late saturday at work

late saturday at work
Originally uploaded by Mr Monk

taking a break while working on a saturday to try out the new coffee "mugs" we found for the shop. not sure if I can support a ceramic coffee receptical that lacks a handle. just seems not right to me.

now with extra plauge flavor!

now with extra plauge flavor!
Originally uploaded by Mr Monk

they sell the wierdest shit at ikea.

Sunday 03/01/09 Max is teaching Mean Rope - Rope Skills for Sadists and Masochists in Seattle, WA

Come down to the CSPC and learn from one of the best. I'll be there before and after the event with rope for sale as well.

Class runs 2:30-5:30
Cost: $35
CSPC membership NOT required

For Decorative Purposes Only

For Decorative Purposes Only
Originally uploaded by merrick_monroe

Merrick sent me this from her photoblog, seems to be a very popular photo. She says its the rope, me... I may have to disagree. I make good rope, but... daym!

Random Chatter in the Abbey...
"you ok? You look a little pale."
"Nah, I'm good. Just a wicked case of SRH"
"SRH?"
"Yeah, Sperm Retention Headache."

Oh vanity, thy name is Monk….

This morning, in between bouts of grunting and calling him a “sadistic twat”, my trainer dared me to do the unthinkable. When I first set out to change my life and loose the now 70+ pounds, I did a major house cleaning. Ejecting bad habits like so much debris from my previous life. Gone were the pints after work every day, the drugs, the drive thru meals and a toxic lifestyle that denied who I really wanted to be.

Now almost 6 years later, the results are beyond even what I had imagined. The human body, as I will tell anyone who sits still long enough to listen, is an amazing machine. Adapting to new stresses and stimuli and if given the chance, overcoming them and transforming into something powerful and graceful. Every time I thought I had hit a plateau, that point where I thought, “Ok, this is where my body wants to be, be satisfied.” A slight tweak in the routine, be it diet or exercise or even environmental and the body, that amazing machine, responded by becoming even leaner and stronger (both physically and mentally).

I know, I know you are asking yourself why the hell am I telling you all this, surely there must be limits to even my vanity.

Like most folks, with the New Year I decided to challenge myself, could I push my body harder? Past this current plateau and carve it into something even sleeker and more powerful? In short, I really want to look good naked. Not that I currently get any complaints, mind you, but rather see what I was possible if we stepped things up and pushed even harder.

So, coupled with a crew that is all as health conscious as I am, we as a company decided to veto doughnuts and other such desserts from the Abbey. The weekly deliveries of baked treats that I used to thank my crew were replaced with bags of oranges and apples. Add to this a wife who is now training for a marathon and makes me look like a couch potato.

But I digress, this morning as I worked out, muscles trembling and shaking as they were pushed right up to the point of failure, my trainer commented on the sleeker lines he was seeing.
“I was the doughnuts,” I tell him gasping through clenched teeth. “Six weeks cold turkey… dropped that last 5 pounds”
“Just think what you will look like if you give up French fries?”
“What?!”
“Cut out the fries”
“Dude, I’d rather give up sex!”
“21 days, no fries…. I dare ya”

Oh man, I love French fries. I have no idea if I can give them up, but god how I love a challenge.

Its madness here at the Abbey today!

Oh man oh man, things are screaming this week at the Ol' Abbey. The new rope stock is just primo, allowing us to turn up the production even more. Just in time too as the order queue continues to swell to a new, record high. Having crews working from 6am to 6pm, while making a serious dent, is still not enough. Gonna have to think about spinning up an evening shift. I'm not complaining, lord knows I'm delighted by it all actually, it just always astounds me when I think things are going to level off and they end up ratcheting up a notch.

Of coruse all this makes for a stressed Monk, the million things to track and the pull of a thousand variables at once makes me hungry for simple pleasure of play. To shift my focus from import negotiations, labor cost, color mixing, and all the details that go into my day to one thing. One body, encased in the bubble of play when time seems to stand still and the whole world, with it's flashing neon distractions, all seem to fade into the mists as I focus on that one perfect moment... Yeah, I need to play and hard soon. Need to feel the knot between my shoulders relax as I uncoil my body and let loose with savage intensity and destroy something beautiful.

Like this, taken from when Naughty Merrick came to shoot with me last summer.


Not sure when I'll get to play again, soon I hope. Lots and lots of work to be done right now and lots of customers who are waiting patiently for rope that I do not want to let down. Soon...

More on SEAF, a call to arms (or legs or perhaps tentacles)

Now that my hand seems to be mostly back to normal, save a funky shade of yellow, and the order pile has been reduced from “Fucking Massive” to a mere “HOLLY CRAP!” I think we can now return to talking about SEAF and the whole installation thing. Let me see, when last we spoke I was talking about performances. So I’m guessing, if I were in your shoes, I’d be wondering just who the hell I have incriminating photos of. I mean how the hell else could this rope maker talk his way into getting an installation at SEAF and the green light to roll out not one, not two but FOUR HOURS of performance bondage every night of the festival?

Nope, no photos. Rather an idea, an idea that they felt was good enough to warrant a proposal and eventually a green light. I know, pretty shocking. I think I still am to tell ya the truth. The idea is simple, be different. Challenge what we are used to seeing when you think of performance bondage. Let’s turn the idea on its ear, if you will, and do something that will make the viewer think, laugh and (hopefully) turned on. While the “classics” will never go out of style, I mean who does not like a hot girl, half naked and dangling in ropes? I mean really? It is my goal to challenge some of those assumptions by drawing on a wider palette of bodies and ideas for this as well as do more than just the “guy ties up hot chick, stands back, puts hands on hips and basks in his perceived awesomeness” thing.

What I need from you.

I am seeking a select group of exhibitionist, rope bottoms who want to commit to being part of this 4 day rope marathon. Non traditional types who love rope and are willing to put in the hard work to be part of doing something really, really challenging. Specifically I want men, bios, queers, non-traditional body shapes and those who are considered “differently abled” who want to take part in re-shaping the myth that in order to love rope you have to be a 98 pound contortionist from Tokyo. (don’t worry I have one or two of those on hand as well. ) In short, I want to draw from the vast spectrum of people who love rope and want to show that love off.

Now before I get flooded with emails saying, “oh pick me!”, pause for a moment and think about this. This will not be a scene or a play date, rather you are signing on to spending a large part of March and April rehearsing, getting filmed, photographed and in once case even motion captured for post FX-CGI. I need folks who are reliable, creative, have transportation and the desire to do something really different.

Next to talk about, but is it art?!

now that is what i call sexy

now that is what i call sexy
Originally uploaded by Mr Monk

my lazy ass postman will invariably complain about them, but damn if that does not make me smile. a big ass stack of rope orders headed out the door this morning and another pile just like it on deck for tomorrow. happy, happy perverts!

nice flower dude

nice flower dude
Originally uploaded by Mr Monk

while out for a post duengon teardown with Matisse they were giving out flowers. Not thinking I put mine in my coat and went on with our night out. this morning while heading into the abbey, my rough and tumble neighbors all started giving me shit for going "soft" on them and bringing too much class to our humble, dockworker enviroment.

due to a gym mishap involving a medicine ball, yours truly and a personal trainer who rivals anyone I know for his sheer fucked up sadism I I seem to have damaged the fingers on my right hand. So typing is next to impossible today. In fact just writing that last sentence took almost 5 minutes as I tap away with my left hand and my right thumb. The good news is that nothing is broken, just looks like I'm sporting one hell of a sprain.

So yeah, that SEAF update I promised yesterday? Gonna need to put that on hold till tomorrow when I can type with out gritting my teeth.

Letting the “SEAF” thing out of the bag

I’ve made mention of it in my twitter feed, small hints as to this “thing” I have in the works. Well now I can let the cat out of the bag, to an extent, and start talking about this new, exiting and large project I’ve taken on.

For those cool kids in the know, SEAF stands for Seattle Erotic Art Festival, a long running and very cool art show that draws a wide variety of erotic art from all over the world and for three days is the epicenter of sexy for Seattle. Back when I was still shooting, I had pieces in the first 3 SEAF shows, but since starting up the rope company most of my photography has been more snapshots for fun and not of the caliber that this event warrants.

That is not to say that I’ve not wanted to contribute something…

So this year, when the call for festival performances was made, I figured that now was the time to step up and see what was possible. After some initial testing of the waters, the “gee it would be really cool to do a suspension performance” idea grew into something larger, more complex and frankly much more compelling. Thankfully the event directors, who all deserve medals, listened to my idea, offered feedback and in the end agreed to grant my idea as worthy of the festival. What started out as a 10-15 minute suspension bondage performance has now become a 200sq foot installation piece that will feature live performances, video and CGI.

Ambitious? Who? Me?

Tomorrow I’ll blog more about this as well as put the call out for performance bottoms. Wait before you fire me off an email volunteering as what I am looking for is not what most expect when you say “Suspension Bondage Model”.

There is a method to my madness, I assure you.

My Tambo cut off all her hair!

My Tambo cut off all her hair!
Originally uploaded by Mr Monk

she tells me that her head feels 5 pounds lighter but that her hair is still suffering "chop shock". still, wow nice look and I have such a thing for exposed necks too.

Been a long, long time since I was moved to tears like this...

Swiped from my friend SfRacerX's journal.


"Fidelity": Don't Divorce... from Courage Campaign on Vimeo.

Wow, I'm with out words.

From Twitter: "Of all the crazy, kinky things @mistressmatisse has talked me into over the years... This one takes the cake." 4:04 PM Dec 22nd, 2008 from txt

Let me begin by saying that I am an unrepentant sinner. A happy, well adjusted pervert who makes no apologies for who he is or what makes his naughty bits tingle. That said, today I find myself shocked at the extent of my own perversion. Or should I say, shocked at how I have been lead astray by a certain woman. Now when we met, some five plus years ago I considered myself pretty well versed in the various ways and means of sexuality and kink. Firmly rooted in what I knew I liked and what I knew I did not like and wise enough to know no matter how out there it may be, it is not a bad kink just not for me.

That is, of course until I met her... everything changed with her. Things that up till now were placed firmly in my “No” list, slowly found their way to becoming a “maybe” and then, inevitably, “Oh sweet Jesus YES, a thousand times yes!’ She, she has this way you see, a way of making the impossible sound intriguing and the terrifying seem like no big deal. I blame her laugh, when she laughs I loose my ability to think rational thoughts and all I want in this life, more than my next breath is to hear that laugh. And so, like the sirens calling sailors to their doom, I found myself powerless to her charms. Perversions and deviance I once never contemplated are now common place for me.

Today, today I’m a very well versed pervert. I dare say, even jaded at times. Between my personal sex life, running a wildly successful bondage company, and sex work I’ve seen, and done, more than most will in an entire lifetime.

Imagine my shock when, after all this, she did it again.

It all started with a casual, off the cuff comment, while laying naked together. My first response to her was repulsion. “Oh you have just been elected the mayor of Ickytown!”, I responded in mock horror. Not another word was spoken about this for weeks, then another comment. She had tried it out and found she sorta liked it. “This is why we are poly” I think was my response, but even then I could feel the tiny flicker of curiosity spark. If she, this woman with whom I have experienced things of legend with, like it. How bad could it? No! This was far too strange, too taboo my brain would rebel and scream. Eventually, she would excuse herself before we tucked into bed for the night and partake in this taboo ritual, returning to me, dare I say aglow.

I remember the first time she let me watch, my curiosity getting the better of my caution, I sat and looked on intently as she undertook the ritual. Horrified, I could not look away. Every part of my brain rebelled, nay screamed for me to turn and walk away… but then she let out a laugh. Oh that laugh, oh how it pulls at my being like so many hooks, drawing me in closer. It would be several days later before I asked her to show me how it was done, she smiled and asked, “Are you sure, baby?”
“Yeah, lets see what all the fuss is about” I tried to sound casual while my guts did somersaults.
Gently, calmly she took my shaking hand and showed me just how she likes to do it. The trick you see is in the ritual. The process is all part of the pay out, preparing the components and then, then the act.

I blinked and choked my first time, nearly falling over backwards onto the tiled floor with shock, but I did it. Later that night, as we basked in the warmth of the other, she ran her fingers along my furrowed brow and asked me how it felt. “Not… not that bad actually”

The next week, we did it together again. Again and again like clockwork this thing became a habit for us. This forbidden thing, now a ritual. Part of the fabric of our life together, until… until I found myself wanting it when we were not together. Thinking about it, thinking about how good it would feel right now and I how I did not want to wait till I saw her again to do it. No longer satisfied with it being just an “us” thing, eventually I found myself on e-bay looking to fill my need.

I bought my own Neti Pot.

You see, after years of exposure to hemp dust, my sinus are a wreck. A constant source of soreness and untold head colds, the pain can be unrelenting some days. It was her, a long time sufferer of allergies herself who suggested I try this homeopathic remedy.

After all these years and all the crazy, fucked up things we have done together, buying my own tools for nasal irritation feels so… deviant.

New Video Blog, now with even more Monk!
The video blog returns from its hiatus, now in HD even. In this blog, I do my best to answer the most common question I get from folks just starting out. The big, "where the hell do I even begin doing this rope thing?"

Enjoy!