My life

[butterflyjack (imported)]

Egads, Danya...That sonata by Senor Arrau seems to be the most difficult piece to play...His finger movements are wonderful... Your depth knows no bounds...to be able to play this..No wonder you have muscle pain! This stuff obviously requires regular practice, else muscles are going to complain...loudly.

Reference the organ music....the picture shown depicting four devout christians praying to the impaled Jesus in front of dad..What's unusual is that the cross is not a cross..It's a T...no top piece...So what is it...a cross or a T?

Did Jesus die on a T? You may be able to tell I don't believe this stuff...as I recall you may...Organ music is apparently much more physical than piano...Requiring much leg work...You are so talented...smooches dragonfly

[Caith721 (imported)]

Overdoing it, huh? Maybe you're over-overdoing it.

There used to be videos on one of the religious cable networks of an older (mid-to-late 60s, early 70s) woman playing a huge pipe organ. I was always amazed at the physical exertion required, between reaching for stops and across three levels of keyboards and especially the legwork required for the pedals. Some pieces made it appear the woman was literally dancing and stomping, her leg movements were so vigorous. I'd wager that woman did a lot of walking or aerobic exercise in her spare time to stay fit.

The important thing is you do what makes you happy, whether it's enjoying the beauty and power of the organ and playing challenging musical pieces, or writing about it here, or getting out and walking and taking photographs. Nobody knows what works best for you, except you. Right now, it's more important you're happy and healthy before your surgery. If you overdo it, well that's what you get for enjoying it so much. It will all be okay if you just remember to get some rest, too.

Stay well, stay happy.

[Danya (imported)]

Egads, Danya...That sonata by Senor Arrau seems to be the most difficult piece to play...His finger movements are wonderful... Your depth knows no bounds...to be able to play this..No wonder you have muscle pain! This stuff obviously requires regular practice, else muscles are going to complain...loudly.

I've been fortunate in my life to have had opportunities for a variety of experiences. I was very much into classical music from a young age and, although neither of my parents were, they encouraged me to play. So I've been doing this a very long time.

My parents also placed a very high value on education. My father used to say "You can never have too much education. No one can take it away from you." As a young man in the Army, he was offered the chance to attend Johns Hopkins University at government expense. He turned down the offer, feeling he was not capable enough. He always regretted that decision. Although he never went to college, he educated himself very well over the years. He was a great role model in this way.

I've learned a lot over the years and I am very pleased to continue to learn new things. There are far more subject areas that I know nothing or little about than the few I have relatively in-depth knowledge in. That's part of the on-going fun, though, of learning new things.

I am very happy you listened to some of the music. Part of the joy I get from music is sharing it.

Reference the organ music....the picture shown depicting four devout christians praying to the impaled Jesus in front of dad..What's unusual is that the cross is not a cross..It's a T...no top piece...So what is it...a cross or a T?

Did Jesus die on a T? You may be able to tell I don't believe this stuff...as I recall you may...Organ music is apparently much more physical than piano...Requiring much leg work...You are so talented...smooches dragonfly

Here is a Wikipedia reference to St. Anthony's cross, the T-shaped cross based on the Greek letter tau: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cross_of_Tau

I do recall that you don't believe 'this stuff.' That does not matter at all to me. I've written myself here that people should

not draw conclusions about my beliefs based on what

I write about Christianity.

Thanks once again for your kind words.

Overdoing it, huh? Maybe you're over-overdoing it.

I have a definite tendency to over-overdo things. You noticed this, too? I'll rationa

lize it by using a certain personality profile as an excuse. One of my key strengths is Achiever. As always, though, strengths can also be weaknesses. I need to find a balance.

There used to be videos on one of the religious cable networks of an older (mid-to-late 60s, early 70s) woman playing a huge pipe organ. I was always amazed at the physical exertion required, between reaching for stops and across three levels of keyboards and especially the legwork required for the pedals. Some pieces made it appear t

he woman was literally dancing and stomping, her leg movements were so vigorous. I'd wager that woman did a lot of walking or aerobic exercise in her s

pare time to stay fit.

I always get a kick out of watching other people play. The pipe organ I play has three manuals, too. It can be challenging. But I like to be challenged.

The important thing is you do what makes you happy, whether it's enjoying the beauty and power of the organ and playing challenging musical pieces, or writing about it here, or getting out and walking and taking photographs. Nobody knows what works best for you, except you. Right now, it's more important you're happy and healthy before

your surgery. If you overdo it, well that's what you get for enjoying it so much. It will all be okay if you just remember to get some rest, too.

Stay well, stay happy.

For now, as I let my strained muscles recuperate, writing is a good outlet for me. Your encourging, supportive words mean a lot. I do need to get enough rest, too. Thank you.

[JessicaH (imported)]

I grew up listening to my mother play the piano and organ for hours. When I was a kid, we lived in a mobile home with paper thin walls and my bed was on the other side of the so called "wall" from my mothers piano.

I can remember many a saturday morning being woken up to the sound of Moonlight Sonata or many other tunes. I may not know the name of all of them but if I hear someone play them , I will instantly know if they miss a note or dont play it right!

I regret that I missed the opportunity growing up to not learn how to play the piano. Although my mom was a piano teacher, she never pushed me to learn and I never really told her I wanted to learn.

I can picture her playing her old organ with all of it's pedals, foot switches and a hundred something electronic switches up top with two layers of keys. It was humorous to see her 5' body sitting on the stool with both feet and both hands flying all over the place. lol

I don't know that she ever had a chance to play a pipe organ but she is very talented and I'm sure she would have enjoyed it and done it well. Your posts of playing always bring back fond memories of my mom from many years ago which is always nice...

She eventually gave her organ and piano away and has had several different electronic ones which she enjoys quite a bit. It is nice to know that if she moves again, I don't have to help move those heavy beasts. I'm guessing that I won't be getting asked to help move heavy stuff for too much longer though! lol It's just too cheep to hire local movers!

[Danya (imported)]

I grew up listening to my mother play the piano and organ for hours. When I was a kid, we lived in a mobile home with paper thin walls and my bed was on the other side of the so called "wall" from my mothers piano.

I have no doubt, with the hours of practice I put in on many days especially during the summer, that my parents and younger brothers got tired of hearing me after awhile. No one ever complained, though.

I can remember many a saturday morning being woken up to the sound of Moonlight Sonata or many other tunes. I may not know the name of all of them but if I hear someone play them , I will instantly know if they miss a note or dont play it right!

That you can notice these things shows you have an innate musical ability. Not everyone can pick up wrong notes and other things.

I regret that I missed the opportunity growing up to not learn how to play the piano. Although my mom was a piano teacher, she never pushed me to learn and I never really told her I wanted to learn.

You might find that you could still learn to play the piano, if that's still an interest. At least enough to have fun.

:

I can picture her playing her old organ with all of it's pedals, foot switches and a hundred something electronic switches up top with two layers of keys. It was humorous to see her 5' body sitting on the stool with both feet and both hands flying all over the place. lol

I'm fortunate, for organ playing, that I'm 5'9" tall. I once played a five manual pipe organ for a recital. I agree, watching someone play an organ can be very funny.

:

I don't know that she ever had a chance to play a pipe organ but she is very talented and I'm sure she would have enjoyed it and done it well. Your posts of playing always bring back fond memories of my mom from many years ago which is always nice...

I'm very happy you shared this, and glad I'm able to do that for you.

_______________________

I realized late last night that my anxiety was caused by the Ritalin I took for just two days. This was supposed to help me during the time I would be without an antidepressant.

The first morning I took Ritalin, it seemed to help but my anxiety increased during the day. It took me hours to get to sleep that night. This is never a problem for me.

Yesterday, I again took Ritalin in the morning. By late afternoon, I was feeling very anxious. By evening, I felt like I was going to jump out of my skin.

The Ritalin side effects might not have been so bad for me were it not for the medicine I'm taking to keep my asthma in check as I continue to recover from the bacterial infection. That, too, can cause anxiety.

I did not take Ritalin today and I'm not at all anxious about surgery or anything else. In addition, I do not feel depressed. So far, so good. I'll see how things go

[quote="Danya (imported)" time=12

98730540]

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[/quote]


This afternoon, I spoke with my recruiter, letting him know about my upcoming surgery date and likely recovery time. I left some wiggle room in for recovering.

Although I do not have much experience as a contractor, I suspected my recruiter might want to directly contact the hiring manager. This was the case.

The end result, conveyed to me by both my recruiter and my boss at the company, is they love my work and want me to return after I have recovered. There is a slight possibility that may not work out, but I won't go into the boring details.

I was very glad to get this news. I still need to get details on the implications. Technically, my contract ends April 30. During April, the company wants to work on extending all contracts through year's end. Since I will not return to work before the end of April, I do not think they will extend my contract. The more likely outcome is that they would begin a new contract for me sometime in May.

I'll try to find out tomorrow. This outcome is fine with me and has several positive aspects.

Although I enjoy the people I work with, this job is the least challenging job I've ever had. The young woman I do much of my work for says she feels the same way. Neither of us feels this is a good thing.

For now, though, it pays the bills. Knowing I'll likely have the option of returning eases my mind a bit, too. Whatever happens, I feel that I have a number of possibilities for my life and career.

[Danya (imported)]

I toyed with the idea of posting this on Eunuch Central, since I've read that this area is the most read. This is not, however, a castration related post. So I will try this here first.

I've gotten some great feedback on locations before. I'm wondering if anyone has additional information or comments.

The Chicago area, my current location, is considered on of the best in the country for transgender folks. I still love Chicago. I'm finding, though, as I get older that very cold, often humid winters and mostly hot, humid summers are more difficult for me than they used to be. In particular, these conditions cause me breathing problems.

There's an additional point I've mentioned before. If I remain in my current line of work, there are a number of US metro areas that, on a per capita basis, have far more posted job openings than the Chicago region. Chicago actually tends to rank near the bottom on posted openings in my line of work. This has been a continuing trend for the many months I have tracked it.

While I may very well remain in the Chicago area, I'm actively investigating a possible move within the next 2 to 6 months. I'm also considering

where I might want to spend the rest of my life. My

bias is for the west coast. I enjoy being near the ocean and mountains. I enjoy being outside to hike and explore among beautiful surroundings. I never tire of the west coast. It is, in fact, my favorite region of the US.

Each of these five locations offers more job opportunities for me than the Chicago metro area. Not all are one the west coast. Those that are not are on the east coast, where I grew up. I accept that there is no perfect location. I'm fully aware of cost of living differences among these locations. That is a secondary consideration.

I welcome all comments, both positive and negative, about these five regions. Again, I'm particularly interested in openness/acceptance of trans people. Any other comments, though, are also welcome.

1. San Francisco metro region

2. Portland, OR metro area

3. Seattle, WA metro area

4. Boston, MA metro area

5. New York City metro area

The only city on this list I have not visited is Seattle. I've been to Portland once and really liked it. All of the remaining cities I've visited more times than I can remember.

I've done my own investigation on the "trans friendly", or generally tolerant/accepting attitudes in these places. Here on EA, though, I have a handy group of people who live all over the country and the world. Many here are also familiar with the issues trans people face.

Although Boston and New York are not especially warm in the winter, they are both milder than Chicago. On one climate scale, New York is considered to have a humid subtropical climate (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_York_City). It it the northernmost US city with this 'subtropical' designation.

Again, any input is welcome. Many thanks.

[Slammr (imported)]

I've lived in both Seattle and Portland and live in Portland, now. Seattle is a great city, and I know of few that are more beautiful. There's definitely more to do in Seattle, the sports teams, the water, the ferries, U of W, and all. I attended the U of W for two years, and I loved the University district. I love downtown Seattle.

The weather is a little hard to take, though. The sun disappeared in November the first year I lived there and didn't come back out until the middle of January, not even for a minute during that time, and I remember an August during which we seemed to have downpours every day for the entire month.

I haven't lived in Seattle since 1969, but I used to have a motor home, and I spent most of my summers traveling around Washington in and around Seattle.

I love Portland. It's weather is better than is Seattle weather, and I like downtown Portland. I don't doubt that there's more to do in Seattle, though. Portland is a little bit small town compared to Seattle.

Summers in Portland are great. I bought the first air conditioner I've owned since living here a couple of years ago during an unusually hot spell that lasted about a week. Usually, the temperature might hit 100 for a couple of days during August at the most, and we might have one snow event during the winter, where we have 3 or 4" of snow, which is gone in a day or so. We had none this year. It's been rainy this winter, but it doesn't rain hard. About the most I've worn has been a sweatshirt hoody.

There are some fairly cheap apartments around, say in the $600 range. My electricity bill for a one bedroom apartment runs about $80/month, and that covers heating and cooling. It also covers about every electronic device imaginable, two computers, TV, etc.

Portland is pretty liberal and accepting of everyone, so I don't think you would have any problems.

If you make it to Portland, I'd love to meet you. I've attended a MoM we had here a couple of years ago, and Jesus and I have met several times.

[Danya (imported)]

I appreciate all the details you provided, both for Seattle and Portland.

When I visited a friend in Portland, it was probably sometime in February. I remember that spring ornamental trees were starting to bloom, along with camellias and many other things. I liked the smaller city atmosphere, too. While in Oregon, I drove along the flanks of Mt. Hood, then over to Bend. After a night in Bend, I took a drive through the Cascade Mountains. The snowy mountain views were awesome. I wound up on Interstate 5 south of Eugene, then drove north back to Portland.

While I love really big cities like Chicago, I'd like them better if I had the money to live in a downtown condo highrise. That way, I could avoid the traffic and still enjoy all the city has to offer. Chicago's traffic is among the worst in the country.

Right now, a smaller city is very appealing. Particularly one with a much milder climate than Chicago and a beautiful physical environment, too.

I'd love to meet you, too. Perhaps we will have the opportunity for that before too many months have gone by.

[Danya (imported)]

I will write at least once more before leaving for Montreal on April 17.

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________

__________________[quote="Danya (imported)" time=1295

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________________________

__

My roommate, who is a
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derstand the 'major[quote="Danya (imported)" time=12951

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[quote="Danya (imported)" time=12

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__________________________________________________
[/quote]
________

The people at the church

I'm attending are very nice. My organist friend said

she has put together a small package with a surprise gift for each day I am away. She also volunteered to

bring over meals while I am recovering at home.

She a

nd I will do an organ/piano duet sometime in late May. That will be a lot of fun. She also told me that t

he church is paying to have the pipe organ builder co

me in one Saturday to go over the fine points of the organ construction with both of us. This was a very

nice surprise. He or she will also go over some of the

best sound combinations for this instrument. Pipe organs each have their own personality. It can take a

while to get used to what works best on each instrument.

I've been making progress but it will be a lot of fun to have someone involved in building this fine ins

trument go over the details.

I will likely still subs

titute for the organist on Memorial Day weekend. Erica Ann told me I'd be sufficiently recovered by then.

__________________________________________________

_

I went to the Chicago Botanic Garden this afternoon, where I walked for 90 minutes. We've been having well below normal temperatures for the last few weeks, which has likely slowed down the progression of spring flowers. Still, there were a number of early spring flowering bulbs in full blossom. Including some practically microscopic crocuses.

[Caith721 (imported)]

The church is paying to have the pipe organ builder co

me in one Saturday to go over the fine points of the organ construction with both of us. This was a very

nice surprise. He or she will also go over some of the

best sound combinations for this instrument. Pipe organs each have their own personality. It can take a

while to get used to what works best on each instrument.

I've been making progress but it will be a lot of fun to have someone involved in building this fine ins

trument go over the details.

Now, THAT is going to be an extremely interesting and probably also entertaining visit. You're absolutely correct about them having their own personality. Knowing how it's built and where everything is situated exposes the secrets of that personality and allows you to use it to your advantage. I've always been amazed whenever I watched video of these beautiful organs being thoroughly cleaned and re-tuned. I imagine the builder is likely to have some interesting stories about your organ and others he's maintained.