On Friday I let my freak flag fly a little and took my friend Lori to a BDSM presentation at the LGBT Center. Here's what it was all about:
Lesbian Sex Mafia presents Beyond Roleplay: Invocations and Evocations for Ritual Work and BDSM, a workshop with Lee Harrington
Role play is about simply putting on a mask and becoming something fun for a moment, right? Not for everyone - some of us need to go further. Whether calling upon a persona that is inherent in our very being, or calling down God-forms, animal roles, or our yet-unmet Daddy persona, invocation and evocation can be powerful tools for both BDSM exploration and intense ritual work. From wardrobe to rituals, dabbling in persona manifestation to evoking emotional responses, getting into *and* out of head space, we'll discuss what these tools can mean for your life and desires.
Lee Harrington is an eclectic artist, spiritual and erotic educator, gender radical and published author on human sexuality and spiritual experience. Well known for his fun and informative approach to education, ze approaches sexuality as yet another art to master, or simply an art to enjoy to its fullest! Ze has been an active part of the international kink and sex positive communities for over 11 years, and his stories make people laugh while showing you that eroticism can be as serious, sexy, or silly as you make it. $5 members, $10 non-members Lesbian Sex Mafia (LSM) NYC - Est. 1981 Safe, consensual and confidential!
Before the 8 p.m. presentation, Lori took me to Queen of Sheba, a favorite Ethiopian restaurant. It was the first time I'd ever had Ethiopian food, and it was very good. It sort of blended elements of Chinese, Mediterranean and Asian food all together, but the spices were unique. I ordered the spicy lamb stew, and Lori had the vegetarian sampler. Everything is served on a single large platter the size of a pizza tray, on top of injera, which is a type of thick crepe or pancake. It has a sponge like texture to it, and frankly, seeing them folded on a serving tray, it would be hard to distinguish them from the dishrags in my kitchen. Also, being sponge like, they tend to be quite filling when eaten with a big glass of water, like lembas or Elvish waybread ("one small bite can fill the stomach of a grown man").
After dinner we went to the Center, and we were quite early, so we browsed through the used book sale, where I bought a copy of Michael Ondaatje's The English Patient. I also got hit on by some creepy older guy who came up to me and complimented my hands. The presentation was interesting and quite funny at times - the speaker had fun with one girl's penchant for evoking her "inner baby Godzilla." But much of the presentation I could relate to invoking the goddess in pagan rituals, so in that respect it was educational for me, because I have never tried BDSM, nor am I much interested in doing it.
On Saturday I dragged Tara to our local Mini Cooper dealership in Mahwah because I'm considering buying a Mini Cooper and wanted to sit in one to try it out. I've longed for a Mini ever since I first saw one at a BMW dealer where I was putting on a charity go-kart race for a client back in Houston many years ago. Even though I've never driven one, they seem like fun cars to drive, like souped up go-karts. Plus, they are actually pretty spacious inside, at least for two people. I don't need a new car per se, since Yoshi is working fine for a vehicle with about 115,000 miles on him. It's just that driving a minivan is very much linked to my old life, pretty much the only major possession I have from that time period and I'm not thrilled about that. Like everything else, it's time for my car to reflect the person I am, not the one I was.
Later in the evening, I went to Target and bought some new jeans because my old ones are getting too loose from the weight loss. I found some on the sale rack in a juniors size 15 that fit me, only they were a bit short, so I ripped the seams to let them out at the bottom, ironed out the creases and now they look great. I also found a bookcase for my bedroom to put my TV on, although I had to exchange it for the right color on Sunday. Sunday I also went to Loehmans and bought some winter coats and other items with my bonus coupons that expire today.
Today I have some pretty bad allergies, but hopefully it will be a quiet day at work and I can get home early and rest. The weather was beautiful this weekend and the trees are really starting to turn colors, which is a sight to behold. It's supposed to be hot and rainy all this week but hopefully next weekend will be nice too.
