poll update

"A Summoned Fire" from the Pink Jade works has vaulted into first, just ahead of "The Unicorns"...hmmm, lust versus innocence. Those of you who prefer the latter better get back voting!

Someone asked me the other day what I'm looking for in a woman (some good jokes there, but I'll spare you my more ribald ripostes.

I thought of a scene from "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid" where Sundance is heading off to meet up with Etta:

Sundance Kid: Well, I think I'll get saddled up and go looking for a woman.
Butch Cassidy: Good hunting.
Sundance Kid: Shouldn't take more than a couple of days. I'm not picky. As long as she's smart, pretty, and sweet, and gentle, and tender, and refined, and lovely, and carefree ...

My list is a little different, but just as long. Wish I could define it as clearly...but when you look at my history, few themes emerge.

I like intelligent women. Passionate, in both senses of the abstract. Accomplished or at least talented enough that I know they can accomplish. I seem to almost always end up with someone in crisis. I attract damaged people, mostly because I seem a safe haven.

There's a school of thought that says that romantic love exists on three planes, and that a well-balanced relationship has all three aspects: friendship, awe and lust.

In the first, you trust the other person and have commonality with them. You like being around them.

In the second, there is something about them that just blows you away.

And the third speaks for itself.

If any of these components are missing, you have an unbalanced relationship. I know where most of my failures have been.

But that would be telling.