Love in Dark Settings

"It's when novices move toward survival, embracing the deprivations of monastic life as a personal, inner necessity, that they begin to feel truly free. They also begin to understand the depths of joy, and how little it has to do with what the world calls happiness. Like the farmer or rancher who willingly takes on economic hardship, remaining in Dakota out of love for the land, these monks can grow to a profound understanding of fast and feast. One makes sense only in terms of the other, and both may be seen in terms of play. Like country folk everywhere, monks develop an ability to party simply but well."

--Kathleen Norris: Dakota: A Spiritual Geography.

( How to write on a computer when you're flat on your back (in case you ever need to know) )
( Replies to last post's comments )

Exciting discussions! I'm happy to see that you guys have been busy in my absence.

( Reply to yonmei about LGBT writers and self-identification of orientations )
( Reply to mightymaeave, dharma_slut, and Rose Red about the GLBT literature thread )
( Reply to maevele about the Lambda Literary Awards )

Hurrah, I think I've replied to all the comments at my blogs from this year and last year. (But, um, not from 2007 yet. *Cough.*) If I missed you, just nudge me.

( Reply to mightymaeve about nineteenth-century homosexuality )

I love receiving comments here (as those of you who have heard my pleas for comments already know). But because I have to limit my online time, it's difficult for me to reply separately to a dozen or more comments that have been posted since I was online last, especially since I read those comments offline.

In order that I can reply in a timely manner to all comments, I'm starting a new policy of replying periodically, in a round-up post, to all recent comments. The round-up post will be tagged this way:

Dreamwidth: reply to comments.
InsaneJournal: reply to comments.
LiveJournal: reply to comments.

If you're watching this journal regularly on your Friends/Read/RSS page, you'll see the "reply to comments" post when I post it. If you're not watching this journal regularly, just wait about a week (between April and September) or about a month (between October and March) and click on one of the above links. You should see my reply posted to you, along with replies to all other recent comments. I'll link to the comments I'm replying to.

I'm sorry that this is somewhat less convenient to folks posting here than me posting a reply directly to your comment, and I hope that this won't discourage you from posting comments. I think this will help me to respond to comments more quickly than I have in the past.