The thing that pisses me off the most about all the digging into Google that Tony is doing isn’t the facts of what he’s finding. It’s my own cynicism.

Like, when he comes into the room and announces that the word ‘clitoris’ returns zero results in Google’s “safe search” mode while ‘penis’ returns 36 million, my first thought is… Duh. This is a surprise? I roll my eyes and Google “vagina”, which gets over 21 million results and my dark, angry brain thinks:

[bitterness] “Of course, because you need a vagina to squeeze out the next generation (for the patriarchy.) A clitoris? That’s about female pleasure, not reproduction — just ask the millions of women worldwide who’ve had theirs removed. [/bitterness]

So, you know, thanks Google, for reinforcing what I already know about “values.” Thanks a fucking lot.

So while Google is busy doing its part to (presumably) keep our nation’s impressionable youngsters “safe” from sexual terminology and content (check out Tony’s blog for more,) I get called upon to explain erectile dysfunction to my nine year old daughter while innocently trying to watch a PG-rated show at 9:00pm on the Sci-Fi Channel.

Hilariously, I’m almost afraid to type the brand name of the product being advertised for fear the Google-bot will find the offending name on this blog and penalize the Comstock Films site as a drug-spamming, malware breeding, den of iniquity. We’ve got enough problems with the Google-bot already, thanks. So let’s just say the commercial was for a drug, name beginning with the letter ‘C,’ famous for featuring attractive and affluent looking middle-aged couples lounging in side by side bathtubs with smarmy faux-cool jazz playing in the background. (Because nothing says intimacy like individual high-walled ceramic pods-for-one, but that’s a head-scratcher for another day.)

So, back to the sofa in the Comstock family den, daughter #1 and I curled up for our weekly dose of implausible science-fictional fun, and whammo: commercial break after commercial break, here comes that smarmy faux-cool jazz and alarming quick-spoken fine print babble about “erections lasting more than four hours.” Wonderful family viewing, piped right into our home, no searching required! Fabulous!

“Mom,” daughter #1 asks finally after being bombarded by these ads, wrinkling her little brow in consternation. “What is E.D.?”

I’m a good little arugula-munching liberal: I’ve talked about sex with her before, she’s got a copy of Where Did I Come From, she’s seen me go through a pregnancy, etc. — she knows the basics. I assure you, none of that made it any less awkward to have this “teachable moment” thrust upon me unawares by the good folks at Eli Lilly and the SciFi Channel while I was just trying to enjoy a little escapist TV.

But hey, this is life as a parent, isn’t it? You don’t always get to pick and choose where your teachable moments come from. Even the best filters don’t always work. Life comes at you and your kids, and you are responsible for seeing them through it. You stay involved with your kids’ lives, you watch what they’re watching on TV, you stay aware of where they’re going online, and you talk with them about their experiences and understandings. Sometimes, you have to explain things that make you uncomfortable. Sometimes, you have to (try to) explain society’s strange hypocrisies and priorities.

For my kids, for my family, this responsibility — no matter the subject — is not Google’s job, it’s not the Sci-Fi Channel’s, it’s not some arbitrary filter’s. It’s mine.

Not *that* kind of backend. Sheez, people! Web site stuff. Anyway, that’s what I’ve been up to the past few days — working on making some large and some small alterations to the Comstock Films site in anticipation of the holiday season, and the release of our new title, Bill and Desiree: Love is Timeless.

We’re also cooking up some new special promotions for the next few weeks, to go along with the site re-launch, the new title release, and all the usual holiday goodies. In particular, I’m working on a special feature for Valentine’s Day that I think will be a lot of fun!

I suppose I’m still processing the news out of California that Proposition 8 has passed. Can’t pretend that I’m not disappointed, and I can only imagine how much worse it is for the citizens of California who have just had an important and still-fresh civil rights gain stripped away with such callous finality.

I can’t imagine it’s very comforting to hear things like: I guess people just aren’t ready to recognize you yet, either.

I know lawsuits have been filed challenging the validity of the method used (calling Prop 8 a revision, rather than simple amendment) and I hope it proves fruitful. But it’s certainly a sober reminder that there’s still a long way to go in this country before we’re really all included in that old “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness” ideal.

If you’re reading this, and you’re a U.S. citizen of voting age (and you’d better be of voting age!) … I hope you’re registered and get on out there to cast your ballot today.

It’s a beautiful day here in my small town (too bad it’s not in “real” America. ::koff::) There aren’t enough of us here to ever experience anything close to a line, but the parking lot was full this morning, and the poll volunteers were fortifying themselves with coffee and donuts for the hours ahead.

I feel for anyone who’s got to face long lines at their local polling place today — but try to look at the bright side? After years of an apathetic and cynical American electorate, it’s inspiring to see so many people fired up for this historic election. I hope the re-engagement of so many previously disenfranchised citizens makes the wait worthwhile.

After the Presidential race, the result I’m most anxious about, of course, is the decision the good people of California render on Proposition 8. I’m keeping my fingers crossed that a simple majority do the right thing.

We could sure use some healing in this country, huh?

First off, I just wanted to give my sincere thanks to everyone who took the time to comment on my post The Strange Alchemy of Love, or: Why I Believe in Marriage Equality. I have to confess to a certain amount of “Blogger’s Remorse” after I hit publish on that post — I was afraid it sounded hopelessly corny or naive. And then I thought to myself, ‘well Self, you kind of are hopelessly corny and naive, so suck it up and let the post stand.’ Now I’m glad I did.

Speaking of Prop 8, it’s getting down to nail-biting time now, huh? Just a few days left and the latest polls I’ve seen look tight. I guess one of the things I’m a little boggled over is that all it takes is a simple majority vote to alter California’s Constitution. (And let me point you to Tony’s very cogent thoughts on that in his latest post: Can I Vote on Your Marriage?)

I honestly cannot wait until Tuesday has come and gone. I find myself driven to distraction by Election news, polls, and blogs — let’s not even talk about YouTube. At first I thought I wished New York had early voting so I could go do it already, but now upon reflection, I realize it wouldn’t have made any difference to my degree of distraction — it’s not like I’d get the results any sooner. At least it’s just a couple more days…