I Won a LELO SONA 2 Cruise! (Plus Other Vibrator Talk)

NO. FREAKIN. WAY. I won a LELO SONA 2 Cruise and it really showed up in my mailbox. 😲 When I saw a giveaway for it online a couple months back, I thought "lol whatever, might as well try." When they emailed me in June to tell me I'd won and get my info, I thought "riiiiight. I'm never getting this." but put my address in just in case. IT'S HERE. 

No joke, this toy in this color (black) have been the at the top of my sex toy shopping list — an actual list on my phone — since around the time it came out. In fact, when I logged into LELO to register this one for warranty protection today, it was still in my shopping cart. 😂 

I still love my Soraya (the other black and gold LELO toy in these pics), but am obviously VERY excited to ummm...go on this Cruise, probably right after I finish posting this. 

Some tl;dr some of you may also find interesting:

-I feel like Sean and I win things fairly often these days just by putting ourselves out there a lot. Though you should still do your best to weigh your odds before investing too much into an opportunity, I've learned that people who dismiss thoughts of not being likely to achieve or win and just try anyway tend to find themselves "lucky" much more of the time than you'd expect.

-I can already tell that the SONA Cruise I just received is by far the most convenient vibrator I've ever owned with USB charging (no AAs needed), a fairly compact size that fits perfectly in hand, and very little sound. Assuming it's as toe-curling as the reviews promise and as it feels to the touch, I have a good feeling about it becoming my new go-to travel toy — and possibly even my main!

-I bought my original LELO Soraya back in 2009 or so, give or take a year, for around $200. That was by far the most I've ever spent on a vibrator, but I was sick of wasting money on crap toys that gobbled batteries and broke within weeks, and I definitely ended up getting my money's worth. (See pic of my well-worn toy in 2018.) When it finally died in 2018, it was still juuuuust within the 10-year warranty, and LELO actually sent me a brand new replacement 100% free of charge (even free shipping). I just had to send them my old one. 😬

-I've actually been picking up old school "massagers" here and there from thrift stores, swap meets, etc. for several years now, usually for $1 and never for more than $8. I just sanitize them. (Yes, I'm nasty. Oh well. If it feels good, idgaf.) Though they're always wired and therefore no substitute for my wireless LELO and other toys in that regard, they're actually often at least as mind-blowing as any expensive toy I've tried. Turns out you don't always get what you pay for.

-Although I'm suuuuper excited to see whether my new SONA Cruise will make me eat my words, BY FAR the best vibrator I've EVER used is the ancient, red and black Vibra Queen I picked up at a swap meet in Oklahoma, I believe it was, for $1. (See pic above.) OH MY GOD. If I don't find anything that can keep up before this one kicks the bucket, expect to start seeing me very grumpy. 😡 Counting on you, SONA Cruise!

Earrings: Little Plugs, New Look in Progress

Small change. Since working out with heavy earrings in for years as a teen, my earlobes have never been the same. For the most part, two small hoops in each ear has been my go-to look since then and is probably how you'll have seen me over 99% of the time in the recent half of my life. I've rarely thought twice about it, but it felt like time to try something new. It was $1 on eBay for this little pair of black plugs. I switched my nicer hoops to the back for now but could use some ideas for hypoallergenic (I'm allergic to nickel) studs or earrings that would work better with the plugs, given my look. (See pics. Yes, I slept in my makeup but wasn't about to stress over that to post about my earrings. 😂) I'm partial to stainless steel and black for a low maintenance, durable, goes-with-everything look. 🤔

Hiten Trivedi, Game Nest, and Ichiza 7/15/21

A couple of nights back, Sean, our friend Jewel Rodriguez, and I had the pleasure of getting to meet a fellow dance gamer named Hiten Trivedi! He's been driving cross country, moving from Boston, MA to San Jose, CA, so it only seemed right to try and give him a warm west coast welcome as he made his way down through Las Vegas. ☺ We met up at a local arcade called Game Nest — which, amazingly, Sean and I had still never been to til now, despite it haven't tons of rhythm games, including DDR and PIU — and then got dinner at Ichiza.

Jewel & Sean: thank you so much for coming out with me. I always appreciate your efforts, and it was good getting out with you both again. ❤

Boston: I'm sorry for your loss, but we'll do our best to take care of this guy for you. 😁

Hiten: Welcome to the wild west, and I hope it lives up to your every expectation. Give our love to the bay area homies 😛🥰, and we'll be looking forward to hearing all the details of Cali life for you when we catch you at some arcade or dance game event in the near future!