Fire...(sing with me now)

So, the last two days I have spent my non-job time on a big fire scene. We've been battling a forest fire that has been devouring acres around the scattered subdivisions near our home. I can't get the smell of smoke out of my hair, all I can taste is ash, and I feel great. Our department is great. We lost no structures and nobody got hurt. About 300 acres was lost though. Forestry allowed a lot of underbrush to burn as we made sure it didn't jump roads and endanger houses. We did have to evacuate quite a few homes, but all was good in the end.

I saw my friend from the forestry agency tonight, exhausted but happy. He thinks they finally have it under control. They better, cause I want a quiet night with my Claire tomorrow ;)

Meanwhile, at the house, I missed Claire's big payoff from laser torture--I mean treatment--while I was at the scene. Apparently she started shedding hairs tonight. I'm pretty bummed I missed it, but I'm glad I worked the fire tonight, as we were fairly short on staff.

So, her face is so soft and smooth now after her shave. I would say it's kissable but I got a "go take a shower stinky" reaction when I got home, so I didn't get to try the kissable test yet. NOT that I blame her, I reek of smoke. Although I still see some hair under the skin, and she had to shave a lot still, she's never had a shave this smooth. It's pretty exciting. I'm hoping she'll have fantastic results. She's a sweetie and it hurt like hell, so I'm crossing my fingers for her.

Tomorrow we'll try applying normal makeup instead of Dermablend and see how it does. I can't wait!

what a hoot!

I don't know how I managed to take this shot,
it was a snap without thinking or having time
to get focused correctly as I was jumping back.

Of wolves and women...

When Claire and I first met, online, her nickname was Whitewolf. My nickname was Timberwolf. We've both had a lifelong love of wolves. Today, we went to a local animal sanctuary that has a small pack of timber wolves. Claire brought her spiffy new camera and we headed in to try to get some nice pictures.

Well, first we met a falconer, with a lovely female barred owl on his arm. As Claire snapped shots of the owl, she looked at Claire and launched into flight - right at her. Claire snapped the picture as the owl took flight. Quite a shot. It's a bit blurry but an amazing picture.

Then we hit the wolves. They were all at the back sleeping, and had been doing so for a while apparently, judging by the comments of the other people trying for a look. Well, in one of those "the universe is amazing" moments as Claire decided she would be left with just telephoto shots of sleeping wolves, everyone left. One wolf woke up, walked directly to us by the fence and posed in every way possible. Claire took some amazing photos of the wolf, and I'm looking at printing them up wall art size.

Now, I'm sure it was all just a coincidence that the wolf just decided to come pose for us, but I just have to wonder.

We walked over to the exhibit with two Florida panthers after that, and had an amazing time phtographing them. It was one of those peaceful moments. Nobody else was around, the elevated deck gave us a great view, the wind was blowing gently, the weather was gorgeous, and all the troubles of the world fell away.

All in all, we spent 2 hours at the sanctuary today, and had a wonderful time. It felt great to sign the guestbook as "Annie and Claire Rushden" as we left today.

Steve Stanton's appearance on Larry King Live

Well, it is official. Steve Stanton will not sue Largo, but will be an advocate instead.

Although it would have been great to see the 11th Circuit deal with this before we have to face possible legal battles, I am very glad to know that Steve will be using his story to help raise awareness.

I do wonder if Claire's bosses watched the show tonight. If they did watch, did they connect the dots? Did they see Steve Stanton and think about Claire's nails, hair, voice, etc.? I guess we'll find out.

Once again, a big thanks to the National Center for Lesbian Rights for all they do to help transsexuals. And thanks, Larry King, for being really decent in your interview.

Metta,

Annie

Overhaul for the blog

It's official. I hate XML now. I'll spare you the cussing. I gave the blog a facelift today, and I think I like it. I hated trying to write a custom template for the first time, more so because the new version of Blogger uses XML and CSS only. CSS isn't so bad, but XML and working with the widgets, well... bah humbug. The picture in the banner is from one of Claire's gorgeous photographs. I think I love the colors, but I'm pretty funny about web stuff. I'm likely to be keen on it today and hate it by tomorrow. I do love the full screen view though. I hate scrolling when there is empty space on the screen. I'd love to know what you think.

I grabbed a new avatar for my profile, simply because it was so darn cute. Really, who can resist a sleeping kitten? Add a little toy and you've got me hooked.

Transfigurations

Claire is experiencing an in-between stage right now.

It is quite beautiful. As she lounges around the house in the evening, she wears white linen drawstring pants and a soft pink t-shirt showing the womanly shape that is developing. Her bare feet--that she was always ashamed to show before transition--show polished nails and a dainty anklet. The ever present smile that lights her eyes warms my heart.

The contrast of this with the beard shadow that is lingering from the laser treatment does a funny little disconnect in my brain that just makes me stop and ponder her. She shines with an amazing beauty as she really settles into being herself. It is very amazing to watch the transformation to her true self, both from a scientific point of view and as her spouse.

I think that transition has, so far, been a very emotional process for me. I have seen an unhappy, self-loathing spouse bust out of a coccoon and spread her wings. It doesn't take much for me to flash back and remember the lost and depressed shell that she used to be.

There is something in the eyes of those that have transitioned. I've seen it in many photographs. A deep sense that they are truly at home in their new skin. Sometimes playful, mostly serene. Their new bodies may not ever be "perfect" having suffered the ravages of puberty with the wrong hormones, but it is the right skin, and it is perfect on them.

I'm apparently not the only one that sees this. There is an absolutely amazing slide show here. Jana Marcus has done an amazing job of photographing transmen and transwomen. Jana really captures that something that I try to hard to describe. Please take a moment and visit. It will be worth your time.

Metta,

Annie

Liar, Liar

So, they say lightning doesn't strike in the same place twice.
They Lied!
Lightning struck about 200 times ........ on my face.

I don't want to say that having my first laser hair removal session was painfull, I really don't want to say it. But it hurt like hell, like hell was opening it's gates and shooting me in the face two hundred times with electrified bolts of pure pain.

Yeah, I hear you, I'm a wuss.

But this wuss managed to lay/shake through the whole damn session, like the Rebel Alliance taking out the DeathStar.

Surprisingly I was fairly calm on the drive in and while waiting my turn to be tortured, umm, I mean treated.

I expected it to hurt but apparently my research on the removal of facial hair failed to show that having a lot of coarse dark hair on the face and neck would result in my being zapped by rejected/failed Star Wars missile defense system that apparently was procured from eBay (thanks a lot Google). (Just kidding, I'm sure the machines were purchased from the proper sources).

On the plus side the fact that I was able to go and have the session at all is a tribute to the hormones coursing through my veins and that I am actually enjoying the result of my lungs breathing air in and out these days.

1 session down only 5-8 to go.

I can do this, no I can! Seriously ... well..... one zap erm session at a time and thankfully it's not for another 9 weeks.

GULP!