Inmate says her body is becoming less feminine as she awaits ruling on sex change
Inmate awaiting a sex change says state has stopped treatment
I've blogged re. this individual before. I have little sympathy. No one forced you to murder your wife. When one commits crimes of such magnitude, one loses rights. Call me heartless if you wish, but I really do not care about this person's distress over being denied- on the taxpayers' dime!- continued hormone therapy and- get this- laser hair removal (no painful electrolysis for this person; after all, we wouldn't want to violate their "rights", the entreaties of US District Court Judge Mark Wolf in full support of.) Further, "the Corrections Department and its outside health care provider had spent more than $52,000 on specialists to testify about the surgery, which would cost about $20,000." $52,000 on testimony! Do a Google search, willya?! And one wonders how much taxpayers have already ponied up for this person's previous treatments... while incarcerated. Beyond this obvious extravagance afforded this murderer, what about the- certainly- thousands of transgender persons in Massachusetts who might have liked, might have needed, hormone therapy, laser hair removal, gender counseling, but could not afford it (and did not have the "good sense" to murder someone to get it?) Yes, I realize Massachusetts now has- supposed- universal health coverage (bad policy, IMO, but that's a dog for another day); I'm curious if treatment such as this person has been- and seeks to continue- receiving while in stir is available under Mass. universal health care to indigent/low-income trans individuals who have not murdered someone?! Those who seek to "advocate" on behalf of that individual might wish to reconsider their priorities just a wee bit, using their energies and righteousness on behalf of those who, I dunno, haven't murdered someone maybe?... If supporting this person is required to be a member in good standing of the trans "sisterhood" I'll be proud to be an only child.

We surrender! I was passing by a state building that appeared to be flying the white flag of surrender only to see that it was a badly faded Massachusetts state flag (our state flag has a blue and yellow state seal on a white field; the seal on this one had just about faded away.) I wish our state had a better flag; some states have really cool ones: Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, Alaska, California's isnt bad, either.

Now I remember why I don't spend more time in chat rooms... Waaaaayyyyy too much b*tchy drama! Lighten up and loose the 'tudes, ladies; there will always be someone prettier than you and someone who is not, someone who is more adept than you and someone who is not, someone who is more intelligent than you and someone who is not. In a similar vein; profiles. No matter the site, why do people who have a pic on their profile (and a good idea that is, BTW!) nevertheless feel the need to describe themselves as "gorgeous" "attractive" "sexy" etc... ???Shouldn't your pic make it crystal clear just how gorgeous/attractive/sexy you are?! Beauty really is in the eye of the beholder anyway; someone whom one person might find attractive might rate a yawn from another. Might it not be better to use that space to describe attributes, interests, and the like not readily apparent from your pic? Just a thought... (Damn, that was a b*tchy lil vent by me! ;)

In a previous entry I mentioned I had tweaked my gym workout some- starting to see some good results from it! As well as changing up my routine, I also added (actually, re-added) a few different glute exercises, trying to raise the "bottom line" a lil bit more! *g* I hafta admit, tho'- on balance this has been one of my worst winters maintaining my running (this morning was good.) I don't know why, I hate to think I'm getting- sniff sniff- older... but I have had a difficult time maintaining the consistency (there's that old theme of mine again)... Gotta pick it up a bit more...

I saw William F. Buckley died today. Whether one agreed with his views or not here was a person who truly lived, was fully engaged in the art of living. As one obit states:
Editor, columnist, novelist, debater, TV talk show star of "Firing Line," harpsichordist, trans-oceanic sailor and even a good-natured loser in a New York mayor's race, Buckley worked at a daunting pace, taking as little as 20 minutes to write a column for his magazine, the National Review.
Requiescat in pace.

"You thought you were a clever girl/Giving up your social whirl/But you can't come back and be the first in line..."

I came across this article the other day:
Sexes divided on why they gamble
Given my tendencies, I, um, tend to look at studies such as this with some interest. Does gender really create that much difference in the mindsets of men and women? Apropos the study referenced, obviously there are more than a few women who hit the poker and blackjack tables (games ostensibly requiring more skill) and there also more than a few men who will pull a slot, play Keno, etc... And on a wider scale, obviously there are more than a few women employed in "traditionally" male fields (engineering and law enforcement come immediately to mind) and men in "traditionally" female fields (librarian, nurse.) Is there something inherent in/to the birth gender itself that creates, notwithstanding the exceptions I mention above, the norms of behavior, interest, etc...? Or is it social conditioning? Heredity vs. environment? Where do transgender individuals fit in to all of this? I know some m2f T-folks who will- often loudly!- abhor many stereotypically male interests, hobbies, and such. I know others- some even quite accomplished, stealth post-ops- who have no problem talking sports or other so-called male interests.

Where am I going with this? Good question! My opinion: heredity plays some- not insignificant- broad role in who and how we are, what we like, what we do, I believe there is some hard-wiring involved, I believe our environment, what we are exposed to, what we choose to expose ourselves to, what behaviors and interests we choose to give preference or prominence to, to conform to, cannot be discounted. Ultimately we are all individuals; I truly do not believe there is any identifiable- take your pick- male, female, transgender, black, white, straight, gay personality type, whereby one can design a, as in the case above re. gambling, plan or policy or standard to treat or deal with a "class" of people. Maybe it's simply the individualist or libertarian streak in me. I don't particularly care for the word, but it's true; we are all too diverse to pigeon-hole.

(As for "gaming", why haven't I been able to pick better against the spread in my "home" conference, the Atlantic 10?! Too unpredictable this season, waaahhh! Now, the Ivy League... cha-ching! ;)

"Come on and stir it up/Little darlin', stir it up..."

Super quick hitter: Matthew McConaughey is in town for a shoot
The man is gorgeous!

It’s Elected! Boogie-Woogie-Oogie Election Day Lexicon
Faster than a speeding ballot. Sweeping primaries in a single bound. Look up in the sky: It’s a gimmick; it’s a cliffhanger; it’s punditocracy! (via DailyCandy )

20/20 vision
n. the media’s tendency to blow small issues totally out of proportion for the sake of news show fodder.

between Barack and a hard place
n. the sphere in which undecided democrats linger to contemplate the electability of candidates.

I heart Huckabee
n. a bad movie and campaign.

it takes a village idiot
phr. a Washington proverb.

meet Romneys
n. The persistent desire to poke Mitt’s handsome sons on Facebook.

mock the vote
n. when people too embarrassed to admit they’re clueless about the voting process make awkward jokes to remain elusive.

over the Hillary
n. undecided voter syndrome wherein the desire to see a woman in the White House is overrun by one’s dislike for Hillary.

pundIt girl
n. the token female analyst who sits at the table with Wolf Blitzer and co.

scamdidate
n. an unviable aspirant who just confuses the public (see: Ron Paul).

super delegetsome
n. when powerful insiders use their influence to score dates with campaign managers and candidates’ daughters.

I hafta admit; a very underwhelming election season so far. The only candidate whom I truly liked I didn't even have the opportunity to vote for, as he ended his campaign before the Massachusetts primary earlier this month. Barring anything unexpected it looks like it will be John McCain for the Republicans. A lot of conservatives have real problems with McCain (be it campaign finance reform, his proposals re. illegal imigration, his previous dissing of certain social con leaders, his earlier opposition to President Bush's tax measures, among other things; #s 1 and 4 being concerns of mine) but they might also consider that he has been very good throughout his career in opposing earmarks and excessive spending, he supported greater ground presence in Iraq years before the current "surge", he does recognize the threat posed by Islamists, he's been reliably pro-life, supports school choice/vouchers, and would likely appoint less-activist justices to the courts, certainly than his Dem opponent. He may not be "a" conservative, but he is conservative. As for the Dems, it looks like a real battle between Obama and Hillary. Style-wise, there is much to Obama that I like; his words and tone are inspiring, he is in many ways the first post-boomer candidate in that his formative years and experiences were not the 60's (and all that that entails), he hasn't overtly played the race card by either trying to be the candidate of black America (ala Jesse Jackson's and Al Sharpton's past campaigns) nor tried to "guilt" white America. Substance-wise, I haven't seen as much; what I have seen strikes me as far too left-leaning on too many issues for my taste. As for Hillary... at the end of the day, on some level, no matter who the President is, you wanna be able to like that person, if not their politics at least their persona. I realize that is not terribly intellectual. To me, she just seems to embody all of the worst of her generation- on every level- without any of the charm; even her husband had an irascible, scampish kind of charm to him. I find her especially disingenuous (and that's saying something, considering that almost all pols are!) I don't support most of where- and especially how- I believe she would try to lead our country. But their side is having one heck of a contest.

"We don't need to say goodbye/We don't need to fight and cry/Oh we, we could hold each other tight tonight..."

Odds and sods on a soggy Sunday evening...

Been feelin' pretty good of late- I tweaked my gym workout recently and am starting to feel- and see- the results! I think I had stayed in my previous routine for too long and it was getting stale; diminished results, and just as bad, boredom with it. Without getting into the too tedious details, basically I've changed up several of the exercises I do (dropped a few, added a couple) as well as the # of reps, sets, etc... I'll be sticking with this routine probably until Memorial Day or so, then see if I want/need to change it up again. Cardio-wise (step class, StairClimber, LifeStride) I'm good, and the weather has been- somewhat- better to be a bit more consistent running (dropped my mileage a lil bit, to a lil over 6 miles/run, down from 7.5 or so last fall; I'll increase it again when it gets a lil nicer to be out @ 5:30 am.) Still trying to work my abs better; they are my worst body part to train, GRRRR! Dedication, as well as consistently cleaner diet... My "side" avocation has been paying off of late- about 60% for the season, closer to 65% the last 2+ weeks- putting a lil more coin in my purse... And I'm trying to apply some of the things I've been reading of late re. intuition, reasonable risk-taking, and the like, to try and gin up a lil- what?- confidence, motivation, focus, direction in seeking meaningful career movement/change... but considering it's still winter in New England (with another good month of it to go!) on balance I'm feeling good! (Of course, it could be better- I could be getting back from a trip to St. Lucia, like some people I know... ;)

It's funny; you ever read a book, and the general theme/topic really strikes you, and you find yourself seeking out more items on that same topic? In a previous entry I had mentioned Gut Feelings: the Intelligence of the Unconscious. Since then, I've been seeking out books, articles, etc... on that and related topics such as statistics, probabilites, calculated risk. Obviously much of this is due to the change I mention above (as well as to give me a lil better insight into becoming more successful with my avocation of prognostication- clever turn of phrase, huh?! ;) But it is interesting how we sometimes get a sudden flash of interest in a particular thing that previously we may not have contemplated or considered.

Apropos of little... does anyone else think one of the most maligned periods was the mid-to-late 70's?! I'm not talking about the politics and/or economy (Jimmy Carter? Yeesh!) or the men's fashions (leisure suits and super-wide ties? Yikes!) but much of the culture. So many great films came out then, films which are today considered classics and still stand up well. Several well-written, intelligent television shows as well. Books, too. The hippie-dippy music of the 60's and early 70's long given way to just some great rock, punk, pop, even- yes- disco! Womens' fashions had a certain sophistication to them. There seemed (at least to someone who was just meeting the world) to be less-uptight, and less politically-correct, moral attitudes, toward drinking (happy hours, with reduced drink prices- what a concept!) recreational drugs (if you were/are into that sorta thing), sex, even language (song lyrics are bleeped out today that back then were played; come on!) Or maybe it's just me... that time period is when, while still a kid, I started to truly become aware of the larger/adult world, albeit mostly from a distance. I was the youngest in my family, and one of the youngest in my neighborhood; most of my friends were also the younger or youngest in their families, and sometimes we hung with the slightly older crowd, so maybe me, and my group, were exposed to this time as our formative one rather than, say, the early 80's. But give a lil love to the late 70's!

"If you like pina coladas/And getting caught in the rain/If you're not into yoga/If you have half a brain/If you like making love at midnight/In the dunes on the Cape/I'm the love that you've looked for/Write to me and escape..."

Sippin' on a Shipyard Export Ale this blustery evening...

An entire season undefeated, going in to the last game to win the league title and complete the first-ever undefeated season in team history, only to heart-breakingly lose that final game. Sounds familiar, huh? Actually I was thinking back to my- first- experience with just that. It only occured to me a couple of days ago; I probably hadn't given it any thought in, oh, the last 25 or so years. And of course it doesn't compare to the Super Bowl. I'm thinking back to my 8th grade school basketball team. We were 13-0, had beaten every team in our league as well as a couple of non-league wins and were playing our last game of the season- at home- to clinch the league title outright, as well as an undefeated season. We lost, by 6 points, and ended up co-champions with the team that beat us (at least it wasn't Sharon. But still... ) And it hurt. A lot. Winning seldom feels so good as losing hurts so bad. Interesting the things you remember...

I got my hair done again. I had gone awhile- too long really- without having it done. I had some decent length going, but it really needed something. And for one of the few times, even shorter I got a cute cut! Usually I hate getting it done because invariably it either gets cut too short, or just looks waaayyy too butch. Not this time! It looks- dare I say it?!- perky! ;) I'll like it more when it grows a lil more, but it came out good!

I need to take some new pics, and yes, I know, a lotta folks have asked for 'em. It's simply:
1- I'm horrible with self-photography
2- When I go out, it's often solo (as it's- usually- kinda last minute/spur o' the moment), meaning, no one to snap pics
3- When I have the opportunities to do something, I wanna go out, not hang around home taking pics
4- I'm always my biggest self-critic; I never think I look good in pics!
But I promise to do my best to take and add some new ones soon.

Had a good weekend AT$; if I could do this well consistently, this gal could quit her day job! ;)

"Hit me with you best shot/Fire away..."

So, the Celtics are doing pretty well, huh?

GRRRRRR! Alright, hopefully my only post-mortem on the Super Bowl. First, congrats to the New Jersey Giants on their victory; they did what they needed to do. Re. the Patriots... I don't know why, but- with only a few exceptions- they seemed to have come out, and stayed, and played, very flat. The O-line gave up five sacks, Brady wasn't especially sharp passing even when he had time, the linebacking corps (with the exception of Adalius Thomas) was MIA, the D-line played very average, as did the secondary; our backs and receivers did play well, when they got the ball. And yet given a game of largely uninspired football, when Brady hit Moss for the go-ahead touchdown with under three minutes, that should have been the game, the late-game winning legend of Tom Brady would have grown, a fourth title in seven years and an undefeated season all were within grasp. All the Pats had to do was keep the Giants out of the end zone; a field goal wouldn't have mattered, they just had to keep the Giants out of the end zone for the last 2:42 or so. Instead: a missed sack, a circus catch, a missed interception, questionable one-on-one coverage. And anyone who watched saw the results. So... an exciting season, but one where they came up short.

Onward and upward... I recently started the following book: Gut Feelings: The Intelligence of the Unconscious. The basic premise is that- often- intuition, or gut feelings, can be as accurate in helping us make decisions as lengthy, logical, cost/benefit-type deliberation in that much of our intuitive feelings or beliefs are based in deep, long-evolved cognitive skills. In my life, too often I tend toward the cliched paralysis of analysis; I often tend to ponder changes, decisions, etc... especially of a personal nature, too much, too deeply, too long, to the point where- too often- I take no action... perhaps I can begin to understand- and to trust- my intuition a bit more.

I've been eating better again of late; feel better, more energetic and positive, as a result, too. (And have seen a few unwanted pounds drop! Still have a few to go.) This is always the time of year when I weigh more; between the holidays (starting back with Thanksgiving, and pretty much thru to my birthday, last January 22) and the weather, I tend to eat more, and eat less well, than I do much of the year. Some years are better- and worse- than others, this year has been about average. But I'm back at it. And as long as we don't get buried with a massive snowstorm or an extended spell of extremely cold weather, I should remain good. (I've even started to notice the days getting a lil longer again!)

"You can get it if you really want/But you must try, try and try/Try and try, you'll succeed at last..."

As the hours tick down to Super Bowl XLII and a chance at Ever, to quote Junior Seau...

I don't think a lot of people realize just how incredible this run by the Pats over the last several seasons now is; not merely for the sustained level of excellence, but for the fact that it is the Patriots. Growing up, the Pats were always my #1 team, but professional sports locally was always the Red Sox, the Celtics, the Bruins. Pro football? The Steelers, Cowboys, Dolphins, Redskins, 49ers, teams like those- they were pro football. The Patriots? They were just the guys (several of whom lived in my hometown) who played over in Foxboro at that rinky-dink stadium where my high school league held it's pre-season jamboree; as often a team of characters as character, one whose off-field exploits were often more entertaining than their on-field ones (ck out some of my Patriots memories here: And a great video representation here. I'll be updating that page after the season.) To finally see this team- my team!- mentioned, and deserving to be mentioned, in the same breath as the Steelers of the 70's, the 49ers of the 80's, the Cowboys of the 90's... I do wonder if people in the rest of the country are getting tired of the Boston-New York thing, even if the Pats-Giants are not as big rivals as the Pats-Jets, and certainly as big as the Sox-Yankees (an aside: I used to date someone who was a Giants fan, and worse- a Yankees fan, too! Love is blind... ;) Having said all of that, should the unthinkable happen and the Pats not win, 18-0 will have meant little. That's just the way it is; they'll be just one of 30 other teams that came up short this season. So... Go Pats!

It's still occasionally unsettling to be "ma am'ed" when I'm not expecting it, as I've never thought that I look especially feminine when en drab. I'm not complaining; it just still occasionally catches me off-guard when it happens. Having said that, this gal has to get more serious about her diet and exercise again! I've been holding steady, and in the winter can get away with a few (or a few more than a few- waaaahhh!) extra pounds. But as much as feeling like I look better, I just feel better, healthier, more energetic, upbeat, confident- you know the drill!- when I consistently eat right (higher protein/low carb) and run/workout diligently. Consistency of effort is the key to success in any endeavor (I know, I sound like Tony Robbins!)

"Touching down in New England town/Feel the heat comin' down..."