Well, I came back totally sleep deprived from FetishCon but had a really good time, saw a lot of old friends, and met some new ones. As I’ve mentioned before I’m kind of shy and have social anxiety, so these big events are never easy for me, but I find that it’s usually worth the effort.

Things started right off with the Meet N’ Greet Thursday night. There were so many gorgeous models there and lots of producers and photographers whose sites I’ve admired for years. I know I’m forgetting lots of people but two highlights were meeting JJ Plush, who’s really funny and very sweet, and also Gina Rae Michaels, whose work I’ve always liked. She does some of the most amazing mouth stuffing gags and wears some fabulous business suits.

Over the weekend I was able to catch a few presentations, and one of the best was a scarf bondage demo put on by BondDave from Florida. He was funny and entertaining and really knows his scarves, having studied with Richard Volcane, well known by the readers of Harmony’s Bondage Life magazine back in the day. BondDave did a terrific demo, tying up Mallory Brooke, who clearly was enjoying herself.

Later I got to hang out and shoot some pictures with Cindy and Audrey from the Yahoo Group. It was really great to see them both again. And later that weekend I got to shoot some more pictures of Sybil, who dressed up in a fantastic “cold shoulder” secretary outfit – of course, this secretary got into a bit of a bind.

Another fun shoot was with Jeff Jamm and a lovely model named Kimberly Sinical whom I only had met that morning, with our mutual friend Rik. Later that afternoon I was over her knee, tied up and getting spanked, and then finally we ended up on the floor tied up together and gagged with one of Jeff’s double ballgags. I’m really looking forward to seeing how those pics turned out ;-) Kimberly was a delight to work with and I really hope we have a chance to do more.

Back on the vendor floor it was really great to finally meet Sandra Silvers, whom I’ve always liked, and another high point was meeting the beautiful Paige Richards, who was a total delight to chat with – very down to earth and a very classy lady.

Saturday there was a party away from the hotel in a club called Czar that I was able to make. The weather was hot and humid but thankfully they had a shuttle bus to and from the place. Jean Bardot and Rubberdoll both put on terrific stage shows there. I often find it kind of intimidating to just walk up to women and start talking, but being in a strange city somehow makes it easier. I saw a really attractive girl wearing this wonderful office girl outfit with a tight pencil skirt and green blouse with puffy shoulders. She turned out to be really nice and although she wasn’t a model, I told her she should be. We hung out for a while and danced and I wanted to take her back to my room to tie her up but, well, I didn’t have the guts to ask. It was very nice though meeting such a cutie.

The final Sunday night party at the hotel is one of the best, though I found it a little bittersweet, knowing that I’d soon be back on the plane and heading home. I met a very lucky crossdresser named Sasha who was there with her adorable girlfriend K. – very nice people – and chatted with JJ Plush again and also Elane Hershey, whom I’ve always liked. Andre the Toon Man and I hung out for a while, talking about life, at the end of the night, and then it was getting close to packing up. They wrapped up the party with the crazy Reverend B. Dangerous, who puts screwdrivers up his nose and has a big guy stand on the back of his head while he’s lying in a pile of broken glass. I’ve seen his show twice now and always enjoy his crazy flirting-with-death antics – I see his self infliction of pain as a metaphor for the desire to break free from the constraints of day to day life (no, seriously), something so many of us yearn to do.

To be honest, I always feel a little funny about all the name dropping when I report on these events and hope it doesn’t sound like I’m showing off. People sometimes write me and say I’m kind of a big deal with Trannies in Trouble, but when I’m at these events I just feel like another fan wandering around starstruck. In some ways it almost feels like being in High School again. There are the big name models and the major website producers, who seem like the cool kids, and then the rest of us walking around hoping to fit in and be a part of the crowd. I do well enough but I’ll probably always have that little edge of insecurity.

In any case, it was a really nice weekend and great to see old friends whom I hadn’t seen in a few years and to meet so many new people. I never know from year to year if I’ll be able to make it to Tampa again, but hope to be back in 2011. If you’re into damsel in distress bondage this really is about the best convention of its kind out there and is worth visiting if you can afford the trip.

The Bondage Cafe booth at FetCon

In my new shiny skirt

BondDave with Mallory Brooke

Sybil with the fabulous Rubberdoll

With the lovely Paige Richards

Two Sandra’s – with Sandra Silvers

Cute secretary Sybil in a bind

Tied up back in my room, bondage by TC

For all you bondage photographers there’s always that question of which camera to buy next, a new DSLR with video…or the Barbie Video Girl? Brandon Bloch made this funny video comparing the two cameras feature by feature – a very tough call.

FetCon – I also just got back from Florida yesterday and hope to have some pictures from FetishCon up here on the blog in a few days. It was a fun time!

It looks like there’s still a lot of work ahead, but this is terrific news about the gay marriage ban being ruled unconstitutional in California. So very nice!

Well, Thunder in the Mountains was interesting, with a mixture of good moments and that old familiar feeling of not quite fitting in. It started out on a very painful note though. Like I mentioned earlier there were a few people from California that I was really looking forward to seeing again. I’d known John Cougar, the owner of Taboo Leather, for about four years and he was always so nice to me when I would see him at parties and events. So my first stop was to go by his booth, and I had the terrible shock of learning that he had just died about a week before from liver failure. He was a great guy, very kind and gentle and I always felt good when I saw him. I struggled through the rest of the day but my heart just wasn’t in it anymore after learning the news. Later that night I was even thinking of just calling it quits and checking out and going back home, but figured he probably would have wanted me to stick it out and at least try to have fun, so I stayed another day.

Saturday I was feeling a little better and I decided to go back to the Taboo Leather booth again and hang out with my friends there and just catch up on news from California. Then later in the day my friend Gena from the Yahoo Group stopped by. It was really great to see her, as these events are always so much more enjoyable if you can share them with a friend. We saw a couple terrific demos, including one on predicament bondage by Midori, and a hilarious talk on bondage for the amateur escape artist by a guy from the UK named John Pendal. Later the next day we also saw porn legend Nina Hartley give a demo on cocksucking, and oh boy, did she ever! And she was hilarious at the same time – possibly the most sex-positive individual I’ve ever heard, with absolutely zero hang-ups about anything. The last talk we saw was by Master Skip Chasey, who talked about the unlikely subject of grief and loss, which was strangely fitting considering John’s death. Master Skip is always terrific and I’d go listen to him talk about anything. He’s a very spiritual and intelligent man with a huge heart and he’s touched thousands of lives. I confessed to Gena that if I were gay I’d have a huge crush on him (I kind of do anyway.)

What really stands out about Thunder, though, is that they put on the biggest freakin’ play party that I’ve ever seen. It’s like having a party inside an abandoned supermarket filled with BDSM furniture. Just walking around the perimeter of the place is a real time commitment, especially wearing high heels. I’d heard that the turnout for the event was about 700 people and the parties probably had at least 500 people in attendance, maybe more. This was also Gena’s first time out dressed in public, and going to such a crazy party must have felt like jumping into the deep end of the pool. But Gena did just fine and looked very cute in her skirt that barely covered her ass ;-) We saw all kinds of play going on, including one rather disturbing scene where an older lady’s ass was being caned till it was a bloody mess. She was just laughing and having a good time but half the people watching had looks of horror on their faces. Way too hardcore for me.

The thing that makes me ambivalent about Thunder is that like I mentioned earlier it’s a “leather” or BDSM event, and not really a bondage event. So to be honest I never felt like I really fit in or was “with my people.” I really only saw maybe ten crossdressers at the whole thing, which was a little discouraging and contributed to my sense of feeling like an outsider. All I could do was try to look good and keep making an effort. All in all the event was fine, and having Gena there for much of it made it very pleasant, but I don’t know if I’d make it a regular thing in the future.

There were, however, quite a few very attractive women, including a girl who had some fabulous rubber outfits and this really cute haircut whom I kept noticing. I was definitely kind of smitten with her and I finally worked up the courage to talk to her briefly at the after-party at the Denver Sanctuary. She was so young, though, in her twenties, so I tried not to stare too much or be the lusting creepy middle-aged crossdresser. Later at the after-party there was also an attractive lesbian who came up to me, stood about six inches in front of me and asked, “May I?” I of course said yes and she ground her body into mine and stuck her face into my breast forms. That was, shall we say, pleasant.

So, emotionally it was a very mixed weekend, with some highs and some really deep lows. As events go the parties really are worth seeing, even if only once. I’m really looking forward much more, however, to FetishCon in about three weeks. We’ll keep you posted.

Occasionally I’ll see a woman who really isn’t very good looking, perhaps the years have been hard on her, and yet for some reason I’ll find myself very attracted to her. I just had one of those moments this morning, talking to a manager at my local bank. She was probably about 45, a little on the heavy side, someone you might easily just walk right by, and yet something about her really worked for me. Even her clothes were nothing special, just a plain black top and skirt. And yet while talking to her I found myself really focused on her – the curve of her neck and her hair and just the way we made eye contact. I doubt that she picked up on anything, as I normally play it pretty cool (sometimes to my detriment). But as I drove away I thought of her husband, almost with a touch of envy, knowing that he gets to be close to her. Weird how that sometimes happens.

A similar thing, that makes much more sense, is when I find myself intrigued by an older rough kind of man and I wonder if he’d be into tying up trannies. The handyman at my apartment complex comes to mind. First off I do like the guy just as a person, but there’s nothing even remotely attractive about him (and I’m never really attracted to guys anyway). He’s probably pushing 60 and is out of shape and weathered. And yet the idea of him being the kind of guy who might break into an apartment and tie up a girl really turns me on. Something about his rough manner just adds to the fantasy even more. I’d never ask him if he were into such a thing, since how would that ever come up in conversation without being really weird, but if I knew he were into those fantasies I’d gladly leave my door unlocked for him to break in some evening ;-)

Anyway, I’m off to Thunder in the Mountains on Friday and will be there for most of the weekend, and I’ll take my camera just in case something happens.

Well, I’ll be at Thunder in the Mountains the weekend after next (July 16th to 18th). I’m a little nervous because it’s definitely more a BDSM-themed event rather than a bondage event, and being fairly new to the Denver scene I don’t really know all that many people. And it’s supposed to bring in a huge crowd, which could be intimidating. One friend from California said that the name makes it sound like a big gay male leatherman party, which made me chuckle. But heck, it’s held in Denver, so it would be kind of stupid not to go. I’ll be getting a room, which makes dressing that much easier. Thankfully there are a few local friends who are going, so I’ll be looking for them, and I know quite a few of the vendors from other past events. If you’re going leave me a comment here or email me directly (there’s a contact link on my site). I’m hoping to have something good to blog about once it’s over. We shall see.

A couple people have asked me recently about an earlier post where I mentioned how it seems that people who are into damsel in distress style bondage are really in the minority in the BDSM scene, where bondage itself is a small minority interest. One friend asked, “What are the bondage people into if they’re not into DID-style bondage?” I’ve gone on about this before but it does seem in the BDSM scene that Shibari, or Japanese bondage, has really become the dominant style in the last few years, especially in the BDSM clubs and dungeons. It often seems when I go out to the clubs anymore that Shibari is what you see when you see bondage (other than cuffs and leather restraints) and that good ol’ damsel in distress style bondage has become much more scarce in comparison.

My guess for this is that damsel in distress bondage is often the style that bondage fetishists (such as me) favor, whereas Shibari seems much less fetishistic, and fetishists in general often seem to be a minority at the BDSM clubs anyway, where Dominance/submission play (D/s) and Master and slave relationships are so often the main focus. And in that environment I think Shibari fits right in as a form of aesthetic bondage that’s difficult to learn and thereby sets one apart as a bad-ass top for those who go to the trouble to learn it. I’m sure many would disagree with me and say that Shibari has just as much of a fetishistic charge to it, but I just don’t see it – which I grant may just mean that it’s not my fetish ;-) But one of the things that bewilders me the most about Shibari is that so often the girls aren’t even gagged. Now I know that for bondage fetishists the gag is oftentimes the main focus of the whole thing. I’ve lost count of how many bondage lovers I’ve heard say “It ain’t bondage if there’s no gag.” And I would totally agree – I mean, what’s the point otherwise?

I remember there was a big day-long bondage demo in L.A. several months ago and I was struck by how all the presenters, and I think there were seven or eight, all of them were doing Shibari and not a single one was doing DID-style bondage. I didn’t even bother going after that. And again, I totally get how difficult Shibari is and how people devote years of study to it. But I just find it way too cold and clinical and lacking in any fetishistic “bondage charge.” I think I have a folder on my computer with maybe twenty Shibari pictures that I’ve seen over the years that I find a turn on, and of course probably thousands from all the damsel in distress bondage sites that I’ve joined (way too many!)

Anyway, just another rant and I’m sure I’ll be back at it again before too long. I don’t hate Shibari – I just wish it hadn’t taken over and become THE style of bondage at the clubs. What I really like about FetishCon, on the other hand, is that it’s one of the main events that’s still focused on damsel in distress bondage, so even though I’m a crossdresser at least I don’t feel like I’m completely out of the loop there! I’m definitely looking forward to it in August and seeing friends whom I haven’t seen in way too long!

I had a really nice shoot recently with a very cute girl named Kali who has a terrific secretary look – my favorite! We shot a couple sets of pictures and I’ll post the full set of this one for this week’s update on Friday, where she ends up as a helpless secretary bound, cleave gagged, then OTM gagged on top of that and blindfolded too! We had a great time and it was very sexy getting her into the ropes and gags ;-)

I went out the other evening, just in boy mode, to one of the local “munches” – where a bunch of kinky people get together in a restaurant for dinner. It’s all very non-kinky and a good way to meet people in a very low pressure environment. I actually met my last two girlfriends at munches, not that I go out trolling, but you never know who you might meet. Of course, most of the time it’s some chit chat and a meal and that’s it, which is fine too. Well, it was definitely one of the latter kinds of evenings but I’m trying to take my own advice and go out to events, whether I enjoy them or not, as eventually if you do it enough you start to make contacts. Sometimes it feels like I make contacts in spite of myself, as I can be pretty shy and tongue tied when I first meet people.

One discouraging thing about the BDSM scene in general, I’ve found – and this is in any city, not just Denver – is that people who are into damsel in distress style bondage are a very tiny minority, and then being a crossdresser makes it an even tinier minority. So sometimes I get to feeling like why even bother going, but again it sometimes pays off if you go out enough.

Anyway, not the most exciting blog post here but it is tough starting again in another city, although I do have some history here. Actually most of the potential models and photographers I’ve been talking to have not really been that big in the BDSM scene, but are generally more just people who are familiar with my site and write me. Or people from Fetlife, who know me there and see that I’m now in Denver.

Hopefully I’ll have more exciting news as time goes on. In the meantime the picture taking continues on :-)

A lovely girl named Tiffany recently contacted me and we had a really nice shoot the other day. She wears a corset which gave her this amazing tiny waist in this tight green dress. I also love how she looks in the metal collar and the dangley earrings. I’ll be posting the full set of these pictures late tonight or early Friday, where she gets tied up, vetwrap gagged, and then finally pantyhose hooded and taped. She’s a very busy girl but I look forward to hopefully shooting again with Tiffany before too long. She was a lot of fun and it was terrific rendering her completely bound and helpless! ;-)

Well, I’m slowly getting more settled in and unpacked from my most recent move here on the west side of Denver. It was certainly way easier than the drive out from California. I think the new apartment will work out pretty well and I’m looking forward to doing some shooting here. Things have been going okay but it seems like so much time has been spent apartment hunting and running errands and just trying to stay on top of things. I’d really like to start having more fun this summer. I’ll have to work on that.

A nice girl from Poland recently wrote me and let me know that she translated my bio into her language and posted it on her blog related to transgendered issues. Wow, that was a lot of effort, I’m sure, but it looks pretty neat, and it’s very flattering that she went to all that trouble. I hope it’ll be of interest to her readers.

It looks like I’ll be in Tampa in August going to FetishCon! It’s been a couple years so I’m really looking forward to it and to seeing friends whom I haven’t seen in a while and meeting new ones. If you’re going let me know. I’m always up for meeting new people.

Last night I dressed up and went out to the Denver Sanctuary’s Gateway party, which is their big monthly BDSM party. It was, well, okay. Thankfully I knew maybe three or four people there, but the crowd was huge – about 80 – and there were only three or four crossdressers that I could see, a couple of whom were just working the front desk. I definitely felt like a bit of an outsider in the crowd, but then, heck, I feel like an outsider in this world ;-) A few of the ladies did make some nice comments on my outfit – I was wearing that favorite brown skirt and a stretchy print top and a brown wig – and I met several new people who were very nice, including a woman who had also recently moved from California. It’s funny, the night was fine, but I can’t say I really had that much fun. There was little if any bondage going on, mostly just whips and floggers, and I don’t really enjoy huge crowds, so I think I’ll try to look for some smaller more intimate parties in the future in addition to this one. I sure did feel nostalgic for the old Club Fantasy parties as I drove home!

Since my sublet here is winding down I’ve been packing up again for yet another move, a short one this time, at the end of the month. I was going through some old papers and found an old diary that I’d written way back in the mid-nineties, when I spent a year in New York City. What really struck me the most was how desperately unhappy I was back then. I’ve talked a lot on this blog about my struggles from time to time with low moods, so I can’t say I’m really a happy person (wish I could), but I’m certainly better than I was way back then. Geez, I did not have a clue and was terribly dramatic – everything seemed weighted with significance and life or death importance. I hope I’ve come at least a little ways since then.

The real lesson I took from reading that again is just the obvious conclusion that none of us can predict the future. When I moved to L.A. about nine years ago I thought I would probably spend the rest of my life there. Not so. And now that I’m in Denver I can see that I have no idea what the future will hold or how long I’ll really be here (although being in a sublet and moving twice in such a short time does heighten the sense of things being temporary). I do like it here pretty well and think things will work out in the long run, but really, who knows? Nothing profound about all this but it does take some of the pressure off. I was writing about things back in the nineties that seemed so important at the time and now they’re just vague memories.

I also found some old Harmony magazines too, old favorites from years ago, and scanned a few photos from them, though I apologize for the image quality. I really loved these pictures of Sarah Foster Tate in this bronze rubber dress – she was always terrific! And here’s a favorite set of Lyndia in a sexy white blouse with a wide corset belt, nicely tied and gagged. (I know these are still under copyright but, hey, they’re old and I don’t think they’re on any pay sites. If the owners of these images see them here and want them down, though, just let me know and I’ll do so right away. In the meantime, enjoy!

When it’s night and I part the curtains and look out a window, I almost always have a moment’s hesitation where I’m sure that there’s going to be a face looking right back at me – not a reflection but someone actually standing there. When I was a kid, those lines from the schmaltzy song “Those Were the Days” about the strange reflection in the glass used to always give me the willies in the same way. I’m not sure why this is, or why I’m blogging about it ;-)

It is, though, mid May and I just looked out the window. We still have snow rolling in again!

I’ve been staying in a short term sublet here in Denver and am moving to a new place in town at the end of the month. Every time I move I always feel a little nervous about the prospect of dressing and going out again and inevitably being seen by the neighbors. That little walk from the front door to the car always seems to be the toughest. Going out and being in a club or even out on the streets aren’t that big a deal in comparison, although to be honest I’ve never really enjoyed going out in the daytime all that much.

For someone who has their pictures all over the internet I’m really kind of private and don’t like that much attention in the real world. And the thought of being seen by the neighbors always makes me worried. I always wonder what would happen if they were totally freaked out and wanted to make a situation out of it, although that’s never happened. Back in L.A. there were lots of neighbors in a fairly concentrated area and I was seen many times, without any issues about it. I know there are some crossdressers out there who have this incredible confidence and who will go anywhere and not feel any doubt or anxiety about it. I’m not sure how one does that! I mean, I’ve been out many times and can’t say I’ve had any major problems, but it’s never been something that I just love to do.

I do suspect everything will work out fine at the new place, as every other place I’ve been before has worked out fine. And there’ll be a little more space than I’m used to, so I’m looking forward to that, especially for future photoshoots. Wish me luck though. I’ll be loading up the UHaul truck yet again in about three weeks, but only driving a few miles this time.