I've learned that lots of people like to call businesses to complain, and it's much harder to get them to call with a compliment. I kept that in mind when I decided I needed to write to Check Us Out and let them know how many compliments I've received over the years on their product.

I started buying my checks from them seven or eight years ago after seeing an ad in the back of The Advocate. They're a little expensive, but I don't mind because I like the idea of gay pride checks. I started out using the rainbow flag, but now my checks alternate between the flag and the pink triangle.

I've had many cashiers compliment me on them over the years. I imagine these people see hundreds of checks each month, so they must really like it if they bother to notice one and say something about it.

I sent "Check Us Out" an e-mail yesterday and had a message from them this morning saying I'd made their month. They're going to be adding World Peace and Ovarian Cancer checks soon. Their site looks cheesy, but they do good work.