I think I've got everything. I head out tomorrow morning for my wonderful trip to Cancun with the ladies of Olivia.
On Monday, I'll be hosting a lesbian dating game. Later we'll have a Curve themed party and I'll do a book signing at some point during the week.
Mostly, though, I hope to be sunning it up by the pool, dancing the night away and snorkeling in clear and warm waters. While I'm there, I'll be blogging daily for Curvemag.com. Be sure to stop over and read about all the excitement. Since I'll be writing for Curve this week, I won't be posting much over here, except maybe some links to those articles. So have a good week. I know I sure will!
Lipstick and I both had an amazing time on the Sweet Cruise. We survived the hurricane, but both of us came down with the flu or a cold, so we don't have the energy to write much yet. But here is a little video about the volunteer part of the cruise, which we participated in. It was awesome!
I've returned home from Manchester, where I had a great time celebrating gay pride. My hotel room was nice, right across from the train station and easy walking distance from Canal Street - the gay district.
It did seem odd to me though, that right outside my window was this huge digital billboard that kept flashing this guy's photo "Wanted for Murder."
If you see him, be sure to call the number on the screen.
Lipstick & Dipstick are going to be setting sail with our favorite Sweeties for their inaugural cruise and we want YOU to join us! Check out DiscoverSweet.com to hear all about the great destinations we'll be hitting and all the fun stuff planned on-board. Oh and there are some inspiring volunteer opportunities in NOLA and in the ports.
While I've got you, be sure to vote for Sweet as Best Tour Operator in Trip Out's Travel Poll.
November 8-15, 2009 Leaves New Orleans with a boatload of lesbians Stops in Cozumel, Belize, Costa Maya (Mexico) and Roatan (Honduras)
I'm over in Manchester, England attending Gay Pride. You'll be able to read all about my trip in an upcoming issue of Curve magazine.
I stepped into a shop, looking for fish & chips and saw this candy bar displayed on the counter. It reads, "Yorkie. It's not for Girls." So, of course, you know Dipstick had to buy one and bite right in.
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!
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.
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.
Flying pretty much sucks these days, right? Crowded seats, extra charges for luggage, late planes, layovers, no food. Which isn’t to say it's all bad. There was the time last year when I got upgraded to first class. And once I was on a flight with Picabo Street. But what happened yesterday takes the cake.
On our way back from Kenosha, WI, Lipstick and I met Erin. Erin is a flight attendant for an unnamed airline, who also happens to read our column in Curve magazine. She recognized us when we came on board. It’s great to have friends in high places.
Excuse the terrible pun, I’m writing this half drunk. See, when you meet a flight attendant who is a fan, she offers to bring you alcohol. And then more alcohol. And more alcohol. Never mind that it’s only 10:30 in the morning.
Because I’m tipsy, and writing this on our descent, I’m going to mention just how cute Erin was. Just my type. Tall and athletic with light green eyes. I started to have fantasies about the mile-high club, of which I am not yet a member. And with tightened airport security, it seems like I might never join that exclusive club. I began to wonder if Erin might have special privileges that could get us both inducted.
Well, I won’t tell you how all THAT turned out, just that both Lipstick & I agreed, flight 605 was the best ever!
I’m back from my trip to Massachusetts. The highlight of the trip was surprising my brother by showing up at his 50th birthday party.
I’ve always been close to my brother and now, more than ever he’s an inspiration to me. As I get closer to 50 myself, through him I see the possibilities. The guy has run nine marathons, the last one just a few weeks ago. He’s starting a new job and coaching his daughter’s soccer team.
And he still has his handsome good looks. Every time I’m out with him, gay men try to pick him up. It’s quite amusing because he doesn’t seem to notice. I hope lesbians are still hitting on me when I’m 50. Or even gay men. That would really be good for my ego.
For those of you who like to travel and are always frustrated when you can't find anything queer in each city you visit, your savior has arrived. Enter Girlports, an online travel guide for lezbots. Started by Montreal's Tanya Churchmuch, this site is growing each day, guiding you along the way as you travel across throughout the world.
Be sure to check it out and watch as it continues to expand, adding new cities all the time.
I'm off this morning for the East Coast. My Dad is turning 80 and we're having a big party for him. Since there are like 9,000 Belges, I'll be too busy socializing with the family to keep up on the blogging. Lipstick will fill the gap until I return at the end of the month.
Have a great week everyone. I'm sure I'll have a story or two to tell when I return.
So, I've been in the closet about this for some time, but now I feel that it's important to come out about it. I've been ashamed of this for years and have only confided in a few close friends. Dipstick's known for some time now and has been a good friend, keeping her lips locked about it and I appreciate that. Thanks Dip. But now it's time to tell you all about something from my past:
I was the president of the Teenage Republicans club in high school and I like to shoot guns.
There, I've said it. It's out and I feel much better. Now we can make fun of me...
These pictures, taken last weekend at my parents ranch in Montana (www.flatheadriverranch.com), are evidence of me sliding back into my old behaviors (the only one of which I still struggle with). I'm a card carrying liberal now, but the damn NRA could use this as ammo, I suppose, for something. Maybe a counter attack against some lezzieanit-gun campaign. Surely a group of dykes has gotten together and tried to figure out a way to bring the NRA (and the second amendment) down.
While I fully appreciate all the cons of guns and the horrible things they can do, I still love the feel of it kicking me in the arm as I blow to bits a clay pigeon (see the above shot of me taking one my dad winged into the sky out with a 22 rifle). I have a pretty good eye. The one below is of Pattycake, who is from Vancouver, BC and had never shot a gun in her life. She was an eagle eye, too, and took out a number of clay pigeons. She's against guns (don't you have to be if you live in Canada?), but got that twinkle in her eye when my dad said, "Patty, do you want to shoot one?" After her fist shot, she never put the gun down; well, not until it was too late and too dark to shoot any more trap.
This weekend I took a trip up to Seattle to connect with a cousin I hadn't seen in 30 years. Sandy is a few years older than me and as soon as she graduated high school, she took off for the West Coast. I never really knew her as a kid, although our families lived right around the corner from one another. I'd been hearing about my lesbian cousin for years. Back in the 70s, she changed her last name so that she would be recognizable as a lesbian. This was a person I had to get to know!
We met at the train station and headed over toward Key Arena where we were going to see the Seattle Storm play. I don't know if it's because we're family or because we're both dykes, or maybe a combination of both, but the conversation just flowed.
I met her sweet partner, Nina and we quickly fell into Belge family humor, a combination of wit, word play, cynicism and vulgarity. We really did fall from the same tree. Being around them was very comfortable. After the game, we sat up late learning about the differences and similarities of our childhoods. Over breakfast--wonderful scones and a quiche made by Nina--we picked right up where we left off the night before. The visit ended too quickly, but I somehow feel that this blood family is about to become part of my chosen family.
Um, I just left Texas a message to sell the house, catch the cats and get here with our stuff immediately. I couldn't love this town any more. What an amazing adventure Whistler has been for the last few days, full of wonderfully exciting (and surprising) sights and people. This picture to the right was something I happened upon when I was skiing down my last run yesterday. Only in Whistler would you just ski past two homos playing with a huge rainbow flag in freezing temperatures.
The people I met this week have left an indelible impression, specifically Ingrid + Alex from Whistler, Mak, Cindy, Kath, Amy + Lisa from Whistler, Cheri + Carol from Seattle, Diane + Karen from Bainbridge Island (see you soon!), Missy Giove + her girl Salina, Jana + Winkie from Alabama (see pic of Lipstick in a "Bamawich" below) , Dawn + Crystal, Lynn + Heather from Boston, and my biatch Patty (as well as those that amused and tormented us at the Fairmont lobby bar). Many of those mentioned are pictured here. Day three was the best day. In the morning, I skied with Ingrid + Alex and a gaggle of lesbians before lunch. Ingrid (pictured in blue coat) is a ski instructor at Whistler and took me on a wild adventure through the trees....only, she didn't mean for me to follow. Lipstick had no business in such deep snow or on such a cliff. The picture to the left is actually me stuck in the snow during that little wooded adventure. Notice you can't see my skis...they're buried so deep I had to dig them out before I could get going again. (Note to self: snow in panties sucks.)
After a big dyke lunch at the top of the mountain (see photo), I hit the slopes solo. Just me and my iPod and the powder. I filmed this little video on my way down to the jacuzzi.
After melting into a puddle, I pulled myself together and headed to the daily "Apres" (see photos). Good times for sure during the afternoon happy hours when we gather to laugh at our falls, plan our nights and (for those who are single) cruise for a date.
My new favorite friend, Patty, and I got into trouble at the Fairmont Chateau Whistler later that evening, when we stopped in for "a drink" and ended up closing the place down. (Note to self: high altitude makes me crazy and uninhibited. Oh yeah, and when a drunk guy at the bar is hitting on you, telling him you're a lesbian is *not* always the smartest way to get rid of him.)
I could really go on and on, but I'll just say it was a wonderful whirlwind, full of delicious discovery, lots of laughter and a bit of sadness now that I'm leaving.
Goodbye Whistler, until next time. And trust me, there definitely will be a next time.
We are headed up to Whistler next week for WINTER PRIDE and to host "An Evening with Lipstick & Dipstick" on Tuesday night for the Winter Pride folks. If you haven't already booked your flights or loaded up your car, it's not too late. Come join us for a little snowy Canadian getaway.
Also, while Dip and I are in British Columbia, we will be doing a reading on Monday night at Little Sisters and a TV interview earlier that day on Urban Rush TV (more on the TV interview later).
I've been out of pocket this week up at Mount Hood cavorting around with Texas and our dear friends Hoogs and Minx. We went up to celebrate my birthday (I'm a Sagittarius) and to blow off some steam while partaking in snow sports.
Needless to say, good times were had by all and holy hell did it dump while we were up there. There is something so peaceful and meditative about snow, isn't there? We stayed at Timberline (famed for the Stanley Kubrick film "The Shining"). You can see Jack Nicholson coming toward Timberline lodge with an ax in this image.
And remember Redrum?
Hoogs and I skied and Minx snowboarded while Texas curled up with a book inside. After we retired for the night, we played cut throat Catch Phrase and Pictionary. The fireplaces in our rooms were one of the highlights. If you've never fallen asleep next to a roaring fireplace while it's snowing with your girlfriend, you need to put that on your Bucket List.
We also hit the Snow Bunny hill on innertubes. Texas, who is deathly afraid of heights, even conquered the mountain. Hoogs won the speed racer award and had the best spill off her tube; I'd pay money to have gotten that on film. She seemed to make cartoon Foley noises as she flipped upside down and bonked off her head. Can't you hear it? Afterwards ravaging our bodies, we stopped into Government Camp at the Ratskeller for a little nip to warm us up.
Stays in Vegas. Except for these little details from our trip to sin city:
We hit the city big this week to celebrate Nana's 82nd birthday. And what a time we had. After checking into the Wynn, Texas, Nana, my parents and I, hit their casino and hit it hard. Blackjack is Texas and my game and we don't mess around. We're all business until the dealer busts or one of us draws a blackjack. And then anything goes. Hoots and hollers, whistles, high fives or even a smooch at the table.
Overall, we did give sin city all of their chips back, but had a kick ass time losing. Doesn't that count for something? To us it does. Nana won, which was fitting, since it was her big birthday.
Aside from the endless games of blackjack we played, other highlights from our Vegas trip include: Naps by the pool. Ahhh. The sun was out and it was a scorcher to these Oregonians, especially this time of year. Although it was brave for Texas and I to put these painfully white bodies in bathing suits, we couldn't resist. Everyone needs Vitamin D that doesn't come in a multi-vitamin every now in then.
Le Reve was also a highlight, although we all agreed that O was far better. There was some girl on girl in Le Reve, however, which earned it some extra points from all of us, even Nana. Even though she's straight, she loves her some lesbian action. Not only is one of her granddaughters/soul mates a lesbo (me!), she also loves the L Word and has just discovered Exes and Ohs (on her own!). She's a great ally.
The world stopped turning on the last night when we stepped into the Las Vegas Hilton to see Barry Manilow. Holy Hell does that man put on a great show! We were all huge Barry fans going in and Nana was especially wooed by him. You probably wouldn't guess this, but I'm a biggest Fanilow out there, second only to Nana. Texas took me several years ago and I actually shook Barry's hand. I took some video for you to enjoy below. The first one is when Barry came out. The second when he sang "Even Now" and then when he ended up over our heads singing Copacabana on a jutting bridge. Fucking awesome!
Other mentionables:
- A great dinner at The Country Club (at the Wynn). The best steak ever.
- Spending quality time with my parents and Nana.
- Texas and I were at the Imperial Palace very late one night and this drunk chick (she left the table at one point to puke--Texas heard her in the bathroom) yelled across the table to Texas: YOU HAVE HUGE BOOBS! Texas had just hit a blackjack and had thrown her arms up, prompting the girl to notice and comment. It was hilarious. She was a frickin' mess. Knocking over her chips and burning holes in the felt. Classic.
- We were at Harrah's one afternoon, again, playing BJ, when the dealer asked Texas and I if were related (for the tenth time that trip). It happens ALL the time. No one ever assumes we're a couple. Ever.
"Sisters?" the man said. "No," Texas sighed, rolling her eye. "Try again." With that, the dealer, kidding and very dramatically said: "Are you lessssbian lovvvvvers?" "Yes!" I exclaimed. "Bingo!"
Check this new website for lesbian travelers: GIRLPORTS.COM! I met the creator/publisher in Montreal last spring when I was on a Curve press trip. She rocks!
Girlports, Your Worldwide Girl Guide is Now Online
MONTREAL, CANADA October 2, 2007- Girlports (www.girlports.com), the first travel information website exclusively for lesbians and bisexual women, launched today. The site provides lesbian-centric listings for destinations around the world with everything from bars and nightclubs to social and sporting groups, restaurants and more.
Girlports was launched by Tanya Churchmuch, a longtime broadcast and print journalist and public relations veteran, as a result of her own frustration with the lack of resources available to lesbian travelers. “It’s so annoying for lesbians looking for easily accessible, up-to-date travel information written just for them, especially free travel information,” said Churchmuch. “Many websites sell themselves as providing resources for the LGBT traveler, but unfortunately, the “G” always seems to win out. I figured if nobody else was going to create the resource I wanted, I’d have to do it myself.”
Beyond general listings, Girlports also offers a number of interactive tools to assist women in their travels, including a unique travel planner called the Girlports Passport. This Passport helps you keep track of listings you’re interested in and has a mapping feature. The Passport can be printed, sent via email, and as of December 1, 2007, accessed via mobile phone.
Other site functions include an audio translation tool allowing users to both read and hear words and phrases not found in traditional guide books, user comments, a comprehensive annual events calendar and more to come.
Girlports launches with listings for 19 destinations on five continents, and new destinations will be added at least once every two months. Cities already on Girlports will also be constantly updated, with a ticker tape soon to be added announcing the latest additions and changes.
Girlports is owned and operated by Girlports Services Inc., an independent, lesbian-owned company based in Montreal, Canada.
I recently was sent to Montreal, Quebec on a press trip for Curve and let me tell you, Montreal kicks major ass. The Montrealers are so down to earth and charming with their cool social climate and charming accents--it was hard for me to leave. Thanks to the Tourism Bureau of Montreal, I had a fantastic time. Some of the great things I did while I was there include: shopping and eating in Old Montreal (I'm sure I lived there in a former life since I was so at home), the Botanic Gardens, Atwater Market, Notre Dame (breathtaking), Museum of Fine Arts, Saint Viateur bagels (hold hell -- delish!), Montreal Science Museum (where I saw Body Worlds 2), shopping on St. Catherine street, Casino (lost money but saw a great show!), Cirque du Soleil's Kooza (my favorite Cirque show second only to O).
Beyond the press trip, I also stayed a few extra days for the International Gay and Lesbian Travel Association conference where I had a hoot and met so many great queers (and some straight allies) from all over the world!
A measured blend of guidance, wit and sincerity from the femme and the butch perspective, Lipstick & Dipstick is a punchy advice column in CURVE Magazine, the nation's best-selling lesbian magazine.
"Finally! What we've been missing from Oprah and Dr Phil!! Lip and Dip bring unflinching truth to gay gals who are in, near or want a relationship. And they drench it all with great gobs of humor. Irresistible."
Honey Labrador said:
"Get ready to learn all you ever wanted to know (and more that you never wanted to know) about that girl you are SURE is 'the one' in Lipstick & Dipstick's Essential Guide to Lesbian Relationships. A real page turner and eye opener...but most of all, with a sense of humor! If we can't laugh at ourselves ladies, than who will? Thanks for the insights...better late than never!"
Diane Anderson-Minshall said:
"Move over Dan Savage and out of the way Ann Landers. There's a new guru in town (two of them!) and they're dishing out sexy, saucy, ribald and totally irreverent advice for girls who can't say no, aren't in the know, or are still on the down low. Lipstick & Dipstick's Essential Guide to Lesbian Relationships from Alyson Books tackles everything from titillating first dates to vengeful ex lovers, bisexual babes, and the top five wedding no-nos (only a couple of dykes would put strippers and Styrofoam on the same list). Want to know when to take the plunge? Dipstick's quiz will have you down on your knees or running for cover. Does your girlfriend talk to her softball coach 17 times a day? Apparently Lipstick knows just the answer. Though you may disagree with the sometimes incisive, sometimes flippant recommendations-heck, they disagree with each other-you can bet that what you're reading is a well tested, hard-to-find, how-to guide to life as a lesbian in the '00s. No lesbian should be without it."
I think I've got everything. I head out tomorrow morning for my wonderful trip to Cancun with the ladies of Olivia.
