Autumn. The season of change.

Of new school years and new leaf colors (well, depending on local vegetation), of Halloween and horror movies, of nail bite and teeth grind—inducing Presidential debates…well, you know what I mean.
And if you’re anything like me, after dropping most of your hard-earned money on a few bags of candy, a ticket to the latest zombie flick and a tub of popcorn, you’ve also come to associate autumn with being a little broke. Or, to be more poetic about it, watching the dollar bills fall from your bank account like so many vividly hued leaves dropping from a maple tree…

Thank goodness, then, that the government has yet to find a way to tax us on orgasm.  Self love is ours for free whenever we want or need it - it’s as if Mother Nature is answering that famous Fall question—”Trick or Treat?”—with a very definitive “Treat.”

This fall, if cooling weather, new stresses, election anxiety or superlative spending gets you down, remember to take a moment and give yourself some love.  Not only will you feel great and spend nothing, but orgasm is one of nature’s most effective methods of stress relief.  And if you do find yourself with a few extra dollars burning a hole in your overcoat pocket, check out the Cheap Thrills or the Sale page at www.babeland.com to see if you can find an affordable way to put the “ooh” back in “Boo!” this Halloween.

Ok, is anyone else shocked that it’s taken this long for a vibrator to shut down an airport? That’s what happened recently when a buzzing sound emanating from a cafeteria trash can sent the security folks in an Australian airport into a tailspin. But really, given the heightened security we’ve seen for the last few years, this ought to be sort of a routine enounter by now. I mean geez, you gotta figure that thousands of vibrators have been sent through bags since 9/11, and that no small number of them must’ve gone off by now. I’d think airport personnel would be schooled in the fine art of identifying that buzz because it is a relatively common occurence. (Can you picture it, “No Sam, I think that sounds like the subtle pulse of a Dynomite, rather than the steady hum of the Beaver.”). To be fair, I guess the fact that it was in the trash can threw them off. After all, who tosses a perfectly fine vibrator out with their leftover sandwich?

I’m a fairly seasoned traveler and have taken dozens of vibrators through the carry-on security checks, and even I’ve noticed those folks are getting downright vibrator-savvy. Last time I watched as that conveyer belt slowed down, allowing the guard to scrutinize the X-ray version of my Hitachi (it does sort of look like a mini baseball bat). But then she glanced up at me and smiled. Far more pleasant than the time a guard opened up my bag, pointed to the Nubby G and said, “What’s that?,” only to have my honest reply, “A vibrator,” send waves of blush over his face.

Ah well, at least all the jet-setting Aussies in the airport that day had a good story to tell for their troubles! (If I’ve made you at all nervous about traveling with your sex toys, check out some of Babeland’s great tips on this very subject, or get some from words of wisdom from our own Rachel and Claire!)

What Eve Ensler did for vaginas, the Bloggers are doing for Boobs—celebrating the beauty of female anatomy and raising money for a good cause. From October first through tenth, you can participate in the “Blogger Boobie-thon” where folks donate money and photos of their chests (male and female!) in order to raise money for breast cancer research. Started a few years ago as a joke between friends who were trying to raise money to meet over the holidays, the concept took off and last year raised nearly $7,000 for the Susan G. Komen foundation. Not to mention they’ve amassed an amazing collection of photos! So in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness month, snap a photo of your rack and send it along with some cash!