The Eternal Question

Hello im very interested in being a professional Dom I have read a few books but books will never give me experience or teach me Trix of the trade so to speak. Do you teach, know of schools or masters who are willing to take on students?
-JJ

Ah, yeah, welcome to the most commonly asked question by men of sex workers (or at least one of the top 5): “How do I become a male sex worker?” Now, I am assuming you are asking specifically about becoming a paid service provider for female clients? That is usually the case when this question is asked. Too bad really, I have several customers and acquaintances who service gay male clientele and they tell me that business is good and always in need of new talent.

Ask this question of a career sex worker and she will (if you are lucky) politely chuckle and tell you that you have a better chance of getting abducted by aliens and subsequently writing a best seller about it than becoming the elusive male gigolo. I believe the polite term would be “urban myth”.

Here is where I break ranks with the rest of the pack and say, rather than this being impossible, the odds of it happening are very, very, VERY (did I mention very?) improbable. See, I know a handful of men (myself included) who actually do get paid by women for various, shall we say, “professional services”.

The best analogy I can use would be this. Say you want to be the next James Bond. Daniel Craig will be stepping down after the next film, so it is reasonable to assume that someone has to fill that role, and get the fame/fortune that comes with it. However, there are millions of starving actors in the world who will all be lined up at the door the second they even start thinking about re-casting the role. Male sex work is much the same. Since the dawn of time, women have sold sex and men picked up the tab. That is just the way the universe works - with a few exceptions. What you are hoping to charge for, a thousand horny guys will do for free, or even pay to do.

However, these rare exceptions do exist. Like I said, the number of men I am talking about is TINY and this is not their primary source of income. I’ll probably get shit from the professional guys I know for even admitting that they do exist, but I will share what I do know about this very rare breed.

Unlike men, who will purchase sex based on sheer novelty or the particular shape of breasts being offered, women are much, much more particular about how they choose a provider. Reputation and relationship seem to be the two strongest governing aspects of how they make the decision to purchase such services.

Let us pause for a moment right here; the word services is a very broad term. This can be anything from the classic “porn stud” sexual experience to non-sexual SM to even erotic massage. So when I say services don’t just assume fucking for money, deal?

Now, of the male providers I know, every one of them has been active in their various alt-sex communities for years - in some cases a decade or more. Previous lovers, bottoms, friends and mentors all vouch for their skills, and more importantly, their character as a safe player. Some are, I dare say, experts in their particular field of sexual play, with a substantial reputation to back up the compensation they request. A female client wants someone they can trust to come to with their fantasies, have an experience (in whatever form that may take) with, and all the while know that their safety and privacy will not be compromised.

Ask most guys what they think being a male sex worker is like and they will tell you something like, “Show up, pull out my monster cock and bang the living shit outta some hot chick for an hour and get paid for it.” or something to that porn-tinted effect. The truth of the matter is quite different. It’s not about what I want to do, or what my “good idea meter” tells me it wants to do. Rather, the goal is to understand the needs and desires of the client and to craft an experience, a bubble if you will, in which their fantasies – not yours - become reality. While this may sound like a negative, it is in fact quite the opposite. To be granted access into a woman’s fantasies, and to take those desires and create an experience that is both memorable and well… hot, is richly satisfying. In that moment, there can be great intimacy and connection and we both enjoy it greatly. And when the moment is over, we allow it to pass, and we happily rejoin our respective lives.

Still thinking you want to try this? Ok, forget finding a mentor to “show you the ropes” as it were. Again, good female clients are a rare thing and male providers are not about to share their hard-won clients with anyone. That and the fact that this sort of thing makes up a tiny percentage of play that we do, apprenticeship opportunities are not going to happen. I mean you might get a job as “stunt cock” somewhere along the line, but even then don’t expect much more than a handshake and free condom out of the deal. (For those of you who don’t know what that is, that is when a female provider contracts you to for one of their bisexual male clients or in rare cases a female client of a female sexworker. In either case you will be closely directed as to what you are expect to do and not do) Also, there are no “Male Escort Review Sites” and posting an ad on Craigslist will most likely net you nothing but grief. So finding clients of your own will be the challenge. Amongst all the male service providers I know, their clients approached them first.

So why even bother you ask? I know that for myself, being a small business owner means that every single extra dime I make gets reinvested into my company and crew, this often leaves me with a little extra for myself. The generosity of my clients allows me to spoil myself in little ways. Like extra time with my massage therapist, or getting those expensive jeans that I would not normally buy for myself. Also, this has opened up opportunities for me to play with some beautiful, dynamic women that I would not have gotten to meet otherwise, because they were not shopping in the local SM community.

But let me just restate again, you will not be buying a new Audi anytime soon. Female clients are very rare, of all the play I write about on this blog only a tiny percentage are paying for the experience and most do so anonymously, hence they are NOT written about.

Haven’t talked you out of this yet? Alright then, more power to you, but let me return to the Bond analogy one last time. My advice to you would: study your craft. Take classes, read books, and go to BDSM conventions. Pay your dues in your community and maybe, just maybe if all the stars align, you’ll get a rare shot at an audition for the elusive role of Mr. Bond. Just understand that even if you have paid all your dues, have the look, the skills and the emotional chops to play the part, that casting director may choose the other guy, and there is not a damn thing you can do about it. That’s the reality for female sex workers and it’s a reality for us, too.

It is my hope that by writing this that those men out there who have always asked the question understand that this is possible, but that they need to realistically re-adjust their expectations as to what is required. Also, there is a social taboo around the idea of women seeking out sex workers. Again by telling you all this, it is my hope that they too will have more opportunities to pursue these things should they want it. In the end, this is not the end of a conversation, but rather the beginning of one.

More than just rope?

So I thought that I might try something a bit different with my next custom rope auction. These short run, one of a kind runs have become very popular, encouraging me to become more creative in my dye process and bolder in the colors I attempt to create.


The rope I am currently offering up for auction is a bit different. Rather than a bulk piece, this is a kit. 7 pieces of 30’, 6MM hemp dyed in a wild mix of violets, reds and a hint of pink and finished with my personal, bright green end whipping. Those with really sharp eyes might notice that this is the same rope I used in the mummification performance video I recently posted. So, a custom rope kit used once by yours truly in a performance.

Pretty unique no?

How about I add a personalized DVD of the performance, originally shot in HD, to the auction as well?

Monk's not so secret internet crush



Let me just officially state that I totally have a crush on Ms. Nikki Nefarious, the resident web diva over at Socialkink.com. Now some may remember, I had the pleasure of first making her acquaintance (and subsequently tossing her about) at Folsom recently and now she sends me this little post holiday snapshot.

How could anyone not want to spend a lost weekend in Tijuana with a girl like that?

Ok, sure the rope she is using is not my hemp so I guess that could be counted as points against her, but the fact that she also wrangled in two other blog readers to be the victims in the shot (that would be the lovely Cat on top & DeVille on the bottom bunk, as it were) makes up for that, big time.

Perhaps I can lure her into my clutches with the promise to replace that fake, synthetic rope with some supple, organic hemp... she would have to come pick it up personally of course.

Do you have photos of your twistedmonk.com rope and sporting your wear? Want to share them with the world? Send me an e-mail blog @ twistedmonk.com

Responses

Once again, you guys just astound me. The comments, repostings and e-mails I have gotten since posting the latest video have been amazing. One of my favorites would have to be this one, take a read of the comments. Awe... isn't that sweet? It is both flattering and hillarious at the same time, "turn me" oh honey do you have any idea how many boys hearts I've broken?

So I'm scouting a location for an upcoming video and need to find a hotel room that I can shoot in for a few hours. I would really rather not have to drop the cash to rent a decent sized room for a few hours (get yer minds outta the gutters kids, besides they don't have any hourly rate motels in Seattle anymore). Maybe if you work for a hotel or are traveling to Seattle and want to aide the cause, let me know. I'm also looking for a blow-up sex doll and several gallons of Kayro syrup.

More video than one blog can handle!

Time for another entry to the new video blog. This one is quite different than before, a live performance piece. It is my plan to mix up the video blog with stuff like this, interviews as well as the crazy stuff you have come to expect from me. Now this clip is a long one, coming in at nearly 20 minutes, was filmed live with a single, static camera. Rather than do something silly like speed it up or chop it up like bad home shot porn, I've opted to show the entire performance from start to finish.

Those of you with ADD might want to go ride bikes. For the rest of you, here goes.




Now youtube.com has a 10 minute max for clips so I had to cut it into two parts.



Enjoy!

Regarding Shibaricon 2008

I am long overdue in addressing this matter. As most you already know, I and my company, TwistedMonk.com, have been proud event sponsors of the Shibaricon rope bondage conference for the past two years. A lot has changed in those two years, as the event has grown, changed ownership, and moved host hotels. Through that time, it has been an honor to donate my financial, promotional, administrative and moral support to the event as it has evolved and grown.

We get approached by so many worthy organizations and events for sponsorship. It would be simply impossible to sponsor them all. Rather we work hard to pick and choose worthwhile events and organizations to lend out aid to. This can some days feel like a daunting task, so many worthwhile causes, and only a limited set of resources at your disposal.

Of all the lessons learned from the environmental movement of the past 20 years, “Think Globally, Act Locally” sits high on my decision-making process. The Seattle Center for Sex Positive Culture (formerly known as “The Wetspot”) has faithfully served the Seattle and greater North West’s sex positive community for over a decade. This is where I took my first rope class, where I sold my first piece of rope at one of their holiday vendor fairs, and where I have hung art in several of the Seattle Erotic Art Festival shows. The TwistedMonk.com you know and love would not be here if it were not for this organization and the tireless efforts of its volunteer staff.

This year it is my plan to donate funds, in my customer’s name, to this organization. Thus, I am not sponsoring Shibaricon this year. It is my hope that by stepping down as sponsor, I can give another young entrepreneur the opportunity to go from selling to their community to becoming a sponsor of it.

I am sure this will come a great shock to some; I assure you that this decision has weighed heavily on me for several months. While Shibaricon is an excellent event and a great way to spend a 4 day weekend, the greater needs of our local community are just too pressing to not inspire one to action.

So what about those who won free passes at last year’s event?
As part of last year’s sponsorship agreement, several free passes to this year’s event were to be given away as prizes. Fear not, I have every confidence that the event organizers will honor still honor the agreement and will see to it personally that you get into the event free of charge as promised.

Does this mean you will not be hosting the Annual Rope Rodeo?
At the time of this writing, neither I nor my organization has been invited by the Shibaricon planning committee to make a repeat performance.

Does this mean Twisted Monk will not be selling rope at the conference?
To be honest, I really don’t know. As much as I love getting to interact in-person with my customers, show sales now make up such a small percentage of our overall revenue that I am hesitant to commit resources to many of them. While Shibaricon is a good event, it is also a long one. Requiring me to divert stock months in advance, transport, house and feed a multi person staff and shut down my shop for nearly 2 weeks, forcing good customers to wait.

I am waffling here on this one, dear readers, the constant cycle of preshow death march, show frenzy and post show crash has taken its toll on me. The goal of any business to build a stable enough customer base such that you don’t have to do this cycle over and over again. As a company, TwistedMonk.com is at that point. With a global client base in the tens of thousands and more new customers coming in every day, I’m loath to want to subject my crew and my family to this kind of punishment.

The jury is still out on this one gang, I assure you that when I make my final decision you, my loyal reader, will hear it first.

Let me close this on this happy note, I am so proud of all the memories and people I have encountered as part of this event. Some of my dearest friends and leather family were first found here. Shibaricon is an excellent event and I encourage those who are considering going to not take my lack of involvement as a slight against the event or its planners.

A sneak peek into the daily operations of The Abbey

In my ongoing attempt to share the world that is TwistedMonk.Com with you, I give you this. A sneak peek into the day to day grind that is making and selling bondage rope. First off, to operate at this level and maintain the highest possible quality, I and my core production team meet regularly to discuss production goals and review past performance.


Now whenever you assemble a team of highly motivated, dedicated workers you sometimes have disagreements as to what need to happen next. TwistedMonk is not immune to this problem. The thing to remember is that all parties are striving to make a better product, but have different ideas on just how best to do it. When that happens, rather than let disagreements simmer and create tension, it takes an executive mandate on the part of management to dictate the proper course of action.

Or just a really wicked suplex.

The wrong side of the tracks

“shh, you hear that? Is that someone coming?” I whisper in her ear.
The light rain pattering off the hulking steel of the train cars makes it hard to tell if the sound is actually feet, crunching along the rail line or just a trick of the night. Either way, the warning worked. Her body stiffens and lets out in voluntary shudder as she does her best to stifle her moans.

Danger, especially the danger of getting caught can be a powerful aphrodisiac.

Me? Me I’m wondering to myself, “I certainly hope that I got the right set of rail cars and picked the two that are on the unused line…”

It all started with a request, she loves the thrill that one gets when there is a potential for discovery, that danger that spurs your adrenaline on. “Some place in the open, someplace dirty” was what she said. Good thing the neighborhood surrounding the Abbey becomes an industrial wasteland after dark, perfect for what I had in mind.

The first problem when planning a good scene is location. Much like real estate, it is all about the location. Where you play impacts how you play. A seedy motel room sets a far different tone than the loft over a painter’s studio. While I have a number of secret hot spots that I can draw from when planning a scene, outdoor and industrial takes a bit more planning. One has to factor in not only the obvious danger, getting caught, but also the dangers inherent to life in the industrial district. Are the people living in the abandoned warehouse you are planning on using? Is the property you are on owned by the port authority and patrolled by homeland security?

This and more went through my brain as I cruised the back streets and rail spurs late one night looking for the perfect location. I eventually found it, a storage spur once used by a sugar refinery to fill tanker cars, now abandoned, save a string of storage cars. Their giant rusting hulks would provide excellent cover as well as hard points for what I had in mind.

Yes, I said hard points. If you are gonna do a scene, go big or go home. My victim would be suspended between said rail cars.

Next problem, the bottom. Take care of, she sought me out and saw to it that I would be well rewarded for the application of my devious talents.

Then there came the problem of the actual tying. While I am known for the speed at which I tie, suspension bondage is a time consuming thing and something that requires a focus and attention to detail if one wishes to not hurt their partner (in the non-planned way that is). Now I knew we would not have a ton of time to play, the part of the rush of public play is the pace, that frenetic “OMG what if we get caught” feeling. Add the chill of the night air against naked skin and even the most flushed of souls won’t last long.

Nope this would require pre-rigging.

I have a special fondness for tying rope against skin and then dressing the person up and taking them out into public. There is something delightfully devious about sitting back and watching your bottom smile and squirm as they sip their coffee, all the while a tell tale strap of hemp peeks out from the neckline of their clothes.

I would take this premise a step further and tie a set of thigh harnesses into a corset tie.


On the night in question, the rain had just paused as we pulled up to the spot. Killing my headlights before rolling to a stop, I look over at her. Under her trench coat she wore the rope harness and nothing else, save a few objects that I, being the gentleman that I am, won’t divulge save that they made her eyes cross every time the car hit a bump along the drive.

Taking her hand, we strolled casually along the tracks as they lead in between the massive warehouses, our feet crunching along the gravel that fills the track lines. Once at our destination, I set to work. In the bulging pocket of my BDU pants are several lengths of rope. I pull one after the other and begin to secure her in between the massive, rusting cars. Just as I pull her last foot up off the ground and secure it, the rain starts again. Cold and spattering it echoes off the rail cars and streaks her flesh. Coat open to the elements, there she hangs. Legs spread wide and trussed up between the cars. Open and ready for the entire world to admire.

Of course there were no footsteps, no errant homeless soul about to wander into the scene. Of course this did not stop the actor in me from suggesting that it could happen at any moment, Noting any sound and whispering just how dire her plight would be if someone were to find us and how I would have to offer her up in hopes of us both avoiding incarceration should we get caught.

Yeah, I’m a bastard.

When the rest of the game played its course and the time came to bring her down, I quickly cut away the lines that connected her to rail car and wrapped her shivering body in to the thick blanket I brought along and gently guided her back to the warmth of the car.

Days later I would return to the site in hopes of recovering the bits of rope I left tied to the rail cars only to find them gone. Not the rope, mind you, the cars themselves. Somewhere out there is a pair of tankers with several pieces of hemp rope dangling from them.

Bits and Pieces of History

I sometimes get grief from folks because I give away bits of my history. Little mementos given to customers and fans, perhaps a bit of rope from my personal kit or sometimes more, all depends. Folks tell me that I should hold onto them, hoard them away so that one day I’ll have them to remember this wild ride called my life. The thing is, it seems like such a waste to hold onto stuff in hopes that someday, in the distant future, I’ll want to remember. Rather, it makes more sense to me to share the joy, why hold onto something for a someday when someone can take that thing and enjoy it now?

So on that thought, I’m opening up my personal treasure trove and offering some cool pieces of TwistedMonk history for auction so that they can find a good home.

This is a first generation twistedmonk.com “Trust Me” style t-shirt. Only a handful of these were made in 2004 for Folsom in white and the rest have been lost to the sands of time. This one was found in a crate and is, to our knowledge, the last of its kind. We only did one run of white, “Trust Me” shirts for our first adventure at Folsom St. Less than a dozen of these shirts were made. It is a 2XL so it would make some happy rope slut a nice night shirt.

Speaking of our first trip to Folsom. I had a custom opera jacket made for me for the event. A lovely, flowing garment made from a wicked black with silver/gray skulls woven into the print. Sadly it was made for me when I as about 40+ pounds heavier than I am today and my personal styles have moved from the long jacket to more minimalist designs. You can see a shot of me in it here. I loved this coat, loved the way it flowed when I tied and the way it looks. A real show stopper.

Speaking of my “long flowing coat phase” I have another opera jacket up for auction too. Not a custom job, but sexy none the less.

With any luck, if these are well received, I'll pull more goodies out of the archives and share them with you. Makes me smile, the thought of someone being exited about getting a piece of my history and making it part of theirs.

Its Reader Photo Time Again!

Ahh, I just love my customers. Take a fun loving, happy couple add rope and you get Nawa*G and lil*J, along with their cohorts Passion and Victor, get into some very hot rope related mayhem. If memory serves correct, they met at Shibaricon 2 years back and the world has never been the same. I think last year they set the record for most dungeon stopping scenes, the costuming alone is worth an award. Now these nice folks send me photos and notes whenever my rope intersects with their adventures and the hot, sexy craziness that ensues. You should go read about them on their blog, smokin!.




I've been invited to come join in and toss some rope with these lovelies on more than one occasion, I best eat my wheaties...

Do you have photos of your twistedmonk.com gear and want to share them with the world? Send me an e-mail blog @ twistedmonk.com

Say wha?

One of the best parts of doing a roadshow, aside from the huge paycheck at the end, is getting to interact with my fans and customers. Historically, we only make one east coast appearance so folks tend to go out of their way to come up and say hello.

This last weekend I had the pleasure to talk, hug and laugh with so many great people. It makes me wish that I could have had a hidden camera running because some of the interactions I had with folks were just too funny / strange to believe.

While wandering about on Friday night looking for a nearby pub for dinner and stopping to ask a couple on the street for directions:
Monk: ”Say, are you folks local? I’m looking for the Trinity Pub, heard of it?”
Random Person: ”Nope….”, eyes narrowing,” say… I know you. You were on my wife’s computer last night!”
Monk: “Um, I was? Was I naked”
Random Person: “”No, but there was a motorcycle…”
(ok, so maybe this video blogging thing is a bit more popular than I thought)

A customer walked by the booth, and as soon as her eyes caught me she stops dead in the middle of the isle and stares. Later she will make some stammering hellos and as I do my best to reassure her that I am just a guy and while I am flattered that she is so struck by meeting me that I am, in fact, just a person and won’t bite her.
“Its, its” she stammers trying to regain composure, “its like I’m meeting Santa Claus! “
I assure you all, while my ego may be near mythical in its proportions and depth, Seattle is not the north pole (no matter how much I complain about the cold) and the minion (while some are a bit on the diminutive side) are not to be mistaken for elves. LOL I really wanted to give her a big hug and thank her for making my day, but I held back for fear that she may faint.

Ok the wildest one? A buxom young thing, bounced up to me and announced that I was a “F.F.I.L.F” As in, “Father Figure I’d Like To Fuck”
Gulp! Not too sure how I feel about that one, sure I like playing the “Big Bad Leather Daddy” card when in public with alex, but I’m not sure if I am ready to have the gray streaks in my hair eroticized in that context just yet.

Home, fried
Waking up at 8 am on the east coast, flying non-stop to the west coast and crashing at midnight makes for one long, long day. Home, safe and very tired. Sadly, no rest for the wicked here. It is back to the shop to unload the few bits of rope we did not sell and then dive into this pile of orders.

Quick shout outs:
Ayem Willing, Tambo loved her birthday present. Well done.
To the documentary filmmaker who spoke with me at the flea on Sunday, please e-mail me directly I seem to have lost your contact info in the post show shuffle.
We have a couple of the swivel rings left over, the cost for them will be 200.00 if you want one please call the Abbey.

More later

Ok, so the few items too big to fly back with me are safely in UPS' hands. Bags packed and just taking a few moments to pause and enjoy the last of our awesome host's creature comforts before making the trek from Providince back to Boston and then fling home. Of course I was a bit worried when I awoke this morning to find the streets covered in a few inches of fresh snow. Thankfully that all seems to be under control. Strange, when we arrived on Friday the rain fell in fist sized drops. Walking but a few feet drenched us. Saturday and Sunday, not that we could do much with it, but it was glorious. Dry and crisp, bright and cold.... then today snow. Strange.


Oh well, I blather and should draw this to an end. Here is to everyone who came out, I think we hit a record for the number of times we heard, "love your blog" or "thanks for the videos" , "can I come work for you" and my favorite, "So when are you going to relocate the company out here?" Thank you to everyone who came out and bought, brought us treats, chatted, hugged, shared stories and generally makes this event one of my personal favorites. We will be back next year. As for the summer flea.... maybe. Ask me when I am not wiped out of stock and homesick.

Before I close, one last thank you must go to my boy alex. I think I may have met my match when it comes to salesmanship. He could sell ice to Eskimos and busted ass all weekend to do that. Thanks, you make your Daddy proud in so many ways.

So how goes the Flea?
This was our booth at 11 am, just as they started letting customers in...

This was our boot at 6 pm after they closed vending for the day.


Any questions?

Gawd, I am such a size queen!
The last thing I pack when loading out for a show is my personal rope kit. By this point, as much possible luggage space has been devoted to the show stock. Each case, carefully loaded to the just shy of the maximum allowable weight save one with just a sliver of space set aside for my personal gear. It is always a game of attrition when it comes to just how much of my on, for play, kit I can bring to any event. Do I pack my extra tall boots or an extra hundred feet? My current minimalist style of bondage was not borne out of any artistic direction, rather necessity. A kit made from German 4 strand? No way, to heavy. I can pack almost twice the rope if I go with standard stock. While the rope bulky, the stuff that really kills is the suspension hardware. Carabineers, the suspension ring, swivels, top lines all add up. This is why I was beside myself with delight when my steel guy delivered this little beauty to me this week.



Look closely now, why am I geeking out on it? This would be a 4 inch, ultra light, aircraft aluminum ring fused with a brand new Petzl, mountain rescue grade, frictionless swivel. This little unit just replaced three items in my rigging kit and weighs in at, get this, less than 12 ounces. On top of that, the integrated swivel / ring removed the need for a carbineer to connect them and buys me an additional three inches of clearance. May not seem like much, but if you have ever found yourself in a cramped play-space somewhere with your hardware clunking against your bottom’s skull as you worked you will join me in a chorus of, “hook me the fuck up!”


I will have a limited number of these micro miracles on sale this weekend at the Flea.

Gobsmacked
Wow, the response to the video blog was... overwhelming. I'm sorta floored and taken aback by this overwhelmingly positive response. Maybe I should have not turned down those guys who were asking me if I wanted to do a reality show last year?
As for what I would look like doing a cooking show, here is a little something that Matisse and I shot on a lost weekend together back in like '05 or '06? Cooking with Monk.

On that note, I guess I better break out the camera more often!
Again, thank you all so much for the overwhelming outpouring of praise. I am humbled.

Dude, what the hell happened to Monk?!

4 days with no updates to this blog, that has not happened in a long, long time. Today is the first day since Saturday that I've even been remotely able to remain upright and not a dull shade of green. Normally I'd just chalk this one up to another pre/post deathmarch cold, but this one hit me like a freight train. Not this time, your hero has spent the last 4 days flat on his back doing his best impersonation of a zombie bite victim in a bad Italian horror flick. Thankfully the worst seems to have past and now all I need to do is deal with the remaining sore throat and residual ickies that still inhabit my system. No worries, I've got a great crew working in the Abbey right now. They have taken all the stock I amassed last week and are currently prepping it for sale, leaving me to focus on getting better and the dozens of administrative things still left to do before we will ever get to sell all this rope we have made.

Now rather than listen to me blather on about the state of my upper respiratory system (its fine actually, seems I dodged that bullet) or the signage I still need to make for the show (So how does one say "Already going to put a hook in her butt? Upgrade to both hooks and save" with out sounding really sick?) Enjoy this little something I was teasing you with last month.



My desire here is to bridge the gap between this, written, blog and our high end how-to videos with something where we can showcase stuff, answer more complex questions and have some fun with.

Today's To Do List Takes Up Two Pages

Today I must get the pre-show shipment out the door and into the hands of UPS. All the heavy stuff that I can't take on an airplane. So while I run about like a madman on fire, here is some "gnome based erotica" from a reader/listener.

Monk

I'm sure you've received quite a bit of garden gnome themed erotica since it's only been two weeks since you started joking about lawn gnomes on Matisse's podcast. In the spirit of better late than never attached is a pictures of our super sexy and special friend Henk. We hope you enjoy.

J and D

Boston Show, T-7 Days

Less than a week till Alex and I depart for Boston and the Fetish Flea. Oh crap is there so much left to get done. I know I say that before every show, but damn what I would not give for couple of hours in the day. You know what this means, gonna be some long, long days for yours truly as I do my best to make the impossible a reality, one more time. So have that Diet Rockstar on standby and say a prayer.

Now just because I am really LAZY and don't feel like re-typing it all. Check out Matisse's blog for a listing of cool kink events going on this weekend. I'll be vending at the Mark Yu class on Sunday.

Ok, back to work for me.

The obligatory new years resolutions post

Welcome to 2008, please take off your shoes so we don’t track any of 07 onto the new carpet. So, resolutions time again? Hmm, what to say what to say? The obvious ones seem a bit on the weak side, get in shape? Done, 4 days a week at the gym will do that. Find love? Having several significant relationships some makes for maddening schedules, but I would not trade them for the world. Grow my business? Ya know I am really, really happy with where we are and the crew I have. Yes, there are new avenues to expand into and many who have yet to hear our name, but all told I got a rocking little crew and really like what we have built.

So rather than make “resolutions” for things that I wish to change in the new year, here are some goals, both personal and professional, that have been on my mind as we end the year and look forward to a new one.

10 things Monk wants to accomplish in the new year (in no particular order)
Extend affordable health care benefits to the part-time members of my crew
Offer a 401k plan These top two are ambitious and cause me more than a bit of anxiety, requiring quite a bit of extra work on my part. However, the employer that I want to be should provide more than just a paycheck.
Dance More ok, I stole this one from alex, but I think it is cool
Expand the charitable arm of my company and sponsor more educational and community resources. I’ve always said that it is not enough to just sell to a community, one must also give back. I’m very proud of what we accomplished last year on this front, but feel we can do more.
Finish building my gawd damned fucking machine. What can I say, some projects just need finishing.
Three words, “More Youtube Videos”
Do more performance and photo rigging In my heart of hearts I am an actor and really enjoy this however I just do not have the time to setup photo shoots, rig, shoot, and process images. Rather I’m hoping to collaborate with other photographers and models on this one. Funny, no sooner had I started mulling this idea when I was approached by a kink community site asking if I would like to show off said photography. Funny how the universe works.
Replace my faithful, yet near dead car. My little sidekick has happily risen to every challenge I could toss at it over the last 9 years. From lugging lighting equipment to movie sets to braving snowfall so that I can rescue a stranded love, but alas it soon will need to be recycled.
Learn how to relax and enjoy being spoiled by a lover. Man do I suck at this.
And last but not least, maybe a new tattoo.

As with all goals, some will be easier than others. Some will fall by the wayside while newer, more important ones arise. The important thing is to get them out of my brain and into the universe. The first step in creating the life you desire is stating just what it is you hope to accomplish and be willing to fail miserably in the pursuit of it.