Wednesday, 11 July 2012

Last.FM listening post

Here's last week's top picks music lovers!

Top weekly tracks:


Top weekly artists:


Overall top tracks:


Overall top artists:

Monday, 9 July 2012

Last day at QVS, hair and make up

Today was the last day at Queen Victoria Street. With no tears we all packed up the last of our stuff into crates ready for it to be transported to The Gherkin and a new beginning tomorrow. I would like to say that it had been fun but QVS was not a pleasant place to work being stuck in the basement all day. Roll on tomorrow!

Lovely food and a True Blood catch up was followed by sorting of hair, a little plucking and then a crash course in eye shadow techniques!

Sunday, 8 July 2012

Escaping the gender binary trap

Escaping the gender binary trap

This post has been a long time in the making, so please hang in there when reading it as it will probably run off at some tangents and get confusing! On the plus side, if you are confused by reading this, then think how it must feel to be me!

For those of you that aren't aware, the gender binary view is actually quite simple. We are male or female, end of. Got that? Good. Now forget it!

I got asked a couple of interesting questions the other day. Am I fem today or evil twin brother? Am I intending to go full time?

These questions sparked some thought processes. What am I exactly? I have feminine traits, I like to dress in a feminine manner but I wouldn't say I actually want to BE a woman. I'm certainly not planning on any major surgery downstairs anytime soon, although breast augmentation does hold some appeal to me.

It is actually a great relief that the transgender/trans banner has appeared to at least be a catch all and the one that I mainly use these days, although it's just as confusing for most people trying to explain what it means.

Understanding the difference between gender and sex could be one of the most important steps to understanding transgenderism. The basic idea is that gender refers to your identity, which is the mental aspect; while sex refers to your physical, biological, or legal classification. For most people, the difference is moot because their gender identity matches their assigned sex, which can make it harder to understand that there is a difference. For people who are transgendered, however, their gender identity does not match their biological sex.

There are so many terms appearing now that fall under the transgender banner. This is just a small selection as an example. Finding definitions for these terms is quite difficult as in some cases there are conflicting views.
Transsexual
Transvestite/Crossdresser
Bi-Gender
Meta-Gender
Genderqueer
Androgyne

Most people assume that if I use the description “Trans” that I am transvestite. Not in my world folks! That’s a description that doesn’t really cover me although a lot of my work colleagues do refer to me as transvestite.

I am becoming known as KT by more people and that was a deliberate move on my part for it to be mixed up with Katie. I don't actually care whether I am seen as male or female. That is completely irrelevant to me. I just want to be seen and liked as ME! I actually get annoyed when I see forms that insist you specify whether you are male or female. I want an "other" option please or the right to not report it at all. Why do I have identify as male or female?

This might not make me popular but in a way I think that this is where a lot of the transgender community haven't quite got it right. We are so deeply ingrained with the gender binary that it's very difficult to think outside and a lot of trans people only seem to think in the male or female; you are one or the other and want to be one or the other. If you don't follow that view then it is very easy to feel like an outsider and that you don't really belong even if the battles and struggles are very similar.

It also doesn't really bother me whether I am referred to as he or she (although I guess at a push I would actually prefer she as I feel more feminine than masculine). Maybe it should be a big deal as it is for some people but life is too short; although I would object to being referred to as it! As long as I am treated with respect then does it really matter? I certainly can't be bothered with using the gender neutral pronouns that some people like to use, some of them are more akin to learning a completely new language and I think they take things too far.

I think I am living in a world of fluidity. I can present as male, I can present as female or a combination of the two. Does that make me genderfluid? LOL However I present though, there is one thing that is common underneath it all; me! I don’t change personality based on how I choose to present myself. I don't have distinct social circles for KT and Katie, they all blend into one as rule. I am very comfortable being me on the whole, it's other people that need to challenge the stereotypes that they view the world with.

So where am I now you might ask? The answer is escaping from the gender binary trap. I am evolving/have evolved outside of the stereotypical and sadly antiquated view that there can only be male or female. It is quite liberating to think like this. A lot of trans people talk about transitioning. In a way I feel that I am actually transcending. Pretentious? Moi? HELL YEAH!




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Saturday, 7 July 2012

Late brunch, tennis, fish and chips

There was no rush to get up early today which was a most welcome change so Toni and I took full advantage of the extra snuggle time.

When we did finally emerge we cooked brunch whilst sitting through some mind numbing shite on TV. It's no wonder our youth and younger generation are turning out to be mindless zombies if that's the sort of crap that they are force fed. Not that we needed reminding but it certainly reinforced why we rarely watch TV these days.

The plan had been to head home quite early but the Williams v Radwanska final at Wimbledon put paid to that plan. The Men's Doubles interfered further LOL. We abandoned plans to go back with Pam and eat at home in favour of popping down to the local fish and chip shop. I decided to throw caution to the wind and hang the consequences by having battered cod AND bread. I didn't suffer too much afterwards which was a relief.

It was a nice trip to Bexhill that would have been slightly better if it hadn't been so wet. It was a good journey back and we soon got Pam settled in at home when we got back.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Friday, 6 July 2012

Bexhill-on-Sea

I rushed out of work today to get back as early as possible so that Toni, Gemima and I could get down to Bexhill-on-Sea in good time. Fortunately the weather and traffic weren't bad so we made good time.

Pam treated us to lovely roast dinner and then we spent the rest of the evening chatting and watching TV.


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Thursday, 5 July 2012

The Gherkin tour

It was a slightly different day at work today. A group of us had time out to take a walk to The Gherkin and check out the new offices prior to our move next week. Here's a view on our approach:
 

There were some very interesting art pieces outside The Gherkin!

Here's Tower 42 as viewed from the ground floor outside:

We did a tour of all three floors that we will be occupying, 2, 16 and 26. I'll be relocating to the 16th.
My empty desk, awaiting occupation:

Tower 42 from the 16th floor:

The main group headed back but Pete, Matt and I headed to the Bar/Restaurant at the top floor for a quick drink before we headed back. The views from up there were amazing!

The Shard looks so small:

Finally, this is the very top of The Gherkin!

It's an impressive building and I think it's going to be a very nice place to work out of. It will certainly be a vast improvement on my previous office in Shenfield and then Queen Victoria Street!

Although the GPS seemed to wobble a bit during the walk there and back (probably because of all the high, shiny metal building) I still managed to rack up a nice little walk:
http://runkeeper.com/user/ktglitz/activity/99767130

Wednesday, 4 July 2012

Orpheum are ready to roll

Orpheum rehearsal tonight was really good. We've had a few weeks off but there was no rust showing. Set list is sorted and nice and tight for our gig next Wednesday at Boston Music Rooms supporting Achilla.

This is one gig that we are all really looking forward to. Everyone is fired up and we are aiming to impress.

Once we'd finished brushing up the set we then started putting the finishing touches to a song that is going to be an epic show closer in the future. Excited much!


- Posted using BlogPress on my iPhone

Last.FM listening post

Here's last week's top picks music lovers!

Top weekly tracks:


Top weekly artists:


Overall top tracks:


Overall top artists:

Friday, 29 June 2012

Club Alternative

New experience for Toni and I tonight as we headed into Chelmsford to attend our first ever Club Alternative. Rather than our usual alternative haunts which are geared up for people who consider themselves part of "alternative culture" (goths, EBMers, punks, metalheads etc) this club night was targeted at the Trans & Gay Community.

Needless to say I went in girl mode. I hadn't been sure what to expect and as I am pretty out in public I wasn't sure if a segregated night was for me. It wasn't a very busy night but it was enjoyable nonetheless. It was great to catch up with Tasha Nightshade once again and also to meet and share stories with a lady called Toni.

I also took time out to talk to Stacy Novak and Shane Marcus who run Transliving International as I have offered them some services that hopefully will help to reduce their costs.

We plan to attend the next one so hopefully that will be much busier.

Thursday, 28 June 2012

Clown shoes, heat, nice dinner and stuff

Today was a day for the clown shoes! They were coming at me from all directions at one point. I was actually starting to question whether we were a professional organisation at all! It took far too much effort to put out all the fires and get things sorted but we got there in the end. Methinks some people need to have their butts kicked so that the rest of us can get one with some real work rather than having to clean up the mess created by others!

None of this was helped by the ever increasing temperature either. I was hot and grumpy by the time I got home and it was my turn to cook as well! Chicken and a cool salad was prepared and we ate out in the garden as there was a nice breeze by the time everything was ready so it was nice and cool outside although both Aaron and Gemima complained that they were chilly! PFT!

After dinner, with the kids dispersed to the four corners of the house Toni and I went into the office for tea and meringues to do some work (well Toni did and I started preparing a future blog post).

After the office duties were over it was time for a final round of shaving ready for our night out tomorrow.

I shall leave you with this little chuckle though:

Wednesday, 27 June 2012

Walking, waxing, plucking dyeing!


Twas a busy day today. Quite hectic at work. Lunch was a home made bento style thing with stir fried vegetables and some sticky rice. I actually surprised myself as it was very nice. I did manage to get in nice walk, shorter than usual as I was accompanied by Stuart but good to get out.

Details are here:
http://runkeeper.com/user/ktglitz/activity/98000342?&mobile=false

Dinner was steak accompanied by the first episode of Series 1 of Teen Wolf. Not a bad show, be interesting to see if it gets me hooked and wanting to watch the rest of it will fizzle out.

The rest of the night was spent starting the preparation for Club Alternative on Friday night. There was plucking of eyebrows, waxing of chest and back followed by restoring my hair to black and the straightening it. All of this was accompanied by various groovy rock n roll tunes including Hanoi Rocks and Rolling Stones.



Last.FM listening post

Here's last week's top picks music lovers!

Top weekly tracks:


Top weekly artists:


Overall top tracks:


Overall top artists:

Monday, 25 June 2012

One of those days, final Grimm day, more TV and then disk drive trauma

It was one of THOSE days at work today. Lots of silliness and insanity accompanied by another pointless puppet show with Billy Smart! The end of the day couldn't have come fast enough!

As predicted yesterday we watched the remaining two episodes of Grimm. It was so frustrating to reach the end as it finished on an awesome cliffhanger and now we have ages to wait until Season 2 starts! It will be worth the wait though I am sure.

We continued in TV land catching up on the latest episodes of True Blood and Falling Skies. My praise for both shows will continue as they seem to have really got things right and there are plenty of little twists to stir things up!

The day did end up a little grim though as my USB hard drive started playing up and I had to spend a couple of hours trying to nurse it back to health. I think I might have failed but thankfully all the important data had already been copied off of it. It was still sad to think that this trusty piece of equipment is now knackered.

Sunday, 24 June 2012

A Grimm day

Today was a Grimm day, literally. We watched LOTS of episodes of Grimm today. It is such a good series that we just kept on going for the majority of that day. We did come up for air every now and then (and ordered Chinese) but most of our time was spent enjoying Grimm LOL.
It started getting late and we ended up having to go to bed with just two episodes remaining, NOOOOOOOO!

Guess what we'll be doing tomorrow evening!

Saturday, 23 June 2012

The Woman In Black, Alphas and entertaining, Futurama and Grimm,

Toni was off to a needlecraft/sewing meeting today so it was a bit odd having the house to myself for a while. I had a quick play on Streetfighter IV and then Sam and I took advantage of Toni's absence which gave us the ability to watch some stuff that she won't, namely horror type stuff.

We watched Daniel Radcliffe try and break out of his crap acting rut in the really rather good The Woman In Black. Nowhere near as scary as I would have liked but the film had it's moments and I really enjoyed it. Still not 100% convinced by Mr Radcliffe but I preferred him in this over the Harry Potter films.

Sam decided to go and play Warhammer with Aaron so I brought myself up to date with Alphas so that I will be ready for Season 2 in a few weeks. It's another good series even if some things are a little too close to X-Men at times. Can't wait to see how Season 2 pans out following the dramatic end to Season 1.

The afternoon was spent entertaining Jade, Leanne, Shivaani, Jodie and Azalea who had come over for a late birthday celebration for Toni. Sadly the weather let us down and we weren't able to have the BBQ that we had hoped for.

Jade had to leave early and Toni brought in the bits she had made earlier and I grabbed them to become an Elder God(ess).
Behold KTulhu






Indian food was then accompanied by a Futurama fest starting with the final musical episode from Season 4 and then we wound back to the very start and did half of Season 1.

Sam and I cleared up and had a good old fashioned chin wag while Toni dropped Jodie and Azalea back home.

Our evening was nicely rounded off with some episodes of Grimm which is another really good TV series that I would recommend.



- Posted using BlogPress on my iPhone

Friday, 22 June 2012

Strikes, walking, Futurama, Falling Skies and Hit And Miss

Travel today was hampered by Unite arranging bus strikes over bonus pay for the Olympics so I had to rely on a lift from Toni but it did mean I was late in *grumble grumble*

Got well back into my stride on the walking front today with a good 3.94 mile stint that was most invigorating! I even managed a slightly more interesting route as well which made a nice change, details are here:
http://runkeeper.com/user/ktglitz/activity/96869204?&mobile=false

It was an unremarkable day at work and it was a great relief to get out and head home. Roast chicken and chips started the wind down process. We then went into TV catch up mode as we were behind on a few things. The first two progs were welcome return season premieres.

First up was Futurama which continues to impress with good storyline and plenty of laughs. Not bad considering this is now the seventh season. Next up was the second season premiere of Falling Skies the post alien invasion series. This picked up well where the last one left off and has me hooked already and longing for the next episode!

Finally we caught up with episodes four and five of Hit And Miss the trans hit woman show. I'm really not sure about this series. It has flashes of brilliance but falls foul of a lack of reality and some shocking plot holes. Things have taken an unexpected turn and it will be interesting to see how they finish off the series. It's a brave concept that is marred by the execution in places. It's definitely worth a watch though as its different from the usual shows we get these days.


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Thursday, 21 June 2012

Dredd 2012

This is one movie that I am really really looking forward to seeing. Dredd is one of my childhood heroes and this reboot looks so much better than the Stallone abomination!

Apologies if the first clip stops working, Lionsgate are clamping down on it as it was leaked out LOL



Wednesday, 20 June 2012

REVIEW: Tightsplease 15 Denier Sheer Tights (Black)


Having missed out on a recent bloggers event with Tightsplease I was sent a Look Book and a sample pair so that I could see what I missed out on. I've finally got round to actually testing these out and here are my thoughts.



Initial impression as I took the tights out of the package was that they feel quite smooth, with a nice vintage nylon feel to them. They also felt as though they would be quiet tough which is something I look for in all my hosiery. Putting them on was easy and despite some rough edges on one of my nails there were no snags or ladders created so that was a really good start.

These tights feel amazing on. Good firm feel to them and sheer to waist too which I love! It's just a shame the toe wasn't sheer/sandal style too but you can't have everything.

After wearing them all day it was a great big thumbs up from me! Really impressed and they don't lose their shape at all and are very comfortable to wear and look and feel fantastic. Now, they next thing for them to do is move out of One Size and offer them in larger sizes too.

You can buy these tights in black, fleshtone and navy from Tightsplease here:
http://www.tightsplease.co.uk/brands/tightsplease/15-denier-sheer-tights/

Happy Birthday Toni

Happy Birthday to my darling Toni!

Hope you have a fantastic day.

Love you VERY VERY VERY much!
xxxxxxxxxxx

Last.FM listening post

Here's last week's top picks music lovers!

Top weekly tracks:


Top weekly artists:


Overall top tracks:


Overall top artists: