Posted by Lilly | 6 Comments
So, New York, what do you have to offer me?
The time is beginning to approach once more……
The annual NYC Sex Bloggers Calendar party is happening on October 1.
And despite being in the calendar, a part of me is really waffling on whether or not to go. You see, I’m a bit of an oxymoron. I don’t do well in big groups, but I also don’t do well alone. The sheer madhouseness of the party gives me the twitches a bit, and given the stellar guestlist this year it will be an even bigger draw for attendance.
But my trips to NYC aren’t just about the party itself. It’s equally about spending time with blogger friends I don’t see much, as well as trying to get in a little sightseeing, a little NYC Experience. I’ve seen some great little things here and there over my 4 past trips but there’s still a LOT I want to see and experience.
However…
I need a guide, a buddy. It makes me nervous to just go there with no mostly-firm plans to fill up my time. And I’m just not the type of person who likes to explore and sightsee by myself. I love sharing the moment and the “Wow look at that!” with another kindred spirit.
Places I’ve seen:
~Parts of Central Park, Chinatown, Little Italy, Astor Place, LES, Financial District. Just parts, though.
~ Rockafeller Plaza and that area
~ GCT
~Washington Memorial Arch
Places on my list:
~A good italian dinner in the Bronx
~The Worlds Fair globe
~Coney Island
~Battery Park
~ The Cloisters
~ Buildings. Cool, old interesting architecture. Places with history, with a story.
~ Some sort of telescope view thingie that you can see into London? Is that still there?
~Museum of Sex (Thanks UrbanRogue for reminding me!)
~Pirate ship. Elizabeth of Sex in the Public Square shot her Calendar pics there last year and I read it was a restaurant or….something? Am I remembering incorrectly?
I guess my decision to go will be based on what plans I can make ahead of time, and who I can count on hanging out with. Any volunteer tour guides? As you can see I don’t need the “tourister” tour.
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Meta Blogging
e[lust]
So you know that e[lust] has a modified summer schedule, right? Well it’s time for edition #18, submissions are open till Tuesday. I also am still looking for people to volunteer to be a (mostly) anonymous judge for the Top 3 on elust. If I don’t have enough judges, I can’t give you guys a Top 3. I don’t expect volunteers to be available every edition, don’t worry! Email if you’re interested.
NYC Sex Bloggers Calendar
You only have until August 1st to buy a day or 5 so get crackin! Please! See my post here for incentives from me.
Blog Organization
Due to boredom at work (read: refusal to do boring work) I made up a page of links to all the Ask Lilly posts. I also made an extensive sex toy care and maintenance guide page; Epiphora asked on Twitter yesterday what thing we hated reading in sex toy reviews, and my answer was the boring “not this again” rote of cleaning and lube use. It’s boring to me because it’s common knowledge but I know that a lot of people read my reviews from doing a google search and they might not know. So instead of wasting the time of the old-hats, I’ll just put in links to the proper spot on the maintenance guide, in the reviews.
Due to some kinda-serious health issues, new meds, and a frantic mad dash to copy over the remaining posts at the Co-op in the next 2 weeks (anybody wanna help? lol), I don’t know if I’ll be blogging all that much. Unless of course you ask me some really good Formspring questions ;)
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Posted by Lilly | 9 Comments
Do you masturbate…..a lot?
Hubs got this today for our kitchen, for those times when your hands are yucky with raw chicken juices or whatnot:
As he was reading the brochure:
The spout sensor soap pump dispenses soap touch-free to help avoid the spread of germs. Simply place your hand under the spout to dispense soap automatically. The elongated spout arcs over the sink basin to keep wet hands and soap from dripping on the counter. Four volume settings allow you to control the amount of soap or lotion dispensed.
He says to me “Hey you could put lube in this!” At first I gave him a look because, well, I can’t see either of us needing that sort of thing but then it occurred to me that it’s not a bad idea for those who like to jerk off often and use lube copiously. Wouldn’t that be awesome to not have to touch anything, just stick your hand under there and you barely need to interrupt the flow of the session!
I can totally picture some of the more hard-core sex toy reviewers enjoying the hell out of this. And, ya know, all you other pervs too.
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Posted by Lilly | 18 Comments
Wanton Wednesday: Contrast
Somehow, taking this picture while I was on a Liberator ramp made me look even more pale than I am. Of course, there’s something about my skin that in natural lighting I tend to glow a little.
I swear, I’m not a vampire.
But…..I DO bite. It’s just another one of my oral fixations. But I’m a courteous biter. Only if allowed and only in good spots ;)
Check out who else is playing this week!
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Posted by Lilly | 4 Comments
Ask Lilly: How do I know if a sex toy has phthalates in it?
Another Formspring question here!
When looking for a new toy how do you know if it does or does not have pthalates? asked by mydnitebyte
First, a definition from Wikipedia: Phthalates, or phthalate esters, are esters of phthalic acid and are mainly used as plasticizers (substances added to plastics to increase their flexibility, transparency, durability, and longevity).1
The sex toy review community and sex-positive toy shops are all buzzing about phthalates and how bad they are for you. Phthalates are found in many plastic items that have been chemically softened. The studies going around are saying that phthalate exposure can damage all sorts of organs, and can possibly cause cancer. There are a lot of harmful things in our world these days that we can’t avoid – so when we CAN avoid something like toxins in our sex toys, we should. Not to mention, toys that contain phthalates are also porous and can harbor bacteria if not cleaned properly; they also cannot be sterilized for 100% safety against transmission of STD’s.
So how DO you know if a sex toy has phthalates in it?
1. Research your toy purchases from sites that include that sort of information.
a. At EdenFantasys, you can choose “Phthalates Free” in your search options when you’re browsing categories like vibrators, dildos, butt plugs, etc.
b. At Babeland you can purchase anything they sell and know that there are no phthalates – they won’t sell toys that contain them.
c. At Good Vibes, look for this logo on the product description page for a toy: 
d. At VibeReview, you can specifically browse only phthalates-free vibrators or phthalates-free dildos
2. Stick with materials that are known to be safe. This includes:
a. 100% pure medical-grade silicone
b. Elastomer, TPE, TPR, WTP
c. Hard plastic/acrylic
d. Glass, metal, wood, ceramic, and other natural materials
Avoid sex toys made of jelly, rubber, pvc/vinyl. While some of the “cyberskin”/UR3 and other “realistic materials” may not contain phthalates, I would personally recommend staying away from them. They’re porous, they usually have an odor, they require “powdering” (no talc!!! that’s proven to be bad for genitals) and many are painted to look even more realistic but this paint suspiciously rubs off with use/washing.
Can condoms keep you safe from phthalates?
Researchers/scientists haven’t come to a conclusive yes/no result yet, but they say it depends on numerous condom factors such as:
a. The thickness of the latex.
b. The integrity of the condom.
c. Additives in latex condoms could also influence whether phthalates pass through. For example Nonoxynol-9, which used to be used as a spermicide in condoms, could actually increase the risk of phthalate exposure (Nonoxynol-9 is no longer commonly used on condoms or personal lubricants though).
d. The personal lubricant in pre-lubricated condoms could (but doesn’t necessarily) facilitate the leaching phthalates out of a sex toy.2
One thing that I wasn’t able to find in my searches is this: Since the FDA isn’t regulating the sex toy industry, could a company claim that a toy is phthalate-free if it’s made out of a blend or cyberskin & its comrades? Since I can’t find an answer on that – and given that the iffy toys are kinda gross to begin with, what with their chemical odor – my recommendation is to just avoid the stuff altogether. Spend the extra $10-20 on a known-as-safe toy material and you’ll get a longer toy life and the peace of mind that your toys are safe.
1 – Definition of phthalates from Wikipedia
2 – Phthalates and condoms fom About.com:Sexuality
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