Stephen Phillips
Stories (25/0)
How to Spot a 41-Year-Old Virgin
I saw The 40-Year-Old Virgin at a theater in Houston with my cousin in 2005 when I was newly twenty-four. I laughed and winced the whole way through. Steve Carell remains one of my favorite actors - my TV Dad - and the film worked because his character was human and funny, with nuance in between.
By Stephen Phillips3 months ago in Confessions
How I Survived the Pandemic as a Porn Addict
As an addict, my biggest test during the global pandemic of the past two years did not come from the fear of contracting COVID strains, the anxiety of losing multiple jobs and income streams, or even the frustration (and mounting anxiety) of addressing a chronic back injury I walked into the pandemic with. It was simply being home alone. Being alone, as an addict with plenty of time on my hands.
By Stephen Phillips3 months ago in Confessions
The Last Days of a 40-Year-Old Virgin
In the fall of 2020, after two lockdowns, a dozen quarantines, and various mask mandates throughout the city, I suddenly found myself facing an opportunity for sex. Surprisingly, I wasn't looking for one. A former co-worker of mine reached out to me on her birthday with an invitation to get together.
By Stephen Phillips3 months ago in Confessions
How to Get Ready for Sex When You're Not Having Sex
Does anyone else try to guess if someone is having sex or not? Just me? Okay, great. A new acquaintance. A co-worker. A stranger walking toward me in a mask in the middle of a pandemic while the elevator slowly closes.
By Stephen Phillips8 months ago in Filthy
I Heard People Having Lockdown Sex
I did it. It finally happened. Somehow, after twenty-something odd years, I heard other people having sex. Two people, to be exact. And not actors on a screen, either. These were hardworking, quarantining stay-at-home citizens as best I could tell. I could only tell so much. That's what makes sex so attractive if you're not part of the act.
By Stephen Phillips8 months ago in Confessions
Nights with a Highly Sexual Woman
This happened, but it's hazy. In some ways, I'm afraid it may never happen again… More than three years ago, in Los Angeles, found myself seeing a woman who adored sex. She said it, screamed it; she wore it like perfume across her neck. She told me so on only the second night I saw her, hands tracing the stem of a martini glass and up to the finite rim. I sat there, transfixed on a bar stool, breathing in the smokeless air at the base of the canyons in a city of expensive, half-hearted taste.
By Stephen Phillips8 months ago in Filthy
How to Stay Zen if You're Single at the Beginning of the Year
I don't want to admit it, but I grit my teeth when I meet new couples around the holidays. I force a smile around the punch bowl. I dump an imaginary vat of eggnog onto their blow-dried heads of hair.
By Stephen Phillips9 months ago in Humans
Searching for Male Friendship in a Lonely World
A few nights ago, I met up with a buddy of mine here in Los Angeles. His fiancé had flown to San Francisco while he stayed behind with their dogs, who I sometimes look after. The two of us are close, but not too close. Sometimes I feel like I know his dogs better, and that's why I reached out to him.
By Stephen Phillips9 months ago in Confessions
