Dan Savage

I have a track record of getting on kicks. When I was a kid I was obsessed with rabbits and being Asian. Then I was all about running and being a runner. Then it was history, and then This American Life... and so on. Getting on certain kicks is for the most part, normal. Throughout peoples' lives, passions and enthusiasm for things or activities ebb and flow, with me however, I tend to take things just a little too far. And it's not that I make it my whole identity or anything, I just obsess, talk about and consume to an extreme degree whatever it is that I am really excited about at any particular point in time. Currently, I am all about Dan Savage.
Now, I had heard on a regular basis Dan Savage read essays he had written on This American Life. Essays about love, sex, being gay and life in general - and I loved what he said every time he was featured. It was not until I was talking about Dan with my friend, Justine, that I made the cross over from being a pronounced fan of Dan Savage when featured on This American Life to getting on an official, Alana-style, Dan Savage kick.
It started with just going to his column, Savage Love, and then it spread into listening to his podcast, and then I knew i was on an official Alana kick when I realized that I had been spending months of lunch breaks pouring over every single archived article. Years' worth of weekly columns pretty much dominated my free time. But it makes sense, Dan's column is the shit...let me tell you why.
To begin with, unlike the more mainstream sex-advice-public-write-in-ditties, readers of Savage Love get to hear from all voices across the sexual/relational spectrum. With this being the case, you hear from people who share your kinks but you also get to hear from people with kinks that can be, if nothing else, interesting and enlightening. And as much as this may sound like a The More You Know public announcement, Savage Love does of great job humanizing people that the large majority of people may write off as freaks by showing over and over again the truth that people's sexuality is complex and that there is no such thing as "normal." Also, Dan is mean, blunt, hilarious, kind of an asshole and for the most part, offers his readers sound advice and judgment on sex, sexuality and relationships.
**As a side note: hearing from people who share your kinks can be a great way to get tips on how to act on them in a safe and enjoyable way - there are some great ideas out there.***

Moral of the story, Google Dan Savage or Savage love, or just follow the links below.

http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/SavageLove?oid=1192438

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ObrFwjesno

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PZvit_XXASg

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=crSUj-mcn0A