My Secret Self: A Story of Transgender Children

A little over a year ago, Barbara Walters did a 20/20 show on transgendered children. Overall, I thought it was well done and quite valuable for those who want to better understand both what it means to grow up transgendered and what it means to be the parent of a transgendered child. You can watch the episode on youtube.com; it has been broken down into 5 segments, each 6 to 9 1/2 minutes long.

Segment 1
Segment 2
Segment 3
Segment 4
Segment 5

Transgender Resources

"Most people simply aren't prepared with the information they need to effectively deal with this, and our hope is to point you to where you will find the resources you need to help your family, and your transgender child, on their journey."--TransProud website

Learning that someone you love is transgendered is likely to create a whirlwind of thoughts, emotions, confusion...This is normal. Thankfully, there are many resources and organizations that provide support and information to family and friends. Here are a few:

TransProud
TransYouth Family Allies
PFLAG Transgender Network
Project:Transitions
Community of Welcoming Congregations

Reading Lolita in Tehran

"The best fiction always forced us to question what we took for granted. It questioned traditions and expectations when they seemed too immutable." "A great novel heightens your senses and sensitivity to the complexities of life and of individuals, and prevents you from the self-righteousness that sees morality in fixed formulas about good and evil..."

These are quotes by Azar Nafisi from her book Reading Lolita in Tehran, A Memoir in Books describing some of the reasons why she believes literature is important, why it should not be censored, and why she enjoys reading fiction so much. I wish I was as articulate as she is; all I can say is that I agree.

Mojito

I tried a new (to me) drink yesterday: mojito. It was delicious, refreshing, and just one drink lasted through two games of pool. (That's quite a while, given that I'm a pretty bad pool player.)

Mojito
Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 oz light rum
- 1 tbs superfine sugar
- Lime wedges
- Club soda
- Mint sprigs

Muddle mint leaves, superfine sugar and lime in a mixing glass. Add 1 1/2 oz light rum and ice in a cocktail shaker and shake. Strain the mixture into a tall glass and top with club soda. Garnish with fresh mint sprig. Sugarcane syrup can be used to replace superfine sugar.

We asked our bartender to not make ours too sweet, and he did a great job. I'm not sure if he made them less sweet by using less sugar or by adding more club soda (he served them in pint beer glasses filled with ice), but whatever he did, I thought mine was perfect!

Quote for the Day

In a world where you can be anything, be yourself.--unknown

Vocabulary

I'm currently reading The Emperor's Children by Claire Messud and enjoying it very much. I would recommend it to anyone looking for a good novel to read. I'm about 2/3's of the way through the book and have come across a several words that I'm not completely familiar with. I thought it was about time I looked up a few of them as improving one's vocabulary is always a good thing!

benison: -noun a blessing; a benediction
uxorious: -adj. doting upon, foolishly fond of, or affectionately submissive towards one's wife
insalubrious: -adj. unfavorable to health; unwholesome

New Favorite Salad

Pickled beets, fat free feta cheese, and sunflower seeds. So easy, and so delicious!

To Be Honest With You

When someone prefaces a statement by saying, "To be honest with you," "To be perfectly honest with you," or "Can I be honest with you?" what does it mean? Lately--and perhaps because I've heard it quite a bit from one particular person-- it's made me think that this person is getting ready to tell me a partial truth (a lie!). Either that, or in other conversation he hasn't been honest, but this time he's decided that'll he'll go ahead and be honest, tell the truth. Or maybe he's just trying to convince himself that he has good reason to not be completely transparent, to tell a "white" lie, to twist things just a bit. Whatever it is, I think it makes me more suspicious about what I'm going to hear, and about the person in general, than if the phrase hadn't been used at all.

The Birth House by Ami McKay

I just finished reading The Birth House by Ami McKay. Set in a small town in Nova Scotia during World War I, the novel's main theme is a the struggle women endure to maintain control over her own body in our male-dominated, male-privileged society.

Though the book started out a little slow for me, once I got into the story and came to know the main characters, I really enjoyed it. The author made the book fun by including newspaper ads and stories related to what was happening in the story. The last chapter is notes from The Willow Book, a mid-wife's reference book.

I definitely recommend The Birth House and, while there is something in it for everyone, I believe women who have given birth will especially enjoy it. I look forward to reading Ami McKay's next book, The Virgin Cure.

Body Smarts Quiz

http://www.realage.com/HealthyYOUCenter/BodyTool/intro.aspx

Optometry Adventures

Visited the eye doctor yesterday, partly because it had been close to two years since I'd had my eyes checked, but mostly because my contacts have been very dry and uncomfortable the past few months. I was really hoping to hear that a different contact would solve my discomfort, but was half expecting to be told that as I get older I'm just going to have to expect to wear my contacts less often and for shorter periods of time.

Well, everything went very well. So far at least. My eyes are very healthy with no signs of glaucoma, cataracts, or macular degeneration. That was what I expected, but it's still good to hear. And I still don't need reading glasses, despite nearing my 47th birthday (knock on wood!). And I'm trying a new (to me) contact that is supposed to be very comfortable. Apparently, the ones I've been wearing for several years were one of the best when they came out, but are now being phased out as they are developing better contact lens materials. So, I'm going to wear these for a couple of week and if everything looks and feels good after that, I'll order a supply. They're more expensive at $6 a lens. That's quite a jump in price percentage-wise considering I was paying under $5 a lens for my old lenses, but since I go through just 2 lenses a month, it is definitely affordable.

Then for glasses. Even with comfortable contacts, I still need glasses, and I'm really tired of the pair I've had for about four years now. Plus, they're scratched and bent, so I definitely need a new pair. Aaron and Kit have both ordered glasses online and have been happy with what they've gotten--both with price and quality--so I decided to give it a try. I found a pair of frames at Kaiser that I really like (at $150 for the frames, only) and then found what look like a very similar frame at Zenni Optical. With that frame, the complete pair of glasses from Zenni, including shipping, is just $26. So, I ordered a pair! I'm looking forward to receiving them in a couple of weeks.

Aaron shared with me a couple of blogs he read while researching the idea of purchasing glasses online. One is about the actual shopping for and selecting your glasses, the other is about the outrageous mark-ups optometrists put on the glasses we purchase from them.