http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b01l9z10/A_Year_in_the_...
This is a truly beautiful programme, though I know many people outside the UK cannot decode it without some trickery.
If ever anyone wanted to see what Steph'n'Geoff or Steve and the Toffs enjoyed, this is it. The farmer (whom I know slightly) has the most wonderful Gog accent, and the TG link is provided by the poet Twm Morys, son of Jan, who was James...

As some of you know I broke my arm in April and I am still in a cast , my last rant I said whoa is me BUT I saw a news clip about a guy who swam the Chesapeake Bay who was born with no arms or legs or the girl in Goergia who lost both legs and both hands to the flesh eating virus.
We also can not forget all the boys & girls that are born in the wrong body and deal with that everyday.
The fact that I have a temporary problem doesn't look so bad , I am going to be 64 in October and still have all my hair SO LIFE IS GOOD

To all my family at BCTS - LOVE YA ALL RICHIE2

The above is based on an old song by a group called Garbage, and its about my general attitude in life. I was mentioning the other day to a friend about how ... easy my transition is going, and she said "What? Did you want it to be harder?"

Then in a conversation with my mom, I mentioned about passing, and she said, "maybe you want more attention, and are sorry people arent noticing you, even if that meant they were mean."

I may be wrong about this, but it seems to me if I comment on a story before voting that I am unable to leave kudos. If I vote first, then of course leaving kudos is not a problem. Has anyone else noticed this? The reason I'm saying this is that I just received a very nice comment about a recent story; however, the kudos count hasn't changed. I can't imagine getting such a nice comment without getting kudos.

Portia

Ok folks for those that might be remotely interested. I am Jenn C (bad pun). I am a Hispanic nerd girl of the highest order. Like a lot of folks here my outside does not match my inside, never has. I have painted my self into a corner with real life and am still hoping one day to sort this out. I have lived in Texas all my life but have managed to move all over the place in it. I have a tendency to nerd out often just whack me on the head and ill stop. I do divide my friends into two categories 1. Those who could have seen Star Wars: A New Hope (original release) in the theater and 2.

Yes it was 5 seconds of screen time, buth there were couple of TG girls shown in Olympics opening ceremony...

An article in the Guardian about the Alliance School in Wisconsin showing the change in trends in the US in the last twenty or thirty years. I believe they'll have banks there soon :)

http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2012/jul/27/gay-friendly-s...

Angharad 8)

Most of my life, I was thin/skinny/beanpole etc. But just before I found Topshelf -- and maybe part of why I found my way here -- I got severely ill. It was in the late Spring or early Summer (depending on your definition of early June) 2006, and I was probably a size... 6 or 8 in US women's sizes, I forget. But I got deathly ill. There are other things that happened that day, but the practical upshot was I was completely bedridden for about 9 months, and could only make it 15-20 feet at a time for the next couple months after that.

She got the results of the tests and MRI, and is now waiting word for when the surgery will be.

I read all of the comments to her about 20 minutes ago, and she wants me to thank everyone for their thoughts.

Holly

(original message)
As many of you know, diabetes has cost her all of her toes over past years.

Hi! I'm working on a sticky block and somehow found myself searching through my memory for a story I once read, but have lost somewhere... I think it's in my amygdala, but I could be lost even there...

The story was about a teenaged boy - trans, at it turns out (!) - hoodwinked into a girl's identity by his cousins, who finds herself a TV (sic) weather girl, and then a reporter, and finally a news anchor, all in one summer.

Does anyone remember this chestnut? Your help would be appreciated.
:-)
Michelle

Some may have noted I am largely absent of late. There's reasons for that, but mostly stuff I have no wish to toss out there for some vague self aggrandisement.

SO today I finally started taking hormones... or hormone, depending on your view of things.

The doctor put me on 1mg of estradiol twice a day (so a total of 2mg) and we will adjust when the labs come back. Currently I am not taking a testosterone blocker because the last time I had that checked it was at a 75. I suppose if it got higher I can start that again too. I do notice lately that my libido is way down anyway so maybe my body gave up on it.

At least its a start

Dorothy mentioned someone with any names. Well that person is me.

I went to doctor yesterday for the results of some tests I have been getting lately. Had hot flashes, breast pain etc. I expected that I was going into menopause or something.

Well I am barren. I will never be able to have children. While I kinda expected that it still hit me really really hard.

This isn't directed at anyone here, just some in-general observations and a recent experience of mine.

I was at the grocery store today and their self checkout lanes were down, so of course the registers that were going had long lines and people were patient about it given the obvious problems the place was having with its systems.

Recently I've been asked by an old friend of mine to write a script for his feature movie (this will be his first movie). Nothing too extravagant nor complicated, mind you, but something that can make people scream and possibly die of heart attack. Having never written horror stories before, this is a bit of a challenge. My aim is to write the best story which my friend, the first-time director will be able to create into a real masterpiece. So said, the best ghost movie of all time, or at least for the next 5 years.

Can I ask of favor of all my online friends? I have a friend who is in great distress, and she needs all the positive vibes you guys can send. I dont want to share her name or what's happening because not everyone is comfortable having their lives splashed across the net, but if you guys leave a note, I'll pass it on.

Thanks guys.

Wednesday I have a 2h jobinterview at the same employer but a different departement. Not my favorite job (accounting) but I can't really chose a job. It's only an internship at the moment but it would nullify the verdict of the retireent commission if I would get the job and there's a chance to get get it after the internship

Also applying for another job that is closer to y intrest although it's also partially accounting (account manager for subsidising sports).

I can be hard on my characters...

Well, progress has been rather slow for my current story, Destiny: Triumph of a Spellbinder, mostly because I've just gotten through a round of revisions. Me and my revisions.... Sheesh!

Head bans transgender pupil from exam... so she shows him Equality Act.

A transgender pupil had to show her headmaster a copy of the Equality Act before he allowed her to sit a GCSE exam while wearing girls’ clothes.

Interview in today's Guardian with the transsexual punk band member.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2012/jul/22/laura-jane-grace...

I mentioned earlier that I bought a pair of hoop earrings. The one thing I wasn't prepared for was how heavy they feel. It felt like my earlobes were about to drag on the ground. Is this normal? Do people get use to it? Maybe buying at Walmart wasn't the best idea. I want to get some that dangle, but I often temper things with not wanting to push the issue of gender with other people.

Just got back from a nice walk around the local area, checked the news to see if the TdF had finished...

...and yup, it had and there were no unforseen calamities, so we ended up with the perfect result as predicted for the past few days: Cav won the stage, Wiggo won the race, and Froome was second.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/cycling/18946960

Congratulations to all three!

Next stop: a certain quadrennial sporting event... which starts on Friday evening for most, but Wednesday afternoon for the footballers (!)

For those of you who care about such things.

Before the crowing starts I just wanted to remind a few of our cycling fanatics that Gary Wiggins, father of a certain winner (I hope) of the Tour de France, is an AUSTRALIAN,

Love'n'kisses,

Joanne

Despite being in a great deal of pain thanks to some seriously crazy storms that have come through here in the last week and a half I have managed to finish the editing I was working on. This is a good thing, in that I can focus on other things for a while. So Yay.

This means I have nothing else (besides pain and Whedonfest) distracting me from other stories. Now if the storms stop maybe I can get K&K 5 finished. It hurts too much to really write, as it takes a while to really say anything at the speed I can go now. But here's hoping.

Just got back from the doctor and I have another cast with he said is normal after the repair. The good part is the staples are out with is why Ineeded to wait with the cast, the bad news is 3 more week of a full long arm cast
WHOA IS ME, I am getting so tired of this as it has been going on since April.
Oh well keep smiling be happy
LOVE TO ALL AT BCTS -- RICHIE2

Well, my vacation is over, and tonight I go back to work. It will probably be a tough week as we will no doubt be short staffed from vacations, and I wont be used to that level of exercise, but I'll just have to do my best and get back in work shape as fast as I can.

well, I spent yesterday with my daughter, taking her to see the new "Ice Age" movie, and then we spent some time playing badminton together. All in all, very nice day, but it had a couple of stressful moments. The biggest came when Sam suggested we do a picnic with her and the two boys who are the children of my ex's best friend. It was only after she made the suggestion that she realized my trans status might cause a difficulty for them, and so withdrew the suggestion.

What’s make you beautiful

You're insecure
Don't know what for
You're turning heads
When you walk through the do-o-or
Don't need make up
To cover up
Being the way that you are is en-o-ough
Everyone else in the room can see it
Everyone else but you

Baby you light up my world like nobody else
The way that you flip your hair gets me overwhelmed
But when you smile at the ground it ain't hard to tell
You don't know oh oh
You don't know you're beautiful
If only you saw what I can see
You'll understand why I want you so desperately

I'm looking for a story which may have been posted fairly recently. It was about a model (Gabriella, South American, if I remember correctly) who was born with a male body, and a man whose mother was also TS. He was adopted.

I'd like to read the story again but I've no idea of the title.

S.

Earlier I washed off a very dirty electric fan I had in house with the garden hose. I was gonna set it up in a window and just wanted to clean it off.

Well I left it to dry on the hood of my car dangling on the fence. Totally away from anyone.

So i go outside to get it as it should be dry by now and...its gone!

I am not all that heartbroken as I knew I would have to finishing cleaning it to make it work and its a fan I had repaired years ago. I just find it stupid that someone would come into my yard to blatantly steal a cheap little electric fan.

So, I intended to go camping this week end and when I got where I was going, there was lightning, rain and a tornado warning, so I wound up sleeping indoors.

As part of my meticulous planning for this trip, I managed to leave my Trazidone at home. By the time I got home, I'd been off it two days, and last night I felt I was doing so well that maybe this was the time to just quit it cold turkey.

Last night was so hot that I did not sleep well at all but did manage to get a few hours sleep in my, by now, sticky itchy sheets.

Had a nice day with my daughter yesterday. We took the train to downtown, and strolled around the downtown mall, had lunch, and then came home. I know it doesnt sound terribly exciting, but it made her happy. And I didnt really mind toning down the fem side for the day so she could have the best day possible.

Small things, but they make the world go round, don't they?

A few of you may remember me the wacky bear that hopped on laps, looked down blouse fronts and hid under long skirts (Well I actually flicked the skirts up)in Crystal's chat room when it was the place to be. Well as this is to inform you that I'm Back from the wilds and looking for old friends and hoping to meet some new friends. I'm sorry to see so many friends are no longer with us may they be having the time of their afterlives and wondering what this Looney HuggyBear is going to do next.

It gets tiresome saying this, but I will once again. SMILE ladies, Smile.

One of my biggest frustrations is when one of you puts your photo up and somehow I can look clear through to your very souls and see the pain, fear, lack of entitlement that lurks there; though poorly hidden.

Do what every young girl does. Spend time in front of the mirror, lots of it; time that is. Some of you seem to think you look more like the front end of a locomotive than a woman, but there is actually only one difference between a born woman and us, and that is entitlement!

It as been a while. I talked to my GT about the total cessation of reading, she mentioned it depression can do strange things. It isn't the only thing I've changed on either. I'm getting better, just not there yet.

Has anyone heard or communicated with Angharad.. She has not been on the site since Friday the Jul 12th and I just want to make sure she is OK?? Thanks! Richard

I am trying to find a story series here on this site. I can't remember the author's name but it dealt with a teen who transitioned, and got some grief from his dad, older brother and grandfather, but they all came around eventually. She spent a lot of time dressing up at her grandmother's house. Also the grandmother gave the older brother a bit of petticoat discipline and he was tormented by his friends and defended the younger brother. I would be very grateful is somebody could help me find this story.

Tired, sweaty and footsore; according to my pedometer I have walked something over 30 miles in the last five days.

Not sure I can afford to go on such a long vacation again though, while at the kennel someone taught Cuddles how to fart. You all almost read about it on the news, woman and dog found asphyxiated in their car on the I-10. HOLY SHIT, BATMAN! So to speak.

I'm hoping it was just because she only got kibbles to eat while in the kennel.

For those of you that have been heavy on the site last night and this morning, may have notice an inordinately large amount of what I'll call "Small/Micro Outages". I've been working on tweaking the server all night hoping to reduce the load and fix a few small recurring errors. I did sleep for a couple hours, but basically since about midnight last night I've been "fixing, testing, restarting" in what felt like an endless cycle.

Well, over the last two days I've had two very different conversations with two very different men, and I thought I would share them with you.

First, I had a conversation with one of my neighbors, that started with him asking me how I was doing, and when I said I was hanging in there, he said "not for much longer, right?"

Turns out he was talking about my SRS.

So we had a laugh, and a good conversation on the whole subject and I felt very relieved, because I didnt know how he'd react.

http://movieline.com/2012/07/14/frankie-go-boom-charlie-hunn...

Scary look at Perlman as a post-op TS. Clip part way down page in link.

Hey I just put a new story up. would like feed back but you can also take and run with it as I am not that much of an author.

Yesterday, thanks to a challenge that Dorothy Colleen put up, I was able to actually sit down and write. While it was a short 1000plus word story, it really felt good to do so.

Last weekend was the first days off I had taken since before Memorial Day, other then a day to take my son to Vermont to visit a potential college. He will be a senior in high school come September. So writing has been difficult both from a motivation and energy or time.