I am Tried!

I was hiking most of the afternoon around Reservoir #6 in West Hartford. It was tough going because of all the old ice and snow caused your footing to slip. It is only about a two-mile walk but it took the three of us an hour and a half.
I need to do this more often.
Last night there was a party at a friend’s house over near Willimantic; it was an open house party for the member of COS and some other friends. They have a beautiful house that they just built; I was there last year when they were just starting to build. Their house is beautiful, sitting on a small hill overlooking a pond on about 50 acres. They have a 5KW solar array that generates enough electric that the electric company actually is paying them money for the power that they generate. The first three months they got a $162 back from the electric company. All the room has radiant heat in the floors; including the basement and the garage.

By the Way Sunday

~The Memories of 2007~

By the way...

What memories, good or bad, will you take with you from 2007?

Attending classes for the first time in over thirty years…
http://dianacorner.blogspot.com/2007/01/schoolwork.html

Coming out to my old high school friends…
http://dianacorner.blogspot.com/2007/02/tonight-is-another-milestone.html

Testifying before the Judicial Committee…
http://dianacorner.blogspot.com/2007/02/it-has-been-long-day.html

Standing on the steps of the Capital building in Washington, DC and lobbying for the Hate Crime bill and ENDA…

http://dianacorner.blogspot.com/2007/05/washington-lobby-days.html
http://dianacorner.blogspot.com/2007/05/more-tv-coverage-of-lobby-days.html
http://dianacorner.blogspot.com/2007/05/more-on-my-washington-lobbying-trip.html

The Anti-Discrimination Bill getting filibustered to death…
http://dianacorner.blogspot.com/2007/06/politics-at-its-worst.html

Getting laid-off and taking early retirement…
http://dianacorner.blogspot.com/2007/06/very-emotional-day.html

Beginning my transition…
http://dianacorner.blogspot.com/2007/07/paperwork-paperwork.html

The murder of a prominent doctor’s family…
http://dianacorner.blogspot.com/2007/07/sometimes-evil-strikes-cose-to-home.html

The fashion show…
http://dianacorner.blogspot.com/2007/09/fashion-show.html
http://dianacorner.blogspot.com/2007/09/fashion-show-photos.html
http://dianacorner.blogspot.com/2007/09/more-fashion-show-photos.html

The dropping of gender identity from the ENDA bill and its passage of the non-inclusive ENDA…
http://dianacorner.blogspot.com/2007/11/what-we-learned.html

Wicked.
http://dianacorner.blogspot.com/2007/11/wicked-was-wicked.html

Passing my classes…
http://dianacorner.blogspot.com/2007/12/dancing-and-doing-jig.html

Christmas…
http://dianacorner.blogspot.com/2007/12/i-had-great-christmas.html

Saturday Six - Episode 193

Patrick’s Place – Weekender

1. Compared to 2006, was 2007 better or worse for you?
I think only time will tell which year was better. I need time to figure out how I am dealing with my retirement.

2. Take the quiz: How did your year rate?

You Had a Fantastic Year!

Compared to most years, last year was definitely great. Overall, you're living a much better life than you were twelve months ago. And nothing is a better mark of a good year. Here's to hoping next year is even better!

How Did Your Year Rate?

3. What moment do you remember as being the most emotional for you of 2007?
The judge stamping my name change order.

4. Do you feel that you accomplished any major goals during the year?
Hmm… another hard question to answer. I need time to find out if retirement was good for me and how will I handle transitioing.

5. Compared to your feelings last December, are you more or less optimistic going into 2008?
I am very pessimistic about 2008; I see the economy at a fulcrum point. With the high cost of energy, the sub-prime crisis, the huge national debit that the government has amassed over the Iraqi war and the Presidents tax cuts, the massive credit card debit we are carrying and the devaluation of the U.S. dollar are all coming together in a critical mass.

6. Take one more quiz: Will you keep your new year’s resolution?

You Probably Won't Keep Your New Year's Resolution

Something isn't quite right with the resolution you've selected. Maybe it's time for a different one?

Will You Keep Your New Year's Resolution?

Friday Fill-In #52

From Janet's Blog "Fond of Snape"

Here are the correct quotes:

1. "I don't expect you will really understand the beauty of the softly simmering cauldron with its shimmering fumes, the delicate power of liquids that creep through human veins, bewitching the mind, ensnaring the senses." [Professor Snape, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone]

2. "Why is the rum always gone?" [Captain Jack Sparrow, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest]

3. "Harold, *everyone* has the right to make an ass out of themselves." [Maude, Harold and Maude]

4. "Nine companions, so be it. You shall be the Fellowship of the Ring." [Elrond, The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring]

5. "Nonsense, I have not yet begun to defile myself." [Doc Holliday, Tombstone]

6. "Mama says they was magic shoes. They could take me anywhere." [Forest Gump, Forest Gump]

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I’m looking forward to ________, tomorrow my plans include _____________ and Sunday, _____________.

1. "I don't expect you will really understand the beauty of the softly simmering cauldron with its shimmering fumes, the delicate power of liquids that creep through human veins, and is an epicurean delight to the pallet of eye of newt and bat ears." [Professor Snape, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone]

2. "Why [are] the cashews in a can of mix nuts always gone?" [Captain Jack Sparrow, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest]

3. "Harold, *everyone* has the right to make Snowman." [Maude, Harold and Maude]

4. "Nine companions, so be it. You shall be the Three Musketeers Squared.’ [Elrond, The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring]

5. "Nonsense, I have not yet begun to party." [Doc Holliday, Tombstone]

6. "Mama says they was magic shoes. They could keep a house from falling on me." [Forest Gump, Forest Gump] (OK, OK, I am reading “Wicked” and the house just landed on the Wicked Witch of the East.)

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I’m looking forward to finishing Wicked, tomorrow my plans include a party and Sunday, hiking.

Wednesday Night Dinner

As I mentioned in an earlier blog entry, I made dinner for the family on Wednesday night and it was a big success. I modified the recipe slightly adding lobster and scallops to the shrimp; also, the store did not have any clam broth left so I substituted vegetable broth. In the original recipe, it called for 1 cup of clam juice and 1 teaspoon of flour I think the sauce is too thin, also there was a ½ cup of grated carrots.

Seafood in a Cream Sauce

1 medium chopped onion
1 cup chopped tomatoes
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 bay leaf
3 tablespoons olive oil
3 tablespoon melted butter
½ lb cocktail size shrimp
½ lb picked lobster
½ lb scallops
½ cup clam juice
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon flour
½ cup Half & Half
1 lb fettuccini

• Start cooking the fettuccini
• In the olive oil and half of the melted butter sauté onion, tomatoes and garlic for a few minutes
• Add the seafood, wine, clam broth and lemon juice. Cover and simmer for about 15 minutes.
• Remove the seafood from the sauce and add the rest of the butter and the Half & Half. Warm over low heat (but do not let boil) and whisk in the flour to thicken.
• Mix in the seafood and pour over the cooked fettuccini.

You can probably change this recipe easily to Seafood Carbonara by adding ¼ lb of chopped bacon and a ½ cup of coarsely grated parmesan cheese.

This Is Crazy!

I had a Great Christmas!

This year I drove up to my brother and sister-in-law’s condo in Maine for Christmas day. My nephew, his wife and their three children were also there at the condo for the holiday.
We exchanged presents after dinner and I finally got the presents I have always wanted all my life; I got a pocketbook from my niece, and a matching necklace and earrings from my sister-in-law. I also got the Eagles new CD, “The Long Road Out of Eden” and the DVD of the new Harry Potter movie, “The Order of the Phoenix”.
Tonight I am making dinner for everyone, Seafood in a Cream Sauce (It is kind of like a Newberg sauce with lobster, shrimp and scallops) and if it comes out all right, I will post the recipe.

Peace.

May you all have a safe and a merry Christmas.

And please take a moment of silence this holiday season to stop and think about everyone who for whatever reason cannot be with family or loved ones this holiday season.

‘Tis the Season for Parties

Yesterday I added a few pounds on; in the afternoon I went to the Twenty Club’s Christmas dinner and at night to uniTy’s Christmas Party. At the Twenty Club they had a turkey dinner with all the fixings and I made my Corn Pudding. At first, I thought there was going to be a lot of the pudding leftover but when I went to take the pan at the end, it was all gone except for a spoonful. So, I guess I will make it again next year. I was a little disappointed in that no former members showed up, in the past we usually had five or six former members attend the dinner, I missed seeing them.
At night, I went up to Springfield, MA to attend the uniTy party. I drove another COS member up there with me, it was nice to have company for the drive up and an extra pair of eye to find the nightclub where the party was being held. It was the first time I was at that nightclub and the party was held before it got too crowded and the music too loud. A couple of the uniTy members brought their guitars and sang Christmas songs, I always love to hear them play and one of my regrets in life the I never learned to sing or play an instrument.
My friend with the camera snapped this picture of me and her; she is the same one who took the photo of me at RAW.

Saturday Six - Episode 192

Patrick’s Place

1. In another tab or window of your browser, open, but don’t answer, this quiz: Which of Santa’s Reindeer Are You? Of the songs listed as possible answers, which one is your absolute favorite?
Santa Clause is Coming to Town

2. Whether it is listed there or not, which Christmas song is your absolute favorite?
The classic “I’m Dreaming of a White Christmas”

3. Whose performance of that song do you most enjoy?
The “Bing”

4. Of the games listed as possible answers to question 3, how many have you honestly never heard of?
# Duck-duck-goose
# Combing Santa's beard
# Quarters
# Seven minutes in Heaven

5. Which of them would you least be interested in playing?
Duck-duck-goose what ever that is, but it sounds like something I would not like to play.

6. Now take the quiz: Which of Santa’s reindeer are you?

You Are Prancer

You are the perfect reindeer, with perfect hooves and perfect flying form. Why You're Naughty: Because you're Santa's pet, and you won't let anyone show you up. Why You're Nice: You have the softest fur and the sweetest carrot breath.

Which of Santa's Reindeer Are You?

Friday’s Fill-Ins #51

Friday’s Fill-Ins

1. Snow is going to be all melted for Christmas :-(
2. I'm looking forward to being with my brother and sister-in-law for Christmas
3. This year is the best year ever!
4. One of my favorite old tv shows is The Mary Tyler Moore show.
5. I'm done with working for a living.
6. The most enjoyable thing around the holidays is the holiday spirit.
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to relaxing and reading Wicked, tomorrow my plans include the Twenty Club’s Christmas dinner and uniTy’s Christmas party and Sunday, I want to recuperate!

Creative Cocktail Hour

Last night I went to the Real Art Ways’ Creative Cocktail Hour and a friend snapped this picture of me…
A couple of us went out first to a local diner Goldroc and then we headed over to RAW. We ate dinner at five and then headed over to the CCH slightly before it started at six. I stayed to around eight and then left, I can only stand loud music for a couple of hours before it gets to me. When you are trying to carry on a conversation it is hard to be understood with the music thumping away; so maybe next month I might skip the dinner or go later to dinner in order to get to the CCH around seven-thirtyish so that I can stay a little later.

Real Art Ways is an avant-garde art gallery that pushes the edge of the art envelop (translated: sometimes the exhibits are so far out that I have trouble understanding what the artist is trying to say.) they have two galleries. One gallery they change monthly and the other exhibit is on display for several months. They also have a movie theater that shows independent movies that you do not get to see in mainstream theaters. Last week I went to see the Pete Seeger movie “Pete Seeger: The Power of Song” which was excellent; it brought back many memories of the sixties and seventies.

Amended 3:00pm
While I was at the CCH I was talking to a friend about the Pete Seeger movie and I was trying to remember the name of a musician who sang a lot of Seeger’s songs. I just couldn’t remember his name and said, "You know, the who can’t sing!” and she said, “Oh you mean Bob Dylan”. We both had a chuckle over that.

Bureaucratic Transphobia

Many people do not know what a paper nightmare a transperson has to go through under the current administration’s policies. The rules and regulations that have come forth from the administration shows a total lack of caring for any LGBT individual. This is a press release from the National Center for Transgender Equality about a blocked regulation that the Department of Homeland Security is trying to impediment for when the employee data does not match the SSA data. The blocked regulation would had imposed fines or required the firing of the employee if there was a mis-match in the data. Besides affecting the transgendered community it also affects everyone else whose data does not match what is on file with Social Security Administration. How many wives out there who never bothered to change their records with SSA when they got married? Or how many typographical errors do you think there are with the SSA data? Either of those these data mis-matches could get you fired under the proposed regulation.

Updates on Identity Documents and Information Privacy
from John Otto

New, Stricter DHS No-Match Letter Regulations On Hold

On October 10, 2007, a federal judge issued a preliminary injunction blocking new Department of Homeland Security (DHS) regulations concerning Social Security data that does not match employer submitted data. The regulations would require employers to either fire employees who cannot resolve Social Security Administration (SSA) data mis-matches or face stiff fines. The temporarily blocked regulations would require employees to resolve the SSA information mis-matches within 90 days, among other requirements.

While the media attention surrounding this issue has centered on illegal immigrants, transgender people have increasingly become the targets of Social Security no-match letters. When the gender marker in the Social Security system is different than the gender marker that the employer has on record, gender no-match notification is sent to the employer.

Many transgender people have not changed or are unable to change the gender marker that SSA has on file. The SSA requires that the transgender person’s “surgeon or attending physician must provide a letter verifying the sex change surgery has been completed” in order to change the gender marker.

This is in addition to the current Social Security Administration policy of “Outing” employees if their gender does not match what is on file by sending a letter to the employer tell them that the gender does not match what is on file. Can you imagine if you were a trans-person who had to live full time for one year because of the medical standard of care and your boss comes up to you, telling there is an error in your records. How long do you think you would have that job?

The NY Power Summit Conference Video Clip

This is a video clip that which was taken during the N.Y. Power Summit, November 29 – December 2. The clip is only 2:45 and it shows some of the lectures, workshops and door-to-door canvassing that took part during the conference.

Stop the Hate! Stop the Transphobia!

I found this article on Pam’s House Blend bolg…

Police: Man Beat Boy For Putting Pink Fingernail Polish On Nails

A man was arrested on child abuse charges after he beat a 7-year-old boy with a belt because the child put pink fingernail polish on his own nails, according to Orange County sheriff's deputies.
Aundre Jermaine Hill, 25, was arrested on Saturday at about 5:19 p.m. after sheriff's deputies responded to a home in reference to a call saying that a boy was discovered with bruises on his body.
Orange County sheriff's deputies said the boy's mother was bathing him when she noticed the markings on the boy.
Investigators said it appeared the boy was beaten with a belt and hands on his buttocks, arms, temple and legs.
Hill was located, arrested and transported to the Orange County Jail. He later bonded out of jail.

We have to change! We have to stop the hate speech, we have to stop the “Boy’s Don’t Cry!” mentality, we have to stop preaching hate from the pulpit, and we have to stop running campaigns on bigotry.

Lesbian Quiz...

What famous lesbian do you most closely resemble? Your Result: Melissa Ethridge   You're ambitious, extremely talented and you live for music. You have overcome some great obstacles in your life which have made you stronger than ever. You are extremely likeable.
Rosie O'Donnell
Katherine Moennig
Portia Di Rossi
Tammy Lynn Michaels
K D Lang
Ellen Degeneres
Jackie Warner
What famous lesbian do you most closely resemble? Make a Quiz

Dancing and Doing a Jig!

My grades for my Fall semester were just posted…
I got a “B” in Research I and an “A-“ in Human Behavior in a Micro Social Environment. I was expecting (or hoping for) a “B” in Research and a “B+” in Micro theories, so I was pleasantly surprised with an “A-”. My overall GPA is 3.350, which for me is excellent considering that the last time I was in college graduated with a 2.0, just barely squeaked by.
Research I was mostly memorization of terms and research methods, which I have, a hard time memorizing, but Micro theories was mainly about processes, which I am good at visualizing. However, I am still struggling with grammar; it never was my strong point. I like to joke, “I are a ingineer.” I know I have to work harder to over come that liability.
Next semester I am taking “Grassroots Neighborhood Organizing”...

GRASSROOTS NEIGHBORHOOD ORGANIZING
CORG 370 – 3 credits
Elective for the Urban Issues in Social Work Focused Area of
Study.
Provides intensive instruction for students who wish to become practitioners or trainers in grassroots neighborhood model of organizing. Examines Alinsky’s model of organizing and the refinement of that model.

I have a feeling that I am going to do well in that class, I think that I have a little knowledge in that.

Dan Fogelberg: 1951 - 2007

Dan Fogelberg, R.I.P.

Singer-songwriter Dan Fogelberg died yesterday at his home in Maine after battling prostate cancer for over three years. He was fifty-six. Fogelberg started out performing in rock bands near his hometown of Peoria, Ill., then switched to performing solo in college, becoming popular in the 70’s and 80’s with songs like “Longer,” “The Power of Gold,” “Leader of the Band” and “Same Old Lang Syne.” Fogelberg released his last album, Full Circle, in 2003. A message posted yesterday on his official site says Fogelberg died with his wife at his side and says, “His strength, dignity, and grace in the face of the daunting challenges of this disease were an inspiration to all who knew him.”

Manic Monday

Manic Monday for December 17, 2007

What is your idea of a perfect romantic evening?
My idea of a perfect romantic evening is; a snowy evening inside with soft music, a dinner by candle light and curling up in front of the fire with your lover.

Imagine you had to take part in the winter Olympics. What sport would you do? (Here's a link to the official sports, in case you need help.)
Skeleton, I think it is crazy and wild. Just hurling down an banked ice track head first with no steering or brakes.

What's something that people do in traffic that really bothers you?
Its hard to come up with just one thing, the list is so long to pick just one. However, I think the number one thing that people do that bothers me is speeding and unsafe lane changes; the idiot who is flying much faster than traffic and weaving in and out. They are going so fast that you do not see them in the rear view mirrors until they are right up on you, cutting you off as they zip in front changing lanes.

Winter’s Onset

Here are a couple of photos I have been meaning post, but never got around to it.
The first picture was taken at the family cottage on Thanksgiving weekend and was taken early in the morning as the fog was lifting from the lake. Thanksgiving day it was up in the sixties at the cottage in New Hampshire but overnight it dropped down into the teens. The open water created a thick icy fog and around the edges of the lake ice formed overnight. Late morning the fog started to lift and I took this picture.
The other photo was taken in my backyard after an ice storm we had on December 9th. It was so beautiful after the ice storm; everything was coated in sparking diamonds when the sun came out. As the ice fell off the limbs, it broke up into thousand of jewels that glittered in the sun light. The red berries contrast sharply to the black and white of the woods behind my house adding color to the monochromatic landscape.


I have no idea what type of bush it is, they were there when I cleared the woods when I built the house.

By the Way Sunday

~Eanie, Meanie, Minie, Moe~

By the way...
pick YOUR Christmas favorites...

Sugar cookies, pecan pie, German chocolate cake, or a candy cane?
German chocolate cake, I go for the most decadent.

Snow, no snow but cold, sunshine but cold, sunshine and warm?
I like to say snow for Christmas, a white Christmas is what defines the season, but… I am at a stage in my life that says, forget traditional – go for a tropical beach. Moreover, as I sit here writing this I am watching the snow, sleet and freezing rain come down out side on top of the ten inches of snow that we already have on the ground.

Clothing, electronics, jewelry, or a gift card?
It is a toss up between clothes or jewelry. Having had my ears just pierced, I only had two pairs of earring, so I would have to say jewelry.

Jingle Bells, Silent Night, White Christmas, or Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree?
What about the Singing Waitresses? OK then, if I can’t choose them, then I would have to say Bing Crosby’s White Christmas.

Skiing, sledding, ice skating, or caroling?
Sledding, I use to ski when I was young and I am no longer in shape to ski again sledding is almost as much fun as skiing but have the work. Ice skating, the ice is just too hard when you fall and I can not carry a tune so caroling is out.

Christmas shopping, Christmas Eve joy, Christmas Day surprises, day after Christmas sales?
Christmas Eve joy, I think what makes Christmas, Christmas is family. Being with family is like a warm cocoon.

Saturday Six - Episode 191

Patrick’s Weekender

1. If you could receive only the gift of food this Christmas, which single item would you choose?
Lobster Newberg. Now everyone who follows my blog, would you expect anything else.

2. Dessert. What’s the first food that just came to mind when you read that word?
Blueberry pie.

3. What do you eat more of when you’re trying to lose weight?
Cottage cheese and salads, yummy.

4. Take the quiz: What holiday food are you?

You Are a Gingerbread House

A little spicy and a little sweet, anyone would like to be lost in the woods with you.

What Holiday Food Are You?

5. When you were a kid, did you ever really leave food for Santa Claus? If so, what was the typical fare you placed near the tree for Jolly Ol’ St. Nick?
Cookies and milk, very traditional.

6. Do you tend to eat more, less, or about the same at Christmas dinner than you do at Thanksgiving dinner?
I eat about the same judging by the weight I gain the next day.

I Tried Making the Cookies Last Night

I tried making the Apple Oatmeal Cookies last night for the cookie swap and I give the recipe two thumbs down. I followed the recipe and the cookies did have any cohesiveness. They tasted good but they were like baked oatmeal, I think the recipe needs another egg or two and maybe a little brown sugar.
So I guess it is off to the baker to buy the cookies for this afternoon.

How Did We Get Here?

I am old enough to remember President Kennedy’s campaign speech on his religious beliefs. The general concern at the time was that he would bring his Catholic tenants to office with him and the line that defined the separation of church and state would have been violated. Now some forty plus years later the debate is not only who is the most religious, but also who is the most Christian; shattering the line separating the church and state. However, not only Christian beliefs; but orthodox Christian beliefs in the old testament that are based on oppression and not love, understanding and acceptance.

Do we want a government based on the beliefs that deny us so much of the freedom that we have had in the last forty years? I want a government that believes that: we are only the stewards of the land not on the beliefs that this is my land and I can do what I want on it. I want a government: that lets me determine what I want to do with my body not which bans abortions or birth control. I want a government: that helps the poor, not a government that says screw you, I got mine. I want a government that believes that: in religious freedom not a government that says that we are a Christian nation. Lastly, I want a government that believes in marriage based on love not on religious beliefs that are not shared by everyone but only a few.

How did we get to the point where we now have a litmus test on religion?

Ouch!

I just got my oil tank filled today, the bill was $417 (134 gal. @ $3.099) and that was with a $0.03 discount! I already have my unused rooms closed off, the thermostat set for 65ºF during the day and 55ºF at night. The house is passive solar, 2X6 construction and the non-southern exposure windows are at a minimum.

It is going to be a long cold and expensive winter.

Manic Monday

Manic Monday for December 10, 2007

For the holidays, are you a last-minute shopper or do you shop well ahead of time?
Yes, I am a last minute shopper, it makes shopping easy; you just buy what are left on the selves.

If you had to pick a new first name for yourself, what name would you choose?
Hmm… do you mean when I changed it from Don to Diana or should I pick a second new name? If I had to pick a new name I think it would be Debra.

What's worse, having expectations that are too high, or having no expectations at all?
Both, I think you have to have realistic expectations. If you set your goals too high and you never achieve them that can lead to depression and if you do not set them high enough you will not reach your full potential.

Cookie Swap

I was invited to a cookie swap next Saturday, so I was browsing the internet for cookie recipes and I found this one….

Apple Oatmeal Cookies
PREP TIME 10 Min
COOK TIME 40 Min
READY IN 1 Hr
SERVINGS & SCALING
Original recipe yield: 4 dozen

INGREDIENTS
* 1/2 cup margarine, softened
* 1/2 cup honey
* 1 egg
* 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
* 3/4 cup stone ground whole wheat flour
* 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
* 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
* 1 1/2 cups quick-cooking oats
* 1 apple, cored and chopped

DIRECTIONS
1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease cookie sheets.
2. In a large bowl, cream together the margarine, honey, egg and vanilla until smooth. Combine the whole wheat flour, baking soda and cinnamon; stir into the creamed mixture. Mix in oats and apple. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto the prepared cookie sheets.
3. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.

However, I thought of substituting dehydrated apples for fresh apples and adding a little bit of apple cider to re-hydrate the apples.

By the Way Sunday

~Merry Christmas~

By the way . . .
What do you think of when you think of “Christmas?”
Using the word “Christmas,” list one thing you think of per letter.
For example:
C – Christ child
H – Holly
R – Reindeer
I – Imagine a world without war
S – Santa
T – Tree, the tree all decked out in Christmas spender
M – Midnight Mass, we use to go to every Christmas when I was little.
A – Appreciate what we have been given.
S – Smiling children as they spy the presents under the tree

Saturday Six - Episode 190

Patrick's Place
1. You have to leave a snack for Santa, but you’re concerned about his health so you don’t want to leave sweets: what healthier snack would you choose instead?
How about Tofu cookies and fat free milk that should earn me a lump of coal in my stocking.

2. Santa decides to be especially generous this year, and says he’ll bring you a car. What make and model would you like to find in your driveway on Christmas morning?
How about a Maserati Quattroporte Sedan, I just saw an add on TV for it and it looked like a nice car to run to the grocery store with.

3. Santa is also giving you a vacation to any spot in the world for a week. Where would you like to go?
Right now, I would pick Hawaii. I just heard the forecast for over ½ inch of ice overnight.

4. Take the quiz: What will be in your Christmas stocking?

Your Christmas Stocking Will Be Filled With a Puppy

Well - one cute, soft, cuddly puppy... And a very soiled Christmas stocking.

What Will Be In Your Christmas Stocking?

5. When was the last time you had a picture taken with Santa Claus?
Maybe fifty or so years ago.

6. If Santa could bring you 12 of any single item mentioned in the lyrics of “The Twelve Days of Christmas,” which gift would you choose and why?
Why of course the five golden rings and hopefully, they also have a large diamond or two attached to them. All the other gifts cost money; you have to feed the partridge and just what are you going to do with "Maid a milking"?

Keeping Busy

I have been running around the last couple of days and as a result, I kind of neglected my blogging.
Wednesday afternoon, I did some volunteering work at True Colors calling up vendors to see if they wanted a table at next year’s conference. In the evening, I picked up a friend to rush down to Yale to take part of a panel discussion on Trans-Advoacy. At the last minute, I was invited because one of the panelist got sick. The panel consisted of two trans activist lawyers, the Co-chair of the Judicial Committee and myself. One of the lawyers was the lawyer who argued the case before the Connecticut Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities that ruled that we are covered under the existing Anti-Discrimination Statues. It was a rather distinguished panel and I was honored to be invited to be a panelist.
Yesterday, I had a eye doctors appointment in the morning. As usual, I was worried because this was the first time I went to this doctor as Diana and as usual all my worrying was for naught. However, he did find something and he wants to come back for more tests. :-( In the afternoon I went down to Southern Connecticut State University in New Haven to do an Outreach there and then after the class, I rushed up to Hartford for an Anti-Discrimination Coalition meeting.
Today I am just sitting around the house and twittering my thumbs wondering what to do. Boring! Maybe I will do some shopping.

I came across this posted on “(en)gender” forum…



I have mixed feelings about it, it presents a too simple picture of being trans, but I give it one thumbs up.

This and That

I just emailed off my last paper for the Micro Theories class that was due today. The paper was on Behavior Modification, which is what I need so I will not procrastinate and finish the paper on the day its due. Now I just have to wait for the professor to post the grade. I got a “B” in my Research I class, which brought my GPA down a little.

You never know where your photo might turn up. I saw a YouTube video of Saturday’s night Entertainment Tonight from last May and low and behold, there I was for a couple of seconds. It really is not worth watching, if you know where to look you can see me way up in back on the left on the Capital steps and it is about 3:15 into the clip. The video clip was mainly about Donna Rose and a few other women who transitioned.

In January, I am attending Lobbyist training at an office in Hartford. The workshops I signed up for are; Legislative Process 101, Issues and Tactics, Lobbying One on One and Building Networks and Coalitions. This training is by a non-profit lobbying firm in Hartford and I have worked with them on the Anti-Discrimination legislation.
So by the time I have finished with all the training I will be well ahead in Community Organization when I have to take it as a class, I will have attended five or more seminars on grassroots organizing.

Manic Monday

Manic Monday for December 3, 2007

What is the longest you have ever waited in line?
I do not remember, but it was a long time probably an hour or more at the DMV.

It has been said that, "The best things in life are free." Do you think this is true? Why or why not?
Yes, I think that the best thing in life are free, the love of your family or spouse, the look of a child on Christmas day and all those other little things.

If you could go back in time and re-live one day in your life, which day would you choose and why?
I guess back to a quieter time in my youth when you did not have to worry about making a living and all the other worries of modern adult life. All your needs were taken care of by your parents and they did the worrying for you.

Interesting Factoid from the Conference

They had over two hundred attendees for the four day conference, most of them came from New York states but others came from around the country. Including a number of clergy who were looking for a way to create a safe space for their LGBT community.

During the two hour door-to-door canvas over 1500 homes were visited and slightly fewer than 50% voters said that are in favor of marriage equality of those 166 signed a post card to that said that, wow!

When we did the canvassing of Nassau County on Long Island N.Y. we asked the voters if the were in favor of the New York Gender Expression Non-Discrimination Act (GENDA), 74% said that they were in favor of the bill. That percent corresponded with other polls that were taken in other parts of the country, one of them was in New Jersey which was 71%.

It was one of the largest LGBT canvases that was ever done with over 150 people taking part. (I didn’t go door-to-door, but I drove around two canvasser. I did not feel comfortable going up to strangers’ doors.)

By the Way Sunday

~'Tis the Season Once Again~

By the way...

Are you participating in any holiday festivities today?
Bah! Humbug! No

Do you enjoy listening to holiday music?
Only on December 24th

Is your tree up and decorated? Any gifts under it yet?
Ha! Who are you kidding! If I do get a tree, it will go up the weekend before Christmas and come down the weekend after New Years.

In the 12 Days of Christmas, which gift would be your favorite?
I will take the five golden rings

What makes you feel the "Grinchiest" during the holiday season?
Nothing, I feel like the Grinch all the time, so there is nothing special about the holidays.

What does Christmas really mean to you?
To be with you family and friends, and celebrate the joy of life together.

If you could give only ONE gift this year, what would it be?
My love to my family.

Saturday Six - Episode 189

Patrick’s Place

1. What is your favorite holiday song?
“The Singing Waitresses” I like it because it ends happily and she meets her boyfriend.

2. What is your least favorite holiday song?
“White Christmas” It is So old, I remember when every Christmas on TV there would be the “Bing Crosby Special” and we always had to watch it.

3. If you had to sing a holiday song Karioke style at a Christmas party, which one would you choose, and why?
“Rudolf the Red Nose Reindeer” it is simple to sing.

4. Take the quiz: Which Christmas Carol are you?

Your Christmas Song Is

Redneck 12 Days of Christmas Twelve-pack of Bud Eleven Wrastling tickets Ten o' Copenhagen Nine years probation Eight table dancers Seven packs of Redman Six cans of Spam Five flannel shirts Four big mud tires Three shotgun shells Two hunting dogs ... And some parts to a Mustang GT. You don't think that 27 strings of Christmas lights are tacky And you swear that eggnog from last year is still good!

What Christmas Carol Are You?

5. Does it bother you if you walk through a store that has signs that say “Happy Holidays?”
No, those that have a problem with it I think are narrow minded. It is not only Christmas but also Hanukkah, Kwanzaa and Eid al-Adha.

6. Does it bother you if you find that the same store has displays that mention Hanukkah and Kwanzaa by name, but make no specific mention of Christmas?
No, it is their store and they say anything they want.

The NY Power Summit Conference is Over

Tomorrow I will be leaving early because of the snowstorm that is forecast for tomorrow. I learned a lot about how to build a grassroots organization, network between organization and door–to-door canvassing. I meet a number of trans-people from across the northeast and attending a trans-caucus, setting up a regional network.

Today I drove a couple of people out to a suburb and followed them around in my car as they went door-to-door in the neighborhood. I really do not think that is not a viable tactic for the trans-community, we just do not have the people to do that with and our members are too closeted for it to be affective. But it was good practice to putting together a plan and a team to go out like that.

Last night they had a social at an Indian restaurant. When we got there we walked into the wrong banquet room; an Indian birthday party was going on. The women were all dressed sarongs and the men in suits; I walked in on them with an African-American lesbian couple. We all stopped and looked at each others, and I said we got the wrong room to my friends. When I left the room I started laughing; the look on their faces was priceless when they saw us, one six foot trannie and two African-American women holding hands, their jaws just dropped. I didn’t like the food it was too spicy for me, I was up at three in the morning popping antacids.

The conference was good and was put together well, they made an effort to be trans-inclusive. Now if I can avoid battling the snow on the way home tomorrow.