moominmuppet

From a filtered post, trimmed down a bit.

I spent Saturday night at the show and party with all four of the women in my life (which was also the first chance for K and E to meet K and T, which was exciting and happy), and surrounded by other friends and community. It was excellent, and I'm feeling all schmoopy about it. I got cuddles and kisses in corners and affection and quality time. And it's always great to be in space with plenty of folks I don't know or don't know well, and not have to spare thought for whether poly affection or signals were going to be unduly confusing (parties at the Compound rock that way; all Cleveland's queeractivistdykey best).

Huh. The cats seem to be simultaneously exploding. (multiple sneezing fits, opposite sides of the room).

K made me a "Home Kinky Home" cross-stitch housewarming gift; it's awesome and makes me feel all sappy.

The show was sexy and fun, too. K's "How I learned to eat pussy" piece rocked! It was a great piece, and I got the added bonus of getting to hear a new story from a partner of seven years now, in such a cool way; her voice makes me happy even when it's coming out of other people's mouths.

This may be the most awesome broadway-style piece about threesomes EVER! (not auditorily worksafe, of course). I looked it up after an all-female performance of it in the show last night that rocked my world. Must see whatever this is from. *off to google* ... Passing Strange is now number one in my netflix queue. yay! Honestly, it's cute and funny, but I'm adoring it so hard because it's so true to my life.

My sweetie Lunatickle's one-act, "How I Learned to Eat Pussy" will be part of this! (and she'll be in town for it, as will FabulousMissT! *bounce**bouncebouncebounce*)

I'll definitely be going Saturday (the 30th), since I'm working Friday night. It's a benefit for NARAL and Preterm, as well, and I've heard awesome things about the other performances planned.

Big [BOX] 2010: Microscopes and Megaphones
Microscopes and Megaphones
Presented by Whisper to a Scream: a feminist performance art collective
Directed by Maura Haas
( Read more... )

Finally back at work. Two days of sleeping, and I could still fall right back in bed. I did make it to my appt with my GP last night, though, thanks to a ride from Casey, and I've got a referral for another sleep study (last one was more than five years ago). Depending on what that turns up, we may look at adding provigil back to my meds (I was on it after the last sleep study, but getting refills was a pain, and I ended up dropping it). Cause of flare this time? Walking less than three miles over the course of an evening. *eyeroll* Also need to get a replacement refill of my Ultram, since it took me so long to go through the first bottle that my scrip for my refills had expired by then. Whoops. Since I need to stop by the main campus lab next week for bloodwork anyway, I'm hoping I can bring the expired scrip with me (I still have the original print-out) and just get them to replace it with a minimum of fuss.

This weekend is IngenuityFest, and I am going to try to make it to a few hours of that without absolutely breaking myself again. Second date with D, and I'm psyched about that. Then I'm going to see Evil Dead: The Musical with Bec and Jer, and am really looking forward to that. Sunday it looks like lunch plans with serpentseye and kitminx. After that, I suspect it'll be an afternoon of taking it pretty easy and trying to keep my body behaving.

And Grafton should be home tonight! Yay!

This was obviously in the works long before this weekend, but the money is going to a set of very good causes, and if you're feeling the need for some community time right now, and live locally, this might be your kind of thing:

Thirty-something Celebration

Benefiting the Cleveland Rape Crisis Center, Hard Hatted Women and Preterm.

Together, we're 100 years young!

We're celebrating with a special reception & disco party!



Join us as we celebrate how far we have come in our work to enhance the

safety, health, economic status and quality of life

for women in Cleveland.



Friday, June 5

6:00 Reception

7:00 Program, Disco & Desserts

Program emceed by Judge KJ Montgomery



The College Club

2348 Overlook Road, Cleveland Heights



Food, Entertainment, Drinks and Dancing

70's attire optional



General Admission ticket: $30-something (you decide!)
Disco Diva or Disco King: $100



Proceeds shared equally among Cleveland Rape Crisis Center,

Hard Hatted Women and Preterm.



Call 216-619-6194 for more information

Excellent article on AAPS, JPANDS, lousy medical publishing, and worse science (if you've ever wondered where these abortion/breast cancer, vaccines/autism, and other recent junk studies have managed to be published, here you go...)

Also, a good article about the obnoxious abortion tropes in modern TV shows, and tribute to Bea Arthur's performance as Maude.

Given all the utterly lousy and depressing news about amphibian populations in the last several years, it's really awesome to see a little bright point, even if it's just figuring out that there are more species we haven't exterminated than we thought.

A thoroughly hysterical slam on a particularly clueless analysis of fanfic

This has been around for a while, so I assume most of you have heard it, but who doesn't need a ringtone of the President swearing up a storm?

Is there such a thing as too much nifty octopus footage? I don't think so.

And Clevelanders! Check it out:


Independent Erotic Film Festival: Second Coming 2009

5/20/09 7:30pm

Good Vibrations presents: the Second Coming! From Hawaii to Boston, we're selecting the very best of our Independent Erotic Film Festival (IXFF), and showing what indie filmmakers consider sexy in ten minutes or less. Smutty, arty, funny, and serious, it's all here.

Your night of erotic cinema begins with a brief History of Porn by sexologist, author, activist, and educator, Dr. Carol Queen. She will provide an educational, historic, and cultural examination of a bygone genre and illuminate its inception and development.

Hot damn, am I there!

And on a similar note, a handy Netflix list of interesting-sounding movies about sex and sexuality. I've seen a decent number of them; Live Nude Girls Unite (about attempts to unionize the Lusty Lady) is a personal favorite.

Also, here's an interview with the author of The Ethical Slut about the new updated version that's coming out

Also for Clevelanders:
There's going to be a comic convention during the Ingenuity Festival this summer!
For more information, visit http://www.screamingtikicon.com and http://www.ingenuitycleveland.com

And I know I'm all kinds of behind on my "political goodness calendar", but here's a quick taste, at least:

Bush-era endangered species rule revoked; Federal agencies will again have to consult wildlife experts on impacts

OK, I think that's it for now.

For the household:
Leaving Cleveland Thurs, 10:15pm
Arriving Albany Fri, 09:10am

Leaving Albany Sun, 11:20am
Arriving Cleveland, 10:30pm

It's a good thing my bus doesn't leave 'til late tonight. I woke up at 3am with fibro issues, and was up 'til 6am before managing to catch about another 1/2 hr of sleep. I'm fried today, still haven't done laundry, still haven't packed, still haven't done final house prep. Thankfully, none of this should really take too long. Might even manage a nap before I leave, but I'll be sleeping on the bus, so it's not a huge deal if I don't.

My tattoo appt is from 11am-7pm on Saturday. *bounce* *bouncebouncebouncebounce*


And randomly, My sexy pundit crush gets a nice write-up

NOOOOOOOOOO!!!!! (MTV readies 'Rocky Horror' redux:
Network to remake 1975 cult classic) -- Wrong. Very, very wrong.

And a bit of the positive:

Some good legal news for transfolk in Germany

And the gratuitously giggle-worthy:

This is my life at home in a nutshell (worksafe)

And some porn-related stuff (both articles should be worksafe):
This recession is even hitting the adult industry, to everyone's surprise

A pretty basic article about feminism and porn/sex work, but with some handy links toward the bottom


In other news, lunatickle gets here next weekend! *bounce*

Sexy Spring - For the Young, the Old and the Kinky
Andy Birkey, New Journalist Fellow on June 20, 2008 - 8:00am

In a room full of librarians, information technologists and other hyper-intelligent yet socially awkward types discussing sex, I learned something about myself: Evidently, I'm what is known as a "geek-chaser." The fifth annual Sexy Spring conference in Minneapolis had something for everyone to explore, and at the Sunday workshop "I'm with Einstein: Geek Fetishes Revealed," I realized that my fondness for intellect and thick-framed glasses is common. Most fall for Superman. I swoon for Clark Kent.


Sexy Spring is all about sex. It bills itself as a "radical, sex/body positive sexual education skill-share and conference focused on exploring the ways sex, sexuality, gender, relationships, communication, health, our bodies and our choices affect our lives." If it sounds like a mouthful, it should. Sexy Spring is an incredibly diverse experience.

Everything is open to discussion: from kink to demystifying transgender bodies and sexuality, from raising a family to making your own sex toys.


In even the most enlightened sex education courses in schools these days, students learn only about abstaining from sex and the responsibilities of pregnancy, the mechanics of reproduction and body parts, and the dangers of sexually transmitted diseases. Sexy Spring picks up where the high school health teacher left off -- with the myriad ways that humans communicate, appreciate and contemplate sex and sexuality.


Garrett Ferderber, a founding member of the Sexy Spring collective, says the need is there for such a conference. "Sex is a positive force in the world and we wanted to have sex education that is ongoing for a lifespan," said Ferderber. "No other venues exist." And that's why a group of radicals came together five years ago to create that venue.


Attending a sex conference can be intimidating, but the experience is overwhelmingly positive. Trained "vibes watchers" attend every function to make sure everyone is respectful. The moderators are not institutional experts but regular folks who have something to teach based on their own experiences. Held in Ford Hall at the University of Minnesota, the discussions feel more like friends sitting around a dinner table than a classroom lecture.


Many of the workshops focused on relationships and communication. "A Look at the Experiences and Perceptions of Relationships: What Happens when Disability is Thrown into the Mix?" examined the unique issues in relationships where one partner experiences disability and the other doesn't. "Hella Nervous" focused on shy kids, introverts and nervous wrecks and how to improve communication and flirting skills. "Kids in Community" centered on parents and prospective parents and aimed to "address both the emotional and physical needs of families."


A more hard-hitting workshop was hosted by educators from the Smitten Kitten, a retailer of adult sex toys and equipment in Uptown. "Making Safer and Sexier Decisions with Your Sex Toys" imparted the dangers associated with many sex toys on the market -- many contain toxic and potentially carcinogenic chemicals not disclosed to the customer. The Smitten Kitten has pioneered the Coalition Against Toxic Toys, a nonprofit that works to educate consumers.


Perhaps one of the more groundbreaking workshops was "What’s Your Kink Got to Do with Your Shrink?: The intersection between alternative sexual practices and psychotherapy." The workshop led participants on issues of how to find a kink-friendly therapist and how to fight stigma when talking about pathologically neutral sexual practices. It also helped participants in talking with therapists about the line between healthy and unhealthy sexual practices and how to identify the line between the two.


Sexy Spring is run as a collective. The workshops, entertainment and location are decided by those who show up. "We try to be open and accessible to everyone," said Ferderber. Indeed, all it takes to participate is to show up, be ready to learn and respect others' experiences.


Ferderber said that they are continually looking for new faces to help plan the event and create new workshops. "New people need to get involved, shape it and make it work for them. And keep passing it on."

serpentseye's Rubber City Bombshells will be playing the Performance Stage at 4pm! (as well as several other places throughout the weekend)

(also, check out the henna she'll have from bec76 by then)

Excellent, excellent time. Too little sleep. Collapse now.