Gender Therapists – how do you choose?
One of the things I’ve done right in my gender journey is to seek out a qualified therapist who has experience dealing with gender related issues. A qualified gender therapist can be a true oasis for you when you are first dealing with suspected gender issues. They can be an anonymous sounding board, provide guidance on what to do, help you evaluate options, help keep your marriage together if your married, and, help you get to the root of your gender issues (because maybe you aren’t transgendered, but it’s a symptom of another issue,perhaps abuse when you were younger).
One of the questions I often hear is “how do I find a qualified therapist”. This is an important point as most therapists do not have experience or education in dealing with transgender patients. If you end up choosing such a therapist, you may find you spend more time educating your therapist about what your dealing with rather than getting the help you need. That’s a bad deal (unless you are charging them $150 per hour, then you have a good gig going). There are two things you need (1) a list from a qualified source and (2) references from people where you live…
Mmmm Chocolate, now you can wear it!
Okay, now I’m in heaven. What are the two best friends a woman has? Why chocolate and diamonds! So tell me, what’s better than actually wearing that chocolate (okay, get your mind out of the gutter!).
I’m not talking about slathering on your body some wonderful, chocolate confection, rather, how about a wonderful chocolate perfume 
It sounds too good to be true, so I’m going to have to order a bottle for the sniff test. And you can join in the fun by clicking on this link here, to see (or rather) smell for yourself.
Jennifer Lee Jackson – Mormon and Woman
I was actually looking from some funny (and relatively clean) jokes and stories to post up when I found this interesting article about Jennifer Lee Jackson, a transgender woman who is now full time. That story at NPR is at this link here and an article at SLMETRO is here.
What makes her story different is that she’s the first Mormon I’ve ever read about who’s transitioned. Her story sounds like many of ours who are trans (whether Male-to-Female or Female-to-Male). But her being a part of the Mormon church is an interesting piece that is well worth reading. Sadly, she was ex-communicated. This is also a common theme among many of us who are transgender and belong to a faith community of some type. Generally speaking, we get the axe. I’m not sure why this is. If one were a Christian, say, then decided that Christianity was simply groundless and then committed to preach a different alien gospel in that church body, well that would certainly be grounds for expulsion. But, to try and be a healthy whole person, follow the teachings of Christ, and then be tossed? Quite a puzzlement.
The Future of Shopping
I like to shop as much as the next girl but this article I read in the December 2005 issue of Air Canada’s in flight magazine, En Route, made me laugh my diet coke right through my nose (talk about ruining a blouse!)
The article is entitled “The Future of Shopping” and it’s a bit much even for diehards who shop for a deal like I do. It’s too bad it’s not on-line as it’s way to hard for me to rewrite it here, let me post some excerpts…
Need a hobby? Develop your own nuclear isotopes
I could use another hobby, but this might be a bit extreme…
Albert Swank Jr., a 55-year-old civil engineer in Anchorage, Alaska, is a man with a mission. He wants to install a nuclear particle accelerator in his home.
See story at this link here
