take this one off my bucket list . . .

bucket list - A list of things to do before you die. (definition from Urban Dictionary)

The term "bucket list" is a fairly new one for me, just a year ago I'd probably never heard the word - (I really should get out more eh?)

It's not so much that we didn't have something similar when I was growing up, we just called it a different name. My friends and I always called such things "wish lists" or "to-do lists", so I guess this isn't a case of an old dog learning a new trick, instead it's simply an old trick with a new name. There might be some subtle differences between the wish lists of my youth and today's bucket lists, but to my eye they are one and the same, just like a quote about a rose smelling as sweet with a different name.

Well, upon discovering the new-fangled invention of the aforementioned "bucket list", Serafina and I began discussing sexual things we'd like to do, and I added in some things I'd like to own, which is probably closer to the wish list concept of my youth than a bucket list, but I certainly don't want to argue semantics, like I said, it's all the same to me.

Which is all part of my very long winded way of saying that through a serendipitous turn of events, I'm about to cross an item off of my personal wish list, the biggest single purchase an individual / couple / triad / polymorphous-perverse-group into BDSM would realistically dream about, unless of course your name is Peter Ackworth and you are in the market to purchase something like the San Francisco Armory.

Yeppers, I've made the commitment, we're buying a Dungeon Bed!  Serafina and I are purchasing a Queen sized Dore Alley model that's going to be customized to our specifications.

I suppose it's a good thing my Mother isn't around to hear about this one, it might have given her a coronary and finished her off. Without a doubt she'd rate it up there with the time I used my student loan money to purchase a pair of ADS Studio Monitor speakers.

Of course some folks would rate spending one's college money on a pair of speakers to be the height of folly, and perhaps it was, but I'll never see it in that light. Up until the last few years, I'd never heard better sounding stereo than that produced by the speakers I've owned and cherished since 1982, and I've know some fairly serious audiophiles.

I'm pretty sure I'll feel the same way about my dungeon bed 30 years from now, assuming I make it that long, I'd be 78, if I'm still kicking in 2042 that is . . . . And, as a strange aside, I met a man the other day who is close to that age, he's 74, who has a 2 month old baby (if you hadn't guessed already, he's someone I knew from politics - horny bastards!) So I'm hoping, like him, that I'll still be doing more than just kicking in '42, although I'll pass on any lil' bundles of joy.

I figure you only live once, and I've always felt it's better to have regrets of being too reckless in my youth, than it is to have regrets of being too cautious. It's that attitude that led me to places like the Grand Canyon and into community organizing, and it's the same attitude that's going to put a bed with a base price approaching $3K into my bedroom.

I'm very fortunate that Serafina shares my enthusiasm for this purchase, as it's not something I'd do without her enthusiastic support and consent. Even if I am her Master, and she my slave, she is also my wife, partner, and best friend.


I know she'd tell me I'm free to do as I wish, as after all I am the Master, and the final authority in our lives.  But, this is as big a purchase as we'll make until we buy our next car. I trust Serafina's judgement implicitly, and if she were to tell me I'm a hopeless dreamer and our dollars could be better spend elsewhere, I'd listen.

She said no such thing. In other words, we're getting a bed! Serafina and I are purchasing a display model which will be shown at International Mr. Leather 2012 (IML2012) being held this Memorial Day weekend, May 25-28 at the Hyatt Regency Chicago.

Boy-howdy the old Windy City is going to be full of kinky folk that weekend. The 25th through the 28th of May are also the dates for the 9th Annual Shibaricon, happening at the Hyatt Regency O'Hare, just a hop, a skip, and a jump across town.

One of the coolest things about any Dungeon Bed, is the great number of accessories that can be added to the base model, things like an under bed cage (shown above), extra restraint points, sling extenders, votive candle holders, removable curtain rods, and top crossbars. A permanent St Andrews Cross can even be made a part of the footboard should you choose.

Although our bed will be displayed at IML2012 before it comes to Castle Samadhi, it's being built to our specifications as we speak.  We didn't add the permanent St Andrews Cross because that would conflict with the sling extenders, which Serafina very much wanted to be part of the package.

The votive candle holders were considered an absolute must, they will twinkle and sparkle beautifully, creating wonderful ambiance, enhanced by the mirrors we'll put on the wall just behind the headboard.  Woot woot!

The top rail restrains were also considered a must have item, and so were the Top Cross Bars, as they are not only sexy looking, but also very functional.  They provide a good handhold for someone getting into, or out of, the sling.

Obviously they can also serve as additonal restraint points for sleepsack suspensions and the like.  The Top Cross bars are actually solid hammered steel bars that are passed through the Top Rail Restraint hoops and then anchored.

Last, but not least, we did add the Under Bed Cage option.  I've always wanted a real cage for my dungeon, not just one of those wire folding dog cages.

I had a large wire dog cage in my dungeon for the longest time, but eventually it was co-opted by my ex, Blissful Torment, to become an abode for her rabbit.  At that time I swore to myself that if I ever owned a cage again, it wouldn't be something for wee little bunny rabbits.

Of course my new cage would be absolutely perfect for a human sized rabbit, or similar creature.  Who's to say what Serafina and I might bring home after our next visit to the woods!  Now we're talkin!

I mean ya only live once, right?