Saturday, November 13, 2010

Random Crap About Me

I “hear” a lot. “Feel” even more sometimes. Thanks to sci-fi and fantasy I finally figured out I have pretty strong receptive empathy coupled with a major healing talent. Unsurprising considering the sheer number of nurses in my family. The only thing I can think that would a worse gift to have is precognition. Thank you Goddess for NOT gifting that on me. However, living with this is a challenge sometimes, to say the very least.

Note to self: Don't send an empath to the mental hospital unless there isn't ANY other option. I spent more time helping out the other (nutjobs) than helping myself. I wanted to go home just so I could get a break from the noise and mental screaming. My meds help somewhat but almost nothing blocks the sound of the others from me. Don't ask about 9/11. I called in sick that day, before anyone flew a plane into a building.

My brand of ADHD: I hear it all and will process it all. Seriously – everything. Very little escapes me. I might not say anything, but I probably heard it and just rely on manners to determine what to say or not to say. Again, my meds can help somewhat, but almost nothing blocks everything out.

I work in Human Services because I have to. I don't really get a choice. My empathy demands I do this. But people tax me and my energy. The best compromise I've found is my job at DDS: I get to help people but rarely have to interact with them. I love that I get to read and write and interact (for the most part) with a computer and not people. My brief tenure at Denver Human Services doing TANF interviews darn near killed me. I can't tell you how happy I was to lose that job.

On the subject of interpersonal interaction and empathy: sometimes dealing with people, even people I love, is more than I can handle. Yes, I duck phone calls and doorbells out of sheer self preservation. Sometimes even talking to you on the phone, much less in person, is too much for me. It isn't you, it's most definitely me. I apologize in advance that sometimes the only option I feel I have is to hide away from the rest of humanity and its issues/problems. I suck. I know. I'm sorry.

Sadly, it's a thin line between hiding away from people and their inherent mental noise and becoming mired in a depression, whether it's something of my creation or someone else's. I don't have any idea of how to tell the difference or toe the line between the two. For those who demanded I get off my butt and get out, I thank you. For those who wondered what the hell was going on but continued to talk to me and love me, I thank you. For those who were convinced they did something wrong, you didn't and I am sorry.

I have some amazing friends who have opened their homes to me and allowed me a safe haven to rest and recover from the challenges life throws me. Y'all know who you are, but what you have done for me is immeasurably precious to me and I love you all for your generosity and, sometimes, sacrifice. To you and the rest of my friends: without you in my life I am sometimes not sure I'd still be alive. Thank you. Most days I am very pleased to know I remain among the living and you are some of the reasons that is still true.

I have some fantastic genetic family. I have amazing aunties and cousins who have accepted me for me without judging or expecting me to fulfill some role they conceived. For that I am humbled. Additionally I have been blessed to get a chance to rekindle a relationship with family who live here in the metro area. It took me 40 years, but getting a chance to know AND respect you is amazing.

What I learned/did on my vacation:
Had spinal surgery. Note to self: if the MRI says things are bad, they are. Don't fart around. Surgery is your best option. How do I know? I'm still trying to recover all of my neurological functioning and will probably not get it all back. I still have numbness and the occasional stagger in my walk and the weather will probably continue to play merry havoc with my functioning. Yeah, not one of my smarter moves. I should have more faith in allopathic medicine.

Conflict of interests with your job are BAD. Yep: B as in broken, A as in awful, D as in dropping. Don't do it again. You got off lucky this time.

Monday, November 1, 2010

sex, sex positive, teenagers

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Last week a friend turned 17. Yeah, I wonder too what's happening when I'm friends with a 17 year old (my nephew is older than she is), but she's a wonderful and unique young woman and I really am honored to call her friend. She wanted to have a party at a local bar and grill that also hosts a great karaoke set-up so we turned out in force to sing for her and celebrate her birthday.

Anyway, what's a birthday without gifts? And I thought long and hard about what to get her. In talking with other friends, I learned two things: she had a boyfriend and also that she has a latex allergy. Hmm, latex allergy. That makes getting condoms problematic since not all drug stores carry non-latex condoms. So, since I needed to go to get more silicon lube (a tragedy since I appear to have misplaced my other bottle), I decided to get her some non-latex condoms. But then there were some sample sizes of lube including flavored ones, plus a sale on a Doc Johnson mini vibe plus lube. And then I was off and running.

Yeah, I gave a 17 year old condoms, a vibrator, and different kinds of lube for her birthday.

Let me back track some as well. My social history is pretty mixed. I was raised Catholic, with conservative and pro-life parents. It's a stretch to say they are many things, but sex-positive is NOT one of them, much loss accepting of the idea of teaching teens anything other than abstinence.  My father's sister (and nursing classmate of my mother)  worked for the State of Kansas as a public health nurse for most of her career. She got to see, up front and center, the manifestations of teenagers having sex without knowing how to be safe about it. Oh, did I mention that my nephew, whom I love and adore beyond all reason, was an "oops?" But, in spite of my past and upbringing, I managed to develop some kind of sex positive attitude along the way. You can't be a self-proclaimed slut and poly and not have an attitude that is at least a little sex positive. And I strive to be sex positive. Anything else is just hypocritical. But more on that later....

Anyway, even though I believe in safe sex, raising sex positive kids, and fostering an attitude of open discourse, actually putting this into practice just felt downright odd. Turns out I needed more time to adjust to this than the lovely birthday girl needed.

She was thrilled with the gifts. Honestly thrilled. Her mom thought they were great, as did the other people who came to the party. And we can all giggle at just how happy her boyfriend was to find out what the gifts were. I think they killed the batteries the first night...

Friday, June 25, 2010

Kimono Ultra Thin Condoms

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Posted on the Eden Fantasys website:

Like wearing nothing at all!

First, let me state that making sure I had condoms on hand is a relatively new thing for me as I was in a monogamous same-sex marriage for 13 years and played almost exclusively with women for the past 22 years. However, in the past year I've had the joy (or not) of learning about having a sex life that demands I keep a supply of condoms on hand.

Recently I was out shopping and saw a brand that I was unfamiliar with. I made a mental note to follow up on this the next time I was shopping for condoms. Interestingly and, luckily for me, that night one of my boyfriends mentioned he had picked up some new condoms that were purported to be one of the best on the market because they were thinner than any other yet had great performance and durability. Turns out what I saw and what he bought were one and the same. So, we tried them out.

I am not going to mince any words here. These condoms rocked and put absolutely ever other condom I (and he) have tried to shame. These are 0.0019" thick which is much thinner than other "microthin" condoms on the market (they usually range from 0.0025" to 0.0028"). These felt like wearing nothing at all. We tried them for both vaginal and anal sex and they held up wonderfully. And, since sometimes our play can last for more than the standard testing level of 10 minutes, they didn't break.

I tried these condoms with another boyfriend who is a bit larger than the other. We were concerned that there might be a fit issue or breakage, but there was nothing to worry about. And, he said the same thing - it was like wearing nothing at all.

Experience
These condoms are great! They are available in lubricated and unlubricated. They are odorless and tasteless. They do come in a larger size, but they are also slightly thicker (0.00022"). Since the regular size is so accommodating for multiple penis sizes, I'm not terribly worried about getting a larger size unless I meet someone who is significantly bigger.

Pros
truly as close to wearing nothing at all

Cons
more expensive than a lot of other condoms on the market although I've found 3-packs for $2

Summary
If you want sensation as close to being bareback as possible, these are the condoms to use. They are the thinnest condoms available and do not sacrifice strength or durability for safety.

Wednesday, June 23, 2010

Njoy Pfun Stainless Plug

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Posted on the Eden Fantasys website:

It's Pfun for a girl and a boy!

The Njoy Pfun plug is a gently curved plug that was designed primarily for male use for stimulation of the prostate (p-spot) gland. However, this and the other Njoy anal plugs are great for both men and women. In fact, this plug is, in my opinion, a really great starter plug as well as lots of fun for more experienced players. I enjoy this plug but, since I am pretty experienced in extreme anal play, I find it a bit small for me. However, my boyfriend would strenuously disagree with that assessment. :-)

Although this plug is a bit larger than others designed for introductory use, the extremely smooth stainless steel design allows for easy insertion and does not require a lot of lubrication. In fact, I find that too much lube causes the plug to fall out rather easily, especially since this plug weighs in at a hefty 1.5 pounds. The weight is both a blessing and a curse although I lean more toward the blessing.

This toy can be shared between partners, provided you thoroughly clean and sanitize it between uses. Since it's stainless steel, you can throw it in the dishwasher, wash it with antibacterial soap and water, or spray a 10% bleach solution on it but, for heaven's sake, don't microwave it unless you want to burn the house down (LOL).
This is a high quality medical-grade stainless steel toy. As such it has the expected metallic taste and texture. However, it isn't going to pick up any odors and I'm betting the metallic taste will recede as it's used and washed more. Think how your new stainless flatware set started out with a metallic taste which went away the more you used it.
This is not a lightweight toy. It's a solid pound and a half. There are two bulbs or a bulbous head with a narrow neck and broad shoulders. It's four inches long, 3.5 inches insertable. The bulb end is 1.25 inches in diameter, narrowing to a half inch neck and shoulders about a inch wide. The handle is the expected Njoy oval which is 2 inches wide, one inch deep.

The combination of material and weight is what makes this toy special. No other plug feels quite like this. This is great for sensation and temperature play. Simply insert it to feel the coldness of the steel and how it warms to your body temperature. For more extreme sensation, immerse it in either cold or warm (not TOO hot) water and insert it. I found it deliciously cold when first inserted. While it warmed up to my body temperature, there was always a slight difference between my body and its temperature. Playing with this is as fun as the glass dildos I drool over and use at my girlfriend's.

One initial mistake I made was using too much lube. Seriously, this is so smooth that you need very very little. If you are going to wear this for an extended period of time, especially if you are going to be upright and moving, you do not want it so lubricated that its weight can pull it out. I found that twisting it 180 degrees (so that the bulb pointed upward) helped me hold the plug in place for wearing out. Since I don't have a prostate to massage, this wasn't really a problem for me. My boyfriend, however, DID notice that he didn't have as pleasurable a sensation when it was reversed. I also think that the fact that I have done lot more anal play and can relax my sphincter quite easily contributes to my opinion that this plug is just a bit too small for me (next major purchase for me, the Njoy 2.0).

This toy is great for travel, provided you aren't going through any screenings (like TSA, government offices, or the like). One of my exes worked for airport security (pre-9/11) and has told me great stories of  "toy" failures. So, listen to your Auntie Chrysalis and pack this baby in your regular checked baggage as opposed to wearing it or having it in your carry-on. If you are traveling by train, bus, or car there shouldn't be any problems.

Packaging. Whew, let's talk about this. As with any luxury toy, when the price goes up, I find the expected presentation and packaging expectations also increase. Frankly I am a total sucker for Njoy's packaging. Your plug rests in a substantial black cardboard box lined with magenta/dark pink satin acetate with a custom molded insert. This thing is like a jewelry box for sex toys. Getting one makes me giddy like getting a velvet jewelry box, or maybe more so. And, this box is sturdy so you can safely pack your plug along where ever (see above caveat) you go. Now the box isn't particularly small, but it is well made. Given observations in other reviews, don't keep this toy in the back of your drawer. Instead, the box is subtle enough to put on TOP of the table, dresser, nightstand so it's handily available whenever the mood to play strikes you.

Playing with this plug is fun. It is rather aggressively curved to hit the prostate so be careful if you are playing with a newbie to anal stimulation. When using this anally, keep in mind the weight and heft and consider being a bit gentler just in case. The oval handle is nice to get a good grip, which is important and especially so if you did use too much lube when initially inserting it because it's going to be pretty slippery. And, while designed for prostate stimulation, you can certainly use it in the vagina to reach the G-spot. In fact, the curve helps to keep you from causing pain or harm if you get a bit too heavy handed or excited.

So, in summation, this toy is definitely a keeper, even if not for my own use. I can't think of a significant con to this toy. I have had loads of fun using this toy with my boyfriend. I have to say that, although I am generally a submissive, there's something delightful about putting this plug in him before going out and just grabbing his ass and watching him jump. Yeah, there's more than a little top in me...

Passion bullets bullet and mini-probe

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Posted on the Eden Fantasys website:

Oodles of fun for small investment

This is worth purchasing and keeping handy for spontaneous fun. Its flexibility and different possible attachments are things that you'd expect in something much more expensive.
Pros:variable uses, simple vibration is fairly quiet/discrete, low cost investment
Cons:can be noisy when using some of the variable settings, hard to disinfect

Vroom/Intensity Level: 4/5
Bee: Noise Level: 2/5

This is a fun versatile toy for a small price investment. It is one of my favorite toys to pull out since there is a lot of fun and sensation packed into a small and relatively discreet package. For my vanilla partners, it's a fun introduction to new sensations and play. For my kinkier partners, it's a great toy to pull out and use to bring extended fun outside of the bedroom. Although some of the different speeds or patterns can be a bit noisy, the simple vibration is fairly quiet and discreet which is good for public play when you and your partner want to share a naughty secret.

Both the bullet and the probe are made of firm plastic. I did not notice any particular odor. The shape of the plug makes it a good option for beginners to anal play in that it is small enough to use without causing a lot of discomfort. If you are experienced in anal play, you may find the plug to be too small and possibly too short for good p-spot stimulation. The bullet is a bit larger than standard size. While the vibration from either attachment is great, you may need to use something to hold it in place if you want to tease your partner by having him or her wear it outside of the bedroom.

I like the design of the plug. Being smooth and rigid, it's easy to insert into the anus. Since it is a relatively small plug, it is great for newbies to anal stimulation. The bullet can be used in a variety of places on the body, not just the clitoris. The cords are a good length. If desired the cords are long enough to go from a pocket around clothing for discrete fun when outside of the bedroom.

There are seven settings for vibration and pattern, which is something that you expect in a much pricier product. I was hard pressed to find a vibration I didn't like. Changing settings is easy using the push buttons on the controller. Whether using this for solo play or with a partner, this is a great product because of its versatility.

This is not a water proof product and, although the bullet and probe are made of rigid non porous material, I would not recommend sharing them between partners since it is virtually impossible to truly sanitize them because of the cords. You can use a good toy cleaner for normal clean up, but I would recommend having individual toys for each person. On the plus side, you can mix and match any mini plug attachment with the vibrator and it works just wonderfully.

The packaging is strictly a functional clamshell designed to hold the product for display. The instructions are minimal but this toy is relatively simple and straightforward as to its use. The battery compartment has the usual raised diagram showing how the batteries should be placed.

The only downside to this product is that it takes four batteries to power it and they are good for about eight hours of play. I strongly suggest using rechargable batteries with this and taking the batteries out in between uses.

My experience with this product (and I've owned it for about a year now) is that it is one of the most flexible toys in my arsenal. I went out and purchased additional attachments so I could use this on a regular basis with one of my boyfriends for those times when I want to give him a taste of the sensation play he gives me. I will put the plug in his ass and the controller in his pocket and will occasionally pull it out to change the vibration and then just casually grab him just to enjoy watching him jump. Of course he does the same to me.