bookofmirrors | My First Visit to retrohaven

(Cross-posted to

retrohaven, of course!)

My first visit to RetroHaven(tm)! was last week, I think.

karlita had put out a casting call for people to offer up any and all body parts to be painted as credits for an upcoming
erotic movie that a friend of hers is compiling.

Always being happy to show off any and all body parts, I was happy to find that, even though I couldn't make it the first day, there were still openings the second day.

So, after a few IMs and some websearching to get the directions, I headed out.

RetroHaven(tm)! turned out to be in the section of town I've been finding myself in a lot lately. (Wonder if my subconscious is trying to tell me something?) Nice neighborhood, close to what looked like could be some intersting shops and such. I remember being surprised at how small the house looked from the outside, since I remember reading somewhere that it was 5000 square feet on the inside. I was greeted outside by a tiger-stripe cat who either genetically or accidentally had a stub of a tail. S/he was very friendly, though, and I would have loved to have spent more time petting him/her.

Finally, I knocked on the door (or maybe rang the doorbell, I can't remember which) and

karlita let me in.

I'd only met her once before, at a luncheon that

elorie took me to, but she greeted me warmly with a hug, which helped put me at ease. After all, I had just stepped into the fabled land! There were a few people milling about in various parts of the house, and I was directed downstairs to the Subterrene (hope I spelled that right) to wait my turn for painting. As I think someone else mentioned, the track lighting fascinated me. It seemed so delicate compared to the rest of the decor. I looooved the bench that was built into the wall. I could see the hot tub (unfortunately, not in use at the time), a room that I assumed was

photognome's, a bathroom, and the sunken area that held the couch and several pictures of hotels (and one picture that wasn't of a hotel, but I can't remember what it *was* of...) done in a modern style.

When it was my turn to get painted, I was led into a back room, past the hot tub. It was kinda hard to tell what that room was usually used for, since it was set up as a studio at the time. I did notice some retro (of course) medical equipment, and wondered if those were merely props, or if they were actually used in BDSM scenes. (Still curious, if anyone wants to answer that.) I was led to what I guessed must be

karlita's massage table and painted up. Mitchell Poulouin was the one doing "bodypainting extraordinaire", and he painted "Atlanta" around my right nipple. He enjoyed playing with my nipple as he painted, stating that it was one of the perks of his job to be able to do that, and that I would just have to deal with being teased. :) Needless to say, I didn't argue, especially when he flattered me by telling me I had "very expressive nipples". (Later,

blckwngdorcl and

walkingbear agreed.) After my painting, and photoshoot by Ron (LJ name unknown, if he has one), the one doing the movie, I wandered back upstairs.

karlita took a pic of the painting, too, and showed me around the house. Her office ("Here's where I make my LJ entries.") was just like it is in the pictures she posted a while back, and was really cool. There was a bathroom with a light turquoise tile, which I would normally find gaudy and just plain old, but it totally worked there. It also had this FABULOUS round window, which was the coolest. Her bedroom was awesome, too, with a deck which included a black lab mix that I refrained from running outside to pet. The closets rocked, too.

I don't really remember much about the kitchen. I know it's a focal point of the house (I think that was mentioned in one of her more recent entries), but it didn't strike me in any way.

What did strike me was the casual at-home-ness that seemed to pervade the whole place. Even though I felt slightly off-kilter, since it was my first time there, and I didn't really know anyone (even

karlita just barely from anything other than her LJ), I could tell that I didn't feel ill-at-ease. Everything was very welcoming. It was nice to be there. :)

After my tour, turned out that they did need another body part for another credit, so the underside of my left breast got painted with "Sashia". Ironically and amusingly, it was one "i" away from being the name of

blckwngdorcl's first wife. We both got a kick outta that. :)

Anyway, all in all, I'd say my first (and hopefully not my last!) visit to

retrohaven was a success, and I look forward to going back someday.

Thanks,

karlita!