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.

i am collateral damage from the war on drugs

Whenever there is extended silence on here (like from February through the end of March), it’s usually because of personal turmoil. I can’t write publicly when there are really negative things happening in my life. I have to have some closure or distance first. The legal dust has not settled, but I’m no longer willing to be silent and wait like a good girl.

This is a very long post. For those with little patience or bad eyesight, here’s the executive summary: I was pulled over in East Texas and all my money seized for no real reason at all.

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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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travel wishlist

Yes, this is grubbing. But some people do want to know what I would like. Or someone might have a great alternate suggestion as well. I never know. Along with some items of clothing and travel accessories, I expect to have to purchase these things.

what i think i want/need right now (in no particular order)

  • Kindle 2 or Kindle 1 (wish fulfilled! after I returned to the US)
  • Bucky travel set (wish fulfilled!)
  • Swiss Army Victorinox E-motion 4.0 25″ Trek Pack Plus it’s still smaller than I’d like, but otherwise it has every feature I want in a travel bag and I really liked playing with it at the store (bought)
  • Eurail passes but not sure which ones, exactly (never got, never needed)
  • giftcards from Macy’s and REI (wishes fulfilled!)
  • A phone. Here’s where I get really particular. A quadband unlocked GSM phone, preferably with a protected/covered keypad, with the ability to text/SMS and do email. Other options, like camera and playing MP3s are not a concern. I want a functional business machine. This Nokia one seems pretty good. (wish fulfilled!)

to dr. phil or not to dr. phil

Back in January, I was contacted by a producer from the Dr. Phil show. I was hand-picked, he said, because he liked my other interviews and what I had to say. I would be the only one in my position (“pro-prostitution”) on the show. The topic was the whole CraigsList ad verification/sexual trafficking thing. That I currently advertise on CL (under another name), is a plus. Jim Buckmaster was supposed to be there, along with several state Attorney Generals and some women arrested from CL stings. I was told that there was going to be some massive new stings off CL and these women would be given the option of jail or the show. [I won’t discuss that, you’re welcome to draw your own conclusions.]

Well, Operation Innocence Lost did indeed make some arrests. I was ready for the show. Or at least prepping hard for it. I was finally told the show would be recorded March 18 in LA. They would pay for my expenses. Nice!

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