So tell me dear friends,
What does a fifty + woman wear to a job interview?

Here is the link to the newspaper article

http://www.wral.com/news/strange/story/9906680/

Melanie Dian

Doesn't time fly? I apparently first signed up to BCTS on 24th July 2009.

Looking back through "Track", my first 66 comments (including several on the first day!) were all in response to a single story (albeit different chapters!).

1 year 48 weeks ago I posted my first blog entries and found some other stories to comment on.
1 year 33 weeks ago saw me inflicting you with my Christmas Tunes Acronym Quiz (did I ever give out the answers link?)
1 year 26 weeks ago saw my first two stories arrive.

The chatroom is up and running, at least for the moment.

so come and enjoy while it lasts.

My apologies for these poor bits of verse. I'm afraid that I'm using them to allow me to express and clarify my own feelings and thoughts as I go through the various stages of transition.

Persephone

The music has started, the carousel spins,

I’ve accepted myself and my journey begins.

I wrote Erin last night before going to bed asking her to unpublish Mishap. The latest chapter of which had been published for over 12 hours and had not gotten one single comment*.

What a bunch of ingrates. You want want want but can't give. I say it again because I'm sick of the excuses** I hear not to comment. There's even a certain element who will even go so far as to complain they aren't getting the type of stories they want. Those are the same people who never post a comment either. The authors work here for free but they feel they can complain about it.

Well, that's pretty much how I feel right now. I can try to move forward in dealing with my gender issues, and risk losing my daughter, or I can stay as I am, and more than likely suffer a breakdown, eventually. Not long ago, I had a vision of what my future could be like following both of these choices, and both end in despair, with me alone and broken. There just has to be a third choice, I don't believe in the no-win scenario ...

Some photos from the comc con as shown on the guardian website. Some of the con goers make great efforts with their costumes, Mark Hamill was brilliant - instead of reprising Luke Skywalker, he seems to be appearing as Jabba the Hutt.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/culture/gallery/2011/jul/23/comic-...

Angharad :)

Today is a very special day for me, an anniversary if you will. Even though I read on this site for a long time, it took me a while to actually become a member. It took even longer than that for me to finally write something. But a year ago today, I finally broke my 6 year writing dry spell and posted the very first chapter of The Syndicate. I'd like to thank Lilith for allowing me a chance to play in her world. As it turns out I haven't really stopped writing since. I've managed to pump out one story after another, from Center to Retcon and back again.

A while ago, I wrote a poem by that name (here is a link: http://bigclosetr.us/topshelf/fiction/18355/hit-brick-wall-r... ) Well, right now that's close to how I feel. I think I'm psyching myself up for a charge at that wall, and its going to hurt But I simply don't know what else to do. When I first became honest with myself, and then came out to my family, I felt better. When I got a job as Dorothy I felt much better, and I think I kidded myself into believing I could stay like this - half in each gender. But I can't, not for long.

I looked at my account on getting back in from work today, and was rather astonished to find I had hit 18,000 on the kudos count. Thank you...

I'm doomed. I'm convinced that this is destined never to get fixed. What else can possibly go wrong?

RAMI

R.I.P. American Space Program.

The American Space Program died today, when the Space Shuttle Atlantis made its final landing at Kennedy Space Center. This tragic event occurred almost exactly 42 years after Neil Armstrong walked on the moon.

Well, I went out for breakfast with my mother in male mode, and I felt like a total fraud. I've never felt so uncomfortable going out as a man before. I felt like I was in drag, and that's a new feeling for me. Ah, well.

Why does it always happen to me? Someone, somewhere, must know a plumber who actually turns up when he says he will, but I've never met one.

For some time now, we've had a damp patch on the (concrete) kitchen floor. Just occasional seepage from somewhere. Not very much, and no smell so I'm guessing it's mains water rather than sewage. Just recently the stains started to get larger and I reluctantly decided that we would have to get the problem fixed.

Cross-dressing isn’t all that hard to understand.

Somewhere along the line the word fetish took on a negative connotation.

A fetish is an inanimate object that is felt to have magical or spiritual powers. What is negative about that?

Comments on this board about “not understanding cross-dressing” have made me go back to the basics.

I have been listening to NPR ( National Public Radio ) lately and 3 days ago they did an artical on the New California law that requires the teaching of LGBT history in state schools.
They compaired a man named Harvey (I know when somebody smarter than reads this they will correct Mr. Milks first name) Milk, who was assinated for being an equal rights spokesman and also gay, to Dr. Martin Luther King.
To listen to the artical you can probally go to your local NPR station on the net.
I guess the mainstream media missed this or thought unnewsworthy

James

I just wanted to let everyone know that part 19 should be posted in the day or so I have sent it off to be wren to be edited. It took longer then I wished but was dealing with a bit of writers block, hoping the next part will come easier.

Cain129

If you have asked yourself this question, and even if you havent, here is what may be coming soon from me:

A couple of ret-con projects, both going about the speed of molasses in January....

A fan-fic taking place in the universe of a TV show popular enough to make me intimidated in terms of not wishing to alienate anyone who enjoyed the series .....

A quiet little story that starts with a quiet little conversation in a park and keeps threatening to take a detour into the Twilight Zone .....

One of the joys of BC/TS is the interaction and encouragement.

In so many ways that wonderful support and encouragement that I, and I'm sure so many others, have received here has been instrumental in helping me truly accept who I am, and allowing me to properly start on my path through transition. Erin's insistence on a Friendly Place, whilst frequently stressful and traumatic for her and her team to police, has made a huge difference to so many of us at various stages of our journey.

A while back someone posted a story that had SF and Transformations. It started off with a scientist accepting applications for a trial study using a type of gene therapy. One of those applicants was his old college roommate who was very brilliant, but was crippled by disease and genetic disorders. As a matter of fact all the study's subjects had severe problems and health issues.

Well, last night before I went to work, I was talking to a friend on IMVU, and she said I'm her hero and idol. Somehow, I find that somewhat frightening ....

I'll be posting some unfinished stories soon, ones that are likely never to be finished unless someone here undertakes the task.

Coming soon on BBC3.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b012p4kc

I'm afraid the video links, in the article, probably won't be available outside the UK though.

I'm off on my hols midweek, i won't be back in circulation until mid August.

There's fanfiction posted over on Maddybell.com which might just keep you occupied for a few minutes!

ttfn
Maddy

Jen and Bella's Excellent Adventure...

A friend of mine said,

"Our ability to change our circumstances is often woefully limited. However, each of us has an unlimited capability to choose the attitude with which we respond to those circumstances. We can look for joy in the smallest pleasures of life, while accepting the trials to which we have been subjected."

Try this:

1. Go to the Home page of Big Closet Top Shelf.
2. Look at the set of links at the top.
3. Click the link entitled 4-YrsAgo. [I've even added the link here, so you can miss out steps 1 and 2.]
4. Scroll down, and there you'll see the first few installments of Bike.

My understanding from Kristin Darken is that Bob was hosting sites for a lot more than just the TG community. The following is the post I made on the Crystal Hall, which may be pertinent to the BCTS/TG Server/Site Rescue Taskforce.

If the servers for the non-TG sites are on physically distinct machines from "our" sites, our (narrow vision) end of things would be relatively easy, just get "our" machine(s) moved elsewhere.

An online conversation I was just having caused me to remember taking the Rorschach test, along with the MMPI and a whole bunch of other stuff. The Rorschach Test made no sense to me at the time, and I am not even sure that I finished it. One does look like a human pelvis to me but in a purely anatomical sense, not a sexual one. I just looked it up on wiki and have to say that it seems even less relevant than when I was taking a ton of drugs.

Has anyone taken this test and did it make any sense to you? Should we question the sanity of those who think the results mean something?

I'm not sure why but they came back up a few hours ago. :)

Hugs,
Erin

Just wondering, as the world's most famous female soccer (football) player will Susan Hurst be a featured celebrity at the World Cup in Germany tomorrow. I am not sure if there is an equivalent to as in baseball in the U.S. some celebrity throws out the ceremonious first pitch. If so I nominate Susan Hurst. GO USA.

RAMI

Yep, I'm gonna go work the hot stuff again, poking around in live electrical panels, climbing a few poles, pullin some wire, and changing some 10,000 horse motors. Yep, it will be back to $36 dollars an hour and all the beer I can drink after work. Anyone got any idea how bad it hurts if I slip a spike and mash my tits on the side of a big old oily pole with giant splinters?

Well, that is not the truth ... but.

I have no clue who this “person “ but is this a set-back for GRS?

Life of Agony's Keith Caputo to Undergo Gender Reassignment Surgery

http://www.noisecreep.com/2011/07/15/life-of-agony-keith-cap...

RAMI

Found today online:

"Justice Department seeks to keep enforcing 'don't ask, don't tell' for now"

"The Obama administration wants to stick with the timetable set in last year's congressional action to repeal the controversial policy.The Obama administration asked a federal appeals court late Thursday to suspend its decision last week ordering an end to enforcement of the military's "don't ask, don't tell" policy, which bars gay people from serving openly in the armed forces."

I wanted to thank you all for giving me insight into how many friends Bob really did have. He seemed to live such a solitary life, but I now realize his life was much richer than any of us imagined. Please know that you will be with us in our thoughts as we go on with his memorial service and as we try to get his websites back up and running.

Your messages have brought me much comfort during this terribly difficult time.

Please feel free to keep in touch.

HAPPY TWO YEAR ANNIVERSARY TO MY FRIEND AND WONDERFUL AUTHOR ANDREA LENA DIMAGGIO.

Dear Andea thanks for the stories and friendship. Can you believe it has been two years since you joined BCTS.

Your friend

RAMI

This was sent to me a little while ago:

Owed Two A Spell Cheque

Had a good, if tiring day. We drove to Calgary (about a 3 and half hour trip), and went to the Calgary Zoo. We walked around until my mom and I couldn't walk anymore, and then drove home. I'll sleep well tonight.

Tomorrow, 14th July - Bastille Day in France, is the twenty fifth anniversary of my transitioning - when I turned up for work the first time wearing a skirt. These days we have a uniform of tunic and trousers - all that fuss for nothing.

I'm getting together with my daughter and my ex on Sunday to have lunch together by way of celebration. It seems a long time ago now and of little significance in the greater run of things, but I thought I'd mention it. Twenty five years of living the dream - if you say so.

I just posted Part Two of Mishap. At the bottom of the page the word count says 14,744.

At the bottom of Part One, the word count says 14,744.

How did I manage to do that? I won't do it for Part Three.

Max, FanficWriter (my wife) and I were spending a few days in Washington, DC this week.

This morning, we were packing up to come home. I had decided, that I did not need to pack my bra and breast forms until we were all ready to go.

So everything was packed, we had been making the final rounds, checking all the drawers etc...

I asked my wife if there was anything else, and then hugged her. It was as I began to hug her, she suddenly noticed my breasts... and started to say, "You.."

I said, "Just wanted to wait as long as I could on that... But, you just noticed?"

Below is Bob's Obituary. As we all know it only tells a small part of his story and little of what he meant to all of us. But, I thought some of you would be interested.

The memorial service is Friday at 3:00. Whatever you are doing at that time, please pause and offer your thoughts to a wonderful man.

Robert D. "Bob" Arnold, 58, of 3024 Tag Road, Canastota, died Sunday, July 10, 2011, at his home, following a lengthy illness.

He was born on Jan. 4, 1953, in Canastota, the son of Robert and Betty Nye Arnold.

Well, I haven't updated this in so long, you must all be thinking I died or something....

I haven't died, in fact things are going a lot better than they have had in a long time. A Long time....

First, the job: I'm in the routine now. And I'm actually enjoying it. There is a lot of crap that goes along with it, like stupid users, but that's actually minor. I've been able to get 99.9% of the people I interact with to leave a call with me happier and more satisfied than when they came on. I actually TRY to fix their problem. Which is the actual point of the Level 1 Helpdesk.