I had a blast yesterday at the L.A. Marathon and although I’m a slowpoke I was still upright as I crossed the finish line. I had some doubts if I’d finish it this year, since I just wasn’t feeling strong with my training and the weather was warm yesterday in the 80s. I did come in about 20 minutes slower than last year but I was completely thrilled just to complete the race and put on a tiny surge to my trotting pace on the last miles, which are utterly miserable any way you cut it. I’d love to break the five hour mark at some point but it just seems really daunting at this point, maybe next year. The event itself is just so much fun though, with an incredible energy and an amazing crowd to cheer you on for miles and miles, and a course that goes by so many well-known L.A. landmarks. It just feels like a big L.A. lovefest and I hope to do it again next year.

One of the main reasons I keep running is that it’s a great way to keep the weight off, and as the decades pass it becomes harder and harder not to bulk up. If I didn’t work out I’m sure I’d be ten or twenty pounds heavier than I am now. So I’m no great athlete by any stretch but it does help with my vanity. ;-) I also tend to have better moods and just generally feel better about things if I stay active. I had a mild injury last September and didn’t run for an entire month and just felt awful. It was like withdrawal not getting my endorphin fix. It’s tough to get out to the gym or hit the track but I force myself even though I could totally be a couch potato. Anyway, it was an awesome race yesterday and will definitely be one of the high points of the year once again! Yay!

For years I’ve meant to head down to Long Beach for the TGirl Nights put on by Jamie Jameson at Hamburger Mary’s, but with the schedule of the old TEASE parties and how they used to be on Fridays I never had enough oomph left over the next night to head down there (So glad we’ve switched TEASE to Saturdays!) So finally last night my friend Kim and I got made up and headed down the SoCal freeways to Long Beach. We got to hang out again with Cici Kitten and our new friend Fierce and we had a great time. Actually two weekends out clubbing in a row is very rare for me but it was fun and Jamie’s party has a huge turnout. If you’re into clubs full of trannies this is definitely one to check out and I’m sure we’ll be back again. They also do it on Tuesday nights for a karaoke party earlier in the evening and dancing later.

Last night my friend Kim and I were able to get out to the latex party at the Oxwood Inn and we had a great time. A couple drinks in me and I was feeling very relaxed! We got to hang out with Louann Chen and Cici Kitten, both crazy party girls! I don’t get out to the Ox’ as much as I’d like but it was a good crowd, though as the music got louder and louder I found myself nodding my head and smiling whenever anyone tried to talk to me; with everyone including me being tipsy though it really didn’t matter! Fun night.

Well, here we are again at the end of the year. I’ll admit 2013 has been another very mixed year for me. It did have some great highs and fun moments: there was the L.A. Marathon, which I never thought I could finish but nicely surprised myself; later in the year I dated a woman who’s one of my favorite people in the world, and although it didn’t last and she’s moving out of state for work I’m thankful that we’re still friends; the Indiana bondage parties put on by Donna Patricia Richardson were great fun and highly recommended; and there were also some very fun and sexy shoots during the year, and some great events such as DomCon (the best ever, thanks to Krystle!). There was also the Halloween parade in West Hollywood (pictures below), and a few TEASE parties that really stood out. But at the same time, not to dwell on them, there were also some real lows, challenges, and moments of doubt as another year passed.

I’m heading out in a couple days to Atlanta for my end of the year visit with my parents – my Dad’s not doing great but he’s hanging in there – and then it’ll be back to work in January. I’m also hoping that Mr. K. gets better in 2014. He’s a good friend and has always been so supportive, and although he’s having some health problems he’s slowly making a recovery.

What really stuck out for me this year though was the sense of the uncertainty of the future and of life in general, and just how quickly these years pass. Obviously, we make our plans but then life often has its own ideas. After a year like this one, which really wasn’t bad, just challenging, I’d be foolish to believe that I’ve really got it together.

I am very thankful, though, that the website continues to do well – thanks again to all the paying members who really are the ones who keep it going. If it was just me I’d have reached my limits long ago. I will probably have to look at the finances of it more closely next year as it continues to be more expensive to run since I’m shooting more with other models but it’s moving forward very well and I’m extremely grateful for that.

In any event, I’m still very happy to be back in Los Angeles, am planning more photo shoots, have some new bondage gear and photo gear to play with, and am really looking forward to making some new pics and videos in the year ahead and keeping the bondage fun going. All the best in 2014 and keep those ropes and gags tight!

I was at the grocery story this morning getting snacks for the TEASE party tonight and saw a genetic woman who must have been 6′ 3″ and wearing low heels, which probably made her even a couple inches taller. The nice thing is that she looked all dressed up for the office, with a nice skirt and top and killer legs. The thing that struck me though was how much she stood out because of her height. I’m six feet tall myself, without heels, and have commented before how I’ll never really pass because of that, along with other tell-tale signs, and people often say, “Oh but there are lots of tall women out there!” Which is true, but whoa, those tall women who are out there – they really stand out! Which again, for a CD, “standing out” kind of kills it for passing. Just an observation ;-)

This was the third year that I’ve made it out to the West Hollywood Halloween street party, going with my friend Kim again, and we had a blast. We’ve learned that it’s a good idea to get there early and go out to eat first before hitting the boulevard, as things just get crazier and more claustrophic the later it gets. As always it’s a mix of people and some really creative costumes, and loads of gay boys and drag queens everywhere. We shot a bunch of pictures and I found myself casually getting felt up a couple times by the not-so-innocent bystanders.

Later on we were able to meet up with Ikaras Jones who was decked out in an amazing full-body latex outfit and who was accompanied by none other than bondage legend Lorelei and her boyfriend Jon Woods. Wherever they went there was a big crowd of people waiting to take pictures with the bound and gagged Lorelei. As we continued on the crowd just continued to swell and eventually Kim got separated from us. There was a frantic moment of “Uh oh, what now?” but eventually I was able to get a text message through and we finally met up back at the car. My feet were killing me by then, even with my low heels and we fought the traffic out of Hollywood and back to the Valley. It was another fun and very memorable time and hopefully we’ll be back again next year…Oh, and I still have no idea what’s going on with that guy with the thing on his head in picture nine below!

It’s been a while since I’ve seen my family, so I’ll be traveling for about a week in Colorado and Atlanta. It’s been over a year since I’ve been back to Denver so I’m really looking forward to it. I was hoping to be able to hike up Pikes Peak too with my hiking buddy J., although the weather’s looking doubtful tonight. But if we do, I always love the challenge of struggling up those last few thousand feet of elevation and wondering how I’m going to make it the rest of the way. Many writers have pointed out how going up mountains can be viewed as a metaphor for life and how our struggles are really mostly with the self. I know mine are; if I could just get out of my own way half the time I’d do much better. Anyway, after Colorado I’ll be in Atlanta for a few days to see my parents who are old but hanging in there. It should be a nice break and then back to L.A. to get kinky again with some new photoshoots that I’m looking forward to. More news soon, I hope…

Sorry for the lack of blogging lately, but I just wanted to mention that the next TEASE Party here in N. Hollywood, California, is next Friday, Sept. 6th, at the Threshold clubhouse. Last year we did the same theme and it turned out to be the biggest party of the year, so I’m hoping we’ll have a nice turnout. If you’re in Southern California I invite you to stop by and visit. It’s a very relaxed and laid back atmosphere with none of the cattiness you can find at some of the bars and clubs. There will also be a free ticket giveaway around midnight for the best back to school outfit…Hope to see you there!

A while back I heard from a very pretty TS girl named Ashley and of course we got to talking about taking some pictures. Ashley was a lot of fun to hang out with and looked fantastic as a cute damsel in distress. We shot in this strange hotel which I really like in the suburbs of L.A. The rooms were huge and have this unique red color scheme, as though they’re a portal to hell. In this scene Ashley was a hapless girl who has a little too much to drink at the bar and finds herself lashed down to the metal frame of a rollaway bed. Always be careful when you’re out drinking and never take drinks from a stranger, especially if you don’t see them being poured, or this could happen to you…which some of you might like. ;-) The full set is up on the site. Hope you enjoy!

Silvia and I emailed each other a few months ago on Feflife and I was immediately impressed by her polished and incredibly pretty look. But since she lives a few states away I wasn’t sure we’d ever have the chance to shoot together. But as luck would have it she was able to pay a visit to Southern California recently and I had a great time meeting her and taking some bondage pictures. She’s a real dear and a very nice person and happily endured some pretty intense bondage. I’m hoping we’ll be able to do it again on some future travel. In the meantime this gallery will be going up on the site early on Friday. She ends up tied in a crossed-leg position with growing distress as the intensity increases. This was the last thing we shot after a long day and it was a blast getting her all tied up and tape-gagged – Aw, poor dear! ;-) Hope you Enjoy!

I had a fun shoot the other night with a new tgurl featured on the website named Emma Cass, who had written me several months ago about an upcoming visit to L.A. Thankfully our schedules worked out and Emma was game to try out some bondage. It was a terrific shoot and although she lives very far away I’m hoping we might be able to shoot again someday. Emma was a real trooper and endured some very strict bondage (gotta love that!) Here are a few sample shots and the gallery with the first two shots below just went up on the site this evening. Enjoy!

Well, I normally hate to acknowledge birthdays but I have a big one coming up (cough, cough, clears throat) so I figured why run from it this year (though I still won’t say the number!) It’ll be falling on the date of the next TEASE Party, May 3rd, so if you’re in the L.A. area come on out and help me celebrate! Perhaps birthday spankings will occur…Hope to see you there!

My friend Krystle and I have been talking for a while about eating some bugs at this crazy restaurant in Santa Monica called Typhoon and we finally got to drive down there last night and enjoy some. I didn’t dress up for this outing but still had a blast. I won’t post the thumbnails here in case anyone is squeamish, although to be honest they’re not that bad (just be careful of the third link in the next sentence if you do choose to click!) We had ants, crickets, frogs legs, scorpions on shrimp toast, and the most disgusting looking: fried silk worm pupae. I always like to try new things (within reason) and eating bugs seemed totally reasonable! It actually wasn’t that hard to do once we dug in. With the dipping sauces it’s just like eating fried whatever. The frogs legs were one of the tastiest, definitely tasting like chicken and very warm and juicy. And a couple glasses of wine made it awesome – A totally fun night out!

I just completed the L.A. Marathon earlier today and although my time was slow (5:19) thankfully I didn’t completely “bonk out” and hit the wall, and was even able to put on a little speed the last couple miles (and yeah, I left my high heels at home!). The 26.2 mile-long course is fantastic, with lots of L.A. landmarks, including Dodger Stadium (where it starts), Frank Gehry’s chrome-plated Disney Hall, down Hollywood Blvd. and the walk of fame, past a crowd of cheering drag queens in West Hollywood (Yes!), along Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills, and finally finishing in Santa Monica nearly at the beach. It was really tough and a complete blast – it’ll definitely be one of the high points of the year!

Granted, I didn’t run the entire thing. I was doing the “run, walk, run” technique, endorsed by Olympian Jeff Galloway, where I walked for one minute every half mile. These little rests make a huge difference and allow some time to recover, until you hit mile 20 or so and things just become generally painful! But there’s amazing support from the crowds, with people everywhere cheering you on and lots of bands along the way jamming out.

It was a great day and I’d have to say that anyone who’s moderately active could probably do the same thing with maybe six months of moderate training (which is basically what I did, and not even as consistently as I should have). I never thought I’d be able to complete a marathon so I’m walking on air tonight, and insanely sore! Also a bit concerned with how I’ll feel in the morning when I try to drag my legs out of bed! ;-)

A couple days ago I got dressed in my more casual daytime look and drove down to West Hollywood for the Transgender Day of Remembrance memorial service. This was the third one I’ve been to and obviously they’re always sad and rather depressing, honoring and reading the names of trans people who were killed over the course of the year. It was a nice service with some really talented musical performers and I saw quite a few people whom I know, but it did go on a bit long. I hate to sound negative, but I found myself inevitably comparing it to the service I heard last year in Colorado Springs (my old hometown), which seemed to hit all the right notes in just under an hour. I’m glad I went though and showed my support for the community.

I also wanted to wish a Happy Thanksgiving to everyone here in the States who celebrated today. The memorial earlier in the week is always very sobering but I do try to remind myself just how good I have it, especially to have friends and family who care for me, and all the many members and great people I’ve worked with over the years who support my website. I’m sure I’ll write more later but I’ll admit it’s been a pretty good year. Of course I have the kind of personality that’s always waiting for the other shoe to drop but I do remind myself to be grateful. I know so many people for whom things are so much worse, especially some of the crossdressers who sometimes write, feeling very alone with their gender feelings and their kinks and lifestyle. I can relate to a lot of what I’ve heard over the years, of course, and wish peace of mind and lots of fun to everyone out there. It can be tough but sometimes it can also be pretty darn fabulous!