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.

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).

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.

My wife died last night in the Wesley Hospital in Brisbane, Australia. Her passing was as peaceful as could be expected after nearly two years of suffering with cancers of the liver, breast and adrenal gland. She had three sessions of chemo and two of radiation treatment, which undoubtedly prolonged her life but at considerable physical and mental cost. These are cruel diseases and it is a terrible thing to see someone gradually decline before your eyes.

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

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

I woke up this morning, hoping that for once I would be able to log on without getting a "site down" notice, and I did!!

Sometimes something comes along that you just have to share!

ABOUT THE WRITER, Dave Barry is a Pulitzer Prize-winning humor columnist for the Miami Herald.

WARNING! NO TG CONTENT!

I had a couple of hundred buttons last time I looked and now they are all gone.

Woe is me!

Joanne

I had sort of noticed this phenomenon in that my most recently posted story had only received a fraction of the hits which I would have normally expected, but I shrugged my shoulders and put it down to the fact that I had just not connected with the audience or I had a bad authorial day when I wrote it.

Then another author bemoaned the same effect on her latest posting and wondered if it was to do with the recent up-grade. So..I went investigating, a la Nancy Drew or Susie and Jeffrey, but more cerebrally and without the mayhem.

Thanks to Erin and all our administrators for another year's hard work. Thanks to all readers, authors and commentors for being here. Please keep on doing whichever it is that you do.

A Merry Christmas and a very Happy New Year,

Joanne

There is a heading in "My Accounts" which summarises the total number of kudos which a writer has received. I would jealously chortle over the hundreds of thousands (actually I have to tell the truth....a few hundred) of these precious little items every day, somewhat like Gollum with his ring....my pressshhhusss.

I WENT TO LOOK TODAY AND THEY WERE GONE! ALL GONE!

All of Stanman's stories seem to have been deleted at FM

I'm thinking of writing a story about a trans-girl driving a TransAM up the trans continental highway Route 66, racing a T-girl in a T-Bird dressed in a tight little Tee with Daddy's Girl embroidered on it in glitter,

Joanne