I've been obsessed lately with freelance web design and looking for an affordable health insurance plan. Unemployment and not having health insurance isn't fun, but at least it's an opportunity to try my hand at being self-employed.
I bought a domain name, web hosting, and a book called Freelancing for Dummies.
Throughout September, I've spent most of my time making websites and making business cards. And putting my poor 16 year old cat, Evilbunny, in costumes:
I honestly have no idea why he's such a grumpy old thing. I really, really don't.
Lesbian Club
There's one lesbian club in Utah presently. It's great, but it isn't enough. Other venues have attempted to reel in lesbians on and off, but none have been successful.
Then a couple of weeks ago a local club decided to start a "lesbian night". Prior to starting hormone therapy, I was mostly read as a "lesbian" socially. And I've always felt a sense of community with lesbians.
So hearing of a "lesbian night"? I'm in!
Annnnd it wasn't the same. To some extent and I may have been projecting, I felt like an unwanted intruder. For example, at one point I had accidentally walked in to the women's restroom. I figured that I'd just be read as a masculine woman. I wasn't. As I stepped out of a stall, three women in mid-chat stopped chatting and turned toward me. One asked, "isn't this the women's restroom?"
So this wasn't an entirely unprecedented situation - but it was, because my voice betrayed me. Prior to hormone therapy, when something like this happened, my high-pitched voice would rescue me. But this time? It didn't. So then I explained that I'm trans and didn't quite know where to safely go. And immediately, fortunately, the tension in the air immediately faded and everyone went back to chatting.
Admittedly, it was a little sad to have what used to be such a proud part of my visible identity now being concealable. It's strange, to feel so invisible after 26 years of being so blatantly visible.
Injection Update
Yesterday was Injection Day. I was out of needles, so I had to head to the pharmacy to get more. This time instead of giving me a slew of 1 1/2" long 25 gauge needles, the pharmacist gave me 18 gauge needles with extra 1" long 25 gauge needle tips. And I purchased some Scooby Doo Band-Aids™. They're necessary.
The most time-consuming part of injection has been watching the testosterone slowly, slowly fill the syringe due to having such a small needle gauge. It took a long time. But now with these 18 gauge needles, it goes so quickly! It pulls the testosterone in so fast. And it's very simple to then switch to the 25 gauge needle for injecting.
Also, the 25 gauge needle tips are now 1" instead of 1 1/2", which I also prefer.
p.s. received Original Plumbing. It's great!
I bought a domain name, web hosting, and a book called Freelancing for Dummies.
Throughout September, I've spent most of my time making websites and making business cards. And putting my poor 16 year old cat, Evilbunny, in costumes:
I honestly have no idea why he's such a grumpy old thing. I really, really don't.
Lesbian Club
There's one lesbian club in Utah presently. It's great, but it isn't enough. Other venues have attempted to reel in lesbians on and off, but none have been successful.
Then a couple of weeks ago a local club decided to start a "lesbian night". Prior to starting hormone therapy, I was mostly read as a "lesbian" socially. And I've always felt a sense of community with lesbians.
So hearing of a "lesbian night"? I'm in!
Annnnd it wasn't the same. To some extent and I may have been projecting, I felt like an unwanted intruder. For example, at one point I had accidentally walked in to the women's restroom. I figured that I'd just be read as a masculine woman. I wasn't. As I stepped out of a stall, three women in mid-chat stopped chatting and turned toward me. One asked, "isn't this the women's restroom?"
So this wasn't an entirely unprecedented situation - but it was, because my voice betrayed me. Prior to hormone therapy, when something like this happened, my high-pitched voice would rescue me. But this time? It didn't. So then I explained that I'm trans and didn't quite know where to safely go. And immediately, fortunately, the tension in the air immediately faded and everyone went back to chatting.
Admittedly, it was a little sad to have what used to be such a proud part of my visible identity now being concealable. It's strange, to feel so invisible after 26 years of being so blatantly visible.
Injection Update
Yesterday was Injection Day. I was out of needles, so I had to head to the pharmacy to get more. This time instead of giving me a slew of 1 1/2" long 25 gauge needles, the pharmacist gave me 18 gauge needles with extra 1" long 25 gauge needle tips. And I purchased some Scooby Doo Band-Aids™. They're necessary.
The most time-consuming part of injection has been watching the testosterone slowly, slowly fill the syringe due to having such a small needle gauge. It took a long time. But now with these 18 gauge needles, it goes so quickly! It pulls the testosterone in so fast. And it's very simple to then switch to the 25 gauge needle for injecting.
Also, the 25 gauge needle tips are now 1" instead of 1 1/2", which I also prefer.
p.s. received Original Plumbing. It's great!
Haha, you did it!
ReplyDeleteThat hat is awesome LOL!!!!!
I use a 1 1/2" 22 gauge needle to draw the T and to inject. It's kind of in between what you've got going there and does both jobs just fine. Just thought I'd throw that out there incase you got tired of switching.
The thought of all that T that stays in the first needle makes me cringe. LOL Make sure you tap that shit out for your dick, dude! :)
Wow, if women in a lesbian-night environment still accused you of being a man (even in the context of plenty of women that look/dress like men running around), your transition must be going very well :)
ReplyDeleteAlso, which lesbian bar are you referring to? I thought we had two: Paper Moon and Mo' Diggitys?
Jess: Switching is working out fine. It's easy and I get to maintain my wimp status and use an itty bitty 18 gauge needle instead of a 22 gauge for injection. Thanks for the tip flow. :]
ReplyDeleteyay4tay: I was surprised, actually, mostly because anything LGBQT is generally an environment that should presumably be more lax about gender variance. I thought, even if I was read a "male" they would assume that I was in that space intentionally. I could be intersex, MTF or FTM transsexual, genderqueer, etc.
ReplyDeleteFor some trans/gender variant people, a bathroom experience like that could've been a really embarrassing or unsafe experience for them. :(
I was referring to Paper Moon. Mo'Diggities isn't around anymore!
So high five on the bathroom experience--that could have ended tragically...I'm stoked for you that it didn't :) Now as far as dressing up your cat goes...dude you should be warned that the cat's face is saying, "It's okay dude, I'm just going to claw your eyes out while you sleep..." Lol.
ReplyDeleteTommy: His face reads, "I have accepted my fate." or, some times, "I have embraced defeat." - one or the other. 16 years of that crap! Poor guy.
ReplyDeleteYou know, in most of our "alternative" bars and clubs -even if they're not LGBQT- there's a urinal in the ladies' room and a nice stall in the men's for such cases :) I'm glad you found a way to handle it...
ReplyDeleteBy the way, thanks for the article! To be honest, I loved it so much it made me live inside a little :) It was just what I needed to give me a boost of my lost motivation, so thanks again.
Peace,
Lady C.
Mel, I'm not sure how I will feel if you become a real-life walking futanari.
ReplyDeleteYou'd certainly have a bright future ahead of you in the adult film industry, :P
Lady C: I'm glad that you liked the article! It was written based on a three-part trilogy written by Gene Sharp called "The Politics of Nonviolent Action" - I <3 him. In regards to the bathroom situation there; stalls in the womens restrooms? Nice!
ReplyDeleteKammorremae: We could all have bright futures ahead of us in the adult porn industry! But alas, it's not a futanari costume - it's a lesbian one, so I can continue to blend amongst familiar faces. ;]
ReplyDelete