Final Thought, Aug 2013   So, the tour is over and I’m poised to return to Beijing next week. I will look a lot different coming back than when I left. My belly has grown significantly and I am sporting a new bump. Yes, the big news is that I am 4.5 months pregnant and expecting baby #2 in December…   …read more.

That question is already constant and I’ve just crossed the 4-month marker. It reminds me of something that would be asked by a waiter in a restaurant. I’m itching to place my order: “Yes, I’ll have one order of human baby, hold the birth defects, as well as a side order of easy delivery with no complications, please. Thank you.”…   …read more.

When it comes to the perceptions of common cultural practices and/or expectations of “normal,” the key to a peaceful intercultural relationship is a willingness to clean the slate and re-evaluate.

When I was 19 and had just come out of the closet, I associated “tough” with a look. It was big boots, spiked hair, tattoos and the obligatory grimace. When I dressed this way and walked out in the world with my “tough” on, I felt good. Tough was the equivalent of strong. It was durable. So, if someone slammed…   …read more.

For someone who had never planned or intended to get married—certainly someone who had never dreamed of my wedding day or felt fluttery when I saw wedding gowns glittering in store windows—the fact that I had not one, not two, but three wedding days is fairly ironic. I’ve written extensively about the first (and main) wedding in Guo Jian’s home…   …read more.

I’m writing this on the eve of leaving for Canada for our summer tour. By this time tomorrow, I’ll be arriving at my home city of Toronto and will be greeted by my parents. I can’t wait! It’s been too long since I’ve seen my family and they’re aching to see their granddaughter. More than anything, though, I’m aching to…   …read more.

Today, as I walked to the post office with Guo Jian’s cousin, Wang Yin, huddled together under a shared umbrella in the early spring rain, I finally had a chance to ask her about her girlfriend. She answered freely about what her girlfriend studies and how long they’ve been together and the fact that her girlfriend is really tall and was a basketball player.

Final Thought, June 2013 There are so many changes in the air. On Saturday, June 8th, we performed our final show in Beijing with our fantastic drummer, Zac Courtney. Zac and his family are moving back to Australia and we are on the hunt for a new drummer for our Beijing band. I celebrate this move for his family, but…   …read more.

Towels are a mystery in China. At least, they have been since the first time I was ever here, back in the spring of 2007. I didn’t bring a towel with me in my luggage on that trip. I didn’t even think of it. The en-suite that I had in my (very overpriced) dorm room did not come with any…   …read more.