Black Rose report

I promised an after-action report on my yearly visit to the Black Rose Society's annual convention and here it is!

I arrived on Friday about 5:30 pm after a long trip via car and train. I dragged all my baggage to the reception desk and got myself checked in. Taking the elevators to my room, I was struck by how clean and attractive the hotel was. Not my usual Super 8 I can assure you! After getting into my room and dropping off the bags, I went back down to Registration (convention) and was speedily signed in and was given my convention badge and bracelet (to deter people from sneaking in without paying). By now it was six o'clock and I had already missed the Tops and Bottoms auction as usual! Drat the luck.

I decided to take a walk around the vendor area, which was open for another hour yet. Not to shop yet, just to browse and mark my purchases for the following day when I would have more time. I greeted several old friends there and noticed the absence of some others. Butt Boy Music and Leather Harvest were among the notable vendors not present this year. Too bad, I needed some stuff from them both. Oh well, maybe next year.

Some of my regular stops were there however. Passional is about my favorite fetish store and Kali Morgan, the owner, is a wonderful person. She had brought a nice selection of merchandise, including a few things in my size! I especially wanted to see if she had remembered to bring along my pair of replacement ballet boots. I called her earlier that week to ask her to do this but she is notoriously absent-minded and I did not have a chance to call again to remind her. Luckily, this was not one of those times and the boots were right there on the to shelf for all to admire. I made a note to visit that table first thing in the morning.

I noted one of the new vendors there was making custom Tshirts and promised myself to get an embroidered replacement for one of my favorite Tshirts which is wearing out from repeated use. They also will make shirts via internet sale and I will be ordering several more for both myself and Mistress in the near future. I hope they have pink!

After vending closed, I went to the spacious lobby and bar area to people watch and see how many familiar faces I would see. It appears that a lot of my friends did not make it this year but there was the mainstays, Fluffy and Dane, Waxman and Waxgirl, Willow and some others who would not appreciate seeing their names in a blog but were greeted nonetheless.

I Returned to my room to wash up and have a bite to eat before the evening festivities. Note to self: win a lottery before ordering room service in that hotel! A small bottle of Poland Spring water for $3.75 when I can get the same thing down the street at a Stop-N-Rob for $.99? I don't think so!

I spent most of the night carousing and seeking out other friends who I had missed earlier. Finding people in a crowd can be tough!

Saturday dawned with me not wanting to get out of that oh-so-comfy bed! I wasted the whole morning trying to figure out how to take it home with me! Finally, I forced myself to get up and dressed for breakfast (lunch really) and off to the lecture hall for the TVTSTG talks, the slave contract discussion and a demo on caning and bastinado that had to be seen to be believed!

Then back to the vendor areas to do some serious damage to my checking account! I blew through close to $1000 (my shopping budget that I saved for a year) there. Boots, dildo panties, inflatable gag, Tshirt, a new dress and stockings, a few waxing candles in six colors, incense for my truck (it smells like wet dog in there), a new set of cuffs to replace the ones I lost somewhere and a blindfold to go with them. A few other devices that are for Mistress and thus shall go unnamed until She gets them also were bought with great zeal! I definitely have a female gene or two in me!

Off to the room to unload my purchases, try things on and dress for supper out with the gurls I met at the TVTSTG forum. Of course, I went as a female, silly! We stopped at a boutique for fresh makeup along the way, which I badly needed since all of mine is with Mistress in Texas.

Afterwards, more socializing in the bar until I couldn't stay away from that yummy bed any longer and a long call to Mistress to keep me company. I really wish She could have come too. We were both lonely for each other. Next year for sure!

On Sunday, a few last minute shopping items, more socializing and tearful goodbyes to old and new friends. I exchanged emails with my new gurlfriend Aimee, who is a pre-op TS, much farther along than I am, totally passable (I'm jealous) and a really nice person. I hope to keep in touch with hir for moral support during my own future transition and to share gurl-talk and tips and links to online things and such.

Lugging all my (now heavier) bags to Union Station, I discovered I was a victim of bad planning as the Metro Line, which is needed to get me back to my car, doesn't run on Sunday! Drat and double-drat! I placed a call to a friend who lives outside the city in Baltimore for advice netted a free ride back to his place for a rest and dinner with him and his two slaveboys. Finally, he took me to my car which was fortunately parked ten minutes away and off home I went, arriving there at nine o'clock last night. I took the time to shower and check email and then passed out in bed.

Today, I must spring my doggy from the kennel, clean my truck up for the road ahead and load up the provisions that I have ready to go. And definitely I must remember all my new things because I will be seeing Mistress in late January without stopping back home. I can hardly wait to show Her all my new things and give Her the gifts I bought Her, including the really thoughtful one I bought on the way out to dinner with the gurls. She will be very happy with it I am sure.

If anyone wants to attend BR next year, it will be held Nov 30-Dec 3rd in the same hotel, the Hyatt-Regency in Washington DC. Sissies and Mistresses(and Masters) are most welcome, dressing is encouraged as long as you don't scare the vanillas who shared the hotel with us. Rules will be sent to attendees. I hope to see some of you there!

Signing off

Brianna