Smile (awkwardly) for the Camera.

Cathy Busha and Aicila Lewis

So I am a new age woman, full of my power and strength, and I still struggle with all the crazy female body images that seem to come with identifying as female in America. It manifests most often when people want to snap my photo. (Second most when going pants shopping.)  I have learned, through the years, to tolerate the pictures. Partially to try and set an example for my kids; partially because resisting makes it worse. But I really do hate it and I usually get away with avoiding it by being the person holding the camera. (Not a very original tactic, but extremely effective.)

Tiph- BP intern

So at the Red Party, Peggy Dyer brought her 1 million faces set up and took photos all evening. At the beginning of the evening, I dragged our new Program Director (Cathy Busha) up to get a Boulder Pride staff photo. My reasoning was, eat your vegetables fast. I know how these things work and I will be asked if I've done it and why not, so if I do it early and fast, I have an answer :)

And then I watched through the evening as people stepped into her mini-studio and transformed themselves by having fun. She really brought out the personality and beauty inside every person who stood in front of her. It was delightful to watch and it made me want to be part of the fun. So towards the end of the evening, I voluntarily stepped into the mat, for the sole purpose of enjoying the experience.

Check out her facebook page to see what she's up to, especially if you hate being photographed. She will trick you into liking it :)  It was an honor to be part of her project.

Share Your New Year's Intentions with Boulder Pride

As we kick off a new year and decade, many of us will make New Year's Resolutions. In my house, we call them 'Intentions' instead. Intentions lend themselves to being more affirmative and fluid; 'resolution' can sound punitive and rigid...like something is wrong that needs to be fixed.

Regardless of what you call them, research has shown that when we share our New Year's Resolutions/Intentions with others, we are more likely to attain them. Some of the most popular resolutions include (and not in any particular order):

1. Eat better/exercise more
2. Spend more time with friends and family
3. Quit smoking
4. Get out of debt / save money
5. Learn a new skill
6. Help others
7. Get organized
8. Become more involved in community
9. Reduce stress and more.
   

A few of my 2009 intentions that I realized include making homemade beer, eating 80% of my meals at home, engaging in a creative activity (writing, photography, baking, etc) at least once a week, riding the bus and walking/riding my bike to work at least 3 times a week and teaching as adjunct faculty at the University of Denver. Of of my intentions I did not achieve for 2009 is hiking a fourteener - this goal moves to the top of my 2010 list. For 2010, I also plan to have a few chickens and maybe a goat, buy 80% of my stuff at thrift stores and _____ (I'm still working on my list :) ).

How about you? What do you plan to do in 2010?

Please send your New Year's Resolution/Intention to cathy. The more specific your intention, the better.

In January, we will compile the list of our community's New Year's Resolutions/Intentions and include them in our e-lert, as way to inspire ourselves and each other to achieve our individual goals and build a strong LGBTQ and Allied Community in Boulder County.

In your email to cathy, please let me know if it is ok to publish your first name along with your Intention/Resolution.

Here's to a 2010 full of peace, joy and abundance!

The Gay Bomb

Put your dancing shoes on!

This is the week to be queer in Boulder!

Tonight is our monthly Happy Hour at the Bside Lounge

Tomorrow (June 18) we are cosponsoring a small sampler of LGBT groups, A Fair to Remember, with PFLAG.

Saturday, June 20, start your evening off with a Bent Lens Summer Salute to Pride and then head over to the PWord Party, an all womyn's event in the heart of downtown Boulder!

(You can get discounted tickets in advance to Bent Lens and the PWord Party!)

Geek alert.

Go see Star Trek. While the homo-eroticism so evident in the Star Trek books has never been properly dealt with in the movies, the Star Trek-verse is full of utopian ideals. Read a review here , enjoyable on its own, and then make plans for fun.

Challenge your mind!

Maybe it's because I have kids, but I love it when I get to challenge my mind with optical illusions, interesting puzzles, or random scientific facts. This site , the Encyclopedia Brittanica blog, is a great place to get some brain-ercise to perk you up in the afternoon.