Lyndsey and I missed Chicago Pride this weekend cause we were working in our garage staining the floor.  I’m sure many gays and lesbians would consider this sacrilegious, but Lyndsey and I are workaholics (and a little obsessive-compulsive) when it comes to our house.  I suppose that means our garage is more important to us than our sexuality.  Oh, well… There is always next year, right?!

My mom passed away six days before my 21st birthday.  The night of her wake service (two days after her death), I sat in my bedroom in somewhat of a fog.  I got the urge to look through my sentimental junk draw which was full of old cards, ticket stubs from movies, plays, and little trinkets that had no monetary value, but meant something to me.  As my hand reached down into the draw cluttered with memories, the very first item I happened to pull out was a birthday card from the year before filled out in my mother’s handwriting.  Now I know there are a lot of people who might chalk this off as coincidence, or explain it away by saying my subconscious recognized the card… But when I opened that card that lonely night, I got chills all over my body.  I just knew it was my mother wishing me a happy birthday.

The question I get asked the most from people who have read my book is… “How much of your book is autobiographical?”  To some surprise, the answer is none. 

Although I have experienced the complexity of emotions the main character, Katie, experiences in the story, all of the situations/circumstances are fiction.  

First, my father is very involved in his church, but at no point was he ever a pastor.  Secondly, I only have one older sister… no brothers.  Thirdly, Katie has her first girlfriend in high school and I didn’t have my first girlfriend until I was 23! (I was in some serious denial up until then!!)  Fourthly, I’ve had several boyfriends while Katie only had one.  And fifthly, I have never gone to any sort of religious counseling for being gay.

So I decided to compile a list of things lesbians appear to like/love.  Yes, this is stereotyping, but I thought it would be funny… Here goes:

1) Uhauls

2) comfortable/practical shoes

3) Ani DiFranco

4) straight women

5) softball

6) Ellen DeGeneres & Portia de Rossi

7) cherry chapstick

hats

9) sushi

10) The L Word (love or love to hate)

11) Tina Fey

12) vegetarians

13) the environment

14) Chelsea Handler

15) foreign babies

16) Obama

17) poorly acted lesbian films

18) beer

19) four-legged children

20) motorcycles

21) sex toys

22) Democrats

23) Otalia

24) guitars (and women with guitars)

25) cute gay men

26) traveling abroad

27) being friends with exes

28) Indian food

29) Wanda Sykes

30) coffee shops

31) overanalyzing

32) foreign films

33) Pride

34) Rachel Maddow

35) New York City

This is all I can think of for now, but as more come to me, I’ll add them!