VoyForums
[ Show ]
Support VoyForums
[ Shrink ]
VoyForums Announcement: Programming and providing support for this service has been a labor of love since 1997. We are one of the few services online who values our users' privacy, and have never sold your information. We have even fought hard to defend your privacy in legal cases; however, we've done it with almost no financial support -- paying out of pocket to continue providing the service. Due to the issues imposed on us by advertisers, we also stopped hosting most ads on the forums many years ago. We hope you appreciate our efforts.

Show your support by donating any amount. (Note: We are still technically a for-profit company, so your contribution is not tax-deductible.) PayPal Acct: Feedback:

Donate to VoyForums (PayPal):

[ Login ] [ Contact Forum Admin ] [ Main index ] [ Post a new message ] [ Search | Check update time | Archives: 1, 2, 3, [4], 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 ]

[ Next Thread | Previous Thread | Next Message | Previous Message ]

Date Posted: 09:29:17 08/17/09 Mon
Author: SS
Subject: Re: ****************EROSFESTP2**************
In reply to: SS 's message, "****************EROSFESTP1**************" on 09:27:08 08/17/09 Mon

"Expect nothing. Live frugally on surprise."
- Alice Walker

*

As is often also evinced in the artistic community, at the heart of all art is an uncanny blend of prediction and surprise. It is much, for that reason, why I make a concerted effort to constantly re-evaluate my core volunteering philosophy; curiously observing how all the new acquaintances I make and faces I see influence how I look at the world and inculcate me, suffusing the canvas of both my conscious and sub-conscious selves like a roseate Pinot Noir stain on a flowing yellow summer dress. Friday, August 7th, 2009 would be one of those days I found myself undergo a transformation of sorts, inebriated with a new-found bout of vision and pregnant with possibility.



It began at about 9:55 AM, when I jogged down to the Jupiter Hotel from my house in Lower Irvington. After helping Avi and others out with the moving of yoga mats to the DreamBox room, I was on standby for hands-on tasks to attend to, when suddenly I saw none other than Freddy Zental Weaver himself pull up in a Radio Cab, looking for assistance with his luggage and asking where the nearest available coffee shop was. I recommended Grendel's right across the street from the hotel then, after he asked me to watch over his luggage while he checked into the hotel lobby, he returned and asked me out to breakfast with him, asking where we could find a great local greasy spoon. Already humbled and honored that he asked me to have breakfast with him, but strapped of cash, I mentioned to him that I appreciated his offer but couldn't afford it, but insisted it was a treat so, in honoring his request, I recommended the Doug Fir Lounge, annexed with the Jupiter Hotel, to him, and as he agreed I showed him the way to the restaurant.



All that would transpire these next 75 minutes afterward was beyond my inner-most realm of presentiment. Whether it was Madame Moira tapping me on the shoulder, or destiny scoring a Yahtzee with a riveting roll of the dice, or just the way life's savory Pineapple Macadamia Nut cookie crumbled this day, I was simply amazed at where I was. After all, it's surely not every day someone of national prominence actually volunteers to assist with otherwise seemingly mundane tasks to many two thousands miles away from home, and then the very next morning asks you out to breakfast. This instance convinced me once and for all that some higher spirit, some force of Destiny, brought us here, and that Nature intended us to derive deep inspiration from this experience.



What it was we were destined to suss out from this gathering was not yet clear, but as we enjoyed some friendly, basic chit-chat, and he ordered a Bossa Nova Scramble and Bottomless Stumptown Coffee and I ordered a Satyricon Scramble and Martinelli's Apple Juice, he told me that, when he saw me dancing that previous evening at the Art Appreciators Party, he thought I was a real natural with a keen sense of rhythm and rhyme, and admitted he found that curious i that, here I was usually appearing naturally shy and meditative in a typical social setting, but once I stepped out onto the dance floor I emerged as the most animated one in the crowd. That's when, feeling most comfortable expressing myself to him, that I divulged the fact that I am diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome and, well-aware of what that was, smiled, patted me on the shoulder and said "You know, you're a genius. You have a gift, and this is what I think you should do. You should combine your erotic poetry through your style of expressive dance, and also utilize your intellect to empower and inspire others with social differences!". Already in cosmogonal agreement with Zental, he then surmised: "Now I have to ask you. From what I understand, many people diagnosed with any form of autism tend to be frightened by touch, and yet you seem to be quite touch-positive. I'm curious what it is that brought you to ErosFest Northwest?". Then, after explaining what attracted me to ErosFest Northwest, as well as sharing my basic views on eroticism/sexuality with him, he ratiocinated that perhaps I'm destined to play a leading role in a burgeoning sex-positive movement (I must stress that the term "sex positive" does not imply sexual promiscuity, nor even suggesting one must have sex N number of times in any given duration of time, but simply that one believes sexual expression is a healthy, creative and vital part of our lives and that you don't express shame speaking about it) specifically in inspiring and motivating the autistic/socially challenged community. Blushing hearing that, what he said nonetheless made perfect sense, it spoke of reason, and all of what he said would continue to stick with me all throughout the festival and beyond.



By that time, our meals came and, while eating up, I took my turn in asking him the inspiration behind his life work and his live performance "Tantra NovaMan" (I interviewed him using my digital camera, just as he filmed an excerpt of my conversation with him via his Blackberry Pandora). He primarily told me about what he got out of his life-changing trip to Africa, as well as explaining in detail his belief that, in becoming aware of our sexual intelligence, and establishing a sexual-spiritual connection in our lives, we can blossom well beyond our wildest dreams and heal the world over. Enthused beyond belief by his unique insights, I promised I would be there at his show that evening, if not front-row center, definitely front-row left (I kept my promise) and I also revealed to him that I intended to participate in that evening's Erotic Open Mic if allowed to, and he vowed he would be there and cheer me on (he kept his promise too, although that event's format, unfortunately, didn't end up exactly what I had in mind). Finally, after Zental paid the bill and we shook hands, we betrothed to stay in touch as we left the restaurant and returned to the Jupiter Hotel's front driveway between the hotel's admissions desk and the Volunteer Check-In tent.



After about ten minutes of idleness (I didn't have a set schedule established for this day, despite my determination to volunteer in any capacity offered, thus was often in standby mode) Torch announced that I could help serve as the Door Man/Wristband Checker by the festival ground entrance. While I'm a fan of more active, kinetic pursuits overall, I graciously gave the go-ahead and, for the next three hours, I just sat back in a white lawn chair and watched the world swim around me as I performed the necessary task of verifying that each attendee either checked-in or paid admission in full. As lonely as such a duty can be, I was far from lonesome, as I had plenty of company with familiar faces constantly coming around the corner to check in on me, from Adonis King (someone I first became acquainted with on the LoveTribe forum and met for the first time this day, who I've since befriended) to Rachel Darby (someone I befriended at the festival also, who worked extremely hard each day at Volunteer Check-In) to John "White Pepper" Shetterly to Gabriella to Crystal to Zental to Michael Kaiser, etc. Festival Technology & Development Director Barry Silverman (also known as Shadow) even stopped by on two occasions to offer me bottled water. Some may have thought the prospect of just sitting there and staring ahead for hours at a time was the closest thing to a millstone at the festival, but I happened to enjoy myself as at least I was keeping active and I thought of it as an important, crucial undertaking to act upon. Nonetheless, Crystal eventually grew concerned I had been sitting there way too long and it was overdue for me to play a more active role again, and after insisting I wait to abdicate my spot until a proper replacement was found, and one was found, I went around scrambling for other opportunities. It was three in the afternoon by then.



First I went to Room 139 (the Volunteer Break Room) for some water and snacks. It was around that time that Avi and a small crew had made a grocery shopping run to Trader Joe's, where I actually agreed to help tidy up the food assortment in the room during this time; juxtaposing and categorizing the potato chips from the dips (white bean hummus, salsa, guacamole) from the dried fruit to the vegetables and fresh fruit, then having a little space set aside for napkins and plastic cups. After placing everything methodically in apple-pie order, I got some dried mango, a cup of Blueberry Muesli and bottled water and went over to the Main Stage, where Jeff Egli was beginning to apply his signature durable, waterproof paint to his unclad subjects: wearing nothing but their birthday suits and smiles. I beheld in real-time the full body makeover of a male model (he looked like a cross between Darth Maul and Spider Man by the end) as well as a female model (she looked like a cross between a lioness and a leopard) and also had some hearty chit-chat with Adonis and White Pepper sporadically during the presentation.

Toward the end of the live Body Painting exhibition, friend and Festival Accountant Rowdy came up to me and asked if I could assist him and some others with the moving of supplies into a room on the second floor of the Jupiter Hotel (the Jupiter Hotel is a two-story hotel). I happily agreed to and, by the time I finished up, immediately after descending the stairwell, a woman in a yellow shirt approached me and asked me "You wouldn't happen to be interested, or knowing someone who would like to give us a hand as a substitute male body sushi dinner platter, would you?"



Upon hearing her plea, my body was blutterbunged with consummate disbelief and astonishment. You see, the truth is, ever since November 16th, 2005..........when I first heard about the art of "body sushi" upon looking up candidates for a "lighter story" to conclude the KBOO Evening Newscast while serving as a News Producer there on FARK.com, and came across a story about an upscale eatery in Chicago called Kizoku introducing a special $500 all-you-can-eat dinner special in its private lounge in the form of nyotaimori............I've had this fantasy of giving myself up as a male body sushi platter (known as nantaimori) someday............and to hear who was the in-house chief caterer of Eros Eats ask for just this sort of request bowled me over. I immediately said I would be honored to be their substitute male body sushi platter, for I'm one who is comfortable taking my clothes off in front of people I know and trust (I would be wrapped in cellophane and banana leaves anyway) and I believed I was ideal for this given I know how to keep patient and still for extended periods of time. The chief caterer then said she would continue trying to contact the designated male model and asked me to stay near the DreamBox and that she would keep me informed of updates. For a good 40 minutes or so I sat on a sofa nestled by the Main Stage, next to the DreamBox room entrance where the Naked Body Sushi Buffet was taking place, getting off on the thought of laying there on a table, practically naked, with guests all around me plucking tuna rolls off whatever cleavage I had on with their chopsticks (and the prospect of one's chopsticks accidentally slipping and tickling me) and imagining how I would feel for a good ninety minutes or so in the process.

Alas, at 5:58 PM, the male sushi platter arrived, and even when I eagerly wanted to give in myself, I was most happy he managed to make it there right in the nick of time. In other words, I was two minutes away from being the featured male body sushi platter, and the fact I was even asked to take up this incredible honor in the first place is a true honor.



Right at that time, Mike Kaiser found me and asked if I'd like to come along and help him, a fellow volunteer named Chazz Goldfoot (and a kind, affable lady who I'm frustrated that I can't remember her name at the moment! =( ) out with grocery and liquor shopping. So I jumped out of my chair, headed over to his white van and the four of us drove up into Lower Irvington (with Mike and Chazz cracking up jokes about Russian starlets, whores and the like the whole way there, tsk tsk tsk! :P LOL!). We dropped off Mike and Chazz at a liquor store at 7th & Broadway, then me and the lady whose name I regretfully forgot (please forgive me) went over to the Fred Meyer on 30th & Broadway to break down four $50 bills into two hundred ones at the in-store Chase bank and do some grocery shopping for the volunteers. By the time we returned to the liquor store to pick up Chazz and Mike, and Mike found he had no choice but to squeeze himself in the back with Chazz against several bags of ice, I jested "Now you're getting a taste of your own medicine, bwaaaaa ha ha ha ha ha! But don't fret: you may have a hairbrush and some clothespins laying somewhere around you back there to keep you company!" and, on the ride back to the Jupiter Hotel, we spoke about the prospect of someday purchasing a big bus (or using this van) and touring ErosFest Northwest across the coastal states, or even the whole nation, and living as roadies that would eventually go crazy and start speaking in tongues or, worse, pass away from heat exhaustion and joked about how that would give the "four days celebrating the sensual, the spiritual, the sacred and the erotic" tagline a whole new meaning, LOL!



Right when the four of us returned to the Jupiter Hotel just after 7 PM, I hurried over to the DreamTent to get ready for Freddy Zental Weaver's live performance "TantraNova Man: The Show" which I promised to throw my full support and cheering behind. And everything about it truly blew me away. His penchant for storytelling, his percussion and electronica-laden original soundtrack/musical numbers from "Primordial Beginnings" to "It's A Wonderful World", his salubrious wisdom and introductory Tantra teachings, his stand-up comedy monkeyshiners...........it had everything...........even a glass dildo and a hand puppet styled after a vagina to hilariously highlight a personal evolution from a more misguided, selfish lover to a more centered, selfless lover through the essence of Tantra. What the play was ultimately aiming to achieve was 1) to encourage everyone in the audience to observe his life story, and think of his/her own life story as they listen to his in the process, and 2) to demystify the intimate, personal moments that affect us profoundly in our lives, yet monotonously slip between the cracks of our conscious selves unexamined or are, even worse, trivialized.............which the show carried the day on both counts! :D



After a brief Q&A session following the show at 9 PM that lasted about half an hour, I stuck around to shower Zental with praise, then waited outside the ThinkTank in eager anticipation of the Erotic Open Mic (I had a poem tucked in my pocket that I was prepared to recite) hosted by the acclaimed adult entertainment, internet technology, and alternative sexuality writer Theresa "Darklady" Reed. I had waited outside the ThinkTank for about an hour, but as the open mic's scheduled 10:30 PM start drew ever closer, and I saw Darklady and about eight others enter the room and sit around in an oval of chairs............I felt this pang of urgency to express myself electrocute me from the inside (I experienced a couple of moments earlier in the day where, ever banking on spilling my heart out through a live poetry reading medium, I let that feeling of urgency get the best of me and intermingled emotions of fear and possible disappointment filled my mind and voice) and to realize this was a RSVP/invite style event couldn't help but leave me feeling upset, to the point where I walked over to the parking lot area on the verge of a breakdown with dewy eyes.



Torch caught sight of me there, and could tell I seemed distraught, and it was at that point I told her all that was on my mind and let it all out, and had a breakdown just like many ErosFest Northwest staff members and fellow volunteers had already experienced (having volunteered frequently at the festival office headquarters for many hours prior to the festival, I saw and overheard breakdowns myself caused by excessive stress, misunderstandings and sleep deprivation primarily, where I would then offer comfort and reassurance to them). Torch, being the wonderful friend I'm blessed to have as always, then gave me a hug and asked me to consider going home early, getting a good night's sleep and then seeing if I felt better in the morning to follow through on my assigned duties or not for Saturday, also adding that there will be many open mics throughout Portland I could express myself at and having great faith I will shine. Moved by her immense comfort, I insisted nonetheless that much of what I was feeling was just nervous energy from working so hard, just like my fellow staff members and volunteers, and that I would persevere as I'm a resilient, optimistic person as well. With her natural warm smile, she gave me another hug, told me she will always be around if I needed someone to chat with, and I returned to the Main Stage under the DreamTent to prepare for the PD-Xstacy Party with Wanderlust Circus: Portand's premiere circus operation that is reminiscent of the funhouse mirror image of Great Depression vaudeville and burlesque theatrics and is helmed by Noah Mickens and Nick "The Creature" Harbar.



The Wanderlust Circus, as always, rocked the crowd to eleven. It featured everything from Mickens' charismatic and colorful yet cockamamie carnival barking, to the most inconceivable blend of pole-dancing and contortionist repertoire from Blaze, to a bloody brilliant siamese striptease choreographed to Right Said Fred's "I'm Too Sexy" performed by the Bellini Twins; replete with brobdingnagian boxers (they pull a bouquet of flowers, as well as a rabbit, from them during the performance, as well as juggle batons) and male bondage vulgarities, to Brittany Walsh's breathtaking performance as Cupid which ends with her using only her feet to ready and aim a bow, successfully nabbing a bullseye on the opposite end of the stage, to a Tribal Steam Bellydance performance by NagaSita who, through seven years of study in yoga and tribal fusion bellydance and added burlesque and sacred Kathak dance from Northern India influences, she has developed, and now teaches, a movement of her own invention..........among many other unforgettable revues and skits.



I would have stayed to watch their entire roster, but after still swimming in the afterglow of the Flash Snuggle the previous day, I wanted to join in on at least part of the LoveTribe Snuggle in the DreamBox. So, after NagaSita's performance, I moved on into the DreamBox, where Festival Co-Chair Jas was leading a bunch of fun non-sexual, touch-positive games/activities. I watched for the first ten minutes out of curiosity then, when Jas announced the idea of forming "Massage Circles", I formed one circle with about five others in the room, and we took turns providing each other fully-body massages (with the exception of the rear, breasts and genital areas). I felt so much better after giving massages to those in my group, and then receiving one myself, to the point where I felt like going back outside to let loose at the PD-Xstacy Dance Party, which went on from one to two in the morning. It felt most satisfying cavorting about the foyer, as well as the Main Stage, just shaking all 206 bones in my body for the sake of it against a backdrop of eclectic lounge and tantalizing trance for about an hour when I was then ready to call it a night and make the short walk home (Gabriella recommended I stay the night at the hotel, but because my family would have no idea where I was I declined, deciding instead to tell them I would consider staying at the Jupiter between Saturday and Sunday)..........reminding me what America's first African-American bishop, Edward Demby, said: "Dance is a little insanity that does us all a lot of good."



And I wouldn't have it any other way..........living frugally on surprise, with a helping of good humor, pinched with feeling.............and served with a sprig of insanity as garnish.........washing it down with high spirits. That, to me, is what it is to live life erotically, and by the end of the second of four days at ErosFest Northwest, I believe that white light in each of us didn't merely light up our bodies from our toes to our heads.............it sloshed and soused the entire venue over like a warm bath.

*

*

(To be continued...)

XOXO,
Noah Eaton
(LispingHibiscus)

[ Next Thread | Previous Thread | Next Message | Previous Message ]

Replies:

[ Contact Forum Admin ]

Forum timezone: GMT-8
VF Version: 3.00b, ConfDB:
Before posting please read our privacy policy.
VoyForums(tm) is a Free Service from Voyager Info-Systems.
Copyright © 1998-2019 Voyager Info-Systems. All Rights Reserved.