Posted on by Amanda Brooks

advertising in london

This is mostly a note to myself and any other escorts. But longer than what I can easily put on Twitter.

UK sites that seem to get results: CraigsList, Punterlink, Captain69, Eros-London, Cherrygirls (admittedly, these are no-brainers)

Site I have yet to try: Vivastreet

Though Gumtree has been mentioned to me, it does not seem to have a section for sex services. I prefer to advertise online only where I know I’m welcome. I prefer not to advertise in Personals sections.

I’m on other sites but I know I’ve gotten response and work from the results list. Also applying to various agencies and looking into a hostess club. Why not? The Internet is reliable and good for base work but I really do want to try new things.

This post is sort of jumping into the middle of things. Sorry. I will get my chronology in order shortly!

Posted on by Amanda Brooks

with sincere appreciation and gratitude

This post is long overdue, but then, so are many others.

Many, many people – men and women – have given to me in a way has made this trip better.

I’d like to thank the individuals who:

  • gave me the Nokia phone I’m using and enjoying! (Though I’ll discuss unrelated SIM card issues in a later post.)
  • gave me a very thorough London guidebook, pocket-compass and REI card (which went to getting some very handy travel supplies)
  • two different individuals who gave me Macy’s cards (which went to buying a very comfortable pair of walking/semi-dressy shoes, slippers, some needed makeup and some nice slacks)
  • gave me the Bucky travel set (unfortunately I haven’t made peace with the pillow but still trying)
  • gave a travel-fund donation

Many, many thanks to the huge variety of public and private suggestions of things to do, warnings, places to see and all sorts of travel-related info. I hope to return the favor by creating a repository of information on this blog for future travelers through my postings. You’re not just helping me, you’re helping others as well.

Many thanks to my London traveling partner Kimberlee Cline, for putting this trip together and finally blasting me out of my rut. She has a job to return to in a week but I’ll be moving forward out here.

A future thanks to all those I will be meeting through networking and private referrals. This is the sort of thing that will really make my travels better and safer.

It’s not as though I can’t do this on my own – many before me have. It’s simply that people often want to help. And everyone has different experiences, different perspectives. Why not value that and use it if possible? Why reinvent the wheel or make a stupid mistake I could’ve avoided? (Trust me, I’ve already made original stupid mistakes all on my own.) I try to do this with people that I know if they ask for input and I have something to give.

For all the talk of valuing time, I do value the time these people have spent on my concerns. Every time I refer to someone’s advice or use one of my gifts, I thank the person who offered it. This might sound hokey, but I’m a Southern girl and that’s how I was raised. It comes through every now and again. (Though I have the usual backlog of correspondence to catch up on.)

Posted on by Amanda Brooks

what are you really paying for?

[Probably opening a can of worms with this post, but it’s something I’ve wanted to say for a while.]

I’ve said it over and over again — escort work is about energy, creating a connection, entertainment and selling time, not sex. This is what I do for a living. Since I don’t work for a corporation, this is how I make my income. This is my job. It can involve sex, but not always. It always involves time, energy, conversation, and creating a connection. Always.

Many men have offered a friendly meeting for lunch or coffee. With rare exception — at my discretion, of course — I turn these offers down. Why? They aren’t offering to compensate me for my time and energy. It insults them that I wish to be paid for how I make my living. Yet what are they expecting? They expect me to show up well-groomed, well-dressed, to entertain and flatter, share my mind, my time, my energy. At the end of that time out of my day, I will be drained. They, on the other hand, will have gained. How is this a fair trade?

Some have tried to flatter me by telling me what great company I am. Yes, I know. That’s my job. That’s what I get paid to do. I make my income by selling my time and energy. Clients — who by definition pay me for my efforts — show respect for my time/energy by compensating me as I request. I always appreciate that.

My friend Holly Brooks* states is so well on her site:

While I always share a fond affection for my patrons, please do not ask me to meet you for any time without compensation, no matter how long we have known each other. This includes, “just a coffee” or “just lunch.” As a professional companion, people find me fascinating enough to invest in having my undivided attention for an allotted time– and what we do with that time or where we spend it has no bearing on how much the time costs. I get compensated for my time and company– that’s what I do for a living. Thank you for understanding and for not taking advantage of my time. 🙂

Exactly, Holly.

I offer a 1hr pick-my-brain session for both men and women over the age of 18. It’s compensated, of course, but it’s on the table for those who want to enjoy some personal time with me. And if you don’t think a conversation is personal attention, then these coffee/lunch offers wouldn’t be made in the first place.

Freud should’ve asked what men want

Men who want to spend time with a sex worker without sex (and without paying for her time), are an ironic contrast to men who take women out to dinner under the guise of dating and expect sex from her because they paid for dinner; even if it was very, very inexpensive.

*no relation

Posted on by Amanda Brooks

because life is a cabaret

Not really, but I like the song.

One of the many, many photos shot Monday and Tuesday this week. They aren’t really for this site though. But I liked this and thought I’d share.

Shot by Shoshana of ShoshanaStudio.com

amanda brooks april 2009

I used GimpShop to edit this and spent a good half hour cursing. Photoshop it is not. Sometimes opensource has its limits.

Posted on by Amanda Brooks

the evolution of boundaries

I’ve been back at work since May 2008. At the beginning, I was reeling and incapable of really knowing what I wanted – professionally. So I tried something I thought I would be suitable for: high-end work. I had a few clients and they were wonderful. I enjoyed myself.

I am at a new phase of life. Not only am I single again after a long time of not, I’m into my sexual prime. I feel it. Some of it may be the feeling of freedom and rebirth, some of it may be due to biology, some of it that I’m no longer on birth control pills for the first time since I was 20. Either way, these few, leisurely, well-paid assignations were very nice for me, like gentle training wheels.

And I discovered something.

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