Doing it like (or with) Rabbits

Why do so many sex toys for women look like animals? I know that there’s the idea that women find animals cute, but does that mean that they want to see or feel animalesque items pressed against or into their genitals?

Why in the world is the rabbit such a popular design for vibrators? Does anyone actually believe that women get turned on by the thought of a bunny rubbing its ears against their clits? And what is going on with the recent popularity of dolphins? Do women really feel an urge to have dolphins nosing up to them, buzzing away? I just find the animal toys disturbing, not erotic.

At least there are no dog-shaped toys (yet). But maybe that’s because dogs are man’s best friend, not woman’s.

--Curly

When Is Good Enough Good Enough?

So I have high expectations for myself. I was raised that way and I can't seem to get out of the habit of defining myself and my self-worth by what I accomplish (see last post about being unable to relax!). But I wonder: when is something truly good enough? When is good enough actually good enough? When will I ever be pleased with something I do?

--Curly

Fellow Ranter: Grammarblog

Welcome to my latest discovery of a site after our own peevish hearts: Grammarblog. Subtitled "Putting an End to Apostrophe Abuse," this site also shares our frustrations with many other textual mistakes. Check it out here.

--Prunella

Can't Get No...Relaxation...

I have good intentions. I think I'll be more social, go out and do things with people, etc. But somehow, I seem to find it too difficult or tiring to leave the house. I suspect good old Prunella is the same way, right, Pru?

So I guess I am peeved with myself. Why is it easier to stay in and work than to go out and enjoy myself? And for that matter, why can't I relax when I am at home?

--Curly

Oh Friend, Where Art Thou?

One thing that has often puzzled and, yes, annoyed me is that people aren't very good about staying in touch. With email, things are so much easier. You needn't have to write a letter (whether in longhand or on a computer), print it out, address an envelope, find a stamp or go to the post office, and post the letter in a mailbox. It's just a matter of writing and email and sending it off.

I admit that I am usually quite good about responding to emails. Some would say too good, in that I try to respond within the day. If I am travelling, I have an auto-response to that effect, but I still make the effort to respond in a timely fashion. Maybe that's annoying. Maybe people think I write back too quickly.

But why are so many other people the opposite of timely? And why do they take so much time to respond, or even not respond at all, if we are discussing more serious matters? I mean, sure, it takes more time to respond, but it is so hurtful when one tells a friend something personal and/or important and then waits eagerly for a reply that never comes (or finally comes but ignores that part of the message). If people feel it is too hard to find something to say in response, perhaps they shouldn't ask about personal matters or profess to be a person's friend. And, no, this doesn't just happen to me, so I don't think it's just a matter of people not liking me!

So this is a double peeve, really. Why don't people write back in a timely manner? And why do they often ignore the deeper parts of a message? Don't they realize that that makes the recipent feel sad and uncared-for? Is it so much harder to be a friend via email?

--Curly

Stay Away from Elderspeak

From today's New York Times:

Professionals call it elderspeak, the sweetly belittling form of address that has always rankled older people: the doctor who talks to their child rather than to them about their health; the store clerk who assumes that an older person does not know how to work a computer, or needs to be addressed slowly or in a loud voice. Then there are those who address any elderly person as “dear.”

Read more about what can peeve older people here.

--Prunella

I Didn’t Like It, Part 2

I’m not the only one not to like Katy Perry’s song “I Kissed a Girl…and I Liked It”. Those fundamentalist Christians (including Perry’s own parents!) are at it again, this time by saying “I Kissed a Girl…and Then I Went to Hell”. Gotta love those homophobes. Or not. I definitely won’t be kissing them!

--Curly

I Didn’t Like It

I can’t be the only queer lady annoyed with the Katy Perry song “I Kissed a Girl…and I Liked It”. First of all, we already know how I feel about calling women “girls”. Beyond that, the whole premise is irritating. In stereotypical “het chick” fashion, the narrator has to be drunk before she tries out a woman (she “got so brave drinking”). Then, she goes on to romanticize women: women are “magical”, have “soft skin”, and “kissable” lips, among other things. At the end of the video for the song (in which she is rubbing a cat), she wakes up and is relieved to find herself in bed next to her boyfriend, having dreamt about kissing a woman, but apparently happy not to have actually done it.

Sure, the tune is catchy, at least for a pop song. But are these the kind of lyrics we queers really need?

--Curly

Happy Birthday!

Happy first birthday, Peeves and Rants! With best wishes for many more years of rants and whines!