Once in a While Great Things Happen

Yesterday something really great happened. Sometimes politicians can step above politics and show leadership and foresight, yesterday was one of those day. In the state Senate they voted on the Anti-Discrimination bill, SB1044 and the vote was almost unanimous, it was 30 Yeas, 4 Nays and 2 Absent. They were able to set aside their political differences and vote for what is right. From what I was told, the Chair of the Judicial Committee Senator McDonald (D) and Ranking Minority Member Senator Kissel (R) both made passionate speeches in favor of the bill.

Some would say this bill only affects a couple of thousand individuals in the state, but this bill affects ever citizen because when we treat everyone equally and fairly everyone benefits.

And I want to say a heartfelt Thank You to all the Senators who voted for this bill.

Getting to Know You Day

My question for this week:

If you could have a redo moment in your life, would you do it and what would it be? Not changing history drastically-it's all just a what if.

For example-would you have waited to get married later? Would you have had your children at an earlier age. Not have dated that strange girl/guy back in 11th grade.

Now looking back at high school there was this girl that always found some excuse to be with me. But, as a typical male, I never realized until much later that maybe she liked me and wanted to go out on a date. However, it never dawned on me until much, much later that that might be the case. Maybe I might have gotten married and had kids; however if I did then it might have been much harder on me and them for me to transition. Oh well.

Manic Monday

Manic Monday for May 21, 2007

What was the best day of the past week for you and why?
Tuesday in Washington DC, it was a very empowering day. I went and lobbied my Representative and Senators for the Hate Crime and Employee Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA), I felt that I was making a difference.

What is the best thing about the city in which you currently live?
I live in the suburbs and I like it because I am only a half a hour away from Hartford and New haven. Also I am only ninety minutes from New York, Boston, the ocean or the Berkshires mountains.

What do you love most about yourself?
Hmm, that is hard to answer. I think what I like best about myself is that I have turned my life around. I now feel that I have meaning to my life.

Total Miles Driven This Week = 1174 Miles

Round trip to Washington DC= 759 miles
Round trip to Ogunquit ME = 415 miles
Average miles per gallon ~ 51 mpg

Ogunquit Weekend Getaway

The weather was cold and wet but our sprits were high. Friday when I arrived at the B&B it was raining lightly and I met up with another member of Connecticut Outreach Society who had just had arrived shortly before. It was a getaway weekend for our members, to give them a safe place where they could go out in public. We went window shopping and I brought a sweatshirt because all I had were short sleeve tops. Afterward we had dinner at the Oarweed restaurant in Perkin’s Cove and since this is Maine, I had Haddock stuffed with Lobster.
The next day was cold and dreary but the rain held off until late afternoon. We walked down to Perkin’s Cove and checked out all the art galleries and craft stores. We then walked back along the Marginal Way. What’s the Marginal Way? It’s a foot path that goes along the ocean edge for about a mile and a half. The waves along the shore were unbelievable the way they were pounding against the rock. An offshore storm caused the heavy surf and the roar of the surf could be heard several blocks inland. In the afternoon we went over to York beach to watch the surfers and then on to Nubble Lighthouse to watch the waves break on the rocks. One of the problems I had taking pictures was salt spray; the air was so think with the spray that it looked like fog. You could taste the salt in the air and it was getting all over my camera and lens.
That night we ate dinner at Impastable Dream and I had a fantastic Lobster Ravioli in a Newburg Sauce. If you every go to Ogunquit, I recommend going there for dinner.
Here are a few of the many photos that I took of the waves at Perkin’s Cove, Marginal Way and Nubble Lighhouse.











More of my photographs are here.
Still photographs just don’t do any justice to the power and sound of the waves; I wish I had brought my movie camera. But I do not think that even that can do justice, you had to be there to feel the power.

By the Way Sunday

~Summer Vacation 2007~

By the way...
Do you have any plans for a summer vacation this year?
Work up at the cottage in New Hampshire.

Will you spend more time in the lawnchair outside or in the air conditioning inside?
Depends on how muggy it is; if it is really humid you will find me inside.

What's your favorite cool treat?
Lemon favored ice tea.

What's your favorite summer activity?
Floating in a lake on a swimming raft.

Saturday Six - Episode 162

Patrick’s Weekender

1. Do you order Girl Scout cookies each year? If so, how many boxes do you buy in an average year?
I use to buy a box or two a year, but they are too fatting to buy any now.

2. How long does it take you to finish off a box of cookies?
A day or two.

3. What's your favorite kind of cookie to dip in milk?
Chocolate Mint.

4. Take the quiz: What kind of cookie are you?

You Are a Jam Cookie

On the outside, you project a straight-laced, innocent vibe. But on the inside, you're complex, exotic, and full of flavor.

What Kind of Cookie Are You?

5. If you had to bake cookies for a party, what flavor would you bake?
Chocolate chip with nuts.

6. What's the right way to eat an Oreo? As a whole, or by licking off the filling and then eating the two wafers individually?
Licking off the filling and then eating the two wafers individually, is there any other way?

Friday Five

Now and always

1. What was on your mind yesterday?
Not much, I was on vacation. I was trying to capture the beauty and power of the waves along the rocky coast of Maine.

2. What is on your mind today?
Getting home and going back to work tomorrow after a week’s vacation. It was a fantastic week, beginning in Washington DC where it was sunny and close to ninety and ending on the rocky coast of Maine in the rain and forty-three degree weather.

3. Do you like bonfires?
Not really bonfires but a campfire. I could watch them for hours, there is something that is so primitive about them.

4. Do you believe in the paranormal?
Nope.

5. Can you swim?
Yes, but I am so out of shape that I do not think I could swim more the a couple of feet.

More on My Washington Lobbying Trip

At lunch time our impromptu office in the House Office Building cafeteria had to move to make way the lunch time crowd. So we moved to a Committee Hearing Room thanks to a friendly Representative. Soo…



Doesn’t it look like that I was made for that chair?

Also Newsweek has an article about Gender Identity in this weeks issue, you can read it here.

Getting to Know You!

I would like to know-

"If you could live anywhere in the world, where would you be? You'd be able to do what you love and make money. Your spouse, children, significant other, pets all would be able to come with you.”

Since I am retiring this year I could move to any retirement spot anywhere, but I think I would stay right here in Connecticut. Our winters are mild and the summers do not have that many hot and humid days. I like the changing seasons, I like the spring with all the flowers and I love the fall with all there bright leaves. We are half way between New York and Boston. We are close to the mountains of Northern New England and New York. We are close to the ocean beaches of Rhode Island and Cape Cod.
But most important of all is that all my friends are here, why move and start over? My brother tried a couple of times to get me to move up to Maine, but I am happy here.

Manic Monday

Manic Monday for May 14, 2007


Is it easier for you to forgive or to forget?
It is easier to forgive. I do not want to go through life holding a grudge, life is too short.

Do you believe people can change?
Yes, I have seen people change. Both for the better and for the worst, I think I have changed for the better.

Has life made you more cynical or more hopeful?
More hopeful, I has seen more understanding and tolerance in the last couple of years.

More TV Coverage of the Lobby Days

There are some additional film clips of the "Lobby Days", the clips are mostly of Susan but in the second video, I am in it for a couple of seconds or rather my back.
You can see the other story here.

There is also another clip here.

I messed up on the other blog entry, somehow comments were left off the post.

Washington Lobby Days

Lobby Days was a great success! They had over 130 attendees from over thirty states.
I visited all my Connecticut legislators and I walked so much between the House Office Building and the Senate Office Building that I got blisters on my feet.
For me it was easy to lobby my Congressmen because they all are so supported of the two bills and all of the aids I talked to said that they believe that the Congressman would co-sponsor the bill. But it still was important that they got to meet someone who is trans to put a human face on the bill.
One of the other lobbyists was the former Largo Florida City Manager Susan Stanton and there was a TV news crew that followed her around filming her and others of the lobbyists from the group, National Center for Transgender Equality, that I was with. Here is the interview that she did for Tampa Bay Channel 10 News.

Transgender groups lobby for protection

By: Mike Deeson

Washington, D.C. - More than 100 transgendered people lobbied Congress for protection from being fired because of gender. Susan Stanton, who is in Washington for the event, stayed away from some of the media circus early in the day when the group began the lobby effort.

While you could tell from some of the looks that their agenda wasn't going to be an easy sell, when they went to see their congressmen, they found some sympathetic ears.

"Discrimination is not right in this country," says Rep. Jan Schakowsky, (D-IL). Schakowsky says she is aware of what happened to Susan Stanton and she will co-sponsor the Employment Non-discrimination Act. "It would include gender identity in there," she says. "You can't discriminate on the basis of gender identity."

Unless Congress passes the law, there will be no recourse against those who discriminate against people like Stanton. That's why Stanton says she's not angry she lost her job.

Saying she holds no animosity, Stanton adds, "I love my community. They [the Largo Commission] were all extremely good elected officials, and I don't know how many other commissioners could have done different, given the situation."

But the situation isn't likely to change anytime soon. Even those who had a good reception from their representatives admit that most in Congress aren't ready to support the idea or bill.

Diana L, who lobbied her Connecticut Congressman, says, "It will be the long haul. I don't think we'll get it passed this year."

Stanton says she didn't come to Capitol Hill Tuesday morning to lobby with the big group, because some members of Congress felt uncomfortable with the intense media coverage. Stanton also maintains that the bigger goal is to get hired in Sarasota to prove she can do as good a job as he did in Largo.

The video link is here

Did you recognize anyone in the film clip?
After we had our pictures taken on the steps of the Capital and I was walking back to the House Office Building the camera crew asked me what my schedule to visit my Congressmen and I told him the I had a 10:30 appointment with my Representative from Connecticut. Well when I turn the corner onto the hall where my Representative’s office is there was the TV crew filming me as I walked down the hall and then when I exited his office they interviewed me.

Off on Another Adventure...

Tomorrow I am leaving bright and early to drive down to Washington, DC with a friend to lobby Congress for the Hate Crime bill and Employee Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA). The Hate Crime bill would add Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity to the list of hate crimes that the FBI tracks and it will also make it a federal crime to physically attack someone because of their sexual orientation or gender identity and ENDA would protect someone from being fired, denied house or services because of their sexual orientation or gender identity. These bills protect everyone, not just the GLBT community because it covers anyone who is perceived to be GLBT.

Of course I am nervous, but it is not about seeing my Congressmen, but it is about getting back and forth to the reception Monday night by alone. It is a worry that I think anyone in a strange city would feel traveling alone. I am going down to Washington, DC with a friend but she is not going to the reception at the National Press Club Monday night. I hope someone else staying at the hotel will also be going so that we can travel together.

So, it’s off on another of Diana’s Great Adventures…

By the Way Sunday

~Celebrating Moms~

By the way...

Happy Mother's Day to all you Moms out there!

What qualities do you think a "Mom" should have?
Loving
Caring
Compassionate
Understanding
Forgiving

Tell us about a special "Mom" in your life.
I think that she possessed all of the above attributes. She was always there and ready to listen, to both the good and the bad.

Share a fond memory of Mother's Day.
I do not a fond memory of Mother’s Day but many and I think it is more important not to single out one day of the year to remember but all of the days.
The day the day that comes to mind is the day I took this photograph on their wedding anniversary. They want me to take some formal poised pictures of them. But while they were getting ready for to take the picture I quickly took this candid shot, which shows their love for one another so deeply.



Do you have any unique Mother's Day gift ideas?
My mother passed away in 2002 and I am just going to visit her grave and leave a rose.

What does it mean to have “Gender Identity Disorder”?

The medical model is: you will transition, have surgery, blend in and be your true gender, you will happily ever after.

But unfortunately life isn't always that simple. The medical model is great if you can pass and blend into society, but for us who will never pass for one reason or another life is really hard. If you do not transition your life is miserable because you can never be yourself and if you do transition your life is still miserable because of society's pressures but at least you can live you own life as yourself.
If all goes as planned, I should begin my transition the end of next month. That means…
Telling my neighbors;
Telling my gardener;
Telling my banker;
Telling the Town Hall Clerk;
Telling the Auto Dealer when I have my car serviced;
Telling…
It is a never ending list.

You will always be known as “That transsexual guy” and heads will always turn as you walk by and elbows will poke friends with a nod in your direction and giggling will be heard as you walk by.

I always got to class early and there would be about three or four other students there early. One day, one of the students noticed other students poking their heads in the door, that went on for six or seven times and the students in my class commented about it. Wondering what they were doing, for me it was obvious; they were looking for the Trannie. When I told them what it was they were aghast that other social work students would do that, but they all realized that I was right.

That’s what it means to have GID.

Being Gay is Soo much easier. But unfortunately we do not have a choice in the way we were born.

As you can tell I had a down day today.

Friday Fiver

Funky, funky club on Fairfax Avenue

1. What do you obsess about?Oh, just about everything. My brother says I inherited my mother’s “Worrying Genes”

2. What do you do for a living?
Currently I am a supervisor of an electronic testing department of a large international company.

3. Where do you call home?
Right in the middle of Connecticut. I lived here since when we moved to town in 1955

4. Have you lived up to your parents' expectations?
They passed away a couple of years ago. I do not know if they would approve, I would like to think so, but I will never know. I think they would have been happy to see me trying for a Master’s degree in Social Work.

5. Are we more likely to find you in a coffee bar or a nightclub?
Coffee Bar or Tea Room, I like the quiet. I like to be able to sit back and talk with friends. I do not like to loud chest pounding music of a nightclub, where you have to shout to be heard.

Getting to Know You

This week I want to know-

If someone from your local community college approached you about teaching a class, would you do it? What subject? Would there be field trips? What books would be required reading? Any guest lecturers?
Timely question since I just finished my classes at UConn. for this semester.
I would teach a class on Diversity (No surprise there) and I would have a field trip to the Hartford Gay and Lesbian Health Collective. The text books for the class would be; “She’s Not There: A Life in Two Genders” by Jennifer Boylan, “My Husband Betty” by Helen Boyd and “The Visible Man” by Jameson Green. And I would have some friends as guest lecture.

On a serious note; I do about three or four guest lectures a year at various college and universities in the area because I feel education is important. Almost all of the students have never met anyone who was transgendered and by going out and talking to them it put a human face to an abstract concept. One day I was standing line for our reservation at a restaurant and this woman came up to me. She said, “You talked in one of my classes and I now have a transgender patient, because of that class that day I knew how to relate to her.”
With summer reading season upon us, I urge you to read one of those books. They are all very good; Jennifer Boylan was on Oprah Winfrey twice and an Oprah’s Book club selection.

YES ! ! ! !

I just got my grade for my last class it is an “A”. That is the first time in my life that I ever got an A, I guess I was never motivated enough. If I did my math right, my GPA is a 3.48

Class Roster Final Grades

Journal 1 25 points = 20
Journal 2 25 points = 22
Journal 3 25 points = 21
Coming Out Letter 25 points = 25
Final Paper points 75 = 70
Class Participation 25 points = 25
Final grade = 92

I want to thank everyone who helped me: Cat for proofreading my paper; my friends from Connecticut Women Legal and Education Fund, Connecticut TransAdvocacy Coalition and GenderPAC for taking the time to do interviews with me; and all those who put up with all my worrying and encouraged me to keep going.
Five credits down and only sixty more to go!

Manic Monday

Manic Monday for May 7, 2007

What do you remember about your first day of school?
Oh, you are just going to love this answer. ;-)
My first day of school some fifty so years ago, my mother was having an asthma attack so my grandmother brought me to school. The school was only four blocks away and I went kicking and screaming all the way. I grabbed ever telephone phone along the way or anything else I could get my hands around and I cried the entire time I was there.

Have you ever attended a high school or college reunion? What was it like?
Yes, I have been to a couple of high school reunions over the years and mainly we just sat around and talked. We got caught up with all the gossips, who got divorced, how kids everyone has, who died, etc. they had a DJ at one of the reunions but nobody danced. This year if my fortieth reunion and I was thinking about going so I can get the title of “Most Changed”

Do you keep in regular contact with anyone from high school and/or college?
I have maintained friendship with my high school friends and I came out to them this February. I shall see how accepting they are or was it just talk.

Once Again the HRC Sells Out Trans…

In the article about Iowa passing the Anti-Discrimination bill the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) sells out the transgender community. If you go and read my posting in April on the Iowa Legislature passing the Anti-Discrimination bill that included gender identity, I used for my source a 247Gay news article that touted the fact that the bill was passed by both the House and the Senate and the governor was expected to sign the bill in to law. In the article they quote a HRC press release….

On a national level, Human Rights Campaign President Joe Solmonese praised the Iowa Legislature yesterday for their work up to this point.

“Legislators in Iowa have taken historic action to advance the cause of equality for all Iowans. Once this bill is signed, Iowa will be a freer and fairer place for its lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender residents,” he said in a release. “We applaud the many legislators who voted for fairness and equality; Governor Culver, who has pledged to sign this bill; our friends at One Iowa, the Interfaith Alliance Action Fund, the Iowa Safe Schools Task Force and the Iowa Civil Rights Commission, as well as all the HRC members in Iowa who worked hard to pass this important legislation.”

But the news article and the HRC press release must not have thought important to mention the fact that a compromise just about strips protection for gender identity from the bill…

By JASON CLAYWORTH
De Moines REGISTER STAFF WRITER
Published April 26, 2007

A compromise plan strikes "appearance, expression, or behavior" from protection related to gender identity. House Democratic leaders accepted the compromise and made the decision to bring up the bill Wednesday not knowing whether it would pass.

To me what the compromise says is that it is OK to be transgender as long as you don’t dress or act it. To me that compromise writes us off and that to go out and say how great the bill is wrong. They have stabs us in the back and are gloating over the fact.

It is a sell out of the transgender community.

Northampton Pride Festival

What the Pride Festival means to me is a chance of meeting old friends that I maybe see only three or four times a year. It is a time for the gathering of the “Tribe”, most of the trans-people there I have meet or someone I know someone who knows them. It is a great time for networking, I meet with some friends from the Massachusetts Transgender Political Coalition (MTPC) and we compared notes on where we stand with the passage of Connecticut and Massachusetts Anti-discrimination legislations. It is a time to sample the various food vendors booths. It is a time to wander around to the various booths looking at jewelry and other typical fair type of merchandise only most of the items here have gay motif. I only bought one rainbow button that has “Ally” on it for a friend at work that I came out to last week.

One of the acts at the festival was a group of women who were playing drums, all different styles of drums from bongo drums to bass drums. They were excellent.

By the Way Sunday

~Spring Sensations~

By the way...
What sensational recipe do you always pull out of the box in the Spring?
Share it with us.

I do not really have a special dish for spring, but I haven’t made Saltim Bocca for a while and it might be nice to make it sometime this month.

~~ Saltim Bocca ~~

* 12 Veal cutlets ( Option - 4 skinless, boneless chicken breast )
* 1 LB prosciutto, thinly sliced
* 12 Slices Provolone cheese
* 4 TSB Flour
* 1/2 Cup minced garlic
* 1/4 Cup olive oil
* 1/4 Cup Butter
* 2 TBS Ground Sage
* 2 TSB Chopped parsley
* 1 Cup Dry white wine
* 4 oz beef stock
* Salt and pepper to taste


Pound the veal into thin scaloppine ( If using chicken, cut the chicken in to ¼ inch thick cutlets ). Sprinkle each piece with sage and garlic, Then place a slice of prosciutto on top of each scalloppine. Press together firmly. Mix the salt and pepper and flour together. Then coat the meat in the flour mixture. Heat the butter and oil in a large frypan. Sauté the meat for 2 minutes on each side. Add the parsley, wine and stock and simmer for 2 minutes. Remove to a serving dish, cover the meat with a slice of provolone cheese and pour the sauce over the top.

For all of my favorite recipes see my old geocities web-site here for the list of all the recipes.

Saturday Six - Episode 160

Patrick’s Weekender


1. Which makes a better pet: a dog or a cat, and why?
Dogs, because you can take a dog for a walk or play “fletch” with them. Cats do their own thing.

2. A close friend works with an animal rescue organization and tells you that they are desperate for a foster home for a good dog that there is no room for, and that it will be put down unless you can foster it for one week. Would you take the dog in?
Not right now but once I retire maybe. I think if you have a dog that it is not right to leave them home all alone all day.

3. If you could own any pet depicted as a character on a television show, which one would you choose?
Rin Tin Tin, now lets see how many people remember that show.

4. Take the quiz: Common dog breed are you?

What Common Breed of Dog Are You?

Bulldog
Take this quiz!








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5. If you had the option to reverse places with your pet for a day or have your pet suddenly be able to talk like a human for a day, which would you choose and why?
Talk like a human, at least you will know what they want instead of trying to guess.

6. You find you are being relocated to a ritzy neighborhood that has every amenity you would ever want except for one thing: no pets allowed. If you could live there rent/mortgage-free for three years, would you give up a pet to take advantage of the offer?
That is a hard choice, three years rent free is hard to give up but I do fell that if you take on the responsibility of owning a pet you have to live up to your commitment. That a bond is formed between you and the pet and it is hard to break.

Friday Fiver

Horses and Tequila

1. Do you gamble?
I go to Mohegan Sun or Foxwoods casinos maybe once every couple of years and I might buy a ticket or two to play Powerball Lotto when it gets over $200 million.

2. Have you ever rode a horse?
Never and I do not care to.

3. Do you drink alcohol?
Not much, I like a glass of wine or sherry but only for a special occasion. Since I am on hormones, I do not want to over tax my liver.

4. What is your favorite Mexican food?
Chicken quesadilla or sometime shrimp quesadilla

5. Friday fill-in: On Saturday, I plan to ____.
go to a rally on health insurance at 11:00, then around noon head up to Northampton MA. for their Pride festival and see if anyone went to go out to eat latter on.

STAND UP FOR HEALTH CARE RALLY

Statewide Rally
Saturday May 5, 2007
11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Bushnell Park, Hartford CT

Why stand up for health care?

1. Because 400,000 Connecticut residents are uninsured.

2. The emergency room has become a source of costly and inefficient health care for thousands of uninsured and under insured residents across the state.

3. Medical debt is the number one cause of personal bankruptcy.

4. 84% of people polled in CT want universal, accessible, affordable and quality health care for everyone.

5. Passing a marriage equality bill will certainly increase the health security for many same-sex couples, but health care should not be available only to those who choose to marry. ALL people deserve affordable, quality health care.

This will be a family friendly and fun for kids event with live entertainment, music, food vendors and universal health care inspiration. Buses will be available from around the state so be sure to express any transportation needs you might have.

Federal Hate Crime Bill

The week of May 14th I will be in Washington lobbying for the federal hate crimes and Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) bills. The Hater Crime bill has passed the House (237-180) and is expected to pass in the Senate. Now all we have to do is get the President to sign it, but he threatened to veto it.

White House threatens to veto hate-crimes bill

“The White House says there is no need for the expanded bill because state and local laws already cover the crimes it addresses, and there is no need for federal enforcement.”

Well Mr. President, there are currently only nineteen states that band discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and only twelve states that band discrimination on the basis of gender identity. I would say that there is a need a real to pass this law.

And the clergy are not above lying about the bill also.

"We believe that this legislation will criminalize our freedom of speech and our ability to preach the gospel," said Bishop Harry Jackson of Hope Christian Church in Lanham, Maryland.

However, the bill contains the following language….

"Nothing in this Act, or the amendments made by this Act, shall be construed to prohibit any expressive conduct protected from legal prohibition by, or any activities protected by the free speech or free exercise clauses of, the First Amendment to the Constitution," the bill says.

I am not a lawyer but I think I can understand the meaning of that section of the bill. So I just do not know who a bishop can out and out lie.

Another argument that the opposition is using is…

Rep. Tom Feeney, R-Florida, said it is unfair to single out specific groups for protection under the law.

"What it does is to say that the dignity, the property, the life of one person gets more protection than another American. That's just wrong," he said.

The Honorable Feeney is wrong; the bill does not give any group more protect than another group. I am not a lawyer but I believe that in a fight if one person kills another and did not mean to kill him, we call that Manslaughter. But if that person goes home gets a gun and then kill the other person we call that first degree murder or premeditative murder. What is the difference? Intent. If a person kills another person because he is Gay, it is a Hate Crime because of intent. And Representative Feeney you are also covered by the bill because if anyone ever mistaken you for a homosexual and attacks you, than that would be a hate crime.

Stop the Hate! Stop the Bigotry!

Friday 5

Friday 5 for May 4th

Whether you’ve ever been there or not, what are your thoughts on Texas?
No I have never been to Texas and I really don’t want to go and visit it. They are too Red Neck and bigoted for my taste.

Who was the last person you sent a text message to? If you’ve never sent someone a text message, is there some reason?
I have never sent a text message; I don’t see a need for it. I rather leave a voice message or email them.

Who’s usually the first person you go to when you have a tech-related problem, especially for computers?
Everyone usually asks me and if I can’t fix it then I look it up on the internet. (Hint: if you have a problem with a computer or software; Google it.)

What was the best textbook you were ever assigned?
I do not if there was every a good text book. There was a book that we had to read for class this semester that I liked, “Nickel and Dimed” by Barbara Ehrenreich. She went to work for minimum wage for three months to see if she could live on minimum wage, which she couldn’t in one city.

What are your thoughts on techno music?
What’s Techno? Give me, the Grateful Dead, Pink Floyd, Cream, Stepping Wolf and the Eagles any day.

Tell It To Me Tuesday

"The Regular Crowd Shuffles In"

1. How do you attract new people to your blog?
By leaving comments of other blogs, by doing memes (They also are fun.) and by listing my blog on my “Business Card”

2. What do you look for in the blogs you read?
Neat questions or answers for memes, friends’ blogs, blogs that have a positive outlook on life and political blogs.

3. What excites you? (In blog land, that is:)
Civil rights causes.

4. What turns you off?
Long, long boring rambling, tedious and excessively ranting blogs.

5. How do you discover new blogs?
Through reading comments on blogs

I try to keep my blog balanced between memes and more serious issues covering the trans-community. I try to convey what it is like being transgender, while not turning reads away with a long boring rambling, tedious and excessively ranting blog

Manic Monday

Manic Monday.

What new course would you like to see added to the nation's school curriculum?
I do not think we need any more courses, what we need is to motivate the students. Instead of being a blob on a chair, we need to get them involved in the education process. Especially the boys; for some reason the culture is it is not cool to get an education.

Where is your favorite place to sit when at home?
The recliner by the window. It is a cozy place to read and watch the fire on a snowy winter day.

Do you buy anything in bulk? If so, what?
No, being single I just do not go through that much food. The more food in the house, the more I eat.

Well the Semester is Finally Over!

My last class for the semester was last night and I think that I did well in that class. I talked to the professor for about an hour last night after class and she encouraged me to continue working towards my Masters. She felt that I had the drive and the desire; that I would be a valuable resource top the transgender community. She wanted us to stay in touch and she would help me if I needed help. She also mentioned that on the main UConn campus in Storrs that they have four or five individuals who are transgenderd.
I was looking back on my grades in college when I got my Bachelors and my highest grade was a C+ and the entire time I was in college I never talked to a professor or my student counselor; I think I have grown up in 35+ years.
Now I just have to sit back and wait for my grades.

Save Our History!

I just finished writing a term paper on the history of the transgender movement in Connecticut and the formation of the Anti-Discrimination Coalition. One of the problems I had in researching the paper is that nothing is written so I had to rely on interviews.
As Director of the Connecticut Outreach Society I get newsletters from other regional and national groups, in the past we used to give them away to our members. But now I instituted a policy of donating them to a local college for their GLBT archives and other GLBT organizations are also donating their papers.
The papers are being donated to the Canon Clinton Jones Papers Archives which is located in the Special Collections Rare Book Room of the Elihu Burritt Library of Central Connecticut State University. The Reverend Canon Clinton Jones was an Episcopal priest who ministered to the GLBT community and you can read more about him here.

Stop the Hate, Stop the Bigotry

Jamaican Observer

Mob beats cross-dresser
Melee in Falmouth; wig, form-fitting blouse ripped off
HORACE HINES, Observer staff reporter
Saturday, April 28, 2007

FALMOUTH, Trelawny - A cross-dreser was set upon and severely beaten by a mob in Falmouth's Water Square yesterday morning.

Police who were called to the scene had to fire warning shots to disperse the stone-throwing, stick-wielding mob, which succeeded in tearing off the man's black-and-white form-fitting blouse and jet black wig....

"B***y boy fe dead," persons among the mob shouted.
The sentiments were echoed by the rest of the riled-up crowd.

"Falmouth no pet no b***y boy. We no want none a them bout here," one woman yelled.
After the mob dispersed, the victim was whisked off in a police service vehicle, much to the disapproval of the crowd who rushed upon the vehicle demanding the man's release.
"If you ever did see him. Him dress hotter than you and me," one young girl was overheard telling her friend.
"Nu worry man, we gi him a proper [beating]," one man said proudly….

Yesterday's beating was the second such in a month in western Jamaica. In the previous incident, several men alleged to be homosexuals were chased, beaten and stabbed, resulting in one of them being hospitalised, during the Supreme Ventures carnival on Gloucester Avenue, Montego Bay. The men were said to have gone onto the stage and gyrated on each other, angering the patrons.

But the newspaper had this editorial the next day, maybe there is some hope.

Barbarity has no place here
Sunday, April 29, 2007
The graphic images accompanying the lead story in yesterday's Daily Observer should be cause for great concern, not to mention evidence with which to initiate a prosecution against those pictured beating and kicking a cross-dresser in Falmouth's Water Square on Friday morning.
For the matter of mob rule seems to have become par for the course in Jamaica, and as far as this space can remember, no one has ever been brought to book for the vigilante killings of alleged offenders.
According to yesterday's story, the cross-dresser was set upon and beaten by an angry crowd that found his (or possibly her) attire offensive.
Had it not been for the intervention of the police, who escorted the victim to hospital, the incident - which in itself constitutes the common law crimes of assault and battery - could well have culminated in murder.
These considerations seemed not to have occupied the barbarian horde which stationed itself at the hospital awaiting the victim's release, presumably to pick up where it had left off.
Apart from highlighting the citizenry's callous disregard for law and order, we believe yesterday's story points to a breakdown on several other societal fronts.
Take the matter of employment. How on earth can anyone who is about making a productive contribution to society afford the sort of time described in yesterday's story to pursue the fortunes of a cross-dresser?
Is it that those who stationed themselves at the public hospital awaiting the victim's release had nothing planned for the day? No job? No children to take care of? Were they just loitering in Water Square waiting for a cause on which to expend their energies?
Then there are the matters of common sense, values, attitudes, basic education and respect for life, which myriad private and public agencies are responsible for promoting.

By the Way Sunday

~Today~


By the way...
What's the weather like today?
Mostly cloudy with a chance of a shower. Its a good day for napping.

Are there any special meal plans for today?
No, maybe spaghetti or a pizza for dinner.

What one thing do you hope to accomplish today?
Making the changes to my term paper after Cat proofread.

What are you thankful for today?
Only one more class and then the semester is over.

Saturday Six - Episode 159

Patrick Weekender

1. What’s your favorite kind of bread?
Multigrain Oatnut bread

2. As a kid, did you eat more warm sandwiches or cold ones?
Cold, baloney and cheese on white bread, no crust.

3. Which of the following side items do you most prefer with a sandwich: french fries, potato chips, or cole slaw?
Cole Slaw, next choice would be chips

4. Take the quiz: What kind of sandwich are you?

You Are a Ham Sandwich

You are quiet, understated, and a great comfort to all of your friends. Over time, you have proven yourself as loyal and steadfast. And you are by no means boring. You do well in any situation - from fancy to laid back. Your best friend: The Turkey Sandwich Your mortal enemy: The Grilled Cheese Sandwich

What Kind of Sandwich Are You?

5. If you could only use one of the following condiments, are you more likely to use mayonnaise, ketchup or mustard on a sandwich?
Mayo on all sandwiches except ham and then it is mustard.

6. A question of deli etiquette: do you eat the dill pickle spear before, with or after your sandwich?
I eat a dill pickle spear in between halves.

Friday 5 for April 27

The Outsiders


1. What is your favorite outdoor activity?
Hiking

2. Are you outdoors not often enough, too often, or just often enough?
No, I would like to go out hiking for two or three times a week.

3. When was the last time you slept in a tent?
Oh, a very long, long time ago. Something like 20 years.

4. Where is your favorite beach?
Out the back door of our cottage on the lake in New Hampshire.

5a. In what social, academic, or professional group are you on the outer fringes of?
My group of older friends from high school, I do not think that they understand me. time will tell if I get invited to any more parties.

5b. In what social, academic, or professional group are you right in the middle of?
In the trans-community I am very active.

Spring has Sprung

When I went to get the mail yesterday, I saw that my Japanese Cherry tree was in full bloom. So I took some time off from cleaning to take these photographs.







In the wetlands (a.k.a. swamp) behind my house I have these flowers growing and someone told me that they were swamp marigolds. But I have no idea if they are or not.

Iowa Legislature Passes Non-Discrimination Bill

Now, if on the Connecticut Legislature can get their act together and pass the amendments for Gender Identity and Expression to the Connecticut’s Anti-Discrimination bill SB1044.

247gay.com

Iowa Legislature Passes Non-Discrimination Bill
04.27.07

On Wednesday, members of the Iowa House of Representatives voted 59 to 37 to approve a bill outlawing discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity in employment, public accommodations, housing, education and credit practices. The bill passed with bipartisan support, with nine Republicans voting in favor of the bill.

This legislation, which passed the Iowa Senate on March 26, 2007, by a 32-17 vote, must be sent back to the Iowa Senate for concurrence with the House version. If the bill is signed into law, Iowa will become the 19th U.S. state to ban workplace discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and the 10th to ban discrimination on the basis of gender identity.

Such a result would please many of the state’s business leaders, according to recent reports from The Des Moines Register.

In an article that appeared in the newspaper earlier this month, Marvin Pomerantz of Mid-America Group, whose businesses have already adopted policies protecting their employees, said, "As employers, we believe all Iowans should be able to live and work without fear based on their race, gender, religion, ability, sexual orientation, or any other characteristic.”

Likewise, W. Kim Austen, president of Allied Insurance, said, "As we continue to grow our operations in Iowa, we are focused on keeping and attracting workers to our state. The proposed changes in the civil rights code will assist in attracting workers to come to and stay in Iowa."

Leaders from Bankers Trust, Wellmark Blue Cross/Blue Shield, Business Publications Corp., Principal Financial Group, Aviva, Meredith Corp., and other businesses also have aired their support for the bill in the last few weeks.

On a national level, Human Rights Campaign President Joe Solmonese praised the Iowa Legislature yesterday for their work up to this point.

“Legislators in Iowa have taken historic action to advance the cause of equality for all Iowans. Once this bill is signed, Iowa will be a freer and fairer place for its lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender residents,” he said in a release. “We applaud the many legislators who voted for fairness and equality; Governor Culver, who has pledged to sign this bill; our friends at One Iowa, the Interfaith Alliance Action Fund, the Iowa Safe Schools Task Force and the Iowa Civil Rights Commission, as well as all the HRC members in Iowa who worked hard to pass this important legislation.”

© 2007 GayBusinessWorld.com; All Rights Reserved.

Connecticut has been dragging along, passing the bill from one committee to another, doing anything to delay the bill. You would think that it would be a no brainier, but a certain organization has a problem with the bill. They are afraid that their kids might have to see someone who is different they are afraid that the kids will see a man in a dress. In another new article about the Iowa law there was a comment made by the president of the Iowa Family Policy Center that stated their concerns:

Chuck Hurley, president of the Iowa Family Policy Center, called the proposal "legislative malpractice." Under the proposal, an elementary teacher, "Mr. Jones," could dress like "Mrs. Jones" and "shock the conscious of students" without repercussions, he said.

Iowa state legislature had enough guts to pass this bill why cannot the Connecticut legislature?

I came Out to My Boss.

This morning I told my boss that I was trans and of course he was surprised but other than that he took the information very well. I decided to tell him because of my activism since I might be “Outed” accidentaly and I also thought with all the time I have been and will be taking off he should know the reason.
So anyhow, it is done.

Another Busy Week

I have been busy working on my other term paper this week and I have not had time to update my blog. I also got my grade in my other class and I wasn’t all that happy with the grade, it was a “B-“. My term paper would have been a “B+” but he marked me down a grade because of grammar. I picked up my term paper from the professor Thursday night and I had a talk with him and he said that he liked my work, it just that I have to work on my grammar. He also said don’t get discouraged and that if I increased my grade point average, he would write a recommendation for me to graduate school. He teaches Community Organizing and is the Director of Urban and Community Studies at Uconn. So of course he tried to talk me into have my Masters concentration in Community Organizing but I want to have my concentration in Policy Practice.
So now this weekend and next is devoted to writing my term paper for the other class which is due May 1st. And also find someone to proofread my paper.

Brunch and a Play

I went out to brunch at the Pond House in West Hartford with two couples before the play today. The restaurant is located in West Hartford but it is a Hartford park (Elizabeth park). The Pond House Cafe was very crowded when we got there at noon and we had to wait before they had our reservation ready, once we ordered we had a long wait for the food. We got there two hours before the play but we barely made it on time to the theater and I had also to stop by a friend’s apartment to pick him up for the play.
It was the first time we went there for brunch and in the past we alway had good food there, this time was no exception. I had Pond House Benedict, which is two eggs Benedict over a crab cake and corn bread.
The play was at the Hartford Stage Company and it was “I am My Own Wife” a true story about a transvestite who survived the Nazi and Communist in Germany. The play was a one person play and he played all forty parts. I give it a 3 ½ to 4 stars, the play was good and I enjoyed, but it is nothing to write home about.
After the play we all went over to Tisane, a tea/coffee house in Hartford, for drinks and to talk over the play. They finally got a decaf black tea, the last time I was there they only had herbal decaf teas.
So all in all it was a good weekend; Saturday the TransHealth Conference and Sunday the play.

After Eight Months of Work, Success!

The TransHealth and Law conference was a great hit, we had over ninety attendees and for the first conference; that was fantastic. I won’t say it went off without a hitch, but so far all the comments I heard were good. I got there at 7:15 to help set up for the conference and then I helped at the presenters registration table. I also attended two of the fifteen workshops. Both of the workshops that I attended were about legal trans-issues. One of the workshops was by a lawyer from Connecticut Human Rights and Opportunity Commission on what is the definition of discrimination and how to file a complaint with the CHRO. The other workshop was also on legal issues and was given by the Senior Staff Counsel for GLAD (Gay and Lesbian Advocates and Defenders), Jennifer Levi, who was one of the co-counsels that argued to case that allowed marriage equality in Massachusetts.

By the Way Sunday

By the Way...

1. April, May, or June? May, the flowers are just starting to come out.
2. Birthday, Christmas, other? Fourth of July, Fireworks!
3. Breakfast, lunch, or dinner? Dinner, to sit back and enjoy a good meal over a glass of wine, reflecting on the day.
4. Car, truck/SUV, or van? Car, more practical and economical.
5. Lounging, shopping, or sightseeing? Sightseeing, I like see something new and photographing it.

Saturday Six - Episode 157

Patrick’s Weekender

1. READER'S CHOICE QUESTION #90 from Remo: In the event of a disaster or act of disorder, are you currently prepared to remain self-sufficient for a day, a week, or a month until measures could be taken to restore order and services?
I have a week’s worth of food in the house; more of you count the frozen food. As for water I have a 20 gallon water heater.

2. READER'S CHOICE QUESTION #91 from Frida: Feng shui: Totally serious, totally crapola, or just another cool way to get redecorating ideas?
Just a way of some one making money with a hare brain idea.

3. READER'S CHOICE QUESTION #92 from Call Me Betty: Do you feel comfortable being yourself in public or do you feel you have to hide certain aspects of your personality?
I think so. See if you can guess; hint read the introduction to my blog.

4. READER'S CHOICE QUESTION #93 from Wil: Name your favorite flower to appear in the Spring around you?
Crocus, they are just starting to pop up around my yard.

5. READER'S CHOICE QUESTION #94 from Cat.: From this list, are there any places you would never travel.
It is easier to list the countries I would like to visit; Canada and Europe. All the other countries are not to friendly to the Trans-community.

6. READER'S CHOICE QUESTION #95 from Kathy: Who is your favorite [motion picture] director?
Alfred Hitchcock, I love his type of mysteries.

One More Step Closer to Writing My Term Paper

I just conducted my second interview for my term paper and have just one more interview to go. The interview was with a lawyer who brought a famous case before the Connecticut Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities. The interview was very interesting and now I just have to figure out how to work it into my term paper. She started out on cases that involved gender discrimination by accident, before she even started to transition, before anyone even knew she was trans. She was asked by a client to ask the CHRO if transsexuals were covered by the existing laws. The CHRO ruled that transsexuals were covered and not only them but also all other transgenderd persons.
The first interview was with a transactivist who is the head of Connecticut TransAdvocacy Coalition of which I am on the Board of Directors and I talked to her about how she built up CTAC. How she went to Washington DC to a Transgender Lobby Day and came back to Connecticut and form “It’s` Time America” which later became CTAC.
The third interview that I am doing is that of a friend who was homeless. She moved to Connecticut from Virginia to avoid persecution and discrimination. She was thrown out of her parent’s house because the father found out she was trangenderd, she was beaten up by the police in Virginia and fled to Connecticut where she lived in shelters. She just recently got her own apartment.
Somehow I have to weave these three stories into my paper on the Anti-Discrimination legislation that is before the state Senate right now.
You know seven years ago I would have NEVER in my wildest dream ever imagined that I would be interviewing wonderful people like these people, let alone being an “Out” transsexual. Nor would I have thought I would be going for my Masters degree in Social Work. I was so deeply closeted that I wouldn’t even go outside in fear of being found out.

How Much of a Feminist Are You?

Well you just had to know that I couldn't resist this....

You Are 100% Feminist

You are a total feminist. This doesn't mean you're a man hater (in fact, you may be a man). You just think that men and women should be treated equally. It's a simple idea but somehow complicated for the world to put into action.

Are You a Feminist?

Friday 5 for April 13

Cutting Costs

1. When money’s a bit tight, how do you cut costs in keeping yourself fed?Start eating cereal for breakfast, sandwiches for lunch and TV Dinners for diner.

2. When money’s a bit tight, how do you cut costs in keeping yourself entertained?Read book from the library.

3. When money’s a bit tight, how do you cut costs in other areas of your life?By not going out to diners or to plays.

4. When money’s a bit tight, what do you do to keep your spirits up?It is hard to say because I have never really have been in a spot like that. Since I have been employed as an engineer or a supervisor all my life, I have never had that problem. Maybe when I retire this year it might be a little hard living on a fixed income.

5. When money’s a bit tight, what are some things you refuse to sacrifice?My high speed internet connection.

Kurt Vonnegut Dies

He was one of my favorite authors back when I was in college and his best seller just came out; “Slaughter House 5”. The book was about the bombing of Dresden where he was held as a prisoner of war when the city was firebombed by the allies. More civilian were killed that night then from the atomic bomb at Hiroshima, Vonnegut was one of a handful of survivors that night.
But my favorite book of his was the book he wrote in 1952 called “Player Piano” which was about the affects of automation and big business and their corporate values. The book dealt with unemployment, corporate cutback and greed, I think it is more fitting today’s world then it was written back in ’52.
For more details about his life read the Guardian article about him.

Getting to Know You Day

The Conversation Piece

1. question #255 - If you had to change your first name, what would you choose as your new name? Actually I am going to change my name from Don to Diana and I am still trying to figure out a middle name. My middle name begins with “R”, anyone know of a middle name (Other than Robin) that might go with Diana and an Italian last name?

2. question #158 - What is your favorite saying, quote, or expression?
See my blog “I Have Been Tagged" for a list of quotes.

3. question #49 - If you could buy any rare collection in the world, which would you choose? Why? I think a collection of “The Beatle’s” master copies of their records because I think the value would always increase.

4. question #1 - If you could fly in a hot-air balloon over any city in the world, what city would you choose? Why that city? If it can be something other than a city, I would like to balloon over the Grand Canyon because I think the view would be breathtaking.

5. question #221 - What is an item you own that has a minimal monetary value but has such sentimental value that you would not sell it for $5,000?My mother’s necklace, its nothing fancy but it is one that she wore often for special occasions.

Easter Sunday

For Easter the clan met up at the family cottage in New Hampshire. My brother went up Thursday to turn on the water and heat before everyone else came up. My sister-in-law, nephew, his wife and their three kids went up Friday. My niece went up Saturday with her son. And I went up there on Sunday morning and as did my cousin and his wife.
Since there was snow on the ground and the kids couldn’t go outside and play, I was glad that I went up on Sunday. In the cottage there were six adults and four kids ages; six (2), four and one, so it was a little crowded. But driving up for the day makes for a long day, I left at eight in the morning and I didn’t get home until nine at night (Its a three hour drive to the cottage.).
I arrived about a half an hour before my cousin and his wife got there. When they came in we greeted one another and my cousin did something that no man did ever before, he kissed me on the cheek like he did my sister-in-law and my niece. It was something I was not prepared for or never thought about. It was a totally new experience that I do not know yet if I like, I have to give this a lot of thought.
Well anyhow here are a couple of pictures of the lake house, as you can see there is still a lot of snow up there…

A Success Story

Here is a tale of one woman’s success in Electrical Engineering. I first stumbled across her story when I was looking up the history of the old computers (IBM 1620 & IBM 360) from the late ‘60s and early ‘70s that I had used in college to learn different programming languages on. (Some of this it technical, but you will not need to know the terms to get the gist of what it is about.)

Conway's innovations at Xerox PARC [Palo Verde Research Center] in the 1970s simplified and demystified a once extremely complex process of silicon-chip design, laying the foundation for much of the modern-day silicon-chip design and design-tool revolution in the 1980s. Many chip designers did their first VLSI design projects using the government's MOSIS prototyping system based on Conway's work at PARC. High-tech companies and computing methods worldwide now are grounded in her work.[1]

Because of her you are able to read this on your computer and every other device that uses a microprocessor uses one of her inventions. The text book that she co-authored became the standard that thousands of engineering used, over 70,000 copies were printed.
But she didn’t stop there…

Some may more accurately describe her as a pioneer in microelectronic chip design. Most of today's chip designers learned their craft from the textbook Introduction to VLSI Systems, co-authored by Lynn Conway and Prof. Carver Mead of Caltech. It foreshadowed today's still-evolving SoC design methodologies. [1]

But that is not the only major research that she did. She was involved in research for the Department of Defense.

In the early 1980s, Conway was a key technical architect and leader for the Defense Department's Strategic Computing Initiative (SCI) at the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). SCI was a major research program in high-performance computing, autonomous systems technology, and intelligent weapons technology. Working under Dr. Robert Cooper, Director of DARPA and Assistant Secretary of Defense, Conway led the effort that produced the Strategic Computing Plan published in November 1983.
More recently, Conway has focused on visual communications and control probing for basic system and user-interface concepts as applicable to hybridized internet/broadband-cable communications. She has five U.S. patents for her visual communications inventions [1]

She didn’t stop here either…

I joined the University of Michigan as Associate Dean of Engineering and Professor of EECS in 1985. Partly this was a move to break out of the Bay Area, and "get a life", which I finally managed to do. I've just stepped down from active faculty status here at Michigan, as Professor Emerita of EECS. [2]

But where her career began is even more amazing…

Until recently, many in her field didn't know another facet of Conway's life. They didn't know that in 1965, at IBM, she invented dynamic instruction scheduling (DIS), a powerful method for issuing multiple out-of-order instructions per machine cycle in supercomputers. By solving this fundamental computer architecture problem, she made possible the creation of the first true superscalar computer, the IBM ACS-1. Although that superscalar computer was eventually cancelled, her DIS invention survived and is now a classic hardware method for enhancing the performance of VLSI superscalar processors, such as those made by Compaq, HP, Intel, MIPS, and Sun. [1]

Her spans over three decades and at each point in her career she was in the fore front of her profession and for that leadership she received many honors.

Lynn's won many awards for her work, including the Electronics Award for Achievement, the Wetherill Medal of the Franklin Institute, the Pender Award of the Univ. of Pennsylvania, SWE's National Achievement Award, the Secretary of Defense Meritorious Achievement Award, recognition as Xerox Research Fellow, an honorary doctorate from Trinity College, election as a Fellow of the IEEE and election to the National Academy of Engineering. [2]

To see what made her career even more remarkable read her autobiography http://ai.eecs.umich.edu/people/conway/RetrospectiveT.html


1: Electronic Design, Doris Kilbane, Lynn Conway: A Trailblazer On Professional, Personal Levels; Retrieved April 11, 2007, http://www.elecdesign.com/Articles/Index.cfm?AD=1&ArticleID=5833
2: People Involved with ACS, Mark Smotherman, Retrieved April 11, 2007, http://www.cs.clemson.edu/~mark/acs_people.html

Manic Monday

Manic Monday for April 9, 2007


What flavor of ice cream best describes your personality?
Rocky Road, that is the story of my life.

If your life was a weather vane, which direction would it be pointing right now?
Northeast, that is where our worst weather comes from here in Connecticut.

What is one field or profession that you have never pursued, but that you think you would most likely have been quite good at?
Actually, I am going to change fields and try getting my Masters in Social Work

Saturday Six - Episode 156

Patrick’s Weekender

1. Do you believe that there is some form of intelligent life on a planet other than Earth?
Yes, with all the solar systems out there, there has to be at least one other planet with intelligent life.

2. If there was, and we were to encounter it, which do you think would do more harm to the other: the Earthlings or the Extra Terrestrials?
The Earthlings

3. If a close friend or family member told you that they had been kidnapped by aliens, how likely are you to believe them if they can offer no physical evidence?
I know of a good psychologist that I can recommend.

4. Take the quiz: How likely is it that you would be abducted by Extra Terrestrials?

You have a 11% chance of being abducted You don’t really believe in extra-terrestrials, but you should! The chances that another intelligent life form exists is far greater than the chance that it doesn’t. Take this quiz at QuizGalaxy.com

5. If you could fly in a spaceship to get a close look at any of the planets besides Earth, which would you choose and why?
Mars, because it is most Earth like and may support human life.

6. If you had the chance to live on a fully-developed colony on Mars, would you do so?
Yes, at the drop of a hat. I think we build colony first on the moon and then on Mars.

Friday 5 for April 6

A Method to this Madness

1. What’s your routine when you sit down to read a newspaper?
I start off with the front page and work my way to the last page of the last section, but I skip over the sports section. That has no interest to me.

2. When you fire up your web-browser on a typical day, what’s your browsing routine?
I check my emails, visit friends’ blogs and then go to Google News for the headlines.

3. It’s time to tidy up your living space! In what order do you normally tackle things?
I start with the kitchen and work my way back to my bedroom.

4. Holy cow! It’s time to start thinking about Christmas shopping! How do approach this annual, sometimes-daunting task?
Wow! It’s December 20th already? I usually start my shopping just before Christmas; it makes it easier with nothing left on the shelves, you just buy what’s on the shelves and get a return slip.

5. What’s your method for paying bills?
The old fashion way by snail mail.

BINGO!!!

I went to a fund raiser Bingo last night for the Hartford Gay and Lesbian Health Collective and I won! I won the last game and the prize was $115. I always have fun when I go Bingo (even if I don't win), usually I go with a group of friends to dinner before Bingo and it makes it a fun night out, its even better when I win.

Transgender Health and Law Conference

I was busy most of the nights after work this past week volunteering to help set-up for the Transgender Health and Law Conference. This will be the conclusion of nine months of work that began with the first steering committee meeting back in August and it has been a good learning experience for me. Here is the email that I sent out the other day to the area support groups.

Next Saturday April 14th there is a transgender health and law conference at Uconn Health Center in Farmington which is the first transgender conference of its kind here in Connecticut. I am impressed with all the different agencies that have come together to give this conference; the Connecticut Department of Public Health, Planned Parenthood, Connecticut Women Education and Legal Fund, Hartford Gay and Lesbian Health
Collective, the University of Connecticut and also the Connecticut
TransAdvocacy Coalition.

There are over fifteen workshops being offered, some of the presenters are; from True Colors, a Sex Therapist from the University of Hartford, the Senior Counsel for GLAAD and many more. Connecticut Outreach Society is also going to have an informational table there at the conference.

The registration fee is $25 and $15 for volunteers (I need someone to help me at the table registering the presenters), but the fee can be waived in cases of hardship. The conference is worth it; besides the workshops they are providing a continental breakfast, lunch and a reception after the conference.

For more information and to register on-line go to their web-site:
http://conference. transadvocacy. com/

Happy Easter

Manic Monday

Manic Monday

Which of the seven dwarfs best personifies you?
Happy

If you could change the custom of shaking hands, what would you replace it with?
Tipping your hat or curtsy.

If you had to describe your disposition with meteorological terms, what would a typical forecast be like?
Cloudy and drizzly in the morning, sunny and bright in the afternoon.

Bigotry and Hatred is Still Alive

Back in February a 72 year old man on the bus in Detroit was murdered because he was gay. The HRC reports….

…the death of 72-year old Detroit resident Andrew Anthos who was attacked last week outside of his apartment and subsequently died of his injuries.
…the attack occurred last week on Feb. 13, when Anthos was riding on a city bus and was asked by a fellow passenger if he was gay. The man then followed Anthos off the bus which stopped in front of Anthos’ building where the assailant then beat him with a metal pipe.

The police closed the investigation saying he wasn’t murder because the blow to his head didn’t cause his death. This from March 30th Lansing State Journal…

Anthos' Cousin Won't Give Up Search for Answers

Athena Fedenis said she was stunned to learn Detroit police have closed their probe into last month's death of Andrew Anthos after the department was unable to find witnesses to a beating. It also stopped the investigation after the Wayne County medical examiner's office ruled Anthos fell because he had an arthritic neck, not because he was struck by an assailant during a hate-fueled attack.
According to Fedenis and other family members, Anthos said he was riding a city bus home from the library on Feb. 13 when a young man asked him if he was gay and called him a "faggot."

"If you want to say he wasn't murdered, OK. But you can't say he wasn't attacked, that it wasn't a hate crime," Fedenis said.

"Could (Anthos) have been wrong about the pipe? Probably. It could have been the guy's fist," Fedenis said. "But what was the size of a softball behind his left ear? It was a cut, a gash. ... If he was never struck, this wouldn't have happened."

A Midland-based conservative group, in a statement, called on Detroit police to investigate who may have been involved in the filing of what the American Family Association of Michigan called "the filing of a false police report."

Can you imagine the audacity of the AFA!

It is time to stop the hate! It is time to stop the bigotry!

Last night's COS Banquet.

Last night was the Connecticut Outreach Societies annual banquet, after months of planning it finally came off without a hitch. For the last couple of weeks I have been biting my nails worrying if we would get enough reservation to meet the minimum number of diners for it. Two weeks ago we were ten diners short and that meant that we would lose money on the banquet because we priced the dinner to break even at fifty.
But we had fifty-six reservations and five walk-ins. Whew!
It think everyone had a good time from the feedback that I got and they liked the guest speaker that we had. She teaches psychology and sociology courses on Human Sexuality at a local college, she also had a radio talk show. She gave an excellence talk on gender and transgenderism. Before her talk, I had to give out awards to our a few of our members so I had to get up in front of everyone and handout the awards. Compared to three years when I did that for the first time I have really improved my public speaking.
Here is a picture that a friend took while I was giving out the awards. You can see what I meant about in the meme below about being addicted to food. Gaining weight is so easy, loosing weight is so hard.
I had a problem with my camera last night, the flash wouldn’t go off. I couldn’t figure out what was wrong so I didn’t get to take as many photos of the banquet as I wanted. It wasn’t until this morning when I figured out what was wrong, I had the autofocus set for macro and that disables the flash and it also explains why some of my photographs were out of focus. I was using my camera at work to photograph some small defects on a printed circuit board and I forgot to set the autofocus back to its normal setting. Ugh…

By the Way Sunday

~Cityscapes~

By the way...
Miami or Honolulu?
Honolulu, it is more exotic and has that South Pacific allure.

Nashville or Dallas?
Nashville. Dallas has too much hate and bigotry.

Chicago or Denver?
Denver, the gateway to the Rockies

New York City or Los Angeles?
New York City, it’s only fifty miles from home.

Washington D.C. or Boston?
Boston, it has class and it is only hours away from the prime vacations spots on Cape Cod, in New Hampshire or Maine.

Last but not least....Paris or London?
London, I don’t speak French.

Saturday Six - Episode 155

Patrick’s Weekender

1. PC or Mac? (You must choose one or the other.)
I would like to use a Mac, but we live in a PC World

2. How much do you like one over the other, and what's the main reason?
PC is so filled with bugs that it looks like Swiss cheese. How often do you hear Apple put out a security patch, compared to MS one a day.

3. What would be easier to do without for a week: your cell phone, your television, or your computer?
My television

4. Take the quiz: Are You a Computer Geek?




5. What things do you feel more addicted to than your computer?
I refuse to answer because it might get me arrested! Just kidding, food is addicting to me.

6. If your computer has to go in for service and you're without it for a week, and you have the chance to log on at a different computer, which are you most likely to do first: check news headlines, check email, or update your blog?
1. Check email
2. Update my blog
3. Check news headlines