Thursday, July 21, 2005

Yahwho? Part Deux

They're out to get me, I tell you. Seems my alternate ID has been removed as well, so I am, for whatever reason, totally locked out of Yahoo groups twice. I don't know if I will try again. It's clear they don't want me there, but at the same time, I never get a nice note telling me why. Maybe they don't owe me that, but okay...I generate traffic and I don't hurt anybody, so if that's how you want it, I can only rage against that machine so hard.

However, the far more insidious development is the appearance of a smut directory/links page on--get this--www.inflate123.com. On one hand I'm horrified, but on the other hand, I gotta be happy. This means someone, somewhere out there looked around for a name important enough that it would be worth buying, and they chose mine! Hot damn!

I guess I should really take these events as signs that it would be okay to change my online nickname.

But I won't.

Tuesday, July 12, 2005

Hot sheet!

There's a fair crossover between inflatable fetishists and latex fetishists, and it doesn't take a genius to make the connection. (Hint: Starts with the letter B.) So while I collect stories and images of BE and B2E stuff, I also have a directory for latex pictures that I come across. Latex is more part of the bondage world so I have seen a little more than I bargained for on occasion, but it's worth the risk: A nice photo of a snugly filled latex dress is a fine reward.

I used to have an inflatable latex catsuit from Cocoon in the UK. You may have seen the photos online with the prefix B70 on the file name. It was not cheap and it was a really important purchase for me--the first real tangible proof I had of my fetish. Short version: It didn't give a good sensation of pressure, so I put clothes on over it. With a zipper. I nicked it. Embarassed, I sought someone else in the community to repair it and he said yes, no problem, that's what this community is for, support, I'll fix it and we'll settle up later. Then, for lack of a better explanation, he stole it. He claims it was damaged in a hurricane, I got a story about a sick child, I got a promise of a check in the mail...I still hold hope that one day he'll do the right thing and reimburse me, but I don't hold much hope. It makes me angry to think about it, actually.

So, for years, I sort of denied myself any more latex stuff. Holding a torch for this magical insurance payment from a total stranger in Georgia gave me just enough to think that, hey, I will be able to replace this. My wife didn't take a strong interest in latex, but she was interested enough that we talked about getting her something (non-inflatable) to wear instead. That plan fluctuated with her weight, and I understood. Latex clothing is still pretty expensive, and you definitely get what you pay for--there are some real artists selling true wearable artwork, like The Baroness. But with pending money mentally earmarked for the plan, I wasn't going to rush into anything anyway. We could be ready, order the right garment in the right size, because in a few months, the money would return to us.

A few months turned into ten years.

My wife is still not really interested in wearing latex, but she's no fool and understands is wacky power over me. We think we have found a suitable compromise: Latex bed sheets. You get the feel, you get the smell, you get the intimacy, and as long as your partner is on the same wavelength, you have a hell of a good time together. And again, it's not cheap, but the price on something like this doesn't really change. I am planning to order from Nimue's Latex Fashions, as they've answered all my questions, they've got a great selection of colors, they really seem to know what they're talking about, and they're reasonably priced for what I'm looking for.

The only downside will be the hassle of care and maintenance--this isn't something you can just throw in the washer. You gotta store it in the dark, you have to keep it talced (and not just any baby powder will do, you have to watch the chemical composition), you gotta be able to have a place to hang it up if it needs to dry where it's not in the sun and the neighbors won't look at you funny.

I don't know if it will be worth the trouble, honestly--again, I have tried talking her into a nice latex top, which is much cheaper and I know will result in that nice twin balloon look, but it doesn't seem to gain traction, no matter how often I bring it up. :) So if that's, um, a bust, we're going to check our budget and see if the sheets fits into it.

At this point I'd like to say how nice it is to have a partner in life who understands my deviant side. Guys, if you've got this fetish and you can't tell your wife or girlfriend because "she wouldn't understand," find another. If you can't be yourself, you can't be happy.