And the second giveaway winner is...

...is Miah! She wins the bottle of FertilAid for Women from FairHaven Health from my August 12 giveaway. I selected her name totally randomly using--what else--a website called Random.org.

Sorry it's taken me so long to announce the winners. In addition to having to put my cat to sleep last month, work has been nuts, I've had health problems, and well, life has been a bit challenging. And my dear son, bless his heart, is going through what one friend suggested is a "transitional period." This seems to involve much defiance and screaming from a normally happy, sweet and loving child.

Transitional period: right. I call it an AFGO. Which stands for, Another Fucking Growth Opportunity. I continue to have a lot of those, especially this summer.

Watch this blog for the third and final FairHaven Health winner from the September 3 giveaway for a package of FertiliTea.

Giveaway: FertilAid from Fairhaven Health

Sorry for the two-week gap in blog postings. There's a good reason (actually, a few good reasons). But that's not important right now. What is important is tonight's giveaway, again brought to you by Fairhaven Health.

Tonight, I'm giving away a bottle of FertilAid for Women, a "fertility enhancing supplement designed for trying-to-conceive women." Just leave a comment on this blog. I'll select a winner at random, and announce him or her at the end of the month. Please note that I'm in no way endorsing or suggesting you use this product; the kind folks at Fairhaven sent me a free sample and asked that I give it away to one lucky reader. Consult with your doctor before taking this or any other supplement.

By the way, in case you're wondering why I didn't announce the winner of my July 27 giveaway, a copy of Bend, Breathe, and Conceive Fertility Yoga DVD, it's because no one entered! C'mon, folks! I'm not going to sell your email address or anything. I promise.

In the meantime, Fairhaven Health is offering a 10% discount to all readers of The Mind Reels. Simply enter the coupon code Sunshine09 at checkout to get 10% off everything on the Fairhaven Health website. It's valid through August 31, 2009.

Giveaway: Fairhaven Health Fertility Products

The good folks at Fairhaven Health sent me some free samples of their products, and I'd like to give them away over the next few days to a few lucky readers.

Tonight, I'm giving away a copy of the Bend, Breathe, and Conceive Fertility Yoga DVD.

To sign up to win this copy, just leave a comment on this post indicating your favorite way to reduce stress while dealing with infertility. I'll select a winner at random and announce them in an update to this post next Monday, August 3.

In the meantime, Fairhaven Health is offering a 10% discount to all readers of The Mind Reels. Simply enter the coupon code Sunshine09 at checkout to get 10% off everything on the Fairhaven Health website. It's valid through August 31, 2009.

Sex News Roundup - Week of July 25, 2009

See? I told you that when I said I was going to start a "weekly" sex news roundup, "weekly" would translate into "hopefully every month" or, even more accurately, "whenever I feel like it." But today, I came across a bit of news that begged to be included. Nay, it begged for a post unto itself.

Sex Toys for Dogs
Yes, you read that right. There are now sex toys for dogs. "The kinky rubber DoggieLoveDoll is the latest pet product presented at a show in Sao Paulo, Brazil," says an article in The Sun. (The Brazilians translated my last book into Portuguese, so I'm inclined to like them.) The makers say they already have orders from several countries.

Best Foods for Getting in the Mood
Men's Health magazine claims that the U.S. is experiencing a "national libido crisis." The culprit? Obesity. (And here I thought it was antidepressants. Huh.) The foods the article recommends? Dark chocolate, sirloin steak, vanilla ice cream and blueberries. That's gotta be some smoothie.

Saucy Sausage Ads Condemned
Reuters reports that "A saucy radio advert for sausages which encouraged listeners to reveal 'where you like to stick yours' was criticized by Britain's advertising watchdog on Wednesday." You know, as someone who writes marketing copy for a living (when I'm not writing about sex), I would just like to ask the Advertising Standards Authority back the hell off. Do you know how hard it is to come up with catchy ad copy?

And although it doesn't really qualify as sex news, this week I found out that I'll be travelling to New York to see the play "A Steady Rain" on Broadway with studmuffins Hugh Jackman and Daniel Craig, from the 13th row. Any suggestion on what I should wear?

Coco de Mer's new Web site worth a look.

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LELO's new "pleasure object" for techno-lovers.

"Swedish sex life accessory label" LELO has a new product that should appeal to the technorati. MIA is a lipstick vibrator that you can re-charge using your computer's USB port. What will they think of next?
According to the press release, "MIA is a discreet pleasure object carefully designed to combine versatility and convenience, intended for private enjoyment at all times. She nestles seductively in the user's handbag, her size and chargeability making her available whenever needed, whether on a long intercontinental flight or during a break on a busy day."

I really like LELO and its products, so I don't want to tease them too much. But I'm picturing some gal sitting in Business Class on that SFO-to-JFK redeye trying to surreptitiously use the MIA under her airline-issued blanket. Without attracting attention from the half-drunk consultant in the seat next to her. And then re-charging it from her laptop while she works on a PowerPoint presentation. It's a seductive image, but I'd probably wait until I was settled at the Hyatt before relaxing with my MIA.

Still, the MIA is cute, compact and well-priced. And it has an "intuitive interface" and "four stimulation modes allow total control in the midst of ecstasy," which means that it will appeal to Type-A gals (like your author) everywhere. All LELO products come in a beautiful gift box; these folks really know how to do classy packaging. I should know: I still have two gorgeous LELO products that are still in their packaging (see my June 9 post for hints on the reason), although I do plan to review them any day now.

So check out the MIA. And if you do manage to get it past the TSA and onto your flight for your "private enjoyment," let me know how it works out.

Knit a Viking hat for your baby. Seriously.

If you're sick of all those fey little baby bonnets out there, here's your antidote: a baby Viking hat from Bella Knitting. The only catch is that you have to knit it yourself, but that's a small price to pay from a baby accessory that will set you apart from everyone else in your playgroup.*

What saves this from being sort of weird is the funny commentary by the creator, Sarah Fama:

How, you may ask, is a baby like a Viking? At a glance, the two may appear to have nothing to do with one another.

Vikings are remembered for their elaborate tattoos, skilled metalwork, and possible settling of the New World before Columbus. Babies are known for their inability to walk upright, which generally prevents them from visiting tattoo parlors, working at forges, and discovering continents.

If only--if only--I could actually knit. My mother, grandfather (may he RIP), mother-in-law, and grandmother-in-law: all knitters. Me: The last garment I sewed was a slutty Quiana dress I made back in the '70s for my junior prom. In other words, I am not a knitter.

But I can certainly appreciate a knit Viking baby hat. And I pray that I have another baby if only so that one of the other knitters in my life can give me one of these. (Knitters: are you listening?)

Thanks, as always, go to the ever-cuddly Great White Snark, whom we would all like to wrap in a warm Log Cabin Blanket. If only we could knit.

* Playgroup, n., an excuse for moms to get together and drink wine while their babies engage in parallel play.

Is it a remote control? Well, in a matter of speaking...

(Note: The image in this post is possibly NSFW. If, that is, you can figure out what it is.)

One of the fun things about being a sex writer is that my male friends feel it's their civic duty to send me links to sites about adult toys.* Their emails say things like, "thought this might be good to know in your line of expertise." Indeed. Take a look at ELISE, which my friend Dr. Tim tells me is "apparently the state-of-the-art":

This lovely little toy comes from the fine folks at the Swedish company LELO (tagline: "lust objectified"), who coyly call it a "pleasure object." No, it's a vibrator--and it's OK to call it one. It would also OK for those fine folks at LELO to send me a "review copy," seeing as how I'm sort of a journalist and all.

After all, someone has to fall on her sword--no pun intended--and evaluate the truth of statements like "The powerful vibrator assembly is engineered to maximize intensity whilst minimizing noise." (Frankly, I'm just willing to try any product that uses the word "whilst" in its marketing copy.)

And then there are the friends (again, male) who send me to sites that, while not strictly about sex, do appeal to our baser instincts. Take MyFreeImplants.com, a site to which the ever-perky Great White Snark directed me. His note said, "Fodder for you...this is hilarious." I can't decide whether to laugh or burn my A-cup.

* They never tell me how they find these sites. But then, I may not want to know.