i'm tired and i wanna go home!

Last class is done and i am back in my hotel room. i had a blast, it's a good event. Great selection of teachers.

i don't have a ton of finished work - that's not what this trip was about. It was to learn technique, break some barriers (both in what art i do and traveling alone) and to feed my soul. All those things were accomplished.

i had a blast with Keith Lo Blue, i nailed the first rivet i did (pun?) and then made a mess of the next couple but i did get 2 pieces done and they're still holding together! He's also got the BEST pair of goggles i've ever seen (yes, even better than those goggles) i tracked a pair down online. Turns out, they're Japanese WWII issue. Fabulous! And truly practical. It was nice to meet a fellow goggle nut.

All 3 classes with Tracy Bautista rocked. They were exactly the challenge i hoped they'd be, but by the end of the weekend, i really felt good about the work i did. For me, her classes were about breaking through a huge barrier that my father gave me by telling me i wasn't an artist, my art sucked and giving me an intense fear of being a failure. As i packed up my stuff, i called out a big "thank you Traci" and she called me back and gave me a gift. (Like the classes weren't gift enough.) Sweet! i'll hang it in my studio to remind me of the good work that can be done if i get over myself.

i'm off to get packed up and try to figure out my return directions. i miss my dogs, my bed, my tea pot and most of all, i miss my sweet Master! Thanks to everyone who called and checked up on Him and me this weekend. It meant a lot to me to hear about all the calls and emails. Surrounded by love and covered with paint - that's me!

PS: Jack, yes - i DID use glitter. It was green. It's all over my room. It's freakin' me out! :-)

why is everything all covered with goo?

i am covered in paint, ink, dye, glue, gel medium and gesso. i am happy and exhausted. i can't beleive i have 3 MORE DAYS of blessed creating. Today was intimidating: there are some major fabulous artists here. But such an out pouring of generosity. People at these things trade small bits of art with each other. i didn't bring anything to trade but i've been handed several goodies. Favorite so far is a cute, purple, hand felted wool pin in the shape of a skull. The lady gave it to me just because she thought i looked like a purple skull girl! :-) LOL! me?

i won 3 door prizes at the reception: more art supplies! Lucky gal!

i miss Master Larry and the Canine Dynamic Duo more than i can put in to words. i'm going to enjoy the rest of the weekend, with out a doubt, but i am looking so forward to being in Master's arms again! (not to mention, i can't sleep with out all of His snoring!) *blat*

off to bed!
G'Night!

whirlwind Sunday!

So, when a slave comes home after yet another rotten day at work (It's
been super stressful, trying to save the business with my one big
pharmaceutical client) and finds that Master has not only grilled
Himself some outstanding chicken burgers but has also made some for the
slave, brought her dog bowls outside to the patio so she can eat with
Him... she's a very happy girl indeed!



To recap my week, in a nutshell - it was pretty bad. Between the stress
of packing and 2nd guessing the classes i picked for myself, the whole
mess going on at work, The Aunt making me crazy...and for some reason,
after all this time i got really mopey about the person that i was sort
of involved with. It's pretty sucky for some one to just stop calling
entirely. At least have the balls to say "hey, it's not working" or
what ever. *sigh* At least i got some great late night phone
conversation while i working in the studio and some good car sex out of
it and i'll just have to leave it at that, i suppose. i guess if they
weren't going to be able to be communicative while things were new and
easy, then they wouldn't have been able to handle any thing deeper, so
i'm better off. Yeah, that's it. i'm better off..... i just don't feel
like it though.



my boss handed me another pharma client this week, unexpectedly. He
took me to see them on Friday, i was completely unprepared: dressed
like a slob, no make up, hair askew (it was Friday, after
all!) But it went really well... They've got 3 locations i'll have to
take care of so that brings my total up to 5 places. No bad for the shy
girl who hates talking to new people! (see, running for leather titles
has it's benefits!)



Packing for the trip almost done. There's a mountain of stuff in the
front hall: 1 large carry on bag with tool box, paints, glue, etc. a
big case with The Big Scary Drill of Doom (thanks pug!) a big computer
bag full of ephemera for multiple classes, another small tool case, 2-2
gallon zip lock bags of supplies. Plus i have to pack the cooler, a big
box of food to cook when i'm down there, kitchen supplies, oh - and
clothes for me to wear! :-) i've started making a "special" head for
the DADA doll class. i'm shooting to get 2 dolls done and they're
giving us one head. Hence the extra i'm taking. Can't have too many
heads, i always say.



Between now and Wednesday morning i have to: get my hair cut, find time
to dye it, bake a loaf of bread, cook a bunch of chicken to take with
me, finish sorting some alphabet rubber stamps (about 4 million of
them), fix up and print and renew our contract (!) and... and... oh,
yeah, go to work and try to finish up everything that's pending for my
old client. ACK! i need a vacation from my vacation! Maybe i'll just go
to Kentucky..... *grin*



Off to finish dinner and a beautiful fresh home made focaccia bread..... blissy bliss!

Oh, one more thing: i think i get to say "Welcome to the Family" to some one.... Master's on the phone having a conversation right now.... Yay! Hurray! i like it when things work out well.....

Connections: past, present, future...

Whoo Hoo! What a great weekend! Aside from the crazy Aunt, doing crazy aunt things, the 3 day weekend was Awesome. Friday was a chance to re-connect with Master. Saturday was spent connecting with a ton of new people and building a new friendship. Celebrating talent and hard work and darn good music with good food, good drink and amazing people.
As much as i love teaching, going to classes, events, bar nights... it was so nice to be "off leash" so to speak and just talk about music and non-leathery things. Although protocol was certainly not non-existent for me (i still needed to serve Master and check in with Him) i was able to relax and have fun. Only one M/s "error" when i started claiming dirty plates from guests and taking them to the trash.... one guest was saying to me "i've never had anyone take my plate before. Why are you doing that?" LOL, i guess i'm just helpful that way. *grin* i think she knew what was going on but i fluffed it off. Another guest was commenting on the lovely collar, she definitely knew it was a collar. Hmmm... well, let's give people something to talk about, i say.

i'm happy to have made this connection. It's not easy for me to have friends who are not in the "scene" because i sometimes feel like i can't be my self. With this person, i honestly feel like i absolutely can be my self. i don't know why. i usually don' trust people right out of the gate like this but there's just something there. Maybe it's because he's authentic in his actions? Could be. Either way, i'm happy with it.

i'm glad to be back in touch with my old Love (oh, stop it! i'm not calling You old!) who has been commenting on this blog. (HI! *slave waves in direction of Kentucky*) It's nice to still feel connected. After all this time. Across all these miles.

Happy girl, all around.

And, none of the buttons fell of my new dress.

Woman alone = Trouble?

Master's Aunt is nagging again.
First, she annoyed that we're unwilling/unable to spend over $1,200 to fly to Florida to go to a family birthday party for *one* day.

Secondly, she offered to pay for us to go but Master declined. It's not just the cost the flight, it's the dog sitter *and* i'm leaving for the retreat just 2 days after that party - He knows that i need to pack and prepare and honestly, He'd like to spend the weekend with just me before i leave for a week. (Seriously, this is the longest we've ever been apart in all the many years we've been together. We've never been apart for more than 4 days!)

Thirdly.... She's mad at Him for "letting" me go on this trip alone. A woman alone could get in to trouble. Could *cause* trouble. Is a trouble magnet. (As my beloved Mr. Terricloth says "Trouble is my middle name!") Oy!

So, she's declared that she's going on the trip with me!

What? Excuse me? NO!!!!!!!!!!! As my beloved Mr. Terricloth once said to an Army recruiter "i'd rather stick needles in my eyes."

For the life of me, i can't even imagine what she's thinking. She'd die on an 8 hour car ride. i have classes from 9 a.m until 9:30 p.m. every day so, i'd not be entertaining her at all. She couldn't come to the classes with me as most of them are sold out *and* she'd hate what i'm taking.
(Really, she'd look at it all and sniff "this isn't art, it's trash!")
(To which i'd sniff back "it's not trash, it's assemblage!")
(And then, we would have a brawl and i would leave her there and drive home alone.) *grin*

Master told her to knock it off and stop buggin' me. Hopefully she'll listen.

Party Dress, Acceptance, Travel

What made me thing a dress with 16 buttons was a good idea? i hate making button holes! Yes, ok - it looks great. It's all done but sewing on the last 11 buttons and the final hemming. i think it's got a delicious 50's feel to it. It's an awful black and red lotus print. Fun! Tacky! me! i'll post pics when it's really done. i just need the right shoes to go with it.... i'm thinking my black and white checkered sneakers.

i *finally* got my acceptance letter for the SoulCollage facilitator training. Hip Hip Hurray! Exciting news! i've already been giving some thought as to where i'd want to do the facilitating. There are some places nearby that would be receptive and i'm thinking *maybe* of Southwest Leather. i mean, it's the home of the woo-woo... SoulCollage is woo-woo. Sounds like a perfect fit to me! i gotta get busy writing a proposal, i guess.

Master also told me this morning that we were nominated for Pantheon of Leather Couple of the Year. Whoever nominated us: Thank you so much! It really does mean a lot to us to be nominated.

Master and i are off from work tomorrow. i think there's going to be a lot of relaxation (and sewing on of buttons) and i really need to do a through check of all my supplies for the retreat. i've got all my metal working stuff for my class with Keith Lo Blue, and all my paints, glues, papers, and ephemera for the other classes. i'm looking most forward to the classes on assemblage. (Keith's class, The DADA dolls and there's another class on collage i'm taking.)

i am scared of the other classes i'm taking. The work is NOT my style and i had to really push myself to sign up for these particular classes. One of the artists/teachers is big in to what she calls "girly glam" but she does this amazing graffiti style work. Um, i think i'm maybe more girly goth so we'll see what i get out of this. Hopefully i won't have the urge to just coat everything with glitter! (not that glitter is a bad thing!) i am diggin' the graffiti style stuff though. Hmmm, in fact: it just dawned on me that i know someone who does that. i'm going to have to pick his brain.

Ok, i'm off to clean my desk at work so i can enjoy tomorrow stress free!
Peas!

New music, scrap metal and me...

my friend Eric of voodooNouveau put out his new CD a few weeks ago and it's been in heavy rotation in the house. If you like good, hard music - please check it out. It's available for download here. Kinky folks will probably appreciate the song INRI the most. i know that i personally am diggin' the lyrics and the whole dirty dungeon vibe of that particular track.

Things have ground to a halt with my 'person'. yeah, it's sad. They made me quite happy and made me feel like a Princess. But the Princess likes to have her calls returned and doesn't like being ignored. So, i move on.

i'm busy putting together my tools and supplies for my Art conference. i can't believe it's only a few weeks away and i'm still blown away that i am, indeed, still able to do this trip. To be honest, if i had to fly, i wouldn't be able to afford it. At all.

So, one of the things that i need to bring is any kind of assorted "found" objects - a la big chunky metal and industrial type stuff. i had noticed a big, beautiful (to me anyway) piece of metal laying in the street but it was in a really crap spot for me to stop and pick it up (too much traffic, sort of dangerous). i mentioned it to Master and lo and behold, Sunday it appeared at home. Yup, my Master risked life and limb to get it for me. That means more to me than a bouquet of flowers. He's my hero! :-)
We're such a couple of romantics, huh?

We're off to CT this weekend to teach for The Society and there might be as many as 60 people there. Plus some folks from Boston are coming down and that's exciting!

In the mean time, i'm busy sewing an awesome party dress. Where will i wear it? Who knows? Perhaps next weekend.... *grin*

i have a really good life, even if sometimes things don't go according to plan.

is this thing on?

i've been having trouble using Scribefire to publish my stuff... This is just a test to see if my formatting blows up again...
Oh, technology is so grand! *snark*

busy busy bee..

Gosh, it's been busy around here. i realized today that i still have some unpacking from San Diego to do. Yeah, i've been that busy!
i had Good Friday off from work, which was SO nice. i got a lot of Art done. (Master gave me a "core" day so i could do what ever i needed to feed my "core"/Soul. So, what did i do? i made SoulCollage cards. So far, i have 6 in my deck. It's a very gratifying process. i'd like to have a nice pile of them when i go for my training as a Facilitator in September, but whatever i have done is what i have done. (just let it go, barb, let it go...)

Saturday was spent partially re-connecting with my Beloved Jack Terricloth. Sweet man he grew up to be! It was an awesome concert and it did my heart good to see him looking so healthy at the end of 6 months on the road. So people are just born to be on the road.

Sunday i was told to clean out Taybor's cage so that i get to use it for naps! Hurray! Hurrah! Puppy Play for me! It's in a great spot in my studio, right by the window, so i can get a cool breeze if the windows open and maybe growl at the neighbors as they walk past. :-) Fun! Taybor's a bit annoyed that i threw out his old stinky bed, but he hasn't been in that crate for about 2 months now. my babies are all grown up now. *sniff*

Some more supplies arrived for the big retreat i'm going on next month. This batch was mostly metal working tools, hammers, etc. Plus Master got me a big pile of fancy pens for the graffiti class. Whoo Hoo! i ma really glad i'm driving to this retreat. There's no way all this crap would fit in a couple of suit cases on the plane.

Ok, back to work with me so i can earn more money for glue and wire and shiny art supplies...

San Diego... my ancestral homeland

Well, this is going to sound completely cheesie but as many cool places as we've been during our title year, San Diego felt like i came home. (except for the fact that i didn't have my dogs stepping on my liver the whole weekend.)

The people: awesome, friendly, warm. The Leather community: tight, together, family. The city itself: the bits that we got to see were amazing. i'm trying to figure out - then you have such a big center of culture and art and nature that is Balboa Park - is it a reflection of how great the community is or does that big beautiful park reflect it's sweetness on the people? i guess, either way, it doesn't matter. i just flat out love the place.

i'm still wiped out from the trip so i'm keeping this short right now. my solo class went well. Our hosts were amazing. Balboa Park is my new home, as far as i'm concerned. Although the squirrels are weird there....

Here's one funny pic from the park. Does any one see any resemblance there?

she's back!

So... well.... Wow. Where did the time go? People who know me deeply
know that March is a really tough time for me. Yeah, i re-live some
deeply traumatic things from my childhood. i feel... well, i feel
regret sometimes at how bad shit was when i was growing up and the
things that happened to me. i feel anger at how absolutely rotten my
parents were. i feel deeply the loss of my first love. (Yes, You, Jack.
i'm talking about You!) But i as i relive the trauma drama that was my
childhood, i also feel so loved and respected and glad that things
turned out the way they did. If it wasn't for the struggle that i went
through, i wouldn't be the person that i am today. So, i am greatful,
in the end for all that i went through. i just wish, sometimes, with my
little girl heart, that it hadn't been so damn hard. (Thank you sp for checking up on me while i was hiding in my Cave of Self Pity for the past few weeks)



i've also been freaking out because it was looking like, due to the
title holder financial drain, that i wasn't going to get to go to my
Art retreat. i actually went so far as to try to cancel it but i missed
the cut off date. DOH! So, being that i'd already laid out a HUGE chunk
of cash for the classes and wasn't going to get that back - i made
alternate housing plans. i'll be doing the cheap ass hotel with a
kitchenette deal and bringing all of my own food with me for the trip.
The whole thing, which was becoming such a mass of anger in my heart,
has now become a personal challenge. i'll do the trip and i'm making it
my personal goal to spend not one dime other than on the gas to get
there and back. No bottled water, no purchased Starbucks coffee... no
candy, no vending machine junk. If i haven't brought it with me, then i
won't have it. It'll be...fun. Well, ok, maybe not fun but i know there
are people who aren't going to this retreat because they can't afford
the classes, never mind the outrageous hotel expense. i'm lucky enough
to have the cash to pay for the classes, who am i to whine about having
to stay off site in a not so fancy hotel?



In other news, the new friendship Master and i began at SPLF is going
along swimmingly. i really love these 2 generous and amazing people!
:-) my life is so full of JOY! ( and a spiffy East German uniform too!
*gloat!*)



And i've struck up a friendship with a person who worked at one of my
clients. Turns out, not only to be an amazing musician and artist and
all round good hearted and smart person but also lives super close to
my house now. Good. It's a good thing to have good peeps nearby. Very
good.



my other relationship...seems to be fizzling. Sigh. Damn. So cute. But
if you don't return calls then i'm not chasing you. i'm actually not
mad or annoyed. Just sad about it and perhaps a bit worried. i hope
they didn't fall off the roof deck at work. (maybe one of the boys can
check that out for me on Thursday? *grin*) It's a shame. This person
would have really enjoyed me in my new uniform. Now they'll just get to
look and not touch. (oops, there i go, gloating again!)



OK, that's enough typing for now. i gotta do some work and then get ready to head off to San Diego this weekend!

2 days 'til Dallas

Wow, it's been a crazy year! i can not believe we leave for Dallas and SPLF in just 2 days.

i know that i couldn't have done this title year without the support and love of my home MAsT Chapters, MAsT Metro NY, MAsT Central NJ and MAsT Philadelphia.


The fund raiser / send off party that my New York boys of Leather and MAsT put on for us last year meant the world to me - for those of you who showed up and shared your love and support, You have my undying love and gratitude.

To the Master and slave pair who repeatedly made donations to our travel fund through out the year, You both rock! i'm not sure that they want to be singled out by name, but i want you to know that each lunch that you paid for on the road was so appreciated! You made a difference.

Lexi, who helped us last year at the contest: Your service was amazing and more than that, your calming influence was such a blessing. You are a Lady! Thank you!

Master Z, Dallas: who puts His birthday spanks on the line each year to raise money for the travel fund. slave catherine, who put her HAIR on the auction block for the travel fund. We have been surrounded by so much love and support this year. Thank you!

The people who took up a collection at dinner on Sunday evening after we won so that we'd have enough cash to buy our vests: that was a true example of what Leather Family is.

my Asbury Park Leather Family: Sal, Dion and Tom. One day at the grocery store, in the parking lot - some men approached us and invited us to a Leather night at a local bar. See what you started? *grin* and now, you can't get rid of us!

There are just so many people to thank and remember. And this girl has some more packing to do, so i will close this entry with a thank you to Ms. Velvet, Beverly of Achella. You were one of the first people in the scene to talk to me and you sold me my first flogger. Every event you were at, you always had time to talk and you made me feel so welcome. When we won, you told me how proud you were and i told you that i hoped we could make YOU proud. This year, Bev, was for you. i miss you so much my friend. You are missed by so many. Blessed be!

Laugh out loud and drive off the road

This morning i saw a delivery truck for a dairy....On the side it said:

"GOLDEN FLOW, THE TASTE YOU GREW UP WITH"

i snorted coffee out of my nose and almost drove off the road.

Comments, anyone? Or am i the only one with my mind in the toilet that early in the morning? :-) i really wish they had t-shirts.

a general plague zone

Everyone, and by that i literally mean every single person in my office is sick. One person is back after being out sick for a few days, another is out sick now after coughing like a barking seal all week. my boss is sneezing so hard that he's getting dizzy, another co-worker sniffling (but she spent 10 days in New Orleans drinking so we won't count her...) i absolutely do NOT want to get sick and miss South Plains! :-( How awful would that be?

i am holding strong. i've started drinking water with White Pine Tincture in it. i'm not allowed to take Echinacea, which raises the white blood cell count and can make those of us with Auto-immune diseases have flair ups.

i like my White Pine, i made it myself. i've been using it since i had my splenectomy. When cold & flu season comes around, it seems to work. When i don't take it at the first sign of a cold, i get really sick. Making this stuff is the best of self-care. Tramping through the woods, collecting the pine, bottling it up, shaking the jars each day.... taking a taste after a few weeks to see how strong it is. Delicious! (Here's my goofy, hippie statement for the day: i can taste how strong that tree is!)

Here's a link to my teacher's page and an article on White Pine and it's uses.

Happy V-Day

Master left this great box of chocolates for me this morning! Isn't it the cutest? The jacket is actually some kind of vinyl and the zipper is functional so, i think this box is going to become some kind of purse or something... That is, once we've devoured the contents.


i got to hear Jane Fonda say the word "cunt" on the morning news, while talking about the Vagina Monologues. Surprisingly enough, the world didn't end. Of course, now everyone's got their collective panties in a bunch. Relax people - it's a play about cunts, and not being ashamed of them - get over it! Personally, i LOVE my cunt. :-) And it's gotten rave reviews lately. But that's besides the point, i am grateful and happy that my body is so fully capable of great delight and pleasure. Ain't the human body glorious and amazing?

So, in honor of my cunt, Jane Fonda's cunt and the Vagina that birthed you - go out and celebrate, if not romance, than the glories of your own fantastic body.

Happy V-Day!

Disconnect/Reconnect

So, most of last week was spent feeling completely disconnected and basically sorry for my sad self.

my neck felt like it was disconnected from the rest of my body - actually, i WISHED it felt disconnected. It actually was incredibly painful and out of whack. Master spent a lot of time massaging me and applying both ice and heat.

Work was just awful. Everyone was cranky, including me. One of my co-workers was out for a few days having minor surgery and i didn't even know anything was going on with her. Disconnected again! (Happy to report that she's fine!)

And then, much to my dismay, a phone call i made wasn't returned. *sigh* disconnected again. Not really a big deal, but after the week that i had - i really needed to hear a friendly voice! So, instead, i reached out to other people who i love dearly and was rewarded with some lovely conversation and much needed emails and texts. i love my peeps! :-)

So, come Friday, i was itching to get some action: i needed PLAY, sex, conversation, connection and human interaction. Really. i was as provocative as i could be on Friday night with out being blatantly disrespectful (and generally Master doesn't like a bratty slave!) But somehow, sashaying around in a tank top and panties that have an goofy owl on the butt is enough to get my ass spanked. i was rewarded for my sassiness with lots of delicious play! Fab! After that, we ended up having some great conversations.... which i almost (ALMOST!) needed more
than the play. (ALMOST!)

Saturday: i again practiced Artistic whining and provocativeness to get my way.

i convinced Master that we REALLY needed to go to the Eagle to support Peter and NYboL and Safer& Saner
after His holiday/work party dinner thing.
(And in the midst of my convincing that we should go out, i managed to strap on and fling Master in the sling!) (ok, i didn't fling Him- He ordered me to do it *grin*)
The work party was brutal - forced in to a conga line.... forced to HOLD HANDS WITH HIS CO-WORKERS and do some wacky circle dance! ack! ack! ack! Non-consensual dancing torture! But we got out of there as soon as possible to head to the Eagle, connect with everyone and carry on conversations that were started earlier in the week. Nice. Bliss! The place was jammed so that, unfortunately meant that i didn't get to have some of the conversations
that i wanted to have, but that'll happen in due course. i did get enough connection to make me happy indeed, so for a change, i will not whine. (patience, practice patience.....)

Sunday was an all day art class in town. i was up early, slightly hung over and bleary from lack of sleep. We were supposed to be making these funky photo layouts with words like "happy" and "splash" and "love" and instead i made things that said "NYboL" and "I M/s 2007"... which lead to a lot of questions. "Whats NYboL?" It's a boys club i belong to. "But you're a girl." i'm an associate and i only look like a girl and these are my brothers. "You have a lot
of brothers? Enough brothers that they have their own club?" Yes, i have a lot of brothers. They're all kinky perverts...
While fending off the questions, i did manage to learn a lot of new techinques and use some fun chemicals i'd never used before. Goggles are handy, indeed.

In the end, i was re-connected in spades.

True to form...

One of us usually comes down sick the weekend of MAL.
Friday, after work, i got my haircut. Chatted with one of my hair dressers clients for a while (OK, flirted.) Came home, Made dinner, felt great. Sat on the couch and in about 15 minutes i had chills and collapsed like a flan in a cupboard. Sweaty, achy, icky mess.
What the hell?

Spent the weekend feeling like crap. i was going to run in to the city last night with my hair guy and surprise someone with an unexpected visit. Instead, i laid around the house feeling like a crusty mess. Ack.

Glad we didn't go the MAL. Maybe next year i'll don a protective suit and respirator right after my birthday and stave of the germs long enough to see D.C.'s finest leather men in action.

Facilitation

Master and i discussed a plan i've been having for a while. i will be taking a class to learn how to facilitate a particular type of Art. (i guess some people would call it art therapy. i think it's intuitive work- like tarot)

i'll be going away in September for a while to do this. In the meantime, i have some work to do to get ready. All the foundations laid at SWLC... manifesting.

The Universe is so generous!

Tuesday 1/15/2008

Not too much i can share here, to protect the innocent. Yes, we got to connect. No, it wasn't the full day together that i hoped for. But, you know - i respect a person who can honor their obligations rather than chase tail. Dinner was lovely. We have all the time in to world to get "the other stuff". Connecting was more important and learning about each other is most important.

And, still, there were enough kisses to make me dizzy. Yes. Indeed.

SWLC - condensed.

Thursday January 10^{th 2008}

Well, i decided not to even try to go to bed. By the time i
was even close to being packed, it was midnight and we had to be up to leave at
3:30. That’s just enough sleep to make me really cranky, so i just stayed up.

The flight was great, i had some stylin’ new music to carry
me along (thanks Eric!) we landed early and we were greeted by SWLC volunteer,
slave tina – who had a thermos of good hot coffee ready for me! Thanks slave
tina! Once we arrived, we were whisked off to lunch at Mimi’s by another
volunteer, Bailey. (Bailey has some of the nicest corsets i’ve ever seen!
Yummy!)

We got checked in, set up the room and hung up our flags and
vests out on the balcony. it was nice to be the first people to do that and
then watch as more and more people arrived and got their banners, flags and
even boots hung up. i love that!

i took about a half an hour to set up my altar for the
weekend. i’ve been focusing on a few things: the directions that i want to take
in life, the way i’d like our relationship to expand, and my Art. There was a
neat little triangular table in the hotel room, with was a nice shape for the
intent that the main focus the altar was going to take. 3 candles lit, 3 bells
to be sewn on to my back on Sunday. 3 of everything. Master even brought along a cool camo knife
that i got to use as my ritual knife during the set up. it felt so right to
have that particular item of our Household be part of what i was asking for. As
it turned out, i was able to light the candles each time we returned to the
room

Good to reconnect with old friends and make some new ones.
Master and i headed off to Olive Garden for dinner and some of the last “alone
time” for the weekend. Pretty heady conversation about what we were focusing on
for the Dance of Souls and what the Universe can manifest for us. Also, being
careful for what you ask for….. Hmmmm…..

Back for the meet and greet and more connecting with
friends. Delicious!

Bed, sleep to the sound of the waterfall in the atrium.
Bliss!

Friday

Judge’s meeting early. The rest of the day was spent
wandering about, spending some quality time with Master Taino and Master Alex,
as well as slave caroline and many, many others. (i finally got my fish tacos! J )

We were honored to meet Luke Owens, the gentleman who
started the Master slave contest. Yes, Luke – You ARE still making ripples in
the community! Thank You!

Opening ceremonies, i was bawling my eyes out during the
tribute to Ms. Velvet (Beverly)
and Sir Robin, who both passed away in 2007. i miss Bev and i wish i’d gotten
to know Sir Robin.

Now, in our registration packet was a cool little Swiss army
type knife. i’ve been thinking for a while now that when i went to SWLC, i’d be
coming home with a new knife. When i opened my packet and the knife fell out, i
thought “oh, that must be the knife i dreamed about, cool.” Later on during the
day, i went to check out the silent auction. There it was. A beautiful, hand
made, well loved, full of life ritual knife. Master and i saw it at the same
time and He exclaimed “i think supposed to go home with you!” Well, easier said
than done – it was on the auction table. We found out a little about the
history of the knife. it turned out that it belonged to Sir Robin. i placed a
bid and then began the long, uncomfortable process of watching the bids
accumulate! What will happen? Who knows?

At the end of the ceremony, Master Taino gave me a flower.
*speechless* :-)

Saturday

Laid back morning, although we were up very early. We
doodled around, did some shopping, checked on my bid and basically relaxed for
most of the day. We spent a bit of time going over our notes for class and then
wandered down to our class room. We both expected no one to be there… it’s not
false modesty, i honesty feel like i’m no where near in the league of some of
the other presenters. So, the class starts filling up and the people keep
piling in….. Now i’m freaking out! it ended up being a full room! We got
started and the questions were flying – awesome, thoughtful questions that
really made the presentation sing. Excellent. i was blown away and felt might
proud of both of us by the end. immediately afterwards, we had to hustle over
to do some more judging. …

After that, room service for dinner – yes, i ate a club
sandwich while showering! Talk about a time crunch – i needed a ton of time to
get my magenta hair to stand up high! :-) During
intermission i got a GREAT phone call. it’s amazing what 3 minutes on the phone
can do to improve my mood. Yeah, lucky girl i am. Plans are a “go” for Tuesday
when i get home. For more details of the contest, please check out Master
Larry’s blog entry here.

To end the evening on an even happier note, after the phone
call – it turned out that i placed the winning bid on Sir Robin’s knife. What
an honor for me to be able to take such an important part if Him home with me.

Sunday:

Up for the brunch and keynote address. i ended up leaving early from that to go back
to the room and do my personal preparations and rituals for the Dance of Souls.
i gathered up my 3 bells, the skirt i was going to wear and a few other items
that i wanted to have with me.

Master Z of Dallas
ended up being my piercer. What a great connection. i was scared but excited. i
was SO ready for this to happen. We fussed a bit with the placement of the hooks;
But He was patient and understanding. Such a calm demeanor that man has! And
then: *growl* the first needle was in. Wow! i loved that He growled right back
in my face. Sexy! Hot! Connected! YES! Second needle, *growl* again! Yes! Then
place the hooks…. Then i turned around for Him to place the needles and threads
for the bells. Yes!

There’s a gentleman
that whenever i see Him, just makes me blush. i don’t know why. i don’t think i’ve
ever said more than 3 words at a time to Him…. He just makes me unable to speak
for some reason. He was standing at the head of the piercing line while i was
getting my back done and was looking me right in the eye – giving me some
silent, smiling support. Thank You Hot Nameless Man! :-)

i scuttled off to the tying stations, first to get my cords
and carabiners then to the next station to get the bells actually tied on.

The rest of the Dance, well… let’s just say it was Magickal.
i got to really reconnect with the Man that i love and serve and respect. my best friend and my Master. i got to pull with many people and got to share energy with friends and
strangers and my whole Leather Tribe. i saw some true beauty that day. i even
got to pull with Master Alex, who i think is one of the few people who
really understands what a big deal (medically) it was for me to be able to get pierced and pull
like i did. Truly an Honor for me.

i can’t even begin to describe what this was like. To anyone
who has never done this or even gone to SWLC – just do it. Show up and live
your life.

After: a communal buffet dinner at the hotel. Food is so
grounding after that and so necessary after dancing for so many hours. 4? 5? 6?
Who knows!

After that: mellow conversation with many and a chance to
finally meet Elwood (hot!) and talk to him. i like that man’s presence. Yes,
indeed. Perhaps we’ll meet again in Chicago?
Yes!

Bed, sleep, bliss……zzzzzz……..

Monday:

Up early, to the airport. Sleep on plane. Home, Dog chaos,
love! Made a call, went to bed….. What does tomorrow hold for me?

The count down is starting to go....

(yes, it's an Exploited reference...)

Still running about packing: all the last minute things, dog food, confirm the dog sitter, print the boarding passes, load my new ipod (a vendor of mine gave me a 4 gig NANO -sweet!) with new music (thanks Eric!) find my headphones.... find Master's headphones...make a call and try to firm up plans for Tuesday when i get home....

We haven't traveled in about 6 weeks and i have no idea how so much stuff got disorganized. We were living out of our suit cases for a while and now i can't find anything! Argh! The pups are completely freaked out by the suit cases - they know we're leaving and they hate it. They keep stealing my socks and underwear.

i even managed to get a new swim suit (ok, i don't swim, so it's a "clutch the side of the pool in a pathetic attempt to not drown" suit) even if i will have to hold my new tattoo out of the water. i am determined to get in the pool at least on Thursday. Even anti-water Master is bringing HIS suit! Whoot!

OK - off to finish packing....

Packing

Oy, why is packing alway such a last minute thing for me? OH, yeah, i remember... i'm not in charge and i need to let go....

On the annoying front - i can't find my other uniform skirt. Crap!

On the happy front - i DO get to dress up for the actual contest portion of our evening on Saturday. :-)
i did have a great day at work, on the road in this weather was a pleasure, crankin' the stereo (old Buckcherry) and open windows, driving fast... Whoot!
i did have an amazing conversation with someone. i LOVE talking music and i miss that a lot. Fun! Nice, i hope the conversation continues sometime.

Master just announced that cigars are packed! Yippee!

i also spent sometime selecting 3 brass bells to have sewn on during the Dance of Souls. Had to make sure the Tones are compatible. :-) OH, Rituals are such fun. (Manifest, Manifest, Manifest!)

OK, off to finish laundry and off to bed. Sweetest dreams! (although the sweetest ones lately leave me breathless and exhausted. Maybe i should wish for dreamless sleep?) *grin!*

Stuffed with Chocolate!

Off to the MAsT Metro NY meeting this morning. Man, is my arm sore! i keep looking down and am startled to see this HUGE tattoo on my arm. She's so beautiful!


i got an amazingly thoughtful gift from sc. Thanks so much! It'll be well used in my studio. After the meeting Master took me to VNYL for a great dinner. We were supposed to meet with the Some One i keep mentioning, but they are horribly ill. As cute as i think baby seals are, when a human is coughing like a baby seal barks, it's not so good. But i did get a call from this person and for me - getting a call to wish me a happy birthday when you're feeling like death warmed over is awesome and important. :-) Feel better!

Dinner was great, we had the same waiter as last time and he's funny and very cute! Master and i split a fabulously decadent chocolate fudge cake with vanilla ice cream and pistachio brittle. OH MY GODDESS! Was that amazing!? It was really enough to serve 3. (maybe next time, *grin*!)

i also got a bunch of great emails and text's from well wishing friends - that really meant a lot to me! :-) Oh, and a call from Master Blair! Oh, and one more email from another, entirely different, cute boy. Sigh....

Now we're home and i am very satisfied. It's been one of the best birthday weekends that i've had in a long time. Maybe since my 29th (Motorhead concert, a blizzard and somehow a stray Brazilian guy ended up in our house.... Long story)

How blessed am i? VERY!

Inky salty ice cream cake!

Well, i started my morning running off the see my new tattoist, Leah. She got there a few minutes after i did (i was early) and we got right to work with the final consult and a few adjustments to the design. Moments later, i was getting the stencil applied and some details drawn on and... and.... hours later, my forearm is covered with the outline of my Victorian Lady Blacksmith! Whoo hoo! Very Steampunk imagery, right down to the cog that she's forging and the goggles perched on her head. Super fetish boots she's got on also. my beautiful steamy pinup! :-)

Then home to an ice pack and a nap. Master cooked dinner for me while i supervised. Great job! Everything was amazing. (i must add, that Master wore my new brown corc's all day to help me break them in. Those bad boys are stiff as hell. His feet are sore and i am grateful!) Post dinner, we each made calls. Trying to wish Master Blair a very happy birthday Herself and i'm trying to firm up dinner plans with... well, you know. :-)

Then: surprise! Birthday ice cream cake a day early (since He won't have me all to Himself tomorrow, what with the MAsT Metro NY meeting and hopefully a shared dinner and all) Delish! and a gift! for me! Master got me this really cool lamp made out of salt. Yes, it's one of these goofy new agey pink salt lamps. i've been eyeing them up for a while. They look cool and i can like it if i ever get a salt craving and there's no snacks in the house.

Now, settled on couch, with Birthday Beer and Spiderman 3 on DVD. Cool! It's been a great birthday weekend so far. Happy 41 to me, i think it's going to be an amazingly interesting year.

In honor of the Caucus:

my friend Eric, of the band voodooNOUVEAU has released a new track from his upcoming CD. i told him that i i liked the track, i'd promote it here. i was blown away by how good it is. (not that i'm surprised - he's an outstanding musician.)

If you are interested in Industrial style, raw synth punk - please go to his myspace page and check it out.

i happily present: The Honest Candidate
Please turn up your speakers! :-)
GO ERIC!

Willful disobedience and Lust.

Yes, Trying to follow orders and falling Prey to Lust is a deadly
combination. i did something perhaps completely out of my
oh-so-obedient character on New Year's Eve. Well, it was at 3 a.m. so
technically it was New Year's Day.



Did i screw up massively? Well, yes. Yes, i did.

Will i admit that i had a good time? Well.....



i actually feel like a little kid - well, if i'm going to be bad, i'm going to be really bad. Oh, i can be so mature! :-)



So, while i feel really terrible for being disobedient, i absolutely
must admit, it the interest of being honest and transparent: i had fun
doing it. In the interest of protecting the Innocent, i give no
details. Those people in my life who know what's going on in my life
right now know of whom i am speaking of. No one else needs to know.



In the end, Master has forgiven my indiscretion - understanding that
even women, even slaves, can think with their small head sometimes.
:-)



We've worked out some Rules of Engagement, which were going to be
worked out at a later date - but things have progressed much faster
than any one anticipated.



All is well.

Christmas Mayhem

So, by 9:00 p.m. yesterday, it looked like an elf threw up in the house. Paper and boxes, ribbons and tags, instruction manuals and candy - everywhere!

Master and i had an amazing 4 days together. We spent Solstice in the City with old friends and my new friend *grin* and Christmas Eve with His family. Christmas day was spent with The Aunt.

i am sad to say that by about 4 in the afternoon, i'd had enough and started to get cranky. She's become such a... well, cranky old lady. :-) Whenever she'd give the Right Wing, just-mild-enough-to-get-away-with-but-still-slightly-racist comment - it was just driving me bananas! i was also getting annoyed (and this is *my* problem, not hers!) by how she's losing her mental acuity. i know that i'm expressing my worry about her by being annoyed - that doesn't make it ok for me to do, i'm just acknowledging that i understand what my issue is. No one enjoys watching a loved one begin to decline.

She had a lot of fun with our crazy dogs. They love going over there and tearing around the house. LiLu loves having someone else to lick and bother. Taybor gets good experience being around other people, since he's very timid for such a big dog.

So, the gifts.... The Aunt gave me a wide assortment of Art tools which i asked for. i was shocked to see a bunch of Master's late Mother's Art tools in the box. i never got to meet her, she died long before i met Master but she was an amazing Artist and also a writer. To be entrusted with her tools was a huge honor for me.

i am always bowled over by the attention that Master pays to what i'm saying through out the year. i'll mention something in April and come Christmas, it's in my stocking or under the tree. i love a Man that pays attention - that, my friends, is a sexy thing! :-) Goodness!

i got Master a sling and frame from the Leatherman. Yup, it really does assemble in 5 minutes. Yup, it's sturdy. Yup, it's broken in. Yup, it's going to remain assembled in the living room until after New Year's Eve! The house reeks of leather and leather sex.

And to wrap up my evening, i'd like to state for the record again: Yes, the inventor of the telephone was a genius who has brought great pleasure and satisfaction to my life, as of late. i'd also like to whine that i do not enjoy the foibles of the modern cell phone service, what with all the static and dropped calls. Having a conversation of a somewhat intimate nature get disconnected 6 times is frustrating - and not in that sexy "well, you'll just have to wait for it" deep voice kind of way. *sigh* Honestly, sometimes a carrier pigeon or telegraph seems like it would be more efficient. (Not that ".-- .... .- - / .- .-. . / -.-- --- ..- / .-- . .- .-. .. -. --. ..--.. " is really all that stimulating.) (yeah, leave me a comment and i'll give you the translation for that, if you dare!)

Happy Solstice to all!

i hope everyone had as fantastic a day
as i did. Saturday Master and i both slept in a bit, good way to kick
off a long weekend if you ask me. Plus, i was allowed to sleep in His
bed by both Him and the dogs. The canine duo cooperated with me and
made a little space for my flannel clad butt. Nice!

Then i scooted off to the kitchen to bake some chocolate drop
shortbread cookies to take with me in to the City tonight. Yes, elf
slave barb needed to do a goofy cookie run! :-) Next thing we knew it
was time to get dressed and head out to Master Jack's presentation for
TES. It took the usual 25 minutes to get to the Lincoln tunnel and
then.... over 2 hours to get in to the City and get parked! Oye! We we
running so late... or so we thought. Turns out Master Jack hit the same
traffic and HE was running late too. TES thoughtfully provided pizza
and soda while we waited, so there was a fun party atmosphere about the
whole thing. The presentation was great, the handout was, as usual,
outstanding and very useful. Lots of good tips for both beginners and
more experienced people.

After the presentation i took Master out for a Solstice
dinner at VNYL. That was a fun restaurant, except Master made me have
the Whitney Houston menu. Ick! Dinner was great, Purple Rain martinis
are delish! (pricey but tasty) i look forward to going there again when
i'm not wearing a corset so i can try some of the appetizers! :-)

We had a leisurely walk over to the Eagle, enjoyed the sights
of the city, all the holiday lights, the smell of the Christmas trees
being sold on the street, people bustling around with their last minute
errands. We spent a few hours chilling at the Eagle and then i got to make
my cookie drop! You know, i am a REALLY lucky girl. i'd also like to
point out that i don't need no stinkin' mistletoe to get what i want
need. Yes, i am lucky! :-)



Traffic was blessedly light and we made it home quickly. A few antics
and we were off to bed. Well, Master was off to bed. i was off to
pacing around the house. Made a call, had some great but all too brief
conversation and then i was finally able to fall asleep. (i guess
sometimes i just need to be tucked in! *grin* )



Yes, Happy Solstice!

Shred Your Bad Memories of 2007Shred Your Bad Memories of 2007

This sounds like fun: anyone got anyone or anything they want to shred? i know i have a few things/people that i'd like to dump in Times Square! Please share your comments!

Shred Your Bad Memories of 2007


NEW YORK (AP) -- In the spirit of starting anew, a business group and the city's sanitation department are inviting New Yorkers to shred their bad memories of 2007.

Everything from photos of ex-lovers to lousy report cards will be fair game when the Times Square Alliance and the New York Department of Sanitation set up shredders in the Times Square Visitors Center for an hour on Dec. 28.

Recycling bins will be available for items that can't be shredded, like embarrassing fashion mistakes, annoying CDs and irresistible - and fattening - chocolate chip cookies. The organizers say they'll also provide stationery for passers-by to jot down memories they wish would go away.

A grand prize of $250 will be awarded to the person deemed to be most creative in letting go of old baggage.

Better get there by noon: At 1 p.m., a sanitation truck will pick up the distasteful, the disturbing, the downright depressing - and cart it all away.

You can pick your friends...

You can pick your friends but you can't pick your family.

It's true.

i am very annoyed right now. In fact, so annoyed that i can't really write anything else right now. i have to cool down first. i think i'll go soak my head in some ice water.

Can someone call Cthulu for me? Please? i have a job for him..... *evil grin*

Thrifting!

my thrift store treasures today:

A Flight suit for Master that fits oh-so-good for $4.00.

A camo BDU shirt for Master for $4.00



and (drum roll please) a great, real-sheep-skin brown leather bomber
jacket for me for 20 bux. Old, nicely worn and broken in. Super warm.
Needs a bit of repair on a few seams and it's hanging up in the bathroom
soaking up huberd's like a sponge. It's going to be a fine looking coat
in a about a week. Will go well with goggles. Needs a aviator's helmet to go with it....Oh, and a full length black velvet dress for $4.00.



i am happy to report that my title vest is hanging safely in the
closet. i keep peeking at it to make sure it's really there. (yeah, i'm
a dork!) i'm on the couch, having a cup of tea and munching on cookies that my Master made for me.
Lucky girl. Grateful girl!

But it's just a vest....

***i wasn't going to write about this, because i didn't want anyone
else to find out about it. But i think this is an important thing, so
i'm sharing it with you all.***



Well, the weather held out so Master gave the go ahead to get dressed
up and head out to the NYboL bar night. As usual, the boys did a bang
up job and packed the 9th Ave Saloon. There was a delightful Santa to
pose with, Mr Eagle 2008, Peter Schwartz. The cake to celebrate the 2
year anniversary of NYboL was great. We had an amazing time taking to
S. D. which for some reason, we just never get a chance to do. It was
nice to get some time with him. i really like the boy's mind! :-)



So, then.. it's time to leave. Master gathered up our coats. We grabbed
a cab, got back to Master's car and.... hey, why is there only one vest
on the back seat of the car? Yeah, my vest. Missing. my heart sank, my
stomach almost flew out of my throat, but since my throat was closed
and i was hyperventilating, it didn't . A million thoughts ran through
my mind:



i'm an idiot.

Master is going to be so disappointed in me.

i'm in big trouble.

Master Jim and slave marsha and Mark Frasier and Cougar are going to kick my ass.

i'm a bad slave.



i was already planned 2 things: my funeral and how i was going to get
another vest and patch made so no one would ever know what i did. i
know i'm not the only person who's ever misplaced a title vest. In
fact, i have rescued a few myself for other people who put them down in
a bar or at an event. But, let me tell you - when it's YOUR vest, it's
the most agonizing feeling that you've ever had.



Master totally kept His cool, while i became a gibbering lunatic in the passenger seat. i made a few calls to the boys to look
around for it and we drove back to the Saloon. There it was. Just sitting
there all alone. my poor vest. i scooped it up, took some well deserved
ribbing from the boys and we headed home.



Since this incident ended up well in the end, it was a great
opportunity to think about what this hunk of Leather means to me. Since
this one was the result of 2 solid years of preparation, soul
searching, darn hard work - it means a lot to me. As a result of all
the work i put in to myself towards earning the title, i've gotten much
better at speaking my mind, standing up for myself and being very clear
about what my needs and wants are. And making sure that they get met.
It's like it's the skin i grew as i was making this journey and found
my true self. Master and i both get big grins on our faces, still -
almost a year after earning these vests. Every time. They're a part of
our personal history and a part of the community's history.



"But it's just a vest." No. No, it is not.

Fabulous!

Master took me to see I AM LEGEND tonight. Fantastic!

i got a package from a new California friend! i can't wait to have a free moment to sit with a glass of Shiraz, lit some candles and open it. Oh, yes, it's so good to have a fellow member of the V.B. Fan Club! Thanks Daddy George! i love You!

After i cooked up an amazing dinner, but before we left for the movie, i got a LONG phone call that i was waiting for. Plans are made, girl is happy, happy, HAPPY! Did i say i was happy? Oh, Yes. Happy, with a capital "Fuck Yeah!"

Fabulous. Lucky girl. me.

Snow NO!

Ordinarily, i get quite jazzed about snow. i love big blizzards, being
snow bound. Baking bread and making soup in between shoveling. Hot
chocolate, steaming cups of chai and snuggling in my fuzzy socks.
Explaining to the neighbors that "yes, i do wear a skirt while i am
shoveling. No, i do not own any pants. Please go away." Taking the dogs
for long snowy walks. This is the first time in a long time that i have
been so anti-snow.



i REALLY want to go to the NYboL bar night! It's their 2 year
anniversary. i feel like we haven't gotten to spend anywhere near
enough time with the boys. We became associate members and then soon
after, won the International titles... so we've been on the road a lot.
They all did so much for us, hosting our fund raiser before we headed
off the South Plains last year, the NYboL Bootblacks took such darn
good care of us.... i just want to go to the party and be festive, damn
it!



Mrs. Snow, Please hold off until Sunday morning, OK?

Topics for discussion

i thought i'd write somethings down before the meeting for MAsT Central NJ tomorrow. i tend to not be the most spontaneous speaker ever during these meetings, so i figured i'd write my stuff down and share it. Comments are welcome and would be much appreciated! Fire away!

** Does our gender/sexual orientation or identification impact upon our ability to form an M/s relationship?

Personally,
i don't feel that gender has any effect on the ability to form an M/s
relationship. With that being said, if your goal in forming a
relationship is not one of M/s but rather to form a sexual, romantic
partnership than, yes: by all means your gender and orientation will
have an impact on the who and how a relationship is formed.
slaves have gender, SERVICE is genderless.
(Forming a
romantic partnership is a noble and beautiful thing. Just be clear that
that is your goal and stop muddying the waters.What is your intention?
Be clear!)



** Are there problems unique to our individual gender/sexual orientation or identification within such relationships?
The
unique problem that i personally have is trying to separate for myself
and for outsiders the fact that i am a feminist and won't put up with
being treated un-equally or disrespectfully by a man. People on the
outside may see what i do as being a wussy and letting myself be
trampled by "my man" when in fact, Him being a man has nothing to do
with the relationship that we have (in my opinion) He could be a woman
and my *submission* would be the same.


** Are there problems that we regard as universal,
regardless of gender/sexual orientation or identification within such
relationships?
The
universal problems are just that: universal. i have seen just as many
gay male pairs having issues with their biological/adopted children as
het pairs. i've seen just as many het pairs arguing over money issues
as lesbian pairs, etc, etc etc....



** What problems arise within M/s Households where gender/sexual orientation or identification of the participants is mixed?
The
problems that i have seen arising in mixed households is that the
personal sexual needs of individuals might not be getting met in a
timely manner. It's hard to find time to serve a person and at the same
time find time to have an outside boyfriend/girlfriend/fuck buddy, etc.
With that being said, there can be just as many issues with a het pair
or gay pair not getting their needs met or making time for their
additional partners. Play time is play time, it's a great thing but,
time is a finite resource. We all need to *make time* to get our NEEDS
met. Finding balance in all your relationships is about making sure
that your wants/needs/desires are being communicated, understood and
acted upon. If making time to get your needs met means sitting down
with a calendar and scheduling it in - the by all means do it.



** What resistance or obstacles have I, as a GLBT, or het individual encountered within the M/s community?
The main resistance i've experienced:
Because i am married, that my Master is really just my bossy husband.

Because we are male and female, we are perceived as being
heterosexual and monogamous. (which can make getting a date sort of
difficult! *grin*)
Because we are male and female, we couldn't possibly be doing M/s correctly.

However, i think i have, by and large gotten more "resistance" from
het people, in the form of their perception that what Master and i are
doing is a bedroom game, the same as they are playing.
What we do isn't playing. It's our lives.

(i'd
also like to add that the resistance that i have experienced has been
actually very little and mostly from people who i find obnoxious
anyway... so it just makes me laugh...)

** Our community is inclusionary of all such orientations...how can we
better serve and support the diversity represented within our community?
First
of all, i don't believe that most our community IS inclusionary of all
such orientations. At all. (However, i think that that is a separate
topic - i'm not even going to try to tackle that here.... Don't even
get me started on the annoying habit of certain people to de-gender
trans people after they have been repeatedly corrected. Have i ever
made that mistake personally? You bet i have. But when the same
incorrect pronouns roll off the same people's tongues, over and over -
then, to me, it's being done on purpose. As a dig. As spite. *stepping
off my soap box now*)
Secondly:
showing up to other groups events would be a really good start. When
other groups in the community invite each other to their parties, and
meetings - it might be beneficial or at least polite to send a
delegation to the events that they've opened to you. Eventually, if
such invitations are extended and not attended and / or reciprocated,
people get the message that you really aren't interested in learning
about them and supporting them and stop inviting you.

Busy weekend ahead and new eyes....

Very busy weekend ahead - tonight is the Leather Bar Night in Asbury Park.... it'll be so nice to see my Asbury leather family tonight. i love the friendship that i've found there. i wish i could see everyone there more often than i do.

There are also 2 other parties to attend this weekend.

And for the new eyes part: i was talking to someone about what i do for a living and they got all excited. What? i mean, yeah, i can get tons of gloves for sex but... oh, wait... i can get not just the occasional pair of Corcorans but i can get RUBBER boots. You know, thigh high rubber boots. Big crazy respirator masks.... other implements of destruction play.Suddenly, my ho-hum boring catalogs become porn when seen through someone else's eyes. i really like the way this person thinks.
Oh. yes. i. do.
:-)

Fear of a blank page...

i've been having a blast getting work done in my Studio. Master peered in the other night and was looking at *me*, not my work and announced how great i was! ( i was working on a collage at the same time as my embroidery machine was whirring away with a design i'd just digitized.) i started to get nervous - is He judging my work? (Right now, i don't think i even want positive comments because i'm afraid it'll jinx me or make me cocky or ... whatever.) But he said "Nope, it's the look in your eyes, you're glowing. you're happy. I like that!" and then He wandered off in search of some candy.... That was NICE!

i had (probably still have) an intense fear of the blank page. Whether it's a diary/journal or a poetry/journal or an Art/journal... it's always hard to get started. i've tried all kinds of rationalizing to get past that. A few things have helped.

1: i read somewhere - "in Art, as in life, you have to make your first mark" i don't want to live a mark-less life, so i'd better get past this, no?
2: i can, if i chose to, leave the first couple of pages blank. They can become an index of the work that's in the later pages or i can go back to them later and fill them up.
3: i can "get over myself" by taking the book, a box of water colors and just filling the entire book, every page with color - so i have an entire book ready to collage in. (This is my current favorite thing. Watercolors still allow me to write on the pages, if i need to. And i do need to!)

Releasing/letting go of that one tiny piece of Art a few weeks ago seems to have unleashed a flood of creativity in me. (i suppose it helps to have an inadvertent Muse in my life!)

i am still practicing my patience skills in other parts of my life. Apparently i am waiting for the correct combination of work schedules, days off, a lack of cold germs and travel schedules and let's just throw in a conjunction of stars and moon while i'm at it. Oy, really, patience is not my strong suit. (i think i'll just wander around singing a few bars of Carly Simon "anticipation.... anticipation is making me wait" but all i can picture is Heinz Ketchup when i do that!) (did i make you all sing along in your heads? Good!)
OK, back to work at my job so i can earn money for Art supplies....

Spent

Great weekend. Not at all as i was envisioning it, but fabulous none
the less. Saturday was some of the hottest, wettest sex that i've had
in a long time. Say it along with me kids: Hydration is your friend.
Sharing your hydration is also your friend.

Post sex, i wandered in to the studio and got to cleaning. Spent an
hour digging out and throwing away. Then i got to gluing. i LOVE having
those big speakers in there so i can have good music while i'm working.
Made a call at 3:30 and then did some more work. In a fit of... oh, who
knows what, i spilled something on a collage i'd been working on, got
mad, tore it up. Ended up re-assembling it with some old German
newspapers and grommets and some hand sewing (sewing through paper
sucks!) and now i like it even more.



By 6 a.m. i was waiting for the phone to ring, watching the snow... i fell asleep.



Master got me up a few hours later and i ended up having my planned
Core day, which was: Studio time. So, i ended up with almost 24 solid
hours of good work done. Finally got that call i was waiting for. Late,
but still so good.



Right now, i am: sexually satisfied, my fingers are stained with ink
and paint, i'm tired and i'm happy and i am spent, in a really good
way. Things are coming together in ways not expected - like a collage
gone awry, glued back together and seen with new eyes. Things are good.
Very, very good.

Contracts, new cars, racing and Christmas....

So, i am glad that my life is not a race. Things that i want are just outside my grasp, so to speak. "Patience in all things" was the motto i used to mutter to Taybor when we first got him and he'd destroy something. i think i need to go back to muttering that to myself. But really, i am actually enjoying the anticipation and well, i guess i'm enjoying the learning process. *grin* Yes, i am being cryptic. That's what Ladies should be, right?

i've been working on the contract changes that Master and i have been negotiating for the past month. It's nice to be able to eliminate some of the things that just don't need to be in there, because we've both out grown them. Equally nice to add in different clauses for things that *i* might need as i realize that my personal needs are changing and my world might be expanding. All i have to say is, negotiating can sometimes be really hot and fun. i like contract renewal time!

i am digging the heated seats in Master's new car. Hot, toasted slave buns! Yummy! And leather seats? Bliss!

Today we loaded up the Advent calendar with chocolates. i didn't have one as a kid (i wasn't raised in a Christian household) and Master's family didn't do one either. i picked one up a few years ago and Master LOVED the idea of one candy per day to lead up to Christmas. First of all, it's just fun. Secondly, both of us can get through the day without snacking on holiday junk food at work if we keep in mind that we get to have a really good, quality piece of chocolate when we get home. It's nice.

i am blissed out on the couch, enjoying a latte, snoring dogs next to me. Thinking about my date night tonight (porno store, xxx film booths, then the go-go bar and then home to watch whatever we buy at said porno store)

Yeah, it's a good life, i'm glad it's not a race.

Carpe Noctum? i'm TRYING!

did i mention that i think the telephone is a grand invention? Yes. Yes, it is.
So, while i'm waiting around to Carpe Noctum....
Let me tell you, my faithful readers about how i did a completely goofy thing getting out of the car today. i have a couple of Pharmaceutical clients that i have to visit every 3 weeks. One of them needs this sample of a chemical proof suit. i'm supposed to deliver this big bird yellow suit tomorrow. As i stepped out of my car, i spilled an entire mug of coffee on it. Well, it's not exactly coffee proof. By the time i got it in the house, it got stained and rumpled. i'm trying to get it cleaned off, dried and to not smell like coffee so they can do some testing on it. Good grief.... so out the window goes any idea of playing fantasy dress up by wearing it tonight and being the sexy big yellow laboratory geek.... i can't wait to deliver it and have someone sniff it and say "does this whole product line smell like Arabica?"

Live in such a way, that when your feet hit the floor in the morning, the devil says, "Oh no, she's awake!!"

Amazing Weekend! First of all, i LOVE 4 day weekends! They've just got such relaxing feel, i love not knowing what day it is? Thinking that Saturday is Sunday and then realizing that i still have ANOTHER day off! Watching the two lines that are between Master's eyebrows go away during the course of the weekend is a big bonus for me!

We've been getting to spend a lot of time with our Asbury Leather Family and also with the NYboL Family in the past few weeks. i had no idea at the beginning of the title year how much i was going to miss those guys. No idea at all. i know that we've been doing really good work, but man, oh man... i really was getting home sick. i've been having fun the past few weeks, thinking of what to fill up the time with, after we step down. Yes, i know - we're already booked for a lot of dates in 2008. But it's not going to be anywhere near as busy. i firmly believe that the Universe hate a vacuum and will fill up empty space with something. So, before the Universe gives me some crappy space fillers, i've booked myself at another Art retreat. Not the same on as last year, but i am even more excited about going somewhere different and learning new things. So exciting. i had 15 days between when they announced the classes and when registration started, so i plotted and planned and i think i got the best possible classes for me. Some are just going to be fun, some are going to be difficult (metal work!) and a couple are really going to stretch my skills. And that, my friends, is going to be a good thing.

A few years ago when i got back in touch with an old friend (and Master's old band mate) He told me how he always looked up to me and my personal style. That i was an ass-kicking girl that made him so proud. That i was a role model for him. A role model? me? i started thinking about whether i had lived up to the expectations or projections that he'd put on me - and decided that i had NOT. But more importantly, i wasn't living up to my own expectations. i let a lot of crap get in my way. i completely abandoned my Art. i compromised my moral values. i compromised on what i needed to become a full, complete and healthy person. The combination of that kick in the ass and the mental/spiritual inventory that i did before running for the titles with Master did wonders for me. i decided that the people that i had chosen as role models for myself, the people who cut me off or cut me out or really, truly spiritually disappointed me were not worth looking up to.

i took a bold step 9 days ago, after 2 months of wondering and planning and discussing it with Master. With His encouragement, i've asked for something that i really, really want. For me, that 2 months of envisioning all the possible out comes, what could go wrong, what could go oh-so-right, was it worth the risk.... Yeah, i'm a ruminator. But, in the end, the only way to manifest something in to being is, i believe: do your homework, ask for what you need/want and then let it go..... (yes, that's how we Witches work!) The hardest part is the letting go. i asked for what i wanted and then let go so hard it hurt. (Part of what i let go was a piece of my Art, i've never done that. Ever. Scary stuff for a recovering Artist!) Patience is NOT my particular virtue. It looks like i am, ultimately going to get my heart's desire.

i am thankful for 4 day weekends, Holidays spent with Great Friends in warmth and good fellowship. i am grateful that i can let go of old baggage, to make room for new experiences. That my life is filled with Beauty and Art again. So happy that other people have reached out to me, welcomed me in to their circle. Grateful that i have a loving and generous Master to share my life with. Thankful for remission so that i can play hard again. Thankful for a body that is strong and is capable of giving and receive such great delight. For great, healthy role models. Thankful that my path in life has so many twists and turns and different paths that i can travel. Welcoming a new experience in to my life. i've made room for it to happen. There's a line on the book "The Mists of Avalon" about whether there's an after-life or not - Life itself is reward enough. i am starting to see that that is so true.

No sleep 'til Brooklyn...

As the Beastie Boys would say: No sleep 'till Brooklyn.

Yes, that's right kids - Insomnia day 2. After a wonderful day out yesterday - i couldn't get to sleep at all. Oy, this sucks! i ended up getting up at 3 am and puttering around the studio. i made a call, thought really hard about taking a drive and decided against it (for now), puttered some more and actually got some work done. 4 Art journal pages decorated, one piece started for my next book binding project, and cleaned off my work area so i can actually get some work done.

Got a call at 6 A.M. which was superb and made me feel if not refreshed then at least, shall we say invigorated? Yes, that's what i'll say. Invigorated. :-) That's a good word. Did i mention that i was a lucky girl? i think i did. i'll say it again. i am a lucky girl!

There's definitely a short list of people who could call me that early (or late) and would make me happy.

Spent the rest of the day setting up the room for tonight, putting up holiday decorations. Pagan that i am, i still love the Christmas decorations. i'm looking forward to tonight. Hopefully, after a good night of play, i'll be able to get some sleep. i hope the 48 hours with no sleep doesn't ruin the evening though. We'll see. Sleep deprivation should be good for reaching new spiritual heights, right? i hope so!

happy happy HAPPY girl

Well, to start my day - or perhaps to end yesterday - i got NO SLEEP last night. i was tossing and turning all night. Thinking, pondering, wondering..... once my mind gets to working i should really just get up and write or make Art, but i always think "5 more minutes and i'll be asleep" which, of course never happens. Sometime around 6 A.M., i finally started to drift off.....so, when Master started with the chipper voice "Come on sunshine, time to make biscuits for the NYboL Thanksgiving!" i was less than happy and cheerful. i was a down right frightful grump.

Once i got dressed and had some Nectar of the Gods (coffee) things looked much brighter and we got to work on an assembly line of cheese grating, sifting and mixing. 3 Batches of whole wheat cheddar biscuits and a half gallon of gravy later, we were ready to head off to be festive. We breezed in on the train and got to Jake's really early....so we were put right to work: running for ice, chopping onions and peppers... and then i heard some muffled music from my purse. An unexpected (but very hoped for) phone call. That totally made my day. OK- who am i kidding? Made my month! Whoo hoo! Yeah, happy girl did the happy dance around Jake's kitchen! i ended up with a big dorky grin on my face all day. (yeah, i admit it! Big. Dorky. Grin)

The house started to fill up with old friends, new friends and good fellowship. Not to mention good smells. i loved watching Jake run his kitchen. He's amazing. i don't know how he can cook that variety of food, get it on the table hot and have it be so darn good. That man is a keeper! (and he make s a mean flan...)

Much later, we headed home. No Eagle bar for me tonight (*big frowny face*) - the dogs have been locked up too long and we have a long train ride home.

What an awesome day. Great friends, fantastic food, good conversation, a phone call i've been wanting..... i'm settled on the couch now, big cup of chai at hand, 80 pounds of dog on my lap. i can't wait to go to sleep and catch up on some dreaming about....

Anniversary Antics

So, after spending the morning being locked out in the yard by the deadly canine duo of Taybor and LiLu, Master and i hustled around trying to get ready in time to head out to Leatherfest at the Center....
We made it out right on time and breezed in to NYC. Leatherfest was hoppin'. i scored a pair of long, tweezer type nipple clamps and a gear shaped piece of jewelry. The nipple clamps will end up being used for holding things while i solder them, and the connecting chain i think will become the watch fob for my pocket watch. The gear jewelry will end up being a base for another creation - it was exactly what i was looking for. i'm sure the Leather Gods will be angry that i'm using BDSM tools for Art but i'm sure whatever Art i make will still have a perverse bent to it.

It was awesome to get to see the NYboL guys again, as well as seeing all my other Leathery friends. Although, once again - too many people that i expected to see there were MIA. Perhaps i just missed them? Who knows..... Oh, yes, and i got 25 punches and one to grow on while we were at the Fest...

Off to dinner with Jake, where we discussed important things, like Flan. :-) Then to the 9th ave Saloon for the NYboL bar night. Rubber was the theme - and once again, i am amazed that the scent of rubber is so hot to me. Hmmmmm. i have no interest in actually wearing rubber but jeez, it sure does smell great.

After that, we buzzed over to the Eagle for about an hour. We had a beer, i had 2 annoying guys say some somewhat crappy stuff to me. One was just flirting with me and had some boundary issues... the other one was all in my face like "what are YOU doing here? what are YOU doing in my bar?" This while he's in his white sneakers and cologne. BAH! Not to mention he was interrupting a conversation i was having. BAH again. At least, the gentleman i was conversing with handled the annoying dolt with style and shut him down cold. Very nice! i do so love kinky gentlemen....We finished our conversation and then it was time for Master and i to head home.

Home, anniversary sex. Yes, bliss. i am a very lucky girl.

Lassie! Come on girl!

i must now point out that neither of our dogs are very useful.... Master decided that this morning we should go out and rake up leaves, we were going to do that tomorrow but it's supposed to rain, so: let's get it done while the weather is good.

Well, we needed to use the leaf blower for part of the job, since we're still not supposed to walk on the new lawn. Dogs are, of course, afraid of the noise and are barking their heads off. So, i - brilliant slave that i am, put the dogs in the house. They leap around and somehow hit the latch on the back door. No problem, except the front door is also locked. As are all the windows.

Neither of us had keys or cell phone, so Master went to a neighbor's, got the dog sitter's number and called her. (Meanwhile, i was trying to reason with the dogs, trying to get them to understand that we're very busy today and i really needed to use the bathroom, so they should open the door. i came to the understanding that neither dog is as useful as Lassie.) The dog sitter scooted over with the key. We gave her a big tip for being so helpful.

We'll be making spare keys and hiding them around later today.

25 Years

Tomorrow, November 17th is our 25th Anniversary.
i am so blessed.
Here's a link to last years post about our anniversary.
i think it says it all, the only thing i can add is, as we've continued our journey as International Master & slave.... it's been a Hell of a ride for us. It seems that not many people grow together, or allow each other to grow in their own ways and still remain committed to each others happiness.
my life, what a blast!

i heart Virginia!

This weekend Master and i drove down to Charlottesville VA to present for C.U.F.F., i love taking long drives with Master. He's learned in the past couple of years to be a traveler and He really enjoys the experience. Rather than just seeing the journey as something to endure, He likes the whole "get to the airport early and watch the sunrise" experience or the "let's see how many cows we see per mile". It's a vast difference between the drives of old, when we were with The Band and everyone just hated the drives. We all loved getting to the shows but, man - 5 guys stinking up the van with their Man Gas and all the inner-band-politics-and-turmoil... oy. Not pleasant.

So, Charlottesville. What can i say about the town? um, i love it! It's just small enough to be cute and funky enough to be fun without being like big city madness. Tons of funky shops and good restaurants. i even managed to snag some art supplies (Literally, pounds of paper for $3.00, such a deal!) Nice, i would definitely be in to going there again and making more time to explore.

The group we presented for was amazing. They have a fantastic space (a private, members only Gay owned club/bar) which was warm and friendly and very well laid out. (i always love a bar that has a few cages on stage to do lock-down fund raisers...) Our host took such great care of us, dropping off a cooler of water and iced tea to our hotel room, taking us out for lunch, giving us a mini-tour and some college football lessons! The group themselves were equally warm and friendly, fun and asked *really* engaging questions. If anyone has the opportunity to present for them, i give a hearty "thumbs up" to them. Awesome! i SO want to go back down for their Holiday party next month - they are going to have a blast! :-)

Master and i had a party of our own and made the best of dirtying up Charlottesville ourselves by having a ton of hotel sex. Nothing like soiling some one else's sheets, i always say.

In which i discuss my ass cramp...

Gah! i wish my body felt better! i've spent the week hooked up to a TENS unit and last night was spent huddled on the couch while Master iced my hip. There's nothing like feeling unable to do things for your self to make you realize that you are normally a fairly strong and independent person. i miss going to the gym and doing my 320 lb shrugs. i just started to be able to bench press 70 lbs.... i feel like all my gains at the gym are going right down the toilet right now.

On the bright side, i am strong enough and healthy enough to create through my discomfort. i was able to get a little work done in the studio, even if i did have to stand up to do it. It was good, angry, uncomfortable art. Good release! i needed a good release: for both my physical pain-in-the-ass and the figurative one that's manifesting in my life right now.

i also had to say good bye to a client and friend who is retiring/moving away. The great part is he got the send off party that he deserved, it was amazing to see how loved he is. And i have a place to stay for free, should i ever get the chance to visit Puerto Rico. (The title is International, no? *grin*)

Let's hope my body feels better as we get ready to head off the teach in VA. It's a long drive on a sore ass! i am really looking forward to presenting - we've had a few weeks off and i'm getting itchy to do it again. (oh, gosh, did i just say that? me? i don't like doing presentations!) My, how things change!

what's that noise?

Master loaded the washing machine with all the dark clothes....
an hour later, i put the clothes in the dryer.... i sat down at my laptop and was answering email.....
*clunk* clunk* clunk* Hmmmm, what's that noise coming from the dryer?
Master?
Master runs from other room, cursing slightly. It's the work cell phone, washed and partially fluff dried.
i stand up and go to walk over to help Him dry it off. my foot tangles in the cord, my laptop does a very comical pratfall to the floor. Now it's broken too.
Yes, it was technological bumper cars last night and we lost.
Master got me an extended warranty which actually ends next month - so i'll drop it off at Best Buy tonight and pray that the Geek Squad can work it's magic. Grrrr......

Blessed Samhain!

Happy New Year!
We're entering the dark season, time to nest and snuggle... time to start work on introspective projects, time to work on ourselves. It's time to remember and honor our beloved dead, time to cast runes and divine the future, to plot our course for the upcoming year.

November and December this year, we'll be busy writing new classes for the upcoming year. Not to mention writing our step down speeches for South Plains. i also need to begin my biscuit recipe testing soon so i am ready to meet NYboL Jake's expectations on Thanksgiving! Oh, my poor Master, subjected to a dozen recipes.....

A co-worker of Master's (and formerly a co-worker of mine) unexpectedly passed away overnight. She was a wacky, fun, little old lady. Really daft, but in a fun "I Love Lucy" kind of way. Great sense of humor. Always mothering people. She sat next to Master in His office, and they helped each other out a lot at work, so He's saddened and shocked by the whole thing. As i said, it's time to remember our beloved dead, so i'll light a candle for her on my ancestor altar tonight.

Remember to tell hold the ones you love and tell them what they mean to you.

i'm back and i'm rockin' October!

OK, ok... yes - i apologize for not writing more (or at all) for the past few months. i guess i have a habit of either writing when i am giddy with happiness or absolutely dancing with gloom and depression. i think perhaps when things are going well - in a "wow, i-am- enjoying- my- life- right- now- with- no- trauma- and- no- drama- llamas- and- isn't- it- nice- to- be -off- the- road- and- at- home- with- my- beloved- Asbury- Park- Leather- Family- and- my- NYboL- Brothers- and- at- home,- sitting- at- my- Master's- feet" kind of way - so that i really feel like i have nothing to write about. Then i feel guilty for not writing and i'm not sure how to jump back in again.....

So, i'll just start back up by saying "THANK YOU!" to who ever suggested my story "bootblack dreams" to the Eros Blog. What an honor! (For the record, the story is fiction... some people have questioned who the guy is and why he was so afraid. LOL, He's a real person all right, with visually delicious boots, but the story never happened. And probably never will. Sometimes fantasies should remain that way. Or maybe not.)

All these busy months, i've been looking forward to October contest season, since it meant that i would get to be with my friends in NYboL and Asbury Park. Being on the road so much, i felt awful - like the friendships i was starting to build were torn apart. Knowing that we are welcome to the boy's Thanksgiving again this year means more to me than words can express. i am so glad to be home.

Our NY/NJ contest season was a blast - shame on you to anyone who didn't make at least ONE of the contests. Starting with the Mr. Eagle NYC 2008 contest on Oct 6th, The title went to Peter Schwartz. Peter is an associate member of NYboL, as am i, so i look forward to getting to know him better and supporting him in his title year. i am sure he'll represent the title in a classy and outstanding manner. Some highlights of the evening: Meeting Daddy George from CA. A friend of pug's and now a friend of mine. (Yes, Victoria. Yes.) i also got to see my friend James, who i haven't seen in ages and who i really want to spend some time with. What else.... OH, yes, Please - someone, anyone: please tell me about that Luscious barback at the Eagle. The one with the goggles. That man makes my gears go round and round! Giddy!

October 13th we were again at the Eagle to feast our eyes on some luscious rubber. Yes, folks - Mr East Coast Rubber. Daddy George was there again, i think i am in love with that man. Anyone who understands the Beckham Conundrum is a friend of mine. What a wicked sense of humor that man has.... OK, enough drooling over DG, before i launch in to a description of the hotness that was him in his bleacher style rubber. Skinhead indeed! There were contestants from overseas, so i became confused as to which East Coast, but still - a fantastic evening with about a million contestants. i always forget how much i enjoy looking at rubber until i am at this contest. Then i start smelling that delicious rubbery goodness and imagining a rubber clad hand covering my nose and mouth and.... Oh, my.
Master and i needed to leave before the winners were announced, because we are old and so get sleepy early. No, really, there really were a million contestants and we simply could not stay until 4 a.m. But i found out the next day that the winner was: John Weis. If you live here on the East Coast and you don't know who John is, well - i'll say it again: Shame on you. i met John at my first LPN. He was dressed like a cop. He made me swoon. His partner Larry also makes me swoon. But more that that, they are First Class, Classy Gentlemen of the Scene. Active in the community, for the community. Delightful! i am sure the title with be represented with all the style and energy that John is known for!
Once again, my eyes were drawn to that barback at the Eagle. Gosh..... wow. So. Nice. To. Look. At. (she makes strangling noises and shuffles her feet around)

October 19th -20th: Folks, Master Larry and i are HOME, with our Asbury Park Leather Family. Sal, Dion, Tom, Hillary, Amanda & Amy, Storm & Lisa, every one of those sexy past NJ title holders and their hot partners ( DANNY!) (*grin!*), the Argonauts (who keep us well fed!) .... the bartenders and the staff at the club. This is the event that i look forward to each year. And i'll say it again: anyone from the NJ area that wasn't there - SHAME ON YOU! There was a fantastic and intimate presentation of the Carter-Johnson Library. You say you want a chance to talk to Vi Johnson about Leather History? You had a chance to do so, one on one. And if you weren't there.... well... it's your loss. Funds were raised to help out with the library's expenses and you weren't there to contribute. (Think on that. It's your history. Or maybe it's not because you don't really consider yourself part of the leather scene.)
i was so proud of Chuck, Mr NJ Leather 2007 & boi robi, Ms. NJ Leather 2007. What a great year you had. Chuck got to step down/aside, but since there was no female contestant this year, robi graciously agreed to continue to represent the title for another year. Go robi! (and even thought Chuck stepped down/aside, we still expect him to continue to be a community leader, as he has proven himself to be!)
There were 2 male contestants, Rob and spanky. Both did a fantastic job and both of them seemed to have fun through out the weekend. The contest is serious, to me anyway, but if you're not having a blast competing.... what's the point? By the end of the evening spanky was given the title of Mr. NJ Leather 2008. i hope Rob continues to participate in the scene, he's got great heart and has a lot to offer to us all.
i finally got to see the band, Nekked and talk to the guys - wow, they blew me away with their music and their sincere questions about M/s and what our dynamic is. i think we need to take them out to lunch and give a mini seminar! (thanks for the cd's!) i also go to drool over Will Clark, our fabulous MC. That man.... is .... Yummy.

That's it in a nut shell: 3 contests, 3 worthy people chosen, 1 incredible boi robi carrying on for us, 1 hot barback, 1 new incredible friend from CA, lot of NYboL's, and... where were YOU?