I guess your second paper isn't on circumcision, pros and cons?

Get cracking VW, we're all counting on you!

Unfortunately not. It's on the differences between online and deaf discourses. Fascinating stuff, don't you think?

(stern look, points at word processing program)

vw, go right your paper RIGHT THIS INSTANT YOUNG LADY!!!

I'm so sorry, Nora. I didn't mean to impugn the numminess of Tom or your good taste in finding him utterly lovable and desirable (or anyone finding any uncut Buffista man utterly lovable and desirable, because they all are).

I chose my words incredibly poorly, and probably also clumsily misrepresented my friend's thoughts. I'm pretty certain she's had both great, fun frivolous sex and extremely unfrivolous, loving lovemaking with cut and uncut men; her decision to circumcise her son was based on the way one aesthetic and hygeinic element of the whole complicated package of gender and sexuality pinged her. All else being equal, she made that decision for her son, but she wouldn't withhold her own self, her love or her body from any man on the basis of that one element.

I'm really, really sorry. I feel terrible for having said all this in a way that made you feel defensive and angry and protective about your love for Tom. That was a shitty, un-friendful thing to do. I'll go back and delete everything if you want -- just say the word.

Get cracking VW, we're all counting on you!

Someone has to get something done today. It's clearly not going to be me, so I nominate vw.

That is fascinating, vw. Go write it so I can read it!

vw is pretty and nice.

I chose my words incredibly poorly,

Yeah, lot of that going around this morning.

So I'm all self-conscious about my user name now. Robert was Buff Diving, and commented "I just don't like seeing your name as Raquel." I was puzzled, and said, "But it's my name." He said, "No, your name is Rachel." "Yeah, but everybody calls me Raquel. Or Raq. YOU call me Raq." "Only when I'm writing your name. Think about it - I know when we met everyone else called you Raquel, but have I ever used that name?" (He hasn't....he doesn't use Rachel that much either.) "I just think Raquel's an extremely unlovely name, and Raq is unpleasant." "Uh, what about Rachel? Can I still be Rachel?" "Yes, Rachel's a nice name."

I'm not really sure how to take this. I mostly get that it's a measure of how much he doesn't think of me by my name, but...a little unsettling. Is this what a mid-life crisis looks like? Is this his way of wanting me to be someone else? Or is that my own paranoia/depression talking?

Anyway, I'm totally weirded out, so if you guys are tired of talking about circumcision, you can pick a new user name for me.