The Current State of the Female Condom in America

It was with complete shock that I left Good Vibrations, having just learned that as of Summer 2017, the Female Condom (aka FC2) is no longer available over the counter in the USA. A doctor's prescription is now required to buy them at your local pharmacy (and that's assuming your pharmacy is one of the very few willing to stock female condoms in the first place.) 

Instinctively, I feel a rant developing in me - a mini-tirade bubbling up about how reducing the number of freely-available birth control methods is problematic on a number of different levels - socially, economically, personally. 

However I'm not fond of  ranting and I pride myself on being a problem-solver, so I'm sharing my "Plan B" for those who still want to use these super-convenient, uber-comfortable joy-riders. Can you tell I'm a fan?

There are two options for purchasing female condoms via mail-order that don't require a prescription.

1. The first is via the US website of the manufacturer fc2.us.com. The manufacturer's website offers one-time bulk purchases or a monthly subscription program. A prescription is not required but you will have to pay full price for the condoms (which at the time of this writing is approximately $2.50 each)

2. The second option is to order the British version of the female condom from a European-based condom shop. They are available at worldcondoms.com under the brand name "Pasante" and are identical to the US version.

Both options provide prescription-free, online purchasing with reliable shipping. The European shop accepts Paypal as payment. 

There are other, less-costly options if, for example, you have both a health plan that covers female condoms and a cooperative doctor. However, in the interest of saving time and avoiding unnecessary
doctor appointments, I'm more than happy to order directly and pay a couple dollars more. The convenience is worth the cost to me.

I hope this has been helpful to fellow female-condom fans. I found scant info about US purchasing options and felt it important to put this info out there. If you're already a FC2 fan, you'll understand my enthusiasm for them. Good luck, my friends!

Ricotta as promised

I can't believe it's been five months since I last posted something! Shocking. In any event, I recently promised a friend/chef that I would post a link on my blog to the ricotta cheese recipe I favor. I went through a soft cheese-making phase a while back and through experimentation, learned that buttermilk is the key ingredient to making delicious, savory home-made ricotta. There are many recipes that don't call for buttermilk but this one with buttermilk is the best I've found. The recipe is here. Super easy, takes about an hour, delicious with a balsamic/olive oil drizzle. Now if someone has a good home-made paneer recipe, I'd sure appreciate a link. Thanks!

Picture courtesy of Simple So Good

2016 Fitness Tweeks

Picture Courtesy of Strong Board

I learned a number of valuable lessons fitness-wise this year. I realized I was eating far too few carbs and that relying primarily on protein does not work well with my metabolism. I learned I lift better after a large meal instead of my typical veggie/berry/protein powder smoothie. I learned the joy of whole body vibration to recover from strength training and as a quick energy recharger. And I more actively incorporated meditation with balance challenges into my routine. Mediation for the mind while micro-training my core. I started using a firm balance board for seated meditation and the difference is phenomenal. I sit, put the headphones on with a 30 minute meditation and bliss out ... whish I confess was an often much-needed diversion from the rollercoaster that was 2016.

Best wishes to you for health and happiness in 2017.

My site's back up.

Thank you for your patience and kind notes. All my best! Paloma

Minor Hiccup - I'm changing webhosts

Hi folks!
Just a quick note to let you know that I am changing webhosts. My website is currently down but it should be back online shortly. Hope you're good!
xoxox,
Paloma

Want

This clit stimulator. Below is the most g-rated youtube video I could find. ;)

https://womanizer.com/
Available on Amazon here

Are you getting clean or getting dirty???

Hey folks!
I hope everyone is having a fabulous start to their summer.

This is a follow-up to my earlier post about Color Runs. You can read about them here but in a nutshell, it's a 5k where runners are pelted with colored dust. I don't know why messy 5ks inspire me ... but they do.

Well - the schedule is now out for the Foam Runs in So Cal. A "Foam Run" is a cross between a foam party and a 5k held at night. Neon foam, black lights, a medley of color, music, love. Proceeds support childhood cancer awareness and Phoenix Children’s Hospital.

The upcoming event schedule for this fall in So Cal is as follows:

• Lake Elsinore - September 24, 2016
• Irvine - November 5, 2016
• San Diego - November 12, 2016

More info can be found at http://www.foamglow.com/. (All pictures courtesy of FoamGlow)

Looking for a sex therapist in SoCal

There are 1000 different reasons a man would seek out paid companionship. One reason I've heard a handful of times is that "my pyschotherapist suggested I see an escort." I'm always grateful when I learn someone has found their way to me through a therapist's referral.

Over time, I've come to understand the therapeutic and healing properties of paid companionship for a man - especially when a relationship is cultivated over the course of months or years. I confess that when I started escorting, I had very little idea of the myriad of ways female companionship could help a man heal.

However, I sometimes hit a road block. Or more accurately, a person I'm seeing hits a road block.

I'm speaking specifically of fetishists. Best as I've been able to  discern - there are 3 ways that a fetishist can feel about their fetish.

1. They love indulging their fetish and don't hide it from others.
2. They love indulging their fetish but DO hide it from others.
3. They feel their fetish impedes - in some way - their ability to feel "normal" in their relationships and this is source of great angst.

And it's for "Group #3" that I write today. I am seeking a referral to one or more sex therapists in Los Angeles/Orange County that have expertise in the area of fetishes. I don't know much about the sex therapy industry in Southern California. But I do know a few men who want help with their fetish - help that I can't provide. If you are - or know of - a legit sex therapist in Southern California, please send the therapist's contact info/CV/website link to me at paloma@hushmail.com.

Thank you so much for your help!  

Escape this!

I'm handcuffed to the handle of a cabinet in a large office in a nondescript industrial building downtown. In fact, everyone at this party is hand-cuffed to some immovable object in the room. The lights are off, we're locked inside and the only light in the room is the glow from an overhead flat-screen monitor - displaying a clock that counts the hour down. We're being watched via cameras positioned in the upper corners of the room.

What happens next can only be described as an hour of frantic dialogue, small victories, deciphering coded messages, ripping apart and searching through every square inch of that room, assembling basic machines, trying to remember middle school lessons - how does latitude/longitude work again? What story references four men by the sea? It is an exhilarating, cerebral exercise to figure out how to escape. And we've paid for this privilege.

This was my inaugural session in an escape room. And I've become hooked. For the uninitiated, an escape room is 1-hour experience/game where you're locked in a room and you have 60 minutes to figure out how to escape - through a series of clues. This description - however - belies the intensity of the experience. It is not for the intellectually-timid or passive person. Just as with "Dining in the dark", social conventions fly quickly out the window - as we were immediately thrust into "survival mode." I could go on and on about what happened during the hour in that room, but I'll refrain so as not to spoil discovering it for yourself..

We were sprung from that office an hour later - we weren't able to figure out our escape on our own. Even though we didn't "win", I left that nondescript industrial building in downtown LA in an euphoric state. Really. I felt like my brain had been shaken around - in a good way. The game stretched my mind and left me stunned, exhilarated and admiring the folks that put these escape rooms together. Highly recommend this fun. Reservations required.

Los Angeles
http://www.escaperoomla.com
http://www.roomescapeadventures.com
http://www.enigmaescaperooms.com

Orange County
https://www.eskaperooms.com
https://www.squareroomescape.com
http://www.escapexrooms.com

New MOCA in LA

The Broad Art Museum has finally opened in LA. FINALLY! It's the imposing, white, honey-combed-exterior building at the corner of 2nd and Grand in downtown LA - one block south of Disney Hall. Eli Broad (rhymes with "mode") had built the museum to house his contemporary art collection of a couple thousand pieces ... and he is keeping museum admission free to the public. Bless his heart.

He has pieces from some of the most recognizable names in the contemporary movement - JM Basquiat, Keith Haring, Jasper Johns, Koons, Lichtenstein, Murakami, Rauschenberg and Warhol. A visit here would be an easy, concentrated survey to introduce the next generation to modern art.

As downtown LA continues to struggle through its' urban revitalization - along with the accompanying problems that flourish with gentrification - The Broad is a bright light. A magnet to pull visitors from the burbs and travellers from around the globe to breath diversity into downtown.

Broad has been criticized for creating a "vanity Museum." I cry foul. Broad built the building, curated the collection and is sharing it with the public - for FREE. While LA does have a handful of world-class museums - The City of Angeles is no Florence. Thank you - Eli - for your generosity and vision.

You can order your free tickets to the Broad Museum online here.