I heard the devastating news on the radio at my Dad's house. For the record, I don't own, and have never owned, a beach house. Although I've rented one with friends. Also not rich, but working on it.

Dad's on a nostalgia kick, which means we got to watch slides.


Dad loading up the projector


My brothers & sister dying Easter eggs. Check out that wallpaper!


Dad with Oma on the back of the moped


My brother and sister and me in our bunkbeds. Those were the days!

Some xmas pix from this year:

A few thought before I head East tomorrow.

Really I think it boils down to finding something you're passionate about doing, and someone to do it with. Someone in the same time zone would be nice, but you take what you get.

On recalibrating perception - I think we all project our own ideals onto the blank spaces of others. It's even easier to do these days given the ways we meet people. I think it's a good idea to get a reality check when you can.

Wow, I guess that's it! Seemed so profound before.

Just got the scoop from Dad. Guess I'm not the only one making last minute travel changes. Does this seem complicated or is it just me?

I fly into Charlotte, NC to my sister's tomorrow. We'll meet Dad and Jean at the Columbia zoo with the kids on Tuesday evening, then all drive to Dad's house in SC. Erik & Alisha get in from Atlanta that night too, but they have to leave early on Christmas eve for a flight to Nebraska to spend Christmas with her family. My sister's husband gets in on Thursday, so I'll have his truck when they all go to Woodruff, SC to spend Christmas afternoon with his family. Dad and Jean are driving to her daughter's place in Tennessee on Sunday, 26th, so I'll meet up with my sister then and caravan back to Charlotte. (Wait, not done yet.) Then, my sister, brother-in-law, three kids and I all pile into their Honda Pilot to drive up to Connecticut to visit my other brother for New Year's Eve. Erik & Alisha fly back to Atlanta on the 30th then take a 6AM flight up to CT/NY on the 31st. Dad just told me he and Jean decided to drive up to CT directly from Memphis for New Year's too. Should be a houseful!

Oh yeah, so I decided as long as I was in the state, I would swing by Buffalo on my way home. If you see someone wandering around Elmwood inappropriately dressed for the weather, it's probably me. Hope to meet some peeps.

During the (e:estrip) illegal character striptease[inlink]paul,2506[/inlink]last night, this FAX came in, probably only the third FAX I've gotten all year. I have no idea why it was sent to me. I couldn't make this stuff up if I tried.

I wasn't going to post it at first, but the timing was just too weird. And I had to do something during the interminable pauses while (e:Paul) performed his magic behind the scenes. So I OCR'd it and posted it. Ironically, it had the most illegal characters of all my posts, and eventually was sacrified in the great time warp of '04. I may be tempting fate by posting it again now. Keep your fingers crossed.

Global_Exchange
415-255-7296
12/15/04 7:05 PM 1/1
Contact: Greta Christina greta @gretachristina.com

For immediate release: Dec. 15,2004
Please announce/post until Jan. 11,2005

Annie Sprinkle to Appear at "Paying For It" Reading at A Different Light, Jan. 11

Annie Sprinkle, prostitute/porn star turned performance artist, writer, sex educator, and Ph.D., will be appearing at a reading/book signing for the new book Paying For It: A Guide by Sex Workers and Their Clients. Recently cited as an expert resource in the nationally-syndicated sex advice column "Savage Love," Paying For It is a book of advice for sex work customers, written by sex workers and former sex workers. Does your sex worker's face light up when she or he sees you walk in the door? If not, the wise, outrageous voices in this book can make the difference between a so-so session and an hour you'll remember the rest of your life. Contributors to the book include Annie Sprinkle, Nina Hartley, Carol Queen, Vic St. Blaise, Matt Bernstein Sycamore, and more.

The reading/book signing will be on Tuesday, January 11, at A Different Light Books, 489 Castro Street, near the comer of Castro and 18th Streets in San Francisco. In addition to Annie Sprinkle, the participants will include Lex Kyler, a.k.a. Vic St. Blaise (founder and editor of the sex worker zine "Whorezine" ); Cleo Dubois (BDSM educator/ritualist and producer of the videos "Tie Me Up" and "The Pain Game" ); Steve Mitchell (male stripper and ten-year veteran of the business), Liberty N. Justice (peepshow dancer and "talk to a live nude girl" booth entertainer from 1990 to 1993); and the book's editor, Greta Christina. The event will start at 7 pm.

"If you're a sex work customer, this book will be life-changingly useful. If you're not, it'll just be entertaining and enlightening. Funny, smart, and both blunt and kind, it gives customers a hefty dose of practical advice on how to make their sex work encounters more pleasant and fun. And it gives the rest of us a unique insight into the nuts and bolts of the sex industry." -Susie Bright

"One of the best sex guides I've ever read." -Betty Dodson

"Smart, sane, and fun to read, Paying For It takes the guesswork out of being the ideal client. A boon to buyer and provider alike." -Lily Burana

For more information or to request a review copy of the book, please contact greta @gretachristina.com, or visit www.gretachristina.com.

My ex-roommate has an autographed picture of himself with Annie Sprinkle. If I don't start getting more people signing up on estripwest maybe I'll post it there and see if that helps.