ElaineMiller Dot Com

I'm having a midlife crisis

It's obvious I'm having an early-midlife crisis.

I just took this for a test drive, and boy is it ever cute. And expensive!

I need to buy a few more lottery tickets, and then I can support my little family in style -- *and* drive a trike.

The 2005 LeatherDyke Calendar Launch & Party

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

July 19, 2004
Vancouver

The 2005 LeatherDyke Calendar Launch & Party
Vancouver-based calendar goes into worldwide distribution
Thursday, July 29th, at The Roundhouse.

This launch event celebrates the advent of Vancouver's first-ever LeatherDyke calendar with a well-hung installation of the original images by Shaira Holman, international photographic artist. Chosen during the leatherdyke calendar contest thought up and run by Pat Tucker, Ms Vancouver Leather 2002, the women who grace these thirteen fabulous photographs will be helping dykes all around the world keep their dates organized for the next year.

Shaira Holman is perhaps best known for her renowned photo-based work G.I.D. ... Gender Identity Disorder or Girls in Drag, which was exhibited at The Helen Pitt International Gallery, the San Francisco Public Library, the Advocate Gallery in Los Angeles, the Soady-Campbell Gallery in New York City, as well as at Studio Q, the Vancouver salon that Holman founded and operated.

"I'm excited and proud to be working on this project," says Elaine Miller, LeatherDyke calendar designer. "There's still a shortage of imagery in the outside world that reflects our queer lives and desires. In this decade, this is the only LeatherDyke calendar in all of North America, possibly in all the world. It's good to help put quality images of leatherwomen out there."

The 2005 LeatherDyke Calendar launch shares space with the Pride in the Written Word event, a night of Readings by local queer writers during the Pride in Art Exhibition, which brings the queer arts under one roof at Pride. This diverse exhibition is a place for celebration and self exploration of Vancouver's GLBT community. All are welcome.

The 2005 LeatherDyke Calendar Launch Party
July 29th, 7 pm ­
As part of Pride in Written Word during Pride in Art
Roundhouse Arts and Recreational Centre
181 Roundhouse Mews
{East Foot of Davie Street)

The LeatherDykes Calendar is on sale now, both online and, in Vancouver, at Little Sister's Book Emporium. Partial Proceeds from the calendar sales go to the Little Sister's Defense Fund.

More information may be found at http://leatherdyke.com/calendar/

Or, for additional information or to arrange interviews please contact:
Shaira Holman, Photographer: 604-254-5869 shaira@sdholman.com
Elaine Miller, Designer: elaine@elainemiller.com 604-650-6867

—30—

The van lives on...

The van lives on... due in large part to this cool-o mechanic friend of Spike's.

He used to fix our car and truck, and then we sorta lost track of him, and then Spike made a concerted effort when my van died, and found him again.

Brian has never failed to fix whatever has ailed my vehicle, and he's not hugely expensive, not one bit. Besides, we like him. So give him a call if your ride breaks down.

Here's his info, kinda hidden from spambots...

Brian Tracy
mechanic in coquitlam/vancouver
tracys4 (at) shaw (dot) ca
cel number: six zero four, seven eight six, nine two three two.

Thanks, Brian!

Vroom vroom.

Doing my part...

For international politics. In fact, it would be a failure on my part if I didn't link up.

Google to the people.

-E

PayPal homophobic, cancels account for word "dyke" in "DykeTech.Com".

(Background, for those who don't know already...)

I run a small sole proprietorship in Vancouver, Canada -- a webdesign/webhosting business named DykeTech.com. It is so named because I am queer, and very out about it -- I write a regular column for 60,000 LGBT newspaper readers. Many of my clients are also queer, and all are queer-friendly.

I have happily been using PayPal for transactions for a few years now -- and they have just suspended my account, as far as I can figure, for having the word "dyke" in dyketech.com.

It's "adult or pornographic in nature", they say.

I will find a payment processor which evidences less homophobia. Watch this space for details.

-Elaine

Update: (July 5th, 2005)

I've just signed up with these folks, who seem nice enough, and didn't balk at my queer little self...

2CheckOut.com

Update: (July 6, 2005)

I'm set up and running, and can again accept payments and donations.

http://dyketech.com/payment.php

Now I just have to continue waiting (and waiting) for PayPal to answer my queries about my account.

As bonus fun, apparently I face a waiting period of up to 6 months to reclaim the funds in my account. Way to go, PayPal.

-E

Addendum: July 28, 2004

Woo! Looks like I'm not the only one who's been grumpy about PayPal keeping my money for no good reason.

https://paypal.com/settlement/