Toy Care 101

In order to get the best use out of your toy, here's some tips on taking good care of it!

What's the best way to keep toys clean?
When it comes down to it, mild anti-bacterial soap and warm water is the best way to keep your toy clean. If a toy is not labeled "Waterproof," make sure not to get the battery pack wet! Wipe with a towel and air-dry, and your toy will be ready for the next session.

But when you're done, you're usually done! You don't really want to get up, out of bed, into the bathroom, just to wash your toy. And what if you have roommates or your a visitor at someone's house? Athena's sells a great alternative to keeping your toy clean.

Our Mighty Tidy Toy Cleaner is basically anti-bacterial soap and water in a bottle! You just spray your toy, wipe it down with one of our Pleasure Wipes (a wet napkin better than tissue paper, which can leave little fuzzies on your toy! This product can also be used to clean yourself before and after you have some fun.).

The Dynamic Duo: Mighty Tidy Toy Cleaner and Pleasure Wipes

You can also use a condom over a toy, especially if you are planning to use the same toy vaginally and anally (with different condoms, please!). Just discard the condom when you're done, and that's it!

What's the best way to store toys?
One of the most popular locations to hide away toys is a bedside nightstand. The underwear drawer is another popular hide-away spot. Both are generally places that even the nosiest of visitors wouldn't dare look through (unless they are just that nosey!). If you can get some cotton drawer liners (like at The Container Store, for example), that will make your secret hide-away feel that much more special.

But, if you do have some really nosey guests around, today's your lucky day :)
Athena's sells two amazing ways to keep your toys away from prying eyes. For those with a small collection, the Toy Box is a stylish way to keep your toys organized and hidden. For those with a larger collection The Adult Toy Chest, with separate compartments, is easily hidden under the bed or in the closet. Both come with a lock and key for you to keep!

Make sure toys are separated from each other. Keeping them in a Ziplock bag in your storage (or in separate compartments in your Adult Toy Chest!) will ensure that the toys don't mess with each other. People can live together, but toys cannot!!

Silicone toys
Silicone rubber is non-porous and just as easy to clean as jelly, elastimer, or even rubber. But because of its specific properties, silicone has a tendency to warp and melt other toys. If a silicone toy is in contact with any other toy, even anothr silicone one, they will end up melty looking! Also, use only water-based lube with your silicone toys! Silicone-based lubricant will bond to silicone toys and ruin it.

If you have an allergy to latex, silicone toys are a great alternative! But it is important to know how to care for your favorites.

Remember, people can live together, but toys cannot!

When it's off, make sure it's off!
I learned this the hard way. Always remove your batteries or unplug it from the power source! If a battery runs out of juice, its juice will run out of the battery, corroding inside your toy's battery pack! When that happens, you might as well toss that toy because it won't be giving you any more pleasure.

What's the best way to discard of an unusable/unwanted toy?
Well...in general, toys are packaged in recyclable boxes or plastic. They are easily discarded in your recycling bin (my Waste Management folks must get so much amusement from the various boxes and packages they collect from my recycling bin!). But what about your toy? There's the battery pack, there's the rubber or silicone or elastimer, there's beads.....

With all the eco-friendly goodness that's happening these days, you can recycle all kinds of things, from computers to cell phones...and now you can recycle sex toys! No...I'm not saying that your sex toy becomes some hand-me-down to an unfortunate person in need of a good orgasm....that's SO not green.....

All you need to do is mail in your toy to a facility in Florida, and for your good deeds you get a $10 gift certificate to go towards one of the Sex Toy Recycling Program's affiliates.

Though Athena's isn't one of their affiliates, if you recycle your toy with them and receive a $10 gift certificate, you will be able to use that towards an order with your Goddess (that's me!) as well!

Let's Review!

• Mild anti-bacterial soap and warm water will do you just fine! But the Mighty Tidy Toy Cleaner and Pleasure Wipes are a great alternative to getting out of bed!
• When sharing toys or doing both vaginal or anal penetration, use a condom!
• A bedside nightstand or underwear drawer lined with cotton liners is a common way to store toys. But if you have nosey housemates or visitors, locking your toys in Athena's Toy Box or Toy Chest is a better way to keep toys hidden.
• Store toys separate from each other! Silicone toys especially!
• When you're not using your toys, ALWAYS remove the batteries!
• Treat yourself well, and treat the earth well! Recycle your unusable/unwanted toys!
  

Now that you know the basics of taking care of your toys, get to it!

Enjoy your toy! Enjoy yourself!

"Once you go Asian...."

I'd love to see how everyone would end the title phrase. Post in the blog comments!

I'm about to take this us on a more serious note here. So be forewarned.

As an Asian/Pacific Islander female, I'm quite conscious of - or at least I'm always trying to figure out - where I stand in the whole scheme of the dating world. I feel like there are still those who are not too culturally competent walking around and calling me "Oriental" (Do I look like a rug, yo?), and assuming that because of my ethnicity I will be docile (ha!) and submissive (..depends on the position, doesn't it?).

When I delved into the world of online dating (geez...3 years ago!), I made it quite clear: NO ASIAN FETISHES!

I'll admit because of the stereotypes placed on an entire continent, I get suspicious of those who actively seek out a specific ethnicity to date.

Now, obviously, "Are they contacting me because I'm Asian?" isn't the first thing that comes to mind. Really, it's "Is he cute? What's this guy like, what's he into?" But when you start learning that they've dated other Asian women and they have an interest in Asian culture, I don't think it's unfair to question their motives. I'm not saying, "Kick this guy to the curb!" I'm saying, "You better get to know this guy a little more before you decide to let him in."

Am I seeming unfair? Too bad. A girl can't be too safe these days.

"But what if a guy's just generally attracted to a specific type of person?" Then you've taken the time to find that out, now didn't you?

I'm not saying that all guys who are attracted to Asian/Pacific Islanders have a fetish (generally meaning that one thing is fixated upon and is the only thing to sexually excite a person). I'm just saying that there's a lot of history there, and you don't have to be paranoid about it...but be educated about the power dynamics that might pop up.

Historically, the Asian/Oriental/Eastern continent was seen as such a stretch from the European/Western/Christian point of view, that it and its people were labeled "exotic" and something to conquer. Richard Evans Lee from Amorous Propensities posted a review from Wall Street Journal about this bit in history. I definitely plan on picking up this book - both for the historical perspective and the apparently "titillating" stories.

Link: Wall Street Journal's review of Richard Bernstein's "The East, The West, and Sex: A History of Erotic Encounters."

*****
Now, for the other side. I'll be the first to admit that I generally am not attracted to men in my ethnic categorical box. It's the unfortunate problem that many Asian men have, but it's pretty awesome when you see Asian men dating outside of their race/ethnicity (generally not as common as other combinations).

So, while power dynamics have played a role in the history of interracial dating, it seems that we have moved forward in one way or another - choices can be made. Interestingly, this Slate article notes that the reason the European/Caucasian Male + Asian Female combination is so widely seen is mainly due to the neutrality of the Asian Female to the European/Caucasian Male - not really because of any of the male's preferences.
Slate Article: An economist solves the mysteries of dating.

Okay...so let's not be serious anymore. Enjoy this awesome and quite popular youtube video about dating in the Asian world.

Life Lessons from the Mermaid Parade 2009

Lessons I've learned from the Mermaid Parade (thus far):

• Regardless of the weather conditions, the Mermaid Parade is always worth it.
• Walking in the parade isn't as exciting if you don't have a routine planned out. (Pic from Mermaid Parade 2007)
  
• If you're going to walk, and you don't have a routine planned, you better have an amazing costume or just smile and wave at everyone - people will love you either way.
  
• The Mermaid Parade Ball has a lot of potential - good music, great performances, entertainment in dancing or rolling around. Either way, it's better to share with others.
  
• Charge your camera batteries and empty out your SD card beforehand.
• You can't be squeamish or blush easily.
• The Boardwalk at Coney Island has chicharrones (the flour kind sold from a shopping cart on the streets of L.A. and other Mexican-populated cities)!
• When in doubt, dance dance dance!
• As with anything, the Mermaid Parade is the best when experienced with awesome people and great friends.
• Any of the statements above could substitute "life" for "Mermaid Parade."
  

Lost Angels in Coney Island

Below are select pictures of me swirling around the boardwalk in my completed costume. All my pictures can be seen at:
http://picasaweb.google.com/thegreenestmermaid/MermaidParade62009#

Lola Staar's Dreamland Roller Rink - Mermaid Parade Ball Location


Leti in all her colorful glory.


Running with a silk veil by A'kai Silks












I wore some extra toule around my hips, along with one of my favorite hip scarves.




Ta da!