Genevieve's Gems

Life is not easy for any of us. But what of that?  We must have perseverance and above all confidence in ourselves. We must believe that we are gifted for something and that this must be attained.


~Marie Curie, Scientist (1867-1934)

Spring Training

The 2014 baseball season has begun. As a die-in-the-wool Mets fan I'm hoping for improvement for my favorite baseball team. Looking at the team now, there are so many questions. Who plays first base and shortstop. I have questions about the bullpen and catcher. I don't know who will be bench players. As a suffering fan of this team, 74 wins won't cut it. If they break .500, it's a step in the right direction.

  

Choosing My Battles

Tonight my wife and I were talking about a number of events that are happening here and abroad. I have been seeking to get involved in issues that are important to me. Choosing what battles to become engaged in is not always easy. There's only so much that an individual person can do. It takes much thought, guidance, and counseling to pick the ones that we believe are important.

I'm preparing to speak to my church family about transgender basics (Transgender 101) in June during pride month. It will be a good time to educate folks about what it is to be transgender. This is greatly needed in the church and outside the church. I have made it a personal mission to educate people that transgender people front and center during the famous Stonewall Riots in 1969 in New York City. It seems that some want to erase our participation in this historical event. I'm not going to let that happen.

Another battle I will be active in is seeing that the Gender Employment Non-Discrimination Act in New York State comes for a vote this year. It's been on the docket for over a decade and I'm tired of all the excuses and oversights on why it has not passed. I'm still doing my homework on which organization to become involved with about this. Well, these are just three battles that I will be actively involved in.I will keep you posted on how things are working out.

Meditating This Morning.

I was sitting in a quiet space this morning meditating. Feelings of joy and contentment gradually flowed through me. I was misty eyed, realizing how grateful I am for everything that happened to me. I thanked God for everything in my life. 

I have noticed that I cry more (out  of joy and empathy) than  I ever did as a male. Being a transgender woman, I have become the real person that I'm supposed to be. I'm not afraid to show these emotions which is something new to me. I realized how many people actually love me. I wept even more at this thought. I thought about all the people who have been in my life and how they have shaped me to become the person that I am today. For that, I'm truly grateful.

Genevieve's Gems

Great things are not accomplished by those who yield to trends and fads and popular opinion. 



~Jack Kerouac, Novelist (1922-1969)

Lighthouses And Life

I admit my love affair for lighthouses. These structures are often located in isolated areas and many times offshore. They have saved many a seafaring vessel from a watery abyss. When I view this particular photo, it shows the mettle lighthouses earn. I can imagine a ship traversing rough seas, then see that beam of light across the water. I'm sure that a few sailors felt like kissing the ground that the lighthouse stands.

What the lighthouse represents to me is this; no matter how dark life may seem now there's always brighter days ahead. Sooner or later the dark clouds lift and the sun comes out. Think of the folks who were there during your darkest moments. They were a beacon of light when you couldn't see what was ahead. It's wonderful to remember those times and know that it can happen.

Mine No More

"L A's fine, but it ain't home,
New York's home, but it ain't mine no more."

Lyrics from 'I Am,  I Said', sung by Neil Diamond 

The top photo is a storefront that was a record store, Bob's. I first went there in 1968 and did so until last July, when it shut it's doors for good. A frozen yogurt establishment was suppose to be there, but the site is still vacant. The middle photo was Papaya King, long a neighborhood staple. My wife and I found the place closed a couple of months ago. The bottom picture was formerly a Barnes and Noble.

These three establishments were a part of my youth in the late nineteen sixties. Greenwich Village was once an avant-garde neighborhood where artists, musicians, poets, and actors lived and honed their craft. Performers like Bob Dylan, Richie Havens, Lenny Bruce, Jimi Hendrix, Buddy Holly, Allen Ginsberg and Jack Kerouac made The Village their stomping ground.

Today, gentrification has absorbed many establishments. Profits are more important than creativity and community. I find many places artificial, somewhat elitist, and lacking any sense of diversity. It's more 'Look at me, check me out' rather than enjoying the music or poetry or acting. I have nothing against a neighborhood improving itself, but at the expense of losing its soul? 

It makes me sad because the new denizens really lack knowledge of what Greenwich Village was about. I'm an old relic from a bygone era. A neighborhood without is like an empty tomb; there's nothing there but old dry bones. 

Saw Frosty Today

I took this photo today as I was walking from the community center. We've had a lot of snow this winter and still have about 5 weeks to go. Today was mild.This snow was almost seven feet tall. the people who made this took their time. It reminds me of my childhood when a big snowstorm each winter gave us the opportunity to make our own snowman. 

Genevieve's Gems

A true friend freely, advises justly, assists readily, adventures boldly, takes all patiently, defends courageously, and continues a friend unchangeably.

~William Penn, Leader (1644-1718)

Happy Valentine's Day

Happy Valentine's Day!

Biloxi Lighthouse

The Biloxi Lighthouse was first lit in 1848. It is a brick structure encased in cast iron. It is a popular tourist spot which has become a beacon of hope since hurricane Katrina severely damaged Biloxi in 2005.

I've Changed

I go out and about almost every day. I'm either shopping, or dining, or browsing in bookstores. Interacting with public has been a boost to my confidence. More and more people view me as a woman. While I appreciate the compliments being feminine has become natural.

About a week ago, it hit me that I have changed. You could say it was an 'ah ha!' moment. I never thought consciously about the changes that have happened; it's that my gender identity is a natural part of me. The changes in my transition have been subtle but they have happened nevertheless.

I Still Love Track and Field

This past Saturday my wife attended a track and field meet at the 168th Street Armory here in New York City. Men and women from high schools and colleges from all over the country and Canada came to complete. I and my brother ran here in 1966 and 1967 in high school.  I hadn't been to the armory since 1974. 
  
The armory has changed much. In my day the runners ran on wooden floors instead of the banked track they now have.  What thrills me the most watching these young men and women compete. My wife enjoyed it very much. I congratulated the University of Wisconsin men's team (I was sitting in their section). The women's crown was won by the University of Arkansas. We plan on attending a couple of more events.

Genevieve's Gems

It is better to lead from behind and to put others in front, especially when you celebrate victory when nice things occur. You take the front line when there is danger. Then people will appreciate you.

                                                                                 ~Nelson Mandella, South American statesman
                                                                                                     (1918-2013)

Religious Liberty

In 2005, Kansas voters overwhelmingly passed a constitutional amendment that restricted marriage in this state to be between one man and one woman. Since that time, almost 100,000 one-man, one-woman Kansas couples have divorced.

Perhaps the argument that same-sex couples threaten the sanctity of holy matrimony should be laid to rest.

While arguing in favor of the gay-marriage ban, then-Kansas Attorney General Phill Kline said if courts can allow gay marriage, they also can limit lawmakers from attempting to prohibit polygamy and incest. He might as well have thrown bestiality in there as well, as most opponents of gay marriage usually list that second in the domino effect.-hdnews.net.


I read this article a week ago. I couldn't get it out of my mind so I decided to post it and comment.Though the article focuses on same sex marriage, the same tactics are used by anti-TGLB groups to prevent transgender inclusion. This is one of the battles I have chosen to fight. Much of the opposition's views and thoughts are totally bogus.  They have no proof to back up their claims.  

Split Rock Lighthouse-Minnesota

How often do you talk about a lighthouse located in Minnesota? Well, eastern Minnesota is on the shores of Lake Superior. Split Rock Lighthouse was opened in 1909 in response to the numerous shipwrecks near the coastline. Headkeepers oversaw the lighthouse from 1910 until 1961. Split Rock was decommissioned in 1969.

Today, Split Rock Lighthouse is under the auspices of the Minnesota Historical Society. It is the most visited site in the state of Minnesota.

Sources
www.lighthousefriends.com
sites.mnhs.org

Footnote:
Every year on the evening the lighthouse is lit up in tribute to the 29 crew members who perished on  the freighter The Edmund Fitzgerald in 1975

Congrats To The Seattle Seahawks

I watched the Super Bowl yesterday with friends at a nearby lounge. I literally watched the Seattle Seahawks put a beat down on the Denver Broncos and Peyton Manning. I predicted a close tough game. Never saw this coming. 

I was out and about downtown and everywhere I went I saw a ton of Seahawk fans and much fewer Bronco fans which kind of surprised. The way I see it if you see a lot of fans of a visiting team in your town, that's the sign of good things. As a dye-in-the-wool Jets fan, I had no rooting interest expect I hoped that Manning would win his second championship. The stadium sounded like we were in Seattle. The Seahawk fans definitely made their presence felt. The twelfth man was definitely in the house!

                        CONGRATULATIONS TO THE 2014 SUPER BOWL CHAMPION
                         SEATTLE SEAHAWKS