I find myself wondering if there is something in the air. My girlfriend Kylie seems to have gone into a pit of despair, and at least 3 other friends of mine are not far off from that. I wish I could help, but I'm barely functional myself. God, have mercy on us all.

I have had a frustrating day staying signed into my Yahoo home page. Every time I go to another webpage and come back to my Homepage, I find out I have been signed out. I went in and changed my password,and it still does it. I also have trouble with my Bookmarks tab. I have had to sign back in multiple times on it. Once I'm signed in I can click on the bookmarks icon and the drop down menu will show my quick links and then at the bottom I can open up the full list. It works a little while and then it tells me I have to sign back in.

Well, I was taking a count, and my next story will be my one hundredth story or poem here. Just think, at this rate I will have almost as much as "bike" by sometime in the next century (assuming no more entries come from our pal Angharad there in the meantime...)

Well, I took a plunge today. I went to the downtown United Church dressed as Dorothy, and was welcomed with open arms. Not only that, they want me to be part of their affirming group that helps GLBTG people feel welcome there. Can it get much better?

I just tried to go to Fictionmania and it won't load. I wonder if it's down? I tried one of the stories in my bookmarks and it worked. I'm wondering what the deal is?

I wasn't going to say anything, but...

It has recently come to my attention that someone has been cross posting their entries to my Ultimate Writer's Challenge at other sites. While I wouldn't do anything to stop this (even if I could,) I would like to ask that if you're going to do this you wait at least until the challenge is over.

Part of the entire point of the challenge is to draw authors out into posting, and readers into responding. By cross-posting stories to other sites, that somewhat undermines the second goal by splitting the potential readers between sites.

Hey Everyone! I recived an email from Crystal today!

http://www.storysite.org/cgi-bin/crysboard/crysboard.cgi?act...

-P/KAF/PT

Well, Oklahoma is in the middle of a severe drought, we've had less rain for the year than we normally get just in March. Grass fires are a daily occurrence across the state. If we don't get a lot of rain soon, there will be no wheat or hay to harvest. People had better get ready to pay much more for food as well as gasoline. On the bright side, we here in Oklahoma do have the lowest gas prices in the country. :)

I was reading Lilith's little rant about people taking the time to comment on stories. I want to give some examples from my own stories on how your comments make a difference to me. I wrote "Vision Spring", and the first official story "A little nudge" got 11 comments, more than enough to encourage me to to continue. I wrote "This is how a heart breaks." which got seven, but I figured I would do another one anyway. I worked very hard at the third story, taking time to research many aspects, and even found a song that fit the mood of the story.

As I have said before, I will be checking my email one last time around 8AM tomorrow for any last minute requests to attend, but I think we will have enough, ( and there is a new grocery 2 blocks away), if you should just decide to come at the last minute.

Here are directions from the west, Oakland/San Francisco direction, on HWY 24, on I680 from the south, and I680 form the north.

This URL is for coming in from the Oakland/ the west on hwy 24 & the Caldecott Tunnel.

For those who don't know, I have two wonderful 10 year old girls. Yup, they're twins.

Anyway, the two of them went to a friends birthday party tonight and as 10 year olds do, they had a blast.

When I went to pick them up, everyone but my girls had already left. As usual they weren't ready, they and their friend and her brother were too wrapped up in playing. They were playing dress up. They all were dressed as their favorite Disney princess, even the brother. He was made up as Snow White. It was all very charming and I just couldn't help but smile.

Down to Earth

So apparently Prince William is feeling pre-wedding nerves. He's also inviting everyone from the helicopter base where he's currently training to the wedding.

But evidently, that's not quite newsworthy enough for the Daily Wail (a far more appropriate name for the newspaper!). So they've done some digging and found one of his colleagues is transgendered... and yes, the tone of the article is about what you'd expect from that publication.

On April 1st 1970:
"It's a boy!"

It took me almost 40 years to recognize the joke... ;)

M

Omigosh!

My Kudos is at 666 - The Number Of The Beast

Perhaps I'd better Run To The Hills or Hallowed Be Thy Name, I'll end up The Prisoner of The Children Of The Damned at 22 Acacia Avenue...

Sorry, just couldn't resist paying homage to Iron Maiden.

Woohoo! I broke through my writers block on HaP thanks in part to P&J. I've written a very important scene of the book and have another coming up maybe later in this chapter.

The down side to this break through is that I haven't written the next episode of P&J yet. but don't fear, I hope to have it written and up this Sun. Monday at the latest. (for those not too pissed at me to read it).

A.A.

I am working on my first story, but currently having a bit of writer's block. Fun, not. Ah, such is life. Think the concept is sound and my research is done, now if I could only get my main character to start breathing. Redman

Sorry, left early to see my daughter and ex this morning and got home too late to make it a good idea. Apologies to my regular readers, but I had a nice day out. It was quite funny how we still fit stereotypes - I fixed up some curtain poles and repaired her shed window while she shortened some jeans for me. The only difference being, I could have done my own jeans but she couldn't do the DIY stuff.

Then had a couple of hours playing mall bunnies with my daughter followed by dinner with her and my ex and the long drive home in the dark. In the words of the prophet - I am knackered.

I have several stories that everybody has liked and they have been in limbo for quite a while because of my constant hospital stays. I will get to each of them because they need to be finished. Thank you all for reading, commenting and your wonderful support.

Love & ugs,
Barbara

I was wondering if any of the professionals here know anything about cases where female hormones were used on male children at a very early age; say, starting about one year old? I am looking for development of the wider pevlic bones, shoulder structure, and the seemingly more flexible ligament structure of a genetic female.

It is part of a story idea that is growing in the dirt in a dark place in the basement of my mind.

Those who know Karen may be aware she's anticipating major surgery in the near future - a triple heart bypass of the coronary arteries.

Those of you who believe in the divine might put in a good word for her, as I know she's worth it.

Wishing you a speedy recovery, Li'l Sister.

Angharad.

I keep reading stories written to some "Ultimate Writers' challenge". Where are the writers' challenges posted? Is this just something that Melanie does or is it a Big Closet thing? I haven't written a story in quite awhile and maybe I'd get some inspiration from a challenge.
Hugs, Jezzi

Alright, so here's the question.

I'm working on both PFH Book 2 right now and Switcheroo heavily, with another few projects getting worked on here and there. I'm not going to make any changes to the way I'm doing PFH, since it's into the second book already, but I am thinking about making a subtle change in how I do postings of Switcheroo. Specifically, I was thinking about going from two chapters per post to one, so that I could potentially post more often.

It's gone back from showers to just partly cloudy all weekend. And now they are saying a slight chance of showers.

I guess we'll just have to set up tents and hold our hands out to see if they get wet.

So you're all still invited to join us at the 2nd West Coast BCTS get together, as long as you can make it to downtown Walnut Creek on your own

PM me if you are interested.

Holly

I usually don't post much on my blog here. But like the title says I'm feeling disheartened and honestly once again like way too many people do It's about the comments. I've looked for the flavors of whatever seems to be the choice of the week/month and all I see is a reduction of comments from a lot of the stories that are up right now.

When one meets folks your daughter's friends and even Professors, it can be a bit stressful - at least it can, if one is still not sure whether you pass well or not.

I'm not just talking about things like "Men hunt, women clean and have babies" here, either.

Growing up in the South, in a very small, backwater community, I was exposed to a lot of what look in retrospect, to be downright stupid social stigmas.

What got me thinking about this was reading a popular story on LGTales about a boy who starts practicing ballet. If I had had that open to me - i.e. if I had been born a girl here, or just plain born anywhere else, I would be in a lot better physical shape today.

Peter The Duck

Well, I managed to make my mother cry last night. She had gone to bed, but woke up at about 130 when she realized I was still up. She got very upset, and told me I was sabotaging my life, that I didn't care about her or my daughter. It has really set my mood back.

I've finished up all of my homework, I generally don't start the next week's assignments until I'm fully rested on Monday, and I'm patiently, mostly, waiting for my editor to get back to me with episode 12 of 12-String.

Which is to say, I'm bored. I want to write, need to write, ache to write. . .and I don't have anything to write.

I'd recently been trying to create a new blog while looking at an old blog, and I'd accidently deleted the old blog. I really liked the old blog and the responses I'd gotten to it, so I decided to create a new blog entry with the contents of the old blog. Wish me luck!

For those still interested in participating, here's the update on what challenges are due in April for the Year of Challenges.

Hello Everyone !
I wish that I could have posted a new chapter today instead of this small update.

Real Life as usual has gotten in the way of something I would much rather do and that is edit and post more of this tale. I am working on the chapter 9 and it should be ready for you to read (and enjoy) soon.
Allyson is making headway in getting her devious mutiny plot going. (as one commenter put it). I'm not really happy with how that is being put down on paper so I may end up with something completely different, at this stage it is too early to tell.

Ok, so when I submitted the final version of 12-String: 12 to my editor, a problem with the court scene at the end of 12-String: 11 came to light. It's not that what was there was wrong, per se, but that it leads to an incorrect conclusion about what is happening. I've already changed it, but the paragraphs I changed are as follows:

There are many factors that go into camping and a basic one that most everyone I have read forgets when writing is that guys and gals pee differently and thus peeing in the woods is very different. As many people know, guys pee rather easily in the woods. It is rather a non-issue.

It's perhaps a bit early, but I just received confirmation from Social Security that I will be receiving retirement benefits starting next month. Actually, this month, but they won't actually pay me until April.

It's kind of a bittersweet situation. Those with whom I've shared know that I have been out of work and looking for about three years now. It's frustrating for someone with my experience to be passed over. My resume (CV) is impressive, perhaps too much so.

There are occasionally, stories one shouldn't read in certain moods. I loved it, but Randalynn's story "Case Closed" hit me hard. The trouble i have is how much I feel like Paul:

"what do I have to look forward to? Years stretching ahead of me, all alone and in pain, tormented by all the real people? That’s the clarity you gave me this morning, by the way. I know now that I can’t be anything but what I am — the human joke. It’s not going to change.”

“You could — ”

Story in "Mail Online" Maybe this could apply to Transgendered Women too? http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-1370138/Childless-...

Well, down I go. I'm right on the edge of a major depression, and I don't know how to stop it. My emotional reserves are dry, I'm having flashbacks, and my job situation gets worse each day. Pray for me.

Well, writing is going well. I wrote over ten pages on 300 Rains just today, so that was good. This post is just an FYI for all of you, things are coming up that may cause some sensitive readers some emotional upset. As they get closer to Brazil things get crazier and crazier. Like I said, this is a storm warning, so make sure that when the storm hits you you are emotionally prepared. So in the immortal words of Samuel L Jackson, "Hold on to yer Butts!"

When the chapter in question hits I will just put storm in the extra description. Just saying.

Well, I should know better than to get my hopes too high. I had gotten a call from the manager at the restaurant that is in my old work, and made the assumption she was interested in hiring me. Since she had talked about it before, and already said she would have had no problem with me being Dorothy if it was up to her, I started to have dreams of being able to be a waitress. Of course, I was wrong, and she just wanted to pass on a lead she gotten from a customer. Nice of her, I know, but not what I was hoping for. Ah, well.

Winter's Quiet

Hey, all!

Sorry I haven't posted stories lately, but I'm a very seasonal writer, and go quiet in the winter (or dormant, or into hibernation, or whatever...)

Since Spring is here and I'm writing again, I'll be posting soon.

-A

I saw a nice car today. It had lovely curves, and a very slight hint of chunkiness. I got the impression that the chunkiness was the result of a severe manufacturing defect, that had been mostly corrected.

...And the last three letters on the registration plate? = )

Well, yesterday was a full day. I picked up my check from the telephone sales job (I made 300 dollars in 3 days, so not bad)

Yeah I had a car accident and yeah I lost my job, but we have just found out that aside from paying for it, we now as good as own our French property.

I'm totally stoked and so is Pen.

It's scary shit, but so exciting I can't find the words - whaddya mean, that's a first?

So now I just need to get this insurance thing sorted to call this somewhat stressful part of our lives over.

I can distinctly remember a time not so very long ago, when I had myself utterly convinced that I was absolutely incapable of writing short, one-shot stories. I guess, in a way, I was incapable at the time, but not for lack of ability.

In retrospect, I think it was more a combination of facts. One of those was that I was just so laser-focused on writing my novel/serial. In the past, writing has been my therapy. I wrote for the exclusive purpose of writing what I needed to write, what I needed to get out of my system.

Nearly two weeks ago, I told you that Penny and I would be going to go on a lightning trip to France to look at a couple of houses.

The history is that we've been wanting to buy a house in France for years - literally and after the global financial collapse, the change in value of the Euro, life seemed to say that we weren't going to do it. This was after having been to Normandy and Poitou Charente to look at houses and being disappointed at what was really available.

Before shutting down here, I decided to upgrade to the Firefox 4. That was an hour and a half ago. Mozilla really screwed the pooch this time! Lots of cosmetic crap that wasn't necessary and really screws up the layout. Several of my most used apps won't work with FF4 It took me less than 5 minutes to decide to go back to the previous version. That's when the fun begin. Uninstalling FF4 did not roll back to the previous version, and no matter what version I tried to download I always ended up with FF4 again.