Thursday, February 12, 2009

The Road to KinkFest - 43 Days and Counting

Last time, the Road to KinkFest was 57 Days and Counting. Now it’s down to only 43. My, how time flies.

Things I’ve Crossed Off the ‘To-Do’ List

I’ve purchased my membership. I’m now officially able to partake of all the KinkFestivities once KF 2009 weekend finally rolls around.

I also found the FetLife profile for one of the presenters I wanted to contact (as mentioned in the previous “Road to KinkFest” piece). And, WOW!, did I ever screw up that initial contact.

Instead of my traditional method of carefully writing a message on my computer at home, re-reading it, maybe putting it through an additional draft, and so on . . . I just wrote and sent it right there at/from the library.

So the message that she received from me was one in which I not only misspoke myself, but also managed to accidentally insult her. Not my best hour. I’ve since sent an apology which she’s graciously accepted. But still . . . I shouldn’t be able to click the SEND button to transmit anything that I didn’t write on my home computer and transfer to an internet-linked machine up the hill via a flash drive. I really shouldn’t.

There’s one more presenter that I had wanted to contact, but after that first mishap, I think I’m just going to leave well enough alone, and keep my questions to myself.

A Somewhat ‘Out of Character’ Move

I enjoyed myself at KinkFest last year. Just like I’ve enjoyed myself at every science-fiction convention I’ve ever been to. (A RustyCon, Two WesterCons, and a little over half a dozen or so OryCons.)

I enjoy myself at these type of things, and because of that, I’m always grateful for the people who volunteer their time to help out. Events like this wouldn’t be possible without the volunteers.

I acknowledge the role of the volunteer, I praise the volunteer . . . but any time I’ve ever been asked if I want to become one of them, I take a step back, hold my hands out to shield myself, and proclaim, ‘NO!’. My reasons for doing so landing somewhere between only having so much energy in the first place (being chronically ill and all), and being a big selfish bastard who wants to enjoy the event without actually having to do any of the work it takes to make it run. I pay my membership, so I’ve done my part, right?

Yeah, I sent an email to the KinkFest volunteer coordinator asking to be added to the volunteer list. (Yikes!) So, if all goes according to this plan, I’ll be spending four hours at the event (either all in a row or in two separate two hour shifts) helping the thing run smoothly.

They assign tasks based on ability, so given my list of disabilities, I fully expect to be sitting in a chair, guarding a doorway. Making sure nobody enters who doesn’t have a membership badge. (If you catch me on a really good day, I could be hauling and assembling dungeon furniture. But catching me on a good day is NOT something to be counted on.)

Volunteers get perks, and it was the gift certificate to the vendor’s area that caught my eye to be perfectly honest with you. (That, and a volunteers only play party thrown at The Conservatory in Portland two weeks later, but that’s not something I can count on getting a ride to, so really, just the gift certificate.)

But the more I think about it, the more I really just want to volunteer to help out. This is the community that I’m trying to break into. These are the people that I’m seeking help from, and interaction with. Doing what little volunteer work I’m able for the event just feels right to me. If nothing else, it’ll be a new experience.

Travel and Lodging

Until this last week, travel to/from the event was taken care of. And I wasn’t incredibly worried about the hotel. But now my plans on these details have been reset to zero, and I’ve no idea what’s going on.

Zorch had said that there would be no problem taking me there and back. Then Zorch said that – even though he had no plans to actually attend KinkFest – he’d probably go ahead and split a hotel room with me just to take a weekend’s vacation from his life. (And help me out, financially.) Zorch is a big fan of hotel rooms. And an even bigger fan of hotels with hot tubs.

But this is Zorch’s last year in college, and now he’s looking at going out of state over spring break for job interviews. Which is perfectly understandable. (Go, Zorch, go!) But . . . it does leave me kinda screwed.

Figuring out how to get a ride is a little troublesome, but I’m not horribly worried. I have confidence that it’ll work out.

Paying for a hotel room, however, has me stumped. I thought that I knew where my half of the room rate was coming from. Now a few words in that sentence get flipped around, changed, or deleted, and suddenly: I think I know where half of my room rate is coming from. But the other half? Beats the Hell outta me.

I’m thinking about posting a notice on FetLife inquiring about the possibility of a hotel room roommate for the weekend. (This is where I REALLY wish that I knew more people in the local community.)

Schedule Revisions

There was a revised workshop schedule posted on the KinkFest website this past week. No new workshops or presenters or anything, but they moved a few things around. And it almost looks like they made these changes based solely on my bitching about their schedule being inconvenient for me.

They took two of the three workshops I couldn’t decide between for the last workshop period of the event, and moved them into two of the periods where there wasn’t really anything I was all that desperate to attend. Yay! (Now I just have to hope that they leave the schedule like it is now, and not decide to do any further tinkering. Yes, they could make another move or two that would make the schedule absolutely perfect for me. But they could also fumble things up in such a way that would cause my eyes to get sick and barf up tears of anti-joy. And none of us want that.)

It’s also recently been announced on FetLife that FetLife creator, god, king, and landlord John Baku will be attending the event. Several meet-and-greets will happen throughout the weekend where we’ll be able to see the kinky social network’s chief pervert. (Personally, I’m expecting a giant floating head in front of a mysteriously closed curtain, but that’s just me. I could be wrong.)

Play Partners, Etc.

I want to find somebody to play with in the dungeon on Friday and Saturday nights. Someone to tie up. (Actually ‘tape up’, since I have no rope skills, and thus tend to use more duct tape in my bondage than the more traditional mediums.) Someone to spank. Someone to flog, after possibly purchasing a flogger in the vendor’s area. And I’d just love to find a woman with the appropriate interests and curiosities who would be willing to lay back and let me attempt to fist her.

I’d like to find some nipples to abuse. Some naked flesh to write nasty things on with washable markers. Some pretty bare toes to suck on.

And with a class on strap-on sex being taught – and the possibility that women will therefore be bringing their dildos and harnesses to the event with them – I wouldn’t mind experiencing a little anal penetration at some point.

The big BDSM fantasies include getting invited back to someone’s room (or having someone accept an invitation back to mine) to do a few things that aren’t allowed in the dungeon. Things involving photography, for example. Or some watersports activities in the bathtub.

And, yes, I’m sure that despite whatever best efforts I make, my brain will also be concentrating on the relatively inappropriate task of finding someone to lose my virginity to at the event. (Stupid brain.) I’m definitely open to it (obviously!), but I’m trying not to let the idea override every other thought I have, like it tried to do last year.

The ideal play partner situation would be to find people willing to put me on their ‘dance card’ now, before the event even gets here. I need to start meeting people. Or pre-meeting people.

I want to start sending messages to some of the people who have joined the FetLife KinkFest group, and introduce myself, strike up some conversations, start some threads, and other social-type behavior. (Like the title says, ’43 days and counting’. Time’s a wastin’!)

Top Ramen Is Delicious!

Mm-mm! Boy, is Top Ramen ever tasty! (Or so I keep telling myself, over and over again.) And man-o-man, am I ever looking forward to being able to buy real food to eat come April!

No comments: