Looks like someone needs a job-y job.

There was a time in my life when the sound of Angel sent shivers up my spine.

 

Picture it, the 90s, thousands of girls all in one place.  Swaying.  Head scarves flowing in the wind and Birkenstocks kicked off.

Ah, those heady days of yore where every young lesbian was given the gift of the Lilith Fair.  The possibility of a summer of blissful, sound-tracked hook-ups, all wrapped up in a neat bow.

 

Fast-forward to now.   

Angel and Ms. McLachlan implore me to save the life of a dog in that ASPCA commercial and succeed in sending more shivers my spine.

But these are shivers of embarrassment.

 

Though she’s tried, she’s fallen…

She’s sunk so low.

She’s messed up

Better she should’ve known.

And now I’ve come round here

To tell her, “I told you so.”

Step One

There comes a time in every highly intelligent, cool glasses-having, comfortable but stylish loafers-wearing, non-profit working, theatre-making, slightly incestuous friend-circling, rapidly approaching her thirties (only to be followed by her forties), lesbian’s life where she looks herself in the mirror after kissing her partner good morning and says, “Well… what do I do now?”

For me, the answer is, “Become a power dyke.”

Good. One question answered.

Of course, that led to an even tougher question: “How?”

The business world? Nah.

• I could think about movies, but it’s hard enough being a power black (see: Angela Bassett & Jada Pinkett Smith & Annika Noni Rose &… well, all of them) without throwing in the whole gay thing too.
• Well, I could try theatre but Cherry Jones (and the delightful Sarah Paulson) has got that covered. Plus there’s only so much downtown theatre a girl can do before the powers that be want to move her up to Broadway and there’s only so much Broadway a girl can do before the powers that be want to move her up to movies. And really, see above.
• There’s comedy but then there’s Ellen and then after Ellen there’s Bridget McManus.

So, what? Then?

And then, it came to me as I was talking to a good friend about how to let the women in San Francisco know that she was gay: smart ass t-shirts and buttons.

That’s my hook, I think.

So I’m starting small (there are many baby steps towards full power dykedom but I’m starting) with a Café Press storefront.

I’m going to use this blog here a tracking of my progress, which, if successful will turn into an all-out How-To Guide for other Power Dykes in Training.