Newsletter No. 39: FALL 2007

Note to reader: There was no Newsletter 38.

Back To School Buzz

When it comes to sex education, adults definitely get the short end of the stick (or wooden ruler, as the case may be). It’s as if society expects us to learn everything we need to know about sex by the age of eighteen, leaving us on our own for the next sixty or seventy years. As a result, many of us muddle through our adult sex lives without support to discover our true sexual potential. Of course the muddling can be fun, and it’s not like you can get a PhD in sex technique (well not at any Canadian university), but it strikes us as odd that sex education is so lopsided, given that sex is a lifelong endeavour.

When people at parties ask us what we’ve learned over ten years of selling sex toys, we all agree that it’s the profound need all of us have for more education, information, and support to explore our sexual selves. We also agree that the most rewarding part of our job is when we get to share in the learning with customers. Whether in our workshops series, answering questions in the store, on the phone and via email, we have learned so much from our customers and hopefully helped a few in return.

When we founded Come As You Are back in 1997 we put education front and centre in our mandate. It’s so important to us that we are the only sex store in Canada to employ a certified sexuality educator, just to make sure that the information we provide is accurate and not overly biased by commercial concerns. We also believe that everyone has a right to equal access to information and education about sex.   

No matter how many years it’s been since we left behind formal schooling, September always evokes for us a back-to-school moment of the potential for learning. To celebrate our tenth year of going back to school with our customers we decided its time to offer some real incentive for sexual learning.  

From August 15 to September 30 we’re offering back-to-school buzz with a free vibrator with every purchase of an educational book or DVD in store or at www.comeasyouare.com.  

We’ve also scheduled another season of incredible workshops and events that will get the blood pumping to your brain and all the other relevant organs (see News section for details).  

Thanks again to all of you for supporting us over the past ten years and for giving us the privilege of learning about sex with the best group of students in the whole wide world!

News

Don’t Forget Your Pencils!

Come As You Are dares you to get your education on; explore new sexual possibilities and get your sex questions answered by leading educators from around the world. Our fall workshop series includes popular workshops from Midori on Japanese Rope Bondage, feminist researcher Kathy Davis on Our Bodies Ourselves, four brand new workshops on Erotic Photography, Montréal sex educator Andrea Zanin,  and of course workshop favourite, Female Ejaculation with Shannon Bell. 

The Making of Our Bodies Ourselves

Join us Wednesday October 10th and Thursday October 11th for a fascinating talk with Kathy Davis, author of the Making of Our Bodies Ourselves: How Feminism Crosses Borders. Kathy Davis tells the extraordinary story of the travels of this remarkable book that has inspired generations of women around the world (and translated into over 30 languages in the process). Co-sponsored with The Women and Gender Studies Institute at University of Toronto and the School of Women's Studies at York University. Wednesday October 10th at University of Toronto and Thursday October 11th at York University. For more information call 416-504-7934.  This event is free!

Pink Japan:  From Kitsch to Kinky in the Land of the Rising Sun

Our much loved educator Midori returns at the end of October for another series of workshops and the Canadian premiere of Pink Japan, an engaging, insightful, funny, and sometimes bizarre photo tour into Japan’s hidden sexual culture today. Midori delves into the less documented daily realities of Japan's gender relations, sexual habits, sexual consumer culture and gay/lesbian/transgendered world. October 23, 2007, 7pm at Innis Town Hall, 2 Sussex Ave. Tickets are $12 advance and $15 at the door. For more information and to purchase tickets call 416-504-7934.

Toys

Luxury sex toys now in full Technicolor! The Little Chroma is the latest addition to  Jimmyjane's breakthrough line of sleek metal vibrators. Made of entirely body-safe materials, the Little Chroma features almost silent vibration, waterproof operation and a patented replaceable motor system to keep your Little Chroma running for life. Made of anodized aluminium. $185 or special edition with etched hearts, $195

These hand-crafted Rosebud Crystal Plugs are stylish, smooth and the ultimate in functional luxury butt jewellery. Each crystal plug is made of body-safe stainless steel and features an elongated stem to keep it solidly in place. As well, these plugs are beautifully adorned with a genuine Swarovski crystal to give you an anal sex experience that looks as good as it feels. $110

Finally an Aneros for guys who want MORE out of their Aneros prostate massager. 30% larger than the Maximus, the Progasm features two external rounded tabs for perineum and pressure point stimulation and Aneros' famous patented prostate massage mechanism that we all know and love. $92

Hand-crafted by the crew at Vixen Creations, Raquel is Vixen's signature non-realistic VixSkin dildo. VixSkin's dual density silicone gives Raquel an incredible solid on the inside, soft on the outside feeling.  Raquel's harness-compatible base also works as an effective suction cup, and as always Vixen's lifetime warranty is pretty hard to beat.  $105

Looking for a little cowboy swagger with your harness style? Made of soft leather, this low-rider harness is simple and functional. Clyde has comfortable D-ring waist and thigh adjustments plus on the inside of the harness, an interior harness to accommodate an additional dildo for the pleasure of the wearer. This dual-harness system is also compatible with double dildos. $100

Books

Finally, the book for people who want to learn about Tantric sex but can’t find the time! Urban Tantra, by Barbara Carrellas, offers an urban spin on the spiritual practice of Tantric sex. Acknowledging the realities of a stressful life in the West, Carrellas has adapted a Tantric program that is easy to follow and practical to execute. With simple step by step instructions and refreshingly gender neutral and pansexual language, this book focuses on such topics as erotic awakening massage, twenty-minute Tantra, breath and energy orgasms, as well as Tantric power play. One breath in, one breath out, enjoy! $22.50

Our book buyer just added this to her list of must have books! I Love Female Orgasm offers detailed advice and information on everything female orgasm. From intercourse, having your first orgasm, sex toys, queer women’s sexuality, and a whole chapter for men plus tips, tips and more tips. $19.95
 
Dita Von Teese spills her secrets for glamour and success in her elegant two part masterpiece: Burlesque and the Art of the Teese/Fetish and the Art of the Teese.  Part autobiography, part history, part photographic memoir, this book is an essential addition to any aspiring performer’s reference library. The pages are packed with burlesque and fetish tips, vintage beauty tips and a whole lot more.  An inspiration for the tease in all of us! $49.95

Strong, powerful and sexy, She’s On Top is jam-packed with erotic stories of female dominance and male submission. This is a page turner that will have you mentally matching your high heeled pumps to your black leather mini and your new whip. $18.50

Control me, spank me, make me weak with one glance; train me, love me, humiliate me. Liking what you hear? Then He's On Top is the perfect book for you. Full of stories of male dominance and female submission, like in Lee Ash's Board Room Etiquette where a high powered executive gets the tables turned on her during a meeting and ends up cleverly humiliated when her authority is questioned by a male co-worker. A hot collection of erotic submission and sensuality, and one of the best books of 2007! $18.50

DVD’s

From the people who brought us the bestselling Velvet Thrust comes Velvet Tension, a new porn concept that’s just all-out beautiful. Each scene in Velvet Tension features guy/girl masturbation, and it's never been hotter. These gorgeous couples seriously turn up the heat and if you ever thought masturbation wasn’t “real sex” you’ll change your mind after one look. $35

Now this is a position that any guy would kill to fill! House Man features Randy Spears playing loveable but nerdy (and incredibly well-acted) Chet, a housekeeper that answers to every whim of a household filled with gorgeous women. Fun and cute, the plot is light yet the characters well developed. $29

Ahh, the ole' seducing the pizza man scenario. In Big Sausage Pizza 7, hilarious acting and over-the-top cheesy plot devices (pardon the pun) lead to great sex every time. The scene featuring Sara is absolutely beyond belief, and the sexual energy they exude is off the charts. $29

We love getting new indie trans porn in to share with our customers! Cubbyholes takes place entirely in a bathhouse and stars super hot, super diverse FTMs, transmen & bio guys having fun with one another. Besides the hot sex, the dialogue and interaction between the actors makes this film a keeper. Includes a booklet on safer sex. $45

Annie Sprinkle’s Amazing World of Orgasms is a must see for sex educators, orgasm apprentices and full-time orgasmic aficionados. From high-profile artists to well-known “sexperts” like Dr. Carol Queen, Amazing World is a topsy-turvy tour of the wide variety of medical and cultural knowledge surrounding this often mystified bodily experience. Excellent! $29

Workshops

September 15
Are You Kinky?
all genders
With Andrea Zanin

September 16
Love and Sex in the Plural
all genders
With Andrea Zanin

September 26
Take It Off with Confidence
women and trans people only
With Jade

October 14 or October 15
Female Ejaculation
women, trans people, and men accompanied by women
With Shannon Bell

October 20
Hands-on Japanese Rope Bondage
couples only 
With Midori

October 21
Lip Service: A Cunnilingus Workshop
all genders
With Midori

October 22
Hands-on Body Harness Workshop
couples only
With Midori

November 4, 11, 18 and/or 25
Erotic Photography Exploration Series:
Intro to Erotic Photography
Intimate Self-Portraits
Fun with Fetish Photography
Erotic Photo Show & Tell
All genders
With Chris Ablett and Leanne Gillard