HPV vaccine Gardasil

This was a topic of some discussion on my flist when it first came out, so I thought some people might be interested in reading this article about possible problems with the vaccine.

Our Girls Are Not Guinea Pigs

Mulch/woodchips for under swings/slide?

I went and bought some regular mulch for some other places in the yard, and I was going to put some of it under the "new" swings and slide that the boy has. But it looks awfully... mulch-y, and not very wood chippy like the stuff I usually see under playground equipment at the park. Should I use something else? And where the heck would I get it? Any advice?

Original slash rec!

Jenna Jones has written a fantastic modern novel called Chiaroscuro. Here's what I wrote about it:

Jamie Makepeace has his eye on his co-worker, the sweet, blue-eyed Micah Ferguson. At nineteen, Micah is the boy wonder of Virtuoso Games and looks up to Jamie, who's not only older but also British and therefore interestingly foreign. When Jamie takes his best friend, Dune, as his date to a work-related wedding, he ends up kissing the man who made the wedding cake in a pantry. Ben, the baker, finds himself drawn to Jamie, but Jamie takes Micah home from the wedding, and what follows is both complicated and compelling.

This book is an utter delight from start to finish. The characters are genuinely likeable despite their imperfections, and there are no true villains -- even when the characters behave abominably, it's possible to forgive them. And this isn't a story with a limited cast -- there are many characters, all of them interesting and well-drawn. There's a thread of humor throughout the story, so that even the more serious and emotional scenes aren't lacking in it; on more than one occasion I found myself grinning widely while reading.

The writing is impressive; the combination of easy-to-read yet precise language gives the book a charming style. The story shows you everything you need to know, including enough exposition about the character's pasts to make them even more interesting than they already are without ever seeming clunky or awkward. It's a deliciously long story, and there are times when it's difficult to predict what's going to happen next. The sex scenes are both erotic and meaningful, and the ending, when it comes, is completely satisfying in every possible way. Very highly recommended.

Poll questions. Why? Because I had a glass of wine with dinner.

[Poll #1043657]

If any of your answers are more appropriately "other," feel free to comment with them!