On Toys

In the process of soliciting ideas for posts, I received a number of fabulous suggestions. Where to start? :-) Tabitha mentioned talking about my favorite (and least favorite) toys. Sounds like a good a place as any to start!

When it comes down to it, my basic thought is: I'd rather have the "real deal" than something fake. Toys tend to be cold (brr!) and, in the case of battery-operated devices, too hard for comfort. Yes, there really is such a thing :-P It is also why I prefer a nice "soft" rubber/gel dildo to a vibrator. Besides, if I wanted vibrations I could just put my phone on silent mode and stick it down there ;-P

However. This doesn't mean that you can't have fun with them. There's a sufficient variety of toys out there that there's always something for someone, right?

Here's a few I've used over the years:

One toy I ended up enjoying more for hygienic purposes was a hollow pink dildo full of holes, attached to some tubing that was meant to be screwed onto a shower. Turn the water on, and you have a very pretty sprinkler-like effect. Shove it where the sun don't shine, and you've got an instant enema. First time I ever used it, the side effect of always having to rush to the toilet afterward was more amusing than anything. Never got any erotic pleasure out of it, but man, did it clean you out! And when you're doing other things up there, it's prudent to keep clean, and that little thing did the trick ;-)

I also had double-headed dildo, gel-like in appearance. A friend once relayed a story about how she and her husband used one simultaneously-- each taking one end while they faced each other. They had a lot of fun with it. Me, I once tried folding my double-edged sword in half and using both heads simultaneously on myself. It was the closest I'd ever gotten to trying DP. Wasn't too successful, probably because I ended up laughing too much at how funny it looked and how lame my attempts were (hey! that thing was stiff and not very easy or wieldy to bend!), but hell-- that's the best part, isn't it? Being able to laugh and be silly and have FUN :-D

Finally, my favorite toy of all: the famous (infamous?) Vac-U-Lock strapon. At the time, it was just about the only strapon you could get. It was rather expensive, and limited in the variety of attachments you could put on it. But hey, this was 10 years ago, I'm sure things have changed in the world of strapons today. More variety, cheaper prices. Time to go shopping, methinks! And no matter what, it's very handy for, uh, turning the tables. Resulting in a surprisingly unique experience, too! Though I think I'll save that for another post, so be sure to stay tuned!

Then there's the ultimate, most expensive toy. It is warm, just the right size, and cannot be surpassed in realism. What do you suppose it is? Why none other than my very own human dildo, aka hubby! :-D (that reminds me of something I've always wanted to try-- one of those mold-your-own-penis kits. How's that for keeping it as realistic (and therefore, easier to use) as possible?)

Hmm... I'm a vaguely disappointed to read back on this and realize that I haven't really used all that many toys. Perhaps I should remedy that. What about you, dear readers? What are your favorites?

Strippers: Male or Female?

I've gotten some interesting feedback on my previous post, in which I announce my upcoming collection of sex-related posts. If you haven't stopped by to offer your ideas and suggestions, please do!

Some of my entries will be re-posts of stuff I've written before-- such as this one.

To start it off, I thought I'd begin with a fairly tame (comparatively speaking!) topic: strippers. Specifically, in the male form vs female form sense. This old cartoon from the "Luann" comic strip reflects the post quite nicely:

A long time ago, my friend Lisa blogged about strippers and how she'd prefer to see a female stripper rather than a male stripper. She wanted to know if that made her weird. I thought about it, and I decided that no, she isn't weird and that yes, I agree with her way of thinking.

Now, don't get me wrong-- I can appreciate some good male eye candy as much as the next red-blooded heterosexual female. But when it comes to the fluid motion of a writhing stripper, the female form has a certain elegance that no man can rival. I mean, a woman has all these curves in all the right places, which make her and her dancing easy on the eyes. Women come in all shapes and sizes, and each has unique attributes that can be showcased nicely as she disrobes around the strip pole. A male stripper? Well, he'd better have a six-pack and buns of steel or he isn't going to attract many whistling viewers. (That's not to say that *I* personally am a fan of the muscled, rock-hard body, but the fact is, most women, and hence, most paying customers, are.)

I don't know-- maybe it's the fact that the female body, in all its femininity, is softer and more pleasing to the eyes. Or maybe it's the fact that there's more variety to look at. Maybe this variety allows women to dance in a number of versatile ways and still project sexiness. A man gyrating his hips and tossing his head back in a similar fashion... I dunno, that just sounds silly. It would seem that for a male stripper to project this same smoky sexiness, his movement routine would be more limited than a woman's.

All in all, while I wouldn't be averse to a girls' night out at a male strip club, a trip to a female strip club would suit me just as well.

On a side note-- one of the earlier times that hubby and I were in Las Vegas, we hit a fairly classy strip joint, and one of the women came up to us and offered me-- me! not my husband!-- a lap dance. I politely declined, but in retrospect, maybe I should've taken her up on the offer. Just to see what it entails. Perhaps even learn a few moves of my own. And to be able to tip her nicely for being so sweet and friendly :-)

(original post from Feb 8, 2006 (along with ensuing comments), is here: http://blogs.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendId=28049135&blogId=85892940)

A Month of Sex

This month, our pastor is doing a series called "A Month of Sex". So far, the sermons have been run-of-the-mill "save it till marriage" stuff, although our pastor at least offers a more enlightened view in that once you're married, there are no holds barred on your bedroom antics! ;-) Made for a lot of winks and nudges between me and hubby in the theater :-D

Last night I was perusing some of my older blog entries on Blogger and Myspace, and had a good laugh at some of the more risque ones. Granted, at the time, which was the height of my blogging days, the comments sections often ran away with more innuendo and hilarity than the original post, but both were fun to re-read just the same.

So I thought I would likewise start a blog series here with a similar theme-- "A Week of Sex". Or two, depending on how much I wind up writing about. Only instead of making it to a Biblical focus the way it's going on in church this month, I want to write about *anything* related to sex. For example, I've already decided to re-post some of my older entries (many from 3-4 years ago) here, so I've got a few topics, such as strippers (and why I'd prefer to see a woman on stage instead of a man) and adult movies (where I question women's hangups with it), in mind already, as a start.

This is where you, dear readers, come in. Despite what some of you may know about me, I can't come up with all the topics by myself. I need ideas. I need inspiration. I need good blog fodder, and I'm opening this up to your suggestions. I know a lot of you (especially my email subscribers) read this but don't comment, so I'm inviting you out of the woodwork now. What should I write about it? Any suggestions are welcome, at any level of detail.

Don't be shy-- let's make this a concerted effort! :-)

Eating Healthfully and Frugally

Ever since the day I played SAHM a couple weeks ago, I've decided that the kitchen is no longer the alien, enemy domain I had always regarded it as. I enjoyed being inspired by recipes I encountered not only in cookbooks and cooking magazines, but home decorating magazines, Reader's Digest, random blogs and other places on the Web. I enjoyed shopping for wholesome, fresh ingredients while planning those meals. And I enjoyed puttering around the kitchen, experimenting, trying different things, trying new things, learning from my mistakes.

As many busy households are prone to do, we found ourselves ordering takeout far more often than we liked. Instead of the occasional weekend treat, it was starting to become a staple. Not only was that less healthful all around, but it was definitely making a dent in our pocketbook! You wouldn't think it made that much of a difference, but a few dollars here, a few buck there, and it starts adding up! Trust me, I settle the bills every month, I see it all!

Now we're making a more conscientious effort to eat fresh, home-cooked meals as often as possible. And since I've discovered a newfound enjoyment in the process, I thought it might be a good idea to start cataloging some of my experiments. So I started up a food/cooking blog:

http://lycheesilk.blogspot.com

If you're wondering about the name, read the "About" section of the blog to learn more :-)

Chronicling the various culinary adventures was fun enough, if only to log the various things I'd tried, for future reference. Blogging about my newest creations keeps the motivation going. Then I discovered another motivating factor: breaking down the actual cost of each meal. It's amazing how cost-effective cooking at home can be! I mean, it's always been a given that it's cheaper than eating out, but I never truly realized just how MUCH you save. $5-7 for a home-cooked meal that serves all 3 of us (plus usually enough left over for Todd's lunch at school the next day)? You'd have to order solely off the dollar menu at McDonald's in order to get 3 meals out of that amount of money. And we all know how nutritious McDonald's is :-P

This afternoon Todd came home early, feeling ill and running a fever. I had to go home early and work from there while he rested on the couch. And since he would miss his swim lesson that evening, I suddenly had free time to make dinner. This time, instead of planning out recipes and shopping accordingly, I had to make do with what already had in the house. A quick search on the Web for some recipes, and I threw together my own improvisation of barley risotto. Although it wound up more soupy than intended, it still turned out pretty tasty :-9

Here's to more fun with future culinary adventures! And if you have any simple, nutritious, favorite recipes of your own to share, I'd love to hear them!

Bon Apetit!

Of Soundtracks and Movies

There's something about the senses that affect our memories. There's the obvious, dominant ones such as sight and sound, but the more subtle ones, such as taste and smell, still have powerful effects. So it is with movies-- we tend to remember the dialogue, the characters, the scenery... scarcely noticing the background music. The first time I ever really took note of a movie's soundtrack was with "American Graffiti"-- partly because I had to do a paper on it for my cinema studies class, but also because I particularly enjoyed all of the classic 1950s oldies in that soundtrack. When viewing the movie with the mindframe of paying special attention to the music for the purposes of my cinema paper, I started to appreciate the nuances that music provides to a scene. It really adds to it in the most subtle of ways. The right music can really enhance the movie experience.

And I noticed that with some of my favorite movies, the main "theme" song constantly played in my mind, evoking memories of the movie itself. Some examples:

1. "You've Got Mail"-- this one has a host of favorites, most notably "Dreams" by The Cranberries, but my absolute favorite is "Butterflies in the Subway" by George Fenton:
[audio http://soundtracks.pl/klipy/8.mp3]
This song sets the tone for the movie, as it is both light-hearted and classic in tune-- very fitting for the classy romance story that evolves amongst the scenery of picturesque New York City throughout the varying seasons of the year. It's one of those rare tunes I can listen to over and over again without tiring of it. I enjoy this song so much, in fact, that it is my current ring tone on my cell phone :-)

2. "Toy Story" -- as with many Disney/Pixar movies, Randy Newman's songs feature prominently, and his "You've Got A Friend in Me" is no exception:
[audio http://www.fileden.com/files/2008/6/23/1972260/You27ve20Got20A20Friend20In20Me.mp3]
Again, this light-hearted and fun tune really encompasses the heart of the story-- that no matter what, we'll always be friends. It's catchy to sing and the rendition (as posted here) of both Randy Newman and Lyle Lovett in duet really brings out the soul in the song... and the movie!

3. "Wall-E"-- I'd have to call the theme song to this "Put On Your Sunday Clothes", originally from the "Hello Dolly!" musical:
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7xwFohvgSqw&NR=1]
What a terrific juxtaposition of both the classic and the futuristic! Not to mention that this song is played so many times throughout the movie-- in the opening scene, and then all throughout, you can hear Wall-E cheerfully humming it as he goes about his chores. And when he's sitting on top of his truck, a silent, closed and plant-holding Eve next to him under the sun, you can hear the tune play as he spins his wheels. After watching Wall-E, I found myself humming this tune everywhere I went-- clearly, I had Wall-E on the brain :-)

4. "Ratatouille" -- what better song to associate with this movie than a lovely French one about food? Namely: "Le Festin", sung by Camille:
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RzzF15Qgaa0]
This song perfectly captures the essence of Paris, and of the movie-- romance and good food. It evokes all the charm that surrounds the glittering view of Paris, and its food references evoke an appetite as much as the movie itself does! Singing it, as I was prone to often do after watching this, transported me to this world where romance and good food are intertwined... the two definitely go hand in hand! Yum!

5. Over the Hedge-- in a movie where the animal antics revolve around stealing food from the humans, Ben Folds' "Heist" is exceedingly appropriate:
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rMaGgNpz6mk]
This is one of those upbeat tunes that goes perfectly with a compilation of scene snippets designed to compactly showcase the animals' pilfering activities throughout the week. Its lyrics capture the essence of this heist in the middle of the story: descriptions of a magical world with resplendent and endless sources of food ("what you take magically regenerates"), and a selfish kind of teamwork ("you scratch my back, I'll scratch my back too"). Again, I found myself singing this frequently after watching the movie a few times, and envisioning all the woodland creatures scurrying about. I'll never look at a suburban raccoon or squirrel the same way again after this!

So there you have it-- some of my favorite movie songs. The ones that come to mind often and really fit the corresponding movie well.

How about you? What are some of your soundtrack favorites?

Thoughts on SAHM-hood

A while back I remember having a conversation with some friends, other couples, I'm sure... and the conversation somehow turned to careers after kids. I don't remember whom exactly I spoke with, but I do remember indicating that if I could stay home to be with Todd, I would, and they remarked: "Would you really?" i.e. would you really give up your job if you could afford it, in order to do so? I recall being interrupted by something/someone else before I could answer it, so I guess I could say this blog post delves into that question a bit more.

I admit don't have a whole lot of first-hand experience with being a stay-at-home Mom (aka "SAHM"). But I remember when Todd came to live with us full-time, and I remember disliking putting him into day care all day while we worked. He never really took to his new preschool in SB, and while the morning (preschool) portion was fine, the afternoon (day care) portions were not. He always came home dirty and snot-covered, had frequent accidents, rarely finished even half his lunch, and often played by himself in the corner. When he started kindergarten later that year, things weren't much better on the after-school-care front, and I addressed the stay-at-home vs. working-world question in a blog post during that time: http://heckledtrio.blogspot.com/2009/01/stay-at-home-vs-working-world.html (in fact, re-reading that post just now breaks my heart all over again)

Child care, while being the focal point in the discussion of staying at home vs. working, is not the only issue. I've lost count of how many times we've simply heated up frozen dinners or bought take-out because we were too exhausted at the end of the day to cook healthful food. Even some of the home-cooked meals contained some pre-packaged, processed food in the name of efficiency, especially when Todd's activities kept us out so late, getting dinner ready quickly was time-essential. Not only were we spending more than we liked, but we weren't eating very healthfully as a family. Another issue was just time, itself-- because Allan and I work till at least 5pm most days, any after-school activities would have to occur after that time. I must've called a dozen martial arts studios before finding one that offered kid classes that "late"... which enables Todd to attend, but also brings us home much later afterward... and with much less time to enjoy hanging out as a family before the dinner-shower-go-to-bed rush for the little man is upon us. Everything is always so rushed.

Yesterday I got a chance to experience SAHM-hood to a much larger extent than I ever had, because the day consisted of daily chores and errands, rather than a special day off, spent out somewhere with the boy. I discovered at the last minute that Todd's Spring Break lasted through Monday, and he didn't start school again until today. So I took the day off yesterday to hang out with him.

We hit the library for books to keep him entertained, and went grocery shopping for all sorts of healthful meal ingredients. I cooked lunch from scratch, Allan came home from work at noon, and we all enjoyed a hot meal together at home. I cooked dinner as well, and kept the kitchen clean-- an endless process! The meals seem to blend together into one looong timeframe when you include prep, cooking and washing up afterward. No sooner are you done cleaning up after one meal, than it's time to start prepping for the next. Todd helped me clean the house. I helped him with his homework. I folded laundry, though I didn't get a chance to wash the bedding or do the ironing that I'd planned. By 10:30 pm, after having been on full-throttle for 12 hours with only a 20-minute break in the midst of all of it, I had given up.

It was a busy, busy, busy day-- and I didn't even get to spend as much one-on-one time with Todd as I had anticipated... I was too busy with all the household stuff. I was tired by the end of it, but it was a good sort of tired-- I felt that I'd had a productive day. I found that though I worked pretty hard (a lot harder than sitting in front of a computer all day!) I felt good about it. I liked making sure the family had good things to eat. I enjoyed making the meals and cleaning up and generally making a nice, comfortable home for my two boys.

And I could see why being a SAHM is one of the hardest jobs there ever is! I mean, Allan and I work pretty hard balancing both a job and the daily household chores, but it's different somehow. With a 9-to-5 job, once you quit for the day, you leave the office, you leave your work behind you, you wind down at home and don't have to do work or even think about it. But with a SAHM, that distinction does not exist-- the day continues, the chores continue, and you just don't get that sort of break.

Still... I would have to say that yesterday's activities were rewarding enough that my answer still stays the same: if we could afford to, I would be a SAHM. I think the family as a whole would be a lot less stressed. Not to discount our blessings-- having everything: work, school, after-school, home, all in close proximity to each other, working for a flexible company at jobs that aren't terribly stressful themselves, dividing up the chores evenly so they still get done everyday, etc. We're pretty lucky to be where we are with respect to all those factors, period. But I think my penchant for organization lends itself well to the job of running a household, and merely the effect on Todd for one day was noticeable-- such a happy, relaxed kid! Definitely worth it. Maybe someday...