Any soul can sleep - few can die
Any wimp can weep - few can cry
Everyone complains - few can state
Anyone can stop - few can wait
It's hard - It's very very very very hard - so hard
A cross gender life can be a burden. Life, under the apparently best of circumstances can be scary and difficult and feel out of control. Being trans, even if you have a loving and supportive partner, can add to the confused mess we call life.
I was devastated to learn that one of my readers, who I knew as Penny Perfect, took her own life about ten days ago. I only knew Penny through my blog and her blog and her other writings, which is to say I didn't really know her at all. And devastated is the right word. I cried on the phone with that supportive partner, Aeify when she told me the news.
Anyone can do anything if they hold the right card
So I'm thinking about my life now
I'm thinking very hard
Deal me another hand Lord, this one's very hard
Deal me another hand Lord, this one's very hard
My wish is next time, dear Penny, you'll be dealt a straight. You were already all heart ~ that makes a straight flush.
I hope we meet next time around. I'll look for you. Maybe we'll be in the same sorority, or we'll be BFFs. We'll giggle together and have slumber parties and all the things we didn't do in this life.
I'll miss you.
(Aeify can be found here)
Wednesday, December 7, 2011
Tuesday, December 6, 2011
What I Missed
While I was in Arizona late last month, I missed a Halloween party thrown by my state senator. He met "Meg" once before, and I would have welcomed the chance to introduce her again ~ and this time Get Pictures!
But for the past several years, I've read about the Dupont Circle (a neighrborhood in DC) High Heel race, usually after it's over. I've wanted to attend for a number of years, but logistics are hard. I have a choice of the "perfect" shoes ~ platforms I can barely walk in or pumps I can run in. I just need to figure out my goal.
Read about the 2011 race here.
But for the past several years, I've read about the Dupont Circle (a neighrborhood in DC) High Heel race, usually after it's over. I've wanted to attend for a number of years, but logistics are hard. I have a choice of the "perfect" shoes ~ platforms I can barely walk in or pumps I can run in. I just need to figure out my goal.
Read about the 2011 race here.
Monday, December 5, 2011
The Floor Is Open
Until a couple of days ago, this picture has been sitting on my hard drive, unshared. I wonder if anyone can make a guess as to who these ladies are and what the situation is. Click to enlarge.
An aside: I know I'm going to have many new readers today because I was mentioned by Stana. I hope y'all come back every day, and read some of the archives, but please please come back Wednesday. Thank you.
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| Send your guesses in comments or e-mail! |
Sunday, December 4, 2011
A Classic
(Poll's almost closed! Vote today if you haven't!)
Maybe you've have heard of this, or seen it long ago and wondered where you could find it again. Maybe you've never heard about it. It is a classic, probably from the late 50s or early 60s. Walt Kelly was a genius of a cartoonist. I remember when I was young, I used to skip over Pogo. The typeface was just too much work for a young reader to work through. When I got a bit older, I decided that since I read every other strip in the paper, I should read Pogo too. After a few weeks, I was kicking myself for skipping it all those years.
Like Lil Abner, Pogo could be very political, using clever satire and analogies. But it was also fun at a just-look-at-the-pictures-and-enjoy-the-punchline level. His artwork was wonderful, so be sure to click and enlarge.
Walt's children tried to revive Pogo, but decided that the strips had shrunk too much to do justice to the art their father made famous.
Maybe you've have heard of this, or seen it long ago and wondered where you could find it again. Maybe you've never heard about it. It is a classic, probably from the late 50s or early 60s. Walt Kelly was a genius of a cartoonist. I remember when I was young, I used to skip over Pogo. The typeface was just too much work for a young reader to work through. When I got a bit older, I decided that since I read every other strip in the paper, I should read Pogo too. After a few weeks, I was kicking myself for skipping it all those years.
Like Lil Abner, Pogo could be very political, using clever satire and analogies. But it was also fun at a just-look-at-the-pictures-and-enjoy-the-punchline level. His artwork was wonderful, so be sure to click and enlarge.
Walt's children tried to revive Pogo, but decided that the strips had shrunk too much to do justice to the art their father made famous.
Saturday, December 3, 2011
Friday, December 2, 2011
I've Never Done THAT Before!
My voice is not a girl's voice. I listen to women all the time, and wish I could sound like them. I can look like them, if the viewer is nearsighted and not looking to closely and easily fooled, but my voice fools no-one. On the phone, I can do my best "Meg" voice and get "sir'd" from the other party.
I do try though. I practice when I'm walking by myself, I practice in the car. I've tried the femme voice websites, but I've not been able to get my voice where I want it. Not ever. I just use a quiet, slightly higher tone and hope the listener is the equivalent of nearsighted and not listening too closely (and still easily fooled). I do try.
The first time I was out, I was in my car with my makeup lady and she said "say something in your girl voice." I shook my head and said "I can't do that!" Looking back, I can't believe I was presenting to the world as a girl for the first time, all made up, in a wig, blouse, skirt, and heels and I was embarrassed to try to speak like a woman!
But I didn't do it. I let her talk whenever I needed to say something. I might smile or nod, but not talking except to whisper to her.
Fast forward.
A couple of weeks ago, we had a few friends over. I don't recall the details, but I was relating an event with a verbal content. When I got to "and she said..." I used my Meg voice.
I didn't even think about it. I just did it. While I was talking I remember thinking "hey... that's my girl voice I hear!" but I didn't hesitate or switch back.
One other time, I surprised myself by realising I was speaking in my girl voice: before my trip to Richmond, I got dressed and said goodbye to my wife. We spoke a couple of sentences, and I also noticed I was speaking in MegTones. My wife said nothing. But that time, I was dressed. This is the first time I wasn't dressed yet getting into femme mode without thinking. I've got a long way to go, but I've come a long way, baby!
I do try though. I practice when I'm walking by myself, I practice in the car. I've tried the femme voice websites, but I've not been able to get my voice where I want it. Not ever. I just use a quiet, slightly higher tone and hope the listener is the equivalent of nearsighted and not listening too closely (and still easily fooled). I do try.
The first time I was out, I was in my car with my makeup lady and she said "say something in your girl voice." I shook my head and said "I can't do that!" Looking back, I can't believe I was presenting to the world as a girl for the first time, all made up, in a wig, blouse, skirt, and heels and I was embarrassed to try to speak like a woman!
But I didn't do it. I let her talk whenever I needed to say something. I might smile or nod, but not talking except to whisper to her.
Fast forward.
A couple of weeks ago, we had a few friends over. I don't recall the details, but I was relating an event with a verbal content. When I got to "and she said..." I used my Meg voice.
I didn't even think about it. I just did it. While I was talking I remember thinking "hey... that's my girl voice I hear!" but I didn't hesitate or switch back.
One other time, I surprised myself by realising I was speaking in my girl voice: before my trip to Richmond, I got dressed and said goodbye to my wife. We spoke a couple of sentences, and I also noticed I was speaking in MegTones. My wife said nothing. But that time, I was dressed. This is the first time I wasn't dressed yet getting into femme mode without thinking. I've got a long way to go, but I've come a long way, baby!
Thursday, December 1, 2011
Oh The Irony!
This is old news, but sometimes I'm behind the times.
From the Concord (NH) Monitor, April 8 2009:
Today is Tartan Day in the New Hampshire House, the annual holiday when House members of Scottish heritage and sympathies bust out their plaids, and many men sport kilts.
The day begins with a re-vote on the transgender rights bill.
The bill, which opponents have dubbed the "bathroom bill, " failed two weeks ago. It would ban discrimination by landlords, employers and others against individuals who were born into one sex but who identify as the other.
Yes, that's right: Today, a proud tribe that some deride as men in skirts just might debate the rights of a proud tribe that critics decry as . . . men in skirts.
The Monitor checked in with Gerri Cannon, a Merrimack carpenter who has become one of the chief lobbyists for House Bill 415 and who was at the State House yesterday making the rounds. Born male, Cannon identifies as a woman, takes hormones to soften her features and hopes to have surgery one day.
Cannon had a good long laugh at the coincidence. "What a great day to vote on this!" Cannon said. She said she'd check her closet to see if she has any plaid to wear for the occasion.
Rep. Ed Butler, the sponsor of HB 415, chuckled.
"All I can say is that there will be men in skirts, or if you will, kilts, waiting in the wings!" he said.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A Daily Kos article can be found here.
Two final comments:
* I seem to remember something in Femulate from around then, so I checked. Stana was writing about a CT bill at the same time.
* Good news: the bill passed by ONE VOTE 188-187. Bad news: 187 of New Hampshire's best and brightest thought discriminating against some of their citizens was a good idea.
From the Concord (NH) Monitor, April 8 2009:
Men in kilts to debate rights of men in skirts
The day begins with a re-vote on the transgender rights bill.
The bill, which opponents have dubbed the "bathroom bill, " failed two weeks ago. It would ban discrimination by landlords, employers and others against individuals who were born into one sex but who identify as the other.
Yes, that's right: Today, a proud tribe that some deride as men in skirts just might debate the rights of a proud tribe that critics decry as . . . men in skirts.
The Monitor checked in with Gerri Cannon, a Merrimack carpenter who has become one of the chief lobbyists for House Bill 415 and who was at the State House yesterday making the rounds. Born male, Cannon identifies as a woman, takes hormones to soften her features and hopes to have surgery one day.
Cannon had a good long laugh at the coincidence. "What a great day to vote on this!" Cannon said. She said she'd check her closet to see if she has any plaid to wear for the occasion.
Rep. Ed Butler, the sponsor of HB 415, chuckled.
"All I can say is that there will be men in skirts, or if you will, kilts, waiting in the wings!" he said.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A Daily Kos article can be found here.
Two final comments:
* I seem to remember something in Femulate from around then, so I checked. Stana was writing about a CT bill at the same time.
* Good news: the bill passed by ONE VOTE 188-187. Bad news: 187 of New Hampshire's best and brightest thought discriminating against some of their citizens was a good idea.
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