Ask Emma

Recently I received this message from a reader of my blog:

I've been with women who enjoy spanking before, but I've always wondered how hard is too hard. Speaking as a woman who enjoys spanking, is there a good way for a partner to judge when the action is getting a little too intense... before the safe word is voiced?
Thanks!

As I was writing my response it occurred to me that:

1. It was getting pretty long and would maybe make a good blog post and...
2. all of you lovely people out there could probably give better advice than I could!  

So I'm including my answer below, but asking YOU to share your input in the comments section as well!  The reader originally asked for my input as a woman who enjoys being spanked, but I'm opening it up to anyone who loves to spank or be spanked!

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Dear Reader:

What a great question!  But I'm afraid you're asking the wrong woman.  That is to say - the answer will probably be slightly different for each woman you spank, so I don't know that I can shed any light on what to expect with the variety of women you'll hopefully encounter.  Here's what I can tell you:

In considering your question, I tried to think back to the spankings I can remember that brought me close enough to my limit that I would have safeworded (had Jack and I had a safeword, which we didn't and which is an entirely different topic altogether).  There weren't many, maybe two or three over the seven years that we were together, and I guess I was a bit surprised to realize that in none of them was physical severity or pain what led me to that point, it was always the emotional intensity.

What hints or clues did I give?  Again, I'm not sure I'm the best person to answer that, because I'd imagine that many of them were given unconsciously.  I have found that, in general, when I'm really having a hard time processing a spanking emotionally I go quiet.  If I can beg and whine and say owww a lot, it's a pretty good indication that I'm ok :)  If I use the top's name, that's an indication that I'm getting awfully close to my limit.

When you get a bit of experience in playing with one person, you'll probably start to pick up on their individual clues if you pay attention.  Before you reach that point, the best advice I can give is to discuss the parameters of the play with new partners before you get started.  This can be tricky because, as Pixie pointed out in her recent post, different people may (and probably will) describe severity levels differently.  One woman may tell you she likes "moderate" spankings, yet reach her limit quickly when you start to spank her because her idea of moderate and yours are not in line.  Or you may find a woman whom you are not comfortable spanking as firmly as she would like because her idea of "moderate" is too severe for you.

You can get past this by discussing specifics - do they like to be spanked until the skin is just pinkening?  Uniformly red?  Starting to bruise?  If playing with an implement, you may want to give the strokes in sets.  This gives you the opportunity to check in with your partner between sets to see how she is doing.  If you think she's nearing her limit, but want to prolong the play, try backing down a level (spank her with your hand, for instance) then ask her if she wants more. 

If you aren't playing a scene where this type of dialogue works, you can always utilize the green/yellow/red method of safewords, where green is an indication that all is well, yellow allows her to tell you she's getting close to her limit, and red means stop.  This can be a wonderful tool, allowing both parties to relax into the scene without having to worry.  Lastly, if you hope to play with someone again, take some time to talk after the spanking as well.  You can learn a lot this way and hopefully use that knowledge to make your next encounter with them even better.

Good luck and happy spanking!
-Em 
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OK dear readers, now it's your turn!  What advice would you add?  Please share your $0.02 in the comments!  And if you have a question you'd like answered, send me an email.

Consensual Spanking Day

If you don't live under a rock, you've probably heard that today is Consensual Spanking Day.  Even if you do live under a rock, it's OK, now you know :)  I've seen a few posts on other blogs asking their readers to comment on what part of consensual spanking has had the most positive effect on their lives.  So I thought about it... and thought some more... and came up, well, blank.

It's not that I don't love consensual spanking, or enjoy it in my life.  I do!  But here's the thing: I can't remember my life without at least the idea of spanking in it.  My very first childhood memory revolves around spanking.  My adolescent years were spent fantasizing about spanking in naughty delicious detail.  I had my first real spanking experience in college.  Practically all of my adult relationships have included spanking.  So - does it make me a better person?  How can I answer that when this is the only person I've ever been?  It's great stress relief, sure, but so is a massage.  It's fun too, but I also enjoy reading a good book or whipping someone in a game of cards.  Could I reduce spanking to that level?  No!  But there it was, all of the describable reasons that I love spanking could just as easily apply to other less enriching aspects of my life.

And then I realized the problem.  I was looking at this the wrong way.  I can't describe how spanking has changed my life, because it hasn't changed my life, it is my life.  So what am I really thankful for today, on Consensual Spanking Day?  I'm thankful for all of the external forces in my life that make it possible for me to enjoy spanking.

I am thankful:

• To live in a country where I am free (mostly) to express myself and my sexuality.
• To live in a time when I can walk into a bookstore and find a treasure trove of books to feed my spanking kink and imagination.
• To live somewhere where I can take the internet and its ability to connect me with like-minded people across the globe for granted.
• That I have a roof over my head, clean water to drink, food available on every corner. 
• That I have access to state of the art health care (even though it may bankrupt me if I ever really need it).
• That I am free from the threat of real violence.
• To have friends who love me just the way I am, whether they know a little or a lot about my life behind the kinky curtain.

Because all of these basic needs are taken care of, I can indulge in the "frivolous" act of exploring/enjoying spanking in all of its wonderful, playful, intense, emotional, physical, amazing ways!  For that, I am truly thankful.

Because not everyone is as lucky as I am, I urge you to celebrate Consensual Spanking Day by giving back a little to those people still struggling to meet their basic needs.  Here are a few organizations I like, if you need some suggestions:

Thirst Relief International - More than 1.1 billion people in our world lack access to safe drinking water. A donation of just $5 gives a person access to clean drinking water for life.

Hero Rat - Landmines injure and kill civilians every day, long after conflicts have ended and exist as a barrier to development.  Almost 5,000 people die from tuberculosis daily, and many cases go undetected.  HeroRat trains rats to detect land mines and TB.

Kiva - Kiva connects you to entrepreneurs in under-developed areas across the globe to power microfinance loans.

Heifer International - Ending world hunger and poverty globally is a large feat but it's not unrealistic. It takes each and every single one of us to do our part to be able to attain a world without poverty and hunger. Heifer's simple yet powerful approach to lifting families out of hunger and poverty has been recognized worldwide.


And once you've done your good deed for the day, don't forget to celebrate Consensual Spanking Day with a well-deserved good girl (or boy) spanking!

Post spanking dessert

Hermione, on her blog today, posted a delicious sounding recipe for Baked Zucchini Chips.  She got the idea from Daisy over at Daisychain, who once a month shares a recipe with her readers.  What a fabulous idea!  This month Daisy shared three cookie recipes with her loyal readers and encouraged them to share their own tried and true recipes.

Each summer I join a farm share from which I get weekly deliveries of fresh seasonal produce from a local farm.  This is one of my favorite parts of summer and each week I look forward to seeing what is in my box!  I've discovered some great new veggies I'd never tried before, and many wonderful new recipes.  Here's one I plan on making this week with my recent delivery of zucchini:

My zucchini does not look like an adorable duck :(

Double Chocolate Zucchini Bread

Ingredients:
3/4 c. oil
1 1/4 c. sugar
2 eggs
1 t. vanilla
2 c. grated zucchini
1/2 c. sour milk or buttermilk
3 T. cocoa
1/2 t. baking powder
1 t. baking soda
2 1/2 c. flour
small bag of chocolate chips

Directions:
1. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees
2. Grease bread pan(s) (I make 2 small loaves out of this recipe)
3. Mix all ingredients and bake 30-35 minutes (or until a toothpick dipped into the center comes out clean)

I adapted this recipe from one of my favorite summer cook books: From Asparagus to Zucchini.The original recipe makes a cake in a 13x9 cake pan, but I prefer to cook it as two small bread loaves.  Perfect for snacking on and oh so yummy!

And here's a good baking tip: for best results, allow your oven to pre-heat for 20 minutes after reaching the desired temperature.  This gives the oven walls time to evenly absorb the heat and reduces the temperature fluctuations caused by opening the oven door.  It's also handy to keep a pizza stone in your oven - it absorbs moisture and soaks up heat, again regulating the temperature of your oven!

If you try this recipe I'd love to hear from you, or share your own recipe, either here or on your own blog!

Yes, another spanking meme

This set of spanking related questions made the rounds a number of months back. I have split the meme into five parts so as not to overwhelm you (I'm thoughtful like that) and will be posting them between other posts on more cohesive topics. So without further ado... my declarations on the state and practice of consensual spanking (part one of five):


1. Would you rather be spanked outside in a cold woodshed or inside by a cozy fire?
Inside please! Force me out into a cold woodshed and you can bet that my mind will be focused on me freezing and not the lovely spanking to come. A crackling fire, however, sets the perfect stage for a sweet and loving spanking. Draped across my partner's lap, each sharp swat soothed with gentle caresses... mmm, yes please.


2. Would you rather be spanked in public or in private?
Many of my hottest fantasies involve being dominated and spanked in public (and by public I mean amongst vanilla people, not just a kinky party or setting). There's just something completely sexy about making yourself that vulnerable. Outside the realm of fantasy however, I'm much more of a private person. Spanking can be light and playful, but it is often intensely personal and I prefer to keep that between myself and my partner.

3. Would you rather fantasize about spanking or actually be spanked?
Both of these options certainly have their merits, but I don't think I'd be writing a spanking blog if my answer wasn't to be spanked! That said, fantasies allow me to safely go places I don't think I'd ever journey in actual play and provide a safe way explore emotional needs and responses. To me, both the fantasy and the physical act are necessary for a healthy, well-rounded spanking life. After all, if I had no fantasies I probably wouldn't be in the position of wanting to be spanked anyway ;)

4. Would you rather be spanked for your humiliation or for your spanker's pleasure?
Humiliation is a majorly hard limit for me. I enjoy a little light embarrassment as much as the next girl - after all it sets the tone for a great spanking - but the moment it crosses over into humiliation all bets are off. It's also very important for me to know that my partner is enjoying himself during and after a spanking. You might think that's self-explanatory, but I often need to hear it anyway. You see, no matter how hard I try I just can't fathom what it is you spankers get out of the whole spanking thing. As such, I often feel greedy or selfish enjoying a spanking and need some assurance that the other person enjoyed it too!


5. Would you rather be spanked by hand or by hairbrush? Hand. Unless I'm feeling very small, then I like to be held down and thoroughly spanked with a brush. I should confess that I've never actually been spanked by a hairbrush (how have I managed that??), but I've made very good acquaintance with a number of bath brushes.

6. Would you rather be spanked by belt or by cane? I guess it depends on the situation. Canes are well suited to a more ritualized experience, which can certainly have its place. Belts I find to be more casual and intimate. Mostly I prefer the latter.

7. Would you rather be spanked by paddle or riding crop? Riding crop please. They're just a bit more versatile - you can strike with the tip or the length of the crop, and employ more variation in the strength of the strokes.

8. Would you rather be restrained or unrestrained during your spanking? I love having my hands cuffed, and enjoy this in many spankings. I'm much less thrilled about having my legs tied - either down or apart - and this is enough to send me into a very different and often scary headspace. I often find it easier to take spankings when I am not tied down, as I need to maintain some focus on staying reasonably still. When I'm restrained and I don't have that to focus on, I experience the spanking more acutely, I think.

9. Would you rather be spanked until you cried or until you are aroused? Aroused. I don't have a problem with crying during a spanking, and I often do. But I don't like tears to be a focus of the spanking - i.e. "I'm going to spank you until you cry" because I focus so much on that that I find it difficult to actually let go and cry. Tears will come when and if they come, and often there's no rhyme or reason to why I sometimes cry and sometimes don't. Threatening to spank me until I'm aroused... well now there's a plan I can get behind ;)

10. Would you rather have just a red bottom or welts/bruises? I personally love bruises and welts, the lasting physical reminders of an intimate experience. This seems to be a good thing, as I bruise very easily so they're difficult to avoid.

Stay tuned for the next installment...

Game night

I've got games on the mind, kinky games, that is. It all started when Chris, on his twitter account, mentioned the idea of a spanko version of Apples to Apples. I admit I love this game, and even when I play with vanilla friends they seem to save every mildly kinky card in the deck for me. So I got to thinking... how could it become more spanking friendly? I eventually devised a set of rules for Spanko Apples to Apples (which I'll share with you below), but this set my mind onto some lovely tangents.

Suzy & Todd of American Spanking Society have developed their very own Spankopoly board game, so clearly there is a market for more spanking friendly games. In fact, many of us play "spanking games" in our daily life, we probably just don't call them that. There are many aspects of gameplay in kink, whether it's incorporating role play into your spanking sessions, or simply integrating a little competition into a spanking scene (don't move or I'll start over, guess the implement, even counting strokes). I imagine this is part of the fun for a lot of us.

Vanilla games that have point systems lend themselves especially well to a little bit of spanking fun. I've played too many card games to count where the loser takes the difference in points (or the number of points the winner had, or the number of points the loser had, or really any formula derived from any of those point tallies) as strokes in a spanking. While fun, they have always left me in a bit of a quandary - I am highly competitive and play to win, but I have no desire to top and consider the best prize to be getting a spanking for myself :)

So - do you play spanking games? Which are your favorites? Do you save them for special occasions, or use them anytime? What are the stakes and do you secretly hope to win or lose? I can't wait to hear!

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Spanko Apples to Apples:

If you've ever played the game before, you know that each round one player takes the role of judge. He or she selects a theme card and all of the other players pass over a card from their hand that the judge will agree best suits the theme.

Once all the cards are in (and shuffled to maintain anonymity), the judge picks through and chooses the card which best encapsulates their idea of the theme. The person who put that card in gets a point, and eventually a winner is declared by the person who has the most points.

When my friends and I play, we often comment on the other cards, occasionally laying them out in order of least likely to the best - this was my inspiration. In the spanko version, in addition to selecting the round's winner, the judge will also select a loser! Losers collect strokes the same way winners collect points. You can choose how to award the strokes - a set number (1, 2, 3?) for each round you lose, or perhaps a progressive penalty: one stroke for the first loss, two for the second, four for the third?

Once a winner is declared and the game is over, the players are given their strokes. The winner is exempt from any of the strokes he or she earned during the game and has the added pleasure of selecting the implement to be used on the other players.

Depending on the number of players and implements you have on hand, it may be fun to begin the game by designating a number of implements that is one less than the number of player . For example, if 5 people are playing, you may set aside: a hand spanking, a paddle, a cane, and a belt. At the end of the game the winner decides who gets spanked with what, with each implement getting used. If there are too many players or not enough implements, you can vary the rules accordingly :) Of course, spankers playing the game may wish to designate a spankee to take their strokes.

Broken rules, broken promises

I broke a rule today.

Not on purpose, I didn't even realize it at first. It was one of those little rules that almost exists only to be broken - that line you cross when you want to be in trouble, but not too much trouble.


I broke a rule today.

Of course it isn't a rule anymore. There haven't been rules for too long. There haven't been rules since I walked out his door, shattered. Since the night, not too long after, that he walked out my door with both of us pretending it wasn't goodbye.

For so long after there was just the hurt that's left behind when love moves on. No room in my heart or mind to dwell on the physical loss. No time to remember how his hand felt tangled in my hair; what his belt sounded like, exploding across my skin; how tightly his arms always wrapped around me after. Only later, once the emotional hurts had begun to heal could I remember, and remembering, begin to yearn.

Even this is new. Not the yearning of a young girl, wishing and waiting for a taste of the forbidden world she has craved as far back as she can remember; full of hope and fantasy, edged with a fluttering nervousness born of stepping off the safe path into the unknown. Nor is it the yearning of a woman who knows her lover's hand as well as her own and fears as well as worships it. Whose nerves tingle not from awaiting the unknown, but from surrendering once again to the brilliant pleasure and pain that can only be had together.

No, this is a bright glimmer of hope and desire, flashing hotly then quickly dimmed by the memories of how sharp and deep that pain can be when the pleasure is snuffed out, when trust is met with broken promises and disregard. This is the yearning of a woman - older and perhaps wiser. Gentle, tentative, the soft glow of her desire fading into the darker shadows of her doubt.

Time does heal. Light and dark war and shift, settling into a new equilibrium, perhaps more cautious and less carefree, but comfortable. Right.

I broke a rule today.

I smiled as I realized that, knowing that next time it will be not a slip of the mind, but because I meant to. Because girls who break rules must pay the price. And despite everything, I still love that price.

What's New

Hi,

Whew... time seems to fly! What have I been up to, you ask? Sadly the answer is mostly boring. That darn real life just seems to keep demanding my attention. Rest assured, however, that I haven't been neglecting to have some kinky fun no matter how busy I may be. In fact, sometimes it's popped up in the most unlikely places:

Browsing through the aisles of a new Asian market (ohhh I die and go to heaven a little each time I step foot in an Asian market) I found a new use for canes:



The photo's a little blurry, but the label reads "Rattan Shoots." I'm thinking as a public service I should take all the canes around here and pickle/jar them. You know... to feed all those starving people. That would be the socially responsible thing to do, right?

Then yesterday I took my car to a new mechanic. As I'm walking in the service door I notice something that looks suspiciously like a narrow solid wooden paddle in a window display. Hmmm... It was grouped with some sports equipment, perhaps to hide it's true purpose? If given the option I would have gladly paid my bill with a paddling :)

In other news I've gone and created a twitter account. Actually, I just created it to follow some other bloggers I enjoy reading, but then they went and followed me, so I figured I had better actually post something. You can check out my most recent tweets on the navbar to the left, or on twitter - my username is emma_enchanted. I've also been spending some time on spankolife.com again with the username emma_enchanted. If you visit any of these sites please drop me a note or say hi :)

Starring role

In my fantasies I play a variety of roles and delight in stepping outside of the bounds of my normal experience. In real life, my spankings are more mundane, if such a thing can be said of spanking.

I don't play a part and I never have to run my thoughts or responses through a filter of what would be appropriate for someone else to feel or say or do. All that changed a few weeks ago.

I was catching up with an old spanko friend, chatting about where our lives had taken us, what we were up to, how we had been. Intermingled was plenty of taunting and teasing of the friendliest sort. Until all of a sudden it changed and he wasn't my good buddy joking around with me, he was a strict looking teacher and I was a naughty schoolgirl caught sneaking off the grounds.

I paused a moment, surprised by this new twist and not at all sure where it would lead. But I'll try almost anything once, and if that anything involves me getting spanked more's the better.

Sneaking off school property was a huge infraction and a girl sent to the principal for such a thing could surely be suspended. In fact, Mr. Michael's voice assured me as it broke through my frantic thoughts, that would most certainly be the penalty I could expect. Suddenly I was very much a school girl - terrified to be sent home in disgrace. How would I tell my parents? How could I face their displeasure or worse, their dissapointment.

I was sorry, I pleaded, I would never do it again, the Principal didn't have to be told... And in my heart I still believed, as only an innocent young girl can, that the very worst thing that could happen in the world would be my parents learning of my disobedience. So I was genuinely relieved when Mr. Michaels suggested that we deal with the situation privately and equally as crushed to learn exactly how he proposed to do so - with a hard wooden paddle drilled through with holes.

Spanko-emma knew how much that paddle would hurt, knew exactly what to expect, and dreaded it. But I was naughty-schoolgirl-emma and had never been so much as spanked, let alone paddled (Oh, and how embarrassing it was to have to admit that to Mr. Michael's when he asked). I knew only that the paddle looked incredibly large and scary, that Mr. Michaels looked very stern, and that I wished ferverently to be able to rewind the clock and not sneak out or at least not to have been caught in the act.

Butterflies battered my stomach. My knees felt weak and I was almost relieved to be ordered across his desk so that I wouldn't embarrass myself by collapsing in front of him. The height of the desk forced me up onto my tip toes and my arms stretched tight so that my fingers could find purchase on the opposite edge. The wood was smooth and cool and solid beneath me and comforting in a way I couldn't have explained but was as old as the time honored ritual to which I was now being inducted.

I blushed a charming shade of red, soon to be surpassed on my backside, and protested as my skirt was raised and panties lowered. Shame, which had been hiding distantly behind fear and nerves, now stepped boldly forward in my conciousness. Only the crisp crack of the paddle, following a moment after a stern directive to count the strokes aloud, could send the shame skittering out of my mind as quickly as it had come as the first blush of red spread across my cheeks and my first taste of pain burned itself into my flesh.

Any girl would have jumped up, I told myself, embarrassed by how quickly I had lost position; shocked and startled by the fire the paddle had ignited with barely any effort. It's harder, so much harder to bend over that desk a second time, fully understanding now what will happen when you do. The paddle fell hard igniting another flame and then another. Pausing between each to let me suffer fully, pulling cries from my throat along with each count.

At some point I reached back, promising to be good, promising that I had learned my lesson, pleading for leniency that wouldn't be shown. Again I forced myself back into position. Again the paddle landed and again until all twelve strokes had been delivered, until my bottom was sore and red, and my throat caught with little girl sobs.

As quickly as we had assumed the roles we shed them and I was caught in comforting arms, pleasantly warm and sore and absolutely content. Looking back I know that the spanking was firm but not harsh and that spanko-emma could have gotten through it with a minimum of fuss. How lucky was I then, to be able to experience it as a girl not accustomed to such things, as a girl off-balance and vulnerable in a way I often find it difficult to be?

Drifting off to sleep that night, still warm from memories, I was so very glad to be reminded that there are always new experiences waiting to be discovered. I can't wait to see what they are and where they'll lead.

Finish this fantasy, a challenge by Hermione

Over on her blog a few days ago, Hermione posted the beginning of a fantasy and challenged her readers to finish it off. I took the liberty of swapping positions and so here is the original beginning reprinted from the opposite point of view:

"We are getting dressed for a big night out and I look incredible. As we admire each other from head to toe you notice a silk tie draped over the doorknob behind me and get a very naughty idea (aren't those the best kinds?). You pick up the tie then lead me to a chair. Gently you lower me onto it and..."

There was no sound beside the whisper of silk as you fastened the tie over my eyes, rendering me deliciously isolated. My ears strained trying to fill the void of sense that my now blinded eyes had created but there was only the beating of my heart, the soft whoosh of my breath.

A moment passed, stretched to eternity in my mind as I could only wait, only wonder, only desire and fear what was to come.

A hand on my shoulder. Tracing down my arms to bind my wrists.

A finger pressed firmly to my lips. Demanding silence.

A cool gentle breeze teasing my skin as I am slowly and thoroughly disrobed. All of my careful preparations for the evening discarded in a pile on the floor.

The sharp shocking pain as your fingers capture my nipples followed so closely by the lovely teasing warmth of your mouth that I almost believe the former had been a dream.

Sweet languid sensations.

Hard demanding hands.

And always pleasure. So much that my body aches with it, silently begging for more even as I'm sure that there can be no more or I will simply fall apart.

Giving and taking all that I have, all that I can until there is only one thing left to give. Until the world shatters in bright and brilliant light behind the blinding silk. My breath catching until my lungs ache for air and then exploding in my chest.

Silence still. Filling the space between us as no sound, no words, ever could.

Hands, only gentle now, caress before sliding down to release my bonds and lastly, slowly, up to unfasten the silk across my eyes.

A wry chuckle sneaks into your voice even as I struggle to find my own. Breaking the silence you whisper "Now you've made us late. You'll pay for that later, my dear."

I can't wait.

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If you'd like to read the other responses or, even better, propose your own ending please visit Hermione's Heart.

P.S. I know I've been quiet here for a while, but expect to see more of me from now on!

Introducing Max

The thing about starting a blog which you may not think of at the time you're starting is that in order to produce a consistently good blog you must consistently have something good to say and time in which to say it. Recently I have found myself lacking both.

Time particularly has been hard to come by lately. Any of you who have ever brought a puppy into your home will understand, I'm sure. A few months ago I was blessed with Max, a crazy yet equably lovable large breed puppy who has managed to worm his way into my home and heart. Just as surely as I adore him, he adores me, a feeling he expresses by being constantly stuck to my side when he's not discovering new and exciting ways to destroy my every belonging. Among those belongings that have met a tragic end falling victim to Max's puppy teeth was my internet cable. It's just as well, since Max is terribly jealous of anything which takes my attention away from him so I'm actually more likely to get work (or blogging) done cozied up in a wifi enabled coffee house.

Like all of my other pets, Max seems to have no problem whatsoever with Jack spanking me. Jack says they agree I deserve it. I like to believe that they understand the subtle nuance of someone harming you and someone hurting you for pleasure. Apparently we humans understand the difference even more than you may have thought. According to new research, people experience more intense pain from the same sensation when they believe the person delivering the pain did so intentionally.

I wonder if the findings would be reversed when looking at consensual spanking. Is an errant blow, one which lands off its mark, more painful simply because it lands on more tender flesh or is the pain intensified by the belief that it was a mistake? Or to follow the original track of the study, does pain delivered for punishment hurt more than pain delivered for mutual pleasure?

Well, there are some interesting thoughts with which to (belatedly) start the new year. While I try not to make resolutions I do hope to spend more time tending to this little corner of the internet. I do hope you stick around to see the results!

- Emma (and Max)