Recently I got called a sex nerd, I wasn’t quite sure how to take that but at the time I was reassured that it was in fact a compliment. Some people are interested in cars, trains, stamp collecting, for others the more traditional nerd/geek interests computers and gaming pc/console, rpgs, card games, boards games, war games, comics and I have been called an all round nerd/geek many times before but a sex nerd?

I guess if the shoe fits; I was always a contrary child and listened far to much to adult conversations as they were always far more intresting esp when they would talk around certain things or stop talking when they figured out I was listening. It was that and curiosity which had me at a young age reading books which quiet possibly I should not have been and the more I felt I wasn’t meant to know about sex, sexuality and my own body the more I wanted to know.

And this was the days of pre internet, but I had my library card and a willingness to order in books, research and on Saturdays go wandering in the stacks in TCD ( which you could do without a student card back then). Second hand bookshops were also great for books, I got my first copy of Emanuelle when I was 16 and also nearly got suspended from school due to one of my english essays on Hamlet as I refused to ignore all the sexual subtext and innuendo, which due to be being a young lady in convent school was shockingly inappropriate. So was bringing in a copy of the karma sutra when we had a planned lesson on religious diversity.

The diversity of human sexuality and how sexuality and identity are interlinked and how much our sexual drives still have an effect on us in so many ways still enthralls me. I found I went from wanting to know more about the physical parts of my body, to the biggest sex organ we have,not those ones, higher up, the brain and what makes people attracted and turned on, from looks to fetishes and beyond.

All of which I guess makes me the person that people will ask questions of, as I most likely will have heard of what ever it is they are asking about. I get all sorts of fun phone calls, about were to get certain things or how ‘normal’certain things are or referrals for things to read on certain topics.

So to sum up, I guess I am a sex nerd, every now and then I catch myself considering how much I do know about sti, contraception, sexuality and sexual diversity and wonder how I got here, at times I am not sure, but it’s been fun.

Disclaimer: I am not nor have I never been a member of the green party.

I do remember having a conversion with one of my sisters many years ago about the very existence of the green party.Despite being of the generation who grew up when recycling was only starting to be come a common term and when we were learning out the holes in the ozone layer she didn’t see the point of such a small party and didn’t see how they could accomplish much.

I have never felt that way, the very existence of an Irish green party meant that questions which were never raised before would be, that political parties who never had ‘green’ policies or positions on ‘green’ matters would have to be due to the increased awareness of such issues that just this country having a Green party would provide and indeed they have managed that from their founding in 1982.

As those of us who were kids in the 80s energy saving and ecofriendly ways of doing things makes a lot of sense, I remember taking part in 5th year debates on were the ‘green’ ideas a fad or going to be here to stay and such ideas are still around nearly twenty year later and are part of what is taught in school to my own children, who can’t understand the lack of logic or the will to have better cleaner options, like solar panels on the roof of their school.

As the growing acceptance of such ideas and ideals has happened so has the number of people willing to vote for the Green party, so that their grassroots is no longer the fringe yuppie or the eccowarrior pagans and we are seeing more ‘green’ companies starting up here from wind farms to the development of windup rechargeable vibrators ( what is the carbon foot print of your orgasm).

One thing about those who are interested in ‘green’ issues is the willingness to explore and adopt new ways of doing things and new technologies which mean I wasn’t surprised to discover that during last general election the green party candidate for my area Roderic O’Gorman had a website, blog, was doing youtube sections. He is currently running for a seat on fingal co council in the Castleknock ward and has added twitter to his online profile from then. With more and more people wanting to find information about what their politicians are doing and the political parties this should surely stand to be a strength for the Green party as it’s a good way to connect to people so those who are in the under 40s age groups which is the generations in my opinion which needs to be more politically active.

So when Ciaran Cuffe T.D. with Damian Connon organised a trip to the Dáíl for bloggers and online people and Darragh Doyle sent me an invite I was very much interested in attending and getting a look at the inside of the Dáil and the working environment of the offices and listening to the discussion on online presences and
what kept getting referred to as ‘new media’.

It became pretty clear that there is a learning curve at work so certainly mistakes have been made and while the greens certain seem to want to have and use an online presence what is termed as social networking is a pretty big time sink for T.D.s Minsters and Senators and if they are all as busy as the schedule pinned to the notice in Ciaran Cuffe’s Dáil office is anything to go by, it is a big stumbling block.

This coupled with the lack of availability of information and transparency in our political processes mean that a person had to be willing do devote a lot of time to just even finding information they are interested as well as time reading and pondering and that is just not possible for a lot of people
and it’s too much hassle. I really do think that the voting records of all our representatives such be online for everyone who has any interest to point a browser at.

http://www.kildarestreet.com/ is the start of this and I do hope it will make a big difference in people being able to inform themselves as I believe being better informed leads to making better choices, and people feeling they can enguage in the political process more then when just elections are called.

As for the Green party they seem to be wanting to grow the party from the grass roots with community initiatives and they may well succeed in doing that and getting those in their 20s and 30s to view them as a real option and being accessible to them esp with them having been able to form a government and get policies implemented but the question is at what price considering their current partners in government who honestly don’t seem able to enguage or want to enguage with anyone who is not middle aged or an aspiring politico or politics nerd.

Except the bit about flowers.

The fund raising is to cover the production costs of their first play.
Having done some improv with these guys at the no drama workshops it is fun, flighty filthy fun,
and I for a change was not the one lowering the tone and desperately trying to keep a straight face.
All those taking part are the type to totally ‘go there’ in terms of merriment and madness and I am
very much looking forward to this evening’s entertainments.

EROS MUTINY proudly presents

Dossie Easton Workshop 18/19 July 2009

RADICAL ECSTACY
“SM Journeys To Transcendence”

Saturday 18th & Sunday 19th July, 2009, Dublin, Ireland

Dossie Easton, renowned American sex educator and co-author of The Ethical Slut, visits Dublin this July to share the first Irish presentation of Radical Ecstacy.

WHAT IS RADICAL ECSTACY ?
This unique two-day workshop explores links between BDSM and tantric-related
practices. Writer, lecturer & active sex radical Dossie Easton combines over four decades of wild kink experience with her practice as a psychotherapist and her tantric knowledge to create this empowering experiential workshop. Basically, it’s about unlocking the potential of BDSM as a sacred practice. Note that no actual sex is involved in the workshop.

WHAT PREVIOUS PARTICIPANTS SAID:
“Dossie set up the space so it was safe, consensual, respectful, exploratory.”
“I love the crossover between magic/energy/shamanism and sex/kink/BDSM…”
“I had some incredibly powerful moments of experiencing a deep intimacy and acceptance with other participants…”

Make your booking early to avoid disappointment. Limited availability.

€180 for two-day workshop (€140 for students/unemployed/OAP)

Workshop location: D4 Hotel (formerly Jury’s), Ballsbridge, Dublin 4.

JOIN THE MAILING LIST: contact@eros-mutiny.com

WWW.EROS-MUTINY.COM

This looks like soo much fun 🙂

(sung to the air of A Wild Rover)

I’ve been a muff diver for many a year,
and spent all my money on muff diving gear.
The goggles the snorkel the muff diving tank.
And when I’m not diving I’m having a wank.

And it’s no nay never, ( right up her skirt)
no nay never no more,
and I’ll be a muff diver for ever and more.

I went to a whore house I used to frequent
it sure beats the hell out of paying the rent.
I asked for a blow job she answered me nay
not until you’ve gone and washed that ‘thing’ today.

And it’s no nay never, ( right up her skirt)
no nay never no more,
and I’ll be a muff diver for ever and more.

I took from my pocket 10 shillings abright
and the madams’ bosom heaved in delight.
“We have old’uns and young’un sand aisans galore
and if you like men then you try that last door”.

And it’s no nay never, ( right up his kilt )
no nay never no more,
and I’ll be a muff diver for ever and more.

I returned to my parents confessed what I had done,
Me Da started swearing and reached for his gun.
I fled from his presence all trembling with fright
but I now live in Cuba and muff dive all night.

And it’s no nay never, ( right up her skirt)
no nay never no more,
and I’ll be a muff diver for ever and more,
and I’ll be a muff diver for ever and more.

http://www.astrologycom.com/mercret.html

05:01 UT (Universal Time), on Thursday, May 7th, 2009, Mercury the cosmic trickster turns retrograde at 1°44′ Gemini, in the sign of the Twins, sending communications, travel, appointments, mail and the www into a general snarlup! The retro period begins some days before the actual turning point (as Mercury slows) and lasts for three weeks or so, until May 31, when the Winged Messenger reaches his direct station. At this time he halts and begins his return to direct motion through the zodiac.

Everything finally straightens out on June 14, as he passes the point where he first turned retrograde, just before Jupiter turns retrograde in Aquarius. Mercury normally turns retrograde three times a year, but this year he turns tail four times, which is unusual. The effects of each period differ, according to the sign in which it happens (see box for Retrograde Periods in 2009).

A planet is described as retrograde when it appears to be moving backwards through the zodiac. According to modern science, this traditional concept arises in the illusory planetary motion created by the orbital rotation of the earth with relation to other planets in our solar system. Planets are never actually retrograde or stationary, they just seem that way due to this cosmic shadow-play.

Retrograde periods, although often problematic for us earthlings, are not particularly uncommon. Each planet retrogrades, except the Sun and Moon. Although a powerful astrological influence, Mercury is quite a small planet that travels at a relatively fast speed through the zodiac. Despite being the closest planet in our solar system to the Sun, he is not always in the same sign as the Sun. This time, Mercury turns retrograde in Gemini (variety; sociability), while the Sun is in Taurus (security; material pleasures), but retrogrades into Taurus while the Sun is in Taurus. The Sun moves into Gemini while Merc is still in Taurus, but Mercury soon thereafter heads back to join the Sun in Gemini!
Go to Top Fated Events

As a rule, retrograde planets mark a period of seemingly inevitable or fated events that relate to their sphere of influence. Unresolved issues from the past tend to rear their heads. Retro phases present us with a series of events over which we seem to have little or no conscious control, relating especially to the sign in which the retrogradation occurs. For example, Mercury retrograde in Gemini (variety; sociability) awakens quite different sets of circumstances from those generated when he retrogrades into Taurus (security; material pleasures).

A retrograde period is best seen as a cycle, beginning when a planet begins to slow to a halt before travelling backwards through the zodiac, and ending when it returns to the point where it first paused. However, during the cycle, a planet’s energy is most powerful (and more likely to generate critical events of universal importance) when the planet makes a station: appearing motionless in the sky.

These stationary periods occur near the beginning of the cycle (when the planet first halts as it prepares to move backwards) and midway through the cycle when the retrograde planet slows to a stop before moving forward again. The direct station (when the planet halts before moving forward again) is the most powerful and can be used for maximum benefit.

Many astrologers consider that the “Mercury Shadow” begins between two and three weeks before the actual retro station (on April 23, when Mercury passes the point of direct station for the first time in this cycle). This has some justification, but I am more inclined to think that the really noticeable peculiarities begin when Mercury slows significantly, a few days before the retro station. This period of “Mercury Shadow” extends to the Return date, something under three weeks after the direct station. Bear this in mind, because experience shows that the effects of the retro period are still marked during the “shadow” phase. Some of the most characteristic annoyances often occur just after Mercury makes the direct station, while he is crawling forward before picking up speed.

And it’s in my sodding sign

Mercury Retrograde in Gemini
Gemini, the Twins

When Mercury is retrograde, everyone’s thinking is more introspective; we tend to think about issues and concerns that relate to the sign involved. With Mercury retrograde in his own sign Gemini, people with this sign prominent in their charts will be especially prone to such introspection. Gemini is a Mutable Sign, so the other Mutable Signs, Pisces, Virgo and Sagittarius will also receive a touch of the lash!

In fact, Mercury turns retrograde in conjunction with President Barack Obama’s natal Moon in Gemini, but in an excellent aspect with his natal Jupiter, Lord of Fortune. This aspect is a good thing, even if his mind is a little confused by all the pressure! His dealings with foreign powers and should prove beneficial, though he will need to watch what he says, as his concealed foes will be waiting with knives drawn. In my article on Jupiter’s 2009 transit of Aquarius we saw that that he has a six month period of grace after his inauguration. Well that period is more than half over and, despite the rhetoric, the main thing he seems to have done is to throw money at the problem. This will no doubt be a testing phase for his government.
Fixed Stars

Mercury turns retro at 1°44′ Gemini, conjunct the Fixed Star Mirfak in the constellation Perseus, which stimulates events affecting large numbers of people, especially events caused by major meteorological phenomena. Perseus is associated with showers of gold (known to science as The Perseids, a meteor shower in mid-August) so perhaps this opens the coffers of world financial hoards, probably to their sorrow. Alcyone, the central star of The Pleiades, is also activated, showing that ambition, power and glory get a trot, too. Let’s hope it’s not hubris, with all those billions of government subsidies sloshing around the palaces of the financial lords and wizards who have brought the world to its current parlous state. Perseus is given the Tarot trump of The Hanged Man, who can see what’s going on but can’t do much about it! It’s a time of sacrifice and restructuring into a completely new paradigm.
The Hanged Man
The Hanged Man

We need too to watch out for trouble through the opposite sex, for the energy of this constellation is one of feminine power – and male homosexuality! Love and money is the flavour of the month. In fact the whole sense of this period is swathed in the feminine, as Mercury moves over the Gorgon’s Head, the baleful Caput Algol, the most feared of the Fixed Stars, and turns direct in conjunction with her. Perseus, you may remember, slew Medusa (the Gorgon), then turned the sea monster, Cetus, to stone using the sight of her hideous head to do the dastardly deed. Mind you, he saved the beautiful Andromeda and so gained the kingdom and lived happily ever after, so all’s well that ends well. They say the means justifies the end, but in this phase, the means is a rough and rocky one…

Mercury retro in Gemini tempts us to leap into something new and untried, or to escape to some other place. Although Gemini is the sign of the mind and of communication, the retro period can see us swamped in a mass of detail, especially if matters that should have been completed in the past return to haunt us. An unduly fluid state of mind can lead to indecision and confusion, mainly through a breakdown in communication, or related equipment such as phones, computers, fax machines
and the like. Judgements are unclear and fickle, and it’s hard to know good value when you see it. Frustration arises in connection with information and ideas that come your way. Resist the temptation to take offence at criticism, especially if it wasn’t meant to be taken personally.

Preconceived opinions can damage business transactions and consultations of all kinds, especially with salespeople, lawyers and advisors. Be very sure to check the fine print and do not sign important contracts unless you are absolutely clear on what they entail. Any negotiations should be scrutinised, as the potential for deception is high. In particular, matters connected with literature, media, sales, draftsmanship, linguistics and music are inclined to be blocked in some way. Writers and salespeople can experience significant blocks to their energies. It’s a good time to chill out. This position can indicate proneness to repetitive stress injury to the hands and arms, carpal tunnel syndrome, etc. and we would all would benefit from regular massage.

Mercury remains in Gemini until May 13th, when he rolls back to Taurus, reawakening the Pleiades and creating blocks due to obstinacy and stubbornness, as people cling to old ideas, though musical and artistic projects can be stymied, along with the desire for a secure, sensual life of undiluted pleasure! He returns to Gemini on June 14th, but read on for more on Mercury’s stay in Taurus.