http://www.nerve.com/A smart magazine about sex for women and men.1 http://www.nerve.com/regulars/saf/sex-advice-from-turkey-farmers/We're going to be visiting my boyfriend's conservative parents over the holidays. What ground rules should we set regarding intimacy in their house? Watch your language, and keep the cutesy talk to a minimum. When you're sitting around the table, instead of blurting out what's on your mind — like what you'd really like to be doing to the other person right then — come up with a private code phrase you can whisper to each other. I'd suggest "Gobble, gobble."]]>Kristen Gangwer http://www.nerve.com/entertainment/new-releases/Film-11-27-2009/The Road — Timing is everything, especially when it comes to the end of the world as we know it. It’s not The Road’s fault it arrives in theaters a mere two weeks after Roland Emmerich turned the apocalypse into the world’s biggest amusement-park ride; in fact, John Hillcoat’s adaptation of Cormac McCarthy’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel was originally due in theaters a year ago. Hillcoat’s film would have been a hard sell regardless of its release date, but it’s especially difficult to imagine moviegoers carving time into their Thanksgiving weekend for two solid hours of gray, grim despair. Working with a script by Joe Penhall, Hillcoat (The Proposition) has crafted an adaptation that is faithful to McCarthy in much the same way Zack Snyder’s Watchmen was faithful to Alan Moore’s graphic novel: the individual scenes are recognizable, the dialogue is often lifted word-for-word… and yet something vital is missing, as if we are watching moving illustrations from a book rather than a movie with a life of its own. Both novel and film begin some years after an unnamed catastrophe has devastated America (and presumably the rest of the world), leaving a charred, blackened landscape littered with the rubble of civilization.]]>Scott Von Doviak http://www.nerve.com/photo-features/nerve-date/nerve-date-with-jacqueline-tis-the-season-to-be-daring/]]>Jessica Yatrofsky http://www.nerve.com/PersonalEssays/Decker/Scarred/Sometimes, straddling my husband in bed, I drag my fingertips down his chest, over the smooth pale skin of his torso and then up again to his collarbone, down the center, over the scar. The scar is seven inches long, shaped like an exclamation point with its period floating an inch below, pink like his nipples, fat and flat like an earthworm that has been slowly sinking, over the last year and a half, deeper into his body.]]>Stacia J. N. Decker http://www.nerve.com/photo-features/Barnett/watch-your-back/Fine-art photographer Susan Barnett knows that a portrait usually emphasizes the face. But during the summer of 2009, she switched it up, taking to the New York City streets and photographing over 900 passersby — and their t-shirts — from the back. Viewed in a series, Barnett says they "reveal societal themes, causes, likes and dislikes and gripes against the world." As far as getting New Yorkers to actually stop and pose, Barnett says, "My success rate has been almost one-hundred-percent, but sometimes I am given short shrift. One t-shirt read 'A t-shirt can change the world!' I really liked that one, but ironically that fellow refused to stop." Too bad. He missed out on being part of a gorgeous and unique project. Here are highlights from her "Not In Your Face" series; we think you'll really get behind it. — Nicole Ankowski]]>Susan Barnett http://www.nerve.com/personalessays/kirkman/dealbreaker/]]>Jen Kirkman http://www.nerve.com/entertainment/features/pop-culture-were-thankful-for/Thanksgiving is meant to be a time when we all l take a moment to appreciate the things that make our lives worth living. As you go around the table this year, you’ll probably hear about good friends, supportive families, fulfilling relationships — and that’s all wonderful. But given the solemn nature of the day, you probably won’t get to hear about how much Uncle Joe cannot stop watching So You Think You Can Dance, and we here at Nerve think that’s a shame. After all, how many of us have been comforted after a hard day by our favorite movie? Or feel a deep, meaningful connection with Dr. Gregory House? In an effort not to take such joys for granted, we asked members of the Nerve family to tell us: what piece of pop culture were you most thankful for this past year?]]>the Nerve Editors http://www.nerve.com/entertainment/features/the-five-sexiest-apocalypse-movies/We know what you’re thinking. No, “sexy” might not be the first adjective that most people would attach to the end of the world. And yet, while there’s definitely something about the apocalypse that’s a bummer, especially if you’ve been saving up coupons, it has its fun side, too. The collapse of civilization does give you a chance to throw caution to the winds, go for broke, explore your uninhibited side — and, in the case of The Road, John Hillcoat’s film adaptation of the novel by Cormac McCarthy, reflect that if you have to be cast into a wasteland to fend for yourself, it can’t hurt to have Viggo Mortensen’s cheekbones. By now, there’s a sizable movie history of apocalyptic visions, and we can definitely say that some of them are easier on the eyes than others.]]>Phil Nugent http://www.nerve.com/regulars/savage-love/how-do-i-tell-my-girlfriend-im-pregnant/I am a twenty-nine-year-old single straight man. Over the past year, I have become very close friends with a gay man close to my age. We have a blast hanging out, and I value our friendship. Four months ago, he told me that he had developed romantic feelings for me and said he needed a little space to save our friendship. For a couple of months, we saw each other only with mutual friends. Then we started hanging out again. It’s been great, and he seems very comfortable with me again. The thing is, I am now experiencing a sexual attraction to him. I have never been with a man and I am very attracted to women, but it doesn’t bother me that I suddenly feel this way. I have been thinking about asking him if he wants to have a sexual experience with me. I think he would go for it. A long-term romantic relationship with him does not interest me, but I do love him as a friend and don’t want to risk losing that. Is it possible this could be just a one-time thing that brings us closer as friends, or is it more likely to ruin our friendship? He is the only guy I have ever been attracted to, and I want to have this experience. — Straight Except For One Guy]]>Dan Savage http://www.nerve.com/photo-features/go/things-drunk-people-say/]]>Kathleen Go http://www.nerve.com/regulars/my-first-time/021-female-18-vienna/]]>You http://www.nerve.com/entertainment/features/five-tv-familes-to-avoid-on-thanksgiving/]]>Scott Von Doviak http://www.nerve.com/regulars/culture-wars/avatar/]]>Andrew Osborne and Scott Von Doviak http://www.nerve.com/dispatches/reininga/hosting-your-own-hedonistic-thanksgiving/]]>Ben Reininga http://www.nerve.com/regulars/missinformation/so-many-women-so-few-decision-making-skills/I've noticed that you're pretty vehemently against extracurricular activities. I happen to be in a relationship with a hubby who is into being a cuckold. He even gets me ready for dates and vets potential partners. I was completely faithful for thirteen years (we've been married for eighteen) and probably wouldn't have done anything like this without his prompting. I've had a couple of affairs, both of which were with married guys who didn't tell their wives. In an ideal world, the wives would be cool with this but I haven't found another couple where the wife wants the hubby to sleep around, swingers excluded. Hubby has the option to go out as well, but he doesn't seem interested in taking it — he's more interested in my adventures and supporting me in my "sexual athleticism." What would you do in my situation? Have affairs knowing that my hubby is happy, or keep vows that he no longer wants? — Having Fun with Life's Lemonade]]>Erin Bradley http://www.nerve.com/regulars/the-confessies/11-23-2009/]]>You