The sexiness of genius

Some girls go for sexy pecs and six-pack abs. Me, Blog? I’m turned on by IQ.

Nothing else could possibly explain my attraction to Sheldon from “The Big Bang Theory,” who is nerdier than a game room at ComicCon. Okay, I admit I’m not exactly having fantasies about the guy, but I do adore him and could listen to him talk all day.

Likewise, I will forgive Dr. House anything even though he is more cruel and insensitive than a roomful of BP execs. Okay, even he is not that bad. But he can get away with bad behavior because when no one else has a clue how to save a life, House always knows.

There’s nothing like extreme genius to get this girl’s heart palpitating. When I began reading Neil Gaiman’s work it was his brilliant intellect as much as his writing style that awed me. (The illustration here is a portrait I did of him.) Musician Jonathan Coulton writes great songs, but it’s the fact that his lyrics are about DNA and the Mandelbrot Set that really turns me on. Grant Imahara on “Mythbusters” is a cutie, but it’s because he can build a robot that can do anything his crazy bosses want is why I’m smitten with him.

Back when I split with my first husband and found myself back in the dating pool, I hooked up with a guy who was a one-way ticket to irresponsible behavior. If you’re me, that is. He was physically totally my type, was a musician who played guitar and had a gorgeous voice, and probably had the highest IQ of anyone I’ve even known personally. I think I could have dealt with Factors A and B if not for Factor C. It was very hard for me to turn away from someone that smart; sure he was bad for me in a half dozen ways, but when was I going to have a romantic shot again at someone so uberintelligent?

So, Blog, this enlightens you a tad more regarding yesterday’s confessed attraction to Dr. Hodgins from “Bones.” This geniusophilia of mine is a recurring thing, I assure you. Other crushes I’ve had in this category would include Sting (he’s not just another pretty face who specializes in tantric sex, Blog), Ben Linus (diabolical genius), Harlan Ellison (SF author I loved as a teen), Klaatu (brilliant space alien), and my high school trig teacher.

Have I ever written about any super-smart guys in my romances? Is the Pope Catholic, Blog? For starters, a couple of the protagonists in two of my favorite stories ever appear in Soulful Sex: The Darker Side. There’s the title character in “Dr. Chambliss,” who is pretty much the academic equivalent of House. And there’s also Riley Madsen, from “The Poet,” the world’s first rock star poet. The mysterious genius Eric in “Fantastic Toys” in Soulful Sex Volume II is also in this category. And there’s Sadhil Narayan, the brilliant filmmaker in my award-winning story “Alloy Love” from Soulful Sex: The Science Fiction Collection, whom you see in the portrait.

Just thinking about these guys makes me all quivery, Blog. Oh stop it, just because you’re a disembodied anthropomorphized being with a masculine vibe doesn’t give you the right to smirk!

Is there anyone else out there smitten with smarties? Any other nominees for high-IQ hotties? Hit us in the comments. Oh, and the hot links you see in this post go to entries on my old Erotica with Sex blog where I talk about said celebrity crushes, so if you’re into any of these peeps, click away for more rhapsodizing.

Best spots on earth

Dear Blog, since Davie was under the weather Saturday night, I spent three hours doing what I love to do best:  watching HGTV.  Well, not the best exactly, but it's definitely my fallback position. 

The evening's programming featured people either making over their homes to be the best spots on earth, or seeking homes that were the best spots on earth. So I got to thinking, if you really did live in the best spot on earth, would you ever want to leave it, Blog? One of the things I enjoy most about vacations is staying in beautiful, fun accommodations.  It's great to just live in a new environment for awhile. 

So I thought I'd share with you my Top Ten Places I've Stayed.  Think of you as a hotel hunter and me as Suzanne Whang, only for hotels instead of houses.  Bing-bong, it's "Hotel Hunters"!  Will we find the amenities we're looking for?  Let's start the countdown....

10.  Landmark Resort, Egg Harbor, Door County, Wisconsin, May 2005.

I won a weekend stay here by making a Jedi costume for my office Halloween competition.  Who says it doesn't pay to be a geek?  Lovely rooms, but mostly awesome (as is so often the case) because of the incredible view from our balcony.

9.  DeSoto House Hotel, Galena, Illinois, June 2004. 

This great, historic establishment was celebrating its 150th anniversary, and we our tenth. You see here the beautifully restored lobby.  It served as headquarters for Ulysses S. Grant's presidential campaign after the Civil War, and was host to Abraham Lincoln, too.  A great location right on Galena's main street. 

8. Illinois Beach Resort, Zion, Illinois, August 2008.

Now there's a whole lotta not a lotta stuff to do in Zion, Illinois, but the resort itself has great hiking trails and a terrific beach on Lake Michigan.  Room wasn't fancy, but it was nice, and the resort had a cute restaurant and an updated-60s feel.  This place mostly makes the list for the beach and (again) the fantastic view from our balcony.

7.  Crowne Plaza Hotel, St. Louis, Missouri, May 2007.

We did our INKYTNMO (Indiana/ Kentucky/ Tennessee/ Missouri) roadtrip on the cheap. However, I got an amazing rate on this upscale hotel in downtown St. Louis.  Beautiful place, excellent room...and then my daughters stepped out on the balcony to discover a little, er, big surprise: the view.  Here they are showing their shock and delight at seeing our pal Archie.  (Note Katie's patented "WTF" look, and Manzi's patented "cracking up at my sister" look.)

Come see the rest via the link below....