Newsletter No. 32: SPRING 2006

How David Suzuki Broke My Heart

Oh David. I’m not going to tell you that I didn’t see it coming – I suspected something was going on when I heard that pheromone nasal spray would soon be available on pharmacy shelves– but David, I didn’t think you were going to be the one to proclaim romantic love officially dead. I know, you didn’t say it in those words, and I’m not sure if you even believed in romantic love to begin with, but that night, you looked through my TV, deep into my eyes and told me in your best ‘Mr. Sensitive Canada 2005’ voice that my love was little more than a pheromonal trick. I’ve been heartbroken ever since.

According to that particular episode of the Nature of Things, what we experience as attraction and love are nothing more than an evolutionary trap, set to make us hook up with people who have complimentary immune systems. Complimentary immune systems are handy when it comes to making babies and ensuring the survival of our species and such.  Apparently, we figure out who we’d make good babies with mostly via pheromones, which we smell (hence the pheromone nasal spray). So, all of the things we do to fall in love, or simply to get laid, are just the stage being set for a hopefully positive chemical reaction (literally).

Well, at least now we know why we refer to people as ‘having chemistry.’  

I don’t know what to tell you. I was never a big proponent of the idealized version of romantic love, but you know, I was hoping that there was a little more to it than particular immune systems getting along. I wonder if those of us who consistently choose partners we’re not good with aren’t actually practicing a form of relationship sabotage, but in fact are  just succumbing to this evolutionary pressure like everyone else.  I also wonder what happens when we form relationships with no intention of having children, but are still drawn together because of that same survival-of-the-species instinct.

In the end though, while David might be right, it does seem to me that there must be different kinds of love, because that intense pheromone-induced in-love feeling doesn’t last forever, and yet, lots of relationships continue well past that initial excited love-struck phase. Maybe the pheromone nasal spray is the answer, but more likely, while the initial stages of love require little work and maintenance, any long-term relationship does require all of those sappy things like affection and mutual respect and some kind of love deeper than what our immune systems require of us.

So this is the part of the newsletter where I tell you all about the great new toys, books, videos and pre-wrapped gift kits you can purchase in our store to express your love, affection and mutual-respect to someone you love, but let’s skip it this year and opt for something a little deeper and more meaningful. We might not be entirely responsible for who we’re attracted to, but we are responsible for what we do with it once it is there, so be good to each other, even if it is hard and it takes some work. Personally, I can’t think of a more worthy Valentine’s activity than working on your relationship with someone you love.

News

Will You Be Mine? The Ultimate Valentine’s Day Contest
Place your Valentine’s orders before February 1st and enter yourself in our Ultimate Valentine’s Customer Appreciation by visiting www.comeasyouare.com/contests. Three lucky winners will win a delightful array of sexy toys, which will be shipped free of charge before February 14th. Our Valentine’s to you! 

Get what you want!
This spring, we are introducing some great new features to our website to make sure you get what you want, when you want it!  We've created a new gift registry so you can show your new online lover or the whole world the great stuff you want from our online store!  We've also created a new user registration feature to speed up the checkout process for all of you regulars!

Erotic Blender
This February, our featured in-store art exhibition is the much celebrated, Erotic Blender. Emerging erotic photographers from the community and participants from our ongoing Erotic Photography Workshop show-off their inspiring new works, curated by Christine Ablett and Leanne Gillard. Show runs from February 1 thru to the 28th. Art Opening to be held Saturday February 4th from 6:30 – 9:30 pm, 701 Queen St. W.

Third Annual Midnight Mayhem 
On Saturday March 25, we will be holding our ever popular end of year blow-out in our Toronto store at 701 Queen St. W. Our shelves are full of sex toys and we don’t want to count them…so count yourself lucky and get in on the deals! Join us for lots of loot, an in-house D.J., great appetizers, fabulous door prizes at 10pm and 12pm, and of course our ever popular toonie toy bin. Doors open at 7pm and close at 12 am.

Toys

Who says love has to hurt?  This super cute and comfy pink blindfold is the perfect way to say ‘I love you’ and ‘I’m not going to let you go’ all at the same time! The Pink Heart Blindfold is lined with sexy white fun fur, and features a handy elastic strap for a great fit every time.  $32

Pleasure yourself or someone else with this great new strap-on kit at a great price!  Available in pink and black, the Pleasure Harness Kit includes a harness that can be easily changed from a jock-style to a g-string-style harness, and a stylish silicone dildo! $80

This beautiful new vibe is better than a dream come true. The Sweet Dream Vibe is an ideal g-spot toy with perfect curves, stronger than average vibration and a waterproof seal for fun on land or in water.  Made of soft but firm translucent purple jelly, this vibe is whisper quiet and has variable speed vibration. Sweet Dream has a speed to suit almost everyone! $30

Let the Flame Vibe heat you up this Valentine’s Day!   Made of soft and pliable high quality elastomer rubber, this dual-function vibe rotates and vibrates and is entirely waterproof for fun in the water and handy-dandy clean-up too!  Phthalate-free! $140

Sleek and elegant, like Jenna herself, Jenna’s Curves Vibe is a three-speed, hard plastic vibrator with easy to use, push-button speed control.  This vibe is quiet and powerful enough to get you going and features a pretty pink exterior with a silver-coloured ring for an extra-classy aesthetic. $26

Books 

The first instalment in a new series, Best Sex Writing 2005 is a brilliant compilation of the year’s best sex journalism. Featuring talented new writers and well known pros, Violet Blue has amassed an impressive collection of work to read through. Stories of Indian sex temples, star-fuckers, the challenges of teaching inner-city students about safe sex, spiritual journeys through the Kinsey Institute are just some of the interesting thought fodder found in these pages. Highly recommended for the thinking sex addict! $20.50

Best Lesbian Erotica 2006 is the newest instalment of the lesbian anthology that gets better every year! 2006’s BLE is full of intelligent, potent erotica that pushes boundaries and makes you think. With 26 accounts of erotic endeavours, from the butch trucker to a Nevada brothel, sexy revenge on an ex and everything in between, this is the new breed of lesbian erotica, and it is hot! $20.50

Sex authority Violet Blue reigns supreme at the helm of the Best Women’s Erotica series. Proving once again that women’s erotica needn’t be boring or stale, Best Women’s Erotica 2006 captures women’s eroticism in all of its many manifestations. Today’s best female authors tell tales of arousal in sometimes new, sometimes familiar, and always exciting ways. $20.50

This gorgeous book is a lovely gift for the photography enthusiast. Mammoth Book of Illustrated Erotic Women contains almost 500 full colour photographs of beautiful women who grace the high print quality pages of this book, featuring many well known photographers from around the world including Eric Kroll, Charles Gatewood and Craig Morey, as well as a striking collection of self portraits from cutting-edge female photographers. $26.95

Literary genius Pat Califia has done it again! His newest anthology, Boy in the Middle, is fearless erotica unlike any other. His characters are seedy, sleazy back alley dykes, hardcore sadists, FTM tops, and many other worthy individuals. Califia’s prose is not for everyone, and this book is certainly not for the faint of heart, but for those of us, who love heart pounding, hardcore and raunchy role-play, these eleven stories are like hitting the fictional jackpot! $20.50

DVD’s

In Debbie Does Dallas: The Revenge, the student surpasses the master with this playful and erotic homage to Debbie Does Dallas. Paul Thomas doesn’t disappoint with this well acted, well directed saga of a new young Debbie (played by staff favourite Sunrise Adams) struggling to survive the rough and tumble world of cheerleading. $45

Borrowing heavily from Richard Kern’s “Fingered”, we were stunned by StuntGirl 2, a gritty, noir-ish collection of intense sex scenes shot in haunting locales. Reminiscent of a New Wave video SG 2 has it all: hot tattooed women, a pink Barracuda, a fake gun, and a sense of trouble that makes it hard to get all the way through the film. $39

Following the exploits of disenchanted art school students, Art School Sluts has been lauded as a breakthrough in “alt porn”. We love this cute and raunchy film filled with pierced and tattooed bodies, emo boys and girls, and a surprisingly good soundtrack.  Genuinely experimental, this won’t be for everyone, but we love what director Eon McKai is doing with porn and we’re looking forward to more. $45

Lots of couples experiment with sexy home movies, and the three couples featured in Friends & Lovers have gone the next step and actually perform in indie porn together!  Learn what it’s like to be partners and performers as each couple talks about their lives in porn and then sit back and be entertained by the steamy sex scenes that follow.  Medium explicitness. $45

Leg lovers rejoice for Leg Affair 2!  Director Hero Bosch does a leg fetishist proud with scene after scene of impossibly long legs, and scorching sex. No plot is needed with this great balance of focusing on beautiful legs and giving us all the hardcore sex action happening around them. $39

Workshops

Monday, January 23 
7:30 – 9:30 pm, $30
Taking It Off With Style 
With Jade
(Women-Identified Only)   

Saturday, January 28
9am – 5pm, $200 per couple
Waking up the Neighbourhood
An Anal Massage Workshop for Couples
With Paul Barber
(All orientations welcome – couples only)

Tuesday, February 7 2006
7:30 - 9:30pm, $50 per couple
Fancy Footwork 
The Art of Pampering Your Lover's Feet 
With Rachel
(Couples only – all orientations welcome.)

Sunday, February 12 & 19
5:30 - 8:00pm, $90 
Erotic Photography 
With Christine Ablett & Leanne Gillard
 (All genders welcome.)

Tuesday, March 15 2006
7:30 – 10:00 pm, $30
Girl Parts and the Big O
(Women and Trans People Only)