In middle school, while others played wall ball, I taught myself basic HTML. I was one of the kids staying inside during recess, because the internet was calling to me. I built countless websites on Geocities and Angelfire, peppering them with visually-painful neon colors, blinking text, and weirdo fonts. If I was feeling particularly saucy, maybe an embedded MIDI file that belted out a crude “Desperado.” The cool thing about that time period is that literally nobody was looking at what I was doing on the internet. I of course parlayed that field experience later in life with this blog, teaching myself more technical skills along the way, like CSS and how to wrangle WordPress. It’s served me well, for the most part, but I’ve . . . read more

Cupcake butt plug and Shilo. The cliché is true — it feels like just yesterday and like forever ago. This week marks 10 years since I first published a review of a sex toy on the internet. It was fall 2007, my junior year of college. That summer, I’d moved out of the dorms and into my first apartment. I was 20 years old, almost 21. If you’d asked me what my career was going to be, I would’ve hesitated and posited, “…writer? I hope?” A cautious optimism underneath which lied a practical fear. A fear that I could never make a living with writing, that I’d end up in an office job, probably, and that the only skill I’d spent my . . . read more

[Top: Ryder, Pure Wand, Magic Wand Rechargeable, Mona 2. Bottom: Luna Beads, Joque, Mustang, Seduction. Photo by my boyfriend!] In the past, there was no option for me to enshrine my favorite objects — sex toys — on my fingernails. For one, I bit my nails ravenously until about 4 years ago (obsessively painting them helped me stop). Also, I feel like most traditional nail salons would not take kindly to a request for such “lewd” designs, and my life is just so lewd. But now there exists a place called Finger Bang. Aside from having a name that is irresistibly fun to say in front of your in-laws (after which you shrug nonchalantly and go “what? That’s what it’s called”), Finger Bang is open . . . read more

You may have heard — I’m going to CatalystCon East again this year. What you may not know, and should know, is that the main reason I’m going is thanks to the generosity of my pals at SheVibe. They’re sponsoring me like the supportive badasses they are. Also, what you definitely don’t know is that while I’m there, I will be one of the interview subjects for Tristan Taormino’s Sex Out Loud radio show… in front of a live audience. Oh god, it is going to be terrifying and exhilarating! I’m even on another panel again this time, but with some new friends: Queerie Bradshaw and Mona Darling. Our panel is called “The Business of Blogging About Sex” (#cconblog): In this informative . . . read more

It began in the airport, with my iced coffee in tow, and two war vets grumbling to each other about Obama taking away all our guns. The flight was uneventful, save for the creeping, almost overwhelming sense of excitement and importance I was feeling — punctuated by surprisingly decent airplane coffee and one of the most beautiful 2 minutes of music ever made, Nancy Wilson’s “Cabin in the Air.” The SuperShuttle guy totally thought I was some 16-year-old loser trying to sneak into fancy hotels, but I eventually ended up at the Marriott. Just as I was settling in for some TV and a sandwich, my phone rang. It was a Goo Goo Dolls song, so I knew it was . . . read more

In 15 hours, I will be touching down in Los Angeles for CatalystCon West. Yes, two days early. Shut it. This time, I’m on a panel, and hey, I just want to have some time to chill out before everything happens all at once. Last time went by far too quickly. As you can see, I’m packing the essentials. Armed with more sweet business cards from MOO (some new designs since the first batch), I’m also bringing my copy of The Feminist Porn Book to have it signed, and my favorite travel toy, the Mona 2. You’ll be pleased (slash petrified) to know that I’ve found the perfect Epiphora-colored suitcase and nail polish. I’m thrilled as fuck to be attending Tristan Taormino’s Sex Educator Boot Camp again this time (you . . . read more

You can thank Lorax Of Sex for roping me into this one! Time was running out on the speaking deadline for CatalystCon West, and I thought there was no way we could submit anything, but (in just one night, no less) they pumped me full of confidence and convinced me otherwise. Yes, after just one conference attendance, I thought I could speak at one. Marginally crazy? Probably. But I do have THOUGHTS. Sex toy reviewer thoughts. Specifically, thoughts about how reviewers can work harmoniously with sex toy companies. So Lorax and I reached out to Jenna, marketing coordinator at Tantus, and Krista, social media marketing executive at Lovehoney US, hoping they’d join us on a panel on the topic. Somehow, they . . . read more

Or, “CatalystCon: where children teethe on cock rings and I shake the hand of the man who invented one of the best dildos in history” IT’S ALREADY OVER. Who’s surprised, though, really? Catalyst was bound to go by in the blink of an eye. Even staying up late, as per usual for me, did not remedy this unfortunate fact of life. Strange how quickly life goes back to normal, even if “normal” means talking about dildos all day. It’s just depressing not being physically surrounded by like-minded people. That’s saying something, for an introvert like me. It probably goes without saying that I had an epic time, but as I adjust back to my default life, there’s this weird sensation . . . read more

You guys, CatalystCon is happening. Like, really soon. In just a couple days, I will be traveling alone for the first time in my life, arriving in Washington D.C. and meeting people I’ve wanted to meet for years. It still has not hit me that this is about to happen. Up until this week, there have only been a handful of people who could attest to me being a living, breathing human being (Tristan, Lorax, Shanna, Redhead Bedhead, Tomboy Femme). That’s all about to change. After Catalyst, many people will be able to put a face with my name, which I think is good? Albeit slightly terrifying? I’ve also never needed business cards before, so this was all new for me. . . . read more