At school we have a class that every year puts up posters-50 ways to show love without having sex. I’m making a list of ways to show love and loyalty to Master. Here are my first 10. I hope to add more to the list.

1. Wear his collar.
2. Do what he tells you.
3. Do what he wants before he tells you.
4. Sit at his feet.
5. Ask for his opinion.
6. Send him presents he will enjoy.
7. Write in a journal.
8. Be branded.
9. Get a tattoo designating you as his property.
10. Register as his slave.

I had the pleasure of chaperoning a high school day trip recently. We were traveling about 2 hours on a school bus. On the way there some students insisted that they had to stop to use the restroom. We weren’t real happy about it, but we stopped. We also told the kids THEY NEED TO USE THE FACILITIES BEFORE BOARDING THE BUS.

So what do you think happened on the way home? You guessed it. A group of girls just HAD to go pee when we were about 40 minutes from home. Did you go before we left? Yes. And how much did you drink? Just a little water. Well, apparently it was too much water. As the adult in charge on the bus, I had to make the decision (oh, goody). We didn’t stop. We kept going.

After a while they quit complaining. A couple of them even seemed to forget about their biological needs and started talking and smiling again. When we got home, though, they ran off the bus and to the bathrooms.

So, was I wrong? Was I right? I don’t honestly know. I hate to tell someone they can’t use the bathroom, but I don’t think it’s unreasonable to expect someone to hold it for a couple of hours, especially if they know the situation. However, one of our secretaries at school is also a nurse, not to mention the mother of one of the girls that just couldn’t wait. I will be talking to her for sure.

Sigh. Hope I did the right thing. I did the best I could, and that's all you can ask of anyone.

I am not usually one to keep up with celebrities. I didn’t follow the wedding hoopla of Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes. I was aware of it, but I didn’t buy the magazines or search the internet looking for pictures. And I haven’t read many articles about the current speculation on their marriage, although the tabloids scream out their headlines as I wait in line at the grocery store. For those of you who don’t even read the cover of those magazines, the general idea floating around is that Tom is controlling Katie, and she is feels trapped in a horrible situation. The couple’s friend, Jada Pinkett, has recently said that all of the hype is nothing but garbage, that the couple is happy, and Katie is a “tigress”.

This has gotten me thinking about a couple of things. First of all, why does Katie have to be a tigress? The implication is that if she is submissive, something is wrong. I don’t agree with that. I know of a couple at work where he is the submissive in the relationship and she is the dominant. I have no idea if they subscribe to the bdsm lifestyle, but the workings of their relationship are obvious. He can’t play poker with the guys without her okay. The guys like the husband, although they don’t like the balance of power in the marriage, and they really dislike the wife. She is seen as a pushy bitch.

Which brings me to my second point. I they are happy with the arrangement, who are we to question it? I have never seen anything to make me think either the wife or the husband is unhappy with their marriage. Outsiders have a problem with it. I have seen the snickers and the looks passed around by the other workers. But the couple seems to block it out. I think things are the way they want it, and they don’t concern themselves with what others think.

I have no idea what the dynamics are in the whole Tom-Kat marriage. I don’t really care much. It’s none of my business. If they are happy, it’s a good thing.

Permanent markings are sometimes done in bdsm. A Master will sometimes mark his slave, designating her as his. The mark itself can be whatever the couple likes. It could take the form of a brand or a tattoo.

I don’t know a lot about brands, although I’ve heard of them. The local bdsm group did a demo about branding, although I did not attend. My understanding is that a Master used a wandlike device to brand his slave/wife. I have also heard of using a device similar to a branding iron. In either case, obviously, the one wielding the device must know what they are doing.

If Master Bennet wanted to brand me, I would willingly submit. I will admit, though, that the idea of branding does frighten me. I am not excited about the pain. Others have done it, though, and I’m sure I could be sure I would be fine. The trick, as always, is to trust in my Master.

Master Bennet and I have discussed tattoos. Some couples get tattoos together. Due to his health concerns, Master will not get a tattoo, which is fine with me. I would love to get a tattoo. I do not have any, but have begun to consider the idea in recent years. I have decided that the first tattoo I will get will be when Master has me tattooed, or marked, designating me as his. His said he would tattoo me when he marries me, and I know that won’t be for a long time, given our current living situation. But I want that to be my first tattoo. It may even be my only tattoo. I don’t know yet.

I love the idea of having a permanent mark designating me as the property of my Master. I hope that we can put the mark in a discreet place on my body, but somewhere where I can see it. I have said it would be like a permanent collar, one I can never lose of forget.

What about the permanence of it? What if things change? I am not going to plan for that, but I can say that Master has already left a permanent imprint on my heart.

This is a well known book about sadomasochism and bondage. I recently bought it on ebay. I paid $18, including shipping. Master says I stole it.

I haven’t had a chance to do any reading yet. It is not something I could pull out at school and read. Since I have children, I keep it hidden at home as well. If someone searches the bottom of my underwear drawer, they may get a surprise!

I have leafed through it, though. There are lots of pictures. I must admit I find them somewhat daunting. Pictures of whip, women dressed in leather, tied up in very complicated ways. I have not done anything that complicated. As Master says, you slowly work up to that. I find it a bit intimidating at times. Some people in this livestyle do some very involved things.

But I will try to sneak in a little reading here and there. One cannot grow without learning, right? When I find things of interest, I will comment on them here.