In more oversharing, I discovered masturbation by accident one night. Then I was mortified that I had sinned, because at one point I had tried to read the whole bible so I was familiar with Onan and God smiting him because Onan committed Onanism.

Onan's sin wasn't masturbation, or even spilling his seed, so young tommyrot didn't need to worry! I remember this argument from Bible class in HS.

Yeah, I was told that later. So now I feel free to wank away!

"Damn, that ass!" (The last can be favorable commentary about your own ass, or as a means of drawing your attention to another fine, fine ass. Either way it's a win.)

Another point where commas are crucial! "Damn that ass" without a comma would say to me you are wishing hellfire on a jackass...

Also in the bible iirc.

Although maybe that was just a talking donkey who was not damned. There was a cursed fig tree, I'm pretty sure.

Didn't Balaam's Ass run into some trouble?

I read Judy Blume's Forever when I was in 4th grade, with Mom's full knowledge. The older girls in the class (it was mixed 4th/5th/6th grade) had been taunting me that I was "too little" to read such things. Little did they know I had been reading racy and questionable sci-fi and horror for a few years. And Flowers in the Attic, of course.

A lot of stuff in adult books went right over my head at that age, because I had no frame of reference. I remember re-reading some romantic mysteries many years later and being boggled at what I'd completely glossed over as a kid.

Same here. I understood it in an academic sort of way, but didn't have any real idea what I was reading. And I'm a big hypocrite, because I would be alarmed and scandalized if I knew Tickybox was reading the same sort of stuff now.

1. Has anyone purchased SLate Plus? I listen to podcasts ALL DAY, and I need more! I also pretty much prefer the format of something like Culture Gabfest or Pop Culture Happy Hour-- I like discussions. Is there enough extra podcast content?

I did. It's not a ton more content than the free ones, although now every single podcast is automatically going into my iTunes, so if you just want to listen to EVERYTHING (the Gist, the Better Call Saul recaps, the sports show, the politics show, the parenting show, etc., etc.), it's easier, at least?

re: not getting the point at a young age.

One scene in particular, the heroine is hiding in an attic while bad guys converse below. One of the bad guys boasts about his bed, and his companion encourages him. I paused when I read that, wondered why they were getting so interested in furniture--was it carved in a particularly elaborate way?--then shrugged and continued reading.

Extreme multi-tasking. I'm attending a webinar and doing a training/certification course on two different subjects right now. And coming here to tell you people about it.