I’ve done lists of my favorite posts before, and reprinted some. But what I think is my best writing isn’t necessarily what’s proved most popular. Based on the statistics I’ve deciphered, here are my ten most popular posts (judged by links and visits and hits, not comments) since I started blogging in 2004. I’ve kept this list for a while, but here it is now, and I can’t always figure out why these are the ones that got so many hits and still do. In ascending order towards the most linked ever:

10. Circumcised at 37: a personal story and a rebuke to the MRAs
9. Not just consent but enthusiasm: some notes on college sex workshops and stoplights
8. Journals, and the stories of Djamila, Beth, and Julia Ann
7. Full Frontal Feminism: my students respond
6. The Clitoris and Corinthians
5. Some Thoughts on Teaching and Student Crushes
4. Age is never just a number: on “Juno” and covert older men/younger women boundary violation
3. The self-flattering fantasies of the aging man: a buddy gets his bubble burst
2. Gay marriage: good for winning championships?
1. The Paris Paradox: how sexualization replaces opportunity with obligation

My five most popular categories, driven heavily by search engine queries:

5. Myth of Male Weakness
4. Masturbation
3. Porn
2. Student Crushes
1. Older Men & Younger Women

Conclude what you will.

Posting will be reduced for the remainder of the week. I’m traveling up to Northern California to help launch a new project I’m very excited about. Hint: it involves fashion, the modeling industry, and transforming young people’s self-image.

More details to come.

According to Powweb, my service provider, October 2010 was my busiest month ever here on the blog. I fell just short of 1 million hits, and had over 153,000 visitors — all records since I began posting regularly in January 2004. I’m grateful to all who have come here — and of course, I give special thanks to those who link here or offer a comment.

I love blogging, and I look forward to many more years of doing so. Thank you, my dear readers, for your encouragement.

..at least on recent posts.

The entire household is in various stages of stomach flu, and I’m nursing what has turned out to be a fractured pinky toe.

No bloggin’ today.

I’ll be traveling again this coming week, busy with matters spiritual and temporal. I will be back to blogging Monday, September 13; until then, I will be checking in and moderating comment threads as best I can. Feel free to follow me on Facebook (where I happily accept friend requests) and Twitter.

Re: recent debates ’round here. Check out an interesting post from Glendenb at One Utah.

For the first time in seventeen years, I’m not teaching summer school. From 1994-2009, each summer found me in the classroom, lecturing away; this year, I’m taking a break. We’re going to be doing some traveling, and I’m going to spend some good time with my wife, daughter, and extended family.

I’m also heavily involved with a writing project about which I can’t yet say much publicly, but which will keep me very busy this summer.

Posting will be quite light until the start of the fall semester on August 30. An occasional new post will appear, as will some reprints. I will do my best (when I have internet access) to moderate comment threads.

As always, I’m so grateful for my readers. For six and a half years, this blog has brought me a great deal of joy. I’m thankful for all the comments and emails I’ve received over the years; you’ve made me a better writer and a better man by relentlessly challenging me to reflect and reevaluate. I’ve adored blogging, and intend to continue. But the fresh updates will be infrequent until the end of August.

No posting for the rest of this week… back June 1! I’ll be moderating comment threads as needed, however.

It’s Spring Break this week at Pasadena City College, where it is customary to joke that we enjoy America’s latest such hiatus. I’ll be doing some traveling with the family (fortunately, our plans this time do not involve Europe and flights that might be cancelled due to ash). Regular blogging resumes Monday, April 26.