Attending FURther CONfusion 2012 and addressing communication confusion.

You may of tried to phone me over the last couple of days and failed, thinking perhaps that I was ignoring your calls and or taking some exotic vacation that required no communication.  That assumption would be incorrect.  The fact is I remained in San Francisco, however my new cell phone the one that replaced the phone that decided to remain with the buffalo on Antelope Island after a day of horseback riding, also decided to retire from service.  This time it decided to spontaneously dive into the water at Ocean Beach San Francisco, whereupon I entered three days of nonconsensual BDSM with the telephone company. You will be pleased to know I have survived the ordeal and now my new, new phone sits naked on my desk awaiting its sexy purple, leopard print cover.

I will be attending FURther CONfusion 2012, the Furry convention. It will be my first time attending a furry event and I am terribly excited. It is important that I follow the etiquette of the event so I will be attempting to look as un Mistressy as possible.  I will  be wearing my furry fabulous new cape and holding a picnic basket, wolves beware I keep all sorts of goodies in my picnic basket.

England and Mistress Riding Hood

During the first week of December I flew to England to visit family, the flight was long and the lay over in Amsterdam not long enough, to do anything respectable with. So I sat and read a fascinating book on the science of dogs, ate overpriced very average sushi and tried to stay awake. I arrived in England to an airport that felt like an episode of ‘Faulty Towers’ with missing luggage and the encouraging statement that ‘forty bags had gone missing yesterday’, it took three days to get my luggage! In one of my trusty suitcases were several yards of thick heavy cranberry colored fur that I was having made into a cape. I have long held  a fascination with ‘Little Red Riding Hood’ although these days I prefer the title  ’Mistress’. My personal theory is that Red and the Wolf meet in the dark forest whereupon  she captures his wolfish heart and together along with all manner of woodland creatures they get up to all kinds perfectly wicked mischief.
Thankfully the missing luggage reappeared and my fabulously furry cape was made. Back to Red Riding Hood, I was nineteen years old doing theater in England and traveling all over the country with a production of ‘Little Red Riding Hood’ and yes I was Miss Red, with long red ringlets to match. I had just left Stratford and was on the way to somewhere else when I met the lady who was to become a future mentor, friend and ‘my other mother’. To this day she adamantly refuses that she was ever a Mistress or knows what such a thing is, however she was without doubt an inspiration as I took my first formative steps into this ancient profession. Endless cups of tea, and hours poring over books of black and white photographs listening to stories of her extraordinary life.

At some point and soon I hope  I will start writing down these stories and share the ones with you that she permits along with a photograph or two. Returning home at Christmas to the remarkable thirteenth century cottage she calls home, I was formally presented with the foxes and a riding whip with a exquisite antique handle that had been made for her. The foxes I had long since admired from those early ‘Red Days’, the whip well simply a passing on of the baton I think.

Filming With National Geographic December 2011

In December 2011, two days after I returned from England, National Geographic arrived at my apartment for three days of filming! Although my suitcase was barely unpacked and I barely rested, I dutifully accepted the challenge of relegating  my Christmas tree and all of its ornaments to an unglamorous  heap in the middle of my indoor garden, Christmas unfortunately dates the show and our documentary may show in spring or early summer. Christmas decorations aside, I had the opportunity to talk to  a wonderful team of individuals about animal role play and specifically puppy play. Multi award winning camera man Adam who left me with the impression that whether he was in a palace or the poorest of homes he consistently moved with respect and  grace. Paul the sound man who won our hearts with pictures of his bio dog family, his insight into my indoor garden and his generally good nature. Over dinner we conversed with these amazing gentleman who have dedicated their lives to traveling throughout the globe, providing powerful and insightful film.

Day one began with interviews, for Myself and Tyke Puppy, day two filming at home and then a  trip to the Castro to visit my hair stylist Tidsdale at Every Six Weeks, day three German dog commands in Dolores Park with Tyke Puppy, Jedidiah Black my bio Chihuahua and a surprise encounter with a bio Doberman Pinscher, who although had a previous history of biting happened to fall in love with our camera man and Tyke Puppy. I can still recall her owner, a very nice middle class lady, stating how surprised she was at the similarity between Tyke Puppy and her doberman. I must admit to indulging in a few proud moments, Tyke Puppy is indeed a very handsome Doberman puppy. We finished the day with a party at my dear friend Lou’s house who goes by the title ‘Purveyor Of Logistics’ where she gracefully accommodated a rambunctious pack of puppies for the evening. We all parted ways with promises to stay in touch and an exquisite gift of orchids that now sits proudly in my garden.

Shooting With Lilac Wine

I have to admit to being a tad picky these days abut who I shoot with.  Firstly I am a creature of habit and quite monogamous, I always use the same nail lady, the same makeup artist and if possible the same hair person.  They get to know me, I get to know them and there are no surprises, I was was once unfaithful to my nail lady and regretted it. I could swear that she is a little more brutal when she has my hands firmly gripped under her tools since that unfortunate and regrettable incident.  However I digress, the lovely Lilac Wine contacted me earlier this month and asked to shoot me.  Over the years I have shot with a number of wonderful photographers at Pride, Folsom in the studio and on location and its true there are a couple of them that I have been known to make lunch for and stand in the freezing cold risking hypothermia because I think they are that skilled and that I have genuinely grown to think quite fondly of.  When Lilac showed me her portfolio I was impressed, she is a young up and coming photographer who has an eye for capturing an intimate moment. I decided to invite her to shoot at my home.  Inspired by a vintage pin up look, I played with corsets, stockings and girdles, we shot at the dining room table and on my leather bench.  I even called Tyke Puppy over to sit in for a couple of shots.  It is as if Lilac Wine is the silent observer to the scene, capturing stolen thoughts with her camera.

Getting Your Paws Wet

Your Mistress is delighted to announce a series of upcoming classes on puppy play. The first class ‘ Getting your Paws Wet’ was held at the SF Citadel on November 1. Stay tuned for my next class ‘Holding the Leash’ coming soon… 

I will also be teaching at Rocky Mountain Olympus in Salt Lake City, Utah April 20 -22.

All other classes will be announced as soon as I have my full teaching schedule.

On a personal note Rascal my Beagle celebrated an early birthday party, the puppy pen was turned into a giant ball pit of rolled up newspaper, puppy toys, paw print balloons and doggy birthday cupcakes, much barking and grrrRUFFing was had by all!