Day after day of 100 degree heat and 110 heat indexes in Texas...what a drag. (No pun intended).

Ouch!

Another HOT day.  The forecast calls for 102 (f) / 38 (c) today.

Very strange weather. Alaska has been having record highs since April. Anybody who doesn't believe global warming is happening is nuts.

42 C in Germany during that spell, the hottest day ever! Then I came to the UK and it is cool and wet. No surprises there. 

Ouch!

Dallas at 103 heat index...and this is a cold front. Not kidding!

Ouch!

We had the hottest July day on record, and the second hottest day ever.

Raining now though!

xx

Hi Girls,

This summer has been the hottest I can remember. Here in the San Francisco Bay area temps are 

 99 (f) / 37 (c).  I just saw that the UK was experiencing 102 (f) /39 (c) temperatures. I think we (collectively) broke the weather.  

Michelle Lynn

Hi Nicole,

You still in the Bay Area?  Would love to get together.

Message me with contact info.

Hugs,

Michelle Lynn

Hey Michelle!
It's been a long, long time since I checked in.... 
And there you are. 
Well, almost; I missed you by a little more than two months!
We need to have lunch sometime, before I retire and leave the Bay Area.
Drop me a note or message, we need to set something up.
Hugz.

Hi Monica - Thanks for the Welcome back post.  I remember you quite fondly and hope

to run into you or some of the other girls in the chatrooms sometime. 

Have a wonderful week ahead,

Michelle Lynn

Welcome back Michelle, it's good to have you back with us :)

Hugs, Monika

You need to do what makes you happy. Enjoy the voyage!

Good Morning Carol and everyone!

As I sit here, it is 6 pm San Francisco time and I think 2 am London time.

Today was a melancholy day, as my consulting contract with my pharmaceutical  client ended. After lunch however, I left the client site and  went to a friends shop to pick up a new wig I had ordered.  (BTW: I purged all things Michelle about 3 years ago). Big mistake!

My 1st purchase was to replace my wig. I found a cute one. The wig length is slightly below my shoulders, medium brown with some blonde highlights and lots of curls.  Over the next few weeks I plan on getting breast forms, a new makeup kit, some cute shoes and purse and finally some simple jewelry.  Next time, I should think twice about purging.  Once I get the makeup kit, I'll post a new profile picture of me. 

As for my mental state, I realized that the 3 year pause in my life put a great strain on me.  I had attributed it to the difficult work, or the long commutes, but it really was the inner me saying enough already! The inner me wanted to get out!

Sitting here typing this, I feel really happy inside.  Looking forward to venture out again. (Yea!!!).

Have a great Wednesday sisters,

Michelle

I had almost forgotten I was a member until I received a mail wishing me Happy Birthday a couple of days ago.  It's nice to be remembered so it behooved me to make public my thanks in here.

Hope that everyone is having a lovely day.

Carol xx

Hi Gerri !!!

Good morning Michelle.

Good morning Michelle. The forums are a bit quiet at the moment, please feel free to post more!

xx

Hi Everyone,

Just thought I would post a Good morning message to see if anyone is using this section of GS.

It looks like the last post may have been over a year ago.

Michelle

Hi Lucy,

Swapping homes would be fun.

BTW: I loved the music you posted.  Didn't realize it was you 

on all the instruments.  You are both beautiful and talented.

Hugs,

Michelle Lynn

Can we swap homes for a while?

It's about the 14th day of cold and rain here in the English Lake District.

SF sounds wonderful!

xx

Good Morning Laura and Everyone,

Today is supposed to be the 4th "HOT" day in a row. It was 105 on Monday, 104 on Tuesday and 100 on Wednesday here in the San Francisco Bay area.  If you can believe the weather woman, it should only get to 88 degrees f . As of noon, it is 75.

As luck would have it, the swimming pool in my apartment complex is being remodeled, so no help there. Even if it was open, I really could not pass in a swim suit and no makeup. Perhaps someday. For now it is indoors, air conditioning and a trashy novel. 

I wish everyone a wonderful (if not cooler) remainder of your day today.

Hugs,

Michelle Lynn

Good Morning Laura !

Wishing you a wonderful week.

Hugs,

Michelle

Good Morning!

I hope everyone has a great day and better week!

Laura

Hey everyone good morning
I have found life strange lately and have been thinking everyday is a new event maybe lol
I am finally ready to be me as a whole person that is a new and fantastic thought to process

Good morning people, what beauteafull day! Hope u all doing just fine! Have nice one! unfortunately for me it is not as good as i need to search for https://onlinepharmacyreviews.org beacuse of some health issues that i have... but hopefully i'm the only one like this here...

Caitlyn Jenner got me into so much trouble with a bunch of Facebook friends last year that I have been practically hiding under a rock ever since. There were pictures of her all over the place, with everybody commenting ecstatically and swooning, and in comes little vanilla me, innocent as a babe unborn, for some reason I didn't make the connection between the picture and the name, thought it was "just some chick", and had the everlasting misfortune of speaking my honest opinion and saying "she's not my type". Now, if that had been Gwyneth Paltrow, or Nicole Kidman, or any other celebrity chick, that would have been fine, but you can't politely diss Caitlyn Jenner without being lynched, it seems. I was accused of being a supporter of the old patriarchal system, a trans-phobe and a an evil bitch by so many people that I lost count.

Jeez.

I have been hiding in a bunker ever since, lol. That woman is trouble, lol. :)

*giggles*  

Mine are perky, albeit "smallish" (full A-small B at best), especially for someone closer to 70 than 60.  But heck, in terms of their life span, they are more like an 18 year old since I haven't had them that long and my body is in pretty hood shape. (smile)

Regardless, I can get away with being bra-less and do enjoy that over wearing bras.  I'll never, ever consider implants...just my take on that!  I love the natural softness...

Traci xoxo

Julia, I'm so sorry for your loss...

If I was still as flat as I was pre-breast augmentation, I would be so jealous of you two, talking about cleavage and boobs. Before age 25 I'd ask, "what's cleavage?" Couldn't fit an A cup. So why even wear a bra. I didn't want them huge, so I got them done and was a C cup. But then I gained a little weight in my late 20s, lost it, took birth control hormones for many years since my 30s, gained a few pounds again, and now they are DD. Not too happy, I'm trying to reduce them by losing a few pounds...neck, shoulder, and upper back pain. So there are pros and cons to breast augmentation. A little regret every now and then, but overall I'm very happy with them and will not remove them--come on, I'll never sag and have perky titties in my 70s and 80s ;)

Hey Julia!  I will be 66 this summer!  Imagine that?  LOL  But the view from here is so nice...I don't act nor look my age either so I can still get away with a lot.  The highlight of my life was watching some redneck eyeball me (I was wearing a knitted cotton tank top with no bra that revealed a perky set of girls LOL) while he was backing up his souped up pickup truck in a Wal-Mart parking lot.  Not sure you have Wal-Marts in the UK, but the people who tend to shop and lurk there resemble Dante's "hell" and you see just about anything in these oversized grocery/department stores.  In fact, if you wish a good laugh, Google "People of Wal-Mart" and watch some of the slide shows.  I go there on occasion to boost my ego!  (grin)

In any event, this big Bubba with a tummy resembling an overstuffed turkey, cut off at the arms sweat shirt, and mandatory redneck baseball/racing cap showing us who his favorite NASCAR driver is in bold numerals, must have liked what he saw as he was checking out my chest!  A loud "Hey baby" were the last words I heard before a loud crash ensued follwed by a blast of profanity laced multi-syllable vocabulary that even impressed me for poor Bubba had backed up into a "stop sign" and had damaged his beloved truck!  I just smiled and walked away...I loved it!!!! (grin)

Traci xoxo

No I am just me Lisa lol. Everyone says I do not look my age and when I tell them how old I am they seem a bit shocked.

I get hit on by a lot of men but I have been alone (in no relationship) for over 12 years now since my partner of 23 years died suddenly.

I am used to living alone but I know I am never alone , I have many friends I can call and they know they can call me.

My circle of friends are all genetic females and we go out together and they treat me as one of them. They think I should have my own television show. If there is a Karaoke machine anywhere we go they don't get up they want me to.

I can put on more than 20 different voices and it cracks them up. I uploaded a video to youtube doing Her Majesty the Queen and it had over 700 views when I woke up the next day so I deleted it. It was funny I was just taking the piss (with no script). The same happened when I uploaded one of me singing and again I deleted it.

I have no wish to be famous but I will use myself to raise awareness to the right people. I want nothing in return and never will , just letting people know I am as normal as any other woman is enough for me. When I say normal I am just a bit mad but it is fun being me.

Lots of love

Julia x

I would still love to hear from others. I know you have an opinion, people! Please feel free to respond to this even if the thread gets old, that goes for all the threads, don't be shy...reply!

Thank you for that vivid story, Julia! Sounds like he wanted a sugar mama? Do you consider yourself a cougar? Or do you abhor that word like I do. I would not want to be called that when I'm of a certain age...

Hugs and kisses!

Lisa

I love hearing all your points of view! I originally put like in quotes in my OP because it's a soft like. I'm not in love with her because she's a Republican which I can't understand and was against gay marriage, plus things HAVE happened too fast and furiously for her.

She seems to be learning all about the transgender community struggles, trials and tribulations, etc., as she goes along, not before transitioning. Plus right after she transitioned, it came out that she was depressed and shocked and unused to the change--no kidding, after such a sudden transformation. It didn't happen slowly over years. So while she's not a perfect representation, she's a flawed celebrity representation. Better representations: the Ex Navy Seal (don't know her name), Jazz, GiGi Gorgeous (I feel like an inadequate female when I look at her gorgeous pictures!), and would anyone care to add to the list? Julia Ford! Traci Lee O'Gara! Who else? Famous or not.

I'm with Traci, I hope for the best for her that she grows and actually begins to truly understand herself as well as all the issues of ordinary transgender people.

I'm back lol. All this fuss over a lipstick that is most likely made in China. Now back to the person behind it. The only time I have seen anything to do with Caitlyn Jenner she is wearing some overpriced ball gown , does she wear normal clothes?

Put her in my place (poor me not her). An example , every Tuesday and Friday I go to my local market to buy my fruit and veg. Does Jenner buy fruit and veg? No she gets someone else to do it and cook it too I guess , I doubt she does much for herself. This is not just picking on her other celebrities do the same but they are not pretenting to represent me or other transgender people.

So I am waiting in the queue to pay for my fruit and veg and I listen and observe. There were 4 or 5 other females waiting in front of me. The young man serving customers was being pleasant but then comes my turn. Here are his exact words.

Hello babe what are you doing tonight?  I said working and he said what a shame. He then said what about tomorrow? I said I am working , he then asked what do I do (that is my business but I did tell him). He then said let me know when you get a night off. This young man is in his mid twenty's I would guess and I am 58 , that means I am 59 this year , that means I will be 60 next year. I was the oldest one in that queue in my opinion. I was wearing nicely cut jeans and a top and jacket. It was an early nice spring day so it was only a little bit warm. My jacket was unzipped and it was not untill I got home I realised my cleavage was showing. There is nothing wrong in that as during the summer most people can see it , maybe it was the first he had seen since last year who knows. My point is this is normality to me.

Now imagine Caitlyn Jenner standing in that queue! I reckon the man would have said , are you lost? This is a fruit and veg stall on the market not the last night at the proms.

I have pleasant conversations with all the people who serve me on the market or anywhere else my life takes me daily , I call that being normal. I seriously would love to be an onlooker if Jenner had to do normal things. My life does not have a script it just evolves everyday. If I had to learn a script to get by my life would then become an act. If anyone reading this thinks Jenner is your spokes person then if it comes from a script it is therefore an act. I do not need a script I can speak for myself just as others do. To sum this up for now , Caitlyn Jenner lives from a script so therefore is an act.

Take care , Julia xx

Yes, she has taken a pretty easy road for sure...that said, I do not hold this against her and only wish she was wise enough to utilize her gifts to really help out.  I truly think in her own mind she thinks she is.  So one can logically determine that perhaps she is not very intelligent.  I feel she has poor advisors who are more looking after their own self interests in this than a greater cause being transgender rights and issues of the day.  She is "young" though and perhaps in time will come to understand the realities the rest run into and change her ways.  It probably is extremely difficult to live under the microscope that is her life and has been for decades.  I would not want to be her.  Maybe it is best that she does kind of vanish from the radar screen to allow her to digest what she jumped into so quickly?  

Keep our fingers crossed because someone of her fame can be a huge asset if done correctly and she has been out less than a year now!

Traci xoxo

No Traci you never implied I might be jealous of her , it was the way I worded what I had said. As you stated you are not jealous of Jenner and I never would be. I think any trans woman would have to be in a sad place to be jealous of a life like that , how can that be called a life?.

Jenner should take her face out of everyone elses face as it is getting very boring just hearing the name now. Jenner is not someone to look to for inspiration as people think. Jenner does not speak for us as some people think. Jenner went about her transition the wrong way and I think she took the easy way , she has an easy life and constant protection but as I said it is not a life. I like normality and normality is not jumping in the deep end if you cannot swim , you learn to swim first.

I need to get going to live my normal life so I will come back to this later.

Take care , Julia xx

And a big virtual hug Traci :) We know what real life is as do others don't we? xxx

Julia, if I implied you might be jealous of her, that was truly mistake or taken wrong as I know better than that!  (smile) For those that do not know her, Julia and her life experiences are far more valid thn anything Jenner has done to this point.  Thus, when you speak about anything transgender, it is coming from reality, not some contrived televison show plot that might be entertaining for others to view!  Sadly, what she says and does on TV, the magazines, and other forms of media have a big hand in shaping the rest of the unknowing world's opinion about what life is like when you go from an outward appearance of a male to one that is female.  And like yourself, I feel she is going about it in a manner that is not really getting to the proper issues facing 99.9% of us today.  I know that if I had an extra $100,000 dollars (US) hanging around that I could spend on making myself look good, that I too would end up looking as amazing as she does!  We all would!

 But that is exactly the problem, people focusing on how "beautiful" a trans girl looks vs. the real issues of social acceptance, housing, jobs, drug use, prostitution, discrimination of every kind, etc...until we as a world of diverse people can wrap ourselves around that, come to acceptable and livable solutions, and then move on, our struggle and fights will be never ending!  Jenner is in an unbelieveable position to move this process forward but is just unequipped or even unwilling to do so...

So we continue to struggle...

Traci xoxo

The last thing I am Traci is jealous of her just like you said :) , as I said I actually feel sorry for her. What is the point in having all of that money and having no life?. I would not want to live the life she does , it is not living.

As for a 6 year old becoming an expert? She has not even been out 6 years yet and is far from an expert. If she was dumped in the middle of a strange town or city without her body guards and money she would then find out what "real life" is all about , I think she would have a very big reality check.

Take care , Julia xx

Jenner has been given a huge platform due to her celebrity.  My beef with her is that she is acting as a spokesperson, an expert so to say on TG issues, and frankly I feel she truly doesn't know who she is yet.  Would you let a 6 year become "THE expert" on any issue?  My hope is that she drops off the scene for a while, gets her head together, digs into the realities of REAL transgendered women and men, and allows that to sink in first before she becomes another lost beacon that the public will view as a true aurhority.  As Julia mentioned, without her money, status, and the rest, she most likely would be just another guy wearing a wig and falsies that the public would sling arrows into every time she ventured out just like the rest of us.

I am not jealous of her celebrity status and fame but instead just wish she truly understood the issues before she ever came out and then became the latest "star" in our world!  I do not dislike her...I only wish she wasn't caught in the vortex of a Hollywood machine that maniplutes her, and thus us, for their profits and viewers.

As for the contribution to Trans AIDS, that's fine as anything to help others is a good thing.

Traci xoxo

Lisa if anyone can stir things up I guess that will be me , only because I will not lie for anyone.

The money going to the aids charity makes no differnce to Caitlyn Jenner it is just the way her publicity works , it is about publicising herself , it always has been and always will be. She will make more from the publicity than she ever could from the product having her name on it , it is called being clever in a celebrity world. I cannot see the product having much success but she will as usual get her name everywhere. I know you said you like her and you are entitled to like whom ever you wish but her liking herself so much is what makes people dislike her , her bubble will burst one day.

If you use any search engine and search for transgender it just takes you to sex sites. They call them dating sites but they are basically sex sites. I stated on the home page that if the word transgender is always associated with sex then I do not want to be associated with the word. My life is not about sex it is about just living an ordinary life. I think the word should be removed from the dictionary and the idiot that thought of it should be sectioned under the mental health act. That bloody word causes more problems than I can list here.

I am a Transexual and that is a fact. I was born a Transexual and that is a fact. I am not allowed to use that word on certian things I have produced to raise awareness , it is now politically incorrect to call myself what I am , figure that one out.

In an ideal world we would all have been born in the correct bodies but some of us were not. I call myself a woman because that is what I am but I will never deny I was not assigned female at birth. So I am , just to suit others "Transgender". That word covers many types of people. It puts me under an umbrella with CD's TV's Drag queens , Ladyboys (the clue is in the title with them). So if I say to someone I am Transgender I then have to explain my bloody life to some of them , it does my head in.

Sorry I do not know this Kendra person and I have no clue about the cheating business that went on , maybe someone else can answer that for you.

And yes it would be nice if other members new or old joined in here. I think I can count on one hand the members that post in these forums on a regular basis and it is a sad that other people just ignore them.

I will spell it right this time. Take care , Julia x

Thank you for always sharing your opinion and taking the time to write. I am hoping this topic will get people stirred up, and that it will be answered by some new voices, meaning newer members or quieter members, as it seems everyone has an opinion about Caitlyn Jenner.

But since I have you here, what do you think of the Transgender AIDS charity all the proceeds of the lipstick are going to? Am I overreacting that it seems a little...what's the word I'm looking for... I can't think of the word, but it just rubs me the wrong way! Or is it a good charity nonetheless and I'm overthinking it?

You were mentioning on the HOME PAGE (which if you become a MEMBER, you can see it, comment, write something, like other people's comments, you know, GET INVOLVED) anyway you wrote something about TG sex sites, and sex always seems to get roped in with transgender. Here's an example of that. There was a reality star here (Kendra) whose husband supposedly cheated on her. But the scandal wasn't that he just cheated, but that he cheated on her with a transgender woman. Last week, I was watching my entertainment news show and they were interviewing her again, saying a lot happened to her last year, she seems in a good place with her husband, did he in fact cheat with her with a transgender woman? THAT rubbed me the wrong way too.

Personally Lisa and being 100% honest as I always am I do not like her. I have never met her and would never wish to. I cannot hate people but some people I do take a disliking to and Caitlyn Jenner is one of them.

I very much doubt she even knows how to apply the lipstick and I am fed up with people thinking this person speaks for transgender individuals , no person speaks for me , I do it , and most other trans people speak for themselves too.

Even with her make up artists on hand 24/7 any image of her is photoshopped. Jenner could never have done what we have to in such a short time without her money , live an ordinary life not surrounded by security guards. Caitlyn Jenner would be a better person if she had done this alone and without an endless pot of cash for cosmetic surgery and anything else she wants. In a way I kind of feel sorry for her , she missed out on the chance to find herself and left it to others to do it for her. I would not want someone deciding what I am going to wear tomorrow would you?.

I would not buy the stuff and would not even try a free sample. It is lipstick and most use the same ingredients so it is no better than what I use.

What makes a transgender individual is what they go through to become who they are. What has happened here is other people have made her who she is , it is just not the same.

Tak care , Julia x

See Caitlyn Jenner's First Beauty Campaign - Cosmopolitan
https://apple.news/A0yTgjoznTFSY-FWVrkDobQ

I came across this yesterday and would like your opinion. I know some of you don't like Caitlyn, others are indifferent. I 'like' her (I can't hate anyone who looks like Cindy Crawford, I just can't, Cindy's my girl we both have a mole above our lips). Should I buy the lipstick?

I have also worn MAC lipstick in the past, I like it, it smells like dessert. This color they're promoting looks good. I like it a lot. But I haven't worn lipstick in years. I use an all natural tinted lip balm Alba Botanica in the color Blaze, which is red in color. It's all I need. Easy to apply, I can blot it to look more natural or apply it a lot for a more intense red look.

All proceeds of this Caitlyn lipstick go towards the charity AIDS Fund Transgender Initiative. This rubs me the wrong way for some reason. Why not just a transgender awareness charity? AIDS is a problem in all communities (have you seen the disturbing movie, Kids?) but maybe it rubs me the wrong way because AIDS = promiscuity = fetish = transgender. I don't know, am I overreacting?

What are your thoughts?

I bought tickets for my family to watch these guys, (and girl) the other night and it was brilliant! I saw them when I was a child, maybe 11 or 12 years old at a time when they were on TV a lot and it was nice to see them again as an adult and still find the show just as impressive and entertaining. It's easy to forget that underneath the entertainment, they are all very good basketball players. 

We had courtside seats, my children got pulled out a few times to pass the ball around with them and dance with them during half time and they are still talking about it! We met them all after the game and every one of them posed for individual photographs, chatted and signed autographs. They were patient, enthusiastic and great role models. 

They have been going for 90 years, I hope that they go for another 90 as they are wonderful ambassadors on so many levels. 

If you have never seen them live, I thoroughly recommend it. 

What a sorry state isn't it. 

Sorry to hear that Nikki she sounds like a really good friend. In answer to your making your way to the UK (If there is any room left).

You will have to claim asylum unless you are rich. The housing market has come to a standstill because demand is so high the prices are out of reach for ordinary people. Net migration last year was about 350,000 but you can double that for the illegals. The UK government has promised to take in 25,000 Syrians over the next 5 years but they will all come this year , and then some more. The UK government will pay the rent on houses for them that no working class citizen can afford to rent.

I wish you luck , take care , Julia x

This morning a good friend of mine at work was informed that she would be made redundant in August.  We have worked closely together for several years and she has always been brilliant. She never allows an off day to affect her relationships at work and she is extremely good at her job. It's such a pity. 

The rest of us will be following over the next few years, with most of us making our way to the UK, (if there is any room left!), to find new jobs so this came as no surprise. It doesn't make it any better though.