Christine Havrilla's Show Recap

We had such a great time on Friday at Christine Havrilla's house concert. A big shout out to Heather for hosting the event. The room full of dykes (and two fags for good measure) was wonderfully entertained by Chris' command of music (she plays a mean guitar, writes amazing songs and delivers them powerfully). She sang some of my favorites--Lay it on Me (thanks Rilla!) and Ride.

Apparently, there were some technical difficulties so I don't think the live show aired, but you can hear snippets of Chris' music on iTunes and buy all of her albums. Check her out!

Carla's Hunt for a Girlfriend - Part One

Our latest webisode is on Curve Magazine's website. Be sure to check it out. Dipstick and I helped Carla, a single gal looking for love. Part Two will be posted next week, so stay tuned.

Come Out to See Christine Havrilla or Tune in on Web

Hi Ya'll

My dear friend Christine Havrilla is going to be performing in Portland tomorrow night (Friday, May 29). It is sure to be a great show and Christine will be rocking out all night. If you'd like to attend the house concert, email heather.knight.pdx@gmail.com As of right now, there is still a little bit of room, so RSVP today.

Door open at 7pm

Shows starts at 8pm

$10-15 suggested donation to the artist

If you can't make the show, you can watch it live streaming here: http://www.justin.tv/renegadepilgrim

Prop 8 Ban Upheld in California

LIPSTICK: It's been all over the news, but Dipstick, do you want to give us an update/political commentary about what happened and where we're going from here? We've been waiting patiently. [tapping fingers on desk]

In the meantime, patient readers, have a listen to what this fella has to say.




Dipstick Responds
Sorry Lip, I was busy following all the tweets, reading about the celebrity reactions and trying to interview people involved in the decision. Plus I took a day off yesterday to go to the beach. (See cute pic of Olive in her first kayak ride) Guess I let you L&D followers down.

Here's my take. The court ruled that Prop 8 will stand, but those 18,000 people married last year in California are still married. WTF? How can that be okay? Some gay people have rights and others don't? THAT doesn't seem constitutional to me. Perhaps this could be our in on getting this whole thing over-turned. You legal scholars out there, (Mossy) be sure to let me know if I'm way off base here.

In the meantime, all the gay rights organizations are saying we're going to take this back to the voters, perhaps as early as 2010. I'm all in favor of that, because I really do believe the pendulum is swinging in the direction of justice and if asked to vote again for gay marriage, Californians will vote YES!

Memorial Day

I've been waiting for this photo to come in from Arlington. To all those who've lost loved ones in war, I hope you've found peace.

Fun with Twins

You do know Dipstick is a twin, right? I wish my sister and I had been invited to partake in this fun social experiment. I wonder what would have happened if we had each kissed another set of lesbian twins? That gives me a great idea! Let's recreate this experiment, but only with lesbian twins! What a riot!

Does Anyone Speak Italian?

Help! I just found some relatives in Italy and they've written me a letter in Italian. I don't speak a lick of it and the handwriting makes it even harder.

Do you speak Italian and think you could help? If so, drop me a line: lipstick@lipstickdipstick.com

It's very short--six lines. I'm DYING to find out what it says.

This is the first letter I've received from them.

Grazie!
Lip

PS: All these images are from Bologna, where my cousins lives and my family is from.

Prop 8 Decision Coming On Tuesday

Enjoy your long weekend! On Tuesday the California Supreme Court will announce its decision on Prop 8.

After the announcement is made activists will take to the streets, either to protest or to celebrate.  I sure hope it's a celebration.  But I'm not sure what to do.  There is nothing planned for Portland.

Anyone know anything?  Will something spontaneous happen?  If you have any information, please let us know.  Because personally, I think I'm either gonna wanna burn shit down or hoot & holler and kiss my girl.  Ya know what I mean? 

Booooooooooooooooooooo!

I have been lying in bed all day crying into my pillow because Adam lost last night. What an upset! While I think Kris Allen is uber talented, I sure wanted my Adam to win.

I embedded this amazing version of Track of My Tears (Smokey Robinson + Miracles) for your enjoyment (since he lost). [sniff sniff]

The tracks of my tears- Adam Lambert



Despite the surprising upset at the end, I thought it was a FANTASTIC show loaded with the biggest names in the music business. Thank God for Tivo because I have watched Kara rip off her dress at least fifteen times. (Okay, you got me--that's the real reason I didn't get out of bed.)

If you missed it, you can watch it below. If you don't know why Kara surprised bikini bimbo, Google it.

I love Kara DioGuardi because she is smart, brilliantly talented, articulate, generous, and, lastly smoking hot. Those damn Italians! Check out her website.

Ellen is Genius: Tulane Commencement Address

As you know Lipstick & I are big Ellen fans. Over the weekend she gave the commencement address at Tulane University. In it, she reminds us why we love her so much. She is so inspiring and she delivers a great message that makes us laugh.

My Homage to Adam Lambert

So, how many of you out there watch American Idol? It's a guilty little pleasure this season, huh?

Who do you want to win tonight?

I'm rooting for homolicious Adam Lambert. There are so many things I love about Adam. For starters, his voice--[insert expletive here]! It is like nothing I've heard.

Second, I love the breadth of his style. See photos here. Third, I love his quiet confidence and humble pie. Lastly, I love that he kisses boys and paints his fingernails and America is STILL in love with him! The guy he's kissing in these photos looks like the same dude--does anyone know if it's his boifriend?

Who do you think is going to win? Take the poll to the left...

In the meantime, enjoy one of my favorite Adam hits this season: Tears For Fears' Mad World

UPDATE: See a photo of Adam's supposed boyfriend here.

Adam Lambert - "Mad World" (American Idol Studio Version)
by YouL00K

Olive Graduated Today

Today Olive graduated from puppy kindergarten.  It seemed like just yesterday she was peeing and pooping on the rug. They grow up so fast!

Here she is receiving her diploma from the teacher.  See how well she sits?

And if I can just brag for a moment, Olive got the top score on all her tests today.  She beat out a golden retriever, a mini australian shepherd and a shiba inu in both the time trial and the obedience test. I am so proud of her.

She also received good marks for "playing with others." Take a look:

My Embarrassing Twitter Moment

A friend of mine just got me into Twitter. She says its a great way to build community, promote our blog and my site at About.com.  So, I decided to give it a go. 

Since Monday, I've been tweeting away, linking to new articles when I post them, promoting other cool things that come my way.  My friend told me it's good to re-tweet other people's posts when they resonate, so I've been doing that too.  

Someone wrote an interesting article about Twitter for journalists, so I re-tweeted that. Another fellow writer has a play opening, so I tweeted about that.  Then, a radio host that I know, sent a tweet that Prop 8 in California had been overturned.  It had a link to an article and everything.  LA Times, a legitimate source. I checked it out and got REALLY excited.  Well, you can imagine how excited I would get if the California Supreme Court actually does overturn Prop 8.  

So, I immediately re-tweeted the post and added it to my Facebook page and texted a few friends in my excitement.  

The one thing I forgot to check was the date of the article. It was from last year.  When the court ruled in favor of gay marriage the first time.  BEFORE the voters voted on Prop 8.  

As a seasoned journalist, you would have thought I would have caught something like that. Someone had to write and tell me it was wrong.  When I went to erase the posts from Twitter and Facebook, I noticed a friend had posted the same thing.  Oh No!  She saw my post and added it to her page.  It's like one of those email stories you hear, where you send something to your boss that you only meant to go to the gal in the next cubicle.  

Well, it turns out that friend had been forwarded the same message from someone different. A married lesbian in California, who she assumed to be a reliable source.  She was about to call all her friend and have a party.  The tweet about Prop 8 being overturned had gone viral in a matter of minutes!  Crazy.  I'm embarrassed that I was a part of it. 

Follow me on Twitter if you dare.

I'll try to be more accurate in the future. And if you want to find out when Prop 8 is overturned for real, sign up for NCLR's mobile alert. 

Do you have an embarrassing email, text, Facebook, MySpace or Twitter moment? Please share.  

Wanda Sykes Has Twins!

People Magazine is reporting that out lesbian comic Wanda Sykes and her wife, Alex, delivered twins recently. You can read more about it on People.com. Alex gave birth to a daughter--Olivia Lou, who weighed in at 6 lbs., 7 oz., and a son Lucas Claude, who debuted at 7 lbs., 9 oz.

There isn't much on the internet (she is notoriously private), so I thought I'd post her recent controversial stand-up at the annual White House Correspondents Dinner. It's broken down into two parts.

Michelle Malone with Ashleigh Flynn

I remember the first time I saw Michelle Malone.  My friend and Americana genius Ashleigh Flynn was opening up for a show in a small all-ages club in Portland. I had heard of "Moanin' Michelle Malone," but it was the first time I saw or heard her music.

Ashleigh had to stall the crowd, as Michelle and her crew were running late. Their van broke down somewhere between Oregon and California.  When Michelle and her drummer finally walked into the venue, they looked tired and cranky.  "This show is going to suck," I said to myself.

Instead, I was treated to one of the best rock-n-roll shows I have ever seen.  Michelle Malone is the real deal, a full time rocker with a dozen studio CDs and almost as many live recordings. 

Billboard magazine calls her "criminally underrated." Why she hasn't achieved more commercial success if beyond me.  The only reason I'm grateful is that I get to see her in small clubs, like my favorite Mississippi Studios.

If you're in Portland on Friday, come and check out Michelle Malone with my pal Ashleigh Flynn.

Mississippi Studios

Friday May 15
3939 N. Mississippi
Doors at 8, Show at 9
$12

If you don't see her in Portland, Michelle Malone is going a lot of places. Be sure to check her out.

Dipstick & The Plumbing Problem

If you thought Dipstick only knew how to change tires and dish out sassy advice, well you’d be wrong. Turns out she has quite a skill with a pipe wrench too. When I was visiting my family, my sister and I accompanied my Dad up to his summer place to turn the water on. Dad injured his hand and Mary and I had to do all the work. Actually, I did all the work, because Mary didn’t want to get her pants dirty.

The winter in Upstate New York gets fucking cold. So when you leave a place in the Fall, you have to drain all the pipes of water and shut down the plumbing. Otherwise, the pipes will freeze and burst. Come Spring, after the ice has gone out, you check the pipes for leaks, reconnect everything, turn it on and pray that there’s not a leak.

But every year, there is a leak. Which I was actually kind of happy about, because it meant I got to crawl into the cob-webbed pump house, poke around the mouse droppings until I found the leak and repair the broken pipe. After a quick trip to the hardware store for parts, I was cutting and reattaching my first pipe. My sister documented the whole thing. Here are a few clips.

Killer Music Coming to the Pacific Northwest

Christine Havrilla will be in the Pacific Northwest this week! Be sure to check her out. She'll be doing a handful of shows in the Seattle area and then she'll head down to Portland!

Come support our friend!

Woo hoo,
Lip

DETAILS
Wed 05/13
7:00 pm

Eddie's Trackside
214 N. Lewis St.
Monroe, WA
#360.805.5305

Thu 05/14
8:00pm

Conor Byrne
5140 Ballard Ave. NW
Seattle, WA
#206.784.3640
w/ Leanne Wilkins & Josiah Johnson

Fri 05/15
9:00 pm

Green Frog
902 State St.
Bellingham, WA
#306.756.1213

Sat 05/16
7:00 PM

Olalla House Concert
Olalla WA
Please conctact www.olallahouse.org for reservations!

Fri 05/29
8:00 pm

Renegade Pilgrim Productions
Portland, OR House Concert Series
heather.knight.pdx@gmail.com for reservations!

Calling All San Franciscans

A friend of mine, Christine Havrilla, is performing tonight at the Delores Cafe. She's an amazing singer/songwriter.

If you're in the SF area, go check her out!

DETAILS
Fri 05/08
7:30 pm

Dolores Park Cafe
501 Dolores @18th
San Francisco, CA 94110
415.621.2936

w/ Heather Combs!


If you miss her tonight, you can catch her tomorrow night:

Sat 05/09
7:00 PM
KC Turner House Concert Series with Heather Combs
San Rafael, CA 94901
For Reservations: KC@KCTurnerMusic.com

PS: Found this photos of Christine and Kelly McGillis on her Myspace page. Too funny! Two blogs collide!

She's Lost that Lovin' Feeling ... For Men

Teen dykes during the 80s, hold onto your knickers--Kelly McGillis, who we all fantasized about when Top Gun was hot, has officially joined our team. To read the article about her coming out, which she did through Curve, go here.

As you can see, Dipstick already knew Kelly was a dyke from when she was in flight school. Rumor has it--although Dip is pretty tight-lipped about it--they hooked up. The proof is in the aviator-jacket pudding.

Enjoy this YouTube homage to Kelly and Tom to Berlin's Take My Breath Away (just pretend he is a drag king):

Kissing Tree

When I was in Syracuse last week, my sister and drove around town reminiscing about our days growing up. We went up to the university and found that the bar we used to hang out at is now a Thai restaurant, the ice cream place is now a bank but there's still three pizza places on the one block.

One place I really wanted to go, though, was up behind a dorm where I used to live. See, it's behind this dorm, under a tree, where I first kissed a girl. Lori was her name. She was a feminist, musician, activist who drove a motorcycle. I thought she was pretty darn cool. She had just returned from a month in the Soviet Union, where she was working on a documentary film. She's smuggled in a few bottles of vodka and we were celebrating her return with a bunch of friends.

Lori and I slipped away from the party made out until her roommate came looking for her. She wouldn't believe me when I said it was my first time kissing a girl. I guess I was a natural.

Anyway, all the dorms up there look alike, so I can't be sure, but I think this is the tree where I had my very first girl kiss.

Hanging Out in Dive Bars

I was away all last week visiting my family in Upstate NY.
One of my high school buddies is an amazing musician and whenever I’m in town I try to see if he’s playing. Sure enough, he was playing a happy hour show in a bar in a small town just outside of Syracuse. My sister and brother and a few friends drove out there on a beautiful warm Friday evening.

There we met this guy. His one claim to fame, besides requesting Harry Chapin songs, is balancing a beer bottle on his head. He thought he was really something special. Dipstick just had to show him, it wasn’t that hard to do. Poor guy, I think I really deflated his ego.



Regardless, be sure to check out my friend Jamie Notarthomas, he’s a great talent and a great guy. Here's one of his music videos.