NOTE TO NANA: Hi Nana, so in this coffee talk I am going to talk about my beliefs around sex and amongst other things, teen pregnancy, so perhaps you might want to skip this one. I don’t think I am too extreme but I am different. Your call.

NOTE TO INDRA: Hi Indra, check with your mom before you read this!

I own a Hitachi Magic Wand. I bought it after reading Betty Dodson’s, ‘Sex for One’. (Bought it at Good Vibrations) She is the masturbation guru from the sixties. She use to have masturbation seminars for women. All of her research and educating has been with the objective of helping women have more satisfying sexual experiences. Anyhow, since my sex life is important to me, I try to keep informed and found this book at a Barnes & Noble while visiting the US. The Hitachi Magic Wand is the Cadillac of vibrators. It does not look like one of those small pseudo-penile vibrators. You could never insert the Magic Wand into yourself. There are attachments for it though that can be inserted. I don’t have any. Anyhow, this device is sure to assist any women in having an orgasm. Betty would recommend it especially to women that were not able to achieve orgasm through ‘conventional’ means. I mean, everyone is entitled to an orgasm, right? With the Magic Wand I even think someone who has no clue how to have an orgasm or is unfamiliar with sex (intercourse) could have one. Which brings me to the point of this coffee talk…teen pregnancy. I think that if all mothers bought their daughters Magic Wands, there would be a lot less teen pregnancy. I am operating on the idea that teenage girls use sex with teenage boys as a way to explore and satisfy their own hormonal needs which are exerting themselves for the first time. If we were to give the girls the Magic Wands, then they wouldn’t need the boys, thus less teen pregnancy. Now, I realize I am boiling down a huge and complicated issue to a few small ideas, but you have to admit it would help. Not sure what to do about the boys, though I suppose they could use one too. Betty even had a seminar for men on masturbation. I think the most significant problem with my idea is that this assumes that mothers have open and honest communication with their daughters around these types of topics. That in itself being true would reduce the problem of teen pregnancy, but I think my idea would take bite out of those teen pregnancy numbers as well. So I guess my idea is for those mothers out there that are looking for a way to help their daughters explore and understand their own sexuality as best and safe as possible.

Why do I have a Magic Wand if I have a wonderful sex life, which I do, with my husband? Because it is fun. And different. And, sometimes, Patrick is tired, not home or perhaps, in the shower. Helps me wake up some days. Helps me fall to sleep others.

What else is up? Had a girlie weekend. Played poker. My friend Annette and I cruised the cosmetic counters and got samples of wash and masks. Saturday before poker we tried a few masks. I used an exfoliating one and Annette used a ‘blemish zapper’ one. I am reading a book about beauty and it recommend a bunch of different products for a bunch of different reasons and problems, so we tried some. Next thing I am going to do is have 3 facials, 6 weeks apart, and then ‘cleanse, exfoliate, and moisturize’. The book says that you should get the facials to bring your skin to a starting point and then maintain the good treatment at home. I’ll keep you all posted. So far the funniest thing is that you are NOT to rub your face dry but pat it. No clue whether it really makes a difference, I still have zits, but I’m trying to hold true to the program. It is kind of fun to be girlie once in a while too.

The outfit is mostly to show off my Klara top. Got it at the Klara boutique in Praha. It is wool but feels soft on the inside. The nylons were a bit much so I might where gray tights next time instead. I don’t know.

Mark your calendars. I am about to say something I will likely only say once. I’m really enjoying living in Germany right now. Don’t get me wrong. We had a wonderful visit home and still love our country and are proud of our citizenship. But I like the lifestyle here better. Not just Germany, lord knows I have my bad days, my really bad days, and my near postal days, but Europe in general. As Patrick and I were walking to the grocery store on Saturday we felt at home. It was natural. Not understanding a word of what people around you are saying makes sense. We are in the groove here now and moving home, when and if we do, will cause severe culture shock, to be sure. Though I wish I didn’t have to rush so much on Saturdays, especially when Patrick sleeps until 11:30, I enjoy the societal consciousness of recycling and natural food. We are completely adjusted to bringing our own bags to the store and felt really wasteful while we were home. We aren’t even that surprised when fruits die in 3 days. The US is so easy. Things are made available, comfortable and long lasting to the Nth degree. Yet it is detrimental to society in the long run. Listen to me! I sound like a Green! Anyhow, it was nice to come home to the life that I am familiar with. I can adjust anywhere though. I made it here didn’t I?

The outfit is no big deal. Got the dress last year at Trashy. It is what it looks like. A Madam’s dress. I just wear it with a sweater. I saw this girl wearing a red slip as a dress with a sweater and overcoat on the bahnsteig one day and fell in love with it. Simply but alternative. Not so simple though, as I have not been able to find a plain red slip. So I wear this. Should wear red tights. Anyhow, some male managers look at my funny the says I wear it but I only smile back. My buddy and new boss, Ivette, said to me the first time I wore it, ‘that’s looks like a nightgown’, ‘it is’ I replied. She laughed.

We saw THE strangest movie last night. ‘Mulholland Drive’. It was really bizarre. I am not even going to attempt to explain the plot but simply say that up until last 20-30 minutes, you can follow along, if you have an open mind. The last 20-30 minutes make it feel like a bad dream. But of course, that is David Lynch. I do recommend it for adults with an affinity for the bizarre, mind for the complicated, and interest in multiple consciousness. Scared yet?

Not too much else happening. I went to the gym today for the first time since returning to Germany. I am sure my body will makes its opinion known tomorrow morning. Anyhow, it was way too cold to go last Sunday and Patrick slept until 2 in the afternoon anyway. It is been well below zero here all week. Sunny but so cold it hurts. Oh, important safety tip, when it is below freezing out, do NOT read friend’s emails before leaving for the s-bahn or you will have to run like a mad woman, beg the people ahead to hold the door, once making the train have a horrible pain at the bottom of your throat and feel like you are going to vomit the whole way home. I know this from experience so trust me on this one.

Did I mention this? Twice while we were en route to the US, Patrick and I were mistaken for brother and sister, instead of husband and wife. I guess I should be flattered because that suggests we look too young to be married. Or else they just thought we looked too much alike to be married. Both scary really. Bottom line, after 10 years we look way too much alike.

You know how much Americans love Canadians? We love them so much, we consider them such family members, that flights to Canada fly out of the domestic terminal at SFO. Isn’t that sweet?

Don’t think I have been writing things down like I usually do. I should be more careful. Now I am going to have to fill this with stupid crap. Work was good though I worked 10 hours 4 out of 5 days last week. I am about to do battle with ‘the business’ and even though you will all say, ‘oh Heather, you will win, I feel sorry for those people’, in this case, I might not and I just don’t like it. I just wish we could all get along better. I’ve lost my husband to Alice. It is the video game I bought him for Christmas. Alice in Wonderland has lost her mind and is in a mental institution. You have to help her out. He’s addicted. Of course I still play a ridiculous number of games of solitaire a night on my machine (yeah, Nana!).

Well then. My body is already starting to ache so I am going to get into a clean, warm pair of jammies and play some solitaire. Cheers and good night.