My journey will go on, and on
Yes, anniversary moment tonight. Handy I found out about this, because I’ve got 4 days off, including today, in the next 5, so if you wants blogs for each of those, suggestions might be handy!
Just over 100 years ago, there was only 1 way to cross the Atlantic, by ship. Nowadays, apart from people with a lot of time, and a lot of money, no one does it by ship. Why, when you can reach the East Coast of America in about 6 hours, and if you can get a direct flight, the West Coast in about 11, would you want to spend more than a week on the Atlantic Ocean, with very little to see?
But in truth, it was really only after WW2, and the invention of jet planes, that flying the Atlantic, as a viable means of transport became possible. And it wasnt until the 70’s, and 80’s that it became practical for most people anyway! Nowadays, if you didnt make that trip by plane, well it would be a strange event!
But 105 years ago, and yes, there is a clue in that date, if you wanted to cross the Atlantic for pleasure, to emigrate, or whatever, sailing there was the only way to do it. Given that the only time I have spent a long period of time travelling by sea (beyond a few hours) was up the Norwegian coastline, from Bergen to Kirkenes, and back, I have no idea what its like to be at sea for days on end, and seeing nothing but water. I’m sure if you’re into that sort of thing, fine, but not for me. At least that Norwegian trip, some of the stops were long enough to get off, look around, stretch your legs, but on that trip, bit tricky!
Yes, on 14 April 1912, there was a ship ‘speeding’ across the Atlantic. You might even have guessed its name by now, thats right, it was the Titanic! Supposedly unsinkable, but an iceberg was to prove that claim wrong. Unfortunately, due to the conceit of the owners, and said claim, there wasnt more than a few lifeboats, and more than 1500 people died that night. Its recently come out that there was a fire, which may have damaged the hull a few weeks before, which led to the incident, but in truth, now, we will never be sure. There have, over the years, been many movies made about that moment, though the most obvious is the Winslet/De Caprio movie of the 90’s. In fact, the first was made only months after the sinking, and included an actress who was on board the ship at the time! Most of the movie industry was still on the East Coast at that time, I might add.
But yes, the next time you hop on a plane, for a long distance flight, just remember that 100 years ago, you couldnt do that. A ship to New York took about a week, or just over. To travel to Australia, as many did to emigrate, must have felt like forever! Whereas now…
Yes, the video is the obvious Titanic related one, though no, it isnt Celine Dion! Its a Post Modern Jukebox moment instead. If you prefer the original, it shouldnt be hard to find!
You’ll Never Walk Alone?
A great song, from a great musical, Carousel. Though the featured version here is the version I remember from the 1960’s, not actually from the musical, or film.
The thing is, for many transgender people, thats the opposite polarity to what they face in life, far too many are just left to fend for themselves as best they can. And lets face it, for far too many, it doesnt work. Its why suicide rates amongst transgender people are so high, its coping with being who you are in the world, where far too many people just want to take a blinkered attitiude to the problem.
As for depression rates, well, you really dont want to know how bad they are, though its not hard to work out why, is it? And unfortunately, it sometimes leads to the fact mentioned above. And yes, I suffered from depression for far too long, ironically without really knowing why, beyond the fact that something was wrong with me, but what, I hadnt a clue. But no, not any more, well not because of transgenderism at least. And yes, what I’ve got at the moment is more annoyance with certain people, than depression, though they are making me wonder why I bother at times. And no, as far as I know, no one reading this, or related to anyone reading this is the target of my venom either.
Thankfully, I dont have to walk alone, got a number of good friends who support me through this, and a few others who seemingly admire me for what I do, and have done. But many others dont have it so easy, and even for people like me, there are still a number who dont like what they see, and try to make life hard, but I’m doing my best to ignore them, but a few are in a position where thats easier said than done, but even so…
On a lighter note, there will be one (or technically two) walks alone that will be interesting on Saturday, the ones through security at the airports, while wearing my enhancers. I’m told everything should be fine, but I’m planning to use an old pair all the same, just in case and all that! They are probably right, I’ll suddenly realise I’m through, and laugh, but…its more the TSA at Chicago that worries me in that sense, you hear so many tales, but they’ve told me it will be fine, so…
Hopefully there will be one more post before I go, Friday, when I’m certain of my freedom from somewhere lol, I’m sure. I promise, that will be more cheery than this one, though it might be cheesy as well. I will post from Seattle when possible, for those who want to know, and to let you know what security was like, I guess.
The song, well I’ve given it away already, I would say? So just enjoy (in black and white)
3…2…1!
No, not a rocket taking off, its the shift countdown to my holiday, lol! Yes, it might still be 6 days away, but only 3 of them are working ones, tomorrow, Wednesday and Thursday. Shift from hell tomorrow, in more senses than one, but the less said about that, the better. It does mean Thursday is shorter, but its a matter of if I care about, or for work by then! Well, some might say that…but I couldnt possibly say that! 😉
Tuesday morning is getting my hair done, I need to be ‘blonde enhanced’ again, so that will be happening then. Plus I suspect at least some of the shaggy locks will go, real, and/or extensions! Wouldnt mind a bit from the back being put up on top, but ah well…
Friday will be about getting the body in shape, especially the back, which is proving problematical yet again at present. Oh, and getting the nails done of course.
It will be good going back to Seattle again, or will be when I get there at least! The actual flights to and fro, no, I’m not looking forward to those, the main reason this will be the last West Coast trip for the foreseeable future, the body is just getting too worn out for journeys like that.
Oh, and for those who read the last post, none of my horses came anywhere in the National yesterday. No surprise there, lol!
I need this holiday in more senses than one, mainly the one about getting totally away from work for a while, even if its only for a long week. I could make a joking comment about recharging batteries, but not really fitted out for that lol!
The song, well I remember when there was an airflight travel guide called the ABC Guide, and having mentioned one, two and three…Wasnt a favourite, but did seem apt.
Looking back on 2011
Yes, I do hope to get in one more post this year on Saturday, but that will be looking forward to 2012, so call this the annual review lol.
2011 has been an interesting year to say the least. Its the first year I actually travelled on a passport that said Ms, rather than Mr, and believe me, that was a special moment. Even if due to the wonders of our ‘beloved’ passport office, I still have to show gender as male! The good news, it seemed most places I travelled, the vast majority of people disagreed with that, assuming I was, or making it very clear they thought I was female. Its another reason for loving Boston to be honest, no one would have believed my gender on my passport lol! Nowadays I use the unisex toilets at work, solves all problems for everyone, and is fine by me to be honest.
The only down side to the whole thing has been Leeds GIC, who I have now totally given up on doing anything to help my gender change, and just settling for what changes my body wants to make for itself, some of them quite remarkable ones it must be said.
I guess its not hard to work out my cricketing highlight of the year, Ireland beating England in the World Cup just has to be the one. For a while I was just hoping for respectability, but Kevin O’Brien ensured so much more than that. Getting to see them play live in Belfast beating Namibia twice, was a treat all the same. We’ve made a good start to qualifying for the next World Cup too, lets hope that continues in the New Year, as well as hopefully retrieving the Inter Continental 4 day cup as well, though it will actually be 2013 before both of those conclude.
International travel wise, there were 3 trips this year, 1 mentioned above. The other 2 were Toronto (for the first time beyond the airport transit area) and Boston (for the first time in nearly 25 years!). I really enjoyed both cities, and would love to get back to both soon, though 1 is more likely to happen very quickly (like next year maybe?) than the other, though hopefully it wont be too long before I’m in Canada again. People I met have been well covered in previous postings, so just a brief thanks to Kate, James, and the people of those 2 great cities for some wonderful memories. Especially those in Boston that made it clear they wouldnt have thought I needed any surgery to be a woman!
Work, well its been a pretty good year, no real hassles beyond toilet issues (now solved) and the need to find somewhere else for next years Christmas dinner, please! The staff in the shops I have to take calls from, mmf, no comment on some of them!
Life, well I’ve started writing again, though my suspicion is the current story is going to be a one off, well who knows, I’ve certainly enjoyed writing it, though I suspect the inspiration has helped on that front all the same. The one thing I have noticed is that my body is beginning to age, and not gracefully in terms of joints. The knees are beginning to give me more grief, the back definitely is, and thats why next April will be the last west coast of US trip for the foreseeable future, it just hurts the body too much with all that sitting still on the planes for so long. It might be daft doing one more trip, but did want to see Seattle one more time at least.
The blog however will hopefully go sailing on sweetly, at least thats the plan.
The video, well I’m told there is an artist with a very similar name to mine, so lets give her a run out here. Funnily enough I knew the Corrs version of this song better, and had no idea she had written it in the first place. So, for the penultimate video of the year (and yes, the last one will be utterly obvious) lets see what dreams we can come up with for next year.
Who’s going to tell you when…
…your holiday is nearly over? Guess I’d better tell myself now lol! Yes, this is the last night in Boston, though I certainly dont plan on taking 23 years to return this time around, I think I might be too ancient by then to enjoy it anyway!
In fact, apart from a couple of days with the weather, this holiday has been wonderful for me, and I’m not really going to complain too loudly about that. Had some wonderful company, seen some lovely sights, and if I needed to prove it again to myself, meeting people you only know through the net always seems to work out brilliantly for me, so maybe I should do it more often? I know, I’ve ‘known’ these 2 for a while now, so it was hardly a major risk, so…
Boston, I definitely like, and thats definitely ‘more than a feeling’ I get. Dont think I have ever been called Miss, Madam, or a lady so many times in a week before! Either they are sweet and kind (and lets face it, most dont know, so…) or I pass really well nowadays, and I suspect/hope its the latter, I’m told it is at least. Tomorrow, everything permitting, including weather, I’m hoping to get one last dash into Boston in, so I can say goodbye properly to a wonderful city, and maybe pick up one more top of some kind, as a reminder of here, but that will depend on pick up time to go back to the airport. I’m not really a ‘candy girl’ but I’m sweet on this city.
Special thanks to James, for finding me a wonderful, peaceful place to stay, and more thanks to Kate for chauffering me around so much. Both were already friends, and even more so now I’ve met you both.
Back to work Monday, and back to blogging from the UK as from next week too.
Oh, alright, the traditional video, I’ve picked a band from Boston for this, and slipped references to 2 more groups from here within the blog, not hard to spot I suspect? Speak to you again soon, but for now…
Are you sure you want to hear more?
Hopefully at least one or two might know what song thats a line from, if not, the video at the end will put you out of your misery lol! The tags might give you an extra clue anyway.
The funny thing about working in a call centre, is that the people you talk to, only ever hear your voice, and never see your face, and therefore might assume things that arent quite true. If I had a pound (euro/dollar, whatever your currency may be?) for every member of shop staff I’d heard say about the lady at the other end of the phone, or comments about darling, honey etc from the staff themselves, well, I’d probably only have to work 8 months of the year! Yes, the voice is soft, and I think its safe to say that most might get a surprise if we ever met! Dont get me wrong, I think its wonderful they do all think they are talking to a woman, just hope they never bring in video phones lol!
And yes, I certainly dont think I’m the type of girl you marry either! Not just the physical issues though, though clearly they might play a major part! I wouldnt make a good partner now anyway, years of being single have made me highly independent, and having to think about what someone else might want to do, as well as myself, well that might be tricky!
What more is there to say? I’ve started building towards the holiday starting on the 17th, got a laser session tomorrow to zap the pretty much non existent hair, but hopefully it will kill off the last few annoying hairs this time around. Also booked to have my hair coloured and tidied up next Tuesday, both are definitely needed. And despite the pic on here, I’m not a redhead, more of a blonde. The hair in the avvie pic is a wig, which I havent used in ages now, but still own. If my own hairline ever really recedes, well then I might become a redhead again! 😉 Hopefully that wont be needed though. Finally, next Friday, just before I go will be getting all the nails infilled, a nice massage and facial, and if anything needs waxing, it will be! Looking forward to Boston, both to see the place, and because it will be that needed break from work as well.
So alright, my name isnt Carrie, I definitely dont look like Agnetha, but I seem to have a few readers of this, so life isnt too bad in blog-land. And yes, if you hadnt worked it out already, I am a major Abba fan!
Hope you enjoy, but dont think of flooding me with wedding proposals lol!
Everything But The Girl
Yes, this time you get the group name as the title, rather than the song. Just seemed more suitable that way, lol!
Though strictly I’m everything but a girl in one sense, its safe to say everything is wired female, but for the body! Though nowadays, but for one obvious thing, even that is pretty female nowadays. If I could only find a surgeon willing to adjust that for me, I could forget about all the hassle with the NHS, and not worry about anything else.
Oh alright, there are 2 ‘important’ set of people who insist I’m still male, the tax office, and the passport people, though ironically both are more than happy for me to be a Ms though! I can see their point in all honesty, I do still have male ‘bits’, but I’m living as a woman, so…swings and roundabouts I guess? Work is a mystery, they have me registered as a female, but ‘prefer’ me to use male toilets! I suppose if I was more miltant, but that really isnt my style, ah well…Similarly, I do wonder how they would react if I wore my enhancers to work, though in all honesty, I need them less day by day, but do enjoy being buxom, grin! Equally, I’d love to wear them to fly to and from the US, but being silicon in nature, I think security might object lol! Or am I wrong on that front?
So technically I’m everything but the girl, though thats probably the most important bit! I do wonder how potential employers would react to me though? Any genuine trans friendly employers out there I should know about?
Sorry, I know its been a few days, blame the shifts I’ve been getting at work for that. Off noiw until Wednesday, so I suspect you might not have to wait as long for the next post!
The song, some prefer the original version, some prefer the Todd Terry mix that made this record chart, I rather like both. And yes, you could say I had been ‘Missing’ for a few days.
Non surgical enhancements for t-girls of all types
Lets face it, for those of us that want a more feminine curve to our figures, there is plenty we can do to help with these matters. Make up is an obvious start point, though far too many t’s dont seem to think subtle will do, and plaster it on, only trouble is, that makes them stand out a mile, especially if wobbling in a mini skirt and high heels, as some like to do. Subtle might be too subtle for some to notice, but at least it keeps the idiots off your back. Me, I’m just lazy on that front lol!
Keeping yourself clean shaven is obviously a good starting point too, though some crossdressers and transvestites seem to think that stubble is part of the look, but cant see why! But transexuals seem to want to be very clean shaven, I probably want to do the impossible on that front lol! My top lip annoys me, the hairs are more or less gone, but the shadow created by years of growth takes a bit more shifting. But anyway…
Yes, I do use breast enhancers at home, but settle for the natural look when out. It does mean owning 2 sets of bras, but I can happily live with that. I’d love to be able to (without fuss) be a busty lady all of the time, but there are too many idiots about for that, for safety sake. And being honest, I pretty well fill a B cup bra nowadays, so all in all I should go ‘natural’ at all times now, but just love the feel, and weight of them too much for that.
I do own a corset, and could use it more to change the hips/waist ratio, especially as I am somewhere inbetween, but just find it uncomfortable for long term wear at work, and even more so for fighting on to commuter trains lol! And besides, like the enhancers, I couldnt easily wear either through security at airports anyway! Besides which, I wouldnt want to wear a corset on a Transatlantic flight anyway!
So whats the purpose of this you’re probably asking? The purpose is the one thing that isnt a simple thing to change, well not at a sensible price anyway. The one object I’d love to ‘have’ without surgery, is the right genitals. In other words, some form of enhancement that envelops the penis, so you look like you have a vagina, with just the end lips showing (labia) so that you could even go to toilet just like a woman does. Any inventors/designers out there with any bright ideas? I know there are pants you can get, but they are at inflated prices (because only t’s want to buy them), and short of buying multiple pairs, you cant wear them every day, whereas breast enhancers, with a little cleaning…
So if any reader, or friend of a reader out there is saying, “I can do that.”, then let me know, and we can discuss matters.
stevielounicks 
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