Newsletter No. 23: WINTER 2003

The snow is arriving; the air is brisk, crisp leaves crunch under foot. Stunned by the change in temperature, as we are every year, we wander around desperately in search of warmth.  Warmth becomes a consuming need during this time of year and where we find it may be different for each of us. Some of us have fireplaces, some of us big families, maybe a woolly sweater.  More intimately, we might curl up by ourselves or with a lover to take in a book of erotica or a new toy from your favourite local sex store.

Unfortunately, this is also a time of year when the stress feels overwhelming, when the pressure for everything to be perfect is fierce. If you have never considered the holiday season as a time for pampering yourself we think you should consider the benefits. By spending even a small amount of time reinvigorating your senses, you will replenish the well from which you draw the energy you give to others.

This time of year we try to create a space for customers where you can take a breather from the busy shopping frenzy.  Take your time and browse our book and toy shelves and let our treats melt away your holiday stress.  They are guaranteed to bring a smile to your face as you imagine a whole new tradition this year.

As a worker co-operative, all of us at Come As You Are spend a lot of time together.  And over the years we’ve come to the firm belief that the happier you are, the happier everyone around you will be.  So as you rush around trying to find the perfect gift for everyone, try to also think about what you need to have a great holiday. Stop by and have a little “you” time. Trust us, everyone will be grateful, even if they just acknowledge how bright and happy you look, no one needs to know.  It will be our little secret.

While our holiday wish is for everyone to become a bit more interested in their own sexual pleasure and health, we know that most of us find it difficult to focus only on ourselves.  We’ve put together a selection of magical gift kits, and if you ask, we can help find presents for even the toughest person on your gift list.  We’ve listed many of these ideas inside our newsletter, so as you gear up for another season take a few minutes to sit back, relax, and fantasize a holiday full of pleasure and fun.

News

Black & Blue - Montreal
Each October long weekend The Bad Boys Club of Montreal (BBCM) produces a week long event known as Black & Blue, which is one of Canada’s largest gatherings of kink minded people. This year’s Black & Blue continued this successful history with a full schedule of events and fetish nights for those in the BDSM community and the people who love them. Saturday night found us at Reform School, a wonderful event that had a spectacular suspension show and of course the Military Ball. By Sunday, walking around Montreal on the way to the Black & Blue main event NU at the Olympic stadium, the streets were quiet and there was a great sense of anticipation in the air. A fifteen hour party ensued celebrating all things kink, fetish, sex-positive, and of course freedom for all. 

Everything to Do with Sex - Toronto

We are just now finally getting some rest after the fourth annual Everything to Do with Sex Show. This year’s event was held at the exceedingly excessive Sky Dome. Baseball was replaced with a crowd of trade show junkies, porn stars (including a wise-cracking Ron Jeremy), and a plethora of sex associated merchants (we never could figure out the connection with kitchen pots and pans). Sex sells and the crowds came and we had a great time meeting a whole new clientele of the curious. 

Fetish Diva Midori

Respected author and lecturer of all things sexy, Fetish Diva Midori from San Fransisco will be returning to Canada with her previously sold out workshops. If you missed your chance last time or if you wondered what all the hoopla was about come to our ABC of domination and imagination. She will be returning with her demonstration of the beautiful, intricate and highly useful, Japanese Rope Bondage in Toronto on January 12th and in Montreal on January 13th. For more information, check out our upcoming workshops at www.comeasyouare.com. 

Annie Sprinkle

You may have heard rumours that Annie Sprinkle, the performance artist, sexologist, and former porn star (also known as the Post Porn Modernist) will be putting on her show, Herstory of Porn, for the first time in Canada. The rumours are true and we will have upcoming dates for February, so keep your eyes, ears, and other parts open, as events with Sprinkle herself will be announced in the next couple of weeks at our website www.comeasyouare.com.

Toy Kits

Part Elvis, part Celine Dion, and all Vegas, the Vegas Kit includes a flashy and powerful hard plastic Lollypop  vibrator, a sexy dice game, and a sampling of flavoured warming oil pillow packs.  Set your soul on fire (without having to get married in the middle of the night by an Elvis impersonator).  $37.00
Tired of giving the same old daily affirmation fridge magnets each year?  Give a gift of wisdom and inspiration that doesn’t make you want to gag with sentimentality with the Chicken Soup for the Libido kit.  A cordless waterproof bullet vibe, our best selling erotica collection Sweet Life, plus the video Zazel, a muse inspired film guaranteed to get all your creative juices flowing.  Self-help has never been this much fun.  $72.00

Inspired by the always funny and biting advice columnist Dan Savage, the Savage Love Kit is our response to all the letters he received from women with porn loving boyfriends.  We start with some raunchy porn, add in a new-age textured masturbation sleeve, and finish off with a bottle of oil based ID cream. He’s set for hours of fun, and you’ve got yourself hours of voyeuristic pleasure (after all, you paid for it, you should be able to watch!).  
$62 (VHS), $80 (DVD)

Feature Toys

Blast off with the Hypersonic Rocket.  A super strong vibe with five unique settings that pulse, escalate, and vibrate.  An ingenious glow-in-the-dark one touch control makes this toy as easy to use as it is to get off with.  $42

The deal of the season is the Micro Mini Kit.  A tiny, wireless, high buzz micro vibe with five jelly sleeves.  Discreet, powerful, and at a price that lets you stuff this in several stockings this holiday season.  $30
With the classic bullet-style shape, one might be tempted to think that this is just any old bullet vibrator.  But no!  The One Touch Bullet is a self-contained, cordless, waterproof, battery-powered powerhouse of pleasure!  See how much fun you can have when you don't have to mess with annoying wires or dials!  $16.00
 
With a name as informative as it is instructive, Stroke It is a luscious, all-natural masturbation balm for guys.  Created in the spirit of the beloved and sorely missed Men's Cream, Stroke It is super slippery and will never get tacky or sticky with use.  $22.00
 
Books

Edgy erotica for a season of giving. Read them alone or together, these new selections prove that erotica can still be fresh, new, and ready to excite. And for those that like to think before doing, a couple of books with sexual know-how to while away the wee hours.

Shameless: Women’s Intimate Erotica contains 18 narrative pieces that provide a vivid and provocative glimpse into the sexuality and fantasy life of the characters. Beautifully written, elegant, high quality erotica is what this book is all about. No cheap, tawdry smut here, this one is about reading fantastic fiction of an erotic nature.  $22.50

A gripping collection for the erotic reader who wants something new and filthy, But I Know What You Want is written in a fabulously creative and genre-bending style. Unique tales of leathermen and power play combine literary writing skills with truly erotic storytelling. Adventures of sexual love tangled with explicit character studies make for erotica appealing to anyone kinky, of any orientation. $22.50

If you’ve ever fantasized about being held down by your lovers command, being tied up, or having a hidden bondage room in the depths of your house, this is the collection for you! Wonderfully captivating stories such as ‘Selling Point’, ‘The Perfect O’, and ‘Moving’ are irresistible. A fantastic gift for a kinky friend, or something to treat your kinky self with, Best Bondage Erotica won’t disappoint. $24.95

A humorous and thoughtful book, The Big Book of Masturbation offers readers a look at the many cultural aspects  surrounding masturbation, as well as chapters discussing religion, parenting, plenty of Q & A, and funny terms and facts. A fascinating, comprehensive study that is lighthearted, enjoyable to read, and highly informative, this title is a great gift for open minded friends and family members. $36

Positions of the Day is a little red book that will have you trying something new every day.  So small it could fit in your pocket, but full of big ideas. $16

Video & DVD Kits

Every year we fire up our imaginations (and our DVD players) to bring you great pornographic savings for the holidays.  As always, all our Holiday Gift Kits come wrapped and ready for giving.
Fetish menus, multiple angles, and lightening speed fast-forward functions.  Discover the real reason behind DVD technology, with My First DVD Player Kit.  Our most popular kit last year is back with three new titles, and a lower price!  $120 (save $30)
We’ve turned up the heat on our Porn Starter Video Kit, with three new titles that are each a bit hotter than before.  There’s no better way to start building your own porn library today. A selection of three videos: mild, medium, and hot; offering a range of explicitness for the savviest of viewers. $80 (save $22)
Inject a little education in your holiday season with the Bend Over Boyfriend Deluxe Kit.  The kit comes with the Bend Over Beginner Harness and dildo kit plus the award winning Bend Over Boyfriend video.  A stylish soft vibrating harness, two silicone dildos, and the bestselling tape that covers everything you need to know about male anal play for men and women. $170 (save $10).
Videos & DVD’s

At long last, the perverse masterpiece, Fashionistas,  is available at a reasonable price!  Over two and a half hours of great acting (Rocco & Belladonna give Oscar worthy turns as fashion designer and the underappreciated and insatiable assistant), hardcore sex, and inspired directing.  Shot on 35 mm film, Fashionistas has snapped up every porn award available, and it’s worth the hype. VHS, $40 DVD, $60

Porn upstarts Aurora Snow and Jenna Haze star in Wishful Thinking, a film about a diplomat’s niece who is tired of being the good little girl.  Filled with voyeuristic pleasure (the niece becomes invisible for most of the movie) and fantasy fodder with maids, wicked step-mothers, and powerful politicos.  This may also be the only porn film to include a joke about NAFTA. VHS, $34 DVD, $50

Workshops

Toronto

November 26 - December 3
Erotic Photography 

January 12
Japanese Rope Bondage

January 20
Erotic Writing

February 3
Introducing Sex Toys to 
Your Partner

Montreal

January 6 
L' Orgasme sous toutes ses formes
In French

January 13
Japanese Rope Bondage
In English

January 14
Seduction by Voice
In English

January 17 or 
January 18
Female ejaculation
In English

February 10
Les Objets du plaisir
In French

Feb 24 and 25
Tantra for Women
In Spanish

Pre-Registration is required for all workshops. Sliding scale is available. Women who identify as women including 'trans' women are welcome to attend workshops indicated as women only. For more info or to register, please call us at 416-504-7934 or 514-495-0444.