Year In Review

Some of the important events in my life for 2006...

January
“I came out to the Human Resources manager. I have known her for over ten years and have worked closely with her on some projects. I have been beating around the bush the last couple of months trying to feel her out on the subject of GLBT. So yesterday I was talking her about going to the Winterfest fund raiser for the Hartford Community Center that it was semi-formal and she said, "Oh do you have a Tux or is it Jacket and Tie?" I started to say, "Tux" when I thought; "Oh hell" now's a good time to get it out. So I told her, put it all out on the table, so to speak. She was very supportive and we talked for over an hour. In the end she wanted to know what the dress was like that I was going to wearing.” (From my geocities web-site)

February
Lobbyist training at the Legislature Office Building (LOB) for the Anti-Discrimination bill that was giving by a whole alphabet of organizations: CCLU, CWEALF, GLAAD, Love Makes A Family, Anti-Defamation League of Connecticut and CTAC that made up the coalition to help back the change in the anti-discrimination statues to include gender and gender expression.
Also in February I was invited to the Board meeting of Connecticut TransAdvocay Coalition.

March
Flew in the company’s corporate jet a Gulfstream IV, real neat! That is the way to fly.

I did something really really stupid today, I accidentally printed out my testimony for the Anti-Discriminations bill on the network printer at work today. And one of my employees read it!
I think I am going to curl up in to a ball and cry..................

I helped out at the True Colors conference as the Presenter’s Liaison (I made sure that they had everything they needed for their seminar).

I was given an Achievement Award at the Connecticut Outreach Society’s Annual Banquet.

April
Started my blog.

May
Went to Ogunquit Maine for a long weekend sponsored by COS and while I was there I went over to my brother’s for dinner. My niece was there with her son and they got to meet me as Diana for the first time. My niece’s son peeking out from behind his mother’s leg said in a small voice; “Somebody new!” and did not recognized me.

June
The Reverend Cannon Clinton Jones died, he was a good friend of the Twenty Club and it’s mentor. I remember him sitting quietly with his legs crossed at the Twenty Club meetings everyone once in while asking a question or two about the topic that we were discussion at the Christ Church Cathedral in Hartford where the Twenty Club use to meet.

I went to the Albany Trans Rights Conference that was sponsored by National Center for Transgender Equality and by National Gay and Lesbian Task Force. The focus of the meeting is how to get passed anti-discrimination legislation to include Gender and Gender Expression in our respective states.

July
I went to work for Ned Lamont’s primary campaign for U.S. Senate against Senator Lieberman

I also went to the NOW fundraiser for Ned Lamont and met the Vice President of NOW

August
Lamont wins primary!

I joined the Advisory Committee on the TransHealth Conference.

September
They announced at work that they are shutting down the factory beginning next year.

October
I came out to my cousins and their kids, they were very accepting.

November
My nephew and his wife meet me as Diana for the first time when they stop by to pick up their car that I was using.

I went to the open house at Uconn School of Social Work.

December
I registered for night classes at Uconn.

I went to my first family function as Diana on Christmas Day

Homeless Youth in America – Part 2

On a friend’s Blog, he has a beautifully written essay on being a parent of a Gay or Lesbian or Transgender child. The essay is called “Can My Gay Child Change?” and it parallels my essay on the homeless, please go and read it.

3x Thursday

::The Year In Review::

1. So, what did you think of 2006? Was it a good year? How so/not?
My life took a turn in 2006; announcing the closing of the factory in 2007 where I have worked for the last 28 years, I made the decision to go back to school and coming out to my cousins.

2. What was the best thing that happened in 2006? What was the worst?
Being accepted by my family and the love we share.

3. What is your forecast for 2007? Got anything big planned?
See Threesome below...

The Thursday Threesome

::Happy New Year!::

Onesome: Happy--New Year to you and yours! ...any plans for this weekend? Dick Clark? Guy Lombardo? Early to bed?
I am having a New Year’s Eve party at my house.

Twosome: New--year, old year. Is this the year you take up skiing? ...or knitting? ...or vacuuming every other day ? Do you have any major project you'd like to tackle? (Sure, 'resolutions' count...)
Yes, going back to college for my Master’s degree, putting an addition to the kitchen and hard wood floors for the living room (I dread doing that, what a disruption that is going to be. Also telling the contractor, “Oh, by the way, I will be coming and going as Diana”.)

Threesome: Year--end chores? Do the lights and decorations come down this weekend? ...or are you already "done with Christmas"?
The tree is down, it was a very ugly tree to begin with (Note to self – next year don’t wait until the last minute to buy a tree.).

FOUR FOR FRIDAY

Q1 - Multitasking: Eighty percent of us claim to be multitaskers, and nearly two-thirds of all multitaskers consider themselves good at it. How about you...are you a multitasker? If so, do you multitask by choice or design?
No, I do not do multitasks that well, the current task usually gets all the attention and the others fall by the wayside. At work it is all multitask and it makes it very hard to complete a task without mistakes, you are always putting out “Fire drills”. Went you come back to a task you have lost your train of thought and it makes it hard to stick to a unified thought process and therefore the work become disjointed.

Q2 - Federal Closings: Yesterday, President George W. Bush declared that Tuesday, January 2, 2007, will be a National Day of Mourning here in the U.S. after the death earlier this week of former U.S. President Gerald Ford. In doing so, President Bush ordered all government agencies and departments to close on Tuesday, except for offices essential to national security. In your opinion, do you think federal employees should have the day off from work because of the death of President Ford?
No they should not shutdown the federal government. It is a waste of time and taxpayer’s money.

Q3 - Who's on First: For the second time in the last 10 days, a powerful storm has dumped major amounts of snow on Denver, Colorado, and Denver International Airport (DIA). Nearly 5,000 airline passengers were stranded at DIA during a 45-hour closure last week, and when the airport reopened, many of those stranded passengers found themselves waiting even longer to board planes because new passengers arriving at the airport were given preference for flights. Do you think grounded passengers should be first in line for the first available flights, or is it okay for new passengers booked on new flights to have preference over grounded passengers?
The seats should be giving to those whose flights were delayed or cancelled first.

Q4 - Calendar: Do you have a 2007 calendar? If so, is it the kind with pictures on one side and the previous month on the backside, or is it a desk calendar, sans pictures? If a picture calendar, what is its theme? If you do not have a 2007 calendar, do you plan to buy one or are you not the calendar type?
Yes I do have a 2007 calendar with pictures of New England lighthouses.

Good Friends, Good Food, What more Could Ask For?

I went out to dinner at Tuscany’s Grill and Restaurant with four other friends last night before the COS support group meeting and I had Shrimp Wrapped in Proscuitto, gulf shrimp sautéed in a garlic butter sauce with Italian sharp cheese. I like going out to dinner with friends, it is a nice relaxing way to spend the evening. Of course it tends to be expensive and you do gain weight, so once or twice a month is good for the soul.

Homeless Youth in America

The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force just released their Whitepaper on homeless GLBT youth in the United States. Some of their findings are...

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services estimates that the number of homeless and runaway youth ranges from 575,000 to 1.6 million per year.1 And, according to the National Runaway Switchboard, up to 42 percent identify as lesbian or gay....

...Family conflict is the primary cause of homelessness for all youth, LGBT or straight.
Specifically, familial conflict over a youth’s sexual orientation or gender identity is a significant factor that leads to homelessness or the need for out-of-home care.3 According to one study, 50 percent of gay teens experienced a negative reaction from their parents when they came out and 26 percent were kicked out of their homes.4
Another study found that more than one-third of youth who are homeless or in the care of social services experienced a violent physical assault when they came out,5 which can lead to youth leaving a shelter or foster home because they actually feel safer on the streets....

...Transgender youth are disproportionately represented in the homeless population. More generally, some reports indicate that one in five transgender individuals need or are at risk of needing homeless shelter assistance.21 However, most shelters are segregated by birth sex, regardless of the individual’s gender identity,22 and homeless transgender youth are even ostracized by some agencies that serve their LGB peers.23...

The full report is 192 pages long, and in it they describe the risk factors that the homeless youth face, drugs, alcohol, prostitution, diseases (AIDS/HIV), violence and crime. We have to stop the hate, stop the bigotry and stop homophobic rhetoric. We have to realize that everyone is different and accept those differences in all of us, that through diversity is strength.
If your son or daughter came to you and told you that they were gay or lesbian or bisexual or transgender what would you do? Would you still love them or would you throw them out on the streets. If a neighbor’s child came out as gay or lesbian or bisexual or transgender what would you do? If you were at a restaurant and a transsexual came in to the restaurant and sat down at the table next to you, what would you do? In this time of peace and goodwill, let us ask ourselves, “Do we accept all of God children”. Look into to your heart for the answer.

Lost in My Little Own World

Over Christmas my cousin gave me a calendar of family photographs and one of the pictures in it was of me taking a photograph when we were at their cottage in Blue Hill ME this October. While I was taking pictures, I saw my cousin taking pictures of me taking pictures. Here is the result...



And here is the picture that I was taking at that time...

Best Christmas Yet!

I do not know where to begin. On Saturday night the family met over at my cousins son’s house for dinner while there my cousin’s daughter gave my a copy of their latest CD and DVD of their band “Spaghetti Cake” called “Ready for Summer”, they have a rock band for kids that the whole family can enjoy. This I think is their third CD and my cousin and her husband wrote and sang all of the songs. What made the CD and DVD so special for me was what they wrote inside the DVD “To Diana, We love you”, my eyes clouded over with tears for a second. Personally I think their first album (Jam Food) was the best because I like the songs; Man in the Moon, Best Friend and Snow Days. It was also winner of the "Best New Artist for Older Children" by the 2001 Children's Music Awards.
As I was leaving my cousin’s son’s wife asked me to come over on Christmas day since my brother and sister-in-law are going to New Jersey to be with my niece and her family. But what made it so nice was that she added; “You are coming as Diana aren’t you?” I think she could tell the answer as soon as my eyes lit up.
In the afternoon on Christmas Eve I went up to my nephew’s in Litchfield for dinner and to exchange presents with them and my brother and sister-in-law. For dinner they had seafood lasagna and it was excellent, in it had shrimp, scallops and crabmeat in a white sauce.
However; best of all was today, because I was able to be myself. I was very nervous at first since this was the first family function that I attended as Diana and it was the first time my cousin’s kids saw me as Diana; also some of their in-laws were there. But after awhile I relaxed and enjoyed our time together.

Miss Elainie

What do the holidays mean to you?
A time of peace, a time to come home and be with your family, a time of inner reflection, a time to be thankful for all that we have and to remember those who do not have a home to go to.

Have safe and joyful holidays... Peace.

By The Way Sunday

~Christmas Eve~

By the way...
It's Christmas Eve today, so what are your plans?
I went to my nephew’s for Christmas Eve where we had dinner.

Will Santa be stopping by your house tonight?
Ms. Claus gave out presents to her grand nieces and nephews;
My 5 year old niece – Mermaid card game
My 3 year old niece – Snuggle Stuffed puppy and book set
My 5 year old nephew – Lego set (Cat, I cheated and asked my niece and she recommended anything Lego)
My 1 year old nephew – Scuffy Tugboat book and CD set

Will you be opening gifts tonight or on Christmas day?
Both, on my brother’s last night and my cousin usually gives me presents also.

"Do you solemnly swear you are not a transsexual..."

I found this on the (en)gendered forum;

Transsexual question unique to Clark County
During the marriage license oath, couples are asked whether either person is a transsexual or has syphilis.

By Gail Cetnar
Springfield News-Sun
Staff Writer

Most couples on their way to the wedding chapel are prepared to answer the big question.

You know, the one they answer "I do."

Few are prepared for a more personal question they get first at the courthouse — and only in Clark County.

Sharon Weldy knows that better than anyone.

Issuing marriage licenses is part of her job description as deputy clerk of Clark County Probate Court. Each couple that approaches her desk must fill out the application, pay a $45 fee and raise their right hand to take an oath before they're issued a license.

Weldy, poised and professional, looks at the happy couple and pleasantly begins to recite the oath.

"Do you solemnly swear you are not a transsexual..."

That's when the looks of bewilderment hit.

"Most of the time, I'd say 75 percent of the time, when I give the oath I get laughter or giggles or questionable looks. You know, they can't believe that's what they're being asked to say," Weldy said.

She continues with a list of other questions: Are they related closer than second cousins? Are they under the influence of intoxicating liquor or a controlled substance? Are they infected with syphilis?

If they swear they're not, they get the license.

Saturday Six - Episode 141

Patrick’s Weekender

1. How many Christmas Cards did you receive from people you hadn't sent cards to, after the "mailing deadline?" Did you send a card anyway?
Two, but this year for some reason I didn’t receive many cards. I sent the two cards the other day.

2. At this point, do you weigh more or less than you did on January 1, 2006? Is that a good thing or a bad thing?
More, it’s a bad thing.

3. When the clock strikes Midnight on New Year's, will you be at home, at a party, or somewhere else?
At home at a party at my house.

4. Take the quiz: What's your holiday stress level?

Your Holiday Stress Level is Moderate

The holidays sometimes stress you out, but mostly because they wear you down. Take it easy! You can have a fun holiday without running yourself ragged.

What's Your Holiday Stress Level?

5. Have you ever been the designated driver at a party or outing with your friends?
I don’t drink more than one drink when I drink, so yes I do drive a lot.

6. Have you ever taken the keys and driven home a friend that you felt was too drunk to drive? If not, do you think you would attempt to if that situation ever arose?
For my New Year’s Eve party anyone at my house for the party knows they can crash here instead of driving home. And if they do, they will get a great breakfast in the morning; omelet (with ham, cheese, peppers and onions), bacon, sausages, hash browns, melon, juice and coffee.
Yes, I would take their keys and if they didn’t give me their keys I would strongly think about reporting them. I also will not provide alcohol at my parties, its’ BYOB.

FOUR FOR FRIDAY

Q1 - Wealth: In 1982, the year Forbes started publishing its annual list of the 400 wealthiest Americas, the magazine could find only a dozen or so billionaires. This year, The Forbes 400 list includes billionaires only. What is your definition of wealthy?
Health, a loving family and enough money so you don’t have to worry.

Q2 - Advertising and Religion: Bahrainian athlete Ruqaya Al Ghasara runs her track & field races wearing a hijab (a full Muslim headscarf). Nike, which sponsors Al Ghasara and is notorious for splashing its logo on everything in sight, somehow managed to get the Nike swoosh emblazoned onto the sides of Al Ghasara hijab. In your opinion, should Nike have stopped short of swooshifying a religious garment, or is Al Ghasara hijab fair game for branding?
No, Nike went too far. What’s next the brand symbol on the Bible? In my opinion we are getting in to areas where there should be no advertising, it is in high school, junior high school and even elementary school where advertisers are sponsoring school books, educational television programs etc. something the taxpayers should pay for and not take corporate money.

Q3 - Asking for Advice: According to a recent survey, most employees are unwilling to turn to their boss for advice on problems at work. In fact, a supervisor was cited by only 11 percent of employees surveyed as a source for workplace advice. More employees rely on a peer, another senior person, or a friend outside the company when searching for advice on work-related issues. How about you? When you are experiencing problems at work, who do you turn to for help or advice?
I turn to my boss and co-workers. I feel the goal of work is to get a good product out and on time and we should use the most effected way, if that means going to the boss for help, so be it.

Q4 - Sleep: While everyone pretty much knows that sleep is vital to our health and well being, millions of us are not getting enough of it, or are suffering from sleep-related problems. For example, surveys conducted by the National Sleep Foundation reveal that 60 percent of adults report having sleep problems a few nights a week or more. In addition, more than 40 percent of adults experience daytime sleepiness severe enough to interfere with their daily activities at least a few days each month. What time did you go to bed last night, and do you think you got enough sleep?
I went to bed at 10:30 and I woke up at 3:30, dozed off again around 4:30 and finally woke up around 7:30. I do not think I got enough good sleep.

Wednesday Mind Hump

Wednesday Mind Hump


1. Name a song that makes you smile.
The Singing Waitresses – “Merry Christmas”

2. Name a food that makes you smile.
Oh, just one! Poppy Seed Roll

3. Name a person that makes you smile.
My grand nieces and nephews, they are all still under 5.

4. Name a movie that makes you smile.
”Fifty First Dates”, that is the first one that popped in to my head.

5. Name a website that makes you smile.
I don’t think there is one, I usually do not go looking for funny websites.

The Thursday Threesome

::Plenty of time::

Onesome: Plenty-- of time, take a deep breath. Overnight/Saturday delivery could work for you... So could a trip a few hundred miles away if you're into shopping on Sunday! How are you doing? Do you have it together?
I now have all the presents, I just have to wrap them for tonight (Which I should be doing instead of answering these questions, but this is more fun.) and yes I did use overnight delivery.

Twosome: of-- all the states, I'm hearing the worst reports from Ohio! It has no snow! No snow, no Christmas! What's to be done? Is it looking like the normal Christmas weather there for you?
Nope, dry and high of 50F with no snow anywhere in the Northeast.

Threesome: Time--Time? Good grief, the 24th is days away, and most men haven't even awakened a sense of urgency as yet . Is anyone done, finished, wrapped and resting?
See the answer to question one.

3x Thursday

::The Brian::

1. Do you believe there's such a thing as a chemical imbalance? Do you think that treating these problems with drugs is a good thing? Why/why not?
Yes, we can see the effects on various other parts of our bodies when we get out of chemical balance. If I don’t drink a lot of water my heart starts to palpitate and skip beats, if I don ‘t have enough salt I get cramps in my legs so why not our brains if we do not have the right chemical balance.

2. What about drugs for brain-related stuff like depression? Do you think one should be able to get over it themselves, or do you think sometimes we all need a little help, and sometimes we need meds for awhile?
I think one should try first to get over it without drugs and if not we should then look at various other ways including drugs.

3. Who do you turn to when you have emotional crises? Why?
My brother and his wife, they are my family. And if I need more than they can provide, I would look for professional help.

Bonus Question for Comments: Are you ready to deal with Xmas? Will you be happy or sad when the holidays are over?
I am never ready for the Holidays and I feel I will have mixed emotions. One of those emotion will be knowing I will have to go back to work on the January 2nd.

Crossing the Gender Norms

One of the questions I always get when I am doing an Outreach is, “What bathroom do I use?” well there is no right answer. If I use my birth gender bathroom, I might get killed and if I use the women’s bathroom I might get arrested.
I found this on a blog I read and this illustrates this dilemma.

The topic of the blogs is when Ian Harvie a female bodied, male identified comedian and his friend Margaret Clo went to used the women's bathroom at the Waldorf-Astoria. They were there attending a fundraiser that Bette Midler was giving for the NY Restoration Project.
Ian Harvie blog.
Margaret Clo blog.

Also you might want to read one of my blog postings that I wrote on this same subject back in June.

In Memory of Gwen Amber Rose Araujo" (by darkXsmile)

Your 82% smarter than Jerry Springer Guests!!

 

Okay, not bad. You would not end up on TV with Leno if they were asking you questions...probably. You need a little brush up but not bad at all. Good Job!

Are you a smart or stupid American?
Create a Quiz

I didn’t answer this question;
11. Given: A + 13 = 90 - 10 A equals ?
17
80
97
67

Because they do not have the correct answer....
A+13=90-10A
A+10A=90-13
11A=77
A=77/11
A=7

Web Site Design

One of my pet peeves is bad web-site design; the web site should be functional on all web browsers, not just Internet Explorer. I just went to register for a transgender convention in the Boston area this January and it would not work on Netscape 8.0 nor would it work on Firefox 2.0, it only worked on Internet Explorer. Bad, bad, bad! They just told twenty percent of their visitors that they don’t care about them, because that is about the percentage of non-Internet Explorer users.
When I write a web page I make sure it works on all three browsers (I don’t check it out on Opera because I found that if it works on all three it works on Opera.) the web-site for the Connecticut Outreach Society was mentioned on many sites as being quite impressive including the Yale GLBT center. When I was taking classes in web design the one thing that all the instructors stressed was to make sure the web-site worked on all platforms.

Miss Elainie

Christmas/Holiday Potpourri

1. Do you get stressed-out over the holidays? If so, what stresses you out the most?
Who, me get stressed out, never happens! Yeah right, I get stressed over everything; shopping, buy and decorating the tree, wrapping the presents, etc.

2. Have you ever eaten chestnuts?
Yes and I can tell you it is nothing to write home about. My grandmother use to roast them in the oven each Christmas, they have a strong taste to them.

3. Do you have a special recipe you make during the holidays and if so what is it?
Yes, Poppy Seed and Nut Rolls (Potica) which my grandmother use to make ever Christmas and I tried to make it once, but it is way too much work. Now I found a store that makes it almost the way my grandmother made it.

4. Have you ever had Carolers come to you door?
A long time ago some of the neighbors came around signing and wish Christmas cheer (which I thought they were taking quite literality)

5. Do you wish for snow on Christmas/The Holidays?
A white Christmas is nice but too many people travel on the holidays. It is not like the olden days when “The horse knew the way to carry the sleigh”, cars are just not as sure footed as horses.

A Question?

I am planning on giving a gift to a co-worker, a spice jar, mulled cider spices and a tea ball. Do you think it is too much to give a co-worker?
She is the HR manager; we have been working together for twenty years; I came out to her last year; she wrote a recommendation to college for me and she has always been there to listen. They are closing down the shop this coming year so I will be laid off.
Since I am male at work, would it be too presumptuous of me to give a gift like that to a female co-worker?

Manic Monday

Weighty Issues

Are you honest about your weight on your license or other official forms?
I was when they asked about forty years ago and every time I renew it at the motor vehicle department they never about any changes. Heck, it still has that I have brown hair.

If not, by how many pounds is it off from your actual weight?
Probably it is off by sixty pounds

At what point in your life did you weigh the most?
Right now, if have gained around thirty pounds in the last nine month because of the hormones. As I lose muscle mass my metabolism has changed, muscles burns more calories then regular tissues.

A Church Divided

I just read about the split in the Episcopal Church over homosexuality, seven Virginian Episcopal Churches have broken away from the US Episcopal Church ( 7 Virginia parishes vote to quit US Episcopal Church Oppose position on including gays) and joined the Episcopal Church of Nigeria. I am not an Episcopalian so I will not comment on the schism, I will however comment on the history of another schism and that is the schism which broke up the American Baptist church to form the Southern Baptist church in 1845 and compare today’s current events..

From Wikipedia:
"North and South grew further apart in 1845 with the formation of the Southern Baptist Convention on the premise that the Bible sanctions slavery and that it was acceptable for Christians to own slaves (the Southern Baptist Convention has since renounced this interpretation). This split was triggered by the opposition of northern Baptists to slavery..."

Back then the nation was divided over slavery with the northern states slowly coming to realize that slavery was wrong and they were starting to ban slavery. Out of the northern churches the abolitionist movement grew as they realize the immorality of slavery creating tension between the north and the south. From this tension the Baptist church split. The Southern Baptist maintained that slavery was permissible because of the Bible allowed it and the courts backed them up with legal decisions supporting slavery.
Once again tension is building between the north and south but this time over homosexuality and again schisms has formed resulting in the splitting of the Episcopal Church this time. Again the northern states led the nation in civil rights with three states passing Civil Unions and one state with marriages for same-sex couples. Again the northern churches are more liberal in dealing with issues of marriage equality than their southern counter parts. We are following the same path with the majority of religions believing that discrimination against homosexuals is acceptable because it is banned in the Bible. Various states and Congress are passing this legislation to deny civil rights homosexuals by limiting marriage to a man and a woman, the courts are once again are up holding the discrimination.
A hundred years from now, will they look back and see the same institutionalized bigotry that we see when we look back at the issue of slavery?

Question of the Day

Question of the Day

When you look out your window, what do you see?
Black. If it was during the day, I would see trees because I have all wetlands behind my house.

In one way or another, everyone is a minority. In what way are you a minority? For instance, I am a white suburban male (all majority statuses) but I was the big V all the way until my marriage night (has to be a minority status).
I’m a transsexual and according to the medical book only 1 in 30,000 are transsexuals. So I guess that would qualify as minority.

The White Mountain’s Aren’t and the Green Mountain’s Are

I went up to my cousin’s place this weekend up near Lake Luzerne, NY to celebrate his seventieth birthday. But first I drove up to his brother’s and sister-in-law’s condo in Lake Sunapee, NH where I met up with my brother and sister-in-law on Friday night. On the drive over to New York on Saturday morning we passed by a number of major ski areas (Killington, Pico and Mount Sunapee) and they were all bare and all the motels and restaurants along the way were empty; it’s a bad season for the region that counts so heavily on the ski business.
He has a very rustic cabin right next to a small brook with a series of small waterfalls down the side of a hill. Here are some photos from around the cabin.

This is the bridge that he just had build over the stream.

Following the brook down the side of the hill it begins a series of small water falls.

Farther down the hill we can see the back of the cabin next to the stream. From this point the stream meets a large brook which is a tributary of the Hudson River.

The pump in front of the cabin and no he doesn’t get his drinking water from it.

A rather unique doorbell.

UNANSWERED QUESTIONS

I got this from my brother, so you can thank him....

1. Ever wonder about those people who spend $2.00 apiece on those little bottles of Evian water? Try spelling Evian backwards: NAIVE
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2. Isn't making a smoking section in a restaurant like making a peeing section in a swimming pool? (My sentiments exactly)
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3. If 4 out of 5 people SUFFER from diarrhea...does that mean that one enjoys it?
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5. If people from Poland are called Poles, then why aren't people from Holland called Holes?
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6. Do infants enjoy infancy as much as adults enjoy adultery?
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7 If a pig loses its voice, is it disgruntled?
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8. Why do croutons come in airtight packages? Aren't they just stale bread to begin with?
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9. Why is a person who plays the piano called a pianist, but a person who drives a racecar is not called a racist?
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10. Why isn't the number 11 pronounced onety-one?
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11. If lawyers are disbarred and clergymen defrocked, then doesn't it follow that electricians can be delighted, musicians denoted, cowboys deranged, models deposed, tree surgeons debarked, and dry cleaners depressed?
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12. If Fed Ex and UPS were to merge, would they call it Fed UP?
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13. Do Lipton Tea employees take coffee breaks?
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14. What hair color do they put on the driver's licenses of bald men?
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15. I was thinking about how people seem to read the Bible a whole lot more as they get older; then it dawned on me..they're cramming for their final exam.
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16. I thought about how mothers feed their babies with tiny little spoons and forks, so I wondered what do Chinese mothers use. Toothpicks?
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17. Why do they put pictures of criminals up in the Post Office? What are we supposed to do, write to them? Why don't they just put their pictures on the postage stamps so the mailmen can look for them while they deliver the mail?
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18. If it's true that we are here to help others, then what exactly are the others here for?
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19. You never really learn to swear until you learn to drive.
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20. Ever wonder what the speed of lightning would be if it didn't zigzag?
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
21. If a cow laughed, would milk come out of her nose?
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
22. Whatever happened to Preparations A through G?
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
24. As income tax time approaches, did you ever notice: When you put the two words "The" and "IRS" together, it spells
"THEIRS"?

I have been Tagged

By Peterson

1. My tic is...
I guess what they mean is an unconscious habit; I would have to say my worrying.

2. My favorite spot on a man's body (or a woman's, for that matter) is ...
The back of the ear

3. I have a extreme phobia of...
Walking into a new bar.

4. I don't like...
Chinese food

5. I had an imaginary friend when...
I can’t remember that far back. Gads! That would be back about a half a century ago.

3x Thursday

::Weather::

1. When the weather changes (say, it rains when it usually doesn't), do you think traffic behavior is different? How so/how not?
Everyone panics when they forecast snow but rain doesn’t slow them down. Even with car off in the ditches nothing slows down those big SUV’s.


2. What about when the kiddies don't have school? Do you see the traffic patterns change then? Does it affect you at all?
Traffic get lighter, there must be an awful lots of mother’s driving their kids to school and an equal number of kids driving cars to school.

3. Accidents...accidents *always* muck up traffic. Seen any bad ones lately? Are there more accidents when the weather changes?
No, I have been lucky and haven’t seen and bad accident lately. When it starts to snow you start seeing all the crazies off stuck in the ditch or stuck in the median.

Bonus Question for Comments: Given the choice of driving or not ever driving (say, full public transportation is available), which would you choose? Why?
I think I would take public transportation to work, but not for shopping trip. I wouldn’t want to deal with taking shopping bags on a bus. I do however take the train if I am going in New York City.

The Thursday Threesome

::Holly Jolly Christmas::

Onesome: Holly-- Hmmm... Do you have holly where you are? Is it used for decorating? ...and if not, what types of greenery are used to show off the season? Inquiring minds and all that...
No holly, I just have a Christmas tree (I hope, I haven’t bought it yet :-( )

Twosome: Jolly-- Jolly Elf or The Grinch? How is your Christmas experience going so far?
The Grinch, I hate shopping. The girls are easy to buy presents for (I will get them the American Girl collection) but does anyone have any ideas for a five year old boy? And I will let you know how my Christmas is going after this weekend.

Threesome: Christmas-- Hey, I miss ol' Burl Ives singing the song in this header: who does your favorite Christmas song? ...and which song is that? Yes, yes, you're allowed more than one ...
Yeah, Burl Ives singing Have a Holly Jolly Christmas was one of my old time favorites along with “The Little Drummer Boy”

FOUR FOR FRIDAY

Q1 - What Should He Do: A friend of mine found a dollar bill yesterday in the stairwell to our office building. What do you think he should do with it?
Keep it; if it was ten dollars then I would say try to find who lost it.

Q2 - Name That Town: If you could rename your town, what would you call it and why?
Peyton Place because of all the back stabbing that goes on in this town with the local politicians.

Q3 - Ante Up: To the best of your recollection, what is the most you have ever paid for a meal (either for yourself or for yourself and one other person), and...was it worth it?
$45 for stuffed lobster’s tail, the menu said market price and I figured $20 - $25, not $45! I learned my lesson well, always ask.

Q4 - Fly Away: How many trips, if any, did you take on a commercial airliner in 2006? How does that compare to the amount of air travel you think you will do in 2007?
2006 = 0 miles (400 miles on the corporate jet – now that is the way to travel!)
2007 = 0 miles

NJ Becomes Ninth State to Pass Trans-Inclusive Nondiscrimination Legislation

National Center for Transgender Equality
www.NCTEquality.org

For Immediate Release
Thursday, December 14, 2006
Contact: Simon Aronoff, Deputy Director, (202) 903-0112, saronoff@nctequality.org

All New Jersey Residents and Now One-Third of the U.S. Covered by Transgender-Inclusive Anti-Discrimination Protections

NJ Becomes Ninth State to Pass Trans-Inclusive Nondiscrimination
Legislation; Bill Clears Legislature, Awaits Governor’s Signature

(Washington, DC) — Today New Jersey made a historic stride forward in protecting the civil rights of transgender people. New Jersey’s Senate passed bill S362 on Monday, December 11, by a vote of 31-5. The Assembly version, A930, passed New Jersey’s lower house today by a vote of 69-5, and now goes to Governor Jon S. Corzine, who is expected to sign the bill into law. Once signed, New Jersey will become the ninth state in the country to make discriminatory practices based on gender identity or expression illegal. New Jersey joins California, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Minnesota, New Mexico and Rhode Island in legislating statewide transgender-inclusive nondiscrimination protections. These state-level laws in addition similar transgender-inclusive protections in the District of Columbia and in over 80 cities and counties now protect one-third of the US population based on gender identity or expression.

“The legislation in New Jersey represents a huge civil rights victory for transgender communities,” said Mara Keisling, executive director of the National Center for Transgender Equality (NCTE). “I applaud the amazing efforts of the Gender Rights Advocacy Association of New Jersey (GRAANJ), Garden State Equality and local advocates who showed that when we stand up for what’s right, we can win. While we celebrate that one-third of the US population is now covered, NCTE is continues to fight for explicitly transgender-inclusive protections on the federal level.”

New Jersey’s new law prohibits discriminatory practices in employment, housing and public accommodations based on “gender identity or expression”—the legislative language that covers transgender people. Too often transgender people face harassment and discrimination on the job or when applying for employment; when attempting to secure housing through rental properties or real estate; and in accessing everyday public accommodations, such as hospitals, schools, shops, hotels, restaurants and theaters.

“We are tremendously pleased to see this bill go to Governor Corzine for his consideration,” said Barbra Casbar, political director of the Gender Rights Advocacy Association of New Jersey (GRAANJ) and National Center for Transgender Equality Board of Advisors member. “GRAANJ and our allies have worked very hard to educate the public and policymakers on the critical importance of making protections for transgender New Jersians explicit in our state’s law. The vastly positive vote for the legislation proves conclusively that effective education will tear down the walls of ignorance and discrimination”

“The overwhelming support of our Legislature shows that New Jersey’s elected officials recognize the need for civil rights protections for all of their constituents,” said Donna Cartwright, a founding member of the Gender Rights Advocacy Association of New Jersey (GRAANJ) and member of the Board of Directors of the National Center for Transgender Equality. “Prohibiting discrimination based on a person’s gender identity or expression is common-sense given the level of prejudice that transgender people face at work, in securing housing and accessing vital public accommodations such as hospitals.”

In June 2006, the National Center for Transgender Equality held its first national Target States Conference to provide legislative advocacy training to support local efforts in New Jersey and in eight other states where anti-discrimination laws included “sexual orientation” but not yet “gender identity or expression.” GRAANJ’s Barbra Casbar and Terry McCorkell were among the activists who attended NCTE’s Target States Conference.
“We are ecstatic,” said GRAANJ Co-Founder Terry McCorkell. “The people of New Jersey have historically been stalwart champions of justice and equality. Today we demonstrate to the nation that New Jersey is second to none in guaranteeing fair treatment under the law for all people in the Garden State.”

Recognizing the need to curb rampant discrimination against transgender people, currently eight states, the District of Columbia and 80+ cities and counties across the country have now passed explicitly transgender-inclusive anti-discrimination laws. Upon Governor Corzine’s signature, New Jersey will become the ninth state with inclusive anti-discrimination laws. These laws currently cover 33.5-percent, or one-third, of the US population.

About The Gender Rights Advocacy Association of New Jersey (GRAANJ):

Founded in 2000, GRAANJ is New Jersey’s civil rights organization that works for full equality for gender nonconforming people, including those who identify as transgender and intersex. For more information, please visit www.graanj.org.

About the National Center for Transgender Equality (NCTE):
The National Center for Transgender Equality is a national social justice organization devoted to ending discrimination and violence against transgender people through education and advocacy on national issues of importance to transgender people. The National Center for Transgender Equality is a 501(c)3 organization. For more information, please visit www.nctequality.org.

No Kidding This Is For Real

Bringing new meaning to ‘firing blind’
Texas legislator introduces bill to allow blind people to hunt.

MSNBC

Updated: 7:07 p.m. ET Dec 11, 2006
AUSTIN, Texas - The blind would be able to go hunting if a Texas bill becomes law.

The bill would allow legally blind hunters to use a laser sight, or lighted pointing instrument, which is forbidden for sighted hunters, according to State Rep. Edmund Kuempel, who introduced it.

"This opens up the fun of hunting to additional people, and I think that's great," Kuempel said.

Many Texans enjoy the state's reputation for outdoor sports. The state also is where Vice President Dick Cheney accidentally shot a friend in the face while hunting for quail earlier this year.

Blind hunters also would have to have a sighted hunter with them. They could hunt any game sighted people can hunt and otherwise use the same weapons.

The hunter would have to carry proof he or she is legally blind.

Visually impaired people are able to shoot with the aid of a sighted person, Kuempel said.

"I've seen this on TV before, when they're taking target practice," he said. "When they aim the gun the guide tells them, aim two inches higher or two inches lower and you're on the target, and you're off and running."

The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, which regulates hunting in Texas, currently does not have a definition for what constitutes a legally blind hunter. Kuempel's bill for the 2007 legislative session would give the agency until Jan. 1, 2008, to come up with a definition so the law could be enforced.

Under existing Texas law, the use of laser sights, spotlights and headlights is strictly prohibited.

Well what else did you expect of Texas, they allow VP Dick Cheney to hunt, why not blind hunts.

Wednesday Mind Hump

Winter

1. What kind of weather is winter bringing your area right now?
Warm, high in the fifties and foggy. We have had no measurable snow this year so far.

2. What's your favorite way to warm up during winter?
Curled up in front of the fire, reading a book and drinking hot mulled cider.

3. Which celebrity would you want to engage in a snowball fight?
I am a non-violence type of person and I wouldn’t be in a snowball fight (Translated: I am the one who usually gets plastered because I couldn’t hit the preverbal side of a barn.)

4. Tell us about one of your favorite childhood memories of winter?
I lived at the bottom of a hill and there were five backyards that we use to go sledding down for about a total vertical drop of a hundred feet.

Fundraiser in Stamford

I just got back from a fundraiser for GenderPAC down in Stamford, I was hobnobbing with a couple of politicians. My face is getting to be known (Of course there are not too many six foot trannies around), I met the co-chairs of the Judicial committee, the Mayor of Stamford and former Connecticut gubernatorial candidate. Why do I go to these fundraisers? Because I might be lobbying them for the anti-discrimination legislation and it helps to be known.
There were a couple of others there that I knew; they are from Love Makes a Family and I also got to meet some new people. One woman I met while I was wandering around the condo complex looking for the condo where the fundraiser was being held. I hate condo complexes! Especially on a rainy night, they all look the same. Talk about ticky tacky little housing developments, condo complexes have them beat hands down, all the units look the same and it is easy to get lost in. However this condo was really nice, I mean really nice! It was right on the water’s edge with a boat slip right out back. The little deck on the back of the condo looked out over Stamford harbor on Long Island Sound.
I can only dream...

The 32-Type Dating Test

The Sonnet Deliberate Gentle Love Dreamer (DGLDf) Romantic, hopeful, and composed. You are the Sonnet. Get it? Composed? Sonnets want Love and have high ideals about it. They're conscientious people, caring & careful. You yourself have deep convictions, and you devote a lot of thought to romance and what it should be. This will frighten away most potential mates, but that's okay, because you're very choosy with your affections anyway. You'd absolutely refuse to date someone dumber than you, for instance. Your exact opposite: Genghis Khunt Random Brutal Sex Master Lovers who share your idealized perspective, or who are at least willing to totally throw themselves into a relationship, will be very, very happy with you. And you with them. You're already selfless and compassionate, and with the right partner, there's no doubt you can be sensual, even adventurously so. You probably have lots of female friends, and they have a special soft spot for you. Babies do, too, at the tippy-top of their baby skulls. ALWAYS AVOID: The Stiletto, The Battleaxe, Genghis Khunt, Half-Cocked CONSIDER: The Peach Link: The 32-Type Dating Test by OkCupid - Free Online Dating.

Sunday Seven - Episode 67

Patrick’s Weekender

Name up to seven of your favorite items to eat in a seafood restaurant.

1. Boiled Lobster
2. Lobster Newburg
3. Lobster Ravioli
4. Steamers (Long Neck Clams)
5. New England Clam Chowder
6. Crab Cakes
7. Aunt Carrie’s Clam Cakes

It is hard to limit my choices to only seven. I like also; Shrimp Creole, Stuffed Shrimp with crab meat, Stuffed Clams, Stuffed Fillet of Sole with crab meat or clams and I can go on and on. After all I am from New England!

Saturday Six - Episode 139

Patrick’s Weekender

1. Do you send Christmas cards? If so, do you write any notes inside the Christmas card or include a "newsletter" about your family, or do you basically just sign your name?
I just sign my name in most of my cards, few that I haven’t seen all year I write a short note.

2. Are you more likely to shop in a store that has returned the phrase, "Merry Christmas" to its holiday signage?
Naw, I don’t care if they have no signs or Happy Holidays or Merry Christmas signs.

3. Do you buy your pets Christmas presents?
I don’t have a pet and if I did I wouldn’t by them a gift

4. Take the quiz: Are you more cat or dog?

You Are: 50% Dog, 50% Cat

You are a nice blend of cat and dog. You're playful but not too needy. And you're friendly but careful. And while you have your moody moments, you're too happy to stay upset for long.

Are You More Cat or Dog?

5. Which have you owned more of during your life, cats or dogs?
Dogs, my family never owned a cat.

6. If you had to come back as one or the other, and assuming you'd belong to an owner who would treat you well, would you rather be a cat or a dog?
A cat, dogs are too messy. A cat is just a cat; no one expects them to do anything except lay around. Have you ever hear of guard cat or a Seeing Eye cat or fetch a stick?

Question of the Day

Question of the Day


Tardy?
Are you usually early, on time, or late?
Every one in my family run about twenty minutes late.

Not "google"
If you could come up with a new term that would mean the same as "Google" what would it be?
Ferret

Conspiracy
Was the moon landing fake?
No

By the Way Sunday

~I Know It's Christmas~

Complete these sentences...
I know it's Christmas when I hear... Little Drummer Boy
I know it's Christmas when I see... The pond frozen over
I know it's Christmas when I feel... The warm glow of a fireplace
I know it's Christmas at my house when... I do the Christmas cards
I know it's Christmas in my town when... Christmas trees go on sale

Curious as a Cat

Questions for Week Number Forty-Seven:

Has there ever been a time in your life when you felt as if you were facing something or someone truly evil?
No, not really. I don’t think I have met anything like that.

Where would you like to go exploring?
The South Pole. It didn’t say vacation or visit.

Manic Monday

Miles to Go Before I Sleep

What is the "turning point" in your life?
When I had a problem with my heart and I spent a night in the emergency room.

Is there a promise that you keep making to yourself? If so, what is it?
That night staring at the ceiling in the emergency room, I promised I wasn’t going to hide any more.

Is there a time in your life that you've been given a second chance?
Yes, that night in the emergency room.

One Small Victory

On a friends site I learned that in some small way we have helped another transperson. The feedback that she received from of a mutual friend about an Outreach that we did in October was quite positive and I will quote her blog......

"Dr. R (the professor, whose class we outreached) told me (our friend) Wednesday night that he's still getting e-mails from students and one in particular thanked him for having you girls come in to the class. Seems this student went to NY to celebrate with her friends for her 21st birthday and in one of the bars they went to, was approached by a cross-dresser. She and the CD spent hours talking.

"She said if it wasn't for outreach that night, she wouldn't have been comfortable, and was so happy to have had the chance to have met all of you in class that night and make her more aware and easier being around someone 'different' than herself."

That made me feel wonderful about our outreaching efforts; it really is worthwhile.

That is what Outreach is all about; reaching out to help others through education, that the hope that someway, somehow we can make a difference in somebody’s life. It gives me a warm fuzzy feeling in my stomach maybe that is why I want to earn a degree in Social Work.
For me that epiphany came when I was standing in line waiting for our reservations at a restaurant, when this woman came up to me and said, “You don’t remember me, but you spoke in our class and I now have a patient who is transgender. And because of that class I knew how to reach out to her.”
If you are gay or lesbian or bisexual or transgender or queer or questioning, reach out and help someone by volunteering a little bit of you time.

Outreach at SCSU

I did an Outreach (Give a lecture or panel discussion) at a university in the southern part of the state yesterday. There were two classes that I took part in panel discussions both classes were Human Sexuality classes taught by the same professor and there were three of us on the panel; a crossdresser, an FtM and myself. Both classes had about 25 -30 students but the first class had only one male students and the second class it was about six or seven also out of 25 -30 students, also the second class the men were mostly sports majors. The differences in the classes were pronounced, in the first they asked many question and just about everyone were asking questions including the only guy. But in the second class the questions were few and far between, with only a small number of students were asking questions. Most of the question came from the women with only one or two men asking questions. One of the guys was asking some really good questions, one question was to the FtM about the effects of testosterone, if it made him angry or moody. I later found out he was not one of the sports majors. Most of the guys in the second class just sat there with their arms folded, legs wide open and a frown on their face, they were basically saying, I don’t want to be here, this is too weird form me.
After the classes the three of us went out to dinner and we put on quite a show for the staff, the behaved like junior high students. They all had to take a peek at the trannies, it seemed like kitchen help all had to step out in to the dinning room to dry their hands and take a look at us.

Off to School

I just got back from an open house at Uconn School of Social Work and it looks like I will be taking classes this winter. I talked to them about how to handle my name and they said to put my legal name on the forms and they will put Diana on the class registration. They also didn’t have any problem with the classes I plan on taking. So it looks like a go!

I thought I wouldn’t know anyone there but it turned out that there was, she was one of the interns that helped out at the lobbying training that I took back in February. She is taking the same Concentration as I want to take but she is in her second year of the Masters program. The Concentration that I want to take is Policy Practice that deals with legislation, lobbying, public policies and advocacy. So it is pretty much what I am doing now, but I think a degree would be much more valuable in accomplishing my goals.

By the way Sunday

~Let It Snow~

Does it snow where you live?
If not, have you ever seen snow in person?
Yes, more than I like, as a matter of fact the first snow storm of the season is forecast for tomorrow and of course everyone will be driving like a maniac.

Do you like snow or do you consider it a nuisance?
Now I do, when I was a kid it was GREAT! Now, bah humbug.

Do you have any experience with shoveling snow?
Too much!

Have you ever built a snowman?
Yes and also igloos and snow forts.

If you had a choice would you prefer Christmas with snow or without?
With, but not on around Christmas, too many people traveling. I just want the ground covered.

If you could hit anyone with a snowball right now, who would it be?
(all in good fun)
My brother to get even with him for the slush ball he hit me with when we were little.

Saturday Six - Episode 138

Patrick Weekender


1. What is the last fruit or vegetable juice you drank? How long ago did you drink it?
Apple cider, about half a hour age

2. Which are more likely to have on hand: fresh fruit and vegetables or fresh juice?
Fresh fruit and fresh juice (Apple Cider). Veggies, only corn and the fixin’ for salads.

3. Does a negative movie review make you less likely to see the movie? Does a positive review make you more likely to see it?
I don’t really like to go and see movies, so a good or bad movie review doesn’t make a difference. If when I go to a movie it is because I want to see it not because of the reviews.

4. Take the quiz: What gender is your brain?

Your Brain is 60% Female, 40% Male

Your brain is a healthy mix of male and female You are both sensitive and savvy Rational and reasonable, you tend to keep level headed But you also tend to wear your heart on your sleeve

What Gender Is Your Brain?

5. Which line of description in the results best describes you?
Rational and reasonable, you tend to keep level headed.

6. The U.S. Mint has announced a plan to reintroduce one-dollar coins, this time with former presidents. Would you use one-dollar coins, or is paper still the way to go?
I don’t mind the one dollar coins; they are great for tollbooths exact change lanes.

Thursday Threesome

::Sweet Baby James::

Onesome: Sweet-- or sour? What type of sauces do you like on your dishes when you 'do Chinese'?

I don’t like Chinese.

Twosome: Baby-- back ribs? ...or steak? Tofu? Chicken? It's your choice; what would you like for your next meal "out"?

Ribs! Next choice would be chicken.

Threesome: James-- town flood? What do [you] flood your mashed potatoes with, gravy or butter? ...or do you like them plain?

I like to make a hole in the middle of the mash potatoes and fill it up with gray. Followed by Lipitor. ;-)

3x Thursday

::Random::

1. What kind of mattress do you like to sleep on? Hard, soft, medium, etc. Does it matter to you? Why/why not?

I sleep on a king size waterbed, it kind of hard to set the hardness of a waterbed. It is either liquid or solid and I don’t particularly like sleeping on a frozen bed.

2. Is your mode of transportation (motorcycle, car, bike, scooter, etc) reliable? Do you ever have much trouble with it?

Yes, I have a three year old Prius and I have never had any trouble with it. as a matter of fact I am thinking of buying a new one this month.

3. What kind of relationship do you have with your boss? Is it strictly business, or can you just hang out with them if you want to?

I have a good working relationship with my boss and I keep it on a professional level. I don’t look forward to revealing the fact to him that I am trans because I would like to keep it out of my professional life for now.

Bonus Question: Do you like your house/apartment/room/whatever? Got any complaints?

I like my house, it is a contemporary passive solar cape. Boy do I have complaints, first don’t have you cousin or family member build it. My roof leeks on will need to be re shingled (It’s only 15 years old and it should have lasted another 5 to 10 years.), the sheetrock nails are popping through (he was supposed to use sheetrock screws), he didn’t use a sub-floor when he put in the tile floors in the hallway and bathrooms a result the tile is cracking, he don’t use cement board in the shower stall and that had to be redone. I could go on and on. I am not a builder, he is and I trusted his judgment. He should said that a sub-floor was needed, he told me that tarpaper is not used anymore, I had no idea that you needed cement board in the shower stall and he lied to me about using sheetrock screws. All of these problems didn’t show up until 5 or 10 years later.

Moral to the story is; don’t use relatives to build you dream house.

T.G.I.F.

Where Art Thou?

01. Where do you feel safest?

In my own house

02. Where do you feel most in danger?

Walking to my car in Hartford at night.

03. Where in the world do you most like to go on vacation?

First of all, I would like to take a Windjammer cruise along the coast of Maine, drive from Denver to San Francisco stopping at the Grand Canyon and Yosemite National Parks.

04. Where in the world do you most like to live in?

Right where I live now, Connecticut.

05. Where is the love?

In the heart

I’ve Been Busy

I haven’t blogged much this week because I have been busy with a million (well not really a million, but it seems like it) little things.
With writing Christmas letters, a 3 to 4 page essay on why I want to get a Masters in Social Work, attending the meeting and writing the Minutes for the Connecticut TransAdvocacy Coalition meeting and writing Thank You notes to the individuals who helped out at the Transgender Day of Remembrance.
I written two Christmas letters this year, one to a college friend in which I came out to him and the other to a friend who moved out to Santa Rosa California to be with her son and grandchildren.
At the CTAC meeting I was elected to the Board of Directors as Secretary, no surprise there, I have been doing the minutes for the last six months. At the meeting it was decided that we should send out Thank You notes to all that helped out with TDOR and they thought that the Secretary should send them (Rats, I didn’t think of that when I volunteered for the position.).
At work when I telling a fellow employee that I needed three letter of recommendations in order to apply to the Master Degree program, when I was looking it up on the web-site to show was him when I noticed another requirement, the essay. They ask a series of six or seven question which you have to incorporate the answers in the essay, questions like why do you want the get a Master’s degree in Social Work and what made you decide to change fields. Even though I don’t need it until late January or early February, I have been working on a rough draft and assembling my thoughts.
Tonight of a Christmas party at a friend’s house, so I hope to have a little time tomorrow to catch up on the blog quizzes.

An Intersexed Deer?

I found this on the (En)gender Forum and it was to good to pass up.....

Man Shoots Doe With Rack of Antlers
Excite News
Nov 27, 10:31 PM (ET)

MICHIGAN, N.D. (AP) - When Carmen Erickson dropped a deer with a single shot in a cattail slough south of here, he thought he'd downed a nice buck. Unlike his shot, he was a little off. The deer was a doe.

"It's got no male utilities," said Erickson, who lives in Minot. "It has teats ... it was pretty unusual."

Six hunting partners with Erickson witnessed the doe with a 4-by-4 rack.

"I'm sure this story will be around for 10 years," he said. "At least in our group."

Erickson notified the state Game and Fish Department and received a voice mail from a biologist who said these types of deer often are bucks whose testicles haven't descended or for some reason are castrated. Erickson said that is not the case with his deer, however.

"We couldn't find any male genitals on the deer," he said.

"We turned it over, and I got a lot of heat over that. Like I was supposed to know," Erickson joked.

Gary Rankin, district game warden in Larimore, said he has seen a couple of antlered does over the years, but for a doe to have a well-developed rack is unusual.

It is not the first antlered doe to be reported in the region this year. A conservation officer for the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources reported seeing a 10-point antlered doe shot near Robbin, Minn., during that state's firearms deer season. DNR conservation officers in other parts of Minnesota also reported a handful of antlered does.

Erickson said the antlered doe is a first for his crew, which has been hunting together for 25 years.

"It definitely was a keeper, he said.

---

Dr Phil's Test

Cheery You scored 42!

Others see you as fresh, lively, charming, amusing, practical, and always interesting; someone who's constantly in the center of attention, but sufficiently well-balanced not to let it go to their head. They also see you as kind, considerate, and understanding; someone who'll always cheer them up and help them out. I got a 44.

My test tracked 1 variable How you compared to other people your age and gender: You scored higher than 99% on Personality

Link: The Dr. Phil Test written by christygirlie08 on OkCupid Free Online Dating, home of the The Dating Persona Test

Postponing Telling My Boss

I decided to postpone telling my boss until I am ready to register for the classes. There is an Open House at Uconn on December 4^th, so I will talk to the school admissions officers and find out what I need for registration in to the STEP program. To put it mildly my college grades weren’t that great, I was more interested in partying than studying (Translated – I was into drugs more than books, it took me six years to get my degree. Also there was a war on and the longer you stayed in school, the long you stayed out of Vietnam).

I know I will have to get a copy of my transcripts, also I will need three letters of recommendation and I will need to find out if I will need anything else. I also worry about (You know me, I am a worrier.) my spelling and grammar, is it up to Master’s standards, will I have to write a thesis?

I could go on and on with “What ifs” so with all those questions and the pressure of the up coming holidays I decided to put off telling my boss, that’s one less thing to think about right now.