Lack of Updates, and Reviews

So, due to the fact that my final papers and exams and such were rather time-consuming, I haven't written in, well, quite some time!

My two latest reviews are up at EdenFantasys: the Foot Long Sex Toy Case and Fun Factory's Meany.

I love the FYN case; in fact it made the trip with me home, packed with my two favorite toys (a rabbit and a g-spot vibe) and some lube (as I noted in my review, bag your lube in plastic to prevent a big, nasty mess). I loved the Meany until it stopped working. Unfortunately, while the helpful folks at EF offered suggestions, it stayed broken. Lemons!

Christmas fast approaches and I am reminded of a few things, some of them sexual and some not.

1. I would really love a Hitachi magic wand for Christmas. Of course, I also want a rechargeable, phthalates-free vibrator, and an "Internet-enabled" vibe so that M and I can really have some fun, but my wallet can't handle that kind of pressure!

2. I also really want a corset; theoretically I could build one for myself, though I'm not sure if I have sturdy fabric on hand for it. I have plenty of muslin to act as lining, though I wouldn't mind something a little softer. I might need to cannibalize the utility fabric from a planned Renaissance costume. I have big zip ties that can serve as boning, as well as grommets and lacing; I'd need to order a busk, though, which could really cramp my style in terms of time. I KNOW I have a pattern around here for a Victorian style corset; though it'll be in a bigger size than the last one I made (four years of college living will do that...).

3. I really wish that I could spend Christmas day in bed with M instead of at a huge table in a loud restaurant with my semi-dysfunctional family (and no M in sight). If M and I end up married someday, I'd rather like to do that one Christmas! Admittedly, it would probably irritate everyone in both families, so maybe we'll do that on Christmas Eve day?

4. I should really go out and get some batteries tomorrow. I went to the trouble of packing up my two favorite toys and taking them on the plane with me, but I left the batteries at school - I was worried they'd be mistaken for explosives.

Seen Before, But...

I'm sure this has made the blog-rounds already, but it amuses me:

http://jezebel.com/gossip/clips/walt-disneys-the-story-of-menstruation-299748.php?autoplay=trueWatch

It's apparently not the entire short, but it's enough.

I burst out laughing when the narrator stated that some girls experience a little less "pep", a feeling of pressure, and "perhaps the occasional twinge or touch of nerves".

I wish I only experienced a slight twinge or touch of nerves; anyone who knows me knows that I'm basically impossible to live with for about a week and a half.

Two In One Week!

The "Meany", by Fun Factory, and the "For Your Nymphomation Foot Long Toy Case" arrived today. I'm only required to review one, but I don't mind reviewing the FYN case too.

First impressions:

FYN Case:
- Well made
- Despite the fact that it's purple (which I asked for! I love purple), it looks rather classy. It has a leather look,
- The lock and keys seem solidly made
- It fits all of the toys I need most, plus room for TWO lubes
Caveat: Put your lube in a plastic baggy if you plan to travel. While this bag can probably handle it, it will keep everything else cleaner (including your clothes, since the zipper area is probably not liquid/water proof) if the lube opens mid-flight.
- It's soft-sided; if you plan to travel with a glass toy, pad said toy to protect it.

Meany:
- It's adorable
- Silicone! No phthalates!
- It's not intimidating (so there will be no exclamations of "Ahaha ogod you want me to stick that where?!")
- The package and instructions have multiple languages
- It doesn't smell gross!
- It's weighty but not heavy
- Ten straight vibration speeds, 3 vibration "programs"
- Surprisingly quiet
- Waterproof
- Lube sample included (which I will not try - it contains glycerin. Glycerin and I don't get along!)

Fridays and Feminism

I love Friday. It signals the start of the weekend, when I have more time to, um...write papers. Such an exciting life.

It also gives me the opportunity to catch up on the news. Do indulge my occasional ranting; I've been reading Feministing lately, as well as discussing feminism amongst classmates, so I'm more willing to snarl than usual.

Some highlights:

- Michelle Bruce, a councilwoman in Georgia, is being sued because she "misled" voters by identifying herself as female in the latest election. Ms. Bruce is transgendered and was born biologically male. Georgia Fuller, who finished third in the council election, is claiming that the election wasn't fair because Riverdale, the city for which the election was held, tends to vote for women.

What a prickly situation! Ms. Bruce is transgendered! Okay, so what? She apparently hasn't made a secret of it and one can determine that after four years in office the voters have figured it out, unless they're all deaf, dumb, blind and keep their heads in the sand. How has she at all deceived the voting populace? Or are we assuming that voters should vote based on the sex and/or gender of the candidates, instead of their political stances and platforms? Now I might be from New York, which tends toward being liberal, but I would rather not base my voting strategy on someone's gender identity.

- Apparently there's a "new debate" about female circumcision (often referred to as FGM - Female Genital Mutilation). I must admit that I'm a little confused by this debate; one of the debaters is an anthropologist who has undergone one type of the procedure (her paper is 33 pages long and I'm still sorting through it) and claims that the sexual dysfunctions of circumcised women cannot be attributed to the circumcision.

Like I said, I'm confused. I realize that there are cultural differences; maybe I'm being "imperialistic". Maybe I'm being an ignorant Westerner. Something about the idea of female circumcision, no matter how it is performed (even if there is a doctor and a sterile environment involved!), sends absolute chills down my spine. This anthropologist calls it "empowering"; given every description of FC/FGM I've ever read, I cannot figure how. Keeping in mind that I don't really agree with male circumcision either*, I'm having trouble relating "empowering" to "removing a small bodypart with the potential to cause enormous pleasure in a woman's body during sexual intercourse." I'm having trouble also sorting through Dr. Fuambai Ahmadu's paper; a lot of it seems to be her desperately trying to cling to her ideas of culture and female sexuality (sans clitoris), while accusing anti-FGM/FC scholars/advocates/etc of clinging to their ideas about culture and female sexuality (vulva still intact).

The paper in question can be found at http://humdev.uchicago.edu/AhmaduAintIWomanToo.pdf

Opinions are welcome.

*I'm clarifying for the hell of it: I would never refuse to date or break up with a man who has been circumcised due to said circumcision; rather, my position is such that I will not, should I ever have a son, have him circumcised.

Dream Sword Fights on Bridges

It would seem that whenever the temperature in my room changes, my dreams change. My room has been swelteringly hot since I got back from my Thanksgiving vacation; last night I finally covered the vent with printer paper (the vent on my side is already off; I share it with the person next door, so it's their heat that's busy making my room into a sauna!), and fell into a more peaceful sleep as I sighed happily and curled under my sheets and one blanket at last.

Or at least, it was intended to be more peaceful! Instead I dreamed a somewhat confusing mix of being a swordswoman or some kind of fighting cleric/priestess (I had a staff with a golden angel on one end, it was a big clue!) and fighting...the bad guys? I don't know why they were bad, but they were really easy to kill until I came across one guy who looked a lot like a cross between Orlando Bloom a la Lord of the Rings and my significant other, M. Oh, and I also had some kind of secondary weapon that looked a lot like the "Instead" menstrual cup or a diaphragm.

So here I am, fighting this guy, and we end up on a bridge; a suspension bridge. But are we fighting on the actual deck of the bridge? No of course not! Instead we are up on the cables, climbing fearlessly up to the tower from which the cables hang. Inexplicably, on the way down we decide to..hold each other instead of fight?

And then I defeated him, converted him and we all lived happily ever after, or something. What the heck?

The Tango

EdenFantasys sent me the "Tango" for my next review. The website claimed 4.5" circumference, so I expected a relatively modest vibe.

This thing is huge. I mean, huge. Bordering grotesque. I measured it and mid-shaft it measures 6" around.

This thing scares me!

First thoughts on the Tango:

- Oh. My. God. it's huge.
- It smells funny
- It's not made very well (someday I need to try some vibes/dildos made by small companies)
- Gelatin Rubber sounds like a euphemism for jelly
- Vibrations are mostly down at the base, but ahaha I can't even get the damn thing far enough in to feel them on my clit
- It's realistic, it has balls and is veiny and stuff, and I'm not sure how I feel about that. On the one hand it's my first realistic vibe; on the other, disembodied orange penis = what the hell?
- Multispeed is always good.
- The top have is squishy; the bottom half is really firm
- Beneath the gelatin rubber on the bottom half is stuff that looks like styrofoam or building material.

Respect and "Getting Any"

So, I didn't post during my little sojourn for Thanksgiving, though I did (mostly) enjoy my time in Florida - it was sunny and warm every day. Of course, I came back to school last night and it's been miserable since then - it's been raining since a bit after dark Sunday night, and it's still raining now. I like the rain, but it's a little depressing at the moment.

With a very poor segue, mostly what I want to natter on about is respect and what it has to do with "getting any".

My significant other, like so many other nerds, plays World of Warcraft (WoW). Several of our mutual acquaintances play said game with him; I do not, as I don't particularly like dealing with these people in large groups - I find that while I can speak to the males in this group one-on-one and find them cordial, even friendly, but putting them in a group miraculously transforms every single one of them into completely immature assholes who get off on, frankly, being mean.

The members of this group base whether they respect a person of the male sex (there are a few gay men in the group but no one is openly transgendered) primarily, it would seem, on two things: ability to play WoW and whether said male is "getting any".

I have no idea why this group would base its respect on the latter factor, as most of the people in said group...don't. Including my significant other, mostly due to distance. Due to this distance, however, I as a person do not "count" and I "don't exist"; my SO isn't getting any because we're in a long-distance relationship, and that's a reflection upon his manhood (apparently). It is apparently unacceptable to be in a relationship in which one is not having sex.