LIX - Newsletter

Hey LIX Chicks,

Oh my God...I thought we'd never find a place for our monthly get-togethers and then Kerry came to the rescue! She has negotiated with Tanya at Swizzles, a local gay & lesbian bar, and we now have a home for our LIX monthly networking meetings. Goes to show you...if you need anything in the queer community, just call on our resident networking queen, Kerry Beckett. That girl knows more people that Stephen Harper has critics! And we all know how huge that number is! A big thank you to Kerry.

And I also want to thank Lucy and Catherine P. for the hours and hours and hours (did I say hours?) that they both put into searching for a venue. We were really hoping to stay in a coffee shop and these two gals worked their butts off trying to make that happen. But it wasn't to be...we have simply outgrown any places that are available! So from now on, we will be meeting at Swizzles on the FIRST THURSDAY of each month. Yippee!

So last Thursday, we held our first meeting at the new place and by all accounts, the space is going to work fine for us. Tanya was very welcoming and helpful as Lucy and Kerry figured out the logistics of the new sound system and got ready for the Chicks to arrive. Thank you Tanya. We look forward to a long relationship with the staff at Swizzles.

First up with her five-minute infomercial was Gerry Davies. Gerry is owner and operator of Heartwood Custom Furniture. A graduate of Algonquin College’s Furniture Technician program, she designs, constructs and finishes custom furniture pieces for an expanding clientele. Gerry truly enjoys the artistic outlet that furniture making gives her as well as the variety that the work affords. Prior to embarking on a career in the trades, Gerry worked as children’s services coordinator for Lanark County Interval House, a shelter for abused women and children. Before that, she was a female guide at Camp Kandalore, an outdoor education centre near Algonquin Park. Gerry and her partner live in North Gower. You can reach Gerry by phone at (613) 489-0855 or (613) 859-8956.

For our second five-minute infomercial we were treated to a hula-hoop performance extravaganza that had LIX Chicks hooting and hollering! Our presenter was Sarah Fraser who makes, sells and gives classes in hula-hoops! Originally from the Maritimes, Sarah was inspired by a woman she saw hula-hooping there. A program evaluator and free-lance writer by day (Sarah is the one who wrote that great Capital Xtra article on LIX member, Laura King, the mechanic), she is trying to build up her hula-hoop business. She performs at parties and weddings and plans to give hula-hoop classes. In her classes, students exercise as well as learn to be creative and expressive with the hoops. Hoops are provided or students can purchase their own hand-made hoops from Sarah. The hula-hoops that Sarah makes are collapsible (for a less conspicuous appearance on OC Transpo). For more information on this comeback trend, check out www.hooping.org. To inquire about taking classes with Sarah or to purchase a hand-made hoop, contact Sarah at fraser.sarahj@gmail.com.

The LIX Steering Committee has decided to give the $1500 proceeds of the Proud Chicks Dance Party to local lesbian, Caitlyn Pascal, who has been running the Divergence Movie Night Project practically out of her own pocket for far too long. In our opinion, Caitlyn is providing a valuable service to the Ottawa LGBT community and we want to support her work. Caitlyn is absolutely thrilled and has suggested that LIX could become the overarching sponsor for Divergence's 2008 season or else sponsor specific films. She and I will be getting together to discuss these options in the next few weeks. So congratulations Caitlyn! You are SO deserving of this gift! For more information about the Divergence Movie Night Project, visit the web site at http://DivergenceMovieNight.com. Caitlyn is showing an amazing film on December 11th...Mom's Apple Pie: The Heart of the Lesbian Mothers' Custody Movement (see Upcoming Event #14).

Well I'm proud to report that just a little over two weeks ago, I celebrated my 55th birthday. Lucy treated me to a new tattoo (not that SHE did the tattooing...she paid for it) and she took me for a weekend to Wildewood, a gay & lesbian guest house just north of Bancroft. Our hosts, Joey & Barry, are two fabulous fags who I've known for years. Lucy and I had a delightful time...we relaxed, read books, fed the deer that comes up to the porch three times a day, watched films, ate delicious food, luxuriated in the hot tub and generally enjoyed reconnecting as lovers. Thank you Laura and Ang for staying at our house and looking after our daughter, Ana and the four cats. Actually, now that I think about it, we haven't heard from them since. I guess being temporary 'moms' was more exhausting than they thought it was going to be!

Which brings me to the new section of the e-news. Lucy and I had such a great time at Wildewood that we wanted to tell everyone about it and we wanted to support Joey & Barry in their business. But even though 70% of the guests at Wildewood are lesbians, our hands were tied in terms of using LIX as a promotional vehicle. Joey and Barry are gay guys...so they can't join LIX and they can't advertise in the 'Links' section of the LIX web site. Lucy and I brought this issue to the LIX Steering Committee Meeting and we all came up with a brilliant solution! We found a way to, not only promote Wildewood, but also to disseminate all kinds of useful information! We're adding a new section to this e-news...a section called 'LIX Chicks Tips' which will highlight one 'tip' a month. And we want you to help! Do you know of an amazing queer-owned gas bar that you found on your last road trip to Cleveland? How about a fool-proof way to remove red wine stains from silk sheets? Or the best recipe you've ever found for Chicken Kiev? Or a new gay resort in the Dominican Republic? The possibilities are endless! Send your 'tips' to info@girlswanttoknow.com and we'll print one a month in the LIX e-news. Printing your name with your tip will be optional.

Have an excellent month gals...see you at Swizzles on December 6th! Oh...and by the way, feel free to ask to see my new tattoo...I'll no doubt be submitting a 'LIX Chick Tip' in the near future about the tattoo artist I found.

LIX Chicks Tips	Special Interest Groups and Activities
Wildewood Guest House..."far from the madding crowd". For a wonderfully relaxing and enjoyable time, I highly recommend Wildewood Guest House located 2.5 hours west of Ottawa. Owners, Joey & Barry, have created a little piece of heaven on the edge of Algonquin Park. Whether it's their delicious home-cooked dinners, the fabulous hiking nearby, a soothing soak in the hydro-massage tub-for-two, or time to relax with your honey next to a crackling fire in the private living room, you won't be disappointed at Wildewood. For more information, visit the web site at www.wildewood.net. (Marie R.)	1. Call for Lesbian & Gay Parents. Lisa White is a lesbian mom and a student of Counselling Psychology at the University of Toronto. She is conducting a study about the adolescent experience of having a lesbian or gay parent or parents. Lisa is currently looking for adolescents between the ages of 12 and 19, who have queer parents, to take part in this study. If you have a son or daughter who might be interested in taking part in this study, please contact Lisa at liwhite@oise.utoronto.ca or call her at (416) 792-3169. Kids who participate will be asked to do several simple tasks (two 'paper and pencil' tasks and one word-sorting task). It will take about 30 - 60 minutes in total and each participant will be paid $20 for their help. Participation in this study is anonymous and confidential. 2. Let's Play Cards! Joyce is looking for women who might be interested in getting together to play cards, particularly Euchre. If you're interested, you can reach her at joymarkins@sympatico.ca. 3. 'The Ottawa Amazons W.M.C' is a motorcycle club for lesbians. The group was started by LIX member, Molly King. Interest and response has been excellent and they now have 10 official "Ottawa Amazons" in their riding group. The group headed the Dyke March this year and also rode in the Capital Pride Parade. Molly hopes to start holding monthly meetings this fall. If you would like more information please contact her at ottawa.amazons.wmc@bellnet.ca or call (613) 335-2906.
The LIX Chicks Want Ads
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