Lets Get Those Blinders Off

For those who are still stubbornly maintaining that the assault on a young woman in a Baltimore area McDonalds had nothing to do with her status as a transgender woman, irrespective of her surgical status, and was solely a racial matter, let's shine a bright spotlight on a few facts.

The following are excerpts from an Associated Press article, dated April 26, 2011:

The woman beaten, 22-year-old Chrissy Lee Polis, told The Baltimore Sun that before she was attacked she heard a teen say Polis was a man using the women's restroom and accused Polis of talking to her man. The 14-year-old told police that she and Brown fought with Polis over using the restroom, according to charging documents.

Vicky Thoms said she walked into the restaurant to find the two teens beating Polis..........When she stepped up and asked the girls to stop, Thoms ended up getting punched in the face herself, she said.

Afterward, a man behind the counter asked Thoms if she realized that the person being beaten was a not a woman and was transgendered. "I told him, 'No I didn't and I don't care,'" she said. "He said he worked with her and she had a smart mouth — in other words, she deserved it."

You can see the entire article here.

The bold highlighting for emphasis is mine.

While racial hatred may have exacerbated the problem, clearly the prime motivation for the confrontation was Ms. Polis's transgender status and the fact that she used the women's restroom, as admitted by one of her attackers.

Alison Steele, The Nightbird

“The flutter of wings, the shadow across the moon, the sounds of the night, as the Nightbird spreads her wings and soars, above the earth, into another level of comprehension, where we exist only to feel. Come, fly with me, Alison Steele, the Nightbird, at WNEW-FM, until dawn."





Those were the words that opened up the best late night radio show I've ever heard. When I was living in in New Jersey in 1968 and early 1969, Alison Steele's sexy voice, and her playlist of late 60's progressive rock, was the lullaby that put me to sleep each night. WNEW was one of the country's first FM progressive rock stations, and one of New York City's strongest. I had no trouble at all picking it it up in Eatontown, in Monmouth County, New Jersey each night. Her colleague, the über cool Rosko started the night off with progressive jazz, blues, and rock, then at midnight, Steele would come on, reciting her poetry, and mesmerizing us all with mind expanding progressive rock, and trippy psychedelic trance music. Of all the rock radio stations I have heard, WNEW was the best, and Alison Steele was far and away the best DJ. Sadly she only lived to be 58 years old, dying in 1995 of stomach cancer, but she lives on in my memory, and I'm sure in the memory of countless others. You can read her Wiki bio here.

Melissa XX

The Piedmont Awakens From Its Winter Slumber

Spring is now in full bloom, and along with it comes runny noses and respiratory discomfort. Runny noses are always expected this time of year, but this year respiratory distress seems to have been added to the ticket. For the past week or so, I have been plagued with a tightness in the bronchia, accompanied by an intermittent dry wheezing cough. I thought I may have contracted a late season case of the flu, but now I'm not so sure, since the discomfort in my chest seems to correlate with the intensity of the flushing of my sinuses. Please wish me well, and be sure to beseech the gods to encourage all of the flora to get their free love fest over with as soon as possible, so that all of us fauna can resume our normal dry nosed, and clear lunged lives.

Here are a few pics of the awakening flora around the house. It was overcast when I took them, and it had been many months since I used my camera, so please take them for what they are worth. If you click on the images, they will enlarge to a much bigger size.

A view of the tree tops above my roof. A view from my rear deck through the woods overlooking the pond. My lone scraggly redbud. Tonight's Supper I don't often eat large quantities of beef, but I do like it. I went to the grocers today, mainly because I had run out of anything to eat other than peanut butter and sardines, and while there stocking up on essentials, I decided I wanted to eat steak tonight, but I wanted it to be lean. So I ended up with two petite round steaks, that looked quite good in their polyethylene wrapped packages. Into the cart they went. This evening, I put one of the steaks in a broiler pan, and put it under the burner. Ten minutes later, with beefy smelling smoke pouring out of the oven, I removed my medium rare steak, and plated it with a serving of steamed broccoli, and half of a backed potato. The broccoli and the baked potato were delicious, and the steak wasn't bad tasting, it just had a vein of sinew in just about every bite, making it very tough to cut and chew. A slow cooking crock pot full of carrots and potatoes should been that piece of meat's fate. A word about human decency. There will always be disagreements between human beings. That is a given. It's been that way since the dawn of humanity, and will remain that way until humanity breaths its very last breath. The trouble comes when one group sets itself up as morally and intellectually superior to all others, and then in the fashion of zealots, casts itself as the sole arbiter of truth, rendering unsolicited judgements against all others, and declaring non-believers to be the equivalent of the devil's spawn, or worse. When people start to thinking that way, trouble is always sure to follow. No one likes to be denigrated and dismissed as a heretic, or worse yet, a pervert, but in so many words that is exactly the way a certain self-satisfied element has been treating a good portion of the trans community here in Blogistan for the better part of the last year. While we all have certain similarities, our lives are all completely unique. No one can pigeon hole us, simply because our lives didn't exactly follower their own personal narrative. We, and we alone define who and what we are. This past week, I was the target of one of these, self-appointed high priestesses of the Transexual Sanhedrin. Her judgement? Since for personal reasons, which of course are none of her business, I am non-op, and not transitioning, and didn't demand my parents get me a sex change when I was a teenager, or commit suicide by the time I was 25, then I must be a fraud. This coupled with the fact that I had the audacity to challenge her self-appointed authority on all matters transgender, then I am obviously in her words, a.................well, I won't repeat those despicable words here. There really isn't any point in repeating what you can read post after post on her own blog, if you are so inclined. Thanks so much to those dear sweet souls who posted in my defense. To all the troubled souls who are so full of sulfur, and so quick to pass judgement on others, of course you are free to wallow in your feelings of hatred if that's your thing, but take care dears, for there lies the way to desolation row. Speaking of desolation row, here is some very good Bob Dylan. Does anyone write lyrics and play their instruments this good anymore? Desolation row

This MP3 was found at Dilandau MP3 Melissa XX

What Did You Have For Supper Tonight?

Supper

Me? I was in the mood for eggs tonight, so I whipped up a two egg omelet, with diced onions, red, yellow, and green bell peppers, and sharp cheddar cheese. I spiced it up, by dousing it liberally with Texas Pete Hot Sauce. Great stuff, that Texas Pete! It will wake up just about any sleepy meal.

Accompanying my omelet, was a serving of Brussel sprouts in butter, garlic, onion and basil, with a bit of salt and pepper...... and to round out my meal, I had a large serving of the venerable Great Northern bean.........as opposed to those no count, Lesser Southern beans. ;o) (Now before my southern readers show up at my door with axes, pitch forks, and flaming torches, that was just a joke!). Anyway, it was quite tasty, and a welcome break from my standard piece of chicken or fish.

Inevitable Spring

Peering through the woods the last few days, I've begun to see little bits of green emerging from the gray and the brown, and even a few tiny white blossoms. My Beech trees and Dogwoods are sprouting leaves, but once again the Dogwoods don't seem to be flowering. This same phenomenon occurred last year. No pretty white flowers, and consequently, no pretty red berries later on. I can't figure it out. I did read something in Wikipedia today, that said some species of Dogwoods in England don't flower well, because of the lack of harsh cold winters and hot summers, but that certainly isn't a problem here. The last two winters were unseasonably cold, and we rarely ever have a summer where late June, July and August don't see average daily temperatures soar up into at least the upper 80' s or lower 90's. So what's up, Dogwoods?

Nonsense

Against my better judgement, I paid a visit to the "Everyone Who Doesn't Fit My Definition Of A Transsexual, Is An Imposter" blog the other day, and attempted to leave a few words of wisdom, for it's author and her acolytes. I should have know that was a mistake, but I had forgotten to remember that sage advice, "Give not that which is holy unto dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn and rend you." Matt. 7:6 Don't worry, I escaped with my garments slightly rent, but my flesh still firmly intact. When you know you are right, your skin thickens, and the pointy tusks and sharp hooves can't penetrate so easily.

The latest bit of farce being propagated on that blog, is the absurd myth of rest room hopping in the work place, by part timers. As the myth goes, if all transgender people are afforded protective rights in the workplace, then crossdressers, who are so inclined, will come to work as a female one day, and as a man the next, only to return as a woman whenever they feel like it. The female employees will then have to share the ladies room with these pretenders one day, only to have them hit on them as males in the office the next day.........ergo, only afford equal protection to those "true transsexuals", who pass the bigoted elite's muster. The argument is of course completely bogus, and born out of totally irrational fears. I can't imagine anyone seriously doing that, but if by chance someone did decide to swap genders from day to day, a unisex restroom for part timers would easily solve the problem. As for hitting on the female employees when dressed as males, most, if not all companies already have rules against such conduct, as part of their sexual harassment policies.

Epilators

Can anyone recommend a well built, heavy duty epilator? Perhaps one with brass gears? As High Priestess of the Order of the Immaculate Epilation, I am ashamed to say that my choices of epilators has been less than perfect! A couple of years ago, I switched from an Epilady, to an Emjoi, and at first I was very impressed with it's obvious better quality, but only a year later it began to falter. I purchased another, thinking that maybe this one was an aberration, but no. A year later, I'm finding my second Emjoi beginning to falter as well. I think it's the nylon gears. After about a year of once or twice weekly use, the gears beging to slip at the slightest resistance. I usually epilate after taking a bath, but even after I have toweled dry, it takes about an hour before the heat generated by the bath water cools down, and I completely stop perspiring. Just a bit of dampness on the skin seems to add resistance to the spinning tweezers, and that puts an extra strain on the motors and gears, and eventually is casuses the nylon gears to start slipping. Maybe they are all that way, and I will just have to resign myself to spending around $100 each year, for a new Emjoi. I hope not, so please feel free to give me your recommendations!

I hope you are all happy with the final departure from the Northern Hemisphere, of this year's miserable winter (The northeastern US and parts of Canada actually got snow this week!), and the subsequent arrival of spring! Here in the Piedmont, mother nature is rushing things. The local news/weather are predicting 90°F/32+°C for Monday. A bit early for those kind of temperatures, but mirroring last years immediate leap from winter into summer, with little regard regard for the normal period of spring acclimation.

A big spring hug to all!

Melissa XX

From Euphoria To Melancholy In Two Hours

Tonight I share my grief with Leslie Ann. We had both hoped to see our teams compete for the National College Athletic Association basketball championship, but it was not to be. After proving all of their detractors dead wrong, VCU finally bowed out to the very tenacious Butler University Buldogs in the semi-finals, and the University of Kentucky got edged out by the University of Connecticut in a one point squeaker. What a crying shame! We would have made such lovely adversaries! Leslie sweetie, you have my shoulder to cry on! May I have yours?

Pink Floyd is once again my inspiration, but with tonights defeat, the feeling is somewhat different. A bit more somber, as if all of my euphoria over the last few weeks has drained out of me, and I'm once again the one bricked up behind the wall. Try as I may to break that wall down, sooner or later, it always seems to reappear. Now, once again, here I am completely isolated in my own little world. I will live with it. I always have. That is the one constant in my life. A life of compassion and empathy for others, but nevertheless physically isolated from everyone else, simply because close social interactions are just too painful to bare. After all, how does one comfortably relate socially to cis folk, when one feels like a butterfly trying desperately to burst the seams of her cocoon, but never quite able to get out?

Enough of this dark moody stuff! I can't overcome it, so I will have to do as I've always done, and just find a way to learn to live with it. And there you have it. No suicide attempts, half hearted or otherwise. Just a long dull semi-depressive life of coping with the inevitable, punctuated with brief moments of euphoria, coupled to the thrills and adventure of others. A sad life, isn't it?

And speaking of Pink Floyd, here is an interesting critique, albeit a bit dated, and the the video link has unfortunately been disabled by those owning the rights to the music.

Here's the original.

As always, I love you all!

Melissa XX

Happy Spring To All!

No......the preceding blank post was no April 1st tomfoolery. It was simply the result of a stupid double click, after entering the title line in Blogger's post editor. When will I ever learn?

I haven't listened to Pink Floyd in a long time, so I thought I would pop Echos into the CD player while composing this post. I must say, I had forgotten just how much I've always connected with that wonderful group of talented musicians, and Echos is a great mix of some of some of their best work. What a shame that Roger Waters and David Gilmour reached such an impasse over their creative ideas, that they could no longer see a future together. Together they made some of the very best music I will ever hear in my life.

This Week In Blogistan

It was with a certain degree of amusement, that I read the many comments on a couple or three blogs this week, concerning the ongoing gender identity wars, over who is, and who isn't a "legitimate" transsexual. Although actually quite sad in many ways, it was amusing at least, because some of the very people who had earlier openly questioned, or at least alluded to the illegitimacy of others, were now having their own legitimacy called into question by several self proclaimed, Type VI/Type V "true transsexual" elitists. How in the world, they were challenged, could they possibly be genuine transsexuals, when they married, and/or fathered children, and/or waited until middle age, or later to declare that they could no longer live as men. Surely they must be self-deluded transvestites, since any "genuine transsexual" would be driven to suicide by the time they reached 30 years old, if they coud not transition.

Well! To put it politely........horse hockey!

I'm hoping this puts the kibosh on some of the silly, narcissistic, self-serving crap that gets bandied about so much here in Transsexual Transylvania. Leave that nonsense to the handfull of geriatric early transitioning "true transsexuals", who can't seem to deal with fact that there has been 40 years of new research on the transsexual phenomenon, and think that anyone who isn't aligned with their personal narrative, is either a delusional man in a dess, or even worse, a malicious fraud, out to steal their thunder!

Bottom line girls..........you know who, and what you are, and what you are doing. You don't need to pass anyone's muster!

Sports Alert! (for those disinclined)

I blogged earlier about Richmond's Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) basketball team making it into the "Sweet Sixteen" (out of a field of 72 teams from around the country) of the NCAA (National College Athletic Association) Basketball Tournament, the winner of which is declared the NCAA National Champion. Since then, they beat Perdue University to advance to the "Elite Eight", and then they beat Kansas to to make it into the "Final Four"! This is the farthest any Virginia school has ever advanced into the NCAA tournament! The NCAA "Final Four" is a really big deal here in the US, so naturally the whole state of Va. is ecstatic, especially those in Richmond and here in the central Virginia area. It's 1:27 AM as I type this. In less than eleven hours, the Rams will be taking to the court in an attempt to make history. I wish them the very best, and although I want to see them go all the way, win or lose, I'm so very proud of them! GO RAMS!

Whoever Said Girls Weren't Interested In Sports?

Spring Is Busting Out All Over!

Spring is slowly but surely bursting forth into the Piedmont! Bradford Pears, Forsythia, and Red Buds, are now in full bloom. The Dogwoods are trying desperately to open up, but there just hasn't been quite enough warmth for them yet. Still, absolutely nothing bearing rose colored glass! I think a certain someone must have the Piedmont mistaken for either Oz, or Wonderland. ;-) Maybe she spent too much time napping in the poppies, or perhaps she couldn't turn down one of those strange attractive mushrooms....or was she just a poor innocent victim of that awful fat caterpillar, and his narcotic hookah?

Happy Spring my lovelies!

Melissa XX