July 2009
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Let's Talk About (Unprotected) Sex →
In today’s CollegeCandy column, I write about the importance of discussing sexual exclusivity prior to forgoing condoms. I say “prior” because it’s not uncommon for people to have discussions only after the fact, meaning after they ditch the rubber in the spur of the moment or during a drunken game of Just The Tip. Props to Rachel Hills, whose article on unprotected sex...
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I'm going to get carded until I'm 30.
Dentist: Two of your fillings came loose.
Me: Can you just fix it during this visit?
Dentist: Sure, but would you like to call your mother first?
Me: Um, why?
Dentist: To ask permission?
Me: I'm 22.
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The Harvard Crimson: "The View From The Passenger... →
“I grew up in Los Angeles, and I can’t drive.”
I hereby dedicate this piece to my mother, my friends, Patrick, and pretty much anyone else who’s ever given me a ride. I promise I’ll get my license before I turn 23 next summer.
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Bruno: A Social Experiment or A Queer Travesty?
I’m about two weeks late on this, so forgive me if it’s been pointed out already, but isn’t Bruno just a social experiment disguised as low-brow entertainment?
Bear with me. But first, a few points to keep in mind:
Bruno is not some plot-driven drama you can enjoy alone. You go to this type of movie with friends. Half the fun is sharing the experience with other people.
Fans...
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WatchThe globe-trotting bulldoggy goes on a transatlantic flight from Boston to Frankfurt. Here he is emerging from the bulk baggage claim after our flight yesterday to Germany. He is not a pleased pup, but he did pass customs.
$49 for Two Acupuncture Sessions at Backworks... →
I’m in for today’s Groupon for two acupuncture sessions. My grandma swears by them, but I’ve never tried. A live blog to come? (Deal expires midnight!)
Backworks 34 Batterymarch Street Boston, MA 02110 (617) 451-2225
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Bon Voyage!
Last night might’ve been my final night in Beacon Hill. I’m leaving for Europe in less than six hours with ze German and ze puppy dog. When we return in a month, we’re immediately evacuating the contents of the den to move to the Back Bay.
Until then, I will be staying in northern Germany with Patrick’s family. Not surprisingly, I still have nothing concrete planned except...
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Sex and the Ivy: Share Your Budget Beauty Tip &... →
New contest on Sex and the Ivy! I’m giving away a full package of treatments at Pure Salon and Spa in Dracut, Massachusetts.
TWO lucky readers will each receive:
A wash, haircut, styling, and blow dry
A 30-minute signature Pure Nature AVEDA Facial
An additional $50 toward your choice of make-up application or hair removal services
That’s a $133 value, and all you have to do is...
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Getting The IUD: A Liveblog
The backstory: Had Christine not told me about her experience, I probably wouldn’t have ever considered an IUD. After bringing it up with a few acquaintances, I was surprised to learn that a number of women I knew had opted for the IUD … and only one of them had previously given birth. (The Mirena has only recently become an accepted contraceptive method for college-aged women.) Thus,...
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I grill my roommate for workout tips.
Today’s question: What’s the most effective way to burn fat if you’ve only got two weeks before you don a bikini?
Answer: Low-intensity cardio, such as running.
Good to know, since I usually push it and end up with an astronomical heart rate (not that “pushing it” isn’t good for you in different ways). It’s extremely convenient that my boyfriend is also...
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“The gay movement’s insistence on breaking the old social contract with...”
– Professor George Chauncey at Yale’s Gay and Lesbian Alumni Reunion, from “Why They Call Yale the ‘Gay Ivy’”, Yale Alumni Magazine
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Explaining The Haterade
Interesting discussions in the comments section of my latest post about the root of the online vitriol I experienced while writing Sex and the Ivy. Some thoughts about why I became a target:
You make a good point which has been a recurring theme in the rhetoric of my detractors. Most people don’t think my love or sex life is worth of any sort of attention or press, and I would concur that...
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The Harvard Crimson: Hey, Rivers Cuomo! What did... →
A blast from the past found while vanity searching on Google. During my freshman year, I somehow wound up interviewing the Weezer frontman in Cabot dining hall. It was — as you can read for yourself — spectacularly uncontroversial. Perhaps because it’s super awkward to try to have a conversation with a stranger about his personal life.
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Sex and the Ivy » Reminiscence →
… I have never once regretted writing Sex and the Ivy, but it’s not until now that I’ve acknowledged the full extent of what I lost because of it. I spent most of college disassociating myself from my peers, physically running away (to New York, to Philadelphia, abroad), and questioning my own sanity. And sure, I was defiant, and more importantly, I was in the right. But what...
“I think one person can hardly understand why another has conducted his life in...”
– Chang-Rae Lee, A Gesture Life (via walrusbob)
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Auto-Fill Hilarity
What I meant to say: “Have any black heels I can borrow?”
What came out: “Have any black geeks I can borrow?”
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“Foreskin may be the only uncharted territory Americans have no desire to...”
– CollegeCandy: Demystifying Foreskin, in which I debunk foreskinphobia
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Does "Bachelor" Mean Unmarried or Single?
aurorachronicles:
I find it a little disrespectful to Adam Lambert (and his boyfriend, I guess) that People magazine listed him in the “Hottest Bachelors of 2009” or whatever list when it is completely obvious and out in the open that Adam is dating a dude. In fact, those last two links were actually from People magazine itself, which means that no matter how much they insist in calling Drake...
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Not Simple At All
Consumer publications are the capitalists of the magazine world, and I am wary/weary of capitalism. But how can a burdgeoning domestic deity* resist the pull of 20-minute recipes and dish soap rankings? I’ve succumbed.
After a few months considering and reconsidering whether I really need a subscription to Real Simple, I finally took the plunge after I found a deal on Amazon that slashes...
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Lines That Don't Work
I just notified the winner of my July 4th giveaway, but there are too many incredible submissions to not share. The following are some of the most cringe-worthy pick-up lines and catcalls:
“hey kitty cat, you’re so cute just like a kitty cat. I’m Josh.”
“we can be your ghetto tour guides”
“wenn das dach rostet, ist auch der keller feucht” directed...
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Boot Camp & Bikini Bods
My friends in LA informed me tonight about P90X, a supposedly revolutionary home fitness program that promises to “get you absolutely ripped” in 90 days. I hadn’t heard, but apparently, P90X is all the rage. I always forget until I return home that people in Southern California are actually obsessive enough about working out to sign up for crazy, demanding regimens like this. In...
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Last Chance To Enter! →
Last call for catcalling stories on Sex and the Ivy! Submit an entry for the chance to win the Womolia Heat vibrator.
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What The American Government Doesn't Want You To...
I just finished reading the recently released Cocaine Project, which was conducted in 1995 and just saw the light of day last month. In the meantime, the project has been suppressed — and its very existence denied — due to U.S. government pressure for the past fifteen years. A joint effort between the the World Health Organization and the United Nations Interregional Crime and Justice...
“This was still the era — it would later end in that famous decade —...”
– Ian McEwan on repressed British life prior to the sexual revolution, On Chesil Beach
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Day of Independence
I spent July 4th in Boston. This was a first. I wanted to go to Nantucket, but Patrick is allergic to crowds and seersucker and pre-planning. It would never do. I suppose you can only get so patriotic when spending the holiday with your English bulldog and German lover (though, to be fair, Hamlet’s ancestry is just a front for his humble Poughkeepsie puppyhood).
So instead, we woke up late,...
"To The Back Bay!" said ze German.
Me: Beacon Hill is the only real neighborhood in Boston, so I'm still hesitant about moving to the Back Bay.
Jason: But Lena, Patrick needs his lebensraum!
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Things Men Have Yelled At My Readers
Yesterday, I asked readers to submit catcalling stories for my giveaway. According to them, here are some of the pleasantries they’ve exchanged with would-be Lotharios:
“I’m making a DVD. Have you ever thought about acting?”
“You WIFEY material!”
“Hey baby, wanna check out my gun shot wound? It’s so fresh the scab hasn’t even healed.”
...
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“Claiming that you “just happen” to prefer the blonde-haired, blue-eyed type (or...”
– Sexy Time: Check Your “Type” At The Door, today’s column on College Candy
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Sex and the Ivy’s July 4th Giveaway →
After a lengthy hiatus from Sex and the Ivy, I’m giving away a Womolia Heat ($99.95) from Emotional Bliss to a lucky reader for Independence Day. To enter, comment on the contest entry with your best/worst catcalling story. For inspiration refer to mine.
Please reblog and link out to your female friends! (Unfortunately, the Womolia is designed to fit the curves of a woman, so boys will...
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The Condensed Version of the Previous Year
Everyone seems to be wondering what the hell it is I’ve been up to all year without school, so here’s a life update in chronological order. Kind of.
My friends have little to no understanding of what I do for my day job, but the basic gist is that I manage editorial content for an education non-profit. I got this job in October when I returned to Boston and went from part-time to...
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