A strange thing happened after my post last week regarding Eric Spitzangel's "Authors and their Assholes" series. I'm flattered to learn that I have an asshole of note, and in the spirit of sharing everything you can now see it here. (Not literally. All illustrations are purely figurative.)

This has been a confronting exercise for me. Not only can I not draw (except, as previously reported, when extremely stoned) but I'm also usually, and understandably, a little shy about revealing anything down there. Finding a way to break through both boundaries at once wasn't easy. I think it turned out all right.

Rest assured that this isn't some kind of perverse practical joke. It's a serious exercise, even if it's also intended to be funny and a little confrontational. Ventures like these challenge us to think about ourselves in new ways. While this particular one might not be for you, I'm sure it's worth spending at least a second or two pondering it. (How do you regard your asshole, figuratively or otherwise? If you don't, why not?)

It made a nice change from contemplating my navel, anyway.

Update: Black holes are God's assholes.