Obligatory end of year post

Haven't posted much this year. Mainly because I haven't really had anything to say. I've certainly mellowed since changing jobs two years ago, and I don't remember the last time I needed a good rant. Annoyances are now little things that aren't worth the bother to post - hooray.

As for the good stuff, that's mostly personal and not really something I want to share with the world.

So what has happened this year?

I started off the year in drag, in a posh frock and tiara at The Catherine Wheel's NYE party. It was "Oscars" themed, and I don't own a tux ;-)

In summer I dated a scientist, and although we had a lot in common, and had some fun times, the spark wasn't really there. We're still on each other's Facebook friends list, but we don't really have much to talk about these days.

Later in the summer, I was all brave and attended Norwich's first Pride event. Circumstances conspired to stop me staying until the parade, but I was there for the picnic in Chapelfield Gardens, and went to the Forum where there were stalls and info booths.

In the autumn I tried my hand at making jewellery, and that's going pretty well. I've sold a couple of pieces, and made some friends happy with gifts. And I have a few pieces kept back for my own use too

For Halloween I refined my goth look, and made my first non-jewellery accessories (with quite a bit of help from Mum!) - furry rave boot-covers.

And more recently I've started to date a lovely young lady. No more details on that though - everytime I've blogged about a new relationship, it's fallen apart soon after :(

Tonight is NYE all over again, and once again I will be celebrating with friends as Pan. But this year I'll let my friends do the outshining. I've got some nice faux-leather jeans, and a belted top I've been itching to wear. Understated isn't a look I've played with before (and it's not a LGBT venue) so we'll see how it goes!

Halloween: After action report

Halloween was fun, but as ever, there's always a little bit of drama you can't avoid.

Arriving to pick up my friend on the way, I find she has been locked out of home. Her parents had gone out, she hadn't aken her keys, and they were late back. We wait for half an hour or so, before giving up, and heading to the party. I figure we can come back later to pick up her costume befre we all get dressed and head to the pub. Fortunately the reason she was out in the first place was to buy party food. So at least we had that.

Arriving at the hosts, we find the wind-down of the children's party earlier. Her two are running about excitedly, and there's a very smal child being looked after by a relative. This was mostly fun. We just sat in the other room, chatted to the host and some other friends, scoffed doritos, and chilled out while the kids tired themselves out and watched Jungle Junction (What a wierd show that is!)

My friend tries to cal her parents several times, but they aren't answering. Also we get a phone cal from the babysitters who are on the way, but are running late!

After while we decide it's time to start getting ready. Those that can start getting dressed, we pool our resources and the host's wardrobe to scrounge up a costume for my friend, and we wait for the late-comer to arrive.

This is my costume. The corset didn't look right, so I'm glad I packed the fishnet t-shirt!


Eventually we have everyone present and correct, the kids are with the sitters, and we are all ready to go. So we take the walk to the pub, and wave at the revellers, and parent taking kids home from trick-or-treating.

The band we went to see - Monkey Island - were pretty cool, and we met some fun folks there. I think I made the night of a shy girl when I asked if her outfit was a costume or just incredibly stylish. Turns out it wasn't a costume, and she seemed quite pleased (but a little embrarrased) to be complimented :)

Sadly the pub also had the ex of one of our party, so there was tension and drama. And then more tension and drama later when a different couple that was with us had a bit of a row because one of them was the ex of another member of our happy little bunch. Can't people just put things aside and have fun one night of the year? *sigh*

The evening wasn't a complte loss though, and we moved on to another pub, via the host's to change shoes (we we're all regretting wearing heels) and drop off those too tired to continue) We saw another band there - The Divide - who were cool, but a bit heavy for my mood on the night.

We also chatted to a lonely looking Alice Cooper look-a-like. Which was a mistake, as the guy was clearly strung out on an illegal substance. Fortunately we left before he became too twitchy.

We stayed for the last song, then went back to the hosts via the kebab shop. And then came removing the costumes, and sleep (and me finding out I am too tall to sleep comfortably on a sofa!)

In the morning, we finaly found out my friends parents had decided not to come back until much later that evening. They though she had her keys!

More pictures of the night are on my Facebook profile, but they are friends only. Sorry!

"And Now I'm Back; From Outer Space!"

I haven't blogged for absolutely ages, because nothing of interest or importance has been going on in my life. But in just seven days time it's Halloween! The tranny's favourite holiday!

Well-over a year ago I had a play at cybergoth. It was a bit half arsed, but the acrylic yarn hair-falls worked out pretty well. (photo here). I then revisited the look again for my birthday drinkies that year (photo here) , swapping out the blue yarn for some red, adding a black PVC longcoat and some bright red tights and eye-shadow. It was much more successful.

This year for Halloween I'm stepping up the look with more accessories. I've aqcuired some bright pink yarn, and re-threaded the hair-falls; I found some day-glo pink eye-shadow in Beaujangles; a friend gave me some old black and pink stripy arm-warmers, and chipped in with the girls of my gaming group to snag me a black and pink corset from the Ann Summers sale; and most important of all, I've bought some pink faux fur!

Why have I bought fur you may well ask? Good question. The answer is because all the goth/club/rave shops in the city sell furry boot covers but they are all teeny-tiny and far too expensive. Fortunately Sew Mee had a tutorial on their site (which is currently missing, presumed lost. Grrr) and I picked up some almost eye-meltingly bright pink fur during the week. Luckily I also have a Mum who is a dab hand with a sewing machine, and is looking for things to keep her busy. So today we did lots of measuring, tacking, cutting and sewing. I still need some black ribbon to tie them off at the knee, but they are mostly finished.

I can't wait to see how the yokels will react when we go out on the night! Although I am a little concerned I may have gone a bit overboard for a fancy dress party... Nah, stuff it, I haven't had a chance to be fabulous in yonks!

*Post title is from Gloria Gaynor's "I Will Survive" and is a homage to Lynn's blog YATGB

Out of the mouths of babes...

One of my best mates has a two year old daughter who is very perceptive. She's never met Pandora, and we don't discuss her (except in third person) around said daughter. However my friend was on Messenger chatting with me the other day, and her daughter asked who she was chatting with.

"Uncle Bob*," said my friend. Whereupon her daughter gave her a look to say "I love you mummy but you are very dim" and told her in no uncertain terms that she mean Auntie Bob*. Naturally she relayed this to me, and we fell about laughing for quite some time.

*=Not my actual name but you get the idea:)

Pride

So as you will have seen from the local press, Norwich finally had its first Pride event. And despite much faff, I got to attend properly.

For the months before I'd had a posse of interested folks. But as the time drew nearer things kept cropping up. Conflicting events (who organises two Pride marches on the same day? ;) ), lack of babysitters, no transport, and assorted other things meant that I very nearly gave the whole thing up as a bad job. And even until the day proper I was resigned to going in drab.

Fortunately the day itself was bright and sunny, and this both cheered me up, and boosted my confidence. After a quick call to make sure my best mate was cool with me attending en femme, I got ready. "Practical" was my goal, so denim shorts and this awesome white T-shirt from Yours were teamed with opaque tights and trainers. I even took my only large practical handbag stocked with bottled water and sunblock. With a smile on my face, and head held high I headed to my car, and then to the city.

Arriving at my mate's I was informed that she was looking after her daughter that day. And after much hoo-haa she finally turned up. Her first reaction was a polite nod and then getting on with her own stuff. Then came the open mouth and pointing. Then the "You're wearing girls clothes." This very quickly gave way to amused compliments, and lots of questions on where I got my bag, and my top, and what I used for breasts; and finally just dealing with it and chatting away as normal. Bless her ;)

The events were pretty cool. There were all sorts of stall inside The Forum with info and things to buy. Nice to see the local constabulary and unions getting involved. It was also amusing to see the emo kids that usually crowd the steps had to move a little to the left because of all the LGBT people enjoying the entertainment, and just relaxing.

We had a quick shopping and food break midday, where I managed to out myself to an old friend, and got very polite and friendly service in Burger King. We also spotted that the castle in the centre of the city was flying the rainbow flag in honour of pride.

And then it was time for the picnic. We met up with some of my mate's friends (and family) in the park, and just relaxed watching the more adventurous people's costumes. Sadly outside factors meant we couldn't stay for the march itself, but we saw everyone forming up ready. And surprisingly the Lord Mayor herself who had agreed to lead the parade to show the City supported the march.

Overall it was a fun day, helped by the good weather in a week when it had been very changeable. And for those with next year's diary already, the next Pride event will be on Saturday 31st July 2010.

Afterthought: As I arrived home I saw my new neighbour. As he was busy with something, I blanked him. I don't think he recognised me, but its hard to tell. He hasn't mentioned it anyway.

"Feed me Seymour"

So the little Venus Fly Traps are progressing slowly but surely. You can now make out the tiny, soon to be hungry, mouths. But even a midge would be too much for them at the moment!

They're still in their terrarium and original pot. They are still too tiny to transplant.

"But you cannot make her think"

The Venus Flytrap now has three, or possibly four buds. It's still in its protective terrarium, because the buds are still tiny, but I have managed to photograph them.

Behold:




If you want a larger, more detailed picture, the Flickr version is here

Today's title courtsey of Dorothy Parker. When challenged to make an epigram on the subject of "horticulture", she replied, "You can lead a whore to culture, but you cannot make her think!"

Green fingers

Two weeks ago I planted a packet of seeds for a Venus Fly Trap. They were tiny little black things smaller than the grains of fine sand they were packed with. I didn't hold out much hope though. When my brother tried to grow one, the whole packet of seeds failed to sprout.

So the pot has been sitting on my kitchen windowsill in a plastic bag, in a tray of water for a fortnight. And I've just had a look at the compost through the bag. Looks like there is some green fuzz and a single green bud! It's tiny (about a millimetre) but it's poking up above the soil. In another two to four weeks it should be ready to come out of the bag. Maybe even to re-pot, who knows.

I'm actually quite excited about it.

There will be pictures once it's out of the bag.

I can haz qualifications?

Apologies for the lolspeak, but I now have confirmation that I passed my NCFE 2* in Equality and Diversity. An actual, physical, certificate is ETA unknown, but I am now qualified to stroke my chin and declare, "I think this may be discriminatory!" :)

I've also started the coursework on my NCFE 3 (Managing Diversity). This comes with the cheering news that our E+D head honcho is pushing for us to get some (financial) recognition for our extra duties. Yay for us!

I think I'll pass on throwing my weight around on TG forums claiming to know everything about discrimination/human rights though. I've learned enough to know its a very tricky subject, and that it's always a good idea to seek further guidance before stating something as fact!

*=equivalent to a GCSE or NVQ2

Meh

Still not feeling chatty. But this made me laugh out loud:



It's even funnier if you imagine David Mitchell reading the caption.

...

Not feeling very chatty right now. Here are some videos:

"Let Love Be Your Energy"

I've been in quite a chipper mood recetly (Hi K x), so I thought I'd share the mood by digging out another music video that makes me happy.

Robbie Williams' "Let Love Be Your Energy" is quite an upbeat song, with a nice dip just before the end, followed by a triumphant key change with fanfare at the end. The video, mainly an animated Robbie running, is also quite amusing as he dallies with a number ladies before finding the right one for him.

And those of you in the UK and USA that have seen the video probably chuckled at the very twee ending that is subverted in the last few seconds by an eagle.

If you haven't, you can watch it here. Go watch it before you carry on reading. I'll be right here ;)



Back again? Good wasn't it?

Now imagine my surprise when I found a version labelled "uncensored plus out-takes".

The ending is completely different! Instead of running up the mountain, embracing, and plummeting to a heart shaped spalt, Robbie and his dream girl strip off, and embrace naked to a background of erupting volcanoes (very subtle lads!).

And the out-takes at the end are very funny (and quite painful!) Take a look:

CAUTION! Contains animated dangly bits, and a few rude words!

What d'you think about that?

Since everyone on the Trannisphere has gone all Introspective White Emo Ranger I suppose I'd better join into.

Now the evenings are lighter, I've been able to start walking to work again. Which unfortunately gives me lots of time to think. Today I was musing on something Lara blogged about.

On Saturday I went out in the city, and ended up in my local tranny-friendly pub en homme.

The place wasn't very busy, but none of the regulars gave me a second look, and apart from the barstaff, I didn't really interact with anyone apart from the friends I was with (we chatted to the smokers while waiting for a taxi, but that was it).

When I go as Pandora, I banter with the DJ, have a joke to the bar staff, and get random strangers stopping by for a natter.

As I thought about it more, I realised that whenever I've been in regular pubs, people mainly keep to themselves (with a few exceptions). But when I'm Pandora, even in provincial town pubs, people are mostly friendly, and many will come over for a talk. The guys to congratulate me on my "bravery", and the girls to have a gossip and ask where where I got my top or shoes from.

There are generally only a few tossers, and they tend to stay outside in large herds for moral support. Sadly one comment from this lot can undo a whole week of confidence.

Although being Pan makes my confidence soar, and allows me to be more assertive. I really need to dress up and go out more!

So what conclusion can we draw from this? Obviously:

"Trannies make every social gathering better"!

Top Ten Search Keywords (Filler post)

Just for a laugh I thought I'd sign up with Google Analytics and see how people visit this blog.

The top ten keywords that have sent people here are:

gsoh - Well it was a recent post title

tranny list - I suppose that's my cliche list

pandora caitiff - that mostly me checking in from other PCs :)

"list of gender stereotypes" - that cliche list again

best disclaimer - LOL. I know what that is

can everyone stop getting shot - Somehow I think they're looking for Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels

flickr tranny fakes - More Joanne's crusade than mine

geisha tranny - One entry on one list. I guess there's not many of these online

goth icons - That's a test I did

helicopter to this canadian hideaways - What? How? Who

99 Things

I'm bored. And a friend did it...

If you join in, please leave a comment so that I can read yours.
Things you've already done: bold
Things you want to do: italicize
Things you haven't done and don't want to - leave in plain font

1. Started your own blog. Duh!
2. Slept under the stars. In a tent counts right?
3. Played in a band. A marching band no less!
4. Visited Hawaii.
5. Watched a meteor shower.
6. Given more than you can afford to charity.
7. Been to Disneyland/world.
8. Climbed a mountain. Mont Real in Canada
9. Held a praying mantis.
10. Sang a solo. Karaoke
11. Bungee jumped. No. But I have abseiled
12. Visited Paris.
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea.
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch. Making hair falls
15. Adopted a child..
16. Had food poisoning.
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty.
18. Grown your own vegetables.
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France.
20. Slept on an overnight train. Do we have overnight trains in England?
21. Had a pillow fight.
22. Hitch hiked.
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill.
24. Built a snow fort.
25. Held a lamb.
26. Gone skinny dipping.
27. Run a marathon.
28. Ridden a gondola in Venice.
29. Seen a total eclipse.
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset.
31. Hit a home run.
32. Been on a cruise.
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person. American and Canadian falls
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors. Huh?
35. Seen an Amish community. Don't have them in this country
36. Taught yourself a new language. Gave up on Japanese
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied. Its not money stopping me being satisfied...
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person.
39. Gone rock climbing.
40. Seen Michelangelo's David in person.
41. Sung Karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt..
43. Bought a stranger a meal in a restaurant.
44. Visited Africa.
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight.
46. Been transported in an ambulance.
47. Had your portrait painted. Thanks to Helena
48. Gone deep sea fishing.
49. Seen the Sistine chapel in person.
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkelling.
52. Kissed in the rain.
53. Played in the mud.
54. Gone to a drive-in theatre. Dont have them over here
55. Been in a movie. Home movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China.
57. Started a business.
58. Taken a martial arts class. Judo and Kendo
59. Visited Russia.
60. Served at a soup kitchen.
61. Sold Girl Scout cookies. Not being a Girl scout...
62. Gone whale watching.
63. Been given flowers for no reason.
64. Donated blood. Not allowed to. I'm a vCJD risk
65. Gone sky diving.
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp.
67. Bounced a cheque.
68. Flown in a helicopter.
69. Saved a favourite childhood toy.
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial.
71. Eaten Caviar. Ugh
72. Pieced a quilt.
73. Stood in Times Square.
74. Toured the Everglades.
75. Been fired from a job.
76. Seen the Changing of the Guard in London.
77. Broken a bone.
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle.
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person.
80. Published a book.
81. Visited the Vatican.
82. Bought a brand new car.
83. Walked in Jerusalem.
84. Had your picture in the newspaper.
85. Read the entire Bible.
86. Visited the White House.
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating.
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life.
90. Sat on a jury.
91. Met someone famous. Paul Daniels and Mary Gentle
92. Joined a book club.
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby. Not physically possible
95. Seen the Alamo in person.
96. Swum in the Great Salt Lake.
97. Been involved in a law suit.
98. Owned a mobile phone.
99. Been stung by a bee.

Very Americano-centric. Most of the "don't wants" are also "don't cares"

GSOH

For my sins I am a member of a dating website. It's not been very helpful in finding my one true love, but it's free, requires no real effort on my part, and has fun quizzes, so I'm not going to complain.

I was quite annoyed when I received a love note from another user that was such blatant spam that it couldn't have been more obvious if it was signed by the exiled Nigerian Finance Minister.

I immediately reported it for the scam it was, and thought no more of it.

When I logged in the other day I checked my inbox and found this message's title had been changed to "A spammy message". Odd, I thought. I'm sure it was something else. So I opened it and found this message from the admins:

There once was a spam in your mail.
We delete all such things without fail.
They just want your money.
We don't think it's funny.
We wish we could send them to jail.

I laughed aloud for several minutes.

One of those review of the year thingys

January
Cold wet and boring. Nothing much happened to me

February
Once again my car drains my bank balance, but February marks the first time I visited the Catherine Wheel, and the first time I atempted cybergoth as Pandora at least. I also rediscovered my love of karaoke.

March
Yet more "fun" with my car, a bit of model making and participation in Gillian's Flickr Tranny Day (including some bad 80s fashions!)

April
New hairstyle time! I had five or six inches cut off the end of my hair and started wearing my hair in an off-centre parting with a barrette.

May
A very busy month for me. Several birthday celebrations, including my own (where I revamped my cybergoth outfit), but the big event was going out with the girls on a hen night!

June
After May I needed some time to relax, so again a month with not much going on. Although I did get to see a promotional copy of the sci-fi machinima Clear Skies with one of the voice actors.

July
Also fairly quiet. I saw some live music in my hometown's music festival, and I mused about Tranny Cliches

August
If August was an episode of Friends, it would be called "The one with all the weddings". I went to three separate events and was let down at one, and shocked by sexism at another. I also spent a week housesitting and looking after a cat, which was fun, but reminded me why I don't have pets. It is far too much responsibility.

September
My car let me down again. This time it was the battery finally giving up the ghost. But thanks to supportive and knowledgeable relatives we managed to get the car roadworthy again in time for me to attend another karaoke night at The Wheel with my friends. I also became a god-parent, and had to give a reading in a catholic church.

October
This month I celebrated the end of my first year in my current job (and therefore the one year anniversary of leaving my old hateful job!) I also celebrated Halloween as a voodoo priestess, and did more karaoke.

November
In November I released Kill It With Fire, a little solo dice game. This is my first step on the path as an amateur games designer. I'm currently working on a card game, and I've signed up for an RPG design competition on RPG.net

December
A month for ending and starting. I stated a course in Equality and Diversity for work (quite handy in the Trannisphere too!), and I ended the year with friends once again at The Wheel. Happy New Year girls!

Obviously a lot more than that happened, but that's what I'm willing to share with you lot! I wonder where 2009 will take me?