Symphony of Fire

On Wednesday, the sky exploded with stars at the United Kingdom showed their pyrotechnic chops for all of Vancouver to see. The annual event takes place over two weeks where four countries (Canada always included) go head to head and compete with fireworks paired with symphony music (which plays over a local radio station). No matter the country, the fireworks are launched from the same barge anchored deep into the English Bay. All over the city, people gather on rooftops, beaches, balconies, sidewalks and backyards to watch the shows. For each show, the feeling of community is really overwhelming, perhaps reminding each of us that we're all in this together and we all need and appreciate beauty in our lives.

For Wednesday's show, Patty and I were lucky enough to get an invitation to board some friend's 40' cruiser (thank you Donna and Dave!) and enjoy dinner and cocktails while waiting for and watching the show. There was good music, laughter and some very tiny bathing suits. And the invitation couldn't have come at a better time, during the most extreme heat wave Vancouver (and the Pacific Northwest) has ever seen. The afternoon aboard the Bengal Den, the thermometer hit the highest it's ever gone in Vancouver history. (34 degrees Celsius.)

I put a little video together recapping the night.

PS: God help the drag queens in pantyhose and makeup this weekend at Vancouver's Gay Pride parade!

8 Miles Wide

Storm Large is an amazon! One of our favorite Portland-area talents and queer-ally, Storm just wrote and starred in a one-woman show "Crazy Enough." She made a music video for one of the songs and we just can't get this song out of our heads. We hope you like it too.

Note our good friend Marc Acito has an operatic part. Marc also happens to have been chosen as Curve's first lesbro. Yeah, Marc's cool, but really, this is all about Storm Large.

Vancouver Pride This Weekend

There are SO many events this weekend here in Vancouver for Pride, it can be mind-boggling to keep straight---err organized. I'll just highlight my favorites:

First, Thursday night, Solarice (which is gay-owned and operated--by a friend of mine) is hosting at Pride Pampering Party from 4-8pm, where there will be Rainbow Polish Pedicures, Full spa services, Rainbow Condom Company, Passion Parties, Flesh Lingerie Boutique, a Tarot card reader, snacks, and our pakin pride punch and more. Special note: THEY HAVE AIR CONDITIONING! (For those of you not in the NW, we are having a record-breaking heat wave--hello global warming.) And you need to book spa services in advance. 2200 west 4th, Vancouver BC, 604-733-5007 (Kitsilano)

Friday night, there are some great things going on. First, there are two boob cruises--Chicks Ahoy and Hot + Wet. No matter which boat you choose, you'll sure to be happy. You can buy tickets at Little Sisters Bookstore on Davie. Also, there is a big gay street party on Davie Street downtown. The city is blocking off from Burrard to Bute. Come get your pride motor started and cool off with some cheap festival beer.

Saturday -recouperate and save your energy. Have a BBQ, go the movies, just relax and stay cool.

Sunday, all hell breaks loose downtown again when the Pride parade winds its way through city streets. The big thing for women on Sunday is the Chicka Party, held at the Sheraton Wall Center. (3-9pm) In the official Pride guide this year, yours truly is in the picture promoting it. Remember last year when we took the crowds by storm with our riding crops? Good times. For the Chicka party this year, you can get tickets in advance (a really good idea) at Little Sisters, or Kokopelli's on Commercial. This event is put on by our friends at Fly Girl Productions.

Happy Pride everyone!!

Lightning Storm

On Saturday night, there was a huge lightning storm here in Vancouver, BC and we caught some of it on film. It's hard to do lightning justice, but we did our best here. I've paired it with a beautiful melody from Adam Hurst, a cellist I discovered years ago in Portland. Beyond the lightning, the sky was the most magnificent blood orange and blue, casting such amazing light onto our faces and the homes nearby. All the Canadians I talked to had never seen such a sight here on the coast, as the weather conditions rarely allow for any lightning on the ocean, so everyone was really excited.

You can see more photos here.

The Birds & The Bees

I never knew why when parents talk about sex, they say "the birds and the bees." I've seen birds have sex, sure, but isn't it more likely that you'd see two dogs fu*king than you'd see two bees doing it?

Well, today must have been my lucky day because I saw two bees getting down and dirty in my tomato plants. The video didn't come out too well, but here's a photo. After the she bee was done, she just kicked the male off her. Gotta love nature!

Lesbians Under the Stars

What could be more lesbian than going to see the Indigo Girls at the zoo? With a bunch of friends, blankets under our arms and munchies to share, Tiger and I trekked up to the Portland Zoo to see my all-time favorite band.

The Indigo Girls just make me happy. And seeing them perform, outside on a beautiful summer evening with lots of cool people around, I don't think there's anything better. Well, one thing could make it better, the amazingly talented and incredibly hot Julie Wolf on keyboards.

Sandy got there early, so we had awesome seats. That's when we were in them, because most of the time we were smashed up against the stage, singing along at the top of our lungs. We know the words to practically every song.

A friend of mine was having a jolly time, blowing bubbles in time to the music. Then this big dyke security guard came up and told her she had to stop. "It's bad for the elephants," she said. What a great to get lesbians to stop doing something, tell them an animal will be harmed.

If you've never seen the Indigo Girls live in concert. You must. It's a lesbian rite-of-passage.

Set Sail with Lipstick & Dipstick

Have you ever wanted to be in the middle of the ocean with a enormous boat full of lesbians in bathing suits? How about with all these women AND Lipstick & Dipstick by your side?

We've recently been asked to hop on-board Sweet's inaugural Caribbean cruise (November 8-15) and we want you guys to come, too! It's sure to be one hellova trip. Seven days and some amazing ports. We leave from New Orleans and stop in Cozumel, Costa Maya, Belize City and Roatan, Honduras.

Some of our favorite people are going to be on board with us, too, including our friend, Suzanne Westenhoefer, Edie Carey, Kate McKinnon, Curve Publisher Frances Stevens (our good friend and daddy) and many many more, who we can't wait to get to know (Jen Foster, Adrianne, Natalia Zukerman, Erin Foley, Gloria Bigelow, Sandra Valls, and more.)

Beyond the great musical and comical entertainment, there is SO much to do on the Norweigan Spirit. Lounges, gambling, laying by the pool, eating delicious food, working out, working on your tan, dancing, karaoke, or shopping.

Check out Discover Sweet and sign up today. You can even finance the trip on a 12-month payment plan!

Butches of the World Unite

I have to admit, I'm really sad that I won't be able to attend the Butch Voices conference in Oakland next month. As far as I know, this is the first conference of its kind in the US. Butches coming together to organize, strategize, inspire and educate. Could anything be sexier?

We are woman-identified Butches. We are trans-masculine Studs. We are faggot-identified Aggressives. We are noun Butches, adjective Studs and pronoun-shunning Aggressives. We are she, he, hy, ze, zie and hir. We are you, and we are me. The point is, we don’t decide who is Butch, Stud or Aggressive. You get to decide for yourself.

One of my favorite writers, Ivan E. Coyote is leading a writing workshop. There's another for those of us who identify as butch and maintain a female identity. There's workshops for XL butches, butch safety and butches having babies. The one I'm really bummed about missing is the intergenerational butch panel.

Oh, I hope they hold the conference again next year when I can go! But don't let my inability stop you. If you can swing it, attend the Butch Voices conference in Oakland, California August 20-23, 2009.

And for those of you in Portland, be sure to attend the Butch Voices fundraiser next Thursday at the Egyptian Club.

Dogs on a Hot Day

It's been really hot here in Portland. I don't mind it. Actually, I love it. My dogs, on the other hand, get a little hot. So I went out and bought them a baby pool. Here they are enjoying their new toy.

I take old milk cartons and fill them with water and put them in the freezer. They love to play with these ice blocks in the water. With dogs, life is never boring.

Portia in Portland

According to fellow blogger Byron Beck, Portia de Rossi was in Portland this weekend. She came sans Ellen and was seen at the airport getting off a private jet.

Byron says, "By the looks of the outfit she was wearing it's safe to assume Portia was heading off to some swank affair in our fair city."

What swank affair? Obviously she wasn't at the lesbian baby shower and 1-year-old birthday parties I was at this weekend.

Not that these weren't fun, but jeeze, why I wonder why I wasn't invited to Portia's party. Especially with Ellen out of town, I would have been a smashing escort.

Long Distance Relationship Advice

Gooooood Monday Morning To Ya!

Are you in a long distance relationship right now? If so, L & D have some advice for you. Here is our latest installment of the L & D Show. Dip and I aren't in the same city, so we did this show just like we do our monthly column: by lobbing back and forth our responses.

Beyond here, it's also live on Curvemag.com:

Long Distance Longing
Uploaded by LipstickDipstickShow. - Have a look at more lifestyle videos.

Our Book on Display

It's been over a year since we spoke at Northampton, Massachusett's gay pride and had a reading at Pride & Joy Bookstore, but Lipstick & Dipstick must still be drawing them in, because our book is on display again in their window.

Thanks to Nohodyke for sending this in.

If you can't make it to Pride & Joy, you can still buy our book at Powell's or Amazon.

Losing Control by Cheril N. Clarke

When Lipstick & I wrote our book, we send out some press releases, spoke on some radio and TV shows and went on a book tour. Maybe that is old school, because lately, it seems authors who put out books are making youtube videos.

Such is the case with fellow lesbian author Cheril N. Clarke. Makes you want to read the book, doesn't it? And you should, because Cheril is great writer. I haven't read Losing Control yet, but I've read a couple of her other books and I really enjoyed them. Did I mention she writes great sex scenes. If you're looking for a great summer beach read, check Losing Control by Cheril N. Clarke.

What Would You Do?

Yesterday I was coming out of my gym in downtown Portland when two women stepped right in front of me. They were smoking cigarettes. One woman threw hers on on the sidewalk right in front of me.

I was kind of shocked. You just don't see stuff like that in Portland usually. For the most part, people are environmentally conscious and polite. I think they might have even been dykes. (Although they did kind of look like they were from Gresham.)

Caught off guard, I said, "Seriously?" She glanced at me and said, "Yup" and just kept on walking.

I watched them walk away and then picked her cigarette butt off the ground and put it in the near-by trash can.

I just kept thinking there was something more effective I could have done. What would you do?


_{© Photo by Tony Jacobson}

Bonnie Tinker Remembered

Portland peace and LGBT activist Bonnie Tinker died in a biking accident on Thursday. Bonnie was a life-long activist. She co-founded one of the first battered women's shelters in the country and started and ran Love Makes a Family, an agency for LGBT families, for many, many years. I would say she was a tireless worker for LGBT rights, but the truth is, she looked tired a lot of the time.

She was always there, at the county budget meetings, at the police review board meetings, at the war demonstrations, at gay pride. Her cause was to give a voice to the voiceless.

As sometimes happens with people on the same side of the struggle, we sometimes butted heads. She was a woman with strong opinions. So am I.

I learned a lot from Bonnie. She was a fierce advocate for social justice, working for the most underserved in our movements. She challenged me to examine my beliefs. Always a good thing.

I respected her. And I know she respected me. She will be greatly missed.

Dipstick's Day Off

I hope you all had an amazing 4th of July weekend. Here in Oregon it was hot and dry. Perfect weather for finding a cool swimming hole. This is how I spent my Sunday:

Happy Fourth of July!

Happy 4th of July everyone! Patty and I are up in Whistler this week enjoying Canada Day (July 1) and the 4th of July. Earlier this week, Patty surprised me with a ZipTrek tour, where we were harnessed (in public--heh em) to heavy-duty wire and zipped from one tree to the next above Fitzsimmons Creek between Whistler and Blackcomb Mountains. It was AMAZING! It's also an eco-tour, where we learned about how the Whistler rainforest is self-sustaining and all that good stuff.

This ziplining business may seem familiar. In the L Word Season 3 cliffhanger where the girls went to Whistler for Shane and Carmen's botched wedding, Alice went ziplining to overcome her fears/Dana's death.

Anyhoo, you can live vicariously through us in this video.

PS: Don't start any fires or blow any fingers off tonight! And don't drink and drive!

Ziplining in Whistler, BC for 4th of July
Uploaded by LipstickDipstickShow. - Exotic and entertaining travel videos.

An Amazing Gift

A few weeks ago I got an email from Tam Martin, “Kathy, I have something I would like to give you…if you want it.” Now who can resist an intriguing message like that?

Tam is an old friend, a mentor and a booking agent to the stars. She works with Suzanne Westenhoefer, Kate Clinton, Holly Near and many of the greats of women’s music. Back when I was a baby dyke, Tam gave me advice on producing concerts and booking tours. She hired me to work at her festivals and even gave Lipstick & I advice about hiring an agent for booking speaking gigs. She is a treasure to the lesbian community.

I called Tam to see what she wanted to give me, having no idea what she had in mind. Well, it turns out, she and her partner are moving to a smaller house and she’s got a lot of women’s music memorabilia she needs to find a good home for. She thought (rightly so!) that I would like her autographed copy of the Laughing Matters poster.


When I showed up to collect the poster, she had an even bigger surprise for me. She asked if I had any way to play LPs. Sadly, I do not. I don’t even own a CD player any more. Tam is looking for a home for her collection of Women’s Music albums.

Even though I don’t have a record player, I have been searching for one particular lesbian album for years. Back in 1977 Olivia records released Lesbian Concentrate, in response to an anti-gay rights campaign in Florida, spearheaded by orange juice spokeswoman Anita Bryant. Tam had it and offered it to me. Although I don't have the means to play it, just owning this piece of lesbian history makes me smile.

The poster is hanging in my office. The album cover, I'm going to get that framed.