Jack McGeorge

Please take a look at http://lolitasir.livejournal.com/505273.html for donations, funeral arrangements and information about the passing of Jack McGeorge.

Boot Camp

Oh this is so good - I need to pass it on...hang in until almost the 3 minute mark.

Attention Artists: 2nd Annual Southwest Leather Art Exhibition

I participated in this last year...I don't think I am going to be able to participate this year though....:( But wanted to pass it on....

2nd Annual Southwest Leather Art Exhibition

SEEKING ARTISTS AND ARTWORK NOW!

This year, any artist can submit an artwork for consideration into the exhibition, no matter your location. We encourage artists to submit works that they feel called to share. Submission Guidelines appear below.

The artwork does not have to be kink-related or erotic in nature, though those subjects are welcome. SWLC is about heart and spirit and we want to showcase the artistic expressions of that in its many forms.

The deadline for submission is November 15, 2007. A pre-selected panel will review all artwork, and selected pieces will be displayed as part of the Southwest Leather Conference 2008.

Questions about submissions or guidelines can be sent to leatherartists@hotmail.com.

The link below will take you to the page with all of the information.

http://www.southwestleather.org/swlchome/index.php?categoryid=56&p2_articleid=35

Southplains and Southwest

Master and I would both love to go to a leather event again....as we haven't went to one in a quite a long time. Anyway I was looking at the prices today for Southwest Leather Conference and Southplains Leather Fest.

I need to say this though

--

I know it is expensive to put on these events. I know that most of the time they don't make anything off them - barely getting enough to pay all the costs associated with it.

But I am having a little sticker shock...
I added up 4 nights hotel, 2 registrations fees and then some things that were extras - Southplains Leather Fest came up $300 less then Southwest. The main thing that made Southplains less expensive was their hotel cost - it is only $66 verse $99 at Southwest. One thing that seemed new to me on pricing and made both go up was charging for onsite play party/dungeon - $20 per person. Southplains has 3 nights of play space so that is $20 per person per night. Even figuring 3 nights of play times 2 people I still came up $300 less then Southwest - and that is not adding in Sunday Brunch or any of the other extras on there yet.

With travel expenses and food...the prices just go up and so I am a little discouraged at the moment.

Consent Counts

Consent Counts is a group trying to form discussion to find real language and experiences to help decriminalize consent. If you run a munch or BDSM/leather group you might want to check out their discussion materials/resources.

SELF podcasts: Mistress Victoria & Vi Johnson

Southeast Leather Fest is doing podcasts of all their presenters. I think it is great idea! I have only listened to two of them. The one with Heather S. and Frankie M. I have been on elists for years with Heather and always appreciated her thoughts and perspective. So it was nice to listen to that podcast and put a voice to the words I have read over the years.

The other podcast I listened to was Mistress Victoria and Vi Johnson. I have never had a chance to hear either in person but Vi Johnson is someone I have wanted to hear speak in person. I have many friends who have heard her speak and always always tell me I need to hear her speak. I received her book To Love, Honor and Obey from Moni and Michael for my birthday many years. At that time in my life I was very bitter and held lots of resentments from my previous relationship. Her book was hard to read not only because it is a diary and not edited so the writing is erratic and hard to follow at times but I also felt it was hard to reads because I was so upset from my last relationship. So the book was troubling but it was inspiring too. It really was pulled my emotions and thoughts all over. It is actually a book that I think I should try to read again - in this relationship and see how I respond to it.

Hearing this podcast re-enforced I would like to attend one of listen to her speak. But I do have to say that I was surprised because from what I remember reading of the book - her views and service today seem to be very different from the views and service portrayed in the book. They are talking a lot about appreciation of service. And from her book I don't feel she wasn't given appreciation of service at all but I guess appreciation can come in different forms for each person.

The class that Mistress Victoria and Vi Johnson are giving at Southeast Leather Fest is Giving and Receiving Service. One of the points that they feel is important to a service relationship is that "both parties need to be active participants in a service relationship." Mistress Victoria talked about if she doesn't respond to Vi's service - to let her know she is doing it right, shape it, give feedback on if the service is needed or wanted or if she is pleased and gratified by the service that it might over time discourage and confuse Vi to the point of de-motivation in doing service and thus the relationship is really failed then and not a service relationship. They feel it is important for slaves to learn service but for also Masters/Mistress to learn what to do with the service once it is received.

I think really that is what failed in one of my past relationships. I didn't know if I was doing anything he wanted or needed...if it pleased or gratified him at all. I would do and keep doing thinking this will be enough to please. I kept pushing myself harder because I didn't get feedback to know what I was doing pleased him so I internally decided I must not being doing enough or good enough so just keep working harder and harder to the point I was burnt out, discouraged, and de-motivated to do ANY service. Eventually I asked for release.

Further into the podcast one of Vi's comments was that most slaves are dominant. And I don't think most slaves are dominant. I think there are slaves that are have dominant personalities and several are coming to mind. And actually they are usually the slaves I admire and wish to serve more like they do. I think most slaves have a strength that surprises people in and outside the lifestyle. That strength I don't think necessarily always comes from the dominant qualities in my personality though. I can take command of certain situations, I can make sound rational decisions and I have many useful skills to get a job done but none of those things say dominant to me. They just parts of my personality.

Vi also said that she doesn't bend to her Owner...she obeys. And what I took from that part of the podcast is that slaves obey and submissives bend. That slaves are proactive and submissive reactive. She was saying submissive bend to the control of another and slaves obey and don't bend their will. For ME, I feel, I bend to Master. But I want to bend. My will desires to bend because my will is to serve so at times that I need to bend.

Anyway I want to listen to the rest of the podcasts eventually. I am sure I will find them as interesting as the first 2 I listened too.

Laura Antoniou

Okay so a Laura Antoniou story...since I started reading a book by her last night.

Don't know who Laura Antoniou is...then you really need to pick up her books! They are beyond FAB! If you have a chance to hear her speak at an event - please do go and hear her.

Because I finished

The Crimson Petal and the White

...I picked up another book off my stack and it

The Academy

...the 4th in the Marketplace series.

The Academy

is a book I started several times and never finished. It has nothing to do with the book...it is just things got chaotic or busy and so I had to put it down. I am determined to finish it this time. And then I will be able to move on to The Reunion.

So my story about Laura Antoniou....

Many years ago I was a volunteer for Ohio SMART. It is an organization for education as well as a social gathering of like minded people in BDSM. We had monthly meetings of the board and volunteers. There were three people on the board of SMART. One of the people is someone I respect and am blessed to have learned so much from in regards to Owner/property type dynamics. Anyway she told me that they had booked Laura to come speak in August (meeting was in April - 2002). I think you could have heard my squeal of delight throughout Cleveland. So when they were asking for volunteers to do with things - like pick her up at the airport, make sure water was on the table and things like that - I was waving my hand madly. For me it was like meeting a rock star. I love her books and so couldn't wait to meet the person behind them.

One other volunteer and I were the people doing all the little extra things for that meeting in August so we were invited to go out to dinner with the board, Laura and Laura's wife Karen. I was nervous but thrilled that I had this opportunity.

A week or so before hand on the e-list for board and volunteers of SMART were discussing where to take Laura and her wife Karen to dinner. And it got pretty silly. One board member suggested a local steakhouse and one volunteer was appalled that they would take someone of such "status" to a steakhouse. He felt we should be bringing her to someplace much more expensive and elegant and that bring her to a steakhouse lacked class....showing her we lacked class. I had been on Laura's Marketplace yahoogroup for a while and from reading everything she wrote there I felt the steakhouse that the board and suggested was fine. I view Laura as a rock star but I felt from reading her words on her list that she was down-to-earth. I didn't feel she would be offended or think we lacked "class." But I stayed out of the argument. And dinner was great...conversation fantastic - witty as well as thoughtful. I just was blown away with her and Karen.

If you have an autographed book by Laura you will notice it is in purple pen. Last night I picked up

The Academy

and inside the cover there is Laura's autograph in purple pen and I smiled with fond memories. The first 3 books in the series I brought with me for her to sign when she was in Cleveland. And they were signed with

my

purple pen. After speaking she signs and sells books. She usually has a purple pen with her but this time it got forgotten. She was talking about it at dinner how they forgot the purple pens. And I picked up my purse, pulled out a purple pen and handed it to her. The look on her face was priceless...like damn that is service. It made me all gooey happy inside! Purple is my favorite color so when I had saw that pen I had to have it. So Laura used my purple pen to sign autographs while in Cleveland. She gave me my purple pen back after the meeting yes I did act like a rock star had touched something sacred of mine. It did have a shrine on my desk for a while. lol The pen exploded when it came over the mountains of Colorado so no more purple pen as a shrine.

I saw her speak again at Thunder and Master and I both agree if there is ever a chance to see her speak again...we will grab it. She is a fantastic speaker....funny, smart, down-to-earth. I have heard her do the same talk - twice and each time I come away with new things.

Her books are those that you don't want to put down. Although they are fictional...many of the feelings that she describes I have felt. They are novels not just smut. They do contain damn good smut though. And I am not even a big erotica fan. I don't like reading erotica because well my life has pretty hard to top at times for titillating erotica. The marketplace is fictional but as I said above I related to many things in the books mostly feelings and that kept them real to me. It felt it could be real although it is fiction. So I am glad I getting around to reading a book by her again.

QotD over at Hellbent Queers

This was a question over on Hellbent_Queers and I just thought I would share it here too! And I am sure I am missing lots of wonderful speakers. I know there are several I haven't seen but would love to and heard lots of wonderful things about - Vi Johnson being one.

While attending leather events, or demos, who would you recommend seeing and why?

Laura Antoniou

- she just talks it as it is...makes it very funny and interesting but real.

Master Jim and slave marsha

- They talk about their experiences as Master and slave and it often resonates with me. They give good sound advice and suggestions about living as Master and slave.

Tristan Taormino

- I thought was a good speaker also. She did a talk on enemas that I thought was very informative but also funny too.

Fifth Angel

- Omg yummy! Every demo I have seen by him makes me squirm and walk out of being weak in the knees. I am a big punching and kicking fan and he does a demo/workshop on it that is really good and totally HOT!

Jason Ryan

- is someone Master and I saw at Thunder a few years ago and really enjoyed his workshops on bondage and duct tape...they were really explained well. He made sure to explain things very clearly and show them clearly also. Master hadn't been a huge bondage fan before seeing Mr. Ryan's workshops and after that he went and bought LOTS of rope! And I get tied up! yay!

I am sure I am missing lots of good speakers. Those were just ones that came right to mind or I remembered how good they were when I went back through my journal to see who I have seen/heard speak.

A few years ago I did a pretty detailed account of demo/workshops we attended while at Thunder in the Mountains....first one and second post.

GloRoMo

For the month of November in conjunction with NaNoWriMo Graydancer created GloRoMo and today I was admiring and voting for many wonderful bondage pictures. If Graydancer does it next year maybe I can convince Master that we can enter it too. Oh *shivers* Rope Bondage.

Leather Awards

The Pantheon of Leather Awards have recognized people, businesses and organizations who have made contributions that have directly affected the Leather community in a positive way.

Deadline for nominations is October 31st.

Because of living in a small town now with no alternative community what-so-ever...I really don't have the knowledge to do this but I do think it is important to award those that really are out there helping the leather community and I know many live in cities that do have a leather community.

You can make your nominations online. You do not have to nominate someone in every category. Vote for those who you feel work hard in doing good works for the leather community! Again remember the deadline is coming up fast - October 31st!

Pimping some Journals....

I am pimping some journals that have turned into very regular reads...

Sir Larry & slave barb

These next ones are on yahoogroups....
Sir Stephen & slave catherine

missing the comradery

A lot of journals I read were talking about South Plains Leather Fest. It is one event I have always wanted to attend - yet it does not land in a good time of year for Master to take time off and well...spend the money on it. Reading the journals made me miss the leather community. The comradery that is there. I now live in a place where I don't have local like minded people and I rely solely on friends I have made online and real life that are long distance to have that connection to like minded folks. But sometimes I would just love the in person interaction too. At the same time - I almost get nervous with the thought of being in a leather community/around like minded folks because I feel so different and I also am much more shy then I used to be at events/meetings. So it scares me at the same time that it makes me miss it.

(the image is of the leather girl flag)

Lifestyle Book....

I just found out that To Love, To Obey, To Serve by Vi Johnson is back in print. I have a copy and it is well worn....and is always on my list when people ask me to recommend a lifestyle book. I have a short review of it on our website.

From Jack Rinella's column this week.....

"Too many newcomers think that this is all great sex, great looks, and great fun. It is sometimes some of that but it is more as well. The more
contains a world of real experiences so that “this” also includes lousysex, ugly people, and spoiled evenings. Masters have the same fears as slaves; gays the same concerns as hets; men and women are more alike than not. The more also contains integrity, honesty, and commitment.

Leather isn’t about Mr. Benson rescuing Jamie from a band of Middle Eastern slave traders because the model who was kidnapped with him set off a homing device that was hidden in his rectum by sitting on a twelve inch dildo. Rather it’s about learning and growing and seeking and finding. It is surprises and disappointments as much as it is erotic passion and boring nights with nothing to do but watch the same old porn.

So you want to know more about Leather? Learn more about being human. Want to know what makes a Master/slave relationship work? Learn what makes any relationship work. Want a better sex partner? Be a better sex partner. Want a friend, be a friend. You get the idea. In many ways you can learn just as much about Leather relationships by reading “Dear Abby” or Dale Carnegie.

Yes, Leather offers intense sexual experiences, incredible bonding, a culture that is unusually accepting and often exciting. It is mysterious,
enlightening, exciting, and arousing. It is all of those things, and more, though, because it is built on a foundation of human relationships. Take
the human heart out of our scene and you have nothing left.

Oh that might be a bit of an exaggeration but the truth is that we are all looking for love, even if it is sometimes in the wrong places."