100 Followers!

I said that I would post something very silly on the blog if I got 100 followers on twitter. You guys came through on your end, so here you go:

100 followers, thank you all so much! You make my day! :o)

I read The Feminist Porn Book (and you should too!)

I firmly believe that there is nothing that you can't get through Inter-Library Loan. 

Case in point, I'd been trying to get my hands on a copy of Tristan Taormino's The Feminist Porn Book  since I'd first heard about it back in February or so.

Isn't it lovely?

I didn't think I needed to own a copy of the book, and I none of my friends had a copy that I could borrow, so I was kind of stuck. Then, in March I started working for my library and immediately requested the book from one our participating libraries. It took quite a while (you can't Inter-Library Loan a book that's less than 6 months old), but finally, finally it was all mine to do with as I pleased.
So what did I do? I grabbed my folding chair, sat out on my porch and got to reading. A few days later, I emerged from my reading cocoon a beautiful, enlightened butterfly.

The Feminist Porn Book is almost exactly what it sounds like. What it sounds like is a book of porn (which would be cool), what it is is about a book about porn. Specifically, feminist perspectives on pornography. The book is composed of essays by people with all sorts of ties to the industry. From writers and directors to performers and even academics who make a career of the industry (a degree in pornography studies makes going back to grad school sound almost tempting).

The essays are (for the most part) smartly written and very well put together. They offer a number of different perspectives both on what it means to be a feminist and how pornography can actually be feminist (spoiler alert: it certainly can be!).

Many of the essayists suggest that there is more than one way for a work to be considered feminist. Here’s a list:

·         A film can be a feminist work if woman (and female identifying people) are involved in any of the various aspects of its production.

·         A film can be a feminist work if it features performers of color. Or gay, lesbian, queer and transgendered performers (and writers, directors and producers too!). Basically, feminist porn should be all-inclusive.

·         Another standard that a production has to meet to be considered feminist is to treat it’s workers and performers like people, provide them food and facilities and pay them fairly. Performers should never be tricked or coerced into performing

So, how can a producer ensure that his/her film will be considered feminist? Have woman involved in the production, not just the performance. Have people involved who aren’t just straight and white, and just treat their performers like human beings. Surprisingly simple.¹

The book also introduces its readers to the concept of the "Porn Wars", which were apparently many battles fought on both sides by feminists with radically different views on pornography. One camp felt strongly that porn could only ever be exploitative towards woman, and the other felt that porn could be liberating and empowering.



Yes, this book is an academic work (there are more than a few essays by prominent academics in the field), but it's also a very interesting work, and not at all dry. If you're interested in picking up a copy of your own (and I encourage you to do so; whichever side of the "Porn Wars" you fall on, it's an interesting read), you can do so at amazon.com, and don't worry, you can get the book in kindle format if you're not super-comfortable reading a bright red book with the word "PORN" in bold lettering…



^{1.This works in mainstream cinema as well, by having films pass the Bechdel Test↩}

New "Review"

Hi there ladies and gentlemen! I know, I know, I'm supposed to be on vacation until September 1st (and I still am, really), but I got this new product and I just had to review it for you folks...
See, I've been out of the office (so to speak) because I was busy doing very important things, like, getting married. And in my wild adventures in marriage land, I see to have acquired a new sex-toy...
I'm calling it the...

"Husband"

Now, this "husband" that I've acquired is an item with a lot of pros and cons. It's for sure the most versatile toy I've ever owned and it has a range of special features! But of course, like any toy, there can be some drawbacks too. Like the fact that for some inexplicable reason this toy seems to generate a lot of mess. Like, more than you'd think one little toy could make. 

But let's start with the pros, shall we?

Pros:

• Gets me off almost every damn time!
• The "Husband" is almost guaranteed to get me off! And on demand too! All I have to do is flash my tits at it, and it's ready to go! So convenient!

• Has many lovely moving parts. 
• It has a "tongue" and "fingers" and even a realistic penis to pleasure me with!

• Is totally and 100% water-proof. 
• In fact, it loves to pleasure me in the shower or the tub!

• It makes me food!
• Yes folks, you read that right! When this toy isn't giving me the most amazing orgasms, it's cooking me delicious dinners! Does it get better than that? I think not.

But like any toy that I've ever owned, the "Husband" has some lesser points too...

Cons:

• Only seems to know how to cook pasta.
• And pasta-related dishes.

• It makes a mess! 
• I think I already said this but wow! This toy sure does get messy while it's getting me off!

• Sometimes it wants to get me off when I'm not really in the mood.
• This thing just can't keep its "hands" off of me! What have I gotten myself into?

Well, that's not really such a bad list, is it? Over-all this "Husband" toy is fabulous. I'm so very lucky to have gotten it, and I really do love it very much! Would I recommend it to others? Not this particular model, sorry but it's taken. :o)

I hope you folks didn't mind this little tongue-in-cheek "review", I really have fun writing it. Don't worry, I'll be back for "real" on September 1st and will resume my regularly scheduled reviews. I've got a few new toys and even some lube to review, so stay tuned.

And a special thank-you to my "Husband", for having such a good sense of humor. Love you Puppy!

Taking a Brief Hiatus

I know, I know. You see the word 'hiatus' and think: okay, well it was fun while it lasted, but there goes another blog. Ah well, such is life.

But it's not like that, I promise! I really will be back...

You might have noticed that over the last month or so my posts and reviews have been more and more infrequent. Instead of 10 posts per month, you're only getting 2... Granted, they're fabulous, but still, 2 posts just don't seem like quite enough to fill up the void.

And I want to do something about it, I really do. So what am I going to do? Well, I'm going to take a little break.

"Wait, what? In order to post more things to the blog, you're going to... uh, stop posting on the blog?"

Yeah, but it makes sense, I promise. Just bear with me a few more lines here, please.

In case you don't know, I'm getting married, like ridiculously soon (10 days from when this post will go live). And because of that I've been super-busy and super-stressed. Whoever said that planning a wedding is supposed to be the best time of your life, should be shot.
As a result of all of this business and stressing, my blog has suffered. See, we've come full circle, and I promise I'll get to my point soon.

Right now I work 20-29 hours a week at my "real" job, I have two other jobs that I go to once a week and I do volunteer work on Tuesdays. My fiance and I are also in the process of moving into our new apartment (also, not super-fun). On top of all that, I'm putting the final touches on planning the wedding and trying to have some semblance of a social life (hahahahahaha). Like I said, stress.

So now you know why you're only getting a measly 2 posts per month over here. I just don't have enough hours in my day to seriously devote time to blogging, and I feel like that's not fair to my readers.

So like I said at the beginning of all this madness, I'm taking a hiatus.

I will be gone for the month of August. 

I plan to be back exactly on September 1st, with a brand new review to make it up to you guys. I don't want you folks out there to feel unloved, but I need a little break. After the wedding (and the honeymoon!) things will have settled down tremendously in my "real" life, and I should be able to have time to breathe once in a while.

Please note, I'm only taking a break from blogging. I will still be on twitter and checking my e-mail, so you can reach me @SeptimusReviews, or e-mail me: SeptimusReviews@gmail.com.

So, September 1st, be back here for an awesome new review (one I've been planning for a long time!) and after that things will really pick up. Really.

And maybe I'll even get my mother off my back! Well, a girl can dream, can't she?

See you in September! 

:o)

I Found Nirvana

...and it was in my night-stand this whole time! Well, maybe not the whole time. More like a month or so. And it's not actually Nirvana, but something damned close. I'm getting a bit ahead of myself here, but what else is new? Alright, before I get too far into this craziness, let's get the old 'opening spiel' over with... I'm going to be reviewing (for your reading pleasure) the:

Nirvana Cobalt Glass Dildo

by Prisms Erotic Glass

I'm a huge fan of glass toys, and I desperately wish that I owned more of them. There's something so wonderful and unique about glass that just can't be equaled by any other material. Now you might be thinking "glass, oh hell no! no was is something made out of glass going in my vagina!". I get it, I really do. I was just like you a few years ago; skeptical, doubting, afraid. But I (and my vagina) have since embraced glass for the wonder that it is.

Glass is a perfectly safe choice of material (certainly safer than icky jelly toys). Glass is non-porous and can therefore be sterilized. The one thing you do have to be careful of when it comes to glass dildos is breaking them! I've heard horror stories of beloved toys that had to be tossed because they were cracked or chipped. While a glass toy is completely safe to use internally, a chipped or cracked toy is NOT. Luckily, most glass toys (including the Nirvana) come with at least a small velvet pouch to store the toy in. Some even come with padded bags, which is awesome, because you really don't want these toys bumping-uglies in your toy-drawer!¹ But still, be careful with your glass folks, especially if you love the toy as much as I love this one.

And how much do I love the Nirvana Cobalt? Let me count the ways:

1. It's glass, which I've already stated is an amazing choice of material. Unlike silicone (which, obviously, I also love), glass slides with little or no lube and provides for a much smoother thrust.
2. It's got these fabulous bulbs:

which feel absolutely amazing inside me. I love thrusting them in slowly, so I can feel each individual bulb as it slides in, opening me up.
3. It's blue! I don't know if I've ever mentioned this but I love any toy that's not pink! Not that there's really anything wrong with pink, I'm just annoyed at the over saturation of the sex-toy market with all things pink and purple. (It's a not-so-secret goal of mine to own a green sex toy)

Look at this gorgeous blue color!

4. And finally, the price is right. At only $20, the Nirvana is fairly cost-effective. I've not going to break the bank, like some of my other favorite toys

Now, I'm not one of those lucky, lucky girls who can come from penetration alone (at least, not typically), but I feel like the Nirvana almost brings me there. While it isn't at all curved, I feel like the bulbous end of the dildo does press lightly against my G-spot if I thrust at exactly the right angle. I wouldn't recommend this as a G-spotting toy, it's not designed as one, and doesn't provide nearly enough pressure. But the light, almost teasing, touches are still very enjoyable. I think that's one of the reasons why the Nirvana has become my go-to dildo for quick masturbation sessions. There's not a lot of prep-work since I don't have to use much lube (or any at all, most times) and it gets me off (in combination with a clit-vibe) pretty damned quick! I also occasionally use it for a slow session of thrusting and building up my arousal; my fiance certainly enjoys torturing me with it.

But maybe you guys don't come here just to listen to me gush about my toys. Maybe you want some actual stats. Fine, you guys are really so demanding:

• Weighing in at ~0/6 lbs, the Nirvana isn't exactly a light toy, but it's not heavy enough that you'll break your wrist while thrusting.
• And with ~5.25" of insertable length, it shouldn't scare anyone off either.
• The base is just about 1.75" in diameter, and is technically anal-safe, though I am not quite adventurous enough (yet) to try it in my ass.
• The bulbs of the toy are all just about 1.125" in diameter, and the depressions between them are 1", which means that you can really feel each one as it slides home.

I think that about wraps it up for Nirvana. Bottom line: I love this dildo. It's made of one of my favorite materials, has amazing bulbs (that feel fab in my vag) and is a gorgeous color! What more could you want out of life? Food and shelter? Nah, you only need orgasms. 

Want one of your own? (a toy, not the orgasm, though it should follow!) You can pick one up at Looks-Like-Sex.com! 

---

1If you want to know more about the care and keeping of glass toys, you should really check out my buddy Naughty Reenie's post on the subject. And tell her I say hi!^↩

The Nirvana Cobalt was given to me in exchange for my honest review by looks-like-sex.com, thanks again Jessica!