Five years.
On 7 June 2010 I wrote A Bit of an Introduction and I've been blogging pretty much daily ever since. That's over 1800 little pieces of my life. Amazingly, it was almost three weeks before I posted a face picture of Meg (other than a thumbnail).
I've met a broad (pun) variety of people, some just virtually, some in person.
I re-read that first post, and I realised that I haven't changed much. My world, and the world changed around me.
My home situation changed in ways I couldn't imagine and more people know about Meg.
The T-world has changed in ways I couldn't imagine. Barely a day goes by without a news story about the community, and, for a change, they're not about violence towards us.
And I believe I've changed some other lives during those five years. And if there was just one, that would make every minute worthwhile.
I learned so much from my readers over the last five years. As David Bowie said (and I quoted) I never thought I'd need so many people.
Showing posts with label blogging. Show all posts
Showing posts with label blogging. Show all posts
Monday, June 8, 2015
Saturday, June 7, 2014
Zero!
If you noticed the countdown....
On 7 June 2010, four years ago today, I wrote A bit of an introduction....
I had spent some time thinking about what new experiences I could have as Meg and one of them was to take an airplane trip as Meg. But I like to prepare, so I put that idea somewhere in the canyons of my mind.
Then my company decided I was the person to configure our products for the Topeka state government. Preliminary discussions concluded that the best way to proceed would be for me to go there for a week, gather detailed requirements, go back to Virginia for two weeks to implement what was agreed (using a remote connection so I could access their data), and then return to Topeka.
This was the Perfect Storm.
I like to (over)plan things. And I could plan my visit ~ see what's where in the airport and the trip to the hotel and such. Of course, things always change, but I could get the basics and feel more comfortable. And feeling comfortable is an important part of passing.
My family would be away the day I would leave so I could pack and go without running into children.
A lot could go wrong. If you look at the last four years you'll see many posts talking about plans going awry. The vacation could be moved. The implementation could take longer or shorter than planned. The client could reschedule. The airport or something along the route could spook me.
I flew to Kansas, and I was planning on stopping the blog there. I didn't. I started it to share my flying experience but I realised I have come quite a way in my feminine journey and I would have liked to know things I knew now, when I was young. So I kept going.
And I'm still going. I'm having fun, although I'm not sure I still have more to share. So I need to push envelopes, step outside comfort zones, and find some new experiences to share with y'all.
I also hope to meet more of you. And I hope my fingers don't give out. :)
Love,
Meg
On 7 June 2010, four years ago today, I wrote A bit of an introduction....
I had spent some time thinking about what new experiences I could have as Meg and one of them was to take an airplane trip as Meg. But I like to prepare, so I put that idea somewhere in the canyons of my mind.
Then my company decided I was the person to configure our products for the Topeka state government. Preliminary discussions concluded that the best way to proceed would be for me to go there for a week, gather detailed requirements, go back to Virginia for two weeks to implement what was agreed (using a remote connection so I could access their data), and then return to Topeka.
This was the Perfect Storm.
I like to (over)plan things. And I could plan my visit ~ see what's where in the airport and the trip to the hotel and such. Of course, things always change, but I could get the basics and feel more comfortable. And feeling comfortable is an important part of passing.
My family would be away the day I would leave so I could pack and go without running into children.
A lot could go wrong. If you look at the last four years you'll see many posts talking about plans going awry. The vacation could be moved. The implementation could take longer or shorter than planned. The client could reschedule. The airport or something along the route could spook me.
I flew to Kansas, and I was planning on stopping the blog there. I didn't. I started it to share my flying experience but I realised I have come quite a way in my feminine journey and I would have liked to know things I knew now, when I was young. So I kept going.
And I'm still going. I'm having fun, although I'm not sure I still have more to share. So I need to push envelopes, step outside comfort zones, and find some new experiences to share with y'all.
I also hope to meet more of you. And I hope my fingers don't give out. :)
Love,
Meg
Friday, December 30, 2011
Too Much Time?
After I explained my holiday picture, Paula commented that I have "too much spare time."
I know she was joking, but it caused me to look at how much time being trans takes.
Just going out shopping dressed is a full day affair. I allow two hours to get ready, and another hour or so to take off the makeup and become my old drab self and put away all of my clothes for next time. Two hours of shopping becomes a five hour event. For my readers who prefer to go far from home for fear of being seen, it's a seven or eight hour commitment. And that doesn't count the prep work (for me, anyway): body shaving earlier in the week so it's not such a chore on going-out day, getting my haircut and eyebrows waxed and maybe some other body waxing.... And special shopping trips for a new dress or other outfit. If it wasn't for my girl clothes, I'd probably never set foot in a department store.
I generally spend at least an hour reading other blogs and articles. More time is spent writing to t-friends. I spend a tiny amount of time on facebook and have been afraid to learn more about google+ just because I don't have the time!
The picture took the better part of a day. I had to change outfits and hair and make sure everything was positioned just right as I took several pictures of each "woman" to ensure I could create what I envisioned. It's not quite what I hoped for ~ The "blonde" was wearing really cute boots that I couldn't get into the montage. And I wanted "her" turned so a bit of face showed, but not enough to identify. And my photoshop (actually, Paint Shop Pro) skills are not very good so there was a lot of guesswork.
But that was a one-of.
I spend at least 30 minutes writing each blog post, even if it's just a cartoon. Some posts take a couple of hours. (That horrible story wrote itself.)
So the big question isn't if I have "too much spare time." The big question is, is it worth the time I spend dressing up, learning about it, writing about it, sharing experiences with and encouraging others like me, and so on.
The big question is, is this a good way to spend a big slice of a short lifetime?
I know she was joking, but it caused me to look at how much time being trans takes.
Just going out shopping dressed is a full day affair. I allow two hours to get ready, and another hour or so to take off the makeup and become my old drab self and put away all of my clothes for next time. Two hours of shopping becomes a five hour event. For my readers who prefer to go far from home for fear of being seen, it's a seven or eight hour commitment. And that doesn't count the prep work (for me, anyway): body shaving earlier in the week so it's not such a chore on going-out day, getting my haircut and eyebrows waxed and maybe some other body waxing.... And special shopping trips for a new dress or other outfit. If it wasn't for my girl clothes, I'd probably never set foot in a department store.
I generally spend at least an hour reading other blogs and articles. More time is spent writing to t-friends. I spend a tiny amount of time on facebook and have been afraid to learn more about google+ just because I don't have the time!
The picture took the better part of a day. I had to change outfits and hair and make sure everything was positioned just right as I took several pictures of each "woman" to ensure I could create what I envisioned. It's not quite what I hoped for ~ The "blonde" was wearing really cute boots that I couldn't get into the montage. And I wanted "her" turned so a bit of face showed, but not enough to identify. And my photoshop (actually, Paint Shop Pro) skills are not very good so there was a lot of guesswork.
But that was a one-of.
I spend at least 30 minutes writing each blog post, even if it's just a cartoon. Some posts take a couple of hours. (That horrible story wrote itself.)
So the big question isn't if I have "too much spare time." The big question is, is it worth the time I spend dressing up, learning about it, writing about it, sharing experiences with and encouraging others like me, and so on.
The big question is, is this a good way to spend a big slice of a short lifetime?
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