Title activities report through December 2013

It's been a couple of weeks since my last post, and I promised to get my readers caught up on my activities, so here as promised is another installment of My Title Year.

• November 30.  Attended the wedding of two wonderful leathermen.  (You know who you are!)  A large number from our community were in attendance.  We were asked to wear our "civvies", in deference to non-leather family members. I got dressed up in my tuxedo.  It's rare that I get the chance to wear this, since most of the formal events I attend are Leather Formal.  What fun!

• December 1. Put together another Exiles Orientation, ably assisted by Marilyn and Jak. Targeted to people in the Bay Area who identify as other than male, who either want to join The Exiles or just learn about BDSM, this class attempts to cover the essentials of BDSM, including play party etiquette, negotiation, and safer sex basics. This time I was the Narrator, which meant I also had to play the bit parts in the skit, including Obnoxious Top "Her Royal Hiney".  I always thought I would have a problem with this role - a person with inappropriate boundaries and huge sense of entitlement - but I must after all be a terrific actor because the part was easy!  Or maybe I was just extra obnoxious that day, and able to channel it for the role. You decide. <wink>
• December 7. Attended Santa's Slave Auction, a fundraising event put on by the Alameda County Leather Corps.  I was up "on the block".  I didn't "sell" for very much, but the event did very well overall and was huge fun!  Musical numbers from L.E. LeGirl and WooWoo Monroe brought down the house, and I got a whole bunch of great pictures in the sash.  Here are just a few.  Here I am with Tracy Wolf, Women's International Leather Legacy 2012...
  
  with Rich Stadtmiller (photographer extraordinaire and naughty Santa)...

 

and with the fabulous MCs, Tek and girl Kim.  

(I had to resist posting the rest, because I have way too many!)

• December 8th was the SF Bay Area Leather Alliance's volunteer appreciation party. The Alliance, an umbrella organization for leather/kink/gear clubs in the Bay Area, puts on events like the Leather Alliance Weekend and Mr. SF Leather contest, and Leather Alley at SF Pride.  I was planning to go to their party, since I had worked on Leather Alley. Sadly, due to a death in my family in the early hours of the morning, I had several other more urgent things to do instead.  Never mind, there is always next year.  And sorry for the downer.  Keep reading, you will soon come to the VIDEO portion of the blog!
• On December 13 I arrived in London, where I spent a few days seeing friends and extended family.  I worked a couple of days in my company's London office, just so I could be in town long enough to go to Bar Wotever. I am doing a whole separate blog entry to tell about Wotever, because I love what they are doing.  But meanwhile, in the context of my title activity report, the Wotever organizers were kind enough to ask me if I would come on stage and speak for a few minutes about the North American BDSM community, leather contests, and my experience becoming a titleholder.
  
  You can see a video (made on a handheld device, you have been warned) of my talk here. The video might be a bit rough, and my talk too, but I had the most fantastic feedback and great conversations after.  I gave out several pins and a lot of business cards, and I had some great conversations with folks who had lived for a while across the pond, or were originally from the US or Canada, or who were just really interested in the differences between the two scenes.  

Well, that's it for another blog post.  Please subscribe (link on main blog page) if you want to see my next blog entries as soon as I post them.  And please also send feedback, to let me know if you like the blogs, or if you want to see something different. Thanks!

Catching up on reporting my title activities - Oct-Nov 2013

Since winning the title, I have been making a steady stream of what I am grandly calling my Official Appearances.  I have been having lots of fun!

(Side note: While I have been having lots of fun as the titleholder, I have not been as successful at blogging about what I have been up to.  Failing on my goal of blogging makes me feel guilty, and the longer I leave it, the more guilty I feel.  Guilt only serves to make me feel bad, and does not help me be productive.  And guilt is probably more boring to read about than to feel.  So I have now resolved to catch my readers up with what I have been doing, with some actual content!  Please read on ...)

• October 18.  Attended the program of The Exiles, and proudly presented The Sash to my home club.  Our presenter, tomo, gave an excellent talk on "Takin' It: Pain and Pleasure", which in brief was all about how to take pain for your and your partner's pleasure.  As well as enjoying the program, I got to schmooze with my friends and show off the title regalia.  Here I am with a fellow member, obviously having a great time!
  
• October 31.  Not an Official Appearance exactly - I was there to play - but I want to give a shout out to the location. Once or twice a year, the men's bath-house, sauna and safe sex club EROS closes for a private party.  And the party attendees can be other than male! I had a fantastic time, as I always do when I get a chance to go here.  Men who have sex with men - this place is for you, 364 days of the year.  I encourage you to go there!
• November 1.  Went to the launch party for Queer Sphere, described as "a club for people of all genders who identify as queer and kinky".  I am excited to report that this new organization is providing classes, parties and a mentoring program here in the Bay Area.  Kinky queers - this might be for you. Check it out!
• November 2. Attended Santa Clara County Leather Association (SCCLA) title contest.  It was great seeing the new Mr SCCLA, Sam Campbell, earn his title.  I enjoyed listening to a wonderful step-down speech from Thib Guicherd-Callin, Mr. SCCLA 2012 and the first runner up to IML 2013. I even - gasp - met my sash husband, Mr SF Leather 2013 Andy Cross FOR THE VERY FIRST TIME!!  (Andy is also International Mr Leather 2013, so is extremely busy. I expect this factoid to feature in his roast prior to his step-down as Mr SF.) Here is a picture of me and Andy.  Note: I have since learned to pay much better attention to the placement of The Sash.
  
  

• November 7.  Definitely not an Official Appearance but I wish it were.  I went to see I am Divine, a wonderful documentary about the acting and singing star.  The movie did not disappoint!  And I got to meet Bambi Lake, one of the original Cockettes.   
  
  

• November 15.  Attended the TransMission event at the SF Citadel. TransMission events are for trans* people and allies.  I always enjoy these events because I feel at home there, thanks to the great hosts and the demographics of the attendees.
• November 16.  I had a work event planned for that whole weekend, or I would have registered for Dark Odyssey Surrender.  Lucky me, I got done with the work thing waaay early, and so I went to the hotel to schmooze in the lobby and have a quick photo-opportunity.  Here I am with Women's International Leather Legacy 2013, angel.  Afterwards I had a lovely dinner with Ms SF Leather Contest producers, Liza and Jody.

• November 23. Sarha, International Ms. Leather 2013, and Oil Tan Sam, International Mr. Bootblack 2013, were on their Big Tiny Tour and stopped by The Powerhouse, so I thought I would drop in to see them.  Thib Guicherd-Caillin kindly hosted Sarha and Sammy since Andy Cross was again out of town, no doubt on important IML business. Oil Tan Sam did a great job on my boots.  You would never know from how they look that it was pitch black in there and we had to rely on flashlights!  My phone died while I was there so I cannot prove that I was with Sam and Thib. But here is a pic of me and Sarha!  She is no doubt looking so happy because she is about to go and get some rest. Nothing to do with the awesome Ms SF Leather pin I had just given her!

 Okay.  That's all you get for today.  I am not caught up yet, so I will be posting again soon.  Next installment will include a VIDEO!

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