So it’s the day before my birthday. A birthday they swore I would never see. Tomorrow I will be able to rejoice and celebrate the fact that I was one of the lucky ones who defied the odds. Oh, I know that I’m not out of the woods yet. If I would forget, the neatly lined prescription bottles on my desk would remind me that I have a long way to go. Still, to be here, to be alive when they said I wouldn’t be…it’s just amazing.

As part of my new plan for living out loud, tomorrow is the day that I will officially begin Weight Watchers. I’ve dusted off my treadmill(a gift from Mama who was no longer using it), found my Nikes, and asked The Knight for a great pedometer. My refrigerator is full of frozen vegetables, low-fat milk and yogurt and the all important water bottle. Though I have tried to Weight Watchers before, it’s different this time. Back then it was just about losing weight. This time around it’s about changing my lifestyle and my relationship with food. (And I found the coolest journal to use while I am doing this. Catalina told me that writing things down really helped her in her weight loss journey, so I am taking my friends advice and giving it a go!)

Since I am making 2009 the year that I become a better version of myself, I am also attending Sex 2.0 in Washington, DC in May. With great speakers and great bloggers in attendance I can’t imagine a better way to mix and meet and find out how I can do more by way of activism. I feel that after four years of blogging it’s time to do more with my site than offer a peek into my own life and give readers reviews. While I admit that some of the things will be easier to do in a larger city, I’m hoping to find ways to help and spread the word here in Pittsburgh and I can’t think of a better way to get started than by spending time with people like Audacia Ray and Elizabeth Wood. I look forward to seeing everyone there, so be sure to register. {If you can’t attend but you’d like to show your support you can do so here.}

If you’re making 2009 your own year of self-discovery through weight loss, activism or even through writing (I’m determined that this is the year I see my writing published), drop me a line. I’d love to hear more about your plans and your goals. Maybe we can offer one another support along the way.

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Just a bit of fun on this cloudy Pittsburgh day. If you follow the link and do one of your own, please be sure to leave a comment or link back so I can see yours.

Get your twitter mosaic here.

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Courtesy of Post Secret

Right now I am so very proud to be an American.

Right now I am sad that there are still so many people who are against same-sex marriages.

Right now I am more full of hope than I have been in my entire adult life.

Thank you, President Obama for giving our country back to us; for encouraging us to take control of our future.

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Adult product reviews from the last two weeks from all around the sex blogosphere. Did you miss Pleasurists #1? Read it all here. Do you Have a review for Pleasurists #3? Submit it here before Sunday November 9th at 11:59pm PST. Please re-post this list on your own blogs if listed.

Want to win some free swag? All you’ve got to do is enter.
Agent Ansley’s Win a Jaguar contest deadline November 5th 11:59 PM EST
Swag Contest: When I think of Essin’ Em deadline November 8th at 11:59pm MST.

Looking for some toys to review?
Wanted! Sex Toy Reviewers. Apply Within. Free Products Supplied.

On to the reviews…

Editor’s Pick
Njoy Pure Wand by Dangerous Lilly
“I have heard that the G-spot is more swollen and “receptive” after a clitoral orgasm, so I laid there for a bit with the wand still in me, idly playing. Soon, playing in earnest. And then I brought out the Hitachi.
Oh yes, I did.
I combined the two best toys in my arsenal.
Wanna know the result??”

The Editrix
Scarlet Lotus Sexgeek

Vibrators
Lust Objectified – Meet Nea by Domina Doll
Nice Try Durex – Durex play vibrations focus by Epiphora
The Miracle Massager plus Attachment by Rori of Between My Sheets
Buzz 1 by Essin’ Em
Sweet G Vibe and The Mini Mini Mouse by Betty Rocket
G-Spot Rabbit Vibrator by Long Distance Sub

Dildos
Bandito by Scarlet Lotus Sexgeek
Pure Wand from Njoy by Betty Rocket
Natural Contours Energie Kegel Exerciser by Stiletto Diaries

Anal Toys
Double Dare by Agent Ansley
The Nexus Titus by Jack of Writing Dirty

Erotic Books
Yes, Sir by That Toy Chick
The Leather Daddy and the Femme by Scarlet Lotus Sexgeek

Adult Movies
Review of Zack and Miri Make a Porno by Audacia Ray
Perversions of Lesbian Lust by Catalina Loves
The Erotic Witch Project by Hot Movies for Her
Girls Who Lust by Epiphora

Miscellaneous
Penis Cupcake Pan by The Countess – Elizabeth Black

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Adult product reviews from the last two weeks from all around the sex blogosphere. Find out more about Pleasurists by visiting the website.

Vibrators
Getting on “Tops” (Pleasure Tops review) by Bad Bad Girl
OhMiBod G-spot and Lelo’s Iris by Hot Movies for Her
The Odyssey Tickler by Scarlet Lotus Sexgeek

Dildos
The Hottie by Amber of Dark, Deep, Deviant
Bandito by Panthera Pardus
Vix Skin – Tex and Bandit Dildos by Buzz Buhrmann

Sex Kits
Cunnilingus Expert Kit by Ellie Lumpesse
The Ego Delight Kit by Thursday’s Child

Erotic Books/Games
The Modern Kama Sutra in a Box by The Butterfly Temptress
Tantric Lover Game and Best Sex Writing 2008 by Domina Doll
Dark Angels: Lesbian Vampire Erotica by Hot Movies for Her

Adult DVDs
Nina Hartley’s Guide to G-spot Sex by Domina Doll on Viviane’s Sex Carnival
Ladies of the Night – Les Vampyres by Hot Movies for Her
The Other Side of Sunny, Flying Solo, and Belladonna’s Foot Soldiers by Don Houston of XCritic
20 Questions by The Horny Housewife

Miscellaneous
FYN Foot Long case by Essin’ Em
VibeReview.com (the Sex Shop I Trust) by Catalina
Vixen Creations by That Toy Chick
The Hardcore Harness by Scarlet Lotus Sexgeek
Universal Lube Review by Domina Doll

Sex Toy Contests
Essin’ Em’s Blogiversary Contest deadline November 1st, 11:59pm, MST

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Election Day is right around the corner. Everyone is excited and more passionate than I ever remember from any other election. And rightfully so. The state of our union is undeniably sad. We’re looking for solutions to the problems, we’re looking for hope to get us through when nothing else can.

My hope lies with Barack Obama.

As i get older and as I face this bastard that is cancer, I no longer feel the need to be something I’m not. I no longer feel the need to be “politically correct” or agree with those who are my friends and family simply because they are part of my life.

One of the things that I have started to become outspoken about are equal rights for gays and lesbians. Specifically the right to marry, to have the same opportunitites that heterosexual couples have and misuse every single day.

Love is love is love is love.

Gay, straight, bisexual, transgendered, {insert the term that best describes you} makes absolutely no difference when it comes to the heart.

Love is blind. Love is unbiased. Love is without prejudice. Love is one size fits all.

As Americans it should be our goal to let go of the hate. We should be the first to step up and let the world know that there is no place in our world for prejudice. No place for hatred or inequality.

A huge thanks to Sinclair Sexsmith at Sugarbutch Chronicles for her amazing activism posts that I pass along to those who need to know and understand what we’re fighting for.

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Not too long ago Edenfantasys proposed that I write a few pieces for them detailing what it’s like to deal with cancer. As a sex toy company they were definitely interested in how the cancer diagnosis had impacted our sex life and my sexuality but they were also interested in knowing how it changed my life and my marriage as a whole.

I read the email and asked the questions that I thought of. Then I sat back to think about whether or not I was willing to lay bare my soul in quite this way. Yes, I blog. I blog about sex; I blog about cancer. Blogging about how those things really feel or how they truly impact the most important aspects of your life is something completely different.

Then I realized that maybe this was something that needed to be written about. Why? Of all the articles on the Internet that I read or found myself directed to, very few mentioned the effects of cancer, chemo, or radiation on a woman’s sex life. I didn’t know when all of this started if it was normal to still desire my husband much less need to have an orgasm. I had no idea what to expect or what was normal. But I didn’t understand why no one had written about it.

So, I started writing. I wrote an article and I cried the entire way through. Another article took me three days to write. Other pieces and parts of articles came easily and they made me see myself in a different light.

Just before they started posting my articles on their blog I received an email asking me to set up a PayPal account and provide them with a button for donations. Edenfantasys had decided that they would match any donation made between then and November 18th. I was absolutely shocked and overwhelmed. So, I did as they asked.

Now, Catalina and the commUNITY at Best Sex Bloggers have decided to keep the articles going. Soon you will be able to read the articles there in their entirety. It’s amazing what happens when people pull together and I am honored to be a part of something so wonderful, to call many of them friends.

So a little time has passed and now you will notice a donation button in my sidebar. I swore I would never have one. To me, it’s an honor that you visit my site and read what I write here. However, some people have expressed concern about knowing that their intended donations reached the person, etc. With a donation button linked directly to an account specifically for this purpose, people can rest assured that their donations are going where they want them to go, if they choose to donate.

This is an odd place for me to be. I’m used to being the one who sets up donations for people. Families who can’t give their children a proper Christmas. Coats, blankets, and meal vouchers for homeless men and women in DC. Care packages and handwritten letters for men and women serving their country in Iraq and Afghanistan. There are many other things that I have organized and been a part of; things that warmed my heart and nurtured my soul in ways that no one will ever understand.

To be on the receiving end of an amazing gift is indescribable and I thank all of you from the bottom of my overflowing heart.

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