MANTUA — Damn y'all, been rougher than some goddamn rough ass sandpaper, this past one. Still antibio-ed, roided, and limping after a long weekend in the pen, so synapses are firing on less than all cylinders. But this one finds its groove, considering, eventually: how this early Houellebecq stacks up against later, less optimistic iterations; how Houellebecq's emphasis on touch is interesting in the context of his typically mechanical view of intimacy; and how, even in today's secular world, we still adhere to mono- vs. polytheistic outlooks. Also: how research adds so much to a novel's depth. And: how crazy old German dude Wim Hof's breathing techniques could well be the answer to keeping me out of the hospital.

Full blog post, with a list of referenced quotes: http://1storyhaus.com/pod/1sp031-touch-tourism-polytheism-in-michel-houellebecqs-platform-2002

Sean Thor Conroe has written stories for X-R-A-Y (http://x-r-a-y.com/author/sean-thor-conroe/) and has another coming soon from Soft Cartel. He lives on twitter at http://twitter.com/stconroe and in Philadelphia, where he works on his health.