We had a Middle Eastern woman start working in our building not too long ago. She wears half traditional garb and half western clothes. Thus, she wears something to cover most of her head such that only her face is showing. Supposedly the hijab is worn so that men cannot see them.
Recently, I came out of the bathroom stall and went to wash my hands. She was at the sink as well, but wasn’t wearing her cover since there were no men in there. It felt kinda weird seeing her like that...as though I was intruding on her in some way...like I was glimpsing into a different world. It almost felt like I was seeing her naked, but, yet, she was wearing everything except her head cover while she readjusted her hair.
Thursday, June 21, 2007
Tuesday, June 19, 2007
Paying the bills
SRS itself cost me around $17,000. The labiaplasty added about $4500. I put the first amount on a very fortunate credit card that had low interest for anything purchased during a certain window...which for me just happened to be the window around my surgery. I paid for labiaplasty via money I had in other funds. So, that left me with the $17,000 credit card debt at around 3% interest. I’ve been paying it off about $500 per month...on top of the $600 a month I’m still paying on my FFS debt. Yes, it hasn’t left me with much outside of rent the past 2 years.
It’s been 28 months since I had SRS, which at $500 per month, left me with about a $2600 bill. I figured I’d go ahead and pay all of it off since I had a little extra in the bank account.
Ahhhh...it’s nice to finally pay off one of them. I still have FFS to go, but it’s down under $10,000 now. Since I’ll now have $500 a month extra to work with, I can try to get it paid off soon, too.
So, yes, I’ve been on a spending crunch the past few years...trying to get through the financial hardships of transition. Going all the way back to January 2002 with my first electrolysis, I’ve spent over $100,000 on all of it...spread out over the past 5 and a half years. I’ve paid all but about $10,000 of it. That’s a lot of money...considering it could have gone toward a house or something, but, oh well, that’s transition.
Of course, I’m still looking at a few procedures. I figure to hit Dr. O later this year for a little jaw touch up on one side. After recovering from that, it should be on for some type of face lift dealing with the extra skin around the chin, capped off with hair implants along the front portion. I’m still up in the air about who to see for the facelift, but do have a couple of leads for the hair transplants.
There’s also a few items I’d like to buy that don’t deal with transition. My car is now over 12 years old. I could use new living room furniture and entertainment system. A new computer is also on the horizon...but, I’m just now coming out of debt...it would be nice to breathe some fresh air for a while before tunneling back down.
It’s been 28 months since I had SRS, which at $500 per month, left me with about a $2600 bill. I figured I’d go ahead and pay all of it off since I had a little extra in the bank account.
Ahhhh...it’s nice to finally pay off one of them. I still have FFS to go, but it’s down under $10,000 now. Since I’ll now have $500 a month extra to work with, I can try to get it paid off soon, too.
So, yes, I’ve been on a spending crunch the past few years...trying to get through the financial hardships of transition. Going all the way back to January 2002 with my first electrolysis, I’ve spent over $100,000 on all of it...spread out over the past 5 and a half years. I’ve paid all but about $10,000 of it. That’s a lot of money...considering it could have gone toward a house or something, but, oh well, that’s transition.
Of course, I’m still looking at a few procedures. I figure to hit Dr. O later this year for a little jaw touch up on one side. After recovering from that, it should be on for some type of face lift dealing with the extra skin around the chin, capped off with hair implants along the front portion. I’m still up in the air about who to see for the facelift, but do have a couple of leads for the hair transplants.
There’s also a few items I’d like to buy that don’t deal with transition. My car is now over 12 years old. I could use new living room furniture and entertainment system. A new computer is also on the horizon...but, I’m just now coming out of debt...it would be nice to breathe some fresh air for a while before tunneling back down.
Monday, June 18, 2007
Red Without Blue
The Frameline Film Fest coincides with much of the Pride activities in San Francisco. I looked over the films and decided to see Red Without Blue...with a few friends tagging along.. I’d seen previews of the film in the past (at another trans film showing) and it looked really interesting.
The documentary film is about a pair of twin boys...one of which grew up to be a girl (Claire). The other turned out to be a gay boy (Mark).
The film shows a few old clips of the young boys growing up, followed by recent shots of the two of them in different situations...one male, the other female. The film doesn’t dwell on transition, but more on the people and their lives...where they have been, what they have been through, and where they are trying to go in life....which, honestly, I found very refreshing.
The film does show some of the stuff Claire has had to go through, including a very bizarre trip to an electrologist, but transition was more of a side story. It also showed the lives of their entire family...including their separated parents. Their mom appears to be a repressed lesbian...living with her female friend in a very close relationship...yet, she blatantly states she isn’t gay. Seeing their mom progress with time is actually a very interesting character development. Their father, unique in his own way, is highly supportive of Claire...which almost makes you want to give him a big hug right there.
Overall, I would say it was an excellent film. It is due to run on the Sundance channel...and would definitely be a film to catch...if you can.
Since both Claire and her brother now reside in San Francisco, they, along with the film makers, were present at the film showing. Beth and I introduced ourselves afterward before heading off to grab dinner. She seems like a really nice person, but wow, I’m not sure I would like that much of my life up on screen. Sure, I post stuff in here, but it’s not living breathing full technicolor...it’s just silent black and white.
The documentary film is about a pair of twin boys...one of which grew up to be a girl (Claire). The other turned out to be a gay boy (Mark).
The film shows a few old clips of the young boys growing up, followed by recent shots of the two of them in different situations...one male, the other female. The film doesn’t dwell on transition, but more on the people and their lives...where they have been, what they have been through, and where they are trying to go in life....which, honestly, I found very refreshing.
The film does show some of the stuff Claire has had to go through, including a very bizarre trip to an electrologist, but transition was more of a side story. It also showed the lives of their entire family...including their separated parents. Their mom appears to be a repressed lesbian...living with her female friend in a very close relationship...yet, she blatantly states she isn’t gay. Seeing their mom progress with time is actually a very interesting character development. Their father, unique in his own way, is highly supportive of Claire...which almost makes you want to give him a big hug right there.
Overall, I would say it was an excellent film. It is due to run on the Sundance channel...and would definitely be a film to catch...if you can.
Since both Claire and her brother now reside in San Francisco, they, along with the film makers, were present at the film showing. Beth and I introduced ourselves afterward before heading off to grab dinner. She seems like a really nice person, but wow, I’m not sure I would like that much of my life up on screen. Sure, I post stuff in here, but it’s not living breathing full technicolor...it’s just silent black and white.
Friday, June 08, 2007
Morally Straight
I saw a Cub Scout the other day. Seeing him made me remember back to my days of scouting...it also made me realize something else.
When I was in Cub Scouts and Webelos, I had a lot of fun. I'm not sure if it was because we were younger and I had fun with the other kids, or because I did a lot of stuff with my dad. When I joined Boy Scouts, I really didn't like it. Half the time, the scout meeting was spent playing video games (yes, they had them back in the 80's).
My father was an Eagle Scout. It's one of the highest ranks you can obtain in the Boy Scouts. In scouting, you go from the Cub Scouts, to Webelos, to the Boy Scouts....or, well, that's the way it flowed back then. You go from Webelo to Tenderfoot when you join Boy Scouts. I think I made it to the next level of Second Class or something before I cautiously and very frighteningly told my dad that I no longer wanted to be in scouts. In a response that caught me off guard, my parents, even my dad, expressed no disappointment in my decision.
Now that I look back, though, I realize the only time I had fun in Boy Scouts was when my dad was around. He made the whole experience fun. I enjoyed spending time with him on the different activities.
I was never much of a fisherman. I don't know what it is, but touching a fish is just kinda yucky for me. I could put a worm on a hook, but any time I caught a yucky fish, my dad was there to take it off the line.
When I was in Cub Scouts and Webelos, I had a lot of fun. I'm not sure if it was because we were younger and I had fun with the other kids, or because I did a lot of stuff with my dad. When I joined Boy Scouts, I really didn't like it. Half the time, the scout meeting was spent playing video games (yes, they had them back in the 80's).
My father was an Eagle Scout. It's one of the highest ranks you can obtain in the Boy Scouts. In scouting, you go from the Cub Scouts, to Webelos, to the Boy Scouts....or, well, that's the way it flowed back then. You go from Webelo to Tenderfoot when you join Boy Scouts. I think I made it to the next level of Second Class or something before I cautiously and very frighteningly told my dad that I no longer wanted to be in scouts. In a response that caught me off guard, my parents, even my dad, expressed no disappointment in my decision.
Now that I look back, though, I realize the only time I had fun in Boy Scouts was when my dad was around. He made the whole experience fun. I enjoyed spending time with him on the different activities.
I was never much of a fisherman. I don't know what it is, but touching a fish is just kinda yucky for me. I could put a worm on a hook, but any time I caught a yucky fish, my dad was there to take it off the line.
Friday, June 01, 2007
Gay Month
They should just change June to Gay. If you were born on 6/11/83, you would say you were born on Gay 11th, 1983. April, May, Gay, July... It works so well with May.
Anyway, there are a ton of LGBT activities later in the month. There is, of course, San Francisco Pride on June 23-24, with the Transgender March on June 22nd. 'Transgender Week' is the week before SF Pride.
Frameline also has their LGBT movies running from June 14-24.
I'm probably missing a bunch of items, but those are the ones I'm looking forward to now.
...hmmm...I wonder if they would rename the June Bug to Gay Bug, as well.
Anyway, there are a ton of LGBT activities later in the month. There is, of course, San Francisco Pride on June 23-24, with the Transgender March on June 22nd. 'Transgender Week' is the week before SF Pride.
Frameline also has their LGBT movies running from June 14-24.
I'm probably missing a bunch of items, but those are the ones I'm looking forward to now.
...hmmm...I wonder if they would rename the June Bug to Gay Bug, as well.
Tuesday, May 29, 2007
Lift the damn seat
After catching up with Pirates of the Caribbean, and then watching Pirates 2 for the first time, I went to see Pirates 3 yesterday with a friend. Since it's a fairly long movie and I took in a fairly large drink, I had to go pretty bad afterward.
When I first went in women's bathrooms, I thought they were so much cleaner. No more urinals with pee, and boogers, and hair all over them. And even if I had to go #2 in a public place, most guys knew to lift the lid.
The women's bathrooms smelled good, too....well, most of them did. After a while, I started noticing seats that had pee all over them. WTF? Then I realized there is a group of women out there that hover. Yeah, you know...they squat but never touch the seat. The rest of us either wipe down the seat or put the sanitary paper down, but there is one group that hovers.
I'm OK with women that want to hover. It's cool. I realize restroom toilet seats can be kinda gross. What's not cool, though, is when they don't lift the damn seat, thus peeing all over it. Come on ladies, lift the damn seat if you're gonna pull a Harrier on me. The guys can do it, you can, too!
When I first went in women's bathrooms, I thought they were so much cleaner. No more urinals with pee, and boogers, and hair all over them. And even if I had to go #2 in a public place, most guys knew to lift the lid.
The women's bathrooms smelled good, too....well, most of them did. After a while, I started noticing seats that had pee all over them. WTF? Then I realized there is a group of women out there that hover. Yeah, you know...they squat but never touch the seat. The rest of us either wipe down the seat or put the sanitary paper down, but there is one group that hovers.
I'm OK with women that want to hover. It's cool. I realize restroom toilet seats can be kinda gross. What's not cool, though, is when they don't lift the damn seat, thus peeing all over it. Come on ladies, lift the damn seat if you're gonna pull a Harrier on me. The guys can do it, you can, too!
Friday, May 11, 2007
Entertainment Tonight
OK, well, I'm lucky I spelled my previous entry 'Entertainment Tonite'.
Anyway, I got an email about tonight's ET (check local listings) with Alexis Arquette and four other transwomen in some sort of transgender summit. It led me to the ET website, where I saw Donna Rose was participating. She seems to be the only one on there that I know, but now I am only 2 degrees of separation away from Courtney Cox....and 3 from the rest of Hollywood!!!! Muahahahaha!!!!
Well, with any media-focused report, it will be interesting to see how the 4 parter is played out. It starts tonight and run through Wednesday of next week. I should send a note to Donna to see who the chick in yellow is.
On my first side note, and again, information from a friend's email, it appears there is a site called Prosper where people can borrow money from other people. I don't know how the T stuff might fair, but one never knows. If there are no other options, one might look at it for surgical payment options.
OK, this dude at work...(I know, I know...I shouldn't talk about work stuff in here)...basically rejected my draft request to his department due to a lack of information on the submitted item. This information happened to be the only supplier-supplied specifications I could find on the internet. I notify the rest of the team about the lack of into but also send out the information I collected. Two weeks later, another person submits virtually the same specification. During project communications, I see that his draft requests are going through with information I had previously supplied. WTF? I email the dude and tell him that my requests were rejected but this new one is going through...both with almost the same information attached.
I get an email back from him saying he now believes both submissions lack the detailed information, at which time I tell him we are working to acquire it. I stayed professional...but, uuggghhhhh....I was very annoyed for a number of minutes. This guy has given me problems in the past. He's usually a stickler on my submissions...I just thought that's how he always was. If he's less of a stickler to others (perhaps other men)....I dunno, I'm going to be pissed.
Anyway, I got an email about tonight's ET (check local listings) with Alexis Arquette and four other transwomen in some sort of transgender summit. It led me to the ET website, where I saw Donna Rose was participating. She seems to be the only one on there that I know, but now I am only 2 degrees of separation away from Courtney Cox....and 3 from the rest of Hollywood!!!! Muahahahaha!!!!
Well, with any media-focused report, it will be interesting to see how the 4 parter is played out. It starts tonight and run through Wednesday of next week. I should send a note to Donna to see who the chick in yellow is.
On my first side note, and again, information from a friend's email, it appears there is a site called Prosper where people can borrow money from other people. I don't know how the T stuff might fair, but one never knows. If there are no other options, one might look at it for surgical payment options.
OK, this dude at work...(I know, I know...I shouldn't talk about work stuff in here)...basically rejected my draft request to his department due to a lack of information on the submitted item. This information happened to be the only supplier-supplied specifications I could find on the internet. I notify the rest of the team about the lack of into but also send out the information I collected. Two weeks later, another person submits virtually the same specification. During project communications, I see that his draft requests are going through with information I had previously supplied. WTF? I email the dude and tell him that my requests were rejected but this new one is going through...both with almost the same information attached.
I get an email back from him saying he now believes both submissions lack the detailed information, at which time I tell him we are working to acquire it. I stayed professional...but, uuggghhhhh....I was very annoyed for a number of minutes. This guy has given me problems in the past. He's usually a stickler on my submissions...I just thought that's how he always was. If he's less of a stickler to others (perhaps other men)....I dunno, I'm going to be pissed.
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