Bondage on a budget

Don't leave me alone on the Web or there's no telling what I'll find. Consider "Bondage on a Budget". That's a book that's available from Good Vibrations, a woman-owned cooperative that sells all manner of sex-related products. (Amazon carries the book too - I'd give you a link, but I don't want it and its brethren showing up on my recommendations for the rest of my life). Alright, let's look around a little more.

Here's another intriguing title: "Dr. Tatiana's Sex Advice to All Creation". Does this mean that animals have issues with sex too? We've certainly heard plenty about bonobos, and some claim that there is much homosexuality in the animal kingdom. (IMO about all the critters could learn from dogs - what with that knot thing, nobody's finished until Mama's finished.)

Ah yes, there are videos too, thoughtfully characterized as "drama", "all sex no plot", "Lesbian, bisexual, Gay male, Transgender", "Sex Education", and "Specialty" (?!).

Other than in a tasteless joke involving prominent Republican couples, I was always under the impression that the mechanics of sex were pretty much the same from race to race. But GV offers "Better Sex for Black Couples", volumes 1 and 2, so maybe there's something to those stories, eh? And there are Spanish-language movies too.

Enough media, now let's see some practical products. They don't let us down. For feminists, there's the "Jill Off" kit. Collectors might prefer the deluxe "Hello Kitty" massager. For those of you who demand more discretion, there's the "I Rub My Duckie" rubber duck - squeeze it and it starts vibrating. For a political statement you can buy the "Alabama Slammer", named in response to the recent overturn of an Alabama law against sex toys.

Products are rated thoughtfully with various icons. Some are quite intuitive - see if you can guess what * means.

History buffs can enjoy it too - there is an Antique Vibrator Museum. There you learn interesting medical facts, such as how doctors once treated "female disorders". The cure was to induce "hysterical paroxysm", aka orgasms. Allegedly doctors did this manually - a time-consuming process that probably led to carpal-tunnel syndrome. In response, an American doctor developed and patented the original steam-powered (!) massager in 1869. Relax guys - they still don't have one that will take out the garbage.

If some of the above offends you, maybe you should read this instead.