2004   
by Yum Yi

 Lupercalia MMIV was my first event of this size, and I will admit that I went into it with more than a little trepidation.  It was not only the first large event I’ve been to, but because I’m from Calgary, it was also one of the first events I went to alone.  The previous year I had been too late in getting a ticket (the event sells out repeatedly within 2 months!) so this year, I was eager, albeit nervous to go. 

My weekend started out Thursday, February 19^th, when I got a ride up with a friend who was attending a provincial pool tournament.  I met up with a great friend who was not attending Lupercalia that year, and we sat and chatted for hours – a great start to a great weekend.   

Early the next morning (so my friend could get to work!) I headed to the host hotel – the Delta Edmonton Centre Suite Hotel.   I did some shopping during the day and in the evening I headed down to the conference center for registration (there was an early registration for locals a few nights before at one of the munches) and right in line was someone I knew!  I was very happy to see another friendly face, and we ended up spending much of the weekend together – Lupercalia was new to us both.  We socialized for a while and looked at all the different tables in the vendor’s area, before heading into the first workshop of the weekend “Introduction to BDSM”.  Although the workshop is geared towards newcomers, I’d never actually been to an Introduction class before, and my friend was pretty new to the lifestyle, so we thought it would be a good idea.  The workshop was taught by Don and Sir Scott (the then-current Mr. Edmonton Leather) and it was a basic primer on safe, sane, and consensual BDSM as well as “what it is, why we do it, and how it is different from domestic violence and abuse”.  Even though the workshop was an hour long, it felt that there were many more topics to be covered within such a seemingly simple workshop. 

Right after that was Fetish Diva Midori’s (http://www.fetishdiva.com/) presentation on the “History and Psychology of Japanese Rope”.  The room for this was packed, and we got good seats near the front.  I had picked up her rope bondage book a year or two earlier, and recognized a number of areas that she was covering.  It was clear what a huge draw Midori was, because the room was packed for this presentation. 

The following day, Saturday, February 21^st, I got some breakfast at Tim Hortons, and then rushed to the morning’s workshops.  When you come to Lupercalia, breakfast bars are your friend!  I chose Jack Rinella’s (http://www.leatherviews.com/)  presentation on “A Historical Perspective of Kinky Sex” followed by Master Richardson’s workshop “The Master-slave Relationship” which really inspired some in-depth discussion between my friend and I after the workshop was done.  We went for some lunch, and then went for our afternoon sessions.  While my friend went to Sir Scott’s “Corporal Punishment (a hands-on experience)” and then Patrick’s “Ethical Slavery”, I went to the two-session long “Intro to Japanese and other Creative Rope Bondage Essentials” with Fetish Diva Midori.   Because I was alone, I ended up being partnered with someone I didn’t know, because the workshop was definitely hands on.  One of the best things about this workshop was that it wasn’t just for tops- both sides of the coin got to try their hand at different knots and bondage possibilities. 

 After the afternoon’s workshops, my friend and I went to a great sushi place within walking distance, and then got ready for Absolute Kink.  We met the friend I had come to Edmonton with, and spent the evening talking with a bunch of people, dancing, and spending a lot of time checking out the great costumes and outfits that people had put together.  Absolute Kink was put together as a party night by the owner of B&D Emporium, and I found it to be a lot like Kinky? night here in Calgary.  A bunch of people who obviously had more energy than we did headed out Buddies for Leather Night, and we headed back to the hotel room to rest, and talk some more.  The whole weekend was certainly something to talk about! 

Sunday morning, I ended up sleeping in and missing the brunch and awards ceremony, but got down to the conference center in time to see Fetish Diva Midori’s “Make ‘em Blush, Make ‘em Squirm: Humiliation Play” workshop at 1pm.  I personally got a lot out of the discussion about finding the core values of a person, and working with them in a scene, as well as her discussion about after care for tops.  As a bottom, it’s not something that gets a lot of discussion otherwise!  Midori also had a lot of great ideas for incorporating different kinds of humiliation and embarrassment into scenes.

 The friend I had come up with had to work the next day, so after the workshop we headed back to Calgary, missing the Lupercalia celebration, as well as a private party hosted by the then current Mr. Edmonton Leather to raise money for his International Mr. Leather Run.  Talking to a few people afterwards, I was definitely envious that I had missed it, and made a mental note to give myself an extra day the next year!