Ariel – Page 4 – CEPHALOBLOG

The Squid Hunter

Pepper viciously attacks a squid - Photo by Ariel Servadio

Okay, I’ll admit it: I’ve been a bad Cephaloblogger for the last two weeks. As in, I haven’t been posting anything since I announced that Jeanna won the Lunapads Contest.

And there’s no excuse for it, because just in the last week there have been a slew of wonderful things for me to blog about – Thomas Beatie giving birth to his second child (a little brother for Susan!), Chastity Bono transitioning (and Jamison Green writes a fantastic response to Chaz’s announcement), the turmoil in Albany threatening the passing of the Marriage Fairness Bill.

But, I do have an excuse: I’ve been really busy! And while I have plenty of posts brewing in my head (and in my WordPress dashboard), I haven’t had the time to sit down and fully flesh them out yet (with the exception of this pathetic excuse for an explanation of my absence).

So, just be assured that more Cephaloblog posts are on their way in the very near future. In the mean time, entertain yourself with this adorable photo of my beloved cat, Pepper, viciously attacking a squid (she is the squid hunter – Pepp has been engaged in the lengthy process of slowly tearing this squid apart for months).

We Have a Winner!!!

Congratulations to Jeanna for winning the Lunapads Contest Giveaway! Jeanna, please check your inbox for an email from me asking for your shipping info and fabric choice for your Sampler Pack!

Everyone else who entered, please check your inbox for a small consolation prize from Lunapads!

Let me tell you, you ladies did not make picking a winner easy! Just know that I had to narrow it down several times, and then ask for help judging the final three comments! The top three answers were all so close, I honestly wish I could have given them all a Sampler Pack.

I thank you all so, so much for your amazing responses to my questions. The number of comments I received for this contest overwhelmed me, and reading each and every one of your answers was a personal reward for me. If nothing else, this post will be a great resource for women considering making the switch from disposable to reusable menstrual products! They will find 67 incredible reasons why from smart, passionate, amazing women.

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MarriageNY.com

Those that know me personally know that I was recently vying for a position at the Central New York chapter of the New York Civil Liberties Union (NYCLU), a division of the ACLU. Unfortunately, I didn’t get it, but, despite my disappointment, I continue to avidly follow the NYCLU through their website and with my kind-of new Twitter account, as well as volunteering editing and designing my local chapter’s newsletter.

Which is partly why I am so excited about MarriageNY.com. In case you didn’t already know, June is Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Pride Month. In honor of that and the Marriage Fairness Bill, which has already been passed by the State Assembly and is waiting for approval from the Senate, MarriageNY has declared itself a campaign set to prove to dissenters that all couples and all families deserve to be granted equal rights, including the right to marriage.

The MarriageNY website tells you what you can do in a few seconds, minutes, or hours to help make marriage equality happen in NY. This includes following the campaign on Facebook and Twitter, sending a letter (or anÂ online fax)Â toÂ or calling your Senator, and volunteering at Pride events in your area. You can also view videos from all sorts of different couples and families on why they believe in marriage equality. I’ve included some of my favorites after the jump, as well as another commercial from the Empire State Pride Agenda.

If you haven’t already, please check out MarriageNY.com and help in the fight for marriage fairness.

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You, Too, Can Pee Standing Up

Of course, all women have the ability to pee standing up. Millions are probably doing it in the shower as you read this. (You know that it happens).

But few have the ability to do so without urinating all over their legs or feet. Or without having to completely remove their pants and underwear. Or without having to stand or squat in an incredibly awkward and unnatural position.

Well, hover over that disgusting porta-potti seat no more, because there are plenty of ingenious devices that have been created for women, by women, to aid in making peeing like the boys do easy and comfortable.

For those scratching their heads, wondering why a woman would ever want to pee standing up, here’s a few reasons:

Dirty, disgusting public bathrooms/porta-pottisÂ
Camping and/or hiking and you don’t want a bear to see your bare ass
Long road trips with no rest stops in site
Boating (because not everyone wants to have to jump in a lake to pee)

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Giant Squid? I Don’t Think So

Photo Courtesy of IMDB.com & Edited by Ariel E.M. Servadio

I took my younger brother and sister to see Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian this weekend.

As a lover of the Museum of Natural History, I laughed along with the first movie, Night at the Museum, enough to be able to ignore its cheesier moments. Also a lover of the Smithsonian Museums, I was confident this would be true for the second as well – and it was, except for one glaring flaw.

As I was notified by my Google News Alerts, many reviews of Night at the Museum 2 promised a specimen of a giant squid come to life. This, of course, was a big draw for me – the only thing I enjoy more than giant squid specimens are, in fact, live giant squid (well, I think – I’ve never met one in person).Â

Yeah, well, that’s a great thought and all, but whoever did the animation for this movie royally f’ed up: their so called “giant squid” was actually a giant-squid-colored extra-large octopus!

Interestingly enough, while looking for pictures of the offending cephalopod (I couldn’t find any, unfortunately – but see the hint of octopus-ness in the movie poster above) I found that the Smithsonian’s own website notes the error themselves while showing one of the giant squid exhibits that inspired the movie:

“The so-called ‘squid’ in the movie bears little resemblance to this streamlined creature, one of two giant squid specimens in the museum.”

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Lunapads Contest Giveaway Ends in One Week!

Just a reminder to enter the Lunapads Contest Giveaway if you haven’t already – it ends in a week from today, on May 31st at 11:59 PM!Â it has ended! A winner will be announced by June 5, 2009!

If you haven’t heard already, I’m giving away a Lunapads Sampler Pack (worth $25!) to the woman who leaves the best comment regarding why she wants to switch to reusable menstrual products or why she thinks women should switch to reusable methods.

The responses have continued to be amazing and it will be so difficult to choose a winner – but to make me feel a little less guilty for only being able to pick one of all of the amazing comments, everyone who enters gets a Lunapads-related consolation prize.

The post to leave your comments on, as well as the complete contest details, is here. I’ll be announcing a winner (and non-winners will receive their prizes) the first week of June!

P.S. Don’t forget to check out Lunapads’ fabric swatches so that you can pick your favorite color/pattern if you win!

Green Porno

I just started watching Isabella Rossellini’s Green Porno series on the Sundance Channel with my mom last night. Never vulgar, always adorable and incredibly informative – this is a brief series that you don’t want to miss.

If you haven’t heard of it, Green Porno is a collection of approximately 2-minute-long films in which actress Isabella Rossellini describes different species’ mating habits using clever costumes and props.

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A Day in the Life of a GTA

Ammre (right) at her GTA Certification Dinner - Photo Courtesy of Ammre Ulrich

Many women dread getting a pelvic exam from their gynecologists just once a year. Ammre Ulrich has gotten 13 in one day.

A medical marvel? Excruciating torture? Nope, just another day at work as a GTA.

I had never even heard of GTAs before Ammre became one.Â In fact, the first words that came to mind when hearing the abbreviation “GTA” were “Grand Theft Auto”, because my little brother has a Playstation 2.

But as far as my friend Ammre is concerned, GTA stands for “Gynecological Teaching Associate”, not a felony.

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Transgender Girl

I’m going to try not to ruin this by saying too much, but, basically I think this is amazing. Please watch the video to see what I mean.

I honestly believe that if all transgender people were given this opportunity – to live as who they really are from the youngest age possible – not only would society have less of a problem with it, but they would endure so much less pain, depression and struggle for acceptance (because people would know them as who they really are for a much longer period of time).

I think it is awesome how incredibly supportive her parents are. I realize that it must have been a very hard choice for them to make, to allow their daughter to live as she is, and they probably face opposition to their decision every day.

I only wonder if hormone replacement therapy or sexual reassignment surgery will be done at an earlier age (if she chooses to do either)? Will they be more/less effective before/during puberty? Will it result in a smoother transition, physically?

I don’t want to get all John Money crazy here and start changing a baby’s biological sex before the age of one (PLEASE read As Nature Made Him), but I do think if a child is old enough to tell you, repeatedly, that wish they were the opposite sex, or that they are a different gender “inside”, then they should be able to transition.

Sucker

Wow, Ammre has been providing a lot of Cephaloblog content for me lately. You’ll especially see what I mean next week. But I digress – of course, it was she who pointed me in the direction of this lovely 100% silicone tentacle from EdenFantasys.comÂ pictured above.

Guess where it goes! I’ll give you a hint – giant squid do it deeper.

P.S. Don’t forget to enter the Lunapads Contest Giveaway!