Something’s got a hold on me
Well I would guess its go surprise to people here if I do a Transgender posting here, even if strictly I’m intersex, but I will still always relate to mtf transgender issues, even when I do finally get the operation out of the way, and yes, I hope the brain issues wont stop that at least. But making a post where I disagree with the transgender crowd, well…
Its fair to say at my age, even ignoring the new health issues, that I’m never going to play sport again at my age. The only sport I really played at anything more than basic level more than a couple of years after leaving school was cricket, and though I was a decent player (I played both at school, and club levels), I was never going to be a world beater. I did play a little recreational golf after I left school, but that soon stopped after a couple of years, due to lack of time, and not being a Nick Faldo/Laura Davies at the game, it was never going to go further. I think at one point I was a 13 handicap, which isnt amazing, but not awful either. I did try again, about 25-30 years later, but lets say I was more like a 113 handicap by then.
But then, since I started to transition, apart from the issue of getting old, I decided it was the end of my sporting career anyway. I know, strictly, I could play as a woman, especially after transition was confirmed, but even if I’d been in a position to play sport as a woman, I dont think I would. I know, you look at me, and apart from perhaps the height issue (I’m 5ft 9 tall/ 1.74 m?) I’ve got the build of a woman, but anyway…
I know some have, and more will, but its just how I feel about things, OK?
But it seems that some are so determined to make it at sport, that they have less morals about matters than me. It seems one team in the Kent Women’s Cricket League are so determine to succeed that rules, well… Now let me say I’ve only read one article about this, and the club, and the player involved dont want to say anything on the subject, but… One ladies team seeming include a ‘woman’ who is strongly built, 6ft 1 in height in their team.
Fine, but this is seemingly a woman who hasnt declared to be transitioning, isnt taking female hormones, and according to reports only declares as a woman on cricket match days, which seems very convenient. Of course she’s scoring lots of runs, taking lots of wickets, and all that stuff. So suddenly a moderate team has become a league winning capable team, isnt that handy?
Now, I wouldnt want to say she isnt genuine in the transition, but if so, why isnt she living as a woman for 7 days of the week? Yes, I do cynically wonder if this will be a 1 year wonder, or not? Handily for them, in England, unless you get into National Squad contention, you dont get sex tests done!
In the sense of glory, I dont care how desperate this team are to win, by doing things like this, but my concern is the simple one, if as I suspect it will, this is proved to be a fraud, where does it leave genuine transgender people in the future, both in terms of general life, and things that are gender related, from public conveniences upward? But yes, life is hard enough for us, without people working the system for the sake of glory, because lets face it, as has happened with this, its eventually going to get out, and probably in a negative way.
OK, rant over. Mind, I’ve acted as a woman, even before I started transitioning (long before in fact), but that was just a part I was needed to play, that I didnt cheat anyone out of, so… The fun is, if it wasnt for the health issues, I might have been acting this autumn as a woman again, ah well…
Right, video time. One of my favourites of all time, in truth. Yes, I’d love to be the lady in grey, with the helmet in this, seriously
A frustrating sort of week
Yes, I know, strictly, I was due to do a blog last night, but it never happened. Mainly because I lacked for decent material, to be honest. Not that I have a lot more today, but thanks to another case of beating my head against the proverbial modern brick wall, lets roll with a rant about modern life, something I seemingly get to hate more by the day.
Apologies to Stacie, and Andy, if they thought I might roll with their idea of ‘bad taste’ album titles, but that would be just too many images I’d have to store somewhere, so, sorry. But yes, their Facebook thread on the issue was quite something!
So sorry, its a job hunting rant again! Monday saw me heading to the outskirts of Bradford for an interview. Thankfully, the right side of Bradford for me, but still a long way off the bus route. But anyway, show willing… Fine, you can guess the outcome before I say anything, I didnt get it, or I wouldnt be writing this, would I? To be honest, having tried the walk from the bus stop (and back), there is no way I would fancy doing that at 8 pm, on a cold winter evening, so may, in a sense at least, be for the best.
But lets not focus on that, lets focus on that annoys the ecologist side of me so much, the job application form. Seriously, I know they want details (even though most are on my CV), but 10 pages, really? Not aided by the fact that I dont have my own printer, and have to get someone else to print it off for me, but regardless of that, the amount of trees that must get wasted on these things, at a time, when lets face it, all those details (if it even gets to that point) simply get loaded on to a computer, and probably discarded anyway!
Oh, and do you know whats more annoying? I’ve got an interview tomorrow, with the same firm, for a retail job, as opposed to a head office one, but guess what? Yes, I have to do it all over again, and will have to get all those pages printed off again, so frustrating. Why? They’ve got all my details, its all going to the same recruitment department, but anyway…aargh!
But fine, just when I thought that was ridiculous, I’ve got a job interview on Monday afternoon just outside Leeds. Wait for it, wait for it, their application form isnt 10 pages long, its 15! Yes, fine, its a financial related industry, but yes, it could easily lose a few pages, without losing information, for sure. To be honest, given its location out of town, even with a company shuttle bus, I would say I would pass on it, but lets face it, at the moment, I’m really not in the mood to do that. Just glad I bought someone here a pack of paper a while back, but even so…
Oh, last rant for today about modern job interview methods. This morning, I had a phone interview, for a branch position, with a different building society to above, and I survived, quite well in fact. So what do I get as a reward, some sort of psychometric set of questions to answer. Which, in truth, almost make competency based questions look like a sensible route to go down. So yes, I answered them as best I could, in an honest way, but about an hour or so later, I get an email telling me that my answers dont meet their desired parameters, so thats it!
Yes, I’m getting totally sick of these modern interviewing techniques, just about had enough, in fact. But it has to be done, I guess, so? Though yes, I wish it wasnt, and I will be glad when its all over, however that happens!
Right, rant over. I promise to try and come up with something more cheery for the weekend! The video, something I discovered this morning, and suits my tastes. There is a classic disco piece from the 1980’s, by a group called New Order. Yes, Blue Monday. But just suppose, it was played on instruments that was available in the 1930’s, not all that modern technology. In that case, it might just sound like this?
Test cricket, in Ireland, just maybe?
Well, yes, apart from an unmemorable (and wet) 18 overs or so against England, the Ireland cricket season starts on Tuesday, in a big way.
Why, because this time around, the winners of the Inter Continental Cup will get the opportunity to play Test Cricket…maybe! Why maybe, because the ICC change the goalposts, and the end results so often, that many are far from convinced that the rules now, and the rules in nearly 3 years time, when this series are over will be the same, hmm? But in theory, if Ireland win the cup again, we will be in a position to play test cricket. Fine? Lets leave it at that statement for now.
So, in Dublin, on Tuesday, Ireland begin their 4 day campaign against the UAE. I think the Irish weather may come as a shock to our visitors lol! Or hopefully it wont, just a decent, mild day, and nothing more. Its fair to say that no one would have imagined this, for Ireland, in cricket, 10 years ago! Indeed, who, back then, would have imagined that twice, in recent times, 10,000 people (or thereabouts) have been to an Ireland cricket match!
Later this summer, along with Scotland, they will host the qualifiers for the 20 over World Cup, to be held next year as well. And then, at the end of the summer, the World Cup champions, Australia are coming to Belfast for a 50 over match. And on past form, they will be a lot more friendly to media, and fans, than the English will ever seemingly be!
No, at this point, I have no idea if I will get across this summer, or not. Bit of a Catch 22 at present, without a job, I shouldnt be wasting money on jaunts like that, but equally, when I get one, it will be about a 6 week training period, which will kill off most of the international cricket season. So, ideally, my latest interview offers me a job tomorrow, starting on June 15, and I can look at flights to Dublin this week!
I know, I know, this is me, not going to happen, but…
Irish domestic cricket is still growing, for the better. Now, not only do we have an Inter region competition for the men, the ladies have a 3 team contest in its inaugural year. Due to current circumstances in ladies cricket, all 3 teams are based in the Dublin area, but its beginning to develop in other areas of the country, so in good time…
So yes, I hope that in a few years time, I will be at Ireland’s first test match, now wouldnt that be something?
The video, well, its one of the all time greats. And its what I seem to have in Irish cricket
Start of the holiday, and all that
Yes, that week has come, when I dont have to go to work, started today. I need the break to recharge the batteries, and hopefully I will. Not literally, well, unless you’re offering lol, but…a few days of sanity will be nice. I promise, not all the blogs this week will be as ‘quiet’ as this one.
Judging by the weather forecasts, I could have picked a better week, but as the choice is influenced by a birthday on Sunday, its not truly my call. Hopefully they will be proved wrong, or at least, not quite so bad around here, at least.
The week started in traditional fashion, the Christmas shopping trip to Manchester. Well, that’s Dave, and Eric sorted at least, and no, I’m not telling you what, as its possible that at least one of them might read this blog, so…Oh, and given that Eric has his birthday on Sunday, I got that present too, but a similar lack of details on that, for the same reason. Normally I would have got Nicole’s too, but due to a lack of guidance as to what I should be buying, it will be done later in the week…I hope!
Me, mixed results. Unlike last year, I wasnt heading to Manchester looking for a dress for the Christmas dinner at work, as you know, that was sorted out a couple of months ago. But there is still one item that I’d love to get for the big night, just so I can complete the Brooks, flapper look. Yes, the black bob wig, with that ‘helmet’ fringe, because even if I coloured my hair accordingly, I still couldnt do the fringe, without help! I know, I’m awkward. I have no desire to spend a fortune on a good quality, human hair wig, as I’m not convinced it will get worn more than the once. Maybe it will, maybe it wont, but…Equally, I want something decent enough that it wont look too awful at the Dinner. Ooh, lets see, just like the ones the ‘display models’ in BHS in Leeds are wearing, funnily enough! No, I havent plucked up the courage to go and ask if I can borrow one yet. I might have to, if I cant find anything suitable, but for now, I’m hoping to find my own.
Found a few places doing hair extensions in Manchester, but beyond a pretty cheap (and therefore I expect, not great quality one) wig, I found nothing there today. I do know of one place in Wakefield, that I will try later in the week, but in the meantime, any Leeds reader, who knows someone working at BHS, feel free to ask on my behalf, and get my eternal gratitude.
Oh, a couple of silly buys for me, from Primark. I’ve always been a sucker for leather, and leather look, even if perhaps I shouldn’t at my age! They must have known I was coming! There were a number of dresses reduced, with pleather sleeves. Some short, some long, some with short sleeves (barely anything), and some with much longer ones. All reduced to £5! Yes, I got one of the longer ones, with longer arms, in green, no way could I resist that! They also had bra/bustier things, in a black leather look, reduced to the same silly price. Yes, I got one of them too, though I have no idea when I might wear it? Ah well…
The video, well, its a band from Manchester, one of my favourite videos of all time. Yes, I know the song is about drugs, something I’ve never taken, nor am I likely to, as I really cant see the point. But the video, its truly something special, though I do wonder if it was dreamt up by someone influenced by drugs!
Now I remember why I dont go out on a Saturday!
And no, before anyone shows any concerns, absolutely nothing to do with transgender issues in the slightest. One Indian man did ask his teen son if that was a man or a woman who had just passed them, but his son, I suspect taken in by my boobs, replied with confidence, woman. I was too far past them to hear more lol! More on the other entertaining moment shortly.
No, the reason I do trips out, and shopping midweek, is because of the number of people about, midweek is quieter, and so much easier. Snag was, this week, one of my days off was today. Yes, shock horror, a Saturday off, no idea what happened there? But given I wanted to do some shopping, and I have an appointment on Monday lunchtime, it was a bit now or never, given a space on the reading front from updates. And feeling mad, I went over to Manchester, for a change.
Wrong move lol! I had to stand on the train going over, it was absolutely packed. I only found out later that there is some concert on over there tonight (Stone Roses, whoever they are?) and lots of young folk were travelling across for that, even at 11.15 in the morning. Even worse, they were the football fans type, and the whole journey was set off by their continued swearing (mainly in Leeds United (football team) related songs), and lots of alcohol.
I must have passed lol, quite grateful in all honesty, given the state of them, and their behaviour. One did drunkenly ask if I was ‘one of those ladyboys’ as I was about to get off, but firmly got told ‘no, she isnt, so shut the f… up’ by one of the others lol!
I headed for Primark (US people, think Old Navy, its as close as I can get), because I wanted some cheap sandals for my September holiday, and they obliged. I have got a pair already, but they were slip on ones, and I dont feel comfortable with them, because I always think I’m going to fire them off my feet, and have done, at least once lol! Picked up a few other bits and pieces as well, nothing vital, but handy all the same. Oh, including a pair of silver trousers that appealed to me no end. Also looked at a couple of bras, but was positive I didnt have the money. Snag was, I got near the pay desk, and saw socks, something I did need. Problem, as I said, I only had limited money on me, and thought I was close to the limit of my funds, so with regret, I put the silver trousers back, and went to pay for my purchases. The queue to pay, well lets just say it was very long, and leave it at that.
I was right, I did only have limited funds, but that was still £10 more than I’d thought I had. So in the end, I could have got the trousers, and a couple of basic bras too, aargh! After lunch, and a lookaround, I did go back in to see if the queues had calmed down, but they were even worse. So no, I didnt bother.
I got back to Huddersfield, and tried Primark there, but as I suspected, the much smaller store didnt have the trousers, and I didnt even bother to check for bras lol. Yes, it was busy, but nothing like Manchester lol!
Oh well… and the next time I’ll be in Manchester in all likelihood in November, by which time I’ll have forgotten all about them, and doubt they will still be stocked anyway. C’est la vie, i guess?
Alright, the video. It has a Manchester connection, it sums up both the gender, and shopping ‘entertainment’ I had today.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7iKyPMXQb5o
I’ll try and post again Monday, certainly wont be before then. As would be said, you dont want to know my shift tomorrow lol!
I still dont like football, but…there is a new order to things…
Good pop music is another matter, and just occasionally the two get intertwined. For me, this is the best, and probably only worthy football related hit (though I guess Three Lions, and Vindaloo would have fans) there has ever been.
This is not the original, its the B side, the same song, but a little different, just like the band. You even get Keith Allen ‘doing’ Michael Caine in this lol!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7N4mIa4NNHk
If you prefer the original, its not hard to find!
Its funny, even back then, no one would ever have picked me as a New Order fan, a bit of a ‘bad band’ reputation, rumoured links with drug taking etc, all the sort of things that are so not me! But there was just something that…I suspect it was that ‘infamous’ live performance of Blue Monday on TOTP that did it, they wouldnt just mime to the record, they were going to do it live, but…it wasnt good! Whether it was alcohol, or something stronger, but Barney Sumner had certainly tried ‘something’ before performing that night. In hindsight, it was dreadful, but at the time, something about that version of the song caught my ear, so I went and bought the record, the 12″ version, that was all there was first time around! And yes, it sounded nothing like the TOTP version of course! But all the same…
The other moment they really took my eye is with the True Faith video, its not hard to work out why, it was pop video of the year that year! In hindsight (and even more so in an alternate version Bernard has used live since) its clear to see the drugs connection in this, and drugs are something I’m very anti against, but…just admire the video for the cleverness of it really
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qutdA_yhEUg
And alright, some of those outfits…
The funny thing is, before the first break up, they produced some really good pop, notably World (Price of love), the video of which you can go find for yourselves lol!
Its just funny though, but for one chaotic, very unordered performance of Blue Monday, would I have ever followed them, somehow I doubt it! Life’s strange isnt it? 😉
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