Don’t put off until tomorrow what you can do today. Trust me on this.

This morning I found out that San Francisco’s landmark sex club The Power Exchange closed down. The Power Exchange has been open for years, providing open-minded couples and singles a place to see and/or do things they might otherwise never experience.

For anyone not in the know, The Power Exchange is a multi-level establishment with various theme rooms (jail cell, dungeon, vampire’s lair, mad scientist’s lab), as well as a dance floor, stripper poles and pool tables, enabling patrons to satisfy just about any fantasy, usually with an audience. The club’s lower levels are open to all types and persuasions, while the upper level is limited to couples and single women.

Needless to say, Jill and I had entertained the idea of going to The Power Exchange for some time. The idea of watching people engaged in all manner of sexual activity, and possibly doing our own thing as well, fueled many a fantasy of ours, and we hoped to pay them a visit. Possibly with open-minded friends.

The Power Exchange closed its San Francisco location in November, with plans to open a new location in Las Vegas. So much for the possibility of taking a spur-of-the-moment trip there.

While I’m talking about missed opportunities, I also learned today of the passing of Forrest J. Ackerman. “Forry”, as he was sometimes called, was best known as the writer and editor of Famous Monsters of Filmland, a groundbreaking sci-fi and horror magazine, from 1958 to 1983. He was an avid collector of movie memorabilia, and he housed much of his collection – which included original props, models and costumes from classic movies such as “Dracula” and “King Kong” – in his home, known as the Acker-Mansion. In fact, fans were welcome to tour his home, view the various displays of movie history, and listen to tales of Forry’s long and storied life.

During our most recent trip to Southern California, I’d considered trying to make arrangements to tour the “Acker-Mini-Mansion”, the smaller home in which he resided near the end of his life. But I put it off, hoping that there would be other opportunities. While I’ll always have a hefty collection of back issues of Famous Monsters of Filmland, meeting the man who was responsible for it would have been the icing on the cake. But now it’s too late.

In the interest of keeping this entry on-topic, for a time Forry and his wife had an interest in nudism. Granted, I don’t think he would have been the type to attend a sex club like The Power Exchange, but he would probably have approved of their vampire’s lair and mad scientist’s lab rooms.

-Jack