The Guardian (where else?) has posted a sympathetic review of a new novel about a transgender teenager, called, The Art of Being Normal, by Lisa Williamson, who worked at a gender clinic for a while.
My radiators have been fixed so hopefully no more water dripping about the place. My house feels nice and warm again and I'll shall sit down before I open the bill when it arrives.
Did a bit more cycling today but my fitness is well down after my cold. My mileage for last year was the lowest for ages, so I hope to do better this. My daughter seems to be feeling a little better as well, so perhaps things are going to improve at last.
Sometimes I wonder why I bother. I had an idea for a Christmas story but it had to be written and posted yesterday to be effective. It needed a sixteen year old boy soprano, they're unusual. So it needs a contrivance, there's always the cop out of magic, genital damage pre puberty, AIS or intersex - quite rare, or T-blockers. I opted for the latter, administered by a mother who thought she was doing best for her son. I then have calls of child abuse and for another author to redress the balance.
Sorry, my cold has got the better of me today and I'm going to bed, just too fuzzy to think clearly.
I've been reading some back numbers of Bike and read the part about Billie's death, it had a new poignancy in view of my experience this year. So I shed a few tears and half a gallon of sn..., I know, TMI.
The BBC are doing a serial of 5x 15 minute episodes about Amy, a girl who's born in the wrong body, and how her parents try and cope with it. Times in the UK Monday to Friday 11.45am repeated in the evening at 7.45pm and then available on the iPlayer site. It is a drama, but sounds quite interesting, hope there aren't too many stereotypes.
I can't do Bike tonight, I've come down with a heavy cold and it hurts my eyes to look at the screen. I hope I'll be better tomorrow, but I'm going for an early night tonight.
According to my mother 62 years ago, my dad came home from the office party the worse for wear. Trying not to make much noise, he went up stairs carrying his shoes which he then managed to drop down them. My mother was rather pregnant and I appeared the next morning, all 5lb 2oz of me. The morning was the 3rd December 1952. (A week later the Christine Jorgensen story broke - pure coincidence, I expect).
This rebuts all rumours about my being found under a gooseberry bush, though some might like to see me there now.
I had to go to a colleague's leaving do so haven't had time to write Bike for tonight. Hopefully will be back to my usual boring self tomorrow to describe in tedious detail another few minutes in the life of Cathy and her family. Bonzi had offered to do it for me but the daft old bugger got shut out and was soaking wet when I returned from the restaurant. Why couldn't Whizz do it for me, I hear you ask, but her spelling and punctuation is worse than mine.
I've just got off the phone to my needy friend who had bent my ear for the previous 90 minutes. I feel washed out, so hopefully tomorrow I should have time to write. Apologies to my regulars. I've been rereading back numbers of Bike and some of them moved me to tears and one or two episodes had me laughing out loud--and I wrote them. I had completely forgotten bits, so anyone who hasn't yet tried ordeal by Bike, it might be more pleasurable than you thought.
As we fast approach episode 2500, I need to ask readers if they want me to continue for a bit longer or have they had enough. I have no idea how large it is, well over 3,000,000 words by some distance but that's about all I can say.
I keep nodding over my 'puter so going off to bed. !'ll finish the episode of Bike, tomorrow. Sorry for the inconvenience. I could recommend trying some of the earlier episodes if you're desperate, I've been rereading some of them and enjoying it.
Sorry folks, I've been trying to write Bike but just keep falling asleep over it. I've not been sleeping very well recently, so I think an early night is called for. Will try to do better tomorrow, sorry to disappoint again.
Sorry folks, the time has crept up on me and I've not had time to write because I've been doing stuff for our cycling club AGM tomorrow morning. Hopefully, I'll get something done tomorrow.
It took me about fifteen goes to post tonight's Bike, each time I tried I got this stupid message. It seems to be happening everywhere and I feel if I see it once more I'm going to throw my computer out of the window.
Can anyone explain to me why it happens and what it's supposed to mean because most of the time Windows can't detect why it happened?
I really feel like cancelling my broadband and binning this laptop, and never going near the internet again.
I'd never heard of Tom Grace until he became Laura, but apparently she's some sort of pop singer with a band I've still never heard of and according to this article, some sort of trans icon. For those interested she's making some films about trans people for AOL.
The link below is a thought provoking article about a murder suicide, the murder victim being a transgender woman, the suicide her partner. The events took place in Brisbane, Australia, and the article is as much about the Australian media's treatment of what is essentially a tragedy for everyone concerned.
Congratulations to Audrey for winning her case on changing names and gender on official certificates of education in Kenya, which is a very conservative country.
Apologies for no Bike last night. I did try to blog to explain things but on clicking on save, I got the dreaded, ‘This page can’t be displayed.’ I didn’t have the energy to retype it. There will be an episode today, I’ll finish the one I started last night before I zonked.
It's getting too late for me to write tonight's Bike, I've been out listening to a lecture about warfare in the Neolithic. Apparently 30 years ago there was a widespread belief that the Neolithic was a period of unbridled peace and harmony between 4,000 - 2,000 BC. Textbooks of archaeology would talk about it in glowing terms suggesting it all went wrong from the Bronze age to the present.
Who can blame any girl wanting the freedom of boys, especially in the worst country in the world to be born female, according to the UN. However, there can be a sting in the tale, as soon as they begin developing as female adults, they're expected to revert to their biological sex and begin acting like normal females, have children and so on. Read the article:
I don't know what I touched but twice I've lost tonight's manuscript for Bike. If it happens again, £400 worth or not, I'm going to smash this heap of crap into a million pieces. I may or may not post tonight.
Sorry run out of time. The shit that my life has become in recent months continues. At times it feels like everything I have is being tested or destroyed. Now it's my car which is going to cost a lot to repair and get through the MOT, earlier on Bonzi was attacked by another cat. My daughter is still suffering her fatigue, which is worse since Huw's untimely death, and working for the NHS remains very much a case of lions led by donkeys.
From the Guardian - where else? - a transpride march in Brighton. Did you know there's a trans flag? No nor did I. Dunno if I'm getting old, but the fact that it appears most of the population of the earth is now deciding it's transgender is getting a bit passé. Anyway for those who want to read it...
Checks can be made out & sent to:
Joyce Melton
1001 Third St.
Space 80
Calimesa, CA 92320
USA
Note: $6000 is the operating, maintenance and upgrade budget. Amounts received in excess of the $6000 will be applied to long term debt accrued over the last 19 years.
