Hi folks and fans of the Gabyzone.

As our servers are still not back, Maddy Bell decided to open a yahoo group to get the discussions going again. So please take a look at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/maddys_scribbles/

Saphira

If my book signing comes off, I fully intend to publicize other books written by you, as well as talk about those who haven't published yet, but who have more than enough talent to publish.

What I need to know from ALL of you is, do you WANT me to talk about your work by story titles and pseudonym, or do you want to remain in 'stealth' mode?

As from midnight tonight, Penny and I will be sallying forth. A seven hour ferry is not exactly as exotic as "night boat to Cairo" but then that's the wrong country anyway, however the idea's sound.

I wanted to say "thank you" to all my friends out there and wish them along with everyone else, a nice quiet week while I'm gone.

You'll all have to get your "vacuous ramblings" out without me!

Okay, I know no real holidays are coming up. (Does Mother's Day count?)

Starting in the next day or so I will be reposting my BLSB Holiday Cartoons. Some are older, some are newer. Some may be hot off the presses! ~.^

-- SD

I'm posting this here, because I think that readers who might otherwise enjoy a particular story are skipping over it because they're making certain assumptions about it that miss an important point.

Today is a sad day, and I felt the need to get some of it out.

I have noticed that now many authors have started including a picture or cartoon/avatar with their stories and comments. Me, I find the addition to be very welcome. They often help to tell the story. I am glad that this has happened and I hope that it continues too.

You know...it is the same old same old here. That is why you are "dead" ...you can't grow...

I fully realize that this is not a 'get out of jail, free' card, yet I feel as though I have just been, finally, given permission, not that I needed permission, to finally begin being the person I should always have been. I am ecstatic at the moment, and only waiting for the go ahead to begin my real life test.

There is an interesting article in today's Independent regarding the above.

It can be found on

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/education/schools/lonely-road-why-school-is-hell
-for-transgender-pupils-814378.html

I just got my bunny plushie from the mail and she is sooooooooooooo cute ^^

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=170198345379

I met a girl the other day and can not get her name off my mind. She's HalaMaksoud and a real mystery to me. Saying her name seems best when pronounced to the beat of Bedouin Drums. HalaMaksoud, HalaMaksoud, HalaMaksoud...just seems to become a chant. Can't you see Her/my hips shimy like...oooooh, mmmmm giggle.

Please limit the amount of characters unbroken by a space to a dozen. Thank you.

I have stumbled onto a web site that, so far seems very good, though I have a lot of reading to do to completely understand it.

http://www.gendertree.com/Reparative_Therapy.htm

As I become more proficient in remembering my dreams, they lead me down a meandering path.

I blogged a few months ago telling what a cool dream I had. Yet, recently, I've had two dreams showing I still have a long path to tread.

I came across this BBC article about the UK's "Child Exploitation and Online Protection centre" which is somewhat similar to Allie Burns' department.

Perhaps, one day, we will see Allie visiting the UK?

URL http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7359589.stm

Posted at Fictionmania by Tigger. It will whet your appetite for Aunt Jane and Seasons House and being from Tigger, I know that it is a good as his other Seasons House Stories. I will not give away the plot, you have to read it or your self.

Here we are again, the end of another weekend with work lurking just over the horizon. Once more I feel that I haven't done very much at all, didn't do a bike ride or write another masterpiece, only fiddled about and achieved very little.

I hope this is set up right, I so seldom use it. I figure no one wants to read about me anyway, they have their own problems. But, I figured why not?

"It's not my knife," said Nolan, waving the switchblade around.

Birdsong 14 at Fictioneer.

- Erin

I have tried to access the Gabyzone, but I can not reach it. Is there a link that I can access?

The following link is to an e-medical journal, which I hope works (the link I mean). It's pretty serious stuff but as a health professional, I make no apologies for it.

http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/571708_print

Angharad.

How are we going to celebrate the 3 millionth visit to BCTS?
Ginnie

Nolan wants his money, Max is being stubborn. Where's Birdsong?

Birdsong 13.

I was in Church tonight when the teacher asked what would happen if the sign said " Homosexuals And Lesbians Welcome Here." That sparked a lively debate.

I wonder just how many churches actually welcome all into the church? I would hope that there were more Churches that would open their doors to all.

I have become aware that a number of the parents that I know have followed the same protocal as in the story. Happily, all the boys have tired of the practice and moved on to other things. I wonder what sort of teens, men, husbands these males will be?

Don't know if anyone's seen this yet...

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/7350099.stm

Hope it's a bit more sympathetic than the Little Britain TVs (tho they were frighteningly accurate)

According to Sol Steinmetz, lexicographer and dictionary editor,(author of Semantic Antics), speaking on the BBC Radio 4 programme, Word of Mouth, 15.4.08, the original meaning of the word girl, was a young child of either sex.

For anyone wondering what happened to cyberbrats chatnet, which is home to the gabyzone channel, please note there are only name service issues. Chatnet itself is still online and running. For anyone wanting to get in, please use 88.198.48.47. This is one of the european servers of CyberBrats Chatnet.

There are too many things on my mind and I cannot concentrate or even communicate with clarity. i know where my mind is headed and its a place I know very well. In that place I can harm people without caring what harm I do, and none of you deserve that, so I am leaving before I do that.

About a week ago I finished reading the science-fiction novel Trouble On Triton by Samuel Delany. I hadn't heard of it before, and only read it because I had the idea that it was about a man who turns into a woman.

Well. I wouldn't characterize the book *that* way. It doesn happen, but in the very last pages of the book.

Has anyone else read it?

This week's column from Tristan Taormino takes a look at what she characterizes as a new wave of "tranny porn". She reviews a number of movies featuring transmen. The reviews are explicit. The films don't sound like ones I'll be looking for, but I merely pass this column on for educational purposes in case anyone is interested.

While out with friends today, Saturday, we stopped at our local mall Waldenbooks store. I casually remarked, while checking out with our books, that if I ever saw MY book in the place, I'd probably faint. The clerk, as we were leaving, asked me, "You have a book out?"

I will be posting the next few chapter of my autobiography in a few weeks as I am to undergo surgery on monday April 14th to remove a cyst on my liver. Blessings and God Bless.

Mellissa (prairie_girl_64)

As I sit here contemplating my navel and extracting dust from said indentation, my mind wonders…

I have almost completed the second draft of the first part of a three part story, and I already have the draft of part two finished and three outlined. The only major question now is what to call it? Its your typical Reluctant Cheerleader type story, and suggestions are welcome, with more information provided if requested. Also, for the one person who may still be waiting, Echoes 5 is still on hold until I have a computer again. On a related note, anyone wanna give away a laptop with wireless?

Melanie

Someone tried to bring this column to my attention several days ago, but I only just found it myself. It's Dan Savage's eloquent eulogy of his mother.

Many stories here have dealt with the family dynamics of "coming out" as transgendered. A frequent theme that appears is "oh, we thought you were gay," or hateful homophobic epithets while the beating occurs.

It saddens me a little that I've had more people interested since I've cancelled the Outsidey Awards than when I was awaiting nominations.

Apparently not going to happen.

So. The naysayers that wanted the project killed are going to be happy, at least. I received a total of 7 nominees. I wanted at least 1 nominee per category -- I didn't think it was too much to ask.

Ah well. Was probably a dumb idea anyway.

I have gained permission to use names by those who are mentioned in my posting.

I want to thank those who posted comments to my 'blog'. As stated, the events are true because my husband, Grover, and I have and are still coming to terms with what is going on between us.

I am sitting here feeling very confused and disillusioned. I am no longer sure that any of this transgender stuff is anything but a delusional fantasy. The thing that makes it really bitter is that I believed it all. I'd had these drives for 57 of my 61 years and my siblings say it was evident even before that. I'd been led to believe that the solution for the problem was the surgery that I had.

Author's forward:

{It has taken me ten long years to get to the point where I could talk about this without crying. I hope you will all forgive me for taking time and space here, to remember the best man I ever knew.}

I just checked and was able to access the site. Thank you Piper for the repairs.

on BBC Radio 4, 'Out of season' by Anne-Marie O'Connor, deals with four people visiting a cafe in Blackpool and the thoughts they have about what is going on in their lives. One of whom is a M2F transsexual, meeting her father for the first time.

The whole thing was quite well done.

If you go to Yahoo! you will see that they have an article on him.

A nearly empty nightclub, a tall, skinny man with no expression at all stands in a pool of light....

From Yahoo News:

A transgender man who kept his female reproductive organs despite his transformation is now five months pregnant and will appear on Oprah Winfrey's television show, the talk show said on Tuesday.

"I'm a person and I have the right to have my own biological child," Thomas Beatie, of Bend, Oregon, said in excerpts from the show, which airs on Thursday.

Someone recently created an account here for the sole purpose of posting a blog to complain that a BC author with a similar name got a higher Google rating than he. After thinking about it and deciding it wasn't really an April Fowl Joke, I unpubbed the blog and blocked the account. Essentially a whiny troll who didn't even know how to provide a usable link to his site, he got me to thinking:

I'm Sorry about the long wait and apparent death of my story. For the longest time I could not see where I wanted to go with it and I finally found my muse again.
I sould have chapter 3 up by next week (hopefully)

Remember I am still sort of new at writing for others to read so I am looking for any way to improve.

A warm Thank you to everyone who has commented or voted for my stories.