A cryptic but public thank-you note

On Friday night I found out something so awesome (and that was even before someone else threw me physically up in the air, which I also loved, of course, because I am actually a 6-year-old who just wants to play airplane all day). I totally understand why I wasn't told this awesome thing before, but let it be known that I went home and slept for a very peaceful 12 hours.

Too many days have been like this:



but Friday wasn't. And yesterday wasn't. So, I just wanted to say thanks again... it really meant something.

Polyamory book review

I have to write a book review of Polyamory: The New Love Without Limits so that I can lend the actual book to a friend.

( Book review cut for length )

So, no news here: as you knew already, I'm not poly when it comes to sex. I like the honesty part, and I'd rather wind up poly than being straight-up cheated on, yes, but I'd rather continue in happy monotony, or whatever. ;) Here are two questions for the poly people out there, though (or those who know a lot about the culture):

1) Is "poly" really an orientation, distinct from bisexuality or whatever? I can imagine being bisexual in a way that I wouldn't be happy without both a male and a female lover. But if you were straight (or 100% gay) but poly, could you really not be happy being faithful to one person, but be happy being faithful to two? If so, any idea why two would be the magic number?

2) Compersion is the opposite of jealousy, "when we take delight in a beloved's love for another". This book stumbles on that definition a bit when trying to describe it to people who haven't felt it, but... does it have to be about sex? Don't a lot of people feel a weaker form of it when seeing their partner with a child, or with a pet, or seeing their parents together, etc?

In closing: I'm obviously already poly when it doesn't come to sex. In a way, when you get down to it, there are too many excellent nonsexual things in the world to spend that much of my life on sex and people. I love my bug, and my kitty, and his kitty, and Boston, and coffee, and books, and yoga, and knitting, and being upside-down, and engineering, and my friends, and juggling, and roller coasters... I love the whole world, and that's why I'm usually exhausted, boom de yada, boom de yada. :)