Has it been a month again? I'm starting to think I should change the title of this blog again, if only to reflect its episodic nature. "Jaye-Walking: Only Published As Often As the Author Can Collect Her Thoughts." Hmm. That doesn't roll off the tongue quite as trippingly as it could. Anyway, more about me. ;)
Note that in the above paragraph I referred to myself in the feminine. I may live my day-to-day as a man, but I'm definitely in a more feminine frame of mind. Speaking of feminine frames, I've lost weight. I'm told that eight hours a day on your feet will do that for you, but I've been walking a lot lately, too. I'm learning my way around the Tallahassee transit system, and it's getting me where I need to go, but the nearest boarding points are a nice three-mile hike from the house. All the exercise is good for me right? I'm also sleeping and eating better, too. I haven't abandoned the junk food (y'all know me better than that), but I haven't been gorging myself, either. In case anyone's counting, I weighed in this afternoon at 200.
I'm still taking my meds, but I haven't been to see any doctors yet. When I first went to the hospital, I was staying in Havana, so my case worker lined me up with a clinic in nearby Quincy. I don't have my own transport, and my sister's been down to one car for most of the last six weeks, so it's been hard to get anywhere that's not on the bus line. I will call her tomorrow and see if I can reschedule for something here in town. I would have done it sooner, but my cellphone has been weird lately. It has the annoying habit of switching itself into airplane mode unbidden. I didn't even know what that was until yesterday, or how to turn it off, and almost a week with no cellphone was more annoying than the same period with no antidepressants.
While I'm talking about cellphones, it's time to get a new one. Somewhere I have a New Yorker cartoon that shows a woman in a store asking for a phone "that doesn't do anything". That was me for a long time. A phone was just a communications device, for voice talking and nothing else. Slowly, I twigged to all of the other things phones can do these days, and I learned the concept of phone envy. I was using a nice 3G phone that had been confiscated from one of my nieces. That niece was given phone privileges again and I received a downgrade. I'm not a phone snob, by any stretch, but when this line comes up for renewal next month, I'm getting a new phone if I have to pay for it.
I really need to do some shopping. I trolled through the mall again a couple of days ago, and saw some of the prettiest clothes I've seen in ages. If I'd been dolled up to shop, I might've gotten to try some things on, but I barely got the time of day from the salespeople I interacted with.
Let's end this thing on a positive note, shall we? Friday afternoon I was browsing in the local Big Lots, trying to not buy anything (my latest pastime). The in-store Muzak system started to play Feist's "1234". It's such a happy, jaunty song, and I started to dance around the store. It was just a little soft-shoe at first, but by the second verse I was actually dancing through the aisles. I couldn't help myself. I was goofy and giddy and I didn't care. One can only imagine what the guy watching the security feed was thinking. C'mon, you know you want to join me.
Showing posts with label fun. Show all posts
Showing posts with label fun. Show all posts
Sunday, September 25, 2011
Thursday, August 18, 2011
Getting Back Into It All
I've gone almost a month without updating this blog. I didn't mean to, but I have been busy. I started that hotel job I wrote about, and that has consumed a lot of my time. I spent most of the first two weeks training, learning about the new company and updating my computer training, but now I'm back to work full-time. I like this company, and they seem to like me. They certainly don't seem to mind asking me to work. I've been asked to come in early, stay late, and fill in on otherwise off days, so long as I don't go into overtime. They even asked me to come in and cover a couple of audit shifts, though they're not asking me to work those on a regular basis, because I don't want to work then. No one I've worked for the last few years has been that accommodating of my wishes. I'd definitely like to stay on here.
With work came my first paycheck in six months. It didn't last very long, but it got me a few necessities, and also financed my first night out in a long time. The Tallahassee A's crossover sometimes with a local skeptics group, and they have a monthly outing called Skeptics in the Pub, which is currently held at a local watering hole called The Fermentation Lounge. Actually, calling the Ferm a hole of any kind is demeaning. I've never had a bar that I thought of as mine, but the Fermentation Lounge is in the running to become mine in Tallahassee. Keeping in mind that I recently began taking antidepressants, I resolved to keep my drinking to a mininum, and I was successful. This isn't a bar where one can order Budweiser or similar more common beers. They run more to local brews and home creations, and their selection varies almost from night to night. They carry beer, wine and other beverages like cider and meads. I started out drinking a brew I forgot the name of, but that tasted strongly of tangerines. Afterwards I switched to cider, and I finished my night drinking non-alcoholic ginger beer.
Saturday night was supposed to be my first outing en femme, but I ran out of time getting ready, so I went out in my usual male guise. It was a good time, though. I got to see several people from the A's that I haven't seen for a couple of months, and I met some new people as well. We had a good time talking about all sorts of things, and I went home happy. I definitely need to do stuff like that more often. I need to come out en femme the next time, if only to visually offset the overwhelming male majority on outings like these.
With work came my first paycheck in six months. It didn't last very long, but it got me a few necessities, and also financed my first night out in a long time. The Tallahassee A's crossover sometimes with a local skeptics group, and they have a monthly outing called Skeptics in the Pub, which is currently held at a local watering hole called The Fermentation Lounge. Actually, calling the Ferm a hole of any kind is demeaning. I've never had a bar that I thought of as mine, but the Fermentation Lounge is in the running to become mine in Tallahassee. Keeping in mind that I recently began taking antidepressants, I resolved to keep my drinking to a mininum, and I was successful. This isn't a bar where one can order Budweiser or similar more common beers. They run more to local brews and home creations, and their selection varies almost from night to night. They carry beer, wine and other beverages like cider and meads. I started out drinking a brew I forgot the name of, but that tasted strongly of tangerines. Afterwards I switched to cider, and I finished my night drinking non-alcoholic ginger beer.
Saturday night was supposed to be my first outing en femme, but I ran out of time getting ready, so I went out in my usual male guise. It was a good time, though. I got to see several people from the A's that I haven't seen for a couple of months, and I met some new people as well. We had a good time talking about all sorts of things, and I went home happy. I definitely need to do stuff like that more often. I need to come out en femme the next time, if only to visually offset the overwhelming male majority on outings like these.
Saturday, October 31, 2009
Son of a Witch!
When I posted yesterday morning, I was suffering from a definite lack of imagination. I needed a different perspective.
My plans for Friday were blown out of the water when it was revealed that the president of our company was out of town Thursday, so our pay checks weren't signed. He was expected to return to work sometime Friday morning, and the checks were expected to be available by noon. I got my check about 1330, zipped back to Olde Town to the credit union, then hoofed it around the corner to pay the water bill. On my way to the credit union, I passed a little group of women in Friday business casual. One of them was carrying a fancy witch's hat. Eureka!
After I paid the water bill, I swung by my neighborhood WalMart, and found a selection of different hats for $8.00-10.00. At one end of the spectrum was a simple hat with black tulle draped around the crown, while at the other, they had one covered in glittery sequins. In the middle, I found a simple black hat, trimmed around the brim with black marabou feathers. Perfectamundo!
I also grabbed a set of lush fake eyelashes. I've had mixed luck with these in the past, but I figured I'll give them a shot. I normally wouldn't wear them, but this is a costume. I also grabbed another bottle of 60-second nail polish. A traditionalist would wear black, or maybe blood red, but not me. I went with a glossy indigo.
Happy Halloween!
My plans for Friday were blown out of the water when it was revealed that the president of our company was out of town Thursday, so our pay checks weren't signed. He was expected to return to work sometime Friday morning, and the checks were expected to be available by noon. I got my check about 1330, zipped back to Olde Town to the credit union, then hoofed it around the corner to pay the water bill. On my way to the credit union, I passed a little group of women in Friday business casual. One of them was carrying a fancy witch's hat. Eureka!
After I paid the water bill, I swung by my neighborhood WalMart, and found a selection of different hats for $8.00-10.00. At one end of the spectrum was a simple hat with black tulle draped around the crown, while at the other, they had one covered in glittery sequins. In the middle, I found a simple black hat, trimmed around the brim with black marabou feathers. Perfectamundo!
I also grabbed a set of lush fake eyelashes. I've had mixed luck with these in the past, but I figured I'll give them a shot. I normally wouldn't wear them, but this is a costume. I also grabbed another bottle of 60-second nail polish. A traditionalist would wear black, or maybe blood red, but not me. I went with a glossy indigo.
Happy Halloween!
Monday, October 19, 2009
Up to Nothing
Saturday morning saw the end of my nine-night stretch and the beginning of my mini-vacation. I had a standing invite to come visit some friends, but I elected to stay here, because I had plans. I went home, did my nails (Rimmel 60 Seconds in Torrid) and went to bed for a bit. I got up late and spent an hour doing my best headless chicken impression trying to get ready to go to Ericka and Linda's to watch a movie. I wore my new sweater dress with black tights and ankle boots.
Sunday morning I rose early and drove out to NAS Oceana for the air show. I don't remember if I said anything before, but the weather this past weekend was nasty, cold and rainy. The Sunday forecast was only cloudy, with a40% chance of rain, but it was pouring by the time I reached the base. Turnout was poor, and a lot of the flying didn't happen, but what I did see was thrilling, and I got a few good photos. Because of the low attendance, a lot of the tee shirt vendors were selling their products cheap, so I got one for myself and one for my roommate. I went straight home and crashed. I didn't rise again until about 0300 this morning.
It was sunny today, but still not very warm, so I stayed in and camped out with Netflix over XBox Live. I watched Underword: Rise of the Lycans, Vanishing Point(1971) and a couple of episodes of Ghost in the Shell: Standalone Complex. I got a carry-out pizza from the Hut, and am about to turn in for the night.
Somewhere in the middle, Nate called to tell me that he won't be back until Wednesday. That means I get one more whole day to myself. I'm trying to work out an outing for myself that won't cost me much, but nothing's forthcoming. Part of me is eating up the solitude, but I'd set that aside for someone to hold. Mr. Sock is cool, but he's not much of a sub for a warm body.
Sunday morning I rose early and drove out to NAS Oceana for the air show. I don't remember if I said anything before, but the weather this past weekend was nasty, cold and rainy. The Sunday forecast was only cloudy, with a40% chance of rain, but it was pouring by the time I reached the base. Turnout was poor, and a lot of the flying didn't happen, but what I did see was thrilling, and I got a few good photos. Because of the low attendance, a lot of the tee shirt vendors were selling their products cheap, so I got one for myself and one for my roommate. I went straight home and crashed. I didn't rise again until about 0300 this morning.
It was sunny today, but still not very warm, so I stayed in and camped out with Netflix over XBox Live. I watched Underword: Rise of the Lycans, Vanishing Point(1971) and a couple of episodes of Ghost in the Shell: Standalone Complex. I got a carry-out pizza from the Hut, and am about to turn in for the night.
Somewhere in the middle, Nate called to tell me that he won't be back until Wednesday. That means I get one more whole day to myself. I'm trying to work out an outing for myself that won't cost me much, but nothing's forthcoming. Part of me is eating up the solitude, but I'd set that aside for someone to hold. Mr. Sock is cool, but he's not much of a sub for a warm body.
Monday, October 5, 2009
What a Weekend!
I told y'all in my next-to-last post that I lucked into a weekend off. I put said weekend to good use. Friday I rested, then stayed up to watch the premiere of Stargate: Universe and Real Time with Bill Maher.
Saturday morning, I cruised through the monthly neighborhood flea market and bumped into an old, old friend. The flea market itself yielded a mother lode of teeny, tiny model airplanes, which will soon be winging their way around the world to various friends who collect them.
Saturday evening I attended my second consecutive GEM (Gender Expression Movement). I like the new name. Before going to the meeting, I checked out the nail salon in my neighborhood, and got them to wax my eyebrows. They're now higher and more prominently arched than they've ever been before. The meeting was a little different, from previous, in that LLLLL presided over the meeting, instead of De. We spent a couple of hours going around the room talking about everyone's perceptions of sex and gender. By the time my turn came up, I felt like everything I feel had already been said (a cop-out, I know).
Sunday I was set to go back to work, but Athens Boys Choir were performing at the Hershee Bar in Norfolk, and I had to go. The show was awesome! On top of that, I saw some old friends, met some new people and had a good time.
Saturday morning, I cruised through the monthly neighborhood flea market and bumped into an old, old friend. The flea market itself yielded a mother lode of teeny, tiny model airplanes, which will soon be winging their way around the world to various friends who collect them.
Saturday evening I attended my second consecutive GEM (Gender Expression Movement). I like the new name. Before going to the meeting, I checked out the nail salon in my neighborhood, and got them to wax my eyebrows. They're now higher and more prominently arched than they've ever been before. The meeting was a little different, from previous, in that LLLLL presided over the meeting, instead of De. We spent a couple of hours going around the room talking about everyone's perceptions of sex and gender. By the time my turn came up, I felt like everything I feel had already been said (a cop-out, I know).
Sunday I was set to go back to work, but Athens Boys Choir were performing at the Hershee Bar in Norfolk, and I had to go. The show was awesome! On top of that, I saw some old friends, met some new people and had a good time.
Friday, September 4, 2009
Going to a Meeting
It took some pleading with my supervisor, but I have Saturday off, so I'm going to attend this month's meeting of GEM, my support group. I just got off the phone with my friend Becky, and she's going to give me a ride. I'm feeling jazzed, that I'll get to see some of my friends again. I'll also have an opportunity to vent about my recent troubles to anyone who doesn't read this blog.
I think I'm going to wear a dress tomorrow, or more likely a skirt with a top. It's still warm and sticky hereabouts, but I like the feeling of the breeze on my bare legs. Speaking of which, I need to shave again.
I think I'm going to wear a dress tomorrow, or more likely a skirt with a top. It's still warm and sticky hereabouts, but I like the feeling of the breeze on my bare legs. Speaking of which, I need to shave again.
Sunday, July 19, 2009
A Day of Days
Friday night, on my way to work, I discovered that the battery in my truck is dying. I had to get a jump-start to get into work. I needed another to get home Saturday morning. I had agreed to help De and some other friends move some stuff for another friend, Maggie. De arrived literally seconds after I got home. My brother was headed out for the day, and the truck needed yet another jump, which De was happy to provide. I took a couple of minutes to change clothes and feed Spot, and I was back out the door.
I think we spent more time riding around than we actually did in the move. I live in Portsmouth, and we drove over to Norfolk to meet Nancy, who has assisted all of these moves with her Jeep and trailer. From there we went to Maggie's place, also in Norfolk. Maggie's moving into an RV, and her friend Martha graciously agreed to store all of Maggie's things that won't fit into her new home. Martha lives in Isle of Wight, aka, the Middle of frakking Nowhere.
In between stops on the move, we stopped for gas, and Maggie bought everyone snacks and/or beverages. She said that the least she could do was make us happy. I thought about what made me happy, and decided that I was happy with camaraderie. It sounds hokey, but I had a great time just being out doing something with my friends, and helping another friend, to boot. That's one of the best feelings, ever.
Like I said, the moving of stuff didn't take so long. We had lots of hands: De, Nancy, Becky, Becky's son Steve and me. By the time we were done, though, it was nearly 1300: bedtime for me if I haven't already crawled in. De insisted that Maggie treat us to lunch. We ate at a barbecue joint in nearby Smithfield. The food was good, but the place was short-staffed, and it took us a while to get in and out. On the way out, someone noticed the signs announcing the dress code. It listed a whole slue of prohibited items: white tee shirts, baggy pants, tank tops, du-rags. Basically, anything typically worn by the young urban crowd. It wasn't quite a "NO BLACKS" sign, but it might as well have been. I did say this was the sticks, but it's 2009, for frak's sake!
After lunch, it was back to Norfolk. I forgot to mention that in order to use Nancy's trailer, we had to unload a couch and a HUGE TV. I also forgot that Nancy has the cutest little dog, named "Poo". Poo looks like one of those Fu animals that one sees outside of Chinese temples, except that he's only about eight inches high. After we put the stuff back in the trailer, I had to play with Poo, if only for a minute. Then it was on home. De was nice enough to run me by the grocery store to get some cat food. I also discovered yesterday that De likes Firefly. I've been a Browncoat since the early days, and it's always nice to meet another fan. Before she took off, I loaned her my copy of Serenity.
I should have brought a camera. Poo looks like a photogenic dog. Out in "I Love White", there were lots of pretty hundred year-old houses. If I had managed to bring out the camera during the day, I'd probably have dragged in on to work with me. More about that later.
PS - I haven't sorted out what it will be, but I'll come up with a prize for the first of you lot to tell me which movie the title of this post came from.
I think we spent more time riding around than we actually did in the move. I live in Portsmouth, and we drove over to Norfolk to meet Nancy, who has assisted all of these moves with her Jeep and trailer. From there we went to Maggie's place, also in Norfolk. Maggie's moving into an RV, and her friend Martha graciously agreed to store all of Maggie's things that won't fit into her new home. Martha lives in Isle of Wight, aka, the Middle of frakking Nowhere.
In between stops on the move, we stopped for gas, and Maggie bought everyone snacks and/or beverages. She said that the least she could do was make us happy. I thought about what made me happy, and decided that I was happy with camaraderie. It sounds hokey, but I had a great time just being out doing something with my friends, and helping another friend, to boot. That's one of the best feelings, ever.
Like I said, the moving of stuff didn't take so long. We had lots of hands: De, Nancy, Becky, Becky's son Steve and me. By the time we were done, though, it was nearly 1300: bedtime for me if I haven't already crawled in. De insisted that Maggie treat us to lunch. We ate at a barbecue joint in nearby Smithfield. The food was good, but the place was short-staffed, and it took us a while to get in and out. On the way out, someone noticed the signs announcing the dress code. It listed a whole slue of prohibited items: white tee shirts, baggy pants, tank tops, du-rags. Basically, anything typically worn by the young urban crowd. It wasn't quite a "NO BLACKS" sign, but it might as well have been. I did say this was the sticks, but it's 2009, for frak's sake!
After lunch, it was back to Norfolk. I forgot to mention that in order to use Nancy's trailer, we had to unload a couch and a HUGE TV. I also forgot that Nancy has the cutest little dog, named "Poo". Poo looks like one of those Fu animals that one sees outside of Chinese temples, except that he's only about eight inches high. After we put the stuff back in the trailer, I had to play with Poo, if only for a minute. Then it was on home. De was nice enough to run me by the grocery store to get some cat food. I also discovered yesterday that De likes Firefly. I've been a Browncoat since the early days, and it's always nice to meet another fan. Before she took off, I loaned her my copy of Serenity.
I should have brought a camera. Poo looks like a photogenic dog. Out in "I Love White", there were lots of pretty hundred year-old houses. If I had managed to bring out the camera during the day, I'd probably have dragged in on to work with me. More about that later.
PS - I haven't sorted out what it will be, but I'll come up with a prize for the first of you lot to tell me which movie the title of this post came from.
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Not So Fast!
A week ago, I was all jazzed about the prospect of my brother going back to work. He started yesterday, and I am enthused. It's just that in the interval between then and now, I've had my plans disrupted by cold, harsh reality. I said I was hoping to have enough money to get my nails done last weekend. It didn't happen. I paid part of the rent, the past-due electric bill, and put two tires on the truck.
I broke down and gave myself another DIY manicure/pedicure. I used OPI Strawberry Margarita on my toes, and OPI Makes Men Blush on my fingers. Strawberry Margarita is really bright, eye-popping pink. Makes Men Blush looks a soft pink in the bottle, but it goes on very sheer. Looks good on me, though.
I'm getting off work in about twenty minutes, and I'm going to be off today and tomorrow. I'm trying to plan some sort of outing for myself for Wednesday, but Nate's gonna have the truck. I'll probably stroll through Olde Town and down to the Seawall again, but if it's not too hot, I'll go en femme.
I broke down and gave myself another DIY manicure/pedicure. I used OPI Strawberry Margarita on my toes, and OPI Makes Men Blush on my fingers. Strawberry Margarita is really bright, eye-popping pink. Makes Men Blush looks a soft pink in the bottle, but it goes on very sheer. Looks good on me, though.
I'm getting off work in about twenty minutes, and I'm going to be off today and tomorrow. I'm trying to plan some sort of outing for myself for Wednesday, but Nate's gonna have the truck. I'll probably stroll through Olde Town and down to the Seawall again, but if it's not too hot, I'll go en femme.
Sunday, March 22, 2009
G Is For Gender...
I saw this on Genderfork the other day. It's silly as hell, but it looks like they had a lot of fun making it. If that is what it means to be genderqueer, count me in.
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