Plumbing the Depths

Seems the TRC have finally done what we guessed they would do right at the start, move the TRC building as far away from the TG Lounge as possible. All thats left now is for the hole in the wall to close and a lot of tree’s to appear and we’re about sorted! You can’t help wondering if we smell…

Following from an extremly rude IM message from Jani who essentially accuses the TG lounge of undermining the reputation of the TRC and all he other evils in the world I just have to respond here. Sorry, but you’re managing that all by yourself. There is a reason the traffic rating for the TRC is 1979 and the TG Lounge is at 5260, leave you to ponder what it might be. Stop complaining about the TG Lounge, either raise your game and compete or shut up and go away.

In TG Lounge news, the membership is growing strong and we’re looking forward to starting regular events. The more serious side of TG support is in progress and we hope to have plenty of actual rescources (RL and SL) to offer in the very near future. We are very very pleased to have been approved a safe place for Child AV’s!

Finally, in a moments childish behavour from one of our child memebers (what would you expect!) Lilly Noodle has been banned from the TRC for throwing toilet paper on their lawn. Simply Awesome.

Chewiecide Manoeuvre

Traditional suicide can fail in about as many ways as you can dream to attempt it. The mounting risks associated with failure combined with modern medical advances make this once simple task a daunting undertaking.

It’s with months of dedicated research and many fine volunteers we are proud to announce chewiecide!

chew·ie·cide (chūĭ-sīd)
n.

  1. The act or an instance of intentionally harassing a wookie as a means to killing oneself.
  2. One who commits chewiecide.

There are several recommended ways to accomplish Chewiecide. The following “chewiecide manoeuvres” have been carefully tested to ensure a maximum success rate.

Note : Failure to successfully execute a “chewiecide manoeuvre” will in most cases end in the same result.

Accidental Stomp : A good beginner move for the faint of heart. Walking along side your Wookie of choice, accidentally step on his toes. The Wookie will be suitably enraged and through careful apology you should be able to calm him down. Once you appear to have been forgiven and the Wookie looks away stamp on his foot as hard as you can and laugh. You should be ripped limb from limb momentarily.

Genital Juggle : This manoeuvre requires a certain level of nerve, but having your head pounded into your chest awaits a successful execution! Engage the Wookie in conversation and while talking keep glancing down to his crotch. After a couple of moments, crouch down and poke the Wookies crotch fur with a suitable implement (fingers are good), look up and ask “Are you a boy or a girl?”

Delayed Retaliation : The ultimate maneuver for those of you who just love to show off (some preparation time required). The first step is to find and befriend the hairiest Wookie in existence, this is an exceptionally risky problem in its own right, be carefull not to become a victim of premature execution. Once the Wookie is semi-trusting, consume several large pieces of chewing gum, masticate to an exceptionally sticky consistency and place in palm of hand. Give the Wookie a huge hug and stick the gum into the fur in the middle of his back. Your own demise will come when the Wookie finds out giving this manoeuvre its name.

Don’t be afraid to try your own “chewiecide manoeuvres”, failure is harder than you think!

Hello Transgender Lounge! (TGL)

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After a busy week of building, deleting and building again, the Transgender Lounge is starting to take shape.

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There seemed to be a little shock and disbelief from some that I would build my own support organisation right next door to the TRC. Two groups couldnt possibly work side by side!

Well, the reason is quite simple. Like several of the other TRC members and admin, I wanted my home in SL to be close to the organisation I devoted so much time and effort to. When I left the TRC, I needed somewhere to create the TGL and by happy chance I had a lot of land that I had spent well over the market rate to acquire.

We’re not interested in petty bickering and squabling with the TRC admin.

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We have a pink tank and a sense of humor. CHOOOOM!!!

*giggles*

Pathetic Petty Behavour

The TRC have just ejected long time admin Kara Spengler because she wouldn’t choose sides. Kara often spoke up in defence of the minority groups the TRC tended to overlook.

The adminstration ejected her from the groups by secret ballot, the reason?

  • Official : She brought a child AV to the TRC.
  • Unofficial : She wouldn’t choose sides between the TRC and the new Transgender Lounge (TGL).

Child avatars are allowed in Second Life, and as long as you’re not taking part in an indecent act, its just fine. Linden Lab makes the rules concerning what is acceptable and what isn’t. Until Linden Lab changes the rules, child avatars will continue to be allowed at the Transgender Lounge (TGL).

In any event, normal admin behavour at the TRC was to ask people to change into a adult form or leave, this is not, and has never been a banning offence.

This is exactly the kind of backstabbing bullshit groupthink that I’ve come to expect from the TRC admin. I had hoped the TGL and TRC would coexist side by side but with every day that passes that just seems like unrealistic dreaming.

Goodbye TRC

I’ve been a proud and active staff member of the Transgender Resource Centre in SecondLife almost since its inception, billed as an open meeting place for transgender individuals to meet, provide mutual support and find friendships. Or at least that’s the organisation I loved and devoted almost every minute of my time in SecondLife to.

Being a part of the community that formed around the TRC was wonderful. I have met so many people, some are now firm friends, one has moved half way round the world to be with me. Talking to people and knowing you have made a difference, meeting people from the next town to the other side of the globe with the same hopes and dreams made life a little less lonely. For a long time it has been a major part of my SecondLife and breaks my heart that I have to draw that chapter to a close.

The TRC has undergone a sort of transition of its own, from nervous first steps to its current incarnation. What started as an open welcoming friendly meeting place has slowly changed into a small clique, that in many ways has become as bigoted as the people we battle against in our real lives for simply being transgender. If you don’t fit the mold, we can’t help you, we will make you uncomfortable, we will make sure you never come back.

For me, the goal of the TRC was to support the transgendered and not judge people based upon there expression of self or upon the communities in which they found a home. It’s now that I feel alone in this position that the TRC is no longer an organisation I can be a part of.

The TRC has a cancer eating away at its very core, and they meet every sunday in private.

There are more people at admin meetings than the actual TRC. A culture of political whispering has emerged. Real life romantic entanglements past and present ensure that policy is determined by personal attitudes and loyalties. Topics of discussion involve excluding a named individual that for no fault of her own has a RL disability that some find annoying. When really we should be working harder to provide more support, we’re working ever harder to exclude.

Making sure the TRC has a shiny middle of the road image is more important than the very people we’re here to support.

The first thing anyone told me about SecondLife is that every aspect of the human experience is represented somewhere, and thats been proven to me over and over. A huge tangled melting pot of cultures within cultures, where every lifestyle both fantasy and real exist in an uneasy harmony.

A support centre for the transgendered needs to span cultures, philosophies and lifestyles.

I’m going to build one that does. Where the only rule will be tolerance. Where mutual support is the first and only goal.

Shall I get out and push?

Had my usual appointment with my GP this morning. As part of local jiggery pokery the surgery has moved into a brand new custom building, all very pretty looking. Why they had to call it a “Health and Wellbeing Centre” is a bit beyond me, but who cares. Once thing thats not changed is the inability to make an appointment sooner than exactly a week in advance or the time spent sweltering in the waiting room.

I’ve had a couple of spots of blood come from my left nipple, little worrying when all you can find on the internet about that is cancer. No lumps or bumps that either of us could find but he’s referred me to a breast clinic anyway. Got a referral to the ear, nose and throat people for my snoring and sleep apnea. So far so good.

He is dropping my dose of anti-depressants (Citalopram) from 40mg to 20mg as I’m feeling generally better. It’s been almost 2 years that I’ve been on them and I don’t want to be on them any longer. Halving the dose seems a bit sharp to me, but we will see, I have lots of support.

Not so great news on the gender front, due to some technical screw up, the letter he dictated asking for an appointment with a gender specialist at charring cross hospital was eaten by his computer. He had no idea it hadn’t been sent. So thats another couple of months waiting for precisely nothing. It’s very disheartening especially with the 2 year anniversary of having ‘the talk’ and coming out to my doctor fast approaching.

*sigh*

Oh, and there is nothing wrong with my bottom!

2008 Blues :’(

I have no energy. I can’t concentrate. I’m on the verge of tears all the time, one wrong word and I’m going to burst. I’m screaming on the inside and no-one can hear me.

I’m physically disgusting, trapped in a body thats not mine and making no progress with the NHS to get anything done to correct it. I’m dependant on the anti-depressants they do provide and buying my own HRT over the internet. It’s a few months away from 2 years since I initially spoke to my GP about my gender, well over a year since I went properly full time (off my own bat), and I’m no closer than I was when I started (unless you measure progress in the amount of anti-depressants you’re being prescribed). I feel like a freak.

I’m stuck in a job I have no feeling for anymore, taken 2 pay cuts since I came out and the boss refuses to use female pronouns. Just because its better than nothing. At least he stopped pulling me aside for wearing a skirt and makeup every other day and telling me my appearance is making staff members (him) physically sick. What hope do I have of getting something better.

I’ve not seen my daughter since xmas eve and I’m afraid I’m going to loose her. I want to have her this weekend but I’ve got a really bad cold and possible chest infection. There is no way I will risk her getting it from me.

I’ve loved and lost someone because she couldn’t live with me being poly. I’m so sorry I hurt you, I never wanted to, never intended to. I can’t think of you and not well up. I still love you and always will. Please forgive me.

My whole life is shit and I’m powerless to do anything about it. Thoughts of suicide run through my head everyday. I WONT BOW TO THEM. NOT NOW. NOT EVER. I’m haunted by the memory of a friend who lost her battle and died at the start of 2007. I wont go the same way. I can’t. For Her.

Things can only get better. I have hope.

I’ve not had a cigarette in ages and don’t need one.

My babies are coming to live with me from the US real soon. I miss them so much and its only been 2 days. I love you both more than I can possibly express.

I will be ok. Just a rough spot.

There once was a man..

There once was a man from Nantucket
Who’s wife had a rather large bucket.
And rather then loose it
she’d let him use it
And it leaked wherever he took it.

–by Trinity Dejavu

No Blackmail

My exwife (not yet divorced, just separated) moved out with her live in lover a little over 3 weeks ago and in that time I have seen my daughter twice. She has come over in the evening, slept the night and I have had most of the following day.

Its far from what I would like.

When they moved out, they took almost everything. I was left with the kitchen intact, a cheep dining room table thats seen better days, my own personal belongings including my bed and a garage full of rubbish that I am probably going to have to pay to have disposed of.

The one other thing they didn’t take with them is half of the credit card debt which at the time of writing is about £3000 ($6000 US).

All the credit cards are in my name as for years I was the only earner in the house and realistically the only one of us who could get a card or five. She always had total control of all the money in our relationship , paying bills, all the buying and all the spending (to the point that I have had wage checks written out payable to her).

Items, shopping, whatever was paid for on the credit card as she deemed necessary and she was in full control of how much was repaid and when.

(Its worth noting at this point that we have had credit card trouble before and my mother came to the rescue and paid the debts off in full a few years ago.)

Today she tried to force me to accept an offer to cover half of the outstanding credit card debt.

She offered to pay back a certain amount each month for the next 7 months that would cover half the debt and interest during the repayment period. Put another way, I would be lending her half of the debt and retaining full responsibility for it as it would still be in my name.

I wanted her to either get a card of her own or a loan or whatever (I don’t really care how she does it) and pay me half of the balance as it stands now. Effectively taking responsibility for half of the debt herself.

She refused to even contemplate that option and insisted that I accept her offer. I refused, asking her again to look at my suggestion. She then brought up the as yet unsettled issue of child maintenance, a totally separate issue that just happens to also involve money.

The implication was very very clear. Do it my way, or jeopardize your access to your daughter, and that in my book is blackmail.

I will not allow her to walk all over me, I do it now and it will happen again and again and again for ever. I want things to be fair, the debt to be handled fairly, my maintenance handled fairly and my access to my daughter handled fairly.

Is that to much to ask?

Back!!

My PC gave up the ghost a little over a week ago, damn bios had a habit of resetting itself or going corrupt forcing me to blank it, My install of Kubuntu failed to upgrade and left me with nothing so I gave up - sick of the damn thing just not working. (Was a Shuttle SN95G5 - I hear the newer versions are ok).

I’ve taken the plunge and got myself a sweet new Rock laptop as a desktop replacement, its simply awesome, plays SL fast, lovely hig rez screen and lots of memory.

Now I can get my evening fix im sure to be a happer and more stable person, and less tempted to decorate (I can’t paint to save my life - what a mess).

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