Goodbye and Hello.

This is the goodbye part.

I've grown accustomed to writing blog posts after midnight.  I don't know, perhaps it's a pattern I developed during transition when I couldn't sleep and stayed up for hours upon hours trying to figure out how to get through the transition tube.  When you're inside the middle of the tube, you're surrounded by a cold and hollow darkness, and you're not sure if you can see the light at the end of it.

But thankfully for me, I made it out to the other side alive and in one piece.  Looking back I'm not so sure it was all a perfect plan or massive luck.   What I am most certain is that I relied heavily upon the many friends who at times offered a hand in the day or an ear to the phone so late at night it became morning time for coffee at a Denny's somewhere in Alhambra, California.   There's nothing like establishing a connection with those who know exactly what you're going through, even if turns out they live fifteen hundred miles away.

The time has come for me to step aside from T-Central.  As many of you know I am longer posting to my old LorisRevival blog and my "life at the next level" is keeping me busy enough where I simply don't have as much time or energy to maintain what started off as a second page to my original blog.  It was  a page designed just to highlight all the blogs I followed and the friends I made for easy reference.   Over time T-Central grew in both blogs listed and in followers that it's taken a life of its own.   Because it continues to provide a service to many, from the trans person just beginning to consider transition, to the parent raising a transgender child, and even to the significant other of a trans person who's looking to read from the perspective of other trans people to help them chart the next course with, or without, the person they first fell in love with.

That being said, in addition to the current moderators/administrators who are listed, I have named my good friend Calie of Calie's Chronicles as the main moderator and caretaker/owner of T-Central.   I'm certain that the site will continue as is, free of ads and updated with new bloggers as they too come on the scene wherever they might be on the T-spectrum.   I will continue to read and post comments when I'm able to find the time to read blogs, but I will no longer have any control or admin privileges over T-Central.   I'm thankful that there are those willing to carry the torch and continue to maintain it as a service to others.  

Thank you for giving me the opportunity to be of some use, and thank you to all of you who continue to share your story.   I believe every one of us has a unique, inspiring story to tell.   I'm grateful for all the extraordinary people I've met and look forward to peeking in from time to time to see more bloggers share in this amazing journey.  

Calie, (and Veronique, Renee, and Christianne), it's all yours.

Fresh face

I'm a terrible T-Central contributor. I'm not very good at searching out new blogs, but sometimes I get lucky and they come to me. That's what happened when Sophie commented on a blog entry I just wrote, which led me to Mental Boonies, her new blog started only this month. She writes with intelligence and wit, a dash of irreverence, and a spiritual angle that many will find appealing. That's not usually me, but her Note to God entry really moved me. And I have to admit, she cited a good quote from C. S. Lewis. Say hi to the new girl on the block!

Common Teri's Commentary

Ever since I began my first steps to transition, my friend Teri had a blog on Yahoo 360 where she would write her unadulterated thoughts about transition, life, and the new challenges of living as a woman.  She left the blog world for a few months recently but has returned with a new blog and new input.  Her most recent posts already prove she's back in true form sharing her heart and chronicling her life in a real and sensitive way.  

Please head over to her site and become a follower.  It's definitely worth it!

http://commontericommentary.blogspot.com/

Aren't We All Out of Our Minds?

I don't always stick to Blogger to find interesting writers who have a story to tell. A lot of good writers can be found on Wordpress and LiveJournal, and I still have a few friends who never abandoned the nearly abandoned Yahoo 360.

One of those friends, Leslie Ann, still posts there for now, but she's also begun to post her crazed thoughts over on Blogger at my request. (Okay, I'll admit it, I'm lazy, and I like reading blogs on my mobile Google Reader in addition to here at T-Central. I can't reliably add 360 blogs to it.)

Leslie Ann, in my opinion, writes from the deep reserves of a passionate spirit longing to find her center in being transgender. What's more, she is one of many who may not or don't pursue transition, something we don't see many people willing to write and blog about. I think those who choose that path also deserve to be heard, and if you'd like to know what that's like, please check out Leslie's site and follow along with her. I know I'll be following closely. Very closely. That girl's out of her mind.
(Really, really, I don't think she's all that crazy.)

Teri, Debbie, Dee, and Allison

Today over on CommonTeri's blog, Teri opens up about her successful day performing at the recent Fresno talent show and the positive review she received from online Gay Fresno. Her point is that we should interact with the world and let them see our talents so that they come to know us for who we are.

Over on Debbie's Life, she ventures into the realm of podcasting as she prepares to travel for her own surgery. I haven't had a chance to give it a full listen, but give Deb your support as she documents one of the biggest moments in her life. She's got a great voice too! As Lucy heals from her own surgery, we wish you luck Debbie!

Dee of Dee's Tales continues to write about the vivid emotions she experiences about the necessity of blogging to help sort through her many thoughts. I like Dee's writing a lot, I think you will too.

And last but certainly not least, I found a new friend in the gorgeous Allison Mackenzie. After reading her most recent blogs, I found myself going back reading her previous writings, and I was hooked. Allison has done a marvelous job chronicling the highs and lows of transition, and I think her wordpress journal is as good as it gets. She faces FFS (pun intended) within a couple of weeks. Her page says "Just another Wordpress blog," but there's much more to it than that.

Too much to read and too little time to do it in. Toodles!

The Radical Tranny's Take on Using the Word "Tranny"

Ethan St. Pierre is well known for his bold activism and work on the Transgender Day of Remembrance project . His podcast, "The Radical Trannies" on TransFM is doing wonders to promote equality and to spread an affirming message for transmen and women everywhere.

In his latest post on his My Halo blog, Ethan explains the differences between groups in the use of the word "Tranny." Whether you find it derogatory or a word we need to reclaim, similar to "Queer" being reclaimed by the gay and lesbian community, Ethan gives a good explanation why it's not a generally appropriate word to use. Head on over to My Halo and find out more.

Blogs of the Day, Version 1.0

Beginning today, Renee and I will be giving brief reviews of recent blog postings from others that you may have missed. While it will certainly only scratch the surface, we hope to highlight interesting stories and life events here at the top of the T-Central page.

Over on Teresa's Treasures, today was the day she got her name changed...woo hoo! Go T.E.R.E.S.A! That's just a name FULL of "awesome sauce!" (as Jayna and Mila put it).

Kathryn of Kathryn's Journey met with HR and has a date set for her to go full time at work...stay tuned to hear how that goes. Results from coming out at work still vary from person to person. I have a feeling Kathryn will do just fine, after having followed her blog for a while. Go girl!

And Veronique over on TransCanada discusses what life is like to be happy. She also includes a video at the bottom. If you haven't followed her blog yet, you're missing a wonderful writer who shares her heart and soul.

Finally, Stephanie posts in her own blog about coming to terms with the big "Why," and decides that "I'm a happy girl, not an angry shadow. That's all that matters."

I like that reasoning. I like it a lot.