Quotes out of Context

Her: “Implements of torture are always good gifts. I like anything that causes pain.”

Lemme axe you something…

Saturday, kellyv, Shelly, M and I went to a Renaissance Festival in Largo.

I used to go to Ren Faires often, though I haven’t been to one since 1992. They don’t hold quite the appeal for me that they used to, although we had an absolutely splendid time. Got to see some friends I haven’t seen in quite a while, as well.

And I got a battle axe! It’s great…a conversation piece, and practical, too!

kellyv and Shelly both said the same thing–“What are you going to do with it?” It’s a very peculiar question to ask; I’m not at all sure I even understand the question. I mean…it’s a battle axe! What does this “do with it” mean??

I did get some excellent pictures of Shelly in the parking lot of a Holiday Inn Express on the way home, which you can see tucked away behind the cut below.

Rearranging the Furniture

Friday, I drifted off to sleep holding hands with Shelly and kellyv. Being loved by the people around you is the most wonderful feeling in the world.

Shelly has a knack for getting right to the heart of things.

In the fifteen years that kellyv and I have been non-monogamous, one of the cardinal rules of our relationship has always been that we each have “veto power”–the unlimited right to reject a romantic relationship that the other engages in, if we feel threatened by it. This is common among many polyamorous people, and it serves to preserve the security of the primary relationship.

The downside is that it can represent a sword of Damocles, always hanging over the head of any newcomer to the relationship, and for Shelly, the fact that kellyv had this veto power meant that Shelly could not feel secure with me. Shelly challenged kellyv and I on this point, and as a result, kellyv decided that this power had served its purpose, but was no longer necessary with Shelly.

This is a major milestone in the relationship between kellyv and I. For the first time in our history together, she has felt secure without the unlimited right to hold final say over one of my outside relationships.

Shelly has that rarest of all gifts–the ability, and willingness, to make me re-examine some of the most basic ideas and assumptions I’ve made over the course of my life. She’s an absolutely wonderful person.

And now, as promised…
Pics of Shelly