Legalese

I stopped by the County Courthouse on my way to work this morning and picked up the necessary paperwork for a legal name change. I also noticed the almost $300 filling fee, which was enough to keep me awake the rest of the morning.

I was looking to check out Middlesex from one of the local libraries, but after finding that most of the copies were all checked out, I ordered a copy of Middlesex from Amazon.com. I want to read it so I will be able to relate some of the issues of my own transition to the story that my coworker Robi has already read. I think and hope that she will be one of my strong supporters at work. When I was looking at the library stuff, Robi actually stopped by my desk, but saw me looking at another book. We chatted about books for a second, and I admitted that I had only been able to finish off one book in the past year, although I had started a few. She asked which book, and since it was a T book, I lied and told her I didn’t remember the name. It was actually called Dress Codes: Of Three Girlhoods--My Mother’s, My Father’s, and Mine. I found it pretty boring, until perhaps the last quarter of the book...which is probably why it took so long for me to get through the book. Anyway, the book tells the true story of one TS’ transition, but from the perspective of the daughter. All in all, it was a good story.

Tonite, my electrologist was able to get me in a little early. She wanted to get over to a little BBQ, and said I was invited as well. So, after zapping me into a swollen mess (and hey, I made it through using only half a pain killer pill), we went to dinner. It was me, three post-op TS women, and one of their boyfriends. We had a nice little conversation, that at one point reached one of those uncomfortable points and needed another topic. So, I brought up the name change thing, and all the legalese of the form. I see why some people pay a lawyer to handle it. I just think it’s a conspiracy by lawyers to ensure people have to use them. :) I’ll have to tell my uncle, aunt, and cousin (all lawyers) that the next time I see them. :P

We also had a little conversation on Dr. O. Two of them were Dr. O grads. Neither of them liked their noses and said I should go see one of the local plastic surgeons for my nose. Yeah, the Dr. O nose worries me, but it just sucks having to do two surgeries, pay for two surgeries, and recover from two surgeries when I can do it all in one. I’m hoping my nose just needs small modifications, but I know he will have to do some digging around to fix the deviated septum.