Friday, July 20, 2012

Slowness, Students, Sparkle and Summer

It seems ages since I posted, over a month in fact. In the meantime, the frantic and sometimes vain hoping attempt of students to complete their work has finally come to an end. Most worked hard if only at some point during the year. For some of them it must have been upsetting to find that they didn't pass in spite of it all.

Slowness seems to be a theme at the moment now Summer has finally arrived (has it really? LOL). Referred to the surgical team at Charing Cross in February I'm still waiting. The surgical team took a little time to approach WHSCC (effectively our Primary Care Trust if you are Trans here in Wales). Now WHSCC must cough up the funding, don't hold your breath, you might asphyxiate! I suspect I may be still waiting by the time the next brightly faced group of students come in through the door to begin their transition to Higher Ed! In the meantime, I've too much to do to get overly down about things. It's summer, a girl needs a holiday and and a chance to do something fun and party.

That brings me to Sparkle. This year I took my youngest daughter (17). Even if you're close, accompanying your Trans Mom/Mum to Sparkle isn't the average teenager's dream day out. I admire and thank her for her willingness to be there. I too get challenged by some 'Trans' situations too, I have to be honest. I'm a woman. I love guys, I like to date them. I love the way they walk, their passion for sport, the way and the way they get all enthused about 'guy' stuff. I adore their entrancing ability to make me smile and inadvertently play with my hair. However I used to find it far from easy to cope in situations in which I found myself chatting to one who was quite happy to be a guy but adored wearing a dress! It's a problem for ME and it's me who has to deal with it. I'm deeply attracted to the guy they are, totally love the dress, but maybe not always together. I suppose it challenges who I am as a woman, or used to anyway. These days I've come to really appreciate all of the TG spectrum for the wonderful rainbow that it is and it seems to me that that is exactly what Sparkle is really about, from the extravagantly dressed TVs an CDs to the fully transitioned, I love it all.

In the end I needn't have worried about my daughter, she had a great time, both on Canal Street and in Sackville Gardens. The best thing is that she wants to go next year for the whole weekend and maybe for the Big Weekend in Manchester Pride at the end of August. I love her to bits, I love Manchester to bits. Shopping till you drop then Sparkle, I can thoroughly recommend it.

So what of the rest of the Summer. I'll be off in Belgium from next week to sample the chocolate, waffles and rain there (sincerely hope to get a rest from the latter!). I'll be working hard trying to re-record mix and master most of my music and put together some better Cholly Atkins style choreography for live performances. As if that isn't enough of a challenge I paid my first visit to my local TG support group 'Unique TG' last night at the Royal in Llandudno. I have to say that I felt so incredibly welcomed by such a friendly a chatty bunch of people, so much so that I will definitely go again. They are just as much part of my community as the usual bunch of girls who I GNO with. I loved the experience, it made a welcome change from sitting drinking bottles of wine with the usual friendly bunch of natal girls and bitching about work and our boss.

Life is about diversity, new experiences, celebrating differences whether that involves, traveling abroad, tripping over whilst attempting a new dance routine, meeting new and unique people or getting my little head around creating master tracks!

Have a great summer all of you,

Hugs, Robyn-Jane xxx