Sexuality

Staff Sgt. Alyxandra Anguiano, a 363rd Training Squadron aircraft armament instructor, poses with an F-22 Raptor trainer and munition at Sheppard Air Force Base, Texas, June 22, 2018. She said she is proud to be a transgender woman and is proud to be true to herself even when others might not accept it. (U.S. Air Force photo by John Ingle)

A little while ago I read in Time magazine that a person who was born female, journeyed to manhood, and then gave birth to a child.
The man wearing a beard is seen breastfeeding the newborn baby.
I have nothing against public breastfeeding, but I find this picture a little unsettling.
The beard might have something to do with it.

When I was a child, gender identity was simple. There were men and women. Period. Something easy to remember. And we were taught to be polite… bonjour madame, bonsoir monsieur, merci mademoiselle.

But now, the distinctions are more fluid or diluted. With age, it becomes a little more difficult to absorb new notions, particularly about sexual orientation.
Today you have asexuality, bisexuality, demisexuality, homosexuality, pansexuality, and God knows what…

And then you have the transgender phenomenon.
Transgenders are individuals who feel uncomfortable in their own skin.
They might have been born with the attributes of a male or a female, but they feel that they really belong to the other group and yearn to transition to the other side.
Many do.

I don’t mean to be disrespectful, and I understand their aspirations but I feel a little uncertain about the whole thing.

As I understand it, trans gendering is a complicated and lengthy physical and emotional process, and it takes a long time to reach the desired sense of well-being.
I sincerely tip my hat to those who dare to jump to the other side and I wish them all the happiness they are seeking.

But no matter what, trans gendering is still viewed with suspicion, even hostility.

Let’s say that this nice Jewish boy meets this charming, smart, good looking girl. He becomes besotted with her and he shares the good news with his parents. They are is thrilled and they want to meet her.
But at the last minute, he blurts out that his inamorata used to be a man.
Oy vey! goes the Greek chorus.

Life used to be a bowl of cherries, but now it seems that there are many pits among those cherries.

Alain

Time travelers

With fires raging all over California, Marin has been without power for the last 48 hours and it feels like we traveled a hundred years back in time.

Suddenly deprived of electricity, heat, the Internet, computer, television and other modern conveniences we were in an instant thrown back to the dark ages… an eerie an uneasy feeling.

The scariest part though was the realization of how vulnerable our infrastructures are. Without power, mighty California ceases to function and we are as impotent as a Banana Republic.

Our grandparents were much better prepared than us for such stressful conditions. They faced early powerless cold nights without apprehension.
Did you ever wonder by the way, why they had such large families? Well, let’s see… early darkness, cold nights, no internet, no television, no videogames…
Let’s go to bed to keep warm… and be productive.

So, are we better off today than we were one hundred years ago? It is open to question…

In Marin county, the power was cut off Saturday evening, around 8:30 pm. Initially, it was not too bad except for the fact we are not used to wandering in complete darkness. My cat did not seem to mind, but I did.

With invading obscurity and little to do, I went to bed around 6:30 pm and woke up at 2:00 pm. Went to the bathroom with tentative steps and after hitting a few things went back to bed again.

Like many people, we were woefully unprepared for this eventuality. We had some food but with an uncooperative electric stove, we could not cook anything.

After calling my brother in Sonoma we were greatly surprised to hear that its denizens had power. We later discovered that this was due to the fact that their electric lines are running underground. Why aren’t ours?

We then decided to escape our stricken environment and have some breakfast in this oasis. In Sonoma, we stopped at what was once known as the old Basque Bakery. The coffee was Lukewarm and the pasties stale. A far cry of what this old establishment used to be.

We then ambled to the pétanque field for a little practice. Tamara is now aiming to play the game as a “shooter” and wanted practice. I was surprised by how well she did. This dame has potential and with a little preparation, she will confound many. Watch out for the Russian Sniper!

For lunch we went to the new Picazo Kitchen & Bar. A newly renovated establishment serving American/Mexican food. It was decent and reasonable.

Back in Marin around 4:00 pm. Power came back Sunday evening around 6:00 pm.

Bracing again for new power shutoff.

Many thanks by the way to all the first responders. Firemen, policemen, civic leaders… They are all doing a  magnificent job. Thank you again.

Alain

All the King’s men

An unlearned king is nothing but a crowned ass.  Henry I

Once upon a time… a baby was born into a wealthy family. Well-wishers from all over the world were summoned to offer gifts and blessings.

Numerous people (some on camels) came to rhapsodize and pay homage to the newborn sleeping in the golden manger. Two good fairies (friends of the family) also came and each blessed the child with a single valuable gift.

But a third hunchbacked fairy who lived in a hut in the nearby forest was not invited and took offense of the slight. Stirring a mysterious cauldron, she then said: this child will be successful… but…

“if he ever breaks his covenant with the people who anointed him, if he lies more than 1000 times in his lifetime, his fall will be swift and calamitous”.

 The baby grew up, and propped up by family and business acquaintances he became wealthy and… arrogant. Surrounded by sycophants, he could do no wrong… and even when he did, the faux-pas would be quickly swept under the rug and forgotten.

Even though pathetically misinformed, the man became opinionated and narcissistic. Just like a third-rate potentate, he demanded that his name and picture be posted in prominent places.

He became so imbued with himself that he slowly began to think that he should be king of his country. A king he heard, was a man who could do or say anything without fear of being contradicted, and he found the idea very appealing.

He practiced playing king with his immediate entourage and he was pleased with the results. All his youthful blunders and flagrant shortcoming were whited out from the books and the public at large was treated to the grandiose accomplishments of the would-be king.

And to universal surprise, he was anointed by some to rule over the others… Many people were shocked, but not the hunchbacked fairy. She had kept a thorough tally of all the King’s fabulations, and the needle on her pressure valve was slowly inching toward the red zone.

The king did not seem to be aware of it… but his barons started to fret.

The ticker tape machine keeping a tab of all the king’s fabulations is inching towards a critical zone,  and the hunchbacked fairy is snickering under her breath.

The royal vessel is running an erratic course and seems to be bound for the jagged reefs already heard in the distance… and there are very few lifeboats… Save Our Souls!

Alain