Categories
- Apparel
- Aromatherapy
- Blog Board
- Books
- Clubbing
- Condoms
- Country Wide
- Dirty Diaries
- DVD
- Gaydar Info Blog
- Health Care
- Home Improvement
- Hot Bloggers
- Jewellery
- Kitchen
- Local Area
- Military Gay
- Military Members And Blogs
- Music
- Mutil Sex Items
- News
- News And Current Affairs
- News Board And Blogs
- Personal Care
- Puppy Blog Board
- Shaving And Hair Removal
- Shoes
- Sports And Leisure
- Uncategorized
- Watches
NZ gay marriage commission formed: The Church of England Newspaper, March 3, 2013 p 7.
Last week the committee directed the church s provincial secretary the Rev.
Michael Hughes to write to the secretaries of the three ... Continue reading
The Rainbow Project
With offices in Belfast and L Derry they provide a range of services and opportuni ... Continue reading
"RSPC Everything"
That's the end of the week. Not a particularly taxing one, but one that's left myself and the Every Lovely Mrs J at Tired Station, waiting for the last train home. So......?
Shop In the absence of Go Go Enhanced Gender Fun Time - a.k.a, cross dressing - I had a small shopping trip today. I spotted some cute shoes, well, cute IMO, at Dotty P's and I felt the need to wander lonely as a chap through the rails of fancy female fashions. I guess in days gone by, I would have picked up a pair, looked about furtively and then scurried off to pay.
I say this next bit with no great pride, more the gentle sigh of a person who just doesn't give a sh** :-) Select, ask, sit down, boots off, ankle highs on and test. Happy? Check mirror.
Check comfort. Boots back on and off to pay. I did see a lovely pair of blue courts, but sadly, not in my size and the next nearest pair - in design - were too expensive.
Shame, I think they'd have looked lovely in summer and just right with jeans or my white cotton trousers. Not that summer seems it'll arrive soon. We had more snow today. ;-) Common or garden arty nut project On the back of the stand-up, I've half had my eye on doing future gigs.
Well, looking at how I can do some open mic stuff and see how it goes from there. A few irons in the fire, but nothing really ready. In lieu of that, a mate suggested I pop along an improvisation group.
Well, why the hell not, eh? I'm a vainglorious show-off and I've a mouth that runs at 80 mph on a good day. Sadly, the brain only runs at 40...
meaning I do get into trouble... but you can't have it all. The group was in the frozen wastes of central Nottingham - and on a Thursday too! - but not too close to my usual tottering grounds.
Hmm. That would make for an interesting project meeting the day after! Fingers crossed not eh?
Where was I? Oh aye. The event was different to what I'm used to....
and I've been to some odd team building exercises in my short time on this rock. We did the mouth warming up noises, shaking your limbs to loosen up and all that stuff. Then, it was a few team building / party games to tweak the collective noggins and then getting down to some seriously making stuff up as you went along.
It was interesting coming to it as an outside. Some of the activities - such as story telling - I found very easy. I guess my mind just works like that.
Ironically, that's not so good for stand-up. Or, more accurately, I've been told that to have a skill where you can prattle on..... < looks at the above paragraphs and sighs > ... is okay for getting paid by the word, or making-sh**-up, but not so for stand-up.
That needs to be set-up, punchline, set-up, punchline. Or, if you're clever: set-up, punchline, second punchline off the back of the first and bonus points if you can strap on (leave it!) a third. So a pleasant evening of mindjitsu and it certainly provoked the old creative cogs in my head.
I'd have liked a go at the Accent Game, but you can't have it all. Basically, someone suggests a situation and then you and a partner talk about it. Each time the bell rings, someone shouts out and accent and you do the next minute like that.
Will I go again? Well.... maybe....
so long as it doesn't clash with Chams ;-) Anger But away from the middle of the road, middle class life I lead, there are other, and I'd say, more important issues to mention. Namely, the death of Lucy Meadow s. Now, I don't read a tabloid.
I can get all the misinformed, half researched, bigoted junk I need with a quick search via Google. :-P Are all newspapers the same? No, some are better than others when it comes to the moral view on a story. But others, I wonder how they remain being able to in print with the vileness they dress up as 'news'.
Before we get into the politics this, let's go with the crux of it. Someone died. A person with feelings.
A person just trying to make their way in life. They are no longer with us. Would it be acceptable for me to berate a person where I work over their decision to transition?
Maybe take a few pictures when they come into the room and post them on-line, so we can all have a chuckle. It's just good fun right? They do look so silly after all. :-( It's bullying and when is that ever acceptable?
Perhaps those who hunted Miss Meadows would like to come to the funeral. You know, witness the suffering first hand..... assuming they are capable of feeling and not thinking how much the photo of a grieving parent might fetch. < sigh > I appreciate I'm probably preaching to the choir, which is ironic being a godless heathen, but the above tragedy makes me so cross.
On a related note, I spent an hour on the phone today talking with a member of staff who is off due to stress induced depression. We'll call them Person A for ease of reference and I'll spare the full details. Yes, I'm aware that there are various sides to a story - yours, mine & the truth, as a mate once said to me - yet, when another co-worker has to physical intervene to remove the manager from the room, because Person A sits at their desk crying from the shouting, there's something very wrong IMO.
As an advisor, we're not supposed to get involved. We're supposed to remain neutral and offer explanations as to how a person might go about dealing with the issue. There are times when you listen and you look and you think.....
would it be okay if I got into the accused's face and yelled until they cried and I had to be dragged from the room. Yeah. I would be fine....
so long as I was a certain type of journalist. Shame on you, bullies. Shame on you.
Lynn x Today's lyric: RSPCE by Carter the Unstoppable Sex Machine Continue reading
UK & World News: Welby speaks on gay relationships
View post: UK & World News: Welby speaks on gay relationships Continue reading
Ireland – New GLBTI Parenting Study from Ireland Released – Dr Jane Pillinger and Paula Fagan
The Key Findings Report is available here.
The Full Report is available here.
Media ... Continue reading
"I’m chasing down the wolves to save you."
Well, I like doing it and as I can grab ten minutes to upload a few thoughts via mobile, why not. It keeps me happy. Which brings me on the current struggle with the lack of medication.
I had thought about starting the post with there's a war in my head, but A) that's overly dramatic (even for me :-P ) and B) it's not true. It's more like my mind is a tumble drier set on non-crease. Just when I think things are making sense, the laundry gets another turn over. :-) I was, by my own making, in a bit of a flap yesterday.
Somehow I had lost track of what day it was. I know, I don't know how, but hey ho. So I hadn't packed anything and I was later home than I'd have liked.
I was very much in a spot between do I or don't I? Stay in and risk missing out, or go through the whole faff of packing, a shower and then trekking out to Nuthall. Why do we, trans folk that is, get wound up about this?
With some tea drunk - the British cure-all? - I felt a little better and decided to make the most of it. As to the evening itself, it was pretty quiet, but not in a bad way. Despite winding myself up about the lack of time I'd have when there, I think it was....
for want of a better phrase... more quality than quantity. I had a really lovely chat with Alison and Sophie while I got ready.
Then I caught up with Pat and Patty (I think that last name is right. Apologies if not). We spoke about divorce and recovering from serious illness.
Yeah, I know that's a bit heavy, but life happens. I guess it goes to show that in the long swing of things, I'm getting off lightly compared to others. To make a bit of a change, I decided to forgo the usual leggings, jeans or dress, and go with a skirt and top combo.
It seems ages sinces I've worn a dress and (relatively) low heels. I also noted that I'm struggling a little with too many plain tops. I think that's why I gravitate towards dresses (because of the patterns).
Also, my mascara has died a death, so a reason to go shopping. For those of you Invading tonight. I hope you stay safe and have a good time.
In other news, the stand up gig is getting a little complicated. It's on in Leicester (no probs), although the training session I have to go to, that's when I'm on holiday. Guess we'll see what happens.
Fingers crossed eh? :-) Oh, and it's supposed to be for a PG audience, so there goes a load of my trans related jokes.
Take care, Lynn Today's lyric: Club Foot by Kasabian PS: 401st post.
Woo. :-) Continue reading
"Eleven.Exactly.
One louder."
Start off by writing 11 random facts about yourself, and then answer 11 questions which were left for you by your nominator. Then you can nominate up to 11 blogs and leave 11 questions for them to answer in return. Don t forget to link back to the blog of the owner who nominated you!
Create a new post like this one? Check. Well, the link back to Sam's blog is easy enough (and really, if you're reading this stuff, you should be reading Sam's thoughts, trials and tribulations too).
Random Facts Now for the eleven random facts. Sheesh, where to start! :-) I spend more time En Homme , than in Lynn mode. For 99% of the time, this doesn't bother me.
I'm a part timer. I don't believe there's a Richard / Lynn divide: it's just me with different clothes on. I love writing, talking and singing.
I've tried my hand at writing short stories, although they're mostly for my own amusement. As to the talking bit, I've started to look into doing stand-up, but no joy on either front just yet. Must try harder.
At to singing, I like doing it, but I know I'm bloomin' awful. :-) I went to an all boys grammar school. You can imagine how much I liked that ;-) I left feeling somewhat inadequate and also glad to have survived. I'm not sure it did me any favours, but looking at the positive, it could have been a lot worse and if I hadn't have gone through all that, would I be the same person I am now?
Oddly primary school was better and I've kept in touch with more folk from that period of my life. When asked out by the cutest girl the world, I wrote her a letter saying I wasn't boyfriend material. Trans issues, lack of confidence, etc.
Apparently, the note was so nice, said girl didn't give up. Years later, I married this beauty and she became the Ever Lovely Mrs Jones. I don't like summer, but I like to be warm.
I like Autumn and Winter, but I don't like to be cold or wet. I'm a contrary so and so. :-) My work reputation is that I'm a harsh, uncaring b*stard who doesn't suffer fools gladly. This amuses me and saddens me in equal amounts.
The amusement is that I don't see myself as this, but I guess others do and that saddens me. I recently joined an HR programme to help staff with work problems (bullying, employment/life balance, etc). I've really enjoyed being able to do things to help, although it's hard not being able to act directly.
It's far more rewarding than having to lay down the law of the IT security policy. I prefer to be a passenger than a driver. Shame, because I'm awful at reading maps and my sense of direction is terrible.
Perhaps that's why I prefer to walk when I can. I like technology you can hack / tweak. You bought the gadget, you should be able to do with it as you wish.
This puts me at odds with certain elements of the IT community. I avoid any drink with caffeine in it. Not in a vampire vs garlic stylee, I should add. ;-) I don't drink fizzy pop either, but I am partial to the occasional half of Guinness.
It reminds me of my Granddad. I used to be depressed, but - and in the words of Monty Python - I got better. It was an eye opening experience in that, at least once I got over the worse, it made me appreciate how hard some people must have it.
I think my two / three year stint was pretty mild compared to some people's (not that it's a competition). I am very materialistic. Not in a I-must-have-more-toys point of view, but I am attached to items.
I will hang on to a badge, a scarf, a book; not because they are mine, but because they have a memory attached to them. Ironically, I have no problem helping the kids recycle their toys to make room for new ones. Sam's Eleven Questions 1.
What are your Religious beliefs? Are you Spiritual or Atheist? If you'd have asked me this twelve months ago, I would have said atheist: hands down, lead pipe, hard truth, there's no way on this rock, etc.
Buuuut, if you'd have asked me that thirty six months earlier, I'd have said agnostic. So, are they the only two choices? :-) I don't believe in a deity and I'm not a fan of organised religion per se. Now, I'll qualify the latter with this.
My half sister is a vicar and she's lovely. I'm not saying that 'cos she's family, I'm saying this because she's inclusive and she's there for people: she helps, she visits, she cares. The same was true of the local vicar in my parent's village.
Then, you look at those - and it is a small minority (including a distant aunt of mine) - who use religion to push... frankly, bigoted views. If I could think there was a God, I can't help but feel a little disappointed in how His message was being twisted.
So, if I had to pick a side, I'd say atheist.
2. Favourite Cartoon growing up? Battle of the Planets....
Just because it was quality 70s kick-ass sci-fi. Oh and that's before we get on to Zoltar being gender ambiguous. ;-) A close second would be the Mysterious Cities of Gold because it had a long term story. Something that threw me as a kid and brought home that cartoons could be a little more than animated slapstick.
As my own kids are growing up, I'm rather enjoying the two recent reboots of Scooby Doo (What's New Scooby Doo and Mystery Inc). Both play heavily on riffing on the formula / in-jokes and I love irreverent nerd gags (HP Hatecraft, for example).
3. What trait(s) do you deplore in other people?
Bigotry - perhaps obviously. Being over-zealous... be that in terms of politics, religion or technology. " Oh, Windows 8 is sooo perfect.....
Mac's are best... Only open source code is right.... Android FTW. " Get over it.
You don't hear chippies singing the praises of blue coloured chisels versus red ones. :-P 4. What was your favourite subject at school? Computing.
It was the only thing I was good at. It may come as no surprise that I disliked sports. I failed English GCSE the first time around.
Well, school classed a D as a fail. Which came as a shock as I was told you couldn't fail a GCSE. How naive of me. :-) 5.
Astrology... Load of Horseshit or perfectly believable? I'm a Virgo, so I like order, worldly pleasures (food and nice clothes), but I don't believe in Astrology. :-) As Sue said, the idea that by reading the planets, you could see what's coming; well, that has appeal.
I don't believe there's any truth in it at all. On an unrelated subject, a wise man once said, "it's all b*ll*cks, Ted." 6. What sort of traffic warden would you be?
Depending on the mood I was in, how you reacted to being given a ticket or how/where you'd parked; either a very bad one - in that I'd let you off - or a complete ***t. That last word was ' twit ' by the way. Don't be filthy :-) 7.
Every xmas people always seem to say "You're difficult to buy presents for" and your left thinking 'Eh? You could have bought me this or that'... What Xmas present would you buy yourself every year because nobody else ever buys it for you?
A dress by Desigual. If I was feeling less materialistic, I'd (some how) buy myself the ability to go easy... relax a little, not get wound up by stuff that in the long swing of things, doesn't matter.
8. What is the funniest thing that has happened in your job? I work in IT.
What we consider funny will not amuse normal humans ;-) Umm.... giving a guy a mouse with a cable cut off it and then a friend using remote control software to make it look like it was really wireless? Also, taking a screenshot of someone's desktop (with the icons on it) and then hiding the icons so they can't be clicked.
Childish, yes, but also fun.
9. What is the best internet enabled 'SmartTV' around at the moment? Dunno.
Use Google.... or Which. Or just buy any old TV and bung a HDMI Android unit / AppleTV box underneath.
Anything that you can hack with XMBC would be top too.
10. Have you ever cheated death or serious accident? Only at cards....
It was snap and he... oh. Not like that.
I had a card accident last year and I was lucky. We got hit side on - and against the engine block at that - so it could have been worse. I was knocked out and I broke my collar bone.
The worst bit was coming to and being unable to move properly (concussion), while my two children were crying in fear. Dare I say, I didn't really give a sh** about me, it was all about them getting to safety. That was my only priority.
11. Hypothetical scenario: Each day you are woken up by a man peeing on you. How long would you let this go on?
I'm a deep sleeper, but I like to be clean. All I can say is he better move fast 'cos there's a pair of scissors next to my bed. :-P Flippant jokes aside, the concept of taking money for something you find unacceptable. It's not for me.
I'd rather go without the money. I recently went for a job interview - and the money was rather good (50k) - but when I read the line ' the market is king ', for me; that was it. I knew it wasn't a firm I could work for.
My Eleven Questions 1. There's a fire in your house. You have time to save three material objects.
What do you grab and why?
2. You're an author. Would you be happy writing trash and be minted, or be poor and respected?
3. Karaoke: yes, no? If so, which track?
If not, why not?
4. Favourite book?
5. What's your earliest memory?
6. You invent a new technology that would help people. Would you patent it, licence it or give it away to be used freely?
7. Cooking: do you have a signature dish? I'll include snacks, cakes and/or biccies in this.
8. Can you do impressions / accents? Which one is your best/worst/favourite?
9. Is there any skill you wish you had?
10. If you could change an event in history, which would it be and why?
It can be a biggie (WW II) or personal.
11. You're cursed (blessed?) with being a monster. Vampire, ghost, werewolf or ghoul?
Which one and why?
Eleven Bloggers In alphabetical order..... (Ed: bloody Virgos :-) ) Alexis Amanda Becca Jenny (who doesn't have a blog but I'd like to know!) Jonathan Laura Penny Petra Sophie (who also doesn't have a blog but I'd like to know!) Stace Tanya Take care, Lynn x Thanks to Spinal Tap for the quote Continue reading
Two by Two?
Barring the Church of England, (the national church) and any pries ... Continue reading
Open letter to Pray for Scotland in relation to recent prayer call around gay marriage
This is an organisation run by some wonderful people whom it was a great privilege to meet and spend time with a few years ago when Michaela and I first arrived in Scotland, hungry for connection, and to understand what God might be up to [. ... Continue reading
"I’m my hair, I am my hair, It’s all the glory that I bear"
The old clich about A Lack of Planning On Your Part Shouldn't Constitute An Emergency On Mine . However, as we all know, things don't work like that. You'd think, as a group of folk, allegedly heading in the same direction - from a business point of view - that we'd have picked this up as a good idea.
Nope.... :-) Oh, minor news item: work was flying the QUILTBAG flag this week. I don't think much is planned, which is a shame, but early days. At least it got a mention.
Nurse, he's out of bed again Not that I've been ill... well, except in the head and life would be dull otherwise. :-) Glib comments aside, this week I had a medication review with my local GP. I have....
been feeling a lot better of late. Certainly, the last seven months have been good in the whole lack-of-a-black-dog situation. So, having been on the tablets for some time - I think it may be two years, sheesh! - I felt it was time to take the stabilisers off the bike and wobble down the path of life on my tod.
Monday was the last 20mg dose I had and since then, I've been taking half a tablet each day. The doctor recommended staying with 10mg for a bit and providing I feel okay - so far, so good - try dropping to once every other day and taking it from there. Despite a patch of confusion / muddleheadedness earlier this week, all has been well...
which for me, is good news indeed. I think the latter was more to do with a poor choice of breakfast than anything pharmaceutical. Perhaps I need to go back to porridge in the mornings; at least it makes me feel full up until lunch.
Any of this diet cereal malarkey and by eleven o'clock, my brain seems to pack in. A bit of choccy wakes the old noggin up, but that's not so good for the figure. Well, unless I'm aimed for the figure '0' :-) Laugh it up....
Continuing with the humour references, Tanya was kind enough to pass me a link to a local Comic Relief gig. It's a stand-up... umm...
gig and I've emailed in. I've got a bit of material stashed away and some topics for thought. My only worry - well, other than being awful - is will this have to be family friendly?
Most of my gags are from an adult point of view (a few about depression, some riffs on trans things, etc). Best not worry yet as I've heard nothing just yet. Watch this space, as they say. ....fuzzball So a friend posted some piccies of her new 'do' earlier in the week.
Do as in Hair Do . I know, the strangeness of English slang again. By a quirk of fate, I too had a haircut.
Wow, this post is one of those really deep and meaningful ones isn't it? :-) Look, bear with me, I'm setting the scene.... While said lady's was rather nice, Muggins here opted for the usual option: skinhead. Now, in my youth, I'd have hated the idea of have my hair that short.
From the start of my twenties up until my thirties, I had long hair; it stopped just below my shoulder blades. Partly it was a metal thing, partly 'cos I liked it. It did take a little bit of looking after, but thanks to some helpful genes, it wasn't in bad shape (or so I was told).
I got it cut a little before I was thirty.... mainly because I was tying it up all day and riding a motorbike at this point. Plus, I didn't want to look like an ageing rocker.
Also, I'd kinda worked out that having long hair didn't make me any more female in appearance. Not that that was why I'd grown it. In all honesty, it was just that I just liked having longer hair.
Is that trans related? I don't know. Funny, in that having given up on giving up, I could get made up / dressed, but no matter what I did, the image looking back at me was very much me.
Sure, I can see through the visual lies when I dress now, but I think there's a very big difference between a guy having long hair and having a feminine hairstyle. Maybe that's why a good wig makes such a difference. I guess in an ideal world, it would be cool to have a haircut that would work either way, but in the main, I'm not that fussed and having very short hair means it's one less thing to have to faff around with in the morning.
Hell, I fail to have a shave most mornings. Welcome to Tramp Con One ;-) So what about you, dear reader? Are you rocking the long locks or wigging it up #BadPun these days?
Take care, Lynn Today's lyric: Hair by Lady Ga Ga Continue reading