random babble

Am back in Oakland

-robin — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 01:08:09 GMT

I'm back in Oakland for a bit. Me and my lover came down from Vancouver, where I have been living for the last 9 months. I'm going to be going to the next Screwup and the trans march and faerie village at Pride and to Fresh Meat on the 22nd, so we can see the ASL translation version. We bought our tickets for Fresh Meat online, just to be sure to get some. It was so amazing last year. I had a hysterectomy in the beginning of May and am mostly recovered from that and am just at the end of being severely anemic until I got some IV iron infusions before and after the hysterectomy. I'm excited about the idea of long walks and hikes here to get back in shape and actually appreciate how much fun it is to have enough hemoglobin! I really want to try to get out to some hot springs or clothing optional beaches. Sun Sun SUN. Water! I'd also really like to get out to some desert for a bit. I have to go back to Vancouver in the fall to get an MRI and catscan done. I have a place to stay until the end of July. I would love to stay in the area for longer, but would need a housesit or cheap sublet to do that. Keep me in mind if you hear of anything. I would like to move with my lover, Swati, who's also here and we like being together, ideally. Ideally Oakland or Berkeley, but SF is totally something I/We would consider. Short or longer (up to 2 months). We might be able to cobble together couchsurfing, housesitting, and a short sublet into something that would let us stay for a bit. She's also available to night nanny newborn multiples, if you are looking for that kind of thing. She's really good and all her clients have been super duper happy with her.

Coming to terms with leaving.

-robin — Sat, 15 Sep 2007 21:08:16 GMT

I can't believe that in a week and two days I am moving from Oakland to Vancouver. I cry every day. I will really miss Oakland. I hope Vancouver turns out to be more fun this time around. I'm really trying to find positive things. We'll be living in the Van equivalent of the gay village, where I'll be able to get food late at night, and go out for a drink really easily. We'll be able to see a bit of the ocean from our windows. We'll be able to walk along the Bay every day. We'll be able to walk to Stanley Park (the huge park with giant trees and ferns that's at least 10 kilometers wide). There are lots of cafes to have morning chai and Little Sister's queer bookstore is just down the street. It will also be walking distance from the club where my favorite dance night named Organix is STILL going after 10 years. We'll have a dishwasher and free laundry on every floor of our building and a rooftop gym and sauna. We're only seven blocks from two different skytrain stations so I can easily visit my friends and my mom. And the FOOD IS INCREDIBLE in Vancouver. And not nearly as expensive for Sushi! And there will be yummy local microbrews. Apparently there is also lots of work available. Life is about change (my life at least) and I'm trying to embrace the change (while simultaneously pretending it isn't happening). I'll miss this place and all the wonderful people here. Hopefully sometime I'll come back.

September 07 SCREWUP: Take My Breath Away: Negotiating Breath Play Skills and Risks!

-robin — Thu, 30 Aug 2007 02:36:20 GMT

September screwup screwup: BDSM for trans people, genderqueers and their friends, presents... Take My Breath Away: Negotiating Breath Play Skills and Risks with Mistress Morgana Friday, September 14th, 2007 from 7:00 to 9:30 PM New College of California in San Francisco, Room 22 (2nd Floor), 766 Valencia Street (near 18th Street), San Francisco Few topics are as titillating and taboo in BDSM as breath play. Controlling and manipulating something as elemental as the air your partner breathes makes for intense power exchange, but this style of play is not without serious risks. Seasoned BDSM educator Mistress Morgana brings her wit, enthusiasm, and expertise to this topic for an exciting evening dedicated to developing the skills necessary for hot, safe, sane, consensual, and risk aware breath play. Topics will include styles and sensations of breath play like smothering and choking, with a strong emphasis on physical anatomy, safety, risk factors, and understanding the difference between what might be a hot fantasy and what is an achievable reality. This workshop will feature demonstration subjects, and class members are welcome to practice techniques in class on themselves. Mistress Morgana has been developing and teaching workshops in BDSM safety and technique across the country for the past ten years. She is the host and co-writer of the instructional video "Whipsmart: A Good Vibrations Guide to Beginning BDSM for Couples," and also offers private tutorials and consultations to individuals, couples, and groups. For more information about your hostess, visit www.mistressmorgana.com. $0-5 donation will be accepted to cover the cost of supplies and flyers. No one turned away. The New College of California is wheelchair accessible and has gender-neutral bathrooms! Spread the word by making your own flyers. Please contact screwup@screwup.info if you'd like us to try to arrange for an ASL interpreter, to get involved, make suggestions or with any other requests. Directions to the New College of California The MUNI BUS LINES 14, 22, 26, 33, and 49 all run within a few blocks of the New College of California, many run within 1 block. Also, BART runs within 3 blocks (exit at 16th and Mission Streets in SF). Please use public transportation - parking near the New College of California is not easy. If you do drive, please be considerate of the New College of California's neighbors and do not block driveways or park in blue or white zones.

Eagle and Hole In The Wall threatened

-robin — Thu, 12 Apr 2007 20:28:52 GMT

I got this letter from the Black Leather Wings yahoogroup. I've also seen other postings about it. I would seriously miss The Eagle and now I want to check out The Hole In The Wall before it closes (possibly forever). If you can do something to help, please do. There is a call to Boycott Stompers because their owner is one of the folks driving the fight against The Hole In The Wall and possibly The Eagle. I've never bought boots at Stompers, but I do think it odd that a place that definately gets alot of business from the Leather Community would kick itself in the head this way by opposing Leather establishments. --- *******letter from the owners:***** **** Dear Friends of SOMA Gay Culture, Hole In The Wall Saloon has become famous since it opened some thirteen years ago. At the depth of the AIDS epidemic, when gay South of Market seemed to be dying, "The Hole" became a joyous retreat for our community with an accent on art, fun, and music. A thinking man's bar. Anyway, the building where it lives now is rapidly falling apart. For years we've been looking for a more secure location, and in October of 2006 we bought a suitable property on Folsom Street. Shortly thereafter, a man named Jim Meko handed us a letter. Allegedly, he had already delivered a copy to the seller's realtor before we bought the property. We'd never seen this letter. It stated that he and the neighborhood did not want another bar in the South of Market area (despite the fact that we had already been here for twelve and a half years). So we held a neighborhood meeting and presented our plans. We assured everyone that we would address all concerns with haste and sincerity. Still, Mr. Jim Meko countered that if he stood at the intersection of 8th and Folsom streets, he could hear loud music from inside Hole In The Wall on any given night. He stated that The Eagle Tavern, our second establishment (which has been a gay bar for more than twenty-five years now) was a terrible nuisance and that he was constantly annoyed by the commotion from its Sunday community benefits. He finally stood up and exclaimed the following to our new neighbors: "Don't trust these guys! They're bad bar owners!" This last accusation cut the deepest. We've tried hard over the years to be a positive force in our small corner of the world. We clean and police the streets in front of our establishments. We donate time, money, and energy to charities and clubs that we see making a difference. Most importantly, we respect our employees as human beings with rights. Since the beginning, we've provided them with health insurance, paid vacations, and a yearly retreat at The Russian River. Despite Mr. Jim Meko's characterization of it as a nuisance, The Eagle Tavern raises tens of thousands of dollars for charities and civic organizations each year. Finally, we can't count how many gay men have sworn they met their life partner at the Hole In The Wall Saloon and consider it a sacred place. We're proud of these things and believe ourselves to be far from "bad bar owners". We were soon informed that a hearing was being insisted upon by a second neighbor at the urging of Mr. Jim Meko and that others had now been persuaded to oppose the bar's relocation project. We personally called this second neighbor. He had never been to Hole In The Wall. He had been to The Eagle Tavern once. At this point, the future of the Hole In The Wall looks grim. The floor and foundation are in bad shape. The bar's days are numbered. We can't afford to purchase another building; and in any case something similar to all of this would be the certain outcome. South of Market, in the hands of the small-minded, has slowly turned petty and intolerant. Not only is Hole In The Wall certain to close if we can't re-locate, but the future of The Eagle is in doubt as well. Mr. Jim Meko's main complaints were directed against it, and he sits on the city's Entertainment Commission. What we're asking for is your spiritual and verbal support. We need testimony from people who know the Hole In The Wall and The Eagle Tavern and consider them important. Please send a short letter directly to President Dwight Alexander San Francisco Planning Department 1660 Mission St. 5th Floor San Francisco, CA 94103 OR SEND AN EMAIL TO CHRIS DALY, DISTRICT SIX SUPERVISOR, AT chris.daly@sfgov. org Your presence and willingness to speak for a minute or two at our hearing on Thursday, May 10th beginning at 1:30 would be of immense help. It will be at City Hall, Room 400. In any event, the destiny of both the Hole In The Wall and The Eagle Tavern are up to their fans now... As is the future and spirit of all of South of Market. Sincerely, John Gardiner & Joseph Banks, Proprietors Hole In The Wall Saloon & The Eagle Tavern E-mail: info@holeinthewalls aloon.com __._,_.___

looking for cool roomies

-robin — Thu, 15 Feb 2007 18:51:08 GMT

i'm in the process of moving this month to the Fruitvale area of Oakland and in with my friend Swati. We're looking for some subletters to take on two different rooms in the place. One room is available on March 1st. The other is likely April 1st. The house is nice with a big back yard with lots of sun, a super sweetie cat named Chester who is not smelly, and there is the possibility that the sublets could turn into something longer. She's just moved back in in January, after being away for several months so her ex could have an accessible place to live while he went to grad school and looked for somewhere else for January. She wants to sublet until she can figure out what's up with the house and her future. Here's the ad if you know anyone who is interested: poly kinky queers looking for roommate(s) We are queer, poly, kinky, sex educators, female/genderqueer, omnivorous, open minded folks in our late 20s and early 30s. We're open and friendly, hang out in the common areas and hope you will as well (there is a TV/DVD and stereo in the livingroom but it's not on all the time and we don't have cable). If you are triggered by people with health problems this is not the house for you, however neither of ours will impact you (and are not contagious). Both if us have chronic pain conditions, one of us is a regular outside medicinal420 user but the other is allergic so sorry no more. The household is scent free (no perfume, scented lotion, incense, essential oils etc.) because of allergies, non-smoking, occasional social drinking with a wild party maybe once a year and an openness BBQ/potlucks more often. Looking for mature responsible adults. We'd prefer you be queer and sex positive since we very much are. The house has four bedrooms and two bathrooms, hardwood floors throughout, and a good sized kitchen with two refrigerators, dishwasher, washer/dryer, wireless DSL, sunny backyard and deck with garden space available. We have one indoor/outdoor cat, sorry no more pets. The house is semi-wheelchair accessible, the back door is ramped but not at an ADA grade and the house is not fully accessible but good for someone with limited mobility (we currently have an accessible parking spot out front as well). We are half a mile (less than 6 blocks) from Fruitvale BART in Oakland, on several major bus lines, and conveniently located between 580 and 880 (street parking always available) in a multicultural neighborhood not far from Mills College (on 38th Avenue near Mera Street if you want to mapquest it). There are also lots of small stores and restaurants within walking distance. The room is sunny, 10 by 11 with a small closet and shares a bath with one other person. It is currently furnished with a full sized bed, small dresser and bookshelf, furnishings negotiable. The current sublet is available March 1st to June 1st (525 a month with a 500 deposit) with the possibility of extending to a month to month lease after. There is a second room that is available April 1st - ideal if you would like more space (both rooms for one person 975), or for a couple. Rent covers utilities, some household cleaning, as well as shared household items like dish soap, toilet paper, and laundry detergent. There is a private phone line in the room that can be activated if desired. Please contact us at fruitvalehouse@hotmail.com if this sounds like somewhere you’d like to live.

This Friday, Dec 8th SCREWUP: Naughty Holiday Fun!

-robin — Tue, 05 Dec 2006 08:09:12 GMT

December screwup screwup: BDSM for trannies, genderqueers and their friends, presents... Naughty holiday fun! Friday,December 8, 2006 from 7:00 to 9:30 PM New College of California in San Francisco Room 22 (2nd Floor), 766 Valencia Street (near 18th Street), San Francisco Come tell Santa if you've been naughty or nice and see if you'll get prezzies or ouchies. Pin an ornament on the human christmas tree. Light a Hanukkah candle on a person or two and play the kinky dreidel game. Participation strongly encouraged and ideas always welcome :) screwup is for trannies, genderqueers, and our friends. This event is open to all genders and will be held in Room 22 at the New College of California. Folks sometimes go out for coffee or food afterwards, so come prepared... $0-5 donation will be accepted to cover the cost of supplies and flyers. No one turned away. The New College of California is wheelchair accessible and has gender-neutral bathrooms! Spread the word by downloading, printing, and distributing flyers. Please contact screwup@screwup.info if you'd like us to arrange for an ASL interpreter, to get involved, make suggestions or with any other requests. Directions to the New College of California The MUNI BUS LINES 14, 22, 26, 33, and 49 all run within a few blocks of the New College of California many run within 1 block. Also, BART runs within 3 blocks (exit at 16th and Mission Streets in SF). Please use public transportation - parking near the New College of California is not easy. If you do drive, please be considerate of the New College of California' neighbors and do not block driveways or park in blue or white zones.

This Friday, November 10 SCREWUP: What To Do With Scenes Gone Wrong?

-robin — Wed, 08 Nov 2006 09:49:09 GMT

November screwup screwup: BDSM for trannies, genderqueers and their friends, presents... What To Do With Scenes Gone Wrong? A solution oriented roundtable and brainstorm! Friday, November 10, 2006 from 7:00 to 9:30 PM New College of California in San Francisco, Room 22 (2nd Floor), 766 Valencia Street (near 18th Street), San Francisco Ever have a scene that ends in unhappy tears and/or hurt feelings? Ever start crying and just can't stop? Ever had your partner do so and not know what to do? Ever taken or given way more pain or humiliation than you should have? Ever have to take someone to a clinic or the hospital? Ever have to go yourself? Ever miscommunicated and gotten way too much more than you bargained for? Ever not negotiated enough and then found yourself in some bad place? Ever not been right with the aftercare? So have lots and lots of other folks. Why not come out and talk with others at screwup about scenes that have gone wrong and what you've done that has worked or not worked, hear what others have done, and try together to come up with solutions and hints for common and not so common "scenes gone wrong". Please do not use this space as one to trash former/current playpartners. This is more to help us all learn better ways to cope when scenes go wrong and ways to maybe not have them go wrong in the first place. This is an open discussion with minimal presentation or demo, unless people decide they think roleplays would be useful. Bring yerself, yer friends, and yer helpful ideas. screwup is for trannies, genderqueers, and our friends. It's all DIY (do it yourself). This event is open to all genders and the not gendered and will be held in Room 22 at the New College of California. Folks almost always go out for coffee or food afterwards, so come prepared...everyone is welcome for the food part, too. $0-5 donation will be accepted to cover the cost of supplies and flyers. No one turned away. The New College of California is wheelchair accessible and has gender-neutral bathrooms! Please contact screwup@screwup.info if you'd like us to arrange for an ASL interpreter, to get involved, make suggestions or with any other requests. please repost whereever you think appropriate. ----- Directions to the New College of California The MUNI BUS LINES 14, 22, 26, 33, and 49 all run within a few blocks of the New College of California many run within 1 block. Also, BART runs within 3 blocks (exit at 16th and Mission Streets in SF). Please use public transportation - parking near the New College of California is not easy. If you do drive, please be considerate of the New College of California' neighbors and do not block driveways or park in blue or white zones.

Friday, October 13th SCREWUP: Everyday Kink!

-robin — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 04:21:50 GMT

October screwup screwup: BDSM for trannies, genderqueers and their friends, presents... Everyday kink! Friday,October 13, 2006 from 7:00 to 9:30 PM New College of California in San Francisco, Room 22 (2nd Floor), 766 Valencia Street (between 18th and 19th Streets), San Francisco A free-for-all interactive discussion on how perverts pervert the everyday: 1) When you are preparing an evening meal at home, are you cooking up more than food? Are you trying to figure out how that battery operated milk-foamer could be used outside of the coffee cup? 2) Do you identify as kink whether or not you’re in a scene? How does that present itself in the everyday? 3) Do your commonplace interactions with the larger world feed your kink? Does you kink feed the larger world? 4) How do you find/incorporate your kink in everyday activities (and the other way around)? If any of these questions (plus many more) strikes your fancy, come on and join us for a fun-loving interactive get-together. There will be games :) Please bring one or more common everyday seemingly innocent items with you! screwup is for trannies, genderqueers, and our friends. This event is open to all genders and will be held in Room 22 at the New College of California. Folks usually go out for coffee or food afterwards, so come prepared... everyone is welcome for the food and socializing part afterwards! $0-5 donation will be accepted to cover the cost of supplies and presenter expenses. No one turned away and no pressure to pay. The New College of California is wheelchair accessible and has gender-neutral bathrooms! Spread the word by making flyers, telling your friends, or reposting this announcement. Please contact screwup@screwup.info if you'd like us to arrange for an ASL interpreter, to get involved, make suggestions or with any other requests. Directions to the New College of California The MUNI BUS LINES 14, 22, 26, 33, and 49 all run within a few blocks of the New College of California many run within 1 block. Also, BART runs within 3 blocks (exit at 16th and Mission Streets in SF). Please use public transportation - parking near the New College of California is not easy. If you do drive, please be considerate of the New College of California's neighbors and do not block driveways or park in blue or white zones.

liked this quote:

-robin — Sun, 17 Sep 2006 08:47:30 GMT

Seeing the goodness in someone does not imply ignoring their difficult qualities or unskilled actions. Rather, we can fully acknowledge these difficulties, while at the same time we choose to focus on the positive. If we focus on the negative we will naturally feel anger, resentment, or disappointment. If we focus on the positive, we will forge connection to the person. -Sharon Salzberg

ug.

-robin — Sat, 16 Sep 2006 00:52:31 GMT

the roomie and i were mugged last night on Telegraph between 40th and 41st at around midnight. it was pretty awful. they punched us in the head. the got my bag. wow. the mugging with a gun was much nicer, in retrospect. there's something about a stranger staring you in the eye and calling you a bitch and punching you in the jaw and head. this is a hard time for the roomie otherwise, so please send her prayers and kind wishes. i would never be someone to say you shouldn't own yer streets and walk whenever ya wanna, but do be careful to look around you.

Great quote about friends:

-robin — Wed, 23 Aug 2006 18:29:03 GMT

"Each friend represents a world in us, a world possibly not born until they arrive, and it is only by this meeting that a new world is born." ~ Anais Nin

minimum wage workers in SF risk having wages CUT!!

-robin — Fri, 04 Aug 2006 16:53:33 GMT

i got this as a announcement and thought some of you might care. -robin minimum wage workers in SF risk having wages CUT!! congress is voting right now whether to slash my wage (& the wage of many more like me) from $8.82/hr. to $2.13/hr. no joke! please help. explanation follows, skip to the end for what you can do. as a barista, i earn minimum wage plus tips. i pay half my entire income (including tips) to rent alone. i live in a rent-controlled flat w/ cell-phone towers on top near a busy freeway. don't worry, it's charming. honestly. san francisco (where i live & work) has a minimum wage of $8.82/hr. for all workers regardless of tip-earning status or size of business. this local law supersedes the current federal minimum of wages of $5.15/hr. & $2.13/hr. for tip-earners. we also of course have a higher-than-national-average cost of living. tips, by the way, are by definition an extra reward for extra good service (i looked it up). they are not meant to supplement low wages. last saturday, the u.s. house of representatives passed a bill that would increase the federal minimum wage to $7.25/hr., keep tip-earners at $2.13, & make it illegal for states & cities to mandate higher minimums. this bill is now being discussed by the senate, & if passed, my wage & the wage of others like me could very well drop from $8.82/hr. to $2.13/hr.! how we would survive i do not know. the bill is also tied up in some strange estate-tax give-aways. please write your senators now & ask them to oppose this bill. states' rights! local control! congress hasn't increased minimum wage since 1997. if this cloak-&-dagger increase fails, there is a good chance they will pass a more fair one next session. please forward this message on to others. ex-patriots might also write their home-state senators. thank you. J~ last i knew, the bill was known as h.r. 5970 ("minimum wage" bill). find your senator's email at: www.senate.gov/general/co...ors_cfm.cfm media reports on this bill: www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi www.counterpunch.org/eisenbr...006.html www.masslive.com/springfie.../index.ssf www.tpmcafe.com/blog/coffe...ge_cut_bill

I got tagged by Catherine

-robin — Sat, 17 Jun 2006 08:45:24 GMT

Here’s the game: RULES – When you are tagged, identify who tagged you. Then you post a blog giving up 8 truths about you. Things most people would be surprised to know. Lastly, tag the next 6 people. No tag backs. 1- i once made a peach pie from scratch. 2- i've died, but only for a wee bit 3- i have a thing for sex in elevators 4- i most closely feel a kinship to the Catholic faith 5- my favorite saint is Saint Christina the Astonishing. she could leap up into the rafters to protect her chastity. i loved these ladies and the ways in which they reinvented and reinvigorated their flesh-packages through the powerful energy of faith. 6- as a child i spent a day shining shoes in the Dominican Republic with a local kid. his father and my mother chatted while he and i chatted, back and forth through trial and error in three languages, and shined shoes for the grinning local men on their siestas. 7- i was once run over by a pig 8- i won a bronze medal for a very detailed model i made of the Parthenon in Greece. it took me weeks and i carved all the buildings out of insulation and then colored them and then stuck flags in them to denote which buildings they were. i tried to make the details as exact as possible, from looking at blueprints and photos of the ruins. i got to go to an awards dinner and see all kinds of other entries to the history fair. lots of schools participated. i still feel proud of that model, even today. i wrote an essay to accompany it that detailed the very wild and diverse history of the site, through the ages. i tag... Justin, Trucker, Mella, J., Critter, and Lotus.

talk about six degrees of separation

-robin — Mon, 05 Jun 2006 08:17:24 GMT

Mourners remember girl in mistaken ID case By JAMES PRICHARD, Associated Press Writer Mon Jun 5, 1:08 AM ET http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060605/ap_on_re_us/mixed_up_victims KENTWOOD, Mich. - For five weeks, he sat by her hospital bed, talked to her, held her hand. During those many hours together, Aryn Linenger said he never doubted that he was comforting his beloved girlfriend of three years, Laura VanRyn. "I saw her hands, her feet, her complexion, and I can't believe that it wasn't her," Linenger said during a memorial service for her Sunday at Kentwood Community Church. "Even to this day, it's amazing to me that with all that time we spent together, that I just didn't know." VanRyn's family and friends were thankful she had survived the van crash that killed five people until it was revealed last week there had been a terrible mix-up. The young woman recovering in a Grand Rapids rehabilitation center for more than a month was not VanRyn but Whitney Cerak, a fellow Taylor University student who closely resembled VanRyn. VanRyn's family planned to exhume the 22-year-old college senior's body, which was buried April 30 under a tombstone with Cerak's name. "She brought more joy to us than we could ever imagine," her older brother Kenny VanRyn told the 1,900 people at the memorial service. Lisa VanRyn had maintained a Web log about the hospitalized woman who she believed was her sister before Cerak's family took over the journal last week. "I hope that in whatever time I have left here, I have come close to loving people the way that she did," Lisa VanRyn said. Members of VanRyn's congregation also prayed for her and her family during a church service earlier Sunday. "This week, we were introduced to a concept that can only be called retroactive grieving," the Rev. Andy Smith of Forest Hills Bible Chapel said. Members of Cerak's family, however, "have experienced a resurrection of sorts, and we can rejoice with them," he said. About 180 miles to the north in Cerak's hometown of Gaylord, about 1,000 worshippers at Gaylord Evangelical Free Church offered prayers and listened Sunday as the Rev. Jim Mathis described the reunion between Cerak and her parents after the mistake was discovered. "I saw a scene from heaven," Mathis said, his voice choking with emotion. "I'll never be the same, folks." Cerak, who bore a resemblance to VanRyn, was in a coma until recently and suffered a swollen face and broken bones, cuts and bruises and brain injuries in the crash. VanRyn's parents did not begin to question whether she was actually their daughter until, as she regained consciousness, she started saying things that did not make sense to them, including referring to VanRyn's father by a pet name he did not recognize. She replied "Whitney" several times after VanRyn's parents addressed her as "Laura," Anne Veltema, a spokeswoman with Spectrum Health in Grand Rapids, Mich., said last week. Dental records conclusively confirmed the mix-up Wednesday. Linenger offered an apology to the woman he believed was his girlfriend in case his attention after the accident left her feeling confused. "I want you to know that I still pray for that girl," he said during his 17-minute eulogy. "From day one, I said that she was a miracle child." ___ Associated Press writer John Flesher in Gaylord contributed to this report.

i have a new cell number

-robin — Thu, 01 Jun 2006 02:58:26 GMT

it has unlimitied minutes and unlimited text messaging. if you had my old number and want my new one pop me a note and i'll get it to you. -robin

Friday, June 9th SCREWUP: Boot and Heel Worship

-robin — Wed, 24 May 2006 01:57:18 GMT

screwup: BDSM for trannies, genderqueers and their friends, presents... From Heel to Toe: Boot and High-Heel Worship with sparky! Friday, June 9th, 2006 from 7:00 to 9:30 PM New College of California in San Francisco, Room 22 (2nd Floor) 766 Valencia Street (near 18th Street), San Francisco What is the appeal of sharp stiletto heels plunging down your throat, or the ridged weight of a boot on your face or chest? How to start boot worshipping if you've never done it or accepted it? How do you worship boots and heels to incorporate service, honor, grace, humility and desire? How can you provide worship so that it is a relaxing and erotic experience for the boot/heel wearer? I will offer tips for boot/heel worship for tops and bottoms, and speak on how to incorporate boot/heel worship to enhance and honor power dynamics, and how to incorporate worship into a larger scene. I will also talk about my experiences worshipping boots and heels, share recommendations of recent books and websites, and provide demos of techniques for different types of footwear. Bring boots and/or heels you'd like to have worshipped, or be ready to try it yourself! sparky, a submissive butch boy and switch in service to her Mistress for three years, has volunteered boot and heel worship at leather community charity events and benefits in the Midwest, and enjoys performing boot worship onstage whenever possible. screwup is for trannies, genderqueers, and our friends. This event is open to all genders and will be held in Room 22 at the New College of California. Folks sometimes go out for coffee or food afterwards, so come prepared... $0-5 donation will be accepted to cover the cost of supplies and flyers. No one turned away. The New College of California is wheelchair accessible and has gender-neutral bathrooms! Spread the word by downloading, printing, and distributing flyers. Please contact screwup@screwup.info if you'd like us to arrange for an ASL interpreter, to get involved, make suggestions or with any other requests. Directions to the New College of California The MUNI BUS LINES 14, 22, 26, 33, and 49 all run within a few blocks of the New College of California many run within 1 block. Also, BART runs within 3 blocks (exit at 16th and Mission Streets in SF). Please use public transportation - parking near the New College of California is not easy. If you do drive, please be considerate of the New College of California' neighbors and do not block driveways or park in blue or white zones.

not just what you say now, but WHO you might be talking to...

-robin — Thu, 11 May 2006 17:57:23 GMT

the government just don't quit with this crap... http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060511/ap_on_go_pr_wh/nsa_phone_records

Friday, May 12 SCREWUP: Clips, Clamps, Clothespins, and Zippers!

-robin — Sat, 06 May 2006 03:30:10 GMT

screwup: BDSM for trannies, genderqueers and their friends, presents... Clips, Clamps, Clothespins, and Zippers! with -robin Friday, May 12, 2006 from 7:00 to 9:30 PM New College of California in San Francisco, Room 22 (2nd Floor) 766 Valencia Street (near 18th Street), San Francisco Some of my favorite things are clamps, clips, zippers and especially clothespins. The wide variety of sensations and decorative activities that are possible make them lots of fun. They are also something anyone can play with, from the complete novice to the long time very experienced player. They're also a very cheap DIY toy that can give hours of fun! I will be showing a variety of clips, talk about where they can best be found or purchased, and demonstating their use on a wide variety of body parts, including genitals. I will also display the construction of a zipper or two and there will be some equipment available for people to try out some of the activities for themselves. I will talk about modifying clothespins to make them more or less evil and decorating them to make your sweet canvas look more lovely or more scary. I may want volunteers from the audience and there will be a chance for folks to experience some of this for themselves if they wish, so please wear something that will allow access to at least some flesh, arms and legs are fine if yer shy. Clips, etc, can also be used for predicament situations and I will explain a few ways and hope that this evening will be a chance for attendees to also share their own decorative or sadistic ways they like to use these fun and versatile toys. Please bring whatever you have. screwup is for trannies, genderqueers, and our friends. This event is open to all genders and will be held in Room 22 at the New College of California. Folks sometimes go out for coffee or food afterwards, so come prepared... $0-5 donation will be accepted to cover the cost of supplies and flyers. No one turned away. The New College of California is wheelchair accessible and has gender-neutral bathrooms! Please contact screwup@screwup.info if you'd like us to arrange for an ASL interpreter, to get involved, make suggestions or with any other requests. Directions to the New College of California The MUNI BUS LINES 14, 22, 26, 33, and 49 all run within a few blocks of the New College of California many run within 1 block. Also, BART runs within 3 blocks (exit at 16th and Mission Streets in SF). Please use public transportation - parking near the New College of California is not easy. If you do drive, please be considerate of the New College of California' neighbors and do not block driveways or park in blue or white zones.

i'm just incensed - the haters don't care if we suffer or die

-robin — Fri, 07 Apr 2006 08:22:49 GMT

i just got an email from the Radical Mental Health Collective: Under pressure from fundamentalist Christians, the "Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration", a federal agency, recently removed health information for Lesbian-Gay-Bi-Trans populations from the web. "The Memory Hole", in the spirit of "rescuing knowledge and freeing information", restored some of the deleted webpages here: http://www.thememoryhole.org/health/samhsa_lgbt/

Moon Sextile Ascendant

-robin — Wed, 08 Mar 2006 00:56:50 GMT

AstroClick® Portrait Moon Sextile Ascendant The Moon sextile the Ascendant shows that you try to understand why you react so sensitively to what people say to you. There are times when you have some difficulty in separating fact from fiction, but you are learning all the time. You tend to become too emotional in your dealings with people and to underestimate your competence in successfully handling the situations that develop. The truth is, most people consider you quite competent, so stop worrying about it. You have a wealth of ideas, which you should capitalize on. Your work is very important to you. You accept your tasks eagerly and want to prove your competence by performing them well. In reaching the goals you set for yourself, you continually strive for excellence. In a personal relationship you hope to be appreciated for the contributions you make to sustain it. You are more than able to share mutual interests without shirking your responsibilities. You love to be included in social affairs where you can talk with people on a variety of subjects. Interpretation by Robert Pelletier i wanted to remember this. it's very affirming.

wow. how sucky... stolen art

-robin — Fri, 24 Feb 2006 18:20:02 GMT

what kind of person breaks into someone's yard to steal stuff like this. just to melt the copper down. yup, proof the USA IS a 3rd world nation. http://www.sunbrothers.com/ in Vancouver there is a huge problem with people digging up people's gardens, trees, and plants at night. folks even stole grown TREES from Stanley Park (like Central Park but maybe bigger) with heavy equipment. ug.

-robin — Tue, 14 Feb 2006 12:49:28 GMT

if i'm blogging on tribe at 4:48 in the morning then i've had way too much caffine and sugar today. no more caffine and sugar. especially since i should be exhausted. whir whir whir goes the brain.

(SF) February Screwup: Hands ON Play: Smacking, spanking, punching, stroking and hiting.

-robin — Thu, 02 Feb 2006 09:41:53 GMT

February Screwup: screwup: BDSM for trannies, genderqueers and their friends, presents... Hands-on Play: smacking, spanking, pinching, punching, stroking, and hitting. Friday, February 10th (spooky) 7:00 to 9:30 PM New College of California, Room 22 (2nd floor) 766 Valencia Street (near 18th Street), San Francisco Jen W. will be presenting on playing with hands. As a top, Jen finds hands to be very intimate toys. Jen’s been told that they can be more painful than any other instruments, including canes, and that they have brought connection to first-time play with new partners. In Jen’s experience as a bottom, hands were the sole instruments in one of the most intense scenes zie has participated in. Jen will explore various ways to use hands to create pleasure and pain in a BDSM context. Hands can be sensuous, sexy, subtle, or downright vicious, depending on how, or how hard, they are used. Hands can be a vehicle to intimacy, or a route to keep your bottom off-kilter in scene. Gloves can be used to change the sensations of hand play, to protect your hands as a top, and to practice safer play with genitals. Jen will cover how different hand shapes and types of strike will change the sensations that are created on impact, as well as self-care when playing with your hands. This will be an interactive workshop. Please bring Latex, Nitrile, or thin leather gloves if you have them! screwup is for trannies, genderqueers, gender varient and our friends. This event is open to all genders and orientations and will be held in Room 22 at New College of California. Many folks go out for coffee or food afterwards, so come prepared to join in... $0-5 donation will be accepted to cover the cost of any supplies and flyers. No one turned away. The New College of California is wheelchair accessible and has gender-neutral bathrooms! Please contact screwup@screwup.info if you'd like us to arrange for an ASL interpreter, to get involved, make suggestions or with any other requests.

the new look may finally make me leave

-robin — Mon, 09 Jan 2006 21:00:26 GMT

i have remained pretty loyal to tribe for almost three years. i use it almost every day and am on alot each day. i use it to find out things and to connect with pervs and other anxious folks or ones with PTSD like me. i've gotten great support, gotten to know lots of cool folks, and it's been a big part of my life. that's why it makes me sad that tribe seems to be constantly feeling like it's not good enough. i actually liked the first formats years ago and have mainly OVER AND OVER been asking for substantial changes to the message center, since that is what i think is one of the most broken aspects of tribe. if it had a truly fuctioning message center i could use it for most everything. that's if the things they offer truly worked like they're supposed to... tribe's move towards pleasing advertisers and corporate funders over it's general populace of users and of making changes that are drastic and mainly seem to suit some kind of hip club kid crowd and the disney constituent are making me feel more and more like tribe isn't for me. knowing me, i'll probably still be trying to use tribe after the changes come through, but i am also ACTIVELY searching for someplace else out there online where i can do the things i want to do and meet the people i'm happy to meet, without having to deal with attitudes like the ones that seem to pervade tribe these days. -robin message from Wade. please go to these links and make yer thoughts known. Hi-- Very soon, we're planning on launching some substantial changes to the look of Tribe, along with some important feature enhancements. But before we launch those changes, we wanted to give some of our most active members--like you--a chance to check it out first and let us know what you think. To do that, just go to: www.tribebeta.net Use the site as you ordinarily would--sign in, moderate a tribe, add a friend, follow a thread, respond to a listing. Note: this is real, working alternative version of the Tribe site. Any changes you make here--like sending a message, or adding a photo--will be reflected immediately on the main Tribe site as well. That's to give you as realistic a preview as possible. Have at it! To give us your feedback, drop me a note, or discuss in the tribe we've set up for this: tribes.tribe.net/newlook Not only does your feedback help us with the design, but it also helps us make sure we haven't overlooked anything, too. Thanks for taking a look! Wade Lagrone VP Marketing (you can confirm my employee status here: www.tribe.net/template/pub%2CAbout.vm )

in the wee hours of the morning i began to grow wings

-robin — Mon, 02 Jan 2006 02:11:13 GMT

it was painful and ugly, but it made so much sense. i've never wanted wings to fly so perhaps these were to keep myself warm and shrouded. it was not time so they did not come all the way out, did not unfurl, but just knowing they are there released alot for me.