A long but good day

I woke up at 7:30am, and just wished I hadn't. So I ate something and laid down to see if I could get back to sleep for a bit. I did sleep a bit, but not much. Just as I got back to sleep, the alarm I had thankfully set went off. I decided I had to have some coffee. So I made coffee and took it out on the porch. That threw my whole routine off. Plus I had to load stuff in the car to take back to Russ, etc. I was running late, but I figured that was no problem because they would be late too. Oh, but no. I got there about 20-25 minutes late after being called en route to find out where I was. I walked into a hive of activity, with a fairly pissed Kitten in the middle of it. After a brief scolding and some teasing, I started trying to get the curtain barrier up in front of the door with Steve Yetman, who of course had been a good boy and gotten there on time. After nearly decapitating a few people, having to have someone else show me how the releases on the poles worked (I have only helped with these curtains like umpteen times), and trying my best to destroy the suspended ceiling tiles, the curtains were up. Then it seemed like everyone got everything done at once, and I was just standing there with my teeth in my mouth.

Russ had to work, but got there in time for the demos to start, which was good because we had some excellent presenters. Mystrys (a pro domme from Charlotte) did a presentation on CBT and ball-busting. Now I have to say that neither one of those has been high on things I wanted to trying in the past, but when she explained ball busting better, it looked more like taint abuse, which made my ears perk up. You can pretty much take a chainsaw to my taint and it will make me happy. Guys will just never bite me there.

Mystrys was a girly top, which is interesting. It's always interesting to me when the "porn roles" get turned on their head, and I talked to her a bit about that later on. She told me one of the biggest problems she has with slash/porn is the image of the "stoic silent" bottom, taking it all in perfect silence. Well what fun is that? BDSM play is about energy, and different people have different energies which they express in different ways. If you're just going to whale on someone who doesn't make a sound, why not hit a side of beef, sofa, or other inanimate object? That was one of the first lessons I had to learn, and I learned it in pretty dramatic fashion, faiting in the middle of a party and scaring everyone half to death. Mystrys definately turns the image of the "dangerously wicked" Domme on it's head. That can be hot, but I liked that she had the courage to be herself, and risk the sotto voice comments of other Doms (and yes they do watch each other and comment). And why shouldn't the Domme be girly if she wants to be? Lady D has also had some choice words about Domme comfort during a scene that made lots of sense.

Archer (from Atlanta, I think) did a whole presentation on micro-bondage, with an emphasis on clothespins and zippers. I hate clothespins. But I love Archer, who is just sexy and fun to watch do pretty much anything. Sadly, his sub elegant could not be there, but he had another girl with him who was quite nice and pretty. Apparently Elegant has a thing about clothespins, and they had quite an impressive collection. He also had some interesting things to say about the merits of different types.

The closing demo was a woman from Atlanta called Artemis (interesting to me, since I had just been reading a story based on mythology in which Artemis was prominently featured). She did an excellent and really fun demo on predicament bondage, with examples she did on volunteers (one of which was me...). She is a fresh-faced and practical woman, who knows what she's talking about, and has a kind of brisk, Kathy Bates-esque no-nonsense attitude about what she's doing, coupled with a genuine affection for submissives that she is comfortable expressing. Additionally, she is very well spoken. I have found that a lot of the presenters, being "hands-on" kind of folks, are better doers than talkers, but she was very well-spoken. Plus I just love secure, assertive women.

***

The event broke up about 5, and I was feeling the lack of sleep, so I skipped dinner out at Ruby Tuesday's. I am SO burnt out on Ruby Tuesday, and the one where they were going always gets the checks all messed up and stuff when there is a large party. Plus I really needed to just eat something and lay down for a bit before the party. The party was supposed to start at 8:30, and I figured they wouldn't even make it out of RT before about 7. So I went on home.

I ate something and laid down, but couldn't take a nap. Then my stomach started feeling yucky. I don't know if it was all the junk food I ate at the thing or what, but I didn't feel good. Then I pulled a muscle in my back, which pissed me off. I really just wanted to stay home and read, but I did want to see everyone, plus I was afraid that some people would take it personally if I didn't show up (long story) and I had already said I was going, so I took some stomach stuff and went on, thinking I could just leave early if I didn't feel better.

I got there and had some soda, though, and started feeling a bit better. I was hoping to play after a while, and there was a LOT of play going on. But Myz Kitten was busy with Artemis. I did talk to Mystrys for a good while on the deck (where I spent most of my time at the party), but she was very laid back and just enjoying the night (which was very pretty), so we ended up just talking and telling stories with people who came out for a breather. I had a lovely time, and before I knew it, it was 2am. I did get to talk to almost everyone that was there. We picked our way out through the scenes that were still going on (it kind of reminded me of the end of The Rocky Horror Picture Show only with more rope), and I walked her to her car. Then I went home and went to BED.

So it was a very nice day, and super party, but I didn't end up getting to play. I had a very good time, but not the time I was expecting. But that is how life is sometimes. It was a wild party, and I really wished I had been in more of a wild party-boy mood (although I was glad I wasn't partying as hard as some party boys, who shall remain nameless, but were notably tore down), but I just wasn't.