On being Liz

[LizK]

So its now 9am and I have been sitting here for nearly 2 hours contemplating the next part of my day.

I am thinking about going out to try again and get my ID changed, this time I am armed with a Legal Document from my home country so hopefully it should do the trick. If it doesn't then I am not sure what I will do but if the licence manager is true to her word that I spoke to last time then it will be fine...I wanted to do the whole lot at the same time, all on the one day but I can't today but I can tomorrow...the reason being the person I need to see at the Medicare office is not there until tomorrow.

I am feeling quite anxious about doing this today(tomorrow I can have some moral support) after the really hard time I got last time I went...partly my own fault though as I didn't have the right paperwork when I thought I did...I listened to what someone told me without checking for myself...dumb I know and something I don't usually do, but I wanted what she told me to be true.

I will go and beautify myself for the day  and if the feeling moves me I might just go and get my licence done today anyway...

Liz

[jentay1367]

Go kick some butt, Liz! 😉

[LizK]

The feeling to get out and change my name on my licence didn't move me, I spoke to my wife who has agreed to drive me around in the morning as she has the day off...what she doesn't know is we are going out for lunch...time to treat her to a nice lunch and I have just the place in mind...it is an old converted surf club right above the beach on a 50ft cliff...beautiful ocean views, been converted to a really nice restaurant. Been there a few times and the staff have always been hopeless...the food however has been nothing but great.

We also need to get some gifts for a baby shower she is going away to on Friday. I am going to be playing bachelorette for the weekend along with Dog sitting...no matter, don't mind being on my own.  5 years ago I would have been really excited by the prospect of getting to spend a whole weekend "being me" ...now being me is just my life and the weekend is my own.....Hmmm what mischief can I get up to...with the limitations I have...not as much as I would like!!

So all that should be a bit of fun...

Liz

[davina61]

you party animal!!!!!!!

[LizK]

So off to change my driver licence and my social security details along with my medical details...I have the document they say I need ($180 out of pocket thanks) so I figure I am set. Nothing is ever straight forward and that goes the same for this...despite having the paperwork...they had to have a committee meeting about it all at services SA...Medicare was easier but longer wait. The Lady there was lovely... from them to the Dr's which was a breeze now that I have my new Medicare activated...and lastly the Bank...Not convinced they have it right yet but they made a great effort and I should have my new Cards early next week....

So I still have to do a heap of stuff but none of it urgent...I will fairly soon have all my new ID for the basics, Photo licence, Bank account, Govt agencies...so if I need to I can produce 100 points ID. There a few things I will need to change but not urgently and can be done as they are needed.

All the people I dealt with today were really nice and named me correctly and in one case I was referred to as "that lady" to which I had the opposite reaction, than to hearing "that man".    I felt sorry for the young guy at the bank who was being really lovely to me and actually was having a small flirt with me which I thought was cute but he was having a hard time with his computer and everything seemed to take for ever. In the end he sent me on my way and called me a bit later to follow up. 

Very productive day...the hard part is done and with the ID I have now, I can change anything else with ease.

Liz

[JeanetteLW]

I felt sorry for the young guy at the bank who was being really lovely to me and actually was having a small flirt with me which I thought was cute but he was having a hard time with his computer and everything seemed to take for ever. In the end he sent me on my way and called me a bit later to follow up. 

Very productive day...the hard part is done and with the ID I have now, I can change anything else with ease.

Liz

  Congrats! Liz, You did it, you are getting new IDs in your chosen name!  Ids that will finally match who you are!
It was a hard won fight and we are proud of you and your tenacity in getting it done. ((( HUG )))  Are you celebrating and basking it the glory of it or waiting until you actually receive those pesky cards?
 
  So he was having a little flirt with you was he? Are you sure it wasn't the other way around and you just didn't want to tell us? Huh? Well?  Which way was it, Miss Liz?  LOl  Just tickling your ribs a bit.

  I am really happy for your accomplishment, Lady. You prove persistence can pay off.

Hugs,
    Jeanette

[LizK]

    So he was having a little flirt with you was he? Are you sure it wasn't the other way around and you just didn't want to tell us? Huh? Well?  Which way was it, Miss Liz?  LOl  Just tickling your ribs a bit.

Hugs,
    Jeanette

I will be honest he started it but I guess I could be held somewhat responsible...maybe a little but he managed to make me blush...no man in this world has ever done that to me before...Hmmmmm Interesting...it was nice, in fact, nicer than I would have imagined and I just responded...I know it was all in fun...but it was nice....and as I said he was cute. I think I should stop now

Liz

[JeanetteLW]

he managed to make me blush...no man in this world has ever done that to me before...Hmmmmm Interesting...it was nice, in fact, nicer than I would have imagined and I just responded...I know it was all in fun...but it was nice....and as I said he was cute. I think I should stop now

Liz

  Uh huh    LMAO good for you girl.

Hugs,
    Jeanette

[davina61]

Well done girl, another big hurdle sorted. Flirting - see I was right party animal. There I go sense of humour letting me down again. Anyway another well done for you

[LizK]

  To my First round of Hair Implants they are now 1 year Old 

[LizK]

I posted awhile ago about my younger brother who lives in the same town as me and the difficulty I have had with his wife. He told me he had been fuelling his wife's Transphobia by telling her things about me that when put in a certain way make me look like a self centred demanding horrible cow....he has fed this to the point where she won't even be in the same room as me. I said when I posted last time I didn't feel as hurt as I thought I would...I think I was just too numb.

He has been away for 3 weeks and is due back in the next day or so and I have been looking after his place while he has been away. I am not even sure what to do...the things he has said about me are horrible and I don't really want to think about them but for her to hate me so much because of what he has told her....is disgusting. Then on top of all this he told me a story from work and at the end I said that is a pretty racist thing to say...he replied by saying well if that makes me a racist then I am a racist. when I put to him that he really didn't believe the whole race was like the 4 kids he was talking about...he claimed yes it did and if that made him a racist then that is what he is..it got much worse than that but you get the idea...I made a decision a long time ago not to involve those kinds of people in my life and if he wasn't my brother I am not sure I would ever have contact with him, so with his latest transphobic admission I am not sure why I am bothering... 

So by Contrast

My Oldest brother who live in New Zealand called me...he and I have always been close and have never lied to each other or at least I have never lied to him. He asked me some hard question during the early part of my transition and we had some awkward conversations but at the ends of the day he always did it with love and without malice. We have even had some fairly heated arguments about my parents and have not always agreed but have always had each others backs. He is a good guy....

His wife's Mum passed away right around the same time I came out to the world on Facebook and began living full time so he and I have not had a chance to speak for about 4-5 months except today we talked....How is life now that I am Liz fulltime, have my interests changed at all?, How have I been received/treated?, How am I psychologically, Am I happy, etc etc and the whole time he called me Liz and gendered me correctly without so much as missing a beat. I was astonished at how easy he managed to make it sound considering it must have taken quite some effort on his part. I was really touched deeply by this. He used my name with such ease it really made me feel quite normal for the first time in a long time....

What a contrast

Liz

[JeanetteLW]

  Yes, Liz, What a contrast indeed.  And you are house sitting the mean brother's place why?

Hugs,
   Jeanette

[LizK]

  Yes, Liz, What a contrast indeed.  And you are house sitting the mean brother's place why?

Hugs,
   Jeanette

if I had said no...that would have most likely slammed the door to ever having any kind of relationship...I don't want to lose him...even though he seems a lost cause, he is family...and if I slam that door, I never give him the opportunity to change...he contacted me this morning since he landed back in the country. He will be back anytime within 3 days...so I have at least a day to think about how I will approach this...

Liz

[JeanetteLW]

  Well Liz, I do understand.

  I have a sister that got her nose out of joint over something I said and has cut off all contact with me. She has blocked me from he social media and has disowned me. I don't think what I said warranted such behavior but apparently she did. Such is life. I have even thought of going to see her but wouldn't put it past her to take a shot at me if she saw me on her property. It's sad but I still love her like I love all my sisters. She even quit making her annual Thanksgiving visit to us even though she knows she is welcome here. So she punishes my sister Karen over her feud with me.
  Family... yes I understand, Liz.

  I hope you can address your particular family issues and come to a workable understanding. An apology would be wonderful but from what you've told us I doubt that is likely. I'm sorry for you Liz.

  You can always come here and have a cry on our collective shoulders. Or you can PM any number of us if you need a little more intimate of a shoulder to cry on.  We are here for you, Liz

  Hugs,
    Jeanette

[LizK]

He Jeanette

I won't shed any more tears for him...this is his loss. I am going on with my life and am not going to be dwelling on his pettiness. If he wants to come and sit and be a real human being then he can...up until then ....well  ces't la vie

This is more about a strategy to keep the door open but away from me LOL He has wasted far more of my energy than I should have allowed, so now I am about management or in this case "containment" 

Would love to come and see you all but never to cry on anyone's shoulder, would sooner be getting a makeover

Liz

[JeanetteLW]

Would love to come and see you all but never to cry on anyone's shoulder, would sooner be getting a makeover

Liz

    aaaaarrrrrrgg

[davina61]

Oooh you girls crease me up , that made my day.









DONT FORGET THAT MAKE OVER

[LizK]

I want to keep posting in this same thread because I want to document this next part of my journey. GCS/SRS

So ever since that last awful discussion I had with my "Psychiatrist" the one good thing to come out of it was that he told me I should get onto organising my surgery as the waiting list is long. Since then I have been mulling over that decision. I spoke to my wife about it again and she says she understands and expected it. It makes perfect sense in her eyes. She really didn't have much more than that to say. We have discussed it in the past in more detail and she has not changed her views one bit. If that is what I need to do then that is what I need to do. Right ..well...I will then 

So yesterday I set the ball rolling and I need to fly interstate for my first appointment with the surgeon in Melbourne. I will go and have the first consult which will be sometime in July or August. I have provided 8 dates for appointments and am just waiting for a confirmation from one on one of them so I can book the airfares...another $200 added to the bill just getting to the appointment.

My choices are very limited if I follow my specialists advice...My specialist has asked that I remain in Australia for GCS so he can be involved in taking care of my chronic condition. I haven't made up my mind yet but I have a feeling this is going to be far more expensive here and I don't think I can afford to stay here. I won't even be able to pin anyone down on price until I see the surgeon. But it is a starting point...I have some funds but...yeah...Anyway need to see what we are up against.

I welcome everyone's input

[AnonyMs]

I believe Andy Ives is around $13K for Australians. Cheaper than Thailand.

[LizK]

Thanks AnonyMs

Yep I can do 13K...it will stretch me but I can do it