BBC News – Leonardo Da Vinci ‘painted three Ermine portraits’

BBC News – Leonardo Da Vinci ‘painted three Ermine portraits’:

“A French scientist has revealed a major new discovery about one of Leonardo da Vinci’s most famous paintings, shedding new light on his techniques.”

(Via. BBC News)

Star Tribune Runs Anti-Transgender Ad [IMAGE] | City Pages

Star Tribune Runs Anti-Transgender Ad [IMAGE] | City Pages:

 

 

“Yesterday, the Star Tribune upset many of its LGBT-friendly readers by running an anti-transgender ad paid for by the Minnesota Child Protection League.

The ad urges parents to contact Minnesota State High School League officials ahead of a meeting later this week and ask them not to approve a new policy that would allow transgender students to participate in athletics based on their gender identity.”

Discomfort In The Checkout Line

I sit here and wonder how I am suppose to tap dance through this mine field called life. It seems no matter how I try, I can find something waiting to explode in my face.

Saturday we had to take AC, our oldest, out to shop for a shirt. He wanted to go to Homecoming and didn’t have the right dress shirt. Naturally it was as difficult as such things tend to be with a teenage boy who has no sense of fashion whatsoever, yet I thought we were going to accomplish this small thing without much fuss… how naive of me…

As we were checking out, he slipped away to look at a display case where her found something to be excited about. Instead of coming back to tell us, he begins to shout across the store… Dad! Hey Dad! I want you to see this, Dad!

As some of you may know, he is a high functioning autistic. Subtlety is not his strong point and he simply cannot grasp the concept of volume control. What’s more, all those clues most of you can pick up that your creating an uncomfortable situation simply slide past him unnoticed. Add to this his lack of understanding when he thinks he is being ignored and things go to a whole new level.

A tried to sidetrack him but it was too late, he was focused on me and was getting more agitated by the moment.

I’ll admit it, I froze.  I was mortified, confused, hurt.. I don’t know what else but I was left looking for a rock to crawl under.

The poor cashier look as confused as I felt, looking from A. to me to AC. We finally managed to break free and leave the store but I was sick to my stomach by that point. A was furious and AC was confused.

Things did finally settle out and I was able to apologize to AC for what happened. You see, it never crossed my mind we would need a little pow wow to get our stories straight before we went out the door. We didn’t give him any warning and ended up blindsiding him. I felt I treated him unfairly, with total disregard for his thoughts and feelings.

I was selfish.

It has taken me a few days to work through my own feelings of guilt, but I felt it was important to apologize for what happened and to let him know he wasn’t to blame, nor was I angry with him.

I thought I was dealing with all of this rather well… I learned differently and now I am trying to find a way to sit down with him and explains things in a way he can not only remember, but understand. It is a fine line whenever your talking about social interactions, both public and personal. There are simply some things he cannot grasp easily and being a teen he wants to act as though he understands everything better than his parents and so he tries to bluff his way through… well, we can’t bluff this.

It’s going to take time, hard work, and more uncomfortable moments, but I hope we can work through this with as little pain as possible.

Transgender Inmate Can’t Sue Over Sexual Assault

Courthouse News Service:

“ORLANDO, Fla. (CN) – A transgender who was sexually assaulted in the Orange County jail failed to prove that the county deliberately risked her safety, a federal judge ruled.      D.B., a male-to-female transgender who was diagnosed with gender dysphoria as a teenager and received treatment for the condition, was sexually assaulted by a cellmate in 2008 while awaiting trial in the Orange County jail.      She claimed she repeatedly asked prison officials to house her separately from male inmates. Nevertheless, the officers ignored her requests and placed her with the general prison population, according to her 2012 lawsuit.”

Little Boy With Rare Birth Defect Is Not Scary, He’s Just Like Any Other Kid

 

Little Boy With Rare Birth Defect Is Not Scary, He’s Just Like Any Other Kid:

“Jameson is a little boy with a rare birth defect, but even though some cruel kids have called him ‘scary,’ he is just like any other kid. His mother has written an impassioned piece asking parents to respond appropriately when their kids make hurtful remarks about her son.”

(Via. www.inquisitr.com)

Willow (Short Story)

Her name was Willow, named for the tree she was found under on a warm Summer evening. No one knew how she came to be there or who her family were. It was almost as if she were a creature of magic conjured into the world.

In the beginning she had blonde hair and blue eyes, then as she grew they became grey, her hair the color of winter skies and eyes of untamed thunderstorms. Her mood too was melancholy, her voice little more than a whisper, forgotten as soon as heard.

All who met her felt ill at ease, as though they were in the presence of something which shouldn’t exist, something not of this world. A feeling which was only strengthened by the rumors and whispers, of things done which should not be done.

It is said when she was four, she found a dead bird in the yard. She scooped it up, kissed it gently and let it go. Those who saw expected the lifeless thing to fall to the ground only to be shocked when it instead flew away as though nothing had happened. 

When she was twelve she did the same to a dog which had been hit by a passing car. It was a mangy looking thing, all knotted fur and milky eyes and it allowed her everywhere she went. Waiting outside of her window each morning and at the school gate everyday after classes. The kids nicknamed it “Ed”, short for “Dead.” Yet she called it nothing anyone ever heard and still it stayed with her loyally.

 

None of these things though, would mark her forever in people hearts as what happened the Summer she turned eighteen…

 

She spent day after day sitting beside the road in front of her home. Regardless of the weather she was there from dawn until dusk, often not seeming to move, to neither eat or drink. When asked what she was doing, she would simply reply.”Waiting.” 

Then the day came when a small white kitten was seen pacing on the other side. It would begin to cross only to run back to safety when a car approached. The pattern was repeated day after day. Soon people began to linger in the area waiting to see what would happen. Some even taking bets as to weather the cat would make it across or not. They speculated on how far it reach, what the make, model, and even color of the vehicle. It became a morbid affair indeed.

 

At last she stood up, stretched, and carelessly wondered across the asphalt, seemingly slipping between the speeding cars, careless of the blaring horns and screeching tires, until at last she stood over the kitten who looked up at her…

 

“It took you long enough.”

Sleeping Dogs | Photek – Sleepwalking [Soundtrack]

Thoughts For The Week

This has been an down and up week for me. I say it this way because it began on a down note but through the night I was able to finally reach a more positive place. 

To begin with, just because you’re on medication doesn’t mean you won’t have bad days, even some really bad ones. 

Over the course of the week I found myself struggling with both depression and anxiety, sometimes to the point where all I could do was sleep and hope things would be better when I woke. There wasn’t much I could do except push through it. I didn’t want to either up my dosage or add another medication if I didn’t absolutely had to, which I felt would have been the case had it had persisted into next week. 

On the other hand I have also been dealing with issues surrounding beginning HRT, most notably finding a doctor I can work with. At first it seemed my only option would be to travel to Chicago, which while not impossible, does put potential strain on our finances at a time we simply cannot afford it. There is the cost of office visits, (at least four at $50 each), the medication and of course the travel. Never mind this meaning A would be without a vehicle for an entire day.

Here is where the stress began to build.

Given a best case scenario, I wouldn’t be able to do anything until after the first of the year. I know, it is only a few months, which I can look at reasonably now… not on Monday or even Wednesday… 

Naturally I went through the whole, “It’s too much”, “It’s too hard”, I’ll never be able to do it”, spiel which has been a hallmark of mine over the years. I tried to convince myself this whole journey has been pointless because I would never reach the place I want to be… no, where I need to be.

Then Thursday came.

Let me just say, I never stopped taking any of my medications even though I was tempted more than once. I also swam through all of this sludge without drinking too much of it and so I was able to come out the other side. I don’t know if it is the medication, my own chemical balance, or a combination of both, but I felt it when the the depression lost its grip on me. I felt I could breath easier and things didn’t seem as hopeless as they had just a few moments before… Most important, I found I could smile again. Not a small thing I assure you. Afterwards I was able to look at things with clearer eyes and I realized a few things…

For one, I’m still here.

I am relatively heathy and sane.

It now it is a matter of when, not if.

I cannot start tomorrow, but I know I will in the near future.

A few more months is a small thing after almost three years.

And most important… I’m Okay. I really, really, am and that’s not such a small thing either.

Illinois Safe Schools, CPS collaborating on trans* policy – 804 – Gay Lesbian Bi Trans News Archive – Windy City Times

Illinois Safe Schools, CPS collaborating on trans* policy – 804 – Gay Lesbian Bi Trans News Archive – Windy City Times:

“Illinois Safe Schools Alliance ( ISSA ) is working on a transgender rights policy with Chicago Public Schools, according to its executive director. The organization, which promotes safety, support and healthy development for LGBT students, is drafting a model policy with CPS ‘with the broader hopes that it would be implemented in school districts across the state,’ said Anthony Papini, ISSA’s executive director.

ISSA promotes a platform that calls attention to a number of concerns for trans students, including the right to be out about the gender identity with which they identify; the right to access safe rest room and locker room facilities; the right to have their names and preferred pronouns respected; the right to privacy; and the right to access educational, competitive sport and extracurricular opportunities.”

(Via. Windy City Media Group)

The Sorrow of Rain (Poetry)

The Sorrow of Rain
By Kira A. Moore 

 

Do you
Know
What
To
Do

When
All
Your
Tears
Fail

To
Wash
Away
The
Pain?