LIX - Newsletter

Hey LIX Chicks,

Well I have to say that it was with a slight sense of trepidation that I drove up to The Roasted Cherry on August 7th for our monthly coffee meeting. Okay, I lied...Lucy was driving and I had my eyes squeezed shut in fear as I clutched the dashboard. Was the cafe going to be open this month? Did Rob remember our meeting? Was I going to have to deal with hoards of understandably angry and frustrated LIX Chicks?

I'm happy to report that all went well at The Roasted Cherry...except for the fact that the air conditioner was broken but hey...I, for one, can definitely deal with a roomful of hot, glistening lesbians. And there were lots of them! Plus, we signed up ten new members!

So being the kind, supportive, and highly mature individual that I am, I just have this to say about last month's 'issue' of the closed cafe: IT WAS ALL ROB'S FAULT...Nah, nah, nah, nah, nah...he totally screwed up and didn't return on time after the long weekend!

We can now safely expect to return to the seamless service that we've had in the past. Okay...now that I got that off my chest I will move onto my report of the two five-minute infomercials that were presented at the coffee meeting.

First up was Heidi Anderson who is an agent with Sunlife Financial Services. Heidi chose to focus the majority of her presentation on two Living Benefits products. She introduced us to a new product called Critical Illness Insurance, an insurance that provides a lump sum payment to you if you're diagnosed with a critical illness such as cancer, stroke or heart attack. So rather than someone else receiving the benefit amount when you die, you receive the benefits upon diagnosis. The second product that Heidi talked about was Long Term Care Insurance, which pays out a weekly benefit amount much like a disability plan. However, unlike disability insurance which ends when you stop working, Long Term Care Insurance covers you until you die. If you'd like to talk with Heidi about these products or any other Sun Life (Clarica) products, contact her at (613) 567-9700 x277 or at heidi.anderson@clarica.com. For LIX members, Heidi says she's willing to come to your house and provide the coffee...any kind that you want...a latte from Starbucks, a cappuccino from Bridgehead...you name it and she'll bring it!

Our second presenter wa Marika Jemma, owner of This Is Not A Dress Productions, a special events and promotions company. Marika works mainly with artists and non-profit organizations, although she does do some corporate work as well. She prides herself on her approach to her work...an approach which she feels reflects her personal practice of impeccability. She's currently working on a production that will be held at The Mercury Lounge on September 20th. It's called Smorgasbord: a very special event, and she invited us all to come. (See Upcoming Event of Interest #15). Marika is also planning a lesbian stand-up comedy evening to be hosted by Elvira Kurt in November at Arts Court. We will keep you posted on that one as details are finalized! To find out more about Marika's company, you can visit her web site at www.thisisnotadress.com.

Capital Pride is almost here! Yippeeeeeee! And we have a lot to be proud of at LIX. In less than two years we have grown from a tiny coffee group (12 women) to a dynamic, exciting network of over 260 lesbians! We have a fabulous web site and a great monthly e-newsletter. We have had two amazing dinner/speaker meetings at The Pantry...the first year we were fortunate to nab Libby Davies, MP as our guest speaker and this year we were thrilled to have two lesbian writers, Helen Humphreys and Alex Brett. We put on one helluva lesbian dance each year at Pride. We've got a licensed dinner event coming up on October 17th (see item #18 Fish 101 in Upcoming Events of Interest). Ivan E. Coyote has agreed to be our speaker at our spring dinner/speaker meeting at The Pantry. And the monthly coffee meeting has become the place to be in Ottawa for lesbians. Each month, we pack The Roasted Cherry to the rafters!

I know that during this year's Pride celebrations I will be basking in the positive lesbian energy that we've all created in Ottawa through LIX. We will be marching in both the Dyke March and the Capital Pride Parade. We invite you to get out your funkiest oufits and join us in both marches. Let's show Ottawa that the LIX Chicks rock! On Saturday, August 25th, the Dyke March starts at the Human Rights Memorial on Elgin at Lisgar at 2:00 pm. And on Sunday, August 26th the Capital Pride Parade begins at 1:00 at the Garden of the Provinces, Wellington at Bay (we have a spot right behind the Capital Xtra float). Look for the LIX banner both days and join your LIX sisters as we strut our proud stuff! On behalf of your Steering Committee (Lucy, Kerry, Wendy and me), I wish you all a very, very Happy Pride! See you at the Proud Chicks Dance Party on Friday, August 24th!

Special Interest Groups and Activities:

1. Motorcycle Club for Lesbians. LIX member, Molly King,has started a motorcycle group to unite experienced women motorcycle enthusiasts as well as beginning riders. She's looking for lesbians who are interested in fostering a positive image and promoting safe riding skills. Molly also encourages women who may be thinking of buying a motorcycle or who would like to be a passenger to join the group. She has contacted the organizers of the Canada Safety Council Motorcycle Course in Ottawa, Kingston and Cornwall to let them know that this new club is starting up in Ottawa. For more information, contact Molly at doberman@monaco.ca or (613) 282-1068 (cell) or (613) 335-2906 (home).

2. The Ottawa Out Golfing Group (OOGG) is a friendly, recreational golf league for gay men, lesbian women, bisexual and transgender persons of all skills and abilities - beginner through to expert. The National-Capital-Region-based league plays golf weekdays and weekends at courses in and around Ottawa and Gatineau from mid-April through to the end of October. If you want to know more about the OOGG or if you want to register with the OOGG, please contact the coordinator, Robert, at (613) 565-1967 or by email at rmeagher@istar.ca.

The LIX Chicks Want Ads

1. Wanted: Lesbian or lesbian-positive plumber. We have various leaks and blockages that we've been living with for much too long. We're in Meadowvale Acres (Fisher/Shilllington). If you can help, please send me an email at plumber@deanne.ca.

2. Wanted: Information on Toastmaster's. I would like to connect with any LIX Chicks who have gone through the Toastmaster's program. I'm assuming that being a dyke shouldn't be a problem in Toastmaster's, but I would find it comforting to know of others who had gone through the program (Jack Purcell or Sandy Hill districts in particular). My name is Diane and you can contact me at larabie23@yahoo.com.