thank you for the messages, mostly females, it seems. the kindness i am shown, the eloquence, warmth and generosity of women, intimidates me. i don't know what to say. joan burnt at rouen, young mary impregnated without her consent, and then there's hypatia the attractive bookworm, eyes gouged out, body smashed with roof tiles, skin flayed with seashells, limbs dismembered and dragged triumphantly across alexandria. sagan said if you want to make an apple pie from scratch, first you have to invent the universe. i am male, a beast at the feast, table prepared by anne boleyn, ruth ellis and marie antoinette. if history had produced more lorena bobbitts we would not be in this mess.