Big ears, short legs, body fat, bald spot, big nose, crooked smile - whatever the flaw, let's face it, we all have them. And if you think [freaks of nature] super models don't, think again. Chances are those mega beauties have stories of growing up the… Read full post »

 

 

It's a strange thing to learn of a loved one's passing who you didn't really like. I feel like I should be grieving more – then sometimes, I’m shocked I’m even grieving at all.

My step-father (the man who helped raise me for… Read full post »

I arrived in Oakland the morning of the event with starry eyes and carry-on luggage in tow. As excited as I was to be part of The Moment book read in San Francisco, I was even more jazzed to hang with my old friend, Kimmy.

Kimmy and I go back.

Before… Read full post »

 

 

It's what we work for. What we need to provide for our families. Not having enough of it keeps us awake at night. Having too much is a dream. Sometimes we take it for granted. Disrespect it, even gamble with it. And these days,… Read full post »

In the wake of Marti Gras, and seeing those poor, unwanted bedazzled plastic masks in the bargain bin last night at the grocery store, I thought about all the gals I used to know back in the day and quickly became frustrated. I wish I could track some old friends down, but… Read full post »

They say the number one fear in life is speaking in public, and being naked in public - well, that's a close second. I've done the speaking and nude thing, and for me, both are invariably terrifying.

You'd think after all these years strutting my stuff on stage in nothing but stilettos… Read full post »

 

 

It's amazing how one conversation can get the wheels turning again.

I caught up with a friend last night and the talk quickly turned to travel. I shared my dream of making it back to Europe to explore the places that  were left off my itinerary the first tim… Read full post »

  

 

A month after moving in together, my boyfriend got his breasts removed.

Not exactly what I had envisioned for my life. If you told me two years ago I would be in love with a trans man (a female to male transgendered person) I would have laughed –… Read full post »

For those who know of actress Cynthia Nixon (Miranda from Sex and the City), you may know she's been in love with (and planning to marry) her partner of seven years, Christine Marinon. Prior to this relationship, Cynthia has always been in relationships with men.

Cynthia is taking a… Read full post »

 

There's nothing quite like it; those uforgettable moments in life that resonate through the years. They tickle your spine and dance within with walls of your heart. Oprah calls them "Ah-Ha Moments", mine are usually lessons which almost always emerge after doing the exact opposite of w… Read full post »

 

 

I was halfway through the workday when the phone rang. I recognized his voice like a familiar childhood song I knew but didn’t like.

“Chrissy?”

 “Dad?” I choked on memories existing only in my dreams.

“Your mother tells me it’s you… Read full post »

 

 

I used to be a rock star.

I didn’t tour the world belting my heart out in stadiums, but I worked the pole to the tunes of Guns and Roses and Bon Jovi for the better part of a decade and was treated just as well.… Read full post »

 

 

Nobody dreams of becoming a stripper. Little girls aren’t sitting around playing with Barbies sharing visions of clear heels. They don’t swing on the monkey bars thinking about the pole, and there certainly aren’t any high school career aptitude tests that prep… Read full post »

 

The first time I heard Madonna sing she was telling me to get up and do my thing. I was 14 and dancing with Mitch Ruben, one of my many high school crushes. We were barefoot, dancing on the grass in the back yard of Lori Morgan’s house. I/… Read full post »

I rolled my window down giving the warm air permission to sweep across my lap, hoping to wipe the trace of cigarette smoke from the back seat of the cab. As the breeze tickled my face, I riffled through my duffle bag.

Shoes: check. Make-up: check.

My fingers grazed the… Read full post »

The guitar sounds of the intro beckoned me to the stage. Stepping on the four-foot high platform, I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror. Wearing nothing but an orange g-string bikini and a halo of naiveté, I looked very much the part of a young stripper ready for her… Read full post »

 

 

I was in my late twenties and staring a new sales job in San Francisco when I first heard of the HBO series, Sex and the City. As a former stripper, I was open minded and attracted to shows with the word “sex” in them. When my… Read full post »

The weather was perfect for an evening stroll. I started up Kuhio Avenue with the plan to hail a cab a few blocks in. I missed flagging taxis. Waikiki may not be your typical big city, but it's still the type of place you can walk everywhere and when your feet… Read full post »

There’s no easy way to say this, so here goes: I’ve faked it.  Yes, it’s true. On a handful of occasions in my twenties, I made the noises, did my Kiegels and whispered those two words every lover wants to hear in the heat of passion.

What I was thinking… Read full post »

 

Last night I watched a documentary about man with facial tumors. I’ve never seen anything like it: massive tumors taking over the landscape over more than half his face. One of his eyes looked like it was welded shut and his mouth was so distorted it looked like it was… Read full post »

I had an interesting talk with mom yesterday. She had some feelings about the piece I wrote on my bout with depression and how I described my childhood.

“Raped at age thirteen, drugs by fourteen, a skin deformity by fifteen, promiscuity to feel beautiful, left home at sevente… Read full post »

 

Slipping through four wheeled strangers crawling in a sea of asphalt, my drive from the office is arduous.

Hold on. Just one more block. 

Turning left on my street, I unbuckle the seatbelt across my chest. I allow a sigh within the walls of my lungs; she clings tightly… Read full post »

 

Whether it’s paying a parking ticket, doing laundry or organizing your closet, we’ve all put off doing certain things. When managing responsibilities, most people stay on track but for some the track is a road they simply choose to avoid.

Proscrastinators li… Read full post »

I started walking before realizing my legs were moving. I was close. The damp asphalt tickled my feet and the rhythm of the atrium base line under my chest felt familiar and scary. Like the feeling you had back in high school, sneaking home past curfew. I inhaled the salty air
…

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