Are you ready for some football?! The Patriots opened camp this last week, fall can't be too far away (as temps here threaten to hit triple digits next week!) If they stay healthy, I have very high hopes for them this season; to me, the biggest question mark, the biggest off-season loss, is kicker. I'm still not sure why the Pats let Adam Vinatieri go (and to the Colts yet!) he's one of the biggest "money" kickers to play the game. But I believe the Pats may slip just a bit beneath the radar- some pundits are still talking about the Colts being a contender (I don't see it- last season should have been their season, and they didn't get it done) there's talk about Denver being strong (the Pats should have beaten them in their playoff game last season! GRRRR!) obviously the Steelers are the defending champs...but keep an eye on the boys from Foxboro!

I've been giving some thought to creating an alternate blog for some of my more, um, controversial ramblings, for a few reasons. First- I do have strong opinions and views on several things, and I don't always wanna beat people over the head with them when they're visiting this blog to see what's happening in one transgender gal's life. Second- if I do, it may prove a way to help me get a foothold, or a foot in the door, or something, toward some sort of writing gig, something more fulfilling than what I'm currently doing. (Several years ago I was a contributing columnist for a- now defunct, dammit!- online publication.) Third- I simply like to write; I believe I'm relatively adept at it, and creating a blog (or two- maybe a sports-related one also?) with a more defined focus might help me to hone and improve any existing skills, talents, etc... So we'll see... I'll still keep this one going, for whatever it's worth! ;)

I know I promised previously to try to stem some of my negativity, and I believe I've been sorta successful. There are a lot of things I can- and frequently do- make allowances for, am patient with, and more often than not I'm willing to give people the benefit of more than a few doubts. But few things really get under my skin more than people who lack common manners and basic courtesy! They don't cost a cent, no special education is required, they needn't be extravagant measures or efforts; simply showing a slight bit of courtesy, or appreciation, or gratitude, for a kindness extended, a connection made, patience shown, etc... Maybe this doesn't bother other people as much as it does me; I guess we all have our pet peeves, our irks and quirks, etc... With this in mind, I dedicate the following to a certain someone in Jersey- was nice talking to you, too.

"You don't know what's going on/You've been away for far too long/You can't come back and think you are still mine/You're out of touch my baby/My poor discarded baby/I said baby, baby, baby, you're out of time..."
(Yeah, sometimes I can be a b*tch!)

Random thoughts on a sultry summer Sunday evening (while sipping on a cold Sam Adams Hefeweizen...I luv hefeweizens in the summer!)

Read this news story. Now, consider for a moment what the response would be from certain quarters were/when equally bigoted, insulting, derogatory comments are made toward the lgbt community by a handful of equally bigoted, insulting, derogatory folks. Inevitably the usual (read: Left-leaning) suspects would decry and tar the entire- take your pick- conservative/Republican/Christian/traditionalist communities for the ignorant bigotry espoused by some within their midst. Should we now equally decry and tar the entire lgbt community as ignorant bigots based upon the despicable acts of some as accounted in the above story? Using the rationale of some glbt and/or Left-leaning activists in similar situations, yes, we should. Obviously however, these are just the ill-informed, intolerant rhetoric and actions of a hateful, radical minority, and most fair-minded people will dismiss these as such. It would be refreshing if some advocates and activists for the lgbt communites, and the Left more broadly, would similarly exercise such fair-mindedness, and not tar all who may differ or disagree with their agendas based upon the extremist rhetoric and actions of a similarly hateful, radical minority.

Summer has arrived in full force at last to New England- about time! While autumn is still my favorite season, more and more I've been becoming a summer girl! Been getting in some pretty good runs of late, nice, sticky, early-morning 6+ milers, feelin' loose, feelin' good, getting a lil sun in the process (once it starts to get up!)...I've been trying to further tweak my workouts of late; my weight has been OK (would still like to lose maybe another good 7-8 lbs, and/or get my abs the way I want 'em, ack!) but no matter how I've tried to tweak my resistance work in particular, I'm still getting a bit more muscle than I'd like. (The reason I still do resistance work is because muscle is more metabolically active tissue, ie, it burns more calories, even at rest.) And even with much of my- non running- cardio work at the gym; when I use the various cardio machines I do (StairMaster, and LifeStride or EFX) my legs get waaaayyyy more pumped than I'd like. (I work like a fiend on cardio to burn as many calories as possible- for me, working out is still easier than reducing calories by eating a lot less! Bad, I know!) I suppose I could take more cardio classes instead...As it is, at times I'm looking as if I could step into the ring (again, except for my abs, dammit!)...Million Dollar Kellie, perhaps?!

The recent summery weather has found me online less; on those occassions when I've had down/free/spare time, I've been trying to spend it outdoors rather than in front of a CRT. This is typically the case with me over the summer...if I've been slow in responding/replying to email, IMs, etc... forgive me.

Lately I've really been into fruit! As I've mentioned before, generally I tend to maintain a higher protein/lower carb eating regimen- lotta tuna, cottage cheese, soy nuts, soy protein/soy milk shakes, fish/shellfish, chicken, lean beef, you know the drill. But for the last couple of weeks now I just have had a real jones for fruit, especially pineapple! I guess my body has been needing it...

A good friend of mine has recently- finally!- finished writing his latest novel! He's quite a talented author...and this one is a significant departure from his last novel...from what I've read of it, I've liked; it's an entertaining- and informative- tale. Now comes what I guess is almost as difficult a job as writing it- shopping it around to be published! He spent a lot of time crafting it, here's hoping his efforts on this one pay off even better than his last!

I've been battling a tendency toward becoming far too negative of late. There are a lot of things, disillusioning things, in my personal situations as well as the larger national and world situations, that have been bringing this on, for awhile now. Many of them are legit downers. But the thing is, despite 'em, by nature I've always been a pretty positive, hopeful, upbeat person- if not Suzie Sunshine, at least a glass-half-full kinda gal. I don't like feeling negative and angry, and I like spreading anger and negativity even less. I realize some of my recent entries here, as well as conversations and emails and IMs and such with many folks have been a bit on the more negative, testy side. Again, even if legitimate, after awhile they just grow tiresome, and at heart they're not reflective of the kinda gal I am. I need to work harder at keeping them at bay, as well as- and more importantly- changing circumstances, changing attitudes, that contribute to them.

I've received a few interesting fwd's from my best friend from home of late. We frequently will email one another various articles, pieces, videos, links, etc... about things of mutual interest and/or items one or the other has simply found interesting or amusing, be they about sports, food and drink, books or music, stupid criminals, issues of the day, etc... basically the kind of stuff geeks with too much time on their hands will send to one another! Occassionally of late he's sent along a few articles with a transgender context (occassionally I've sent a few myself- NOT re. me!) He doesn't "know" Kellie, and as he's 6'4"+, over 240 lbs, I hardly believe he has any tendencies toward "this" (you wouldn't make a purty gal, Big Fella!) Most likely I'm reading far more into it than it appears- he and his wife live out in the Bay Area, and admittedly he's always been more open-minded than I. But sometimes it does make me go hmmm...

"And she only reveals what she wants you to see..."

When I'm feeling low and a bit blue, there's one group whose music will always pick me up; I just can't feel bad listening to them, to anything they do. I dunno...maybe they just take me back to much younger days, hanging around out in the sticks, music cranked up, assorted cold adult beverages...or maybe cuz every one of their tunes just sets my toes a-tappin'...or simply because maybe at times I'm more of a redneck girl (or redneck woman) than I care to admit....and no, they're hardly "girly," or especially polished or sophisticated, but...those quintessential practitioners of swamp rock (no, not the Hockomock-And kind of amazing, being as they're from the Bay Area, not the bayou!)...yeah, you've got 'em...Creedence Clearwater Revival!

"Bother me tomorrow/Today I'll buy no sorrows/Doo, doo, doo, lookin' out my backdoor"