Email: rachelkramerbussel at gmail.com



 

Lusty Lady

BLOG OF RACHEL KRAMER BUSSEL
Watch my first and favorite book trailer for Spanked: Red-Cheeked Erotica. Get Spanked in print and ebook

Friday, October 26, 2007

Donate to Jackson West's student film about rehab, Dominoes

My friend Jackson West (not to be confused with my cousin Jaxon Kramer, who is working as a production assistant on Kid Nation) is raising money for his student film, Dominoes. I'm pasting the details at the end of this post (just scroll down to the photo and ital if you want) - for $10, you get a copy of the DVD when it's done, but even just $5 would go a long way. To display my brilliant math skills, if 400 of you gave $5 each, he'd have raised his $2,000 (though he's already raised $175 but I'm too lazy to do all that math). Photo by Tim Shey taken from my cupcake interview with Jackson.

As I was telling him, I have great respect and admiration for anyone who can both ask for and accept help; I have a soft spot in my heart for people who've struggled with alcohol and/or drug addiction not only because I come from an alcoholic lineage, I guess you could say, but also because I think we all struggle with something, and those who've gone through that, who go through that, because it's an ongoing, omnipresent process, have had to face themselves in ways I think a lot of us are reluctant to do. I'm not an alcoholic, but I could be, pretty easily. I have not only an addictive personality, but that compulsion to see things in such an all or nothing way that for me it's easier not to drink, than to do so moderately. Last night I jokingly told Funky Brown Chick that I credit her and her podcast back in March with quitting drinking, and she said, "Oh, I'm sorry." But it's not a bad thing; it was actually a really pleasant, friend and fun-filled night that the next day made me wonder what I would make of myself without martinis, dirty or otherwise. Whether I could get myself through awkward social situations, awkward anything, without needing a drink to bolster me. It was more of a self-challenge than anything and now, all these months later, I don't even really think about it, except in the sense that I'm grateful not to be walking around with a hangover or lamenting any regretful behavior.

I've been savoring the new Autumn de Wilde book Elliott Smith that my kind friends at Chronicle sent me, all these stunningly beautiful portraits of him, some silly, some just so intense. On the inside there's a post-it, and the back, a letter to him from Sallie Mae congratulating him on paying off his student loans. Both are so utterly mundane, things we'd probably throw in the trash, and yet you stop and read, and wonder about this man who hated his name so much that he changed it, who wrote love letters to alcohol, who could still huge rooms with just that voice and a few notes. There are some great interviews in there too, with his sister Ashley and Sam Coomes and Larry Crane and others.



I met him only once, and really we were just sitting backstage at a club that no longer exists, talking to Mary Lou Lord, and thinking about Mary Lou's song (well, Nick Saloman of The Bevis Frond wrote it (and it's on their 1998 album North Circular), but I think of it as hers, and always will remember her singing it at CMJ right after he died, clearly a wreck, but going on anyway) "Stars Burn Out." The question Mary Lou, and Nick, ultimately asks in that song is "Can anyone say why stars burn out?" I've heard her say it was written about Hendrix, but whether Hendrix, or Cobain, or Smith, or whoever, the question of why some people "lose out to their demons" and some don't isn't quite clear, and I think there are certainly people who make their lives look nice and shiny and pretty on the outside, but are self-destructing on the inside. Is that progress? Perhaps, of a sort. Fake it till you make it, except that I think faking it can only go so far before you don't know what's real and what's fake. What's you and what's your persona, and I think there is also something to be said for letting yourself fall apart. For not putting on the shiny prettiness and just owning whatever the darkness you have in you is. Not forever, not to wallow in it, but to confront it, to face it, to deal with it, versus psyching yourself into thinking you're doing so and really not doing anything at all.

This is a weird time of year for me, too many memories hurtling back at me like the last year never happened, so many events and people who just remind me of where I was a year ago and me no more clued in as to why things went down the way they did. It really is like 2006 all over again, yet not, but still, there are the exact same parties, events, and yet I feel way more than a year older. There's more on that, but another time. I will say that I have infinitely more respect for people who can ask for help, who can attempt to better their lives, who can recognize those self-destructive ways, and through whatever means necessary, battle them. For it is a battle that in many ways is never won, and for me this year has been about attempting to live in the moment, to be as present as I can be. I certainly don't always succeed but seeing as I have 2 weeks left to be 31, I'm trying to work on myself as much as I can, and, while trying to help and support those I care about, also recognize that at the end of the day, helping and bettering ourselves first and foremost is probably the only way to truly create change in our lives and our worlds. Before I completely hijack the point of this post, I'll just urge you to check out Jackson's page and, if you can, donate something towards helping him raise his goal.



I’ve returned to school after nearly a decade to finish the credits necessary to receive an undergraduate degree, and as part of my studies I’m producing a student short. The story, Dominoes, is about four young people in rehab coming to terms with the most difficult challenge of their lives — overcoming substance abuse and dependence. Unfortunately, it’s a situation that’s all too familiar to most, and one for which there is no fast and easy “cure.”

Telling the story is the easy part. Casting, finding locations, selecting shots and writing the script complicate things, but are part of the learning process — and so is fundraising. After considering a number of options, from selling shares in the film to holding a night of vaudeville-style dinner theater, I think I’ve struck upon one that offers the least extra work for friends and family and the most value to donors: DVD pre-orders.

For a suggested donation of $10 or more, you’ll (eventually) receive a disk in the mail that includes the completed film, behind the scenes footage, outtakes, my video diary and anything else I can fit on the DVD. You’ll also get a mention in the credits, updates on when and where the film can be seen on the big screen and any links to any reviews or press it might receive. My hope is to raise as much as $2,000 — while I can complete the project for less, anything over the $800 allotment from the school can only make things easier. Unspent monies will be donated to the general fund for film students at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts.


chipin_dominoes.jpg

Thursday, October 25, 2007

Barnes & Noble declines to stock Fucking Daphne



Barnes & Noble recently declined to stock the June 2008 Seal Press title Fucking Daphne, edited by Daphne Gottlieb.

According to Seal Press Senior Editor Brooke Warner:

Barnes & Noble is passing on our book Fucking Daphne because of the title. The good bookbuying American public might be offended. I get it. Or the buyer over there doesn't value the word fuck like I do. I realize that it's a big word, maybe a bit too graphic and visual for some. I try to refrain from using it around my mother, after all. Oftentimes unsuccessfully.

But I also know I'm not alone in my fuck-loving ways. Because amazon.com yields a healthy number of books with fuck in the title. Just type in fuck and you get 40,099 results. Yes, a lot of those are search-inside-the-book references. But still.


Indeed, Brooke is right: some titles that come to mind are The New Fuck You edited by Eileen Myles and Liz Kotz and The Fuck-Up by Arthur Nersesian (both at Bn.com).

Here's the publisher's description of the book:

When Daphne Gottlieb first found herself the character in someone else's story she was intrigued; over time, as she appeared in more and more stories, she started to wonder about the implications of what was real and what wasn't. Did it matter that there were published stories of her having sex in bathrooms, vacant parking lots, on the balcony at a party in an old bordello? Did it matter whether or not they were true?

This question sparked the idea for
Fucking Daphne, a collection that blurs the lines between reality and fiction and begs the question “who is the real Daphne?” A pill-popping wild child? A soft place to fall with a broken heart? A dreadlocked vixen?

Contributors include Hanne Blank, Stephen Elliot, Sarah Katherine Lewis, and Ariel Gore, who describe, watch, and engage with a character that is not Daphne Gottlieb; Daphne is a projection, a fantasy, a zeitgeist. We are all a multitude of people in bed. We are all Daphne.

Harnessing the playfulness of the hoax, the seductiveness of literature, and the edginess of the avant-garde,
Fucking Daphne is unique in a culture hungry for sex, information, and most of all, understanding.

I don't really know the backstory, but I do know that this was originally slated to be publisehd by Cleis Press in 2007, and here is the original cover (from Amazon Canada):



(Full disclosure: I publish with both Cleis and Seal Press, but beyond that and having done a Litquake reading with Daphne, I have no connection to this book, just an observer.)

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Wednesday, October 24, 2007

Adventures in book covers: Concertina

Coming in January from St. Martin's, US version:

Concertina by Susan Winemaker - see also www.concertina.ca

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Sunday, October 21, 2007

Big in Poland (and Italy)

My photo's going to be on the cover of Polish newspaper Gazeta Wyborcza.

Flickr user Visual Machine has some more info:

This is not exactly Gazeta Wyborcza (avarage issue 500 000 copies, secont most popular newspaper in Poland) but its weekly Saturday add on for women Wysokie Obcasy (High Heels - very Almodovaresque!!).

It is very good magazine, with excellent covers. Check link: www.gazetawyborcza.pl/5,81388,4021861.html

The mag is the most feminist publications from all popular magazines. Of course there are feminist mags as well, but they are not sold in half million copies.


Photo by DA Photography. More of their photos here and the original Voice column about it. New photos FINALLY coming soon, first from Martha Burzynski, then hopefully by two of my favorite local photographers.

Big in Poland

And...there's an article about me (also with a topless photo by DA Photography) in the October 2007 issue of GQ Italy. Bought it and will have to ask Elise to translate it for me. It mentions The Village Voice and Hide and Seek and other things I've done.

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Saturday, October 20, 2007

What a lot of my friends are getting for the holidays: Vagina t-shirts!

Yay Dana! I ADORE these t-shirts. The girl also makes damn delicious cookies which I also plan to give for the holidays.

Who loves vagina more than Mexican Pharmaceuticals? We Do!

Show your poon-pride with a snappy 'Vagina Is For Lovers' tee!

All Vagina tees are printed on 100% cotton American Apparel stock,
which are nice and fitted like a camel toe for your torso!

Sizes range from Kegel-tight Small to Rejuvenation-Inspiring X-Large.

Available in Black or White for dudes and white or Pink for the ladies.

Another reason to adore Valerie Frankel

Valerie Frankel is a super prolific writer of adult and YA novels, and she also writes lots of nonfiction articles and just wrote one about The Secret that prompted quite a bit of response, which she blogs about:

I appreciate the prayers on my behalf from a half-dozen devout emailers. Their opinion: They agreed that The Secret doesn't work, but assured me that Jesus does. They also suggested I give Him a try. Sorry, peops, but I'm not going to accept Jesus as my personal lord and savior. Little tip: When you read the name "Frankel," just as you might read the name "Shapiro" or "Silverman," know that it means JEW. People with my last name—here in America, and distant Frankels in foreign lands—are all JEWS. And, sometimes, when we're told to worship Him, we get kinda pissed off. I say this with love—if not Jesus—in my heart. Next time you feel an urge to send out a JCmail, keep it to yourself.

Good Vibrations loves He's on Top and She's on Top

We had a fabulous reading last weekend from these books, and I just saw these writeups on the Good Vibrations site. Yay! And in 2008 I'll be making up postcards for Yes, Sir and Yes, Ma'am (and my Seal Press book Dirty Girls) cause I love sending out snail mail, and cause all three covers are smoking hot.

Good Vibrations on She's on Top

There’s something about a strong, powerful woman who knows what she wants and how to get it…don’t you agree? If you get off on dominant women and submissive men, you’re going to get down on your knees for this hot collection! She’s on Top is all about the top and bottom dance—fantasies about taking and giving up power. With stories that include strap-ons, metal cinches, affairs with bosses and sexy married couples, you’ll enjoy the engaging writing and varying degrees of edginess in these pages. Heterosexual focus. 2007, 208 pp.

Good Vibrations on He's on Top

Editor Rachel Kramer Bussel, a GV favorite, took great care to create a collection about male dominance that is about exchanging power, not taking power. Storylines include tested limits, uncharted territories, personal struggles and strong-willed women. So, if it’s rough and tough men, pain, pleasure and control that get you off, you’ll find the kinky stories of your dreams inside these pages. Heterosexual focus. 2007, 192 pp.

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Friday, October 19, 2007

It's cupcake time!



Cupcakes Take the Cake is hitting up Tribeca Treats at 94 Reade Street in, yes, Tribeca, tomorrow (Saturday, October 20th) as part of the NYC Cupcakes Take the Cake Meetup so if you're in town, please do join us at 2 p.m. Photos from Tribeca Treats' website. A whopping 60 of you (!!) have said yes so far!

We're also hosting a cupcake baking workshop on Wednesday, October 24th in Williamsburg, Brooklyn at 6:30 p.m. at The Brooklyn Kitchen. It's $10.99 and so, so worth it - we'll learn about baking Halloween cupcakes and be giving away an apron and glove set from Carolyn's Kitchen. You must register for this workshop to attend, and attendance is limited, so sign up today!



Want to start a cupcake meetup in your city? Email us for more information; San Francisco and Seattle are ripe for cupcake meetups!

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Not Quite What I Was Planning - the video

I'm shamelessly copying the HTML code for the below from my friend Rebecca Woolf of the blog Girl's Gone Child and author of the galley-I-most-want-to-read-RIGHTNOW Rockabye: From Wild to Child, out in March from Seal Press (I really wanna know: are we gonna be in the catalog next to each other? Cause that would rock.) The book also has some really great art in it, and my six-word memoir, and some of them, such as Cheryl B's, appear in The Best American Non-Required Reading 2007.

The following is a preview of Smith Mag's forthcoming collection of Six-Word-Memoirs: Not Quite What I Was Planning. Coming February 2008 from SMITH and Harper Perennial. Enjoy!



Six-Word Memoir book preview from SMITHmag on Vimeo.

Speaking of SMITH, do check out Memoirville's interview with Ann Marie Fleming, author of the new graphic memoir The Magical Life of Long Tack Sam, and read an excerpt here. I stumbled across this at SFO the other day and was immediately intrigued.

Thursday, October 18, 2007

Virgin Night is tonight at In The Flesh!

Sorry for lack of posts, I'm back and writing up a storm. More coming soon, promise. Something you don't hear much about from me cause I don't watch much of it: reality TV. But here's a little scoop: Pepa shot a scene for VH1's The Salt N Pepa Show at Babeland, in which she's looking for a 6 foot condom! Please come out tonight to support your favorite erotica virgin AND get a free copy of Colette Gale's debut novel Unmasqued: An Erotic Novel of the Phantom of the Opera. Thanks to the awesome blog Smart Bitches Who Love Trashy Books for the shoutout.

If you come to Virgin Night (details below), not only will you get the usual hot stories read to you, candy and cupcakes, but you'll also get a FREE copy of Colette Gale's debut novel Unmasqued: An Erotic Novel of the Phantom of the Opera. Colette got her publisher to send us 50 copies of the book! So, okay, if there are more than 50 of you, some of you may have to share, but I'll have other free books for you. Yet another incentive to come out and celebrate 2 years (we started in October 2005), plus you'll be supporting first-time readers and authors who definitely need an appreciative crowd.



IN THE FLESH EROTIC READING SERIES
VIRGIN NIGHT
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 18th at 8 PM
AT HAPPY ENDING LOUNGE, 302 BROOME STREET, NYC
(B/D to Grand, J/M/Z to Bowery, F to Delancey, http://www.happyendinglounge.com)
Admission: Free
Happy Ending Lounge: 212-334-9676


First-timer readers and first-timer authors lose their literary virginity at this very special evening of erotica. Featuring six writers you’ve probably never heard before as they dare to go where they’ve never gone before! Jasmine Clemente (velvetaddiction.com), Colette Gale (Unmasqued), Jane Lockwood (Forbidden Shores), Sean Manseau (Lapdance), Robert W. Cabell (The Hair-Raising Adventures of Jayms Blonde), and Steven Padnick (Roar of Comics blog). Hosted by erotica author and editor Rachel Kramer Bussel (He’s on Top, She’s on Top, Crossdressing, Hide and Seek). Free candy and cupcakes will be served.

In the Flesh is a monthly reading series hosted at the appropriately named Happy Ending Lounge, and features the city's best erotic writers sharing stories to get you hot and bothered, hosted and curated by acclaimed erotic writer and editor Rachel Kramer Bussel. It is now being held every 3rd Thursday of the month. From erotic poetry to down and dirty smut, these authors get naked on the page and will make you lust after them and their words. Since its debut in October 2005, In the Flesh has featured such authors as Laura Antoniou, Mo Beasley, Lily Burana, Jessica Cutler, Stephen Elliott, Valerie Frankel, Polly Frost, Gael Greene, Andy Horwitz, Debra Hyde, Maxim Jakubowski, Emily Scarlet Kramer of CAKE, Josh Kilmer-Purcell, Edith Layton, Logan Levkoff, Suzanne Portnoy, Sofia Quintero, M.J. Rose, Lauren Sanders, Danyel Smith, Grant Stoddard, Cecilia Tan, Carol Taylor, Dana Vachon, Veronica Vera, Susan Wright, and many others. The series has gotten press attention from the New York Times’s UrbanEye newsletter, Escape (Hong Kong), Flavorpill, The L Magazine, New York Magazine, Time Out New York, Philadelphia City Paper, Gothamist, Nerve.com and Wonkette, and has been praised by Dr. Ruth.

Rachel Kramer Bussel is Senior Editor at Penthouse Variations, conducts interviews for Gothamist.com and Mediabistro.com, and wrote the popular Lusty Lady column for The Village Voice. Her erotic stories have been published in over 100 anthologies, including Best American Erotica 2004 and 2006, and she’s edited numerous erotica anthologies, most recently He’s on Top: Erotic Stories of Male Dominance and Female Submission, She’s on Top: Erotic Stories of Female Dominance and Male Submission, Crossdressing: Erotic Stories and Hide and Seek.Rachel has also written for AVN, Bust, Cosmo UK, Gothamist, Huffington Post, Mediabistro, Metro, New York Post, Punk Planet, San Francisco Chronicle, Time Out New York and Velvetpark.
www.rachelkramerbussel.com

Robert W. Cabell is the author of The Hair-Raising Adventures of Jayms Blonde: Project Popcorn. Mr. Cabell has spent two decades working in the entertainment industry with giants like Time Warner, HBO, Spelling International, Columbia Pictures, and the New York Post. He has written a book on humor with the legendary Joey Adams, musical comedies like Z-The Masked Musical of Zorro, Pretty Faces, numerous plays, and served as entertainment editor for Shout Magazine.
www.jaymsblonde.com

Jasmine Clemente was born and raised in Brooklyn, NY and for a brief moment, lived on her native island of Puerto Rico for 6 months when she was 16 years old. Due to her amazing experience, her writing has become seasoned with a light amount of Latin flavor, which means that she often enjoys writing in “Spanglish.” She began her writing career at 9 years old, when she wrote letters to her family complaining about her parents’ divorce, and eventually she began writing seriously when she entered her early twenties. She realized that writing was both therapeutic and nonetheless, she had a natural talent for communication. Now, she writes various profiles and reviews for authors, singers and DJ’s on an urban website titled, www.velvetaddiction.com. Furthermore, she worked as a bookseller for Barnes and Noble Bookstores in 2006 and has attended writing courses at Gotham Writer’s Workshop, www.mediabistro.com and The New School.

Colette Gale is the pseudonym of a historical novelist. She is the author of Unmasqued: An Erotic Novel of the Phantom of the Opera. She lives in the midwest United States with her family and has seen Webber's Phantom of the Opera too many times to count. Colette was always horribly disappointed when Christine ended up choosing Raoul over the Phantom, every single time. She wished just once that Christine would have stayed with Erik! Finally, she became convinced someone had to write about the real reason Christine left the man she loved. And what happened afterward. And so she did.
www.colettegale.com

Jane Lockwood is the pen name of a multi-pubbed, award-winning historical romance author who's always been told "you can't do that in a romance" but does it anyway. Originally from England, she's worked as an archaeologist, classical music radio announcer, arts publicist, and editor/bookseller for a small press. She lives near Washington, DC. Forbidden Shores (Signet Eclipse, October 2007) is her first full-length erotic historical romance. She blogs at The Spiced Tea Party. http://thespicedteaparty.blogspot.com

Sean Manseau's stories have appeared in the Scrivener Creative Review, Killing the Buddha, and, in January 2008, the Mirrorstone Books YA anthology Magic in the Mirrorstone. His novel Lapdance will be released in April 2008 by Cyan Books.

Steven Padnick is a writer and editor working in New York City, currently working on his first novel. This is his first work of erotic fiction and his first time reading his work in front of strangers.

Because it's been so popular, I'm bringing True Sex Confessions back in November with a stellar lineup of confessors. You'll have the chance to anonymously confess too; I'll read audience confessions aloud in between readers!

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Tuesday, October 16, 2007

Watch me masturbate now, spank me on November 10th (my bday)

Babeland posted about the fact that the oh-so-several-years-ago Masturbate-a-thon we taped at their SoHo store has finally aired on HBO's Real Sex. I wouldn't do it again cause, I, I have enough trouble with orgasms, let alone with a big-ass camera in my face, but anyway, I did it, and you can watch me and a bunch of other chicas get coached and use sex toys on HBO. Here's the copy from HBO:

Rated TVMA: GRAPHIC LANGUAGE, NUDITY, ADULT CONTENT, STRONG SEXUAL CONTENT
Running Time: 42 minutes
Genre: Sex, Documentary
Hot! Hot! Hot! From an uninhibited troupe of naked fire dancers...to an all-female "masterbate-a-thon" for charity...to a fantasy-fulfillment website for real people...to a kinky birthday party for adult-baby fetishers...this all-new edition of HBO's most sizzling adults-only series promises more outrageous antics of real people...and Real Sex! This popular documentary series focuses on some of the fresh and fanciful methods by which women and men are turning up the heat by losing their inhibitions, acting out their most extreme fantasies and fetishes, and altogether enhancing their sex lives. (TVMA) ()


And I was in a particularly whoring myself out phase and agreed to do this event...actually, I'm kindof excited, but aside from writing workshops (an erotica writing workshop is in the works now with Babeland!), I'm not really a workshop kind of girl. I prefer being in the audience usually. So this is a very special event, because, well, spanking! I didn't get spanked on my last birthday and want those 32 whacks (or more).

For $15, you can get your hands on my ass on my 32nd birthday, November 10th, at 8 pm in Philly for Red Hot Philadelphia. Details TK but I'm leading a spanking workshop where I'll read erotica and then spank and get spanked! A VERY one time only opportunity, and on my birthday no less. I couldn't resist. The minute I have details, I will be posting them all over here cause I've heard that Philadelphians aren't so big on going out to events, so I hope we can prove that wrong.

No bday party this year, so that's it, or join me at the Ida concert that morning at 11 at Symphony Space.

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Sugasm 101

The latest Sugasm



Mischa courtesy of Badgirl’s Hotbox.



The best of this week’s blogs by the bloggers who blog them. Highlighting the top 3 posts as chosen by Sugasm participants. Want in Sugasm #102? Submit a link to your best post of the week using this form. Participants, repost the link list within a week and you’re all set.


This Week’s Picks


Animal sex

“As he brings me there, his hands and mouth on me are rougher and rougher.”


Romeo and Juliet: A Different Perspective

“Catherine!” Elizabeth gasped between her thighs. “You are like heaven’s own scent.”


Summer of Content

“Under the cover of my long skirt, my legs are spread for him, and I’m dripping over his fingers.”


Mr. Sugasm Himself

How to Hide Your Porn



Editor’s Choice

Tease


More Sugasm

Join the Sugasm


See also: Fleshbot’s Sex Blog Roundup each Tuesday and Friday.


(Sugasm participants should re-post all the links above. The following links may be excluded as long as you include all the above links.)


NSFW Pics & Videos


Catalina loves Candles (HNT)

Dave Naz does something indescribable for me

Half-Nekkid Massage

HNT: The Boot Queen

Hot Nude Aria Giovanni

Mischa in Garden Delight

More of Jason

Painted Hills

Schoolgirl, Revisited



Erotic Writing and Experiences

Heteroflexible

I came for you

I feel like…… cheating

A Night of DP

Sat Night Swing Club

Satisfying Leslie’s craving

Shadows

Someone else’s wife


Wicked Man


Sex History & Poetry

My Protector

Woodhull’s Sexual Freedom Forum


BDSM & Fetish

Autumn


If you give a Dom an hour……

Kenny

A Little Surprise

Marcus and Me – Redux

Mundane Moment #1

Pretty Girls Peeing Outdoors (Urophilia, Pee Fetish)

Slave Sale Night

Therapy


Sex News & Reviews


Applause for Blogs Begun in October 2007

THE Best Solo Sex Toy for Men

Featured Design: Revealing your love style

Heartbreaker II Vibrator Review

Poly Pride NYC was Fabulous!

Review: Internet Escort Handbook

Truth or fiction?


Thoughts on Sex and Relationships

Alike, Not Alike, Identical


Analyzing, questions, memories, today

Housewife fantasies and domestic dirtiness

I’m a biter.

Intercourse is icky?

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Reading photos

Crazy busy on last day, going to visit little kiddies, trying to get some work done. So here are some pics from the Good Vibes reading on Sunday, courtesy of Donna George Storey.


With Heidi


With She's on Top contributors Thomas S. Roche and Donna George Storey.

Monday, October 15, 2007

PC Magazine loves my cupcake blog!

PC Magazine just named Cupcakes Take the Cake one of their 100 favorite blogs! Here's what they wrote:

A sweet confection of a blog, Cupcake Takes the Cake features unique renditions of this popular treat—such as hazelnut honey topped with a white chocolate bee—as well as interviews with cupcake chefs and shop owners, and even cupcake-themed merchandise.

Read about all their favorite blogs here.

A PC Magazine Favorite Blog

Speaking of cupcakes, my digital camera is MIA so I have a disposable I'm gonna get developed very soon. Last night, my friend Shar made Mexican chocolate cupcakes with whipped cream on top that were totally to die for. Seriously intense. The best part was watching her run around Edinburgh Castle trying to give them away and getting offended when people didn't want any. But oh, those cupcakes went and the lucky folks who got them were equally, sugar blissed out. More later or when I'm home on the awesomeness, but do check out Sister Spit cause they're on tour and coming to NYC. Arlene Textaqueen, an incredible Australian artist who does amazing portraits of cool women, including Michelle Tea, who I know through my NYC photographer friend Stacie Joy was amazing. I last saw her when I was draped topless, clad only in leopard print panties, across my friend Heidi's couch while Texta drew me.

Photo below by the fantabulous Melissa Gira of Sexerati and other fame (also a contributor to my upcoming books Best Sex Writing 2008 and Dirty Girls: Erotica for Women)

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Sunday, October 14, 2007

Today in SF!

Firstly, me! Come see me read at 4 pm at Good Vibes on Valencia, as per below. Then I'm going to Sister Spit. Hot mom Shar Rednour and much of queer literary SF will be there, and so should you. The fashion show I can't make but FYI.

Women Like Me Presents BodvilleSunday, October 14th: Free!

GV weekend event – Who’s on top? Book reading and signing of He's on Top and She's on Top with editor Rachel Kramer Bussel and contributors Thomas S. Roche and Donna George Storey.




As editor Rachel Kramer Bussel explains, these books "pay homage to the power, physical, mental, and emotional, that goes into being a true top. The dominants in these stories understand the gift they’re being given every time a lover offers herself up for their perusal or makes himself into an object for them to command and control.”


Rachel will be accompanied by contributors Thomas S. Roche and Donna George Storey.


Enjoy 15% off all erotica!




When: Sunday, October 14th

Time: 4:00 pm

Where:Good Vibrations Valencia Street Store

603 Valencia Street (at 17th Street)

San Francisco, CA 94110

(415) 522-5460



Sister Spit TONIGHT!
8 p.m. Sun. $10. Edinburgh Castle Pub, 950 Geary St., S.F. (415) 885-4074.

For the San Francisco event, expect to hear a lot more (unprintable things) about the original incarnations of Sister Spit. Local writer and performer Tara Jepson and Ali Liebgott (veteran of the 1997 and 1999 tours) will take the stage alongside new Sister Spitters, such as writer and fashion designer Chelsea Star.

SISTER SPIT: The Next Generation
one vanload of queer female artists + writers + maniacs
coming to your town for one awesome night of shameless literary hijinks.

Special SF guests are:
Cindy Emch, Frances Varian, Beth Lisick, Ali Liebegott, Jennifer
Blowdryer, Trina Robbins, Rhiannon Argo, Tammy Fortin, Samara
Halperin, and Sherilyn Connelly.
and the Sister Spit players:
Tara Jepsen, Texta Queen, Chelsea Starr, Meliza Banales, Dexter
Flowers, Kay Marie Yoas, and of course Michelle Tea.

CAPSULE Design Festival
Sunday, Oct. 14, 2007
11am - 6pm
In Hayes Valley, SF
Event Page (click)

Twice a year CAPSULE organizes the CAPSULE Design Festival, Hosting over 140 Clothing and Accessory Designers, Graphic and Fine Artists, Industrial and Architectural Designers, and others, in the urban and urbane Hayes Valley.

This October's Festival will be our 6th of what has become a unique SF event, reflecting the independent and original style the Bay Area is known for. This is not a craft fair, but a true design festival. Each designer is screened for originality and relevancy before being invited to participate.

If you are a designer interested in attending the upcoming October 14 show, or simply interested in seeing who is attending, Click here.

Click here to check out the booth map and see which designers attended last Octobers' CAPSULE. We're going to post video and photos of the show on this site..

The past year has seen an explosion of interest in Capsule. 240 new designers have signed up with Capsule since last Spring’s festival. Check them out. We're going to open up reservations for the October show fairly soon, check back on this site for details and all you Capsule designers will receive email notification. If you would like to register with CAPSULE as a designer (which you have to do before reserving a booth at the festival) go here.

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Great Crossdressing review

From Richard Labonte in Book Marks comes this first review of my book Crossdressing (which they now have at Modern Times Bookstore, along with a lot of other kickass books. Last night at the crazily packed Litcrawl reading, we not only heard amazing readers, but I bought Rachel Cusk's A Life's Work, her motherhood memoir, and Heidi bought Alie Liebegott's The IHOP Papers, which I'm so reading next.



Crossdressing: Erotic Stories, edited by Rachel Kramer Bussel. Cleis
Press, 216 pages, $14.95 paper.

Bears and daddies and trannies, fratboys and first timers and country
boys, cowboys and truckers and hot cops, butches and femmes and bi's:
is there anything new when it comes to queer erotica? This collection
of fiction about fishnet stockings, silk panties, and strapon dildos
is raunchy proof that the answer is a titillating and insightful yes.
Most queer erotica is about either girls or boys - sex and gender
don't mix. But Bussel's book breaks down that barrier with panache.
From the woman who gets off on donning a British Beefeater's uniform,
to the man whose Brooks Brother shirt covers a white satin bra, to the
fratboy (yes, the genres do overlap) who thrills that his female drag
turns on the straight boys - the perverts in Crossdressing_ bring
fascinating sexual fluidity to their kink. And, as one character in
Tulsa's Brown's deeply emotional "Temporary" says, it's about more
than fantasy: for the drag queen in her story, crossdressing "was my
deepest truth" – wise words from a porn collection.

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Dear San Francisco

Dear San Francisco,

I passed by Appleton tonight and remembered when I almost wanted to move here back in 2001. I came pretty damn close, wanting to whisk away my old life and start anew, not realizing how entangled and incestuous you can be if you try. You're a seductive city. When you're on, it's like one big happy lovefest. It's hugs and kisses and gayness and cupcakes for everyone. I'm amazed that you get swarms of people packing readings in so tightly during Litquake that people are out the door. I love that I can walk down Mission and run into Samhita. You have way more varieties of beef jerky than I'm used to, and a vodka bottle in the shape of a gun that I wanted to buy just for the bottle. I love that you breed cute boys like pets and that even the straight people here are at least a little queer. I love (when I don't hate) that everyone is about 2, or possibly 1, degrees of separation from another. I love that people are not in such a hurry all the time, even though I still am.

You have some of the most creative people I know, whose books I devour. You have two publishers I'm honored to publish work with. You have Hideo Wakamatsu, where I'm about to buy an orange sherbert-colored suitcase. You made me exclaim about the sun today at least 20 times.

But I usually limit my time with you to 4 days, because there is always that point where you just make me homesick. Where the whole "BART stops running at midnight" thing makes me feel trapped, reminding me that the feeling I hate the most is not being able to be independent. You make me miss my middle-of-the-night subway rides, my perhaps irrational feeling of rock-solid safety at any time of the day or night. I notice your flaws much too easily, get impatient with anything that's not like home, get antsy and fidgety because point A and point B are so, so far. When I have to be in cars more than once a month, it's just not good for a girl with major car phobia.

I know Jackson calls you the Yay Area, but when I reach that point, I sortof have no idea why. I realize how much I miss my home in all its messy, overcrowded, often ho-hum, early waking glory. Don't get me wrong, I'm having a wonderful time here. I'm nominally on vacation even though I'm lugging work with me. I get to sleep next to someone who makes me feel all kinds of emotions I thought were best forgotten. You're fun, SF, when you're not pouring buckets, but for me, you'll never be NYC, and the more time I spend with you, the more I realize the truth of that.

xo,
Rachel

Thursday, October 11, 2007

Interview with Mr. NYC

Another interview with me with NYC blogger Mr. NYC

Here's a snippet:

2. While always a fun subject, how do you keep writing about sex without it getting repetitive or (perish the thought) boring?

I would say that for me writing about sex doesn’t get boring because sex (so far) hasn’t been boring. I think if you’re only writing about the mechanics of sex, the in and out, so to speak, that can get old quickly, but there are so many nuances and I think everyone approaches it differently. By that I mean both how they conduct their sex and dating life and what they want out of sex, how they prioritize it, what turns them on. I’m such a voyeur and I love hearing about what other people are up to.

I really like the fact that, while I am not an expert in any way, I’m someone that my friends can talk to about things they might not have anyone else to ask. I was at dinner with a friend the other day and she looked around and then lowered her head and whispered, “I was told I have to ask you about this. Have you heard of this thing called ‘squirting?’” Her boyfriend wanted her to squirt (female ejaculate) and she was freaked out by it and we discussed it and I assured her that it wasn’t weird but also wasn’t mandatory. Then I sent her a copy of my friend Violet Blue’s book
The Smart Girl’s Guide to the G-Spot.

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Welcome to San Francisco! Me and Violet Blue talk sex columns

The fabulous Violet Blue has interviewed me for her San Francisco Chronicle column "Open Source Sex." We talk all things sex column (technically, it was an email interview). Also, as Violet points out on her blog, I wrote out the word "fuck." There were links too, like College Call Girl and Sexegesis. Speaking of CCG, do be sure to check out, well, her whole blog, but I loved (and commented) on her "College Callgirl’s Top Ten Tips to Get Him to Hurry the Hell Up and Cum Already" (learn about "the Da Vinci code for unlocking spooge.") Speaking of comments, feel free to comment at the Chron and combat the anti-Violetness.

My new boyfriend (we're all dorkily bf/gf as of, uh, today) was surprised the Chronicle disallowed "fuck" but not "blowjob."

Little known fact, before I was the smutty writer I am today, I was a student at UC Berkeley, the Chronicle published my first big publication piece of writing, an Op-Ed piece about my dad. No pay, but still.

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Wednesday, October 10, 2007

Blowfish loves Hide and Seek

Okay, one last post before I go, I just couldn't resist - the very first review of Hide and Seek, a book I haven't even seen yet, but a copy is on its way to my man's apartment for me to drool over. There is just something about seeing your book in the flesh, as it were, instead of endless words on a screen, that is, to me, really fucking exciting.



I'm thrilled that the esteemed sex toy retailer Blowfish is now carrying my latest book, co-edited with Alison Tyler, Hide and Seek. The review is also blogged (another you should add to your daily reading). Here's what they had to say about it:

Much like the childhood game's directive, Hide and Seek's voyeur-exhibitionist heroes and heroines play from a place of empowerment: they know they're being "caught," teasing and taunting one another so as to heighten and prolong all sexual tension. Rest assured however -- every story's ending is a happy one! Though the scenarios are primarily boy-girl (and boy-girl-boy), women (well aware they're fully entitled to ogle and be ogled) predominate. At her behest, a woman's lover buys her a prostitute display window of her very own in Amsterdam's famed Red Light District ("Red Light, Green Light," Shanna Germain). Or: an exhibitionist porn starlet's creamiest girl-girl action fantasy comes true, on camera, filmed by a female director ("Interview with a Porn Star," Radclyffe). Meanwhile: a hunky window cleaner's big bulge and penchant for flashing it seduces a woman who has the best seat in the office... you guessed it -- the window seat ("Counting the Days," Saskia Walker). Our fave? Two females and one very busy dildo, cruising for sex in the shadows of night ("Cruising," Lee Cairney). All told, these 21 intense stories explore the yin-yang dynamics and pleasures of the observer and observed, sans shame, predictability, or trenchcoats. The only thing to expect here is lots of flirting, fondling, and jacking and jilling off. Achingly well-written prose that you, dear reader, will most definitely love to "watch." (2007, 187 pp.)

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More San Francisco weekend awesomeness!

How'd I miss that the fabulous Heather Corinna (who I interviewed here) will also be in town this weekend? Yay! Cupcakes for everyone.

Also, I'm pre-blogging this: Click here tomorrow (well, and today, for that matter, but tomorrow will also be of interest, I'll be on a plane when it goes live) - actually, you should be bookmarking that site and reading Violet's column every week. Okay, more tomorrow

One last SF-related point - I interviewed once and future San Francisco resident Jackson West about cupcakes!

Scarleteen's Heather CorinnaSaturday, October 13th: Free!

The Center for Sex & Culture presents HEATHER CORINNA from Scarleteen


Join Heather Corinna, sex educator and activist, founder and editor of Scarleteen.com, and author of S.E.X.: The All-You-Need-to-Know Progressive Sexuality Guide to Get You Through High School and College for an afternoon discussing young adult sexuality and inclusive, feminist, comprehensive sex education for teens and young adults. Find out about the current state of YA sexuality and sexual health trends, needs and issues from someone who serves tens of thousands of teens internationally every day, and discuss your own needs and concerns in addressing, parenting, mentoring and supporting this important population.



Visit http://www.scarleteen.com/scarleteen_is to learn more about Heather's important website and s.e.x. to see more about her book.



18 and over; youth between 12 and 18 may attend with a parent.



When: Saturday, October 13th

Time: 1:30-3:30 pm

Where: Good Vibrations Polk Street Store

1620 Polk Street (at Sacramento Street)

San Francisco, CA 94109

(415) 345-0400


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Housewife fantasies and domestic dirtiness

Astute observers have already noted that I changed my Facebook and MySpace profiles to say “in a relationship,” which prompted emails saying things like, “Really? With who?” “This guy in San Francisco,” I tell them. It’s a long story, so I’ll try to keep it brief cause I’ve got a plane to catch in…11 hours or so, not to mention writing and packing. We met six years ago, back in 2001, when I thought I was going to move to San Francisco. I was so enthralled with city everyone seemed to be this successful writer and be part of this happy community and it felt just right to be there. But then I’d realize how small it is, how rumors spread like wildfire, how claustrophobic I might feel and after three trips and one tear-filled long distance relationship, I decided New York is my home.

Anyway, we got back in touch this year and somehow went from joking about making a baby together (he offered to fill my turkey baster) and trying to catch up to just bantering in the same way we did way back then. We weren’t flirting at the beginning (well, I wasn’t flirting), but getting to know each other all over again. I’ll be honest and say I’d thought about him in the intervening years, but mostly thought about how kinda crappy I treated him during our brief fling and I always felt kindof badly about that. Apparently, he had somewhat of a crush on me all this time, and the first time I heard that I just thought, “That can’t be true.” It unnerved me a bit because I couldn’t say the reverse had happened and even moreso, I couldn’t understand why. I’m not saying I don’t understand why someone would want to date me, although I must say in the last year of pretty much nonstop rejection, I have once again settled into happily single mode. But I’m finding that with him probably more so than with anyone else I’ve dated, or certainly anyone I’ve dated in recent history, I don’t have to censor what I’m saying in any way. I don’t have to act or pretend to be anything but myself and I certainly don’t have to worry about being “too slutty,” or too anything really.

And I’ll be able to expound upon this more after this weekend, but it’s funny because in a city that is just full of the kinkiest people around, we’re perverted in a really twisted, retro way. Like I told Violet that I probably wouldn’t be going to the Good Vibes Erotic Film Festival because we’re gonna “lay low and be domesticated” and I think she thought I meant fuck like bunnies, which we totally are, but what I actually meant when I wrote it is that he’s ordered stuff I wanted to watch on Netflix and I have to cook something for a magazine piece and he wants to make meatball cupcakes. He’s brought out this total homemaker fantasy I have, which is somewhat tied to my dishwashing fetish, and is ironic because my own home is a total pigsty (and has truly once been described as looking like a “crack den,” from someone who would actually know, and now it’s even worse). But that’s the thing⎯I don’t like cleaning my own apartment, I like cleaning other people’s. I also love painting houses (interiors). The thing is I would never in a million years want to be with someone who expected me to wait on them hand and foot just cause I’m a girl, but when it’s voluntary, when it’s fun, when it’s me choosing to do it, I’m all, “When can we get to the barefoot and pregnant stage?” The answer is probably pretty damn soon, if things go well. I tried to ease my mom into it by saying “within the next five years,” and he gently reminded me that five years is a long time. That was a long outside estimate; I might be having #3 by then. I’m not in some huge hurry, but with him, with things just fitting together as they seem to be, I would not be averse to that.

I looked up housewife at dictionary.com and got;

a married woman who manages her own household, esp. as her principal occupation.

Part of me kindof can’t explain it, and I was hesitant to even write about things with him but they’ve taken a turn from something much more lighthearted (like, vacation sex) and become more serious but not in a “serious” way, just in a “we really like each other and our interests mesh in a big way.” Both the little things and the bigger things. I think part of me always expects things in my life to kindof collapse and go awry, and I’m comfortable, or at least used to, doing triage. It’s not that I’m all doom and gloom but when things are all good, I really don’t always know what to make of it. So for now I’ll just say that I’m very much looking forward to the next six days. The sex, certainly, but also the really dorky stuff, which includes making myself totally at home in his apartment. I plan to mess it up and then clean it up when I’m not being attacked tied up and molested.

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Justine Joli on cover of Variations

Justine Joli is on the cover of the new (November) issue of the magazine where I work, Penthouse Variations, in a kinky bathtub photo set with Kelle Marie, so please check that out at a newsstand near you. The one below is from my private collection (no, I wasn't there when it was taken, but it was sent to me as part of some special cupcake photos).

just one lick

My favorite pics of her ever are here on Flickr, by Consensual Media.

And for those of you who like that kind of thing (by which, obviously, I mean all of you most likely), here's a NSFW shot of her on Flickr, and an even less safe for work one.

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San Francisco: Litquake and He's/She's on Top readings!

I'm off to San Francisco tomorrow (Thursday) to shack up with a very sexy man and make him sandwiches and show off my new high heels and curl up and watch whatever I've conned him into renting on Netflix. More on him later, I just don't want to jinx things, plus am slammed getting ready to go. Also, uh, more professional reasons, like these readings below, one for the famed Litquake festival and one for my books He's on Top and She's on Top, with two of my favorite authors, Thomas S. Roche and Donna George Storey. I also plan to enjoy as many cupcakes as I can, perhaps swim in a pool with Heidi, and visit friends.

I will pop in tomorrow to post some very special press from one of my favorite people and you can probably expect some cupcake photos and other things. I am also lugging along my fair share of a to do list, but still, working while you're on vacation is somehow more chill than working from home. You should also totally check out the Good Vibrations blog (and, like, bookmark it/add it to your RSS reader) cause it's consistently informative.

I will also be attending this Litcrawl reading at 6 pm (check the listings cause Rachel Sarah and Max Valerio are also reading at the same time):

Good Vibrations (18 and over), 603 Valencia Street
Under the Sheets: Erotica Writers Heat Things Up
Charlie Anders, Jen Cross, Gina de Vries, Marlo Gayle, Carol Queen, Lori Selke, Simon Sheppard



Here's the details on my reading on October 13th from 7-7:45 pm:

Modern Times Bookstore, 888 Valencia Street, San Francisco

Seal Press Explores the F Stop
Female authors take on Fashion, Fucking, Feminism, Felines, Freestyling, and Felonies

Rachel Kramer Bussel, Jenesha “Jinky” De Rivera, Daphne Gottlieb, Samara Halperin, Julia Serano, Victoria Zackheim

Women Like Me Presents BodvilleSunday, October 14th: Free!

GV weekend event – Who’s on top? Book reading and signing of He's on Top and She's on Top with editor Rachel Kramer Bussel and contributors Thomas S. Roche and Donna George Storey.




As editor Rachel Kramer Bussel explains, these books "pay homage to the power, physical, mental, and emotional, that goes into being a true top. The dominants in these stories understand the gift they’re being given every time a lover offers herself up for their perusal or makes himself into an object for them to command and control.”


Rachel will be accompanied by contributors Thomas S. Roche and Donna George Storey.


Enjoy 15% off all erotica!




When: Sunday, October 14th

Time: 4:00 pm

Where:Good Vibrations Valencia Street Store

603 Valencia Street (at 17th Street)

San Francisco, CA 94110

(415) 522-5460

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Monday, October 08, 2007

All of Best Of In The Flesh on YouTube

Many of these are in two parts. This is from Best Of In The Flesh Erotic Reading Series, September 20, 2007. For an index of all my YouTube videos (including me, Todd Levin, and Samara O'Shea at Best Of Night), click here.

Jessica Cutler (image on part 1 may not show up but I promise it's there), then "Sex Scenes" by Polly Frost, then Andrew Boyd, then Marie Lyn Bernard and Stephanie Whited. If you like 'em, please go to YouTube and rate/favorite them. These are all in two parts, so part one's on top, then part two.















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Win Caught Looking and Hide and Seek at Lust Bites!



Win copies of Caught Looking, Hide and Seek and Alison Tyler's collection Exposed today over at Lust Bites by leaving a comment. Plus read sexy excerpts from Alison Tyler's stories in each book.



And again, you can hear/watch me read from my story "Like This" on YouTube. You can also read Alison's and my introductions and sample stories, including all of "Like This," from the book on my website. As always, if you like the book (or any of my books), please leave a review on Amazon.

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Friday, October 05, 2007

Chris Crocker = sexy crossdresser

I think Chris Crocker looks totally hot in this photo:

Chris Crocker in sexy drag

Via VH1's "Crossdressing Cuties of Reality TV"

Apparently, Britney is not a fan:

"Britney does not think Chris Crocker is funny,” a Spears pal tells Us. “She thinks he's creepy and that all his videos are an obvious attempt at fame. She finds it insulting and difficult to watch."

But Crocker defends his teary online tribute. “It was to give Britney fans a voice,” he tells Usmagazine.com. “There is nothing insulting there. It was for her fans to show our support.”

CrossFitting

If anyone was planning to join our all women class tomorrow, we've moved the time to 1 pm. At Crossfit. $25, and you will get your ass kicked (see below). Actually, we've been doing some really cool workouts for time, and as much as I'm not a fan of the rower, I got to do squats and shoulder presses today (my faves) and generally feel a lot stronger and healthier. And it's only been about four months! I can't wait for more. See their site for more details, and don't be intimidated by the photos.

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More In The Flesh YouTube fun

I've got some of August's In The Flesh up, and the rest of the most recent one is coming soon. We're also taping November 15th's True Sex Confessions night with the likes of Anna David, Kimberlee Auerbach, Lux Nightmare, Isobella Jade, and others. SO much I want to post about, like the great conversations at last night's Mediabistro anniversary party and my forays into caffeine withdrawal, but everything's very catch as catch can of late as I try to keep up.

Below, I'm reading my She's on Top story "His Just Rewards" and Elisha Miranda and Michelle Herrera Mulligan are reading from Michelle's anthology Juicy Mangos. Well, that part I will just have to add in later cause YouTube is hella slow in updating and I'm off to hang with my baby cousin.





Also, I forgot to put up Todd Levin's Larry King impersonation from last month's In The Flesh:

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Thursday, October 04, 2007

My dating advice on Yahoo!

I'll preface this by saying that in truth, I don't consider myself an "expert" on anything. I've had so many relationship, sex and dating ups and downs though, that I can relate, hopefully, to other people's situations. So when Yahoo! asked me to give some relationship advice, I try my best. Click here to read my response (and two other people's) to the question below. It's a little weird to see it on the front page of Yahoo!, but cool too.

"I am starting to date someone I have admired for a few years. When I finally approached this person romantically, they responded just as I had hoped. We had a little discussion to get each other's expectations clear, and I thought all was well. But the last few times we were together, he seemed either preoccupied or too tired, and not really engaged in our being together. He wasn't feeling well all week and I am not sure if this is the reason for the standoffish behavior or not. I asked specifically if he wanted me to go and not come back, and he said no. I left with a kiss from him, and put a possibility of our going to have dinner and a movie out. He said yeah, we'll see.

"I haven't gone back for three days, partly to give him time to feel better and also to see if he would come around. I haven't heard a word from him. Do I wait longer, or give it a few more days and if he doesn't come by, go see him and see why he hasn't come to see me? I am so confused with such mixed emotions right now, it is kind of hurting me. I really adore this man and hoped for good things. From our discussion, I felt things were going well. Now, I just don't know what to think or feel. Can you help?" -- Holly M, 47, Orlando, Florida

Britney's "Gimme More" as covered by my friend Marisela

"Sex Toys and The Technology of Orgasm" - my first Alternet piece is up!

Sorry to be MIA, I'm super busy running around, writing a ton, being interviewed by a Columbia Journalism student for a profile piece, getting ready to go to San Francisco next week, workout out at Crossfit, and, making me most lethargic, trying to quit Diet Coke. More on that later, but suffice it to say, it's pretty hellish.

My first Alternet piece is now up! It's about the documentary Passion and Power: The Technology of Orgasm, which looks at the history of the vibrator as well as Texas's anti-dildo law. There are 3 other states with those on the books, and the Supreme Court just declined to hear a challenge to Alabama's, so this is big in the news.

For those who don't think pussies and their playthings are political, the new documentary Passion and Power: The Technology of Orgasm (Wabi Sabi Productions) will set you straight. Co-produced and co-directed by Wendy Slick and Emiko Omori, the film offers up a disturbing history of the first vibrators as well as a glimpse into the real-life consequences of laws still on the books in four states that ban the sale of them...

Read the rest

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Monday, October 01, 2007

Free CrossFit beginners' classes (and special ladies class this Saturday)

So the last time I tried to organize a Saturday all-female CrossFit class, it wound up being the members of my cupcake blog, which was cool, though I think Allison may have wanted less talk and more movement from Nichelle and me. So ladies, if you are are around this Saturday, join us at 2:30 at CrossFit, in Midtown (1026 6th Ave., 4th floor, bet. 38th and 39th) but RSVP to me at rachelkb at gmail.com by Thursday at noon so I know how many people are joining us. Cost is $25 and I can assure you you will get $25 worth of asskicking. Last week, on separate occasions, we did this workout where we had to do 3 sets of rowing 500 meters, then 15 reps of squtting with 75 pounds. Allison, pictured below, did it in 11:11, while I did it in 12:07. All I have to say is I am now determined to beat her score.

AND that for me, as a sign of my dedication, even more than the weight Allison's gotten me to lift, I have finally cut way, way back on diet coke. Instead of my usual 4-6 liters a day, I am now drinking less than a liter. My grandmother and Allison have probably been the ones most vociferously encouraging me to stop, though Allison I think stopped trying to lecture me about it about a year into our friendship. It's been my mainstay but, partly due to total vanity, and partly due to health concerns, I am trying to pick up a raspberry seltzer habit.





You can read my interview with Allison here and my Huffington Post piece about CrossFit here. I also have to say that I've been so impressed by the knowledge behind the workouts. Allison is my trainer but Keith and Court, who you can read more about here, also give me plenty of advice and it's fascinating to see how they each explain things and their take. I think they sometimes translate things into porno-ese for me (seriously, when I had trouble with my deadlift, Keith was like, "it's all about the T&A," and that actually helped).

ALSO...CrossFit also offers free Open Beginners classes. If any of you are curious about it, please check it out. Also on the fitness front (via Babble - LOVE that we share interests in babies, cupcakes, and working out) is Fitness Fixation. Yet another reason this crazy cupcake ban is ridiculous; those who exercise and eat generally healthfully can eat a cupcake once in a while and it's not a big deal.

Open Beginners CrossfitNYC Classes (Free)

Wednesdays at 6-7pm, Saturdays at 10-11am

don't need to sign up in advance, don't need to be a member--totally FREE

BEGINNER CLASSES. These classes are FREE to first-timers, the curious, athletes that wish to brush up on the basics and athletes that are in the Elements Workshop or taking Elements Privates (see below). No experience required. These classes will cover some of the basics of the CrossFit exercises and the workouts will be scaled down yet potent enough to give you a taste of the CrossFit experience. Newcomers and beginners are no longer allowed to drop into any class. BEGINNER CLASSES will be held Wednesday nights at 6pm and Saturday mornings at 10am.

If you decide to join CrossFit NYC, you will be required to complete the Elements Program. You can complete the Elements Program by taking the workshop or private lessons.

Detials at http://www.crossfitnyc.org/sched.html

If those times don't work for people, Allison has very graciously offered a complimentary first session one-on-one - just email her at allison at crossfitnyc.com and say you read about it on this blog.

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Possibly the cutest picture ever

My friend/trainer Allison teaches my baby cousin Adam how to squat! Adam also can do downward dog and some other yoga poses. Also: Cutest. Cousin. Ever. To me, anyways. Less than two months until I get to feed him his first cupcake!

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