love – CGW's Blog

Most mammals can’t have sex facing each other. Most female mammals don’t orgasm (you know, even with a really in-tune partner).

Academics still debate why, but in the end, humans evolved their sexual reproduction to create bonds. We bond for sex, and have sex for bonding. It isn’t silly, nor trivial. Two distinct, if related, parts of our closest relationships are the intimate and the sexual. Culturally we pair them together, and at our best that comes naturally. For many of us, that doesn’t, so it takes work.

That’s from the The Intimate Animal: The Science of Sex, Fidelity, and Why We Live and Die for Love, a 2026 nonfiction book by Dr. Justin R. Garcia, an evolutionary biologist, sex researcher, and Executive Director of the Kinsey Institute.

The book includes research I appreciate, and takes an overly mature tone without reading academically. I appreciate his use of his cousin Jen’s life and love with Dave to serve as a spine for the book. This is a healthy book for anyone in a relationship, or considering one!

Below I have notes for my future reference.

: James Kennedy, Chris Wink and Shannon McDonald in the story blanket fort. Photo by Rachel Playe.

All of the audio from Story Shuffle 5.0 is now up, featuring the theme of ‘I Love’ and hosted by Roxborough farmer Rachel Playe. In her infinitely playful manner, Playe had us all tell our stories in a blanket fort she had constructed.

As if that wasn’t enough of a highlight, West Philly folk rock band Flat Mary Road was on hand for a short acoustic set.

My story — Love is like water ice: it’s so much more about the technique than the ingredients.

Or listen here.

The notes I prepared before:

I love water ice, and, really, water ice is a lot about love.
When you make water ice, an old woman once told me, it really is so much more about the technique than the ingredients.
I don’t know how old the woman was, maybe only in her later 50s, but her hair kept me guessing. She had a long gray pony tail, like an early winter had set in before her leaves had the chance to fall like most women do, shortening their hair as they get older.
Water ice is like love: you boil water and sugar, add the ingredients and freeze with the greatest and most patient of techniques

Tag: love

Humans are an ‘intimate animal’ that requires a manual (or several)

Love is so much more about the technique than the ingredients and other Story Shuffle 5.0 audio