diary Tag Archive

Confessions of a Gay Man Who Gives Terrible Holiday Gifts

My husband, Gary, may be the best Christmas gift giver since Santa Claus, and it’s quite possible he genetically inherited this quality from his mother, who is a virtual Mrs....

This Is What It’s Like to Escape Your Own Dinner Party

I decided to shake up my party-throwing routine, and the result was a culinary catastrophe. Fêting Ready I love being a host. Perhaps it’s easier to love when you throw...

End of Life Care: When You’re Gay Without Kids, Who Will Take Care of You?

In the course of helping their own parents face the slings and arrows of age, Wade and Gary make alternative plans for their own twilight years. It is the call no one hopes to...

DIARY: Hurting My Pride?

When a book event ends up overflowing with fans of his partner Gary, Wade is left wondering: How come no one showed up to root for him? BY WADE ROUSE On a recent book tour, I...

This Is How to Recover from Losing Your Luggage

Wade and his pal Trish spend a year planning to look fabulous on vacation, only to end up arriving without a thing for her to wear. Waiting for the Other Shoes to Drop The four of...

And . . . Voilá! Wade Rouse Explains His Pen Name of Viola Shipman

When Wade begins writing fiction under a female pen name, he’s forced to consider what womanhood means to him. “What’s he doing up there? Where’s Viola? That’s a man!”...

Diary: Love, Wade

Wade remembers crafting a valentine mailbox in school that attracted the attentions of a fellow student who liked him — and a bully who did not. In my grade school, it was...

Puppy Love Brings Wade an Unexpected Yuletide Gift

Wade is convinced Gary has gone too far with an unexpected holiday gift for his parents, but their reaction turns out to be the real surprise. “No!” I said to Gary and the dog...

This Is How My “Auntie Mame” Changed My Life

Wade’s visits from his eccentric Great Aunt Blanche gave him some of the happiest moments of his childhood — and the promise of a beautiful future. Here’s Blanche! Great...

DIARY: The Palm Springs Surprise

Wade and Gary try to remain sane as their attempts to transform their new home are met with infestations and other frustrations....

DIARY: Red Carpet Blues

Wade finds that covering the red carpet isn’t quite the glamorous gig he’d envisioned — then, along comes a legend with some very good advice....

How To Get An In-Water Massage In Iceland + Not End Up With Frozen Hair

There are plenty of reasons why a person might experience anxiety before a massage. Some people are insecure about their bodies. Others have concerns about being touched by a...