Joannebarbarella

Charlie Watts

I just heard that Charlie Watts, the drummer of The Rolling Stones, died.

I met him back in 1963, when The Stones were just getting started, and he was a lovely guy, the only one of them who wasn't either so far up himself or high on something, who gave a fan a little facetime and some conversation, without being in any way condescending.

Apart from that, he was one of those mostly unsung brilliant drummers who anchored the group for over fifty years. It makes me feel very sad and very much mortal to hear of his death as he was only a few months older than me.

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TG And Sports

In all the hoo-hah about transgender individuals playing sports in their chosen gender the focus has only been on male-to-female. Nobody has ever mentioned female-to-male. There is evidently no perception of a problem if a born female athlete (for instance) plays American football or runs in male races.

Here is a very brief list of sports where size and strength make no difference. Please feel free to add any sport you like to this very brief list. Or challenge this list.

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"Predestination"

I just watched a movie named Predestination (on Netflix). I won't give too much away or I will be spoiling.

It is a time travel story but its interest to many of us is that one of the central characters is born and grows up female and then becomes male. The part is played by the same actress, who received an award for her performance and, in my opinion, deservedly so.

It may not be to everybody's taste but I found it intriguing.

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Dr. Seuss NOT Banned

There seems to be a misconception that some Dr. Seuss books have been banned and that the US Government is responsible.

THIS IS NOT TRUE.

The books are not banned and it has nothing to do with the US Government despite attempts to make it appear so by some so-called conservative politicians.

The books in question are still available but the family company that controls the publishing has decided that in today's society some of the characterisations may appear racist and so they have decided not to sell any more of those particular books.

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I'm Reminded Of An Old Joke

Soon-to-be Ex-President Trump has tweeted that more people voted for him than any other President in history.

I am reminded of an old joke.

An American and a Russian compete in a two-person race. The American wins easily.

Pravda (old Soviet news organisation...Their equivalent of Fox News) reports on the race. Russian athlete comes second, American is next to last.

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I'm Me

Sometimes I Can't Hold It In Any More

Joannebarbarella

I suppose I am what you can categorise as a frustrated transsexual. I am not a crossdresser although I dress in women's clothes as often as I can. I don't regard this as crossdressing. All I am doing is dressing in the clothes in which I should have been dressing all my life. Circumstances have prevented me from assuming my true sex throughout my life, so that I have had to masquerade as a man for more than sixty years.

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A Basic Type Of Theft

I don't know if this will help anyone except as a cautionary tale and maybe a warning to frequently check your bank accounts.

I came back from holiday a little more than a week ago and went to the ATM to withdraw some pocket money, only to be told that my account was now invalid, so I went into the branch and asked what was going on. The nice lady at the Help desk took my card and called up my details on the computer. She turned the screen towards me and I immediately saw that I had been hacked and robbed.

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And The Band Played Waltzing Matilda

Eric Bogle - The Band Played Waltzing Matilda - YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WG48Ftsr3OI

And the Band Played Waltzing Matilda" is a song written by Scottish-born
Australian singer-songwriter Eric Bogle in 1971. The song describes war as futile
and ...

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All In A Day's Work

All In A Day’s Work

By Joannebarbarella


This is a tribute to someone who did not even know she was a heroine (and probably still doesn’t). She’s a member of our sorority here at BC. I have not sought her permission to publish this piece as it can be construed as fiction, and probably much of it is, but I hope she likes it. I think she may recognize herself.

This might also qualify for Dorothy’s Challenge

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A Journey

A Journey

By Joannebarbarella

I smile at my customer as I place his drink on the table. His gaze is firmly fixed on my breasts almost spilling out of my low-cut top as I bend forwards. and I doubt if he even sees me smile. I always like it when they do that. That's why I always wear one of my maximiser bras when I'm working.

D-DAY PLUS

By Joannebarbarella

The Remains Of The Day. The Rest of D-Day

First hurdle cleared.

I went into my office breathing a sigh of relief and feeling twenty pounds lighter. Margaret had accepted me without blinking an eye. I called her my receptionist but in truth she was much more than that. She was my gate-keeper and the one with whom I shared “post-mortem” appreciations of new and unknown clients. A second opinion of a client is always very valuable, and she was very perceptive….as indeed she had just shown.

Randalynn

If you ever doubted the quality of the stories on this site (which you shouldn't have anyway) then read Randalynn's "Firefly" series. She says they're fan fiction, but in fact Joss Whedon should be reading these and basing an extension of the TV series on this saga, which captures the absolute essence of his Serenity/Firefly tales. They are magic.

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As I Age

AS I AGE - FOOD FOR THOUGHT?

1. I talk to myself, because sometimes I need expert advice.

2. Sometimes I roll my eyes out loud.

3. I don't need anger management. I need people to stop pissing me off.

4. My people skills are just fine. It's my tolerance of idiots that needs work.

5. The biggest lie I tell myself is "I don't need to write that down, I'll remember it."

6. When I was a child I thought nap time was punishment. Now it's like a mini-vacation.

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2602 Chapters Ago

I saw today that someone had left a new comment on Episode 173 of EAFOAB, so, out of curiosity, I called up the whole string of comments and found a very lively, witty, and erudite exchange about discussions and quotations from such luminaries as Oscar Wilde, George Bernard Shaw, Winston Churchill, Franklin Roosevelt, et al... and even Elvis.

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Maybe The World Is Catching Up

Would you believe, in The Australian Financial Review of all places, there is a full-page article about a manga comic called Wandering Son, which tells the story of two teenage kids....Shuichi, "a boy who wants to be a girl" and Yoshino, "a girl who wants to be a boy".

The article says that the story was originally published in a magazine called Comic Beam, ran from 2002 to 2013 and was adapted into a TV series in 2011, which was apparently very popular. They claim over a million readers and viewers.

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Oh! To Be A Girl

For personal real life issues, like not being allowed access to my grandchildren, I cannot live full-time as a woman. However, I find relief in going for regular make-overs to a very professional lady on the Gold Coast of Queensland (isn't that an ironic name?) who does a great job of transforming me into a somewhat realistic semblance of a female. I have to say that I love myself after she has performed her magic upon me, even though I can only maintain the illusion for a relatively short time.

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Andreja Pejic

Andreja (formerly Andrej) has just scored a major gig as the "face" of a high-profile cosmetics company, becoming the first transgender person to achieve such a position. At only 23 she comes across in interviews as an intelligent and thoughtful young woman on the subject of transgender issues. She also happens to be ravishingly beautiful (which makes me totally jealous or would if I were 50 years younger).

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Random Authors

A couple of months ago I noticed a massive uptick in the number of hits on my stories and couldn't figure out why, since I hadn't written anything for ages. It was only later that I found that I had just been included in the "12 Random Authors" list at the time so I can confirm that it really works.

One strange thing was that while I got literally hundreds of extra hits I didn't get a single additional comment or "thumbs up". I don't know what that signifies. Perhaps people just dip in and decide they don't like the story and move on.

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Christmas Fairy Queen

I read a story by Robyn Hoode over on TG Storytime called "Christmas Fairy Queen" which she claims to be not sufficiently good to be posted here. She's wrong and needs to be shown the error of her ways. This is definitely a BC level story. Let's raise a little bit of Cain here ladies,

Joanne

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On The Subject OF Christmas Songs

This is one that you will definitely not hear in shopping malls. Take note of my warnings.

www.youtube.com.sg/watch?v=tEe55NxFSSU

Otherwise, have a very Merry Christmas,

Joanne

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Apologies To The Odd Reader

I do apologise to those few readers who may have been waiting for another chapter of my last story "After The Ball". I have just not been able to come up with anything which satisfies me or seems to be a valid continuation and so I have retitled the previous post "Just For The Ball?" with very minor changes to make it a stand-alone. If anyone thinks that they can continue the tale please feel free to do so. Just run it past me before posting. Sorry,

Joanne

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Beautiful Songs Written In Pain

Here I am again, indulging in my usual late night indulgence of listening to music which transports me. Tonight it's Fleetwood Mac and the particular song that got to me tonight is "Go Your Own Way", probably my fave song by this group, written and sung by Lindsey Buckingham (with chorus by Stevie Nicks) when Lindsey found out that Stevie was having it away with Mick.

Listen to the pain,

Joanne

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Another Day In Paradise

Here I am, fairly late at night, had maybe one wine too many, tears streaming down my face as I listen to Phil Collins' "Another Day In Paradise", a song that I love, but it always makes me feel so guilty.

The destitute woman pleads for help and the man pretends he doesn't hear and ignores her. Which of us at some time hasn't done the same? Ignored that desperate plea for help because it was too embarrassing or inconvenient, or too much trouble.

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