, universities on quarters start in Sept. usually, but other schools don't). And Tauruses do have good traits for the writing life!

Erika Dreifus's avatar

Yes, my first day teaching (undergraduates) was yesterday, but most of the colleges do seem to be at least somewhat more aligned than the K-12 system nationwide!

Christine Sneed's avatar

Both schools I teach for most often are on the quarter system. Our summer quarter ended this week coincidentally!

mark wish's avatar

Great post. Love the Great Pumpkin meme. btw: Go Libras! (smiley face)

Summer of Men's avatar

love that meme too!

Roxanne  Beck Raye's avatar

Thank you so much for the recommendation, Christine!! #Change #Fly

Christine Sneed's avatar

Truly my pleasure, Roxanne!! 😍

Diane Gurman's avatar

Thanks for this!

My youngest sister is a Scorpio, and fits your description exactly. Further, CandyFreak sounds like a perfect birthday present for her! (She's a fanatic about healthy eating, but chocolate is her weakness. And her birthday is coming up.)

As for me, I don't think I fit the description of Geminiis (except for the dingbat quotient), but will get Firebrands from the library, as it sounds like a book I'd like. I might also give Caterpillarland a try, in the hope that it can offer a way to save my garden's monarch caterpillars from predators (wasps, ants, ladybugs).

Thanks again! This was fun!

Christine Sneed's avatar

I can’t remember if Roxanne’s Caterpillarland has remedies but it is adorable! And I LOVE candyfreak. A well researched and highly enjoyable book.

Summer of Men's avatar

Book recommendation for being a cancer bad, Bad Thoughts, seems mighty appropriate. Love this Christine. Always your humor.

Christine Sneed's avatar

You will LOVE Bad thoughts--you must read it! Nada Alic also lives here in L.A.

Summer of Men's avatar

I'll look her up!

Leanne Ogasawara's avatar

Fun! Go Pisces!