Our semi-annual membership meeting will be held on Sunday July 21,
from 6:00 to 8:00 PM. There will be a potluck dinner at 6:00 PM, followed
by the meeting at 7:00 PM. This is a members-only event. Bring your favorite
dish and ideas for improving our organization.
The only way this can possibly be your organization, as opposed to the
board's organization, or some clique's organization, is if you invest yourself
in it and get involved with the work and decision-making. The same hard-working
people are holding things together. We need help! Pitch in and make this
the greatest BDSM organization in the world!
There are several Chairs that need to be filled:
Video Night Chair (selections, food, etc.)
Party Chair (door, themes, food, supplies, etc.)
Seminar Chair (topics, arrangements)
After this issue, there will be another chair open:
Newsletter Chair (gather info, put it together, get it printed, distribute)
Having edited the newsletter for about three years, my suggestion would
be to separate the editing and distribution into at least two chairs.
ABOUT DESERT DOMINION We are a local pansexual, panfetish organization
and welcome everyone regardless of orientation, sex, gender, age (18 and
above), race, creed, religion, kink, etc. We would like to invite those
who are in the lifestyle, new to the scene, or just curious about bdsm to
come to our events, meet us, socialize with us, and learn with us. We are
not a dating service or sex club. We do not find partners for people. We
exist to support, educate, and socialize with one another in a safe, sane,
and consensual domain. Our members possess a variety of years of experience,
of education in related lifestyle activities, and have widely diverse interests.
DUNGEON WISH LIST You can help your favorite BDSM organization
if you can provide or have any good ideas on how we can get the following
stuff for the dungeon: a heavy-duty winch or hoist for overhead
suspension, exercise mats to place under suspended bodies, a
popcorn popper for Video Nights, extra chairs as we keep growing,
a piece of 8'x8' linoleum floor covering for the large bathroom,
and a couple of ABC-type fire extinguishers.
Thanks to Kathy for a VCR.
Thanks to John for the emergency lights.
Thanks to Kyphi for the TV/VCR combo.
NON-DESERT DOMINION ACTIVITIES OF INTEREST Gender Outlawz meets
the 1st Tuesday of each month at Wingspan, 300 E. 6th Street. This is a
discussion group on gender issues.
Sex Chat is a drop-in, often wild, and wonderful discussion group about
all things sexual, led by Merryl Sloane. Adults of all genders & sexual
orientations are welcome. Second Friday of every month, 7:00-9:00 PM, Wingspan,
300 E. 6th Street, Tucson, $5.
Women, Sex, Joy is a drop-in sexuality discussion group for all adults who
identify as women, led by Merryl Sloane, nationally-known sex educator and
sex empowerment coach. Any erotic topic is fair game! First Monday of every
month, 6:30-8:30 PM, upstairs at WomanKraft Gallery, 388 S. Stone, Tucson,
$10.
(Editor's note: If you know about events that should be included for
the delight and enjoyment of our membership and the kink community, please
send the information to: Darkefyre at: Webmaster@desertdominion.org}
POSSIBLE SEMINAR SUGGESTIONS
Scene Design
Corset Training
Mind Play
Legal Issues
Pleasing a Dominant
Pony Play
Mummification/Sensory Deprivation
Toy Making/Vendor Night
Tattoo/Body Modification
Store Field Trip
Any other suggestions?
LET'S WELCOME NEW PEOPLE Visitors and new members are even more
nervous about meeting us than we are about meeting them. Get out of the
safety of the clique and make them feel welcome. You find a lot more friends
that way!
PRESENTERS SOUGHT FOR SEMINARS We are looking for more presenters
for seminars, including those for beginners (general intro to BDSM, negotiation,
and safety), as well as those on topics of general interest to our members.
If you would be interested in being a seminar presenter, please volunteer.
ORGANIZATIONAL ITEMS BEING DISCUSSED BY THE BOARD
Chair positions will be announced at the general membership meeting.
We will have a bulletin board in the hallway for vendors and events...no
"personals."
PASSING ON THE BATON
This is the last issue I will be editing. It is time to pass on the baton
to the next runner or runners.
For about three years, with a small break last year, I have edited the
newsletter. It has been fun. It has also been very tiring. I have been
missing the deadlines lately, and did not even get out the June issue.
This tells me that I am burnt out and need to let someone else do the job.
I would like to have time to write stories, and that is another reason to
give it up. Like anything worth doing right, it takes time.
To the next editor,
Treat the newsletter as a professional obligation. It has to get out.
The website is great, and reaches a lot of folks, but a lot of people do
not have access to the Internet. Your job is to reach those people with timely
information about what is happening and who we are. How you do this is your
business. Your methods and style will not be the same as mine. This is as
it should be. Please feel free to call on me if you need to, but do not
feel obligated to do things my way. Make the job your own!
I wish to thank all the folks who helped with the job, and the readers.
I hope it has been informative and entertaining. I would also like to thank
the businesses that gave us space to display our newsletter. I hope the
distribution list in every issue brought them business they would not have
gotten otherwise.
The submission deadline for the August issue is July 24. The Editor needs
about a week to get the newsletter ready for print.
As always, feel free to contact me if you have any questions, or if you
just need someone to talk to. My phone and e-mail have changed:
Cell Phone: 312-9687 (No messaging or call waiting - just try again
later. If I am driving, I don't answer.)
Home: 750-0725 (Mailbox #2. Please speak clearly.)
E-Mail: jwp_shanachie@cox.net
--Johnie
LOCATIONS WHERE YOU CAN FIND DESERT DOMINION NEWSLETTER In Tucson:
Adult Expectations, 2505 N. Stone
AinT Nobodys Bizness, 2900 E. Broadway
Antigone Books, 411 N. 4th Avenue
Desert Pride, 300 E. 6th Street
Fascinations, 3656 E. Speedway
Glass Bottom, 2235 E. Broadway
Hydra, 145 E. Congress
IBT (It's About Time), 616 N. 4th Avenue
Miracle Mile Adult Movies, 1881 N. Oracle
Wingspan, 300 E. 6th Street
Yard Dog, 2449 N. Stone
Please honor our sponsors with your commercial attention.
THOUGHTS ON DEPORTMENT
The keyword is courtesy. Respect yourself and all others.
Do not touch others or their toys without permission.
Leave plenty of space for scenes...don't crowd the players.
Be polite...disparaging comments are rude and show a lack of respect.
Don't intrude in a scene, by actions or words...if it bothers you, leave...if
it is safety, check with a DM. (Notice how "intrude is made up of "enter
rude?")
The social area is the place to socialize, not the play area. Please do
so quietly.
Questions or comments about a scene in progress should not be overheard
by the participants...breaks the concentration.
Ask questions and make comments only after the scene is over.
Most scenes are not over when the sub sags into the Dom's arms when the
bondage is removed...aftercare is a very important part of a scene.
Trolling is considered ill mannered...the group is not a personal dating
pool.
Don't hog the really good furniture, and clean up the furniture you use
after you use it.
Help to clean up the space. Volunteers, not paid janitors, do this. Don't
leave your trash for someone else to pick up.
Don't gawk...it is still impolite to stare...nudity is not an invitation.
A scene is the only place I am a sub/slave/bottom. My Dom/Master/Top is
the only one I am subservient to. I do not belong to every top in the place.
While not word-for-word, most of this article is taken from the recent
seminar on Etiquette and Protocol by John. If you missed it, kick
yourself...Hard. You missed a good one!
TREASURER'S REPORT May 16, 02 to June 12, 02 A detailed Treasurer's
report is not available to me, but: Expenses: $1,015.27 + water bill (approx.
$6), not in at time of meeting. Income: $1,241.89 My guess is that the
net is approx.: $220.62
MEMBERSHIP increased from 136 to 141 active members.
CALENDAR NOTES
The August Munch will be at Coco's at 345 W. Drachman (near Main) on Aug
7, at 7:00 PM. Note new venue.
Memberships are three months for $10.00 or $25.00/year.
Unless otherwise noted, all DD sponsored events except the Munch will
be held in the DD space at 3843 E. 37th Street.
Seminars, H.O.T.s (Hands On Training), & Workshops are $5 members/$8
non-members, 7:00 PM. Seminars are usually in lecture form. H.O.T.s and workshops
may involve nudity. If in doubt, ask. Memberships and renewals are available
at the door.
Discussion groups are whatever you care to donate, and are open to anyone
over 18. Memberships and renewals may be available at the door.
Watch the calendar for Video Nights. Videos start at 7:00 PM and will
be one that is BDSM and one that could be anything. Donation. This event
is open to anyone 18 or over. Popcorn will be available.
Once a quarter there will be a basic seminar covering BDSM 101, Safety,
and Negotiations. These are $5.00 for members and $8 for non-members.
New Member Orientations are open to all and are free. These are usually
held at 4:00 PM on the afternoon of Party dates. Memberships and renewals
are available at the door. You can join at the orientation, but new memberships
are NOT sold at the parties.
Parties: 8:00 PM, $10.00/person. Bring a shore food. Sodas 50 cents, water
$1. No Memberships available at door. A current DD membership card or a
card from a reciprocal organization, and o picture I.D. is absolutely required.
There will be no entrance without one. If you are not a member, but would
like to be one, please see the membership section of our web site for details.
Board meetings are usually about the middle of the month or a little later,
at 7:00 PM. All Desert Dominion members are welcome to attend. Orderly discussion
is encouraged, but vote is by board members only.