Blog Posts by Erin Flaherty, Shine staff

Says the New York Times "Social Q's":

You're at someone's house who starts talking about how wrong gay marriage is. You are gay. What do you do?

Anonymous

Can anyone help this person out?

DEAR MARGO: I grew up the daughter of an abusive alcoholic father and an emotionally absent mother. Though it wasn't easy, my father and I have reconciled and have a great relationship. My mother, on the other hand, is a miserable, bitter woman. When I was 16, I was raped and it resulted in a pregnancy. My mother forced me to carry it to term because she said I was a slut for getting pregnant, but I ultimately gave the baby up. At 18, I moved out of the house, went to college and later became a nurse. Eventually I married and had a child. After a few years, we divorced. Recently, I began dating again, and I reluctantly took the man I have been dating for six months -- I'll call him Jason --to meet my mother and her husband. We'd just sat down to dinner when my mother turned to Jason and said she hopes he doesn't plan to have children with me because I abandoned one! I was mortified and he didn't know what to say. Needless to say, we left immediately. I haven't spoken to my mother

Author Doug Brown and his wife, Big Hands Annie (NYTNS | Stephen Collector)
A friend over in Healthy Living said her brother saw this photo of one of the couples we reported on who decided to have "married sex" every single night for a year. His response: "OMG! Look at the size of her hands. Is that what happens when you have that much sex?!"

I had to take a closer look, and sure enough, he's right on the money. Is this some strange side effect of having too much sex with your spouse? Hmm...

Getty Images
Sent to me by a reader, bizarre enough to ask the masses:

"Would you prefer to have your grandpa walk in on you masturbating or the other way around?"

We've reported on Muxtape, and then there was Cassette From My Ex, and they're cool and all, but uploading music is a b---- , and some of less technologically inclined folks are like, "whaaa?" or simply don't have time to fool with it. Now, as far as I'm concerned, new Mixwit is the ultimate in ease, grace, fun and mixability. They have a super huge database of up-to-date tunes (and lots of remixes!) that you can easily look up, add to your mix, and share with friends, loved ones, and ahem, readers of your blog. Why, I just "crafted" this electric disco mix (image above) for me and my boo to dance to this very evening! Seriously, this latest addition to the online mix tape site genre seems vastly superior. (Plus, since all the songs play in full, it's a great way to test out music you want to buy, since Itunes only gives you a few fleeting seconds of sample...) So mix away my friends, mix away!

image courtesy of DreamletsSometimes here on the Love & Sex channel, we get so preoccupied with vibrators and threesomes that we occasionally forget the sweet, mushy, lovey dovey stuff. So in the spirit of "aww" I wanted to introduce you to the wonderful world of Dreamlets. My equally adorable friend Matty Harper is behind the creation of these soft, fleece-y works of art that make awesome gifts for little kids and big ones alike. Plus, proceeds from each purchase go to the arts charity of your choice, and on the site, there's also a tool to design your own e-card (so much more thoughtful than say, sending a "wink" to the object of your affection). Send a card here. Are these dudes freakin' cute or what!?

My favorite card (hint, hint).
Want more HEAVY PETTING? See also: "Parrot says Obama's campaign slogan" and "A green puppy named Wasabi"

Getty Images
Two couples are making news for doing the audacious, the unthinkable: having "married sex" every single night. According to the New York Times, "Let's say you and your spouse haven't had sex in so long that you can't remember the last time you did. Not the day. Not the month. Maybe not even the season. Would you look for gratification elsewhere? Would you file for divorce? Or would you turn to your mate and say, 'Honey, you know, I've been thinking. Why don't we do it for the next 365 days in a row?'

That's more or less what happened to Charla and Brad Muller. And in another example of an erotic adventure supplanting married ennui, a second couple, Annie and Douglas Brown, embarked on a similar, if abbreviated journey: 101 straight days of post-nuptial sex."

Two new books, 365 Nights, and the Nike-esque Just Do It, chronicle their adventures in marital stimulation, although, if you're looking for the dirty details, well, you probably won't find them, as the books tend to shy away

Associated Press
Argh, probably because I was so focused on Hillary Clinton and dudes who want to cheat on their pregnant wives, I totally forgot to ask you guys what you thought about the lesbian women who got in trubs at a Seattle Mariners game for kissing!?

Just to refresh your memory, the AP reported that:

"As the Mariners played the Boston Red Sox on May 26, Sirbrina Guerrero and her date were approached in the third inning by an usher who told them their kissing was inappropriate, Guerrero said.

The usher, Guerrero said, told them he had received a complaint from a woman nearby who said that there were kids in the crowd of nearly 36,000 and that parents would have to explain why two women were kissing.

'I was really just shocked,' Guerrero said. 'Seattle is so gay-friendly. There was a couple like seven rows ahead making out. We were just showing affection."

Now I don't mean to cry over spilled milk, but I think gay civil rights is an important issue (duh), and I guess I just can't get over