I had so much fun contributing to the Best of Vancouver issue of the Straight.

The Best Place to Get Hip Food Without Hipster Atmosphere
Best Stylist for Curly-Haired Folks
Best Grrl for Bicycle Repairs
Best Place to Get Your Knives Sharpened
Best Place to Spot Cute Queer Girls Over Pictionary
Best Film Fest for Plunging You Into Despair and Lifting You Back Up
Best Secondhand Store for Graphic Novels
Best Coffee Shop for Small Dogs

and these two, which do not seem to be online…
Best Tiny Art Supply Store (Rath Art Supplies)
Best Place to Buy Man Purses (Thriller on Main Street for Boris Brothers bags)

Dear readers, guess what? This is my last column for Xtra West. I’ve had so much fun here over the past three years. What could be better than having a public forum for my various ponderings, rants, opinions and even, I admit it, some whining? How luxurious, how decadent. But the time has come to focus my time and energy on new endeavours. More…

This is my latest (and second to last!) column for Xtra West. Sad to say that Oscar died a week after this column was written. RIP, little friend.

I think of Oscar as my lesbian cat. Not because he is a lesbian. In spite of the neutering he is definitely male, and as far as I can tell he is not sexually attracted to anyone, feline or otherwise, male or female. No, the reason I think of Oscar as a lesbian cat is because I got him soon after I came out, and he’s a key part of my lezzie history, especially my relationships. More…

I’m finishing this column on the screened-in porch of my aunt Anne’s house in New York while the crickets chirp and the fireflies flash on and off. My girlfriend and I have spent the past two weeks visiting family. When I’m not having little fits of rage or moments of gooey love, and I’m not busy drinking wine or eating chocolate, I’ve been trying to take advantage of this excellent opportunity for increasing self —understanding. (I’m not even being sarcastic, that’s how introspective I have become here among the crickets.) More…

This spring my sister-in-law - my girlfriend’s sister - found a lump in her breast. Within weeks she had had an ultrasound, a specialist’s appointment and a mastectomy. As the family tries to absorb this news, I can’t stop thinking about breasts - having them, not having them, what it all means. More…