A day in the life of Jessica_k

[Jessica_K]

As I hope most here know I am not an America, I am a proud British woman. But.

I love baseball. I have been a baseball fan since I watched my first live match in 1978. Doing the "math" thats 46 years. In the early days it was hard to find out what was happening, but one newspaper gave the previous day scores in the sports section.

Then one of the TV channels (before cable / satallite) decided it could cheaply fill its late night slot with a baseball match. I either watched it live, blearily eyed the next day through lack of sleep, or if I had some tape video recorded it.

Then in 2002 MLB streamed its first live matches and I watched it on a tiny laptop screen where you could make out the pitcher has pitched and the batter swing then relied on the camera to show what happened as the ball was invisible.

Now I watch it in HD on the TV steamed by MLB with such amazing clarity that it could be local. I do not stay up all night like old but watch "afternoon" matches that I see starting from 6-9pm UK and finishing at reasonable time to go to bed.

So why have I mentioned all this, apart from it obviously being part of my like, and why have I not mentioned the team I support?

Well I am of a real diehard bred that stays with a team regardless of how good or bad a season is.

I know there are continuously poor teams in each league and their supporters are generally local and good too to support the local team. But have no allegiance to any team except going back to that first match in 1978.

That first match made an un-breaking bond between me and the team. It was at Fenway and against the Yankees and I have been a Red Sox fan ever since.

Though thick and thin, waiting for the first World Series win for near 100 years in 2002 (and me supporting them for 24 years at that point) to now bottom of the division last year,  losing seasons for the last 2 years and even though 2024 has just started heading that way again. But like a local Boston supporter and as a member of the Red Sox nation. I will continue to support them for ever.

Jessica xxx

PS K, with family in Florida is a Rays supporter!!!! Another reason to leave her? Only joking of course

[Jessica_K]

Nice to be back after the weekend "break".

So this weekend, I had run out of money, not being paid until the end of the week. So it was a cheap stay at home. Eating out of the freezer instead of a restaurant. No fancy operas or classical concerts.

I was also in trouble for not mentioning the passport change but hay I was working on it. It's not easy to talk to K and tbh I getting fed up of not being able to live my life. I got the passport to get ID for security at work without outing myself beyond HR and security both very good to me but still very embarrassing.

Anyway, I spent the weekend renovating a 1961 Goldring Lenco GL75 turntable. I purchased it for £70 and gave it a good PM.

I replaced the tonearm (the weak point) and put in a lovely Linn ITOK spare (originally purchased 1986) and a AT33sa moving coil cartridge (spare).

The main part of the referb, however is I lovely hand built solid plinth that I acquired via a part exchange of an amp I was selling. The plinth is bare wood made of about 30 layers of high quality plywood.

I could have got it veneered, but left it naked with many layers of yacht varnish. It's now drying. I am hoping it will be dry enough to be able to rebuild it so to take the finished turntable to a group of friends on Sunday.

Still living out of the freezer 2 days to go

Hugs
Jessica xxx

[Jessica_K]

Update on yesterdays post

I have rebuilt the GL75. I had a problem getting the tonearm connected as the limited space.





Left to do is to change the cartridge and align. That is a delicate task that will take 2-3 hours


Spot what's missing?

Jessica

[Jessica_K]

Well the nuclear button has been push and parliament is no more. The date of the next general election has been announced as July 4th. Independence Day from the Torys we hope.

Whatever government we get, as long as it is not conservative will better that what we have. So the campaigning begins. And I will see if I can help

Jessica (down with the Tory government) 

[LoriDee]

Spot what's missing?

The volume/power control?

Nice work, BTW. I was trying to picture what 30-layer plywood looks like. Learn something every day!
Thanks for sharing.
 

[Northern Star Girl]

@Jessica_K
Dear Jessica:
Vert bice job on the turntable refurb...
... I really like what you did with the base... the display of the many layers of plywood and nicely varnished gives it a very nice appearance.

Great job.  Thank you for posting your photo of your efforts and sharing the results of your talents..
HUGS, Danielle

The main part of the referb, however is I lovely hand built solid plinth that I acquired via a part exchange of an amp I was selling. The plinth is bare wood made of about 30 layers of high quality plywood.

I could have got it veneered, but left it naked with many layers of yacht varnish. It's now drying. I am hoping it will be dry enough to be able to rebuild it so to take the finished turntable to a group of friends on Sunday.

[Jessica_K]

Close Lori, it is the counter balance weight at the end of the tonearm.

[Northern Star Girl]

@LoriDee
The volume control is on the amplifier ...  however you are right about not seeing
a power switch, but it is not visible because in Jessica's picture the cartridge and head-shell are covering it.
Here is a picture that clearly shows the on/off switch.
...

HOWEVER it appears to be a "full manual" turntable that perhaps starts the platter rotating when the arm is
moved to the vinyl record. 
Then at the end of the record the tonearm can be moved back to the tonearm rest
and the platter will stop rotating? ?  or does it have to be shut off with the power switch? ....

Yes indeed LoriDee ... I love the look of the 30 layers of plywood... very nice appearance.
HUGS, Danielle

{snipped text}

The volume/power control?

Nice work, BTW. I was trying to picture what 30-layer plywood looks like. Learn something every day!
Thanks for sharing.
 

[Jessica_K]

It is fully manual, the on/off switch is hiding under the cartridge and the manual cueing lever is hiding alone side the arm at the back as the exact rotation position of the arm and its height has not been set, part of the alignment process.

looking again at my notes, I realised I had it's date wrong, it is an early MK1, but was 1968 not 1961

[Jessica_K]

I have been having a rough time recently.

Things at home are cold. It really does not matter what I do, there will be something that screws it up.

K and I had lovely times out during the month, watching live concerts, operas streamed to the cinema, and dinners out. Cost me more than I could afford but I loved doing it. Now it's blown up in my face. The male fails at the restaurants. Bang. All the good I do is wiped out. I give up.

Them my website, I had it for ten plus years, and then a American host I was using stopped me getting access to it as I went out of contract and I wanted to move it on to another host. They claimed I could not prove I was the owner. I was really upset by this and took me ages to get to the point of sorting it out, just could not think. Anyway sorted I was able to prove to Nominet (the IANA manager of .uk domains) that I owned it and they gave it back to me. Yay

The day that happened o lost my main email account, someone tried to gain access and MS shut it down. A major issue to prove to them I owned the email. Finally after 3 days I got that back too.

Technology is hard these days so much hacking and software failing that what used to take few mins to fix now there is no access to fix and it takes days to sort it

Jessica xxx

[Jessica_K]

It's another bank (public) holiday in the UK and looking forward not working on Monday.

I have had two good days already. Regardless of how long I have been socially transitioned there is always room for confirming gestures and comments.

I went to London Saturday, the reason is too embarrassing to rely, but I was on my own. It did however get me out of the "cold" house. There were a few little things that happened. First I went to a Itsu street food place for dinner, I did not have a clue how to order, but a nice man helped my order a veg gyoza ramen, and as I was tired I sat at a table while it was being made. The nice guy brought it over to me and provided the spoon and chopsticks that everyone else had to get themselves. A lady in distress lol.

On the way home, on the tube, it was much more busy than in the morning when I left and there were no seats. Again a very nice gentleman caught my eye and offered his seat to me, a gesture I really appreciated as now I was very tired.

Sunday I was out again, this time to my hifi friends. As usual I was the only girl there, but this time, there was a Jamaican friend that I have not seen for quite a while.  He took to me years ago at my first meet. Then I wore a red dress that was quite revealing though at the time I did not have that much to reveal. Today I had a lovely (above the knee) summer dress, again low cut, and with a good amount of cleavage lol. My friend definitely took interest with quite a degree of flirting lol.

Is it bad to dress to get noticed by men? Even at my age? I enjoyed the attention.

Jessica xxx 

[davina61]

Your never to old to flirt dear, keeps us young. XX

[ChrissyRyan]

Jessica,

I wish you a great week.  You seem very nice and I hope that many nice times come your way.

Chrissy

[Gina P]

Is it bad to dress to get noticed by men? Even at my age? I enjoyed the attention.

Good for you Jessica, You deserve all the attention you can get. And if you got it, flaunt it!!
Hugs Gina

[Jessica_K]

Thank you Chrissy xxx, I do like to be girl lol

Bit of an update on the turntable, had a load of problems getting the tonearm to fit, but nothing a chisel couldn't  fix.

Well it's up and running and sounding terrific. Currently cannot do a comparison with my main and very expensive turntable as had to remove it to tryout the new (old) one.

There is currently a fad for old TT's my friend John has a 1954 Garrad 301 and Jack has a late 50's Thorens TD124 mine is a baby lol and not bad for an outlay of £70 about 3 years ago


Jessica xxx

[Jessica_K]

Home life is getting worse, rather than better.

We are two people nominally living in a house. We have spent 1 day together in the last 14 and that one day K was mostly in her room.

I am, after years of trying, getting to the point of giving up.

This weekend she is away at her sons for an event, music in a local park followed by a BBQ. I said it would be nice to go too.

"I will have to ask"
"Sorry no, (gist) because there will be children there"

That hurt me so much. The toxic UK media and government has painted a picture that all trans women are deviants and child molesters and her stupid son has fallen for it.

K has removed me from the family WhatsApp group too. Claiming that she is not on my fam group, and she is not invited to my family events. But for her to go I would have to be as male, and my family hates that. They want to see Jess not deadname.

I have tried so very hard to be someone I am not for K, given her everything (far more than her other two husbands), but she rejects me.

I know this is so common but i really thought with all the compromises I have made we could make it. Why on earth did she marry me?

Jessica however, lives her life with friends. Friday night with 10 work guys and girls had a curry night to celebrate a 21st birthday. I was one of the girls.

Yesterday spent a lot of time just chatting with a friend as one does, and also my family.

Today I am meeting another friend. I am not alone.....

Jessica

[davina61]

Looks like she has made her choice, do you kick her out or do you leave? Getting my own place was the best thing I did, my ex was toxic before I came out.

[Gina P]

So sorry you are going through this. Big HUG and lots of love! Gina

[Jessica_K]

I can do neither Davina, as both would make K homeless and cannot do that.

I will just live the best life possible. I have my amazing family for support, I have my friends and my work.

I am working from home the next couple of days, K is out tomorrow so it's only one day and when she came back today she seems good.

One day at a time

Hugs
Jessica xxxp

[Jessica_K]

I have been saying for sometime about the direction the UK government was going. Well we do not have a government for another 5 weeks until a new one is elected.

But now we are in the canvassing and pledging period where each party says what they will do if elected. Well we know what the previous government will do if re-elected.

Amend the equality law (as I mentioned a few months ago) to eliminate gender as a protected characteristic and replace it with sex at birth.

This is going to be a laugh. Already Kimi Badenoch that released this on radio an TV this morning has become a laughing stock in her ability of attempting to defend this change.

She said when pushed about the legal standing of birth certificates of those with amended ones via a GRC, that we all know when we see women's spaces being violated. In other words it will be policed by LOOKS.

No one has mentioned the burly trans men (including those with phalo surgery) being legally forced into women's changing rooms!

As yet the Labour Party has keep quiet but I'm sure even if they liked the idea, they can see the stupidity.

Jessica xxx