LGBT Family Day

We drag our families through a lot; some families shatter under the weight, some wobble at first and then pull together. What we are asking is for them to enter our closets with us, to share a part of us, to share our world. “A mixed up, shook up world, where boys will be girls and girls will be boys” and it is hard for them as it is hard for us. It is a test of love. What is amazing is that love can over come all of these huddles and survive and grow stronger.
Right now my family is going through a wobbly period but I know we will get over this bump in the road because my love for them is strong and I believe their love for me is strong. My first inclination was to run, but I over came that impulse because of my love for my brother. If anything else, I know that this will make our bond stronger.
But let us not forget that there are many families out there that are torn apart because their son or daughter or spouse is gay or lesbian or transgender or bi and they cannot or do not know how to deal with it. Their love is not strong enough. I am sure we all know someone whose family has broken off contact with them, maybe today we can give them a phone call and talk to them for awhile. I know I will.

Photo of the Week

Does this scene look familiar? Think snow and ice. Now does it?


(Hint: Look at April 10th blog entry.)

FOUR FOR FRIDAY

From Belicove.Com

Q1 - Automobiles: A gallon of gasoline weighs just over 6 pounds. When burned, the carbon in it combines with oxygen from the air to produce nearly 20 pounds of carbon dioxide (CO2). With that in mind, and with the price of gasoline continually on the rise, how likely is it that the next car you buy will be a hybrid?

I already own one, a Prius and I bought it back in 2003

Q2- Television: How many channels are on your television, and approximately how many of them do you watch on a somewhat regular basis?

Around 70 channels and I probably watch maybe 6. if I had my way I would get rid of all the sports channels.

Q3- How Are They Doing: Do you think pharmaceutical and drug companies generally do a good or bad job of serving their consumers?

They are very good at creating a market for there product and a bad job of serving their consumers.

Q4- Right Now: What is the closest object to your left hand?

My water bottle, which happens to be empty, so it is off to the refrigerator to refill it.

An Elephant in the Living Room

It was a hard weekend for me at the cottage, my brother made some comments that made me think of the old saying about the elephant in the living room that no one talks about. I went up there with a friend who helped out working on the wiring with me. My brother made a comment about why I bring up my trans friends and why do I talk about trans issues. Well, because they are my friends and she offered to help and also I didn’t think I talked about trans issues that much, considering that he talked constantly about soccer with my nephew. But the minute that I mention something trans issues, it is too much.
Well the two of us talked it over before I left, he agreed to try to see my point of view, that it is a part of my life ( A very big part right now ) and I agreed to try not talk about it so much. That we only can do our best and that there is no guide book for being trans,

A Blog Worth Reading

One of the blogs ( Rising Up Whole ) that I follow had a commentary that I thing is well worth sharing. It is the May 21st entry entitled “Bigotry is Contagious” about the false research by Paul Cameron that was published in Journal of Biosocial Science

Upcoming Blog for LGBT Families Day

From (en)Gender blog:

Mombian has had the clever idea to start an LGBT Families Day, and I wanted people to know about it before it came and went.

On June 1st, blog about your LGBT family, or blog about why LGBT families rock, or why they should have more legal rights, or whatever pertains to the subject that you need to say.

HRC has it up on their site, too.

I’d also like to point out our own little clearinghouse of information for parents who are trans.

You can get more information at Mombian’s blog post about it, and do make sure they know you’re in on it!

Small Town Politics

Now I might not be the world's smartest Trannie but I can count.
A friend was running to be on the Board of the one of the town's water district and he asked me to attend tonight’s meeting to vote for him. Well it was an eye opener.
When you entered they checked off your name on the voter registration for the district, there were a 163 names checked off. The first item of business was to increase the term for the commissioners from three to five years, the Chairperson asked for those in favor to raise their hands and then those against. As I said I not the brightest Trannie but I could see that the motion was defeated, so I was a little surprised when he said it passed. After a count of hands the motion was defeated 54 to 84. Hmm..........
Next on the agenda was the election for one of the commissioners, which was the position my friend was running for. There were three candidates for the position, the candidate who has been on the Board for eternity and the two new candidates including my friend. The vote was a hundred something for the old timer who spends most of the year down in Florida and not in town, the other candidate got seventy something and my friend got fifty something votes, I think you can see my confusion right away since they don’t allow absentee voting. It was better then President’s Bush’s “Hanging Chad”
The last items was to vote on the budget and it was the same dog and pony show all over again, the Chairperson saying that it passed and a count showed that it didn’t.
Then the Chairperson said “Oh well, I guess there is no new business, meeting adjourned.” Now being on two Boards of Directors I think I know a little about Robert and his rules to know you can’t adjourn a meeting without a motion and a second and then a vote.
So this little water district meeting was an eye opener for me in to the world of small town politics.






I will be up at the cottage the next four days trying to finish up the wiring.

Ogunquit Trip

The weekend was a blast! And for those who were wondering how dinner went with my brother and sister-in-law. Well we didn’t go out to eat, I went over there instead. No it wasn’t a cop out; it was because my niece and her four year old son were there. So instead of going out for a lobster dinner we had it there and my niece and her son got to meet Diana for the first time. It went very well, I was so nervous at meeting them and it turned out once again to be worrying over nothing. For my niece it was a none event and for her son, well like any four year old when they meet someone new, hid behind his mother’s leg and peeked out from behind it. I am so lucky to have a family that is so accepting, I just can’t believe it!
As for the rest of the weekend it also was great. The B&B was not as plush or the food as good as the one I go to for Fantasia Fair in Provincetown, but it was good. There were two other COS gals there and two lesbian couples, one couple is from Maine and the other couple is from Ontario Province in Canada, who were also staying there for the weekend.
It was murder getting there on Friday; it took almost five hours to get there for a normal three hour drive. The Massachusetts Turnpike was closed down because of hazardous trail truck accident, so for a normal half hour drive I sat in bumper to bumper traffic for two and a half hours for ten miles on the turnpike. But once I got to Ogunquit I was able to relax and go for a walk along the Marginal Way down to Perkins’s Cove and then late that night I went out to dinner with one of the COS members.
On Saturday we met up with the Sunshine Club members that were also up there for the weekend and walked around sight seeing and shopping. That night the COS member and I went to a “T” dance at the Main Street Bar. When we entered the lady at the door looked at us and said that this was a women’s dance and that we could not go out on to the dance floor. To me that seemed like a violation of Maine’s new Anti Discrimination law that includes “actual or perceived…gender identity or expression.” ..... “in a place of public accommodation”, but we didn’t want to make an issues of it so we went in and sat on the porch for a couple of drinks. Later we were joined by one of the couples from the B&B and we sat and talked over drinks. For dinner the two of us met one of the Sunshine Club members for dinner, followed by drinks at the Piano Bar on the corner of Shore Road and Main St.
Sunday the two of us went to Nubble Light house and then shopping in Kittery at some of the hundreds of factory outlets there and then I got ready for the big dinner at my brother’s.
Now for the photos.....................

I'm Back.......... Also an update on VT

I had a great trip and I'll be posting some of the pictures that I took ( I took a total of 103 so I will be a job to whittle them down to 10 or so. ) and I will also write something up on it.

But for now here is an update on the Vermont Anti Discrimination bill, I think you all know where I stand on the issue and how I think about the govenor..........

Vermont Governor Vetoes Anti-Discrimination Legislation
May 18, 2006
H-865 Would Have Protected Vermonters from Discrimination Based on “Gender Identity or _Expression”
Washington, DC — On May 17, Governor James Douglas (R) vetoed the will of fair-minded Vermonters by killing H-865, a bill that had garnered strong support in the legislature. The bill would have added “gender identity or _expression” to the state’s existing non-discrimination law. Vermont was poised to become the ninth state in the country to make discriminatory practices based on gender identity or _expression illegal.
Earlier this month, a final 88-47 vote of concurrence in the state legislature had sent the bill to Governor Douglas for consideration. First introduced four years by lead sponsor Representative Bill Lippert (D- Hinesburg), the bill covered employment, housing and public accommodations, and was a reasonable step forward in providing equal protection under the law for all Vermonters. Vermont’s hate crimes law already includes “gender identity” language.
Although eight states, the District of Columbia, and eighty cities and counties have sought to curb rampant discrimination by passing transgender- inclusive anti-discrimination laws, Vermont’s bill was the third within a year to pass through legislatures only to be vetoed at the executive level. Last year, a bill that would have specifically banned employment discrimination based on gender identity or _expression passed through Hawaii’s legislature, but was vetoed by Governor Linda Lingle (R). However, Lingle allowed a bill providing protections in public accommodations to pass into law without her signature in May 2006. Colorado Governor Bill Owens (R) vetoed a non-discrimination bill in 2005 that would have added sexual orientation and gender identity to existing state non-discrimination laws.
“We are very disappointed in Governor Douglas’s decision,” said Christopher Kaufman, executive director of the R.U.1.2? Community Center in Burlington. “This bill would have made a huge difference in the lives of transgender and gender non- conforming Vermonters in terms of the basic necessities—access to jobs, housing and services.”
“We commend the powerful grassroots effort supporting this bill from the R.U.1.2? Community Center, TransAction, and other concerned Vermonters,” said Mara Keisling, executive director of the National Center for Transgender Equality. “Organizers in Vermont were successful in building support for the bill in both houses of the legislature and had a strong ally in Representative Lippert. It is unfortunate that Governor Douglas chose to deny much needed protections to transgender and gender non-conforming people in Vermont. The National Center for Transgender Equality held an advocacy training in Vermont to support local efforts in the state last February.
Recognizing the need to address pervasive 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. These laws currently cover 31-percent of the US population.
The R.U.1.2? Community Center will hold a press conference on Thursday, May 18 at 12:00pm in their offices at 34 Elmwood Avenue, Burlington, VT to discuss the Governor’s veto and next steps. For more information on the press conference, please contact Christopher Kaufman at 802-860-7812.

National Center for Transgender Equality

Off To Ogunquit, ME

I will be back at the computer on Monday.

Barefoot and Pregnant

I came across this blog when I was readings Helen’s blog (en)gendered entitled: No “Them” Or “Us” from Dan Savages blog entitled: “STRAIGHT RIGHTS UPDATE”:

I’ve been running around with my hair on fire trying to convince my straight readers that religious conservatives don’t just hate homos. Their attacks on gay people, relationships, parents, and sex get all the press, but the American Taliban has an anti-straight-rights agenda too. As I wrote on March 23: “The GOP’s message to straight Americans: If you have sex, we want it to fuck up your lives as much as possible. No birth control, no emergency contraception, no abortion services, no lifesaving vaccines. If you get pregnant, tough shit. You’re going to have those babies, ladies, and you’re going to make those child-support payments, gentlemen. And if you get HPV and it leads to cervical cancer, well, that’s too bad. Have a nice funeral, slut.”
After raising the alarm for months back here in the sex ads section, I was intensely gratified to read Russell Shorto’s brilliant cover story, “The War on Contraception,” in the New York Times Magazine last weekend. To readers who think I’m being hysterical: So you don’t think the religious right would seriously go after birth control? Fine, don’t believe me. But maybe you’ll believe Shorto when he lays out the American Taliban’s plan to deny access to birth control—any and all types, folks, not just emergency contraception.
“In particular, and not to put too fine a point on it, they want to change the way Americans have sex,” Shorto writes. “Contraception, by [their] logic,” Shorto continues, “encourages sexual promiscuity, sexual deviance (like homosexuality), and a preoccupation with sex that is unhealthful even within marriage.” Shorto quotes Judie Brown, president of the American Life League: “We see a direct connection between the practice of contraception and the practice of abortion. The mind-set that invites a couple to use contraception is an antichild mind-set. So when a baby is conceived accidentally, the couple already have this negative attitude toward the child. Therefore seeking an abortion is a natural outcome. We oppose all forms of contraception.” And there’s this from R. Albert Mohler Jr., president of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary: “I cannot imagine any development in human history, after the Fall, that has had a greater impact on human beings than the pill… Prior to it, every time a couple had sex, there was a good chance of pregnancy. Once that is removed, the entire horizon of the sexual act changes. I think there could be no question that the pill gave incredible license to everything from adultery and affairs to premarital sex and within marriage to a separation of the sex act and procreation.”
I’ll say it again, breeders: The American Taliban is not just opposed to straight premarital sex, with their abstinence education and hilariously ineffective virginity pledges, or gay sex, with their “ex-gay” campaigns and their anti-gay-marriage amendments. The American Taliban doesn’t think married heterosexual couples should be able to use birth control. If you care about your own freedom—not just your right to have premarital sex, but your right to decide whether, when, and how many children you’re going to have—you need to read “The War on Contraception.” And don’t comfort yourself with the notion that these are just some antisex religious wackos: The Bush administration not only listens to these wackos, it appoints them to important positions all over the federal government—and let’s not even think about the members of the American Taliban that Bush has already appointed to lifetime positions in the federal judiciary.
This is some serious shit, breeders. You’re being attacked. It’s time to fight back.
Copywrite Dan Savage

I said it once and I will say it again, what the Right Wing Republicans want is to bring back the Fifties. They want the housewife barefoot, at home and pregnant and the husband at work with a nice gray or blue suit and tie. They want life to be simple with no distractions. They don’t want anything that might make them think. They don’t want any diversity. Where the government was always right, big business knew what was good for America and we had domain over the environment.

3X Thursday

From "A 'Textbook-Good' Visit"

1. Are there medicines you have to take everyday? If so, is it a drag?

Lets see, I got my heart medication, I got my cholesterol medication and I got my trannie medication that stops all the nasty testosterone and I got a couple of estradiol patches for that good stuff.

2. Are you more of a Western medicine fan, or Eastern? Wny/why not?
Western medicine, I think that it is more effective.

3. Are you one of those people who avoids doctors at all costs and just self-medicates as need be, or do you check in with a 'professional' from time to time?

Heck, I have a whole stable fill of doctors. I have my GP that I see once a year, I have a dermatologist ( One of my family members came down with skin cancer when he was 18 ) that I also see once a year and I have my endocrinologist that I see twice a year.

Vermont Governor Vetoes Anti-Discrimination Legislation

May 18, 2006

H-865 Would Have Protected Vermonters from Discrimination Based on “Gender Identity or _Expression”

Washington, DC — On May 17, Governor James Douglas (R) vetoed the will of fair-minded Vermonters by killing H-865, a bill that had garnered strong support in the legislature. The bill would have added “gender identity or _expression” to the state’s existing non-discrimination law. Vermont was poised to become the ninth state in the country to make discriminatory practices based on gender identity or _expression illegal.

Earlier this month, a final 88-47 vote of concurrence in the state legislature had sent the bill to Governor Douglas for consideration. First introduced four years by lead sponsor Representative Bill Lippert (D- Hinesburg), the bill covered employment, housing and public accommodations, and was a reasonable step forward in providing equal protection under the law for all Vermonters. Vermont’s hate crimes law already includes “gender identity” language.

Although eight states, the District of Columbia, and eighty cities and counties have sought to curb rampant discrimination by passing transgender- inclusive anti-discrimination laws, Vermont’s bill was the third within a year to pass through legislatures only to be vetoed at the executive level. Last year, a bill that would have specifically banned employment discrimination based on gender identity or _expression passed through Hawaii’s legislature, but was vetoed by Governor Linda Lingle (R). However, Lingle allowed a bill providing protections in public accommodations to pass into law without her signature in May 2006. Colorado Governor Bill Owens (R) vetoed a non-discrimination bill in 2005 that would have added sexual orientation and gender identity to existing state non-discrimination laws.

“We are very disappointed in Governor Douglas’s decision,” said Christopher Kaufman, executive director of the R.U.1.2? Community Center in Burlington. “This bill would have made a huge difference in the lives of transgender and gender non- conforming Vermonters in terms of the basic necessities—access to jobs, housing and services.”

“We commend the powerful grassroots effort supporting this bill from the R.U.1.2? Community Center, TransAction, and other concerned Vermonters,” said Mara Keisling, executive director of the National Center for Transgender Equality. “Organizers in Vermont were successful in building support for the bill in both houses of the legislature and had a strong ally in Representative Lippert. It is unfortunate that Governor Douglas chose to deny much needed protections to transgender and gender non-conforming people in Vermont. The National Center for Transgender Equality held an advocacy training in Vermont to support local efforts in the state last February.

Recognizing the need to address pervasive 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. These laws currently cover 31-percent of the US population.

The R.U.1.2? Community Center will hold a press conference on Thursday, May 18 at 12:00pm in their offices at 34 Elmwood Avenue, Burlington, VT to discuss the Governor’s veto and next steps. For more information on the press conference, please contact Christopher Kaufman at 802-860-7812.



National Center for Transgender Equality

Hats in the Ring

I had the Connecticut Outreach Society’s Board Meeting last night and I have been sitting on the fence trying to decide whether I should run again for Executive Director. I decided that I would.

Lighthouses of New England

Since the weather was so bad this weekend that I couldn’t go out and take any photographs, I decided to post my lighthouse collection. Enjoy.............



Block Island RI - Southeast Lighthouse



Block Island RI - North Lighthouse



Bass Harbor ME - Bass Lighthouse



North Turo MA - Highland Lighthouse

What Do We Owe the World

I was reading another blog and they mentioned an entry in another blog called “not THAT different” about what does the Transgender community owe the rest of the world.
I see it differently, not as a debt owed but rather as a gift to give. I educate because I want to, not because of a debt. I help my fellow brother and sisters because I love them and want to help them, not because I am paying back a debt owed. When I reach out to comfort our brothers and sisters it is not because somebody was there when I needed comfort but because I want to. When I go to a support group, I don’t go to pay back a debt; I go because I want to help them. I want to make their life a little easier by sharing my knowledge and love.
I see many who pass through the community on their transition. They come to the support groups make friends and then fade out of the community once they had their surgery. Do I think that they are wrong in doing so, no. We each are unique and travel our own path.
For me, I want to give back to the community more than I took.

In the News II - Romney leery of parade "hosted by crossdresser"

Oh my God, what is the world coming to? Think of it kids being able to express themselves, what a revolutionary idea!

Romney leery of parade "hosted by crossdresser"

"This year what was brought to our attention was a press release that was not authorized by this office but which went out on state letterhead promoting a parade that was hosted by a crossdresser and celebrating, among other things, transgenderism," he said, adding Romney has instructed the commission to refocus on its core mission of suicide prevention.

Well maybe if there was less bigotry, hatred and discrimination there would be fewer suicides. Maybe if the kids would be allowed to take part in Pride in who they are there would be fewer suicides. Maybe if the Governor signed the proclamation instead of treating them like they had the plague there would be fewer suicides.

Was the commission wrong in releasing the press release, yes. They shouldn’t have done it with Romney and Lt. Gov. Kerry Healey's names, the state seal and the commission's name without proper clearance that was wrong. But the governors reaction was equally wrong.

As a friend wrote in her blog about her mentee’s Queer Prom last night.......

But the Queer Prom. Damn. Kids danced. They sat on the steps out front, talking. They hung out downstairs with the snacks and the art. They sat in the dark pews watching the merriment. The dance floor was packed and the rules were tossed - boys danced with boys, and with girls. Girls danced with girls, and boys. Gender was splashed all over the canvas - with a handful of obvious transkids, people on the butch / FTM boorderline, goth kids who were hitting androgyny hard. I watched a young butch woman in a suit and a fedora with a jaunty red feather get passed around (somewhat aggressively) by femme's vying for her attention.

That is what we need more of and then we would see fewer suicides, not some politician pushing us away with a ten foot pole.

In the News

There have been a lot of articles about the NSA gathering list of phone calls that they have been doing since 9/11 and most of the polls show that the public in general is in favor of them collecting phone information. A the reasons most often quoted in the polls for there acceptance is that credit card companies and other businesses collect information about us all the time, so what is the big deal?

I see a major flaw in that argument, with businesses all you end up with is more junk mail or spam, but if you are on the government list you could be denied boarding on a plane fight or worst. If you call a friend with an Arab sounding name will get on a list? I you call a wrong number and that phone number is being watch, would you also get on the watch list? If you get on a list how do you get off the list? Will the list be shared with other agencies? I asked these questions before but they are worth repeating.

I am old enough to remember Watergate and also Daniel Ellsberg's the Pentagon Paper and how the FBI acted in those cases. How they felt that in the interest of “National Security” that they could conduct searches with out warrants and that lead to the down fall of one President. I am old enough to remember how the FBI helped get Regan elected governor of California. What will the government do with the information it is now collecting? Will it help some candidate that it now favors?

In a free and open democratic society the people need to be free to discussion and debate ideas with out fear. The threat of government monitoring prevents open discussion.

Club Lucy

We had a good turn out at both Twenty Club and COS yesterday. At COS we had a chili contest and at first I was worried that I would have the only entry, it would be kind of hard to have a contest with one entry. But, at the last minute four others brought some and I should have hoped that they didn’t. I came in forth place! Bah!

After the COS meeting a lot of us headed over to Club Lucy, it would have been nice and I would have stayed later except for one thing, the music was just too damn loud! Painful loud! Ear ring loud! Why do they have to have it so loud? OSHA sets the maximum at 90 db’s and the threshold of pain is about 140 db’s and I already have Tinnitus; I don’t need to have it get worse. So I left around eleven staying only a half an hour.

Ogunquit, ME Trip

Next weekend I am going up to Ogunquit Maine for fours days over the weekend and the long range forecast is looking better, the sun might be out after a week of rain. So keep your fingers cross and hope for good picture taking weather.

The trip is one I organized with my support group in conjunction with other area support groups to get the gals out and up to a safe place for them to go out in public. We did a survey of our members and had ten positive responses out of about forty-five members; well anyhow only two other beside myself, signed up and made reservations.

I’m staying over an extra night so that Sunday night I can go out with my brother and sister-in-law for dinner. It will be the first time that they will be out in public with me.

Quite a Few Questions

From "A Textbook-Good Visit"


1. What time did you get up this morning?
4:00 – 4:30am. It is not that I want to but my internal alarm clock goes off.

2. Diamonds or pearls?
Diamonds, I think they are more versatile and go with more outfits.

3. What was the last film you saw at the cinema?
Breakfast on Pluto

4. What is your favorite TV show?
Law & Order, CSI and Dr Who. I know it says favorite but I don’t just have one.

5. What did you have for breakfast?
Melon, bacon, eggs and hash browns.

6. What is your middle name?
I think it is going to be Roberta

7. What is your favorite food?
Lobster. Nothing even comes a close second.

8. What foods do you dislike?
Mushrooms.

9. What kind of potato chips do you like?
Cape Cod Kettle Fried ( You can see by my answers for breakfast, favorite food and chip why my doctor put me on Lipitor )

10. What is your favorite CD at the moment?
Rent, although I don’t listen to CDs much only when I am traveling.

11. What kind of car do you drive?
Toyota Prius

12. Favorite sandwich?
Turkey on rye with lettuce, tomato, onion and spicy mayonnaise.

13. What characteristics do you despise?
Holier than thou type persons who have to preach to you about going to hell.

14. Favorite item of clothing?
Turtle neck.

15. If you could go anywhere in the world on vacation, where would you go?
I wouldn’t go far, just up the coast of Maine in a windjammer, stopping at the different ports along the way. Just as long as I had plenty of memory cards for my camera.


16. What color is your bathroom?
Grey. It’s a long story which basically comes down to this, the color I picked out was nixed by my mother as to feminine and since I was still in the closet I didn’t want to stand up to her.


17. What is your favorite brand of clothing?
J. C. Penny’s St. John’s Bay.


18. Where would you want to retire?
Right here in Central Connecticut.


19. Favorite time of day?
Early evening, I like watching sunsets.


20. Where were you born?
Bridgeport CT.


21. Favorite sport to watch?
Sports! Ugh!


22. Who do you least expect to answer this????
My brother.


23. Person you expect to answer first?
I have my guess, but I don’t want to say because then they won’t.


24. Coke or Pepsi?
I don’t drink the major brands, but the soda I do drink is caffeine free.


25. Are you a morning person or night owl?
Morning.


26. What size shoe do you wear?
Ah....... 12


27. Do you have any pets?
Nope.


28. Any new and exciting news you'd like to share with everyone?
I had my GRS!! I wish.........


29. What did you want to be when you were little?
A nuclear engineer.


30. Is the glass half empty or half full?
Half empty

31. What is your best childhood memory?
I don’t have any good memories. Being Trans is hard

32. What are the different jobs you have had in your life?
The job I have now as a supervisor I had for over twenty five years.

33. What color underwear are you wearing?
Pink.


34. Nicknames:
Di

35. Piercings?
Nope. Once I transition.

36. Eye color:
I have no idea what my eye color is.


37. Ever been to Africa?
No and I have no desire to go either.


38. Ever been toilet papering?
Never.

39. Love someone so much it made you cry?
See answer 31.


40. Been in a car accident?
Oh......... more times then I want to remember. But none since my twenties.

41. Croutons or bacon bits?
Both.


42. Favorite day of the week?
Friday.

43. Favorite flower?
Rose

44. Favorite ice cream?
Ben & Jerry’s Cherry Garcia.

45. Disney or Warner Brothers?
Independent film makers.

46. Favorite fast food restaurant?
Burger King on the rare occasions that I eat at a fast food restaurant.

47. What color is your bedroom carpet?
Blue.


48. Failed your drivers test?
No.

49. From whom did you get your last e-mail from?
From an attorney representing my long lost aunt, it seems I am in her will and all I have to do to collect is send him my bank account number.

50. Which store would you choose to max out your credit card?
Best Buys`.


51. What do you most often do when you are bored?
Sleep?

52. Bedtime?
10:30 – 11:00 I usually fall asleep watching CSI. I sure wish I could find out who did it, instead of waking up and finding the news on.

53. Who are you most curious about their responses to this questionnaire?
No one.

54. Last person you went to dinner with?
A friend I was at NoHo Pride with.

55. Lake, ocean or river?
I like both lakes and ocean. We have a cottage on a lake but I also like the oceans and watching the waves.

56. How many tattoos do you have?
None

57. Which came first, the chicken or the egg?
Egg.

58. How many people are you tagging with this?
None.

Just What I Really Don't Need

This sucks..........

It has been raining heavily all day and a leak has developed in my Dinning room ceiling.
I have lived here since 1991 and have never had a problem until now. Why now?

Hmmm............

I was talking to the HR Manager at work today when she said something interesting. She was talking to a mutual friend and that friend mentioned that when she went to the medical clinic in town that the three us go to, they had changed some of thier forms. They added “Other” to their Male / Female boxes. Hmm... co-incidence? Or was that because of me. I do know that I see three doctors at that clinic, so just maybe it is in away because of me, I might have been the catalyst.

What Gender Is Your Brain?

On “A Textbook Good Visit“ blog she had a quiz from blogthings.com posted. There they have one of those quizzes called “What Gender Is Your Brain?”, of course I had to take it.


My results were split right down the middle.......

Your Brain is 53% Female, 47% 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

FOUR FOR FRIDAY

From Belicove.com:

Q1 - Shopping: How important is the "Made in America" label in your purchasing decisions?

Not very important, otherwise I would have nothing at all. I wish it wasn’t true but it is getting harder and harder to find anything with the “Made in America” lablel.

Q2 - Eavesdropping: To what degree do you feel government should be allowed to monitor its citizens phone calls without court approval (as much as it wants, not at all, by court order only, or somewhere in between)?

I am not going to be paranoid about it but I do not like it. What happens if you call a wrong number and get on somebody’s list? Would you ever get off the list? Who would the information be shared with?
Welcome to the world of 1984! In that story they were constantly at war with mysterious Eurasia and they were under constant surveillance by the all knowing Party and Big Brother. Hmmm does that sound familiar?

Q3 - Soda: Last week, all of the major soft drink manufacturers agreed to stop selling sugary soft drinks in public schools. Schools, responding to pressure that soft drinks contribute to children being overweight and unhealthy, will instead only sell water, low-fat milk and certain unsweetened juices to elementary and middle schools, and diet sodas, flavored water, unsweetened or diet teas and sports drinks to high schools. What do you think? Will this help children to be more fit, healthy and not become overweight?

No, I don’t think it will make a difference. The kids will just bring their own soda.

Q4 - Retirement: Based on what you know today, at what age do you think you'll retire?

In two years and five months, not that I am counting. Providing the stock market doesn’t crash.

THE MAYONNAISE JAR AND THE COFFEE

We all get those e-mails from friends with those quaint little parables but once in awhile I get one that I like and want to share and this is one of those.

THE MAYONNAISE JAR AND THE COFFEE

When things in your life seem almost too much to handle, when 24 hours in a day are simply not enough, remember the Mayonnaise Jar and the Coffee...

A mild-mannered professor stood before his graduate level philosophy class. On a table in front of him were a number of items in front. When the class began, without saying a word, he picked up a very large, industrial-size empty mayonnaise jar, and proceeded to fill it with golf balls. He then asked his students if the jar was full. They agreed that it was.

The professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar. He shook the jar lightly, allowing all the pebbles to roll into the open areas between the golf balls. He then asked his students again if the jar was full. They agreed it was.

The professor next picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. Of course, the sand filled up everything else. He asked the students once more if the jar was full. The students responded with a unanimous and resounding "yes".

The professor then produced two cups of coffee from under the table and poured both into the jar, effectively filling the empty space between the sand. The students laughed.

"Now," said the professor, as the laughter subsided, "I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life. The golf balls are the important things--your family, your children, your health, your friends, your religion, and the things you're most passionate about--things that if everything else was lost and only they remained, your life would still be full.”

"The pebbles are the other things that matter like your job, your house and your car.

The sand is everything else--the small stuff."

"If you put the sand into the jar first," he continued, "there is no room for the pebbles or the golf balls. The same goes for your life. If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff, you will never have room for the things that are important to you."

"Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness. Play with your children. Take time to get medical checkups. Take your partner out to dinner. Play another 18 holes of golf. There will always be time to clean the house and fix the disposal. Take care of the golf balls first, the things that really matter. Set our priorities. The rest is just sand."

One of the students raised her hand and asked what the coffee represented. The professor smiled. "I'm glad you asked. It just goes to show you that no matter how full your life may seem, there's always room for a couple of cups of coffee with a friend."

Spring is in Bloom

I planted this lilac bush under my bedroom window so that the fragrance will drift through the house.



Creeping phlox



Any guesses? These were in the wetlands behind my house and were there when I built it, some have suggested that it is Swamp Marigold.

A Cry in the Dark

I was checking out some blogs that I normal look at the other day and one of them caught my interest. Christine’s blog “Rising Up Whole” and she had a post about marriage equality and had a link to a blog called "Post Secret" where you post your secrets, so I followed the link there to see what else was there and what I found stopped me like a brick wall.



"My Family Does Not Know the Personal Tragedy They Are About To Face...I am dying"

So simple but so powerful. So emotional. So moving. So lonely. You want to reach out and wrap your arms around them. You want to reach out and comfort them.

Go Vermont!

VT Senate Approves Gender Identity Non-Discrimination Bill

By Ross Sneyd
Associated Press Writer
(Boston Globe)
May 3, 2006

MONTPELIER, Vt. --A bill that would prohibit discrimination based on someone's gender identity or expression won approval in the Senate on Wednesday, boosting chances that it will pass this session

The bill would make it illegal to deny someone a job, a home or
other public accommodations because he or she had gone through a sex change operation or because a person presented himself or herself in a different gender.

"This has nothing to do with morality," said Senate Majority Leader
John Campbell, D-Windsor. "This has everything to do with
understanding and compassion."

The proposal has been intensely debated in recent weeks in the
Senate Judiciary Committee and it appeared possible that it would
not emerge before the Legislature adjourned for the year, which
could come as soon as this weekend.

But it now seems likely to pass. When it came up on the Senate
calendar late Wednesday, it was quickly debated and passed and then
forwarded immediately to the House. House leaders said they were
likely to concur with changes the Senate made to the bill and send
it to the governor.

"I am so excited," said Christopher Kaufman, executive director of
the RU1.2? Community Center in Burlington. "It's going to make a
huge difference. People are going to feel like they have protections
in this state."

Opponents were angry, however, because they did not believe they
were given sufficient opportunity to testify as the bill was being
developed in the House or debated in the Senate Judiciary Committee.

"The whole process was rammed through and it was never fair from the start," said Kevin Blier of Vermont Renewal.

He complained that some terms in the bill were ambiguous and would
be open to interpretation by the courts. Blier said it might permit
a teacher who had appeared in a classroom as a man to return as a
woman. "The public has to wonder whether that's appropriate in a
kindergarten classroom or a high school classroom," he said.

Despite some tense moments, including a brief recess by a visibly
angry Lt. Gov. Brian Dubie at one point to confer with Senate
leaders, the bill passed with little opposition.

If Gov. Jim Douglas signs the bill into law, Vermont would become
the eighth state to prohibit discrimination based on gender identity
or expression.


C Copyright 2006 Associated Press. All rights reserved.

Wadsworth Falls State Park

I went to Wadsworth Falls State Park for a hike today; the park is about a half hour from my house and is the Rockfall.s section of Middletown. I tried to take another photograph of the stone bridge that is on my Geocities web-site but I didn’t capture it as I hoped, I guess the old saying that you can’t take the same photo twice is true. I walked up the trail to the old dam that was used to cool the Wadsworth Mansion. Cool water was pumped up to the house as kind of an early form of air-conditioning or so I was told. I climbed down into the gully to get the picture and then I had a hard time climbing back out.

Northampton Pride Day

Yesterday once the showers cleared, I went up to Northampton, MA for their Pride Day. I wandered around checking out the vendors, say Hi to those that I knew and then I sat down at the uniTy table so that some of them could wander around the Pride festival. Later I went up to Main Street for some ice cream.
They moved the event from a baseball field down behind the railroad track up to a parking lot just off of Main Street. I haven’t made up my mind yet as to whether I like the new location, to me it made it look smaller and more tightly packed. But I suppose one location is as good as another.
Northampton, is one of three GLBT friendly towns in New England, the other two are Provincetown, MA and Ogunquit ME. Northampton is a college town with five colleges or universities in the immediate area. One of them is Smith College which is one of the Seven Sisters and is located right in Northampton. The city itself has an old Victorian look to it and I love the wide streets and sidewalks. But I hate driving in the center of town; it can take an hour just to go a couple of block. From my house it is about an hour drive up I-91 and I usually park behind the bus station and walk from there.
Here are some of the photos from the day................









This is the Northampton City Hall, Smith College is only a couple of blocks to the right.



Looking down Main Street.



This is the Hampton County Municipal Building.



One of the old Victorian Buldings down one of the side streets.

FOUR FOR FRIDAY

From belicove.com;

Q1 - Actors & Actresses: Will you go out of your way to avoid watching a particular movie just because it features an actor or actress you do not like? What if the movie in question also features an actor or actress you do like?

No, I don’t really care for one actor or another; I go to see the movie, not the actor or actress. They can make or break the movie but I don’t pick a movie for who is staring in it but if the movie sounds like something I might like to watch.

Q2 - Established Customs: Good habits like bad ones are habit forming. What's one habit you'd like to break?

Eating between meals.

Q3 - Nuestro Himno: By now, everyone probably knows that "Nuestro Himno" is the Spanish language version of "The Star-Spangled Banner," and that U.S. President George W. Bush recently stated that he feels that the national anthem should be sung in English only. Despite the fact that the U.S. State Department's own web site features four Spanish language versions of "The Star-Spangled Banner," do you feel that the national anthem should be sung in English only?

I don’t care what the language that it is sung in, but "Nuestro Himno" is not the national anthem. The music might be the same but the lyrics are different, I read a translation of "Nuestro Himno" and the lyrics bears no relation to our national anthem.

Q4 - Driving Age: Do you feel your state's age requirement for receiving a driver's licenses is appropriate as is, should be lowered, or should be raised?

I like the way Connecticut just changed the law to make it progressive. A sixteen year old cannot drive with any passengers except and adult. There is also a curfew at midnight for sixteen and seventeen year olds.

Work Detail

Once again I was up at the cottage working on the addition. I went up Thursday morning with a friend who is an electrician to help me with the wiring. I picked her up at her house which turned out to be over an hour out of the way. I forgot just how far out in the country she lived . Even with the late start, I think that we got a lot done in about twelve hours, but my brother doesn’t and it is starting to get to be a bone of contention between us. Way back when we first started this project I told him I had obligation that I committed to and that they would come first. Now that we are working on the cottage he seems to have forgotten our agreement, which is now heating up between us.
Anyway it was interesting working with my brother and her, my brother was calling me Don and he and my friend was calling me Diana and she. Ah........ life in two worlds!

The photo is of the town green where we have our cottage, I believe it is the Grange Hall, Town Hall/Police Station, the Congregational church and Rectory.

I Hate It When I Miss An Appointment !

Rats, I spaced out and forgot my electrolysis appointment. I feel so bad! I know how hard it is for someone who is self-employed to make ends meet and to miss a half an hour appointment hurts them. I am sorry.
I was running around with my electrician buying supplies for the cottage and the time got away from me. I am going up with her tomorrow and coming back Friday, hopefully we will get all the work done. My brother is up there now working and will be there most of the day tomorrow before he has to return home. He gets to meet another one of my friends, he is more TS's than he ever thought he would meet in his life. :-)
So no Blogging for tomorrow and maybe Friday also depending on what time I get back on Friday.

Outreach at SCSU

I took a half day vacation from work so that I could do two Outreach panel discussions for a Human Sexuality classes at Southern Connecticut State University in New haven. There were five of us who were on the panel, a friend from COS, a FtM, another couple that I am friends with and myself. The panel discussions involved each of us telling our life stories followed by a question and answer session. We usually get asked some same questions each outreach; what bathroom do you use, how did you pick your name, are you gay and if you like women why change your gender. Then a host of other questions that I try to remember but I usually forget by the time the classes is over.
The class was amazed by the pictures the FtM passed around showing him before his transition, in his wedding dress and the four kids. They were also intrigued by the fact that he is still married to his husband and that the kids call him mom. In the first class it turned out there was another FtM who was taking the class and they knew each other through their Blogs. He also knew me because of a seminar I gave at the True Colors Conference a couple of years ago.
After the classes were over, my friend from COS, the couple and I went out to dinner at an Italian restaurant in Middletown.

(¯`'•.¸(¯`'•.¸A Lizzie Quizzie!¸.•'´¯)¸.•

From "A Textbook-Good" Visit"

1. Should I quit blogging? Sigh.
I have too much fun and it helps me vent my frustrations.

2. Toilet paper... over or under? :)
What counts is that it is there when you need it.

3. What brand names are you completely loyal to?
None, I buy by price and quality.

4. Do you like your job? What is your dream job?
I am just counting down the days to retirement. I hope to start anew helping the GLBT community.

5. On a scale from 1-10, how computer savvy are you?
Well it depends. With Windows I would say about 7.5. With the internet and servers about an 8.

6. Do you make your lunch or buy it?
I make my lunch fives days a week, including Saturday and Sunday. The other two days I buy a lunch one day and split it so I get two meals out of it.

7. What color is your front door?
Blue

8. Jeans or khakis?
Jeans, unless I want to dress up a little more and then it khakis or white jeans.

9. What is the longest distance you have ever run?
I walk don’t run and the longest I ever hiked was twenty-five miles. When I was in college I went backpacking one weekend in the Adirondack State Park and hiked twenty-five miles over the two days.

10. If you could buy one thing for yourself (cost is no matter), what would you buy?
A sail boat like a 36 or 40 footer and go sailing off into some tropical paradise.

Manic Monday

Also from "A Textbook-Good" Visit"

1) Did you do what you were told when you were young, or did you rebel?
I was a rebel. When I was little I fought constantly with my brother who is five years older than me. In my teen years I was a hippie drugs, rock and roll and more drugs

2) What did your childhood bedroom look like?
We had bunk beds with Hop A Long Cassidy and Roy Rogers motif.

3) Are there foods, smells, songs or sounds that bring back memories of childhood for you?
Canned peas, yuck!

4) What is something you often did on Sundays when you were growing up?
Go to Catholic Church and we always had to be the first ones there. We would sit in the front row and how I use to hate that so much, we would sit there for what seemed like a half hour just sit there. I think it was because my father a Lt. Colonel and then a high school principal and felt that he and his family had to set an example. Then afterwards in the summer we would go on a picnic at a state park, which I always loved.