So I decided to write an entry about menstruation. Mostly because -- well, I'm a guy, and we don't really get to talk about menstruation too much. Granted, I will acknowledge the fact that it's not something your average group of guys sitting around a locker room would be just dying to start up a dialogue about ... but still, what forum does a guy ever get to discuss his thoughts/feelings on this, which is so close and integral to our experience as human beings?

Tell ya tha truth, and this will undoubtedly sound weird -- (okay, to preface this a bit, I will point out that I grew up in a household full of women) -- but, for quite a bit I envied women their menstrual cycle. And yeah, let me point out right at the start -- not cramps by a frickin long shot, not the bleeding, the inconvenience -- much like you guys can keep the whole childbirth thing, I never had any particular hankering for the more visceral components of menstruation.

Nah, my whole interest was in the whole hard-wired-cyclical thing. Because I'm a taoist, and I don't really believe that life works in a straight line -- rather, there are cycles and patterns to the way the world works. So my envy would have been about having a built-in reminder of the fact that things change but never change ... that the cycle always continues.

I actually expressed that idea to a few women back when I thought that way, and I think their overall responses could be best summed up by the words of one friend, "You wanna bleed, I'm sure they can make you bleed..."

Which was mostly meant to say, if having a Monthly Inconvenience is so danged important to you, I'm sure modern science can find a way to grant you that.

Okay, we'll skip right over the whole idea of "the male menstrual cycle", because as far as I know there's nothing to support that in a physical sense. I do think men cycle too, I just think there isn't as convenient a marker for where our cycles start and end.

But, I wanted to go on about "the curse", as it were ... I remember seeing some movie when I was younger, where a girl who'd just gotten her period referred to it that way. And of course, I know all the societal taboos that portrayed it as something dirty or shameful or whatever. As well, I know about the whole "you're becoming a woman now" riff and the slightly more extreme "first period" parties that some feminist mom's started having, and the whole concept of it being a particularly womanly and fertile thing, a celebration of life and so on...

So the question to my mind, is which does it more tend to be? And part of what is interesting to me is that I'm pretty sure there would be different answers for this question from different women.

For instance, without exaggeration, I have known women who honestly profess that they are insane 1-2 weeks of every month, and should not be held accountable for what they do under the influence of hormones. Also, I've known women who don't really think it affects their rational abilities at all ... perhaps some occasional extra-emotions or someting, but nothing even approaching psychotic.

Aside from the mental aspect, there's the physical. Not so much with the mood swings or such, but I've had a couple of friends who's entire menstrual experience had been one of fantastic physical endurance. These would be women who, for some reason, would have painfully paralyzing cramps and such when their period began.

And yet... I've also known women who were apparently energized and particularly creative during That Time Of Month. Like, instead of any negative physical experiences, they were monthly being juiced up with Inspiration and Happiness.

So, overall, the only place that I'm going with all this is that, for at least this one guy, the whole menstruation thing's just this entire black-hole of a concept ... like, there's plenty of information, but nothing ultimately conclusive.

For instance. Periods and sex. Now, some people, men and women, just happen to think that's icky. Fine, whatever. At the same time, some women just have no sex drive at that time -- maybe don't even want to be touched. Then, there are people really kind of enjoy period-sex ... along those lines, are we all in agreement that a woman on her period can, in fact, still get pregnant? I've had several women attempt to say otherwise, but I honestly suspect they are wrong.

I mean, is there a time of month when a normally fertile woman simply could not conceive? And really, am I a total dumbass for actually not knowing the answer to that myself?

Oh, I did want to mention, on the far end of the spectrum of those who have dibilitating (sp?) cramps and such at the start of their period -- I've known at least one person who is just horribly, insatiably horny around the first few days of her period. I mean, really -- right around that time, no matter where she was or what she was doing, you could have not a doubt in your mind that what she was thinking about was fucking. You could know this because you could easily test it -- lessee, normally she wouldn't decide that we really need to have sex the third time today in the time allotted while her dad talks to his friend downstairs ... but during these days, this is an idea she'd pounce on.

So it is just me, or is that a little strange? I mean, am I particularly clueless, even for a guy? Am I as clueless as most guys, yet unaware of the exhaustive body of info that comes as part and parcel for the ladies?

Or is menstruation, like so many other things about us humans, such a thing that tends to rather individualized and unique?

Hm. Thought out of the blue: Fingerprints are unique, right? Okay, clearly not to that degree but -- d'ya think penises are unique? I mean, they certainly come in a variety -- how likely do you think it is that you'll come across two that are perfectly identical in your lifetime? Something to think about...