Going away and Inspection time

Thoughts this week have been a bit more about the upcoming week toward the end of July and what to take as the case is relatively small, has to dragged by me so unlike some I can't take a whole minivan worth of dresses and all matching accessories.

What can fit more efficiently within the case tends to win out so traditionally I tended not to pack slippers as they take more surface area preferring slipper sox.

As my older pair had got a bit worn out, I have new official Sanriotown thick ones featuring Miss Kitty (D.C to you) with non slip pads on the soles which will help given the accident I sustained last February.

It's a bit early for any reliable weather forecast but if it warm to quite hot I will most likely pack my satin with lace frills night dress which wouldn't be just probably more comfortable given I'd be in the top of the property but also I so much prefer to wear more overly "girlie" attire where practical when I'm away.

It's not uncommon even mid term to read some story around school uniform rules being breached or even changed covering School Uniform  items and how it's to be worn.

As is the case even now, the length of ones skirt, or the skirt portion of ones pinafore is something that's taken seriously to avoid immodest displays shall we say and this cartoon shows one method of ensuring compliance.

I can remember well a college lecturer explaining how every so often her Mom would have her kneel on the ground to check her pinafore wasn't too short.

As the cartoon text illustrates growth spurts could lead to situations when some fitted them better than others.

While there are no formal rules while away, a certain decorum is expected around others and definitely no "flashes" of underwear and the like

1,300th post

Do you know something? This happens to be1300th post here at The Dorm which is quite a milestone (not a Millstone) in its history.

 Indeed it almost never really got started between pressures from my career and having an early version of a blogging tool that was used for more mainstream "big" posts  and if you really want to know the truth, actually I'd of much sooner just had this one cos it's everything about me.

When I say everything, I mean starting with having this very much childlike (but not childish) little girl side that has never gone away , enjoying the simpler things of life like dolls, teddies, engaging in children's games and interests.

It's taken me to different places, meeting some remarkable people who share the same side mixed in with their more groan up side all trying to balance both sides of themselves and sometimes with having partners too.

It's also the only blog that deals with an important side of my life quite openly, that I am transgendered and how that taps into issues from my own childhood, having an inner girl child and has lead to me presenting as that female both at home and increasingly in the presence of others, something that has helped me an awful lot.

Our community, the alg community, has supported in its own way, me in all of this.
In this blog I do talk from time to time about things such as music, books and anime which have been great interests of mine for a while but in a different way, more from how they tie into my past and the child within me which sometimes by accident has occurred elsewhere as ultimately I can only be me wherever I may post.

To mark the occasion of this 1,300th post we've taken a break as I was editing iD tags for some music files that were messed up before loading in the micro sd card. We all know that stuff often needs sorting.

The countdown before CatMas continues next week.

Doing things Jo style

The same but different was part heading of an entry on the other blog that was a necessary examination of some topics before it could (and did) move on in an integrated way and in some ways this year was like that.

The first thing to say is there are some who like to push their ideas on you when it comes to how you present not just in terms of dress but what you do like I don't see the point in looking like and saying 'you feel like one' only to have very groan up discussions of the sort you might have in workplaces.

I decided to put my feelings pretty much on the line where it comes to the variety of forms of presenting as more as a Little/Middle simply because as I see it we all do it differently and so do actual little or middle girls.

While it's not uncommon for girls to wear shorts or trousers to school however much traditionalists may not so keen on it as I saw earlier on in the week where one girl of about ten living on our road wore grey long trousers to school and still be the same girl who may put a dress on whenever she feels like it. 

It's not one or the other necessarily so If I'm hiking say while away I may 'borrow' a pair of boys school shorts and wear them with my gym knickers and socks with bows on as it's more practical. 

Otherwise I'm happy to be put into school skirts and dresses by those who look after me and wear a smart blue blazer looking very smart.

For all that you see I'm still me, Jo, and I don't like pigeon holes.

Check and replace edition

Here we are on a August Bank Holiday over here having to use Firefox as Pale Moon, the browser of choice on my ageing Windows 7 laptop is having stability issues and and so I am waiting for a major bug removing update for it as it is not reliable enough for blogging.
Today I have been out for a walk and across this week I have been  sorting through my old clothes especially woollens for winter between those that simply need to go due to wear and tear like holes in elbows and those that just need a wash and airing out.

One thing I did do was replace a sweatshirt I have had for a number of years for another with slightly longer arms in it apart from obviously being new in better condition that I tend to wear  with my grey and green pleated skirts.
As well I did toss out some old ankle socks for new longer black ones as they were showing signs of wear in the toes and heel.
Think Ill just rest now and relax. Roll on September!

Preparing and stuff

It's a busy time for me with just over a week before I'm away for short while so there's sorting and freshening up things to go as not only is there just so much room in my case plus any 'hand luggage' there is the fact it's damaged pawed wobberly me that's carrying it until I get a friends so I can't take tons of stuff with me either 'just in case' or for a change every few hours for several days with all the co-ordinating that takes.

That means I restrict it to a few things I'm comfortable with that co-ordinate with  common 'base layers' which sounds rather close to uniform which you could say it is.

 Great Britain is a country where very many schools, State and Independent have uniforms that pretty much have to be adhered to the style of which has change for a good number over the years although the current trend is toward more traditional forms such as the pinafore perhaps a backlash from the late 1990's, early 2000's fascination with more casual almost track suitish  'sporty' attire that also influenced Girl Guilding uniforms.

Believe me I'm much happier with that kind of approach as it makes managing and picking out what to wear much much easier.

Another kind of preparing of a less pleasant kind is getting my head together for Thursday when the funeral service for my Aunt will be held as currently there's a three week waiting list for them at least in my district and at least the service is within walking distance.

Pay attention Jo (yet another study weekend)

This was typed between bit of spare time this weekend where it was bright and sunny although not exactly warm here not that it stops his Gingerness from being out for hours at a time.

"Cheer up, Girls, it can't surely be that bad" is the thought that enters my mind looking at that picture and the desks we sat at one by one until my secondary education were similar for those of us brought up with rote learning and the notion the teacher delivering the lesson to the class.
This weekend I've been studying  with an English practice on an extract from Oscar Wilde's The Picture  of Dorian Gray which was more about how to answer questions long answers where there is not a clue in the question as the what in the extract you need to look at and where necessary quote from.
Not wishing to sound like I'm on repeat, but my reading age is barely in double digits so reading it for the gest of the story was very hard going but I managed 90% in this.
The other part of the study is my favourite subject  -NOT- Math looking at working out Areas, Circumferences, Diameters and Radius using formulas for squares, circles, rectangles and triangles (right angled and others) in addition to learning about Solids and Nets which involves having to use ordinary math.
Although part of the formula wasn't properly explained so I had to work it out for myself, I did actually get 100% on this unit which is pretty amazing.
I'd like to thank Papa Bear for his supporting me, he's a lovely, firm but fair guy who believes in me probably more I've done in the  past to be honest and everyone else who does helping me grow.

Final January study weekend

If you looked around of Friday and nothing seemed to have changed, that's okay cos I didn't make a optional late week entry.

Anyway, this Saturday saw me working at English looking at different styles of writing, formal and informal, the sort of language, sentence structure and introductions, concluding paragraphs and the way you sign letters.
Writing I learned can be about many things thing, such as stories, essays, informing, explaining ,advising and persuading people by argument and how each has their own needs to be effective.
As well, I learned about the importance of planning what you write, setting the topic, the points or when it comes to stories, the plot, seeing it through to a conclusion that leads to the reader understanding fully what you were saying.
It's very tempting to just plow on with an idea very much as it comes to you without really making sure at the end you've fully covered everything that's relevant to it and while it's possible in the age of the text writing program to change things, it's still more time consuming to rework everything compared to just setting down and making a plan.
Structuring matters especially to ending a piece of writing, which has never been my strong point as while I did lean how to write a decent business letter at college a good number of years back, everything we did was very business orientated including how to compose telegrams.
The other area of English I did was around Reading, looking at descriptions and how authors compare and contrast characters answering questions on extracts including quoting to back up the points in my answers.
I got 100% in one test and 70% in the second, which for someone with my disabilities is pretty good going.
On Sunday because I'm better now, I had math work to get on with such as looking at using and calculating Ratios, working out Units and Money (the making sense of that I really struggle with in shops).
That sort of thing can help if you're trying to figure what's the best offer in the shops, what the total cost of things are and how much change should have cos as embarrassing as it is it's all stuff that adds to the other aspects of being out, shopping emotionally that soon takes me into very negative oppositional behaviour.
In addition I have Long Multiplication and Division to work at which I struggle with, being warned of consequences if I flat out refuse to try get to grips with them cos I'm like that at times.
I did the tests on this and I got them all right just using paw, pencil and paper.
My BFF suggested trying a Times Table cd to help me learn my Times Tables as I struggle with them so I got one, copied it and it lives on a portable player so I can both learn and keep them them fresh in my head.
Knowing my times tables helped me especially with long division  which I think was the big problem at school - taking to take me to more advanced work without really grasping the basic things - so I just dug my heels in.
Thanks to everyone not least my BFF for supporting me checking in across the two days.
Lucy, you're a star!

A chilly start

Brr! This current weather is making me wish it was summer and I take a layer or two offer while taking in the sun with the rain and storm damage we've had so far into the new year. I don't know what gets into it but anyway I've been enjoying myself reading my annuals while it hasn't been good enough to go out much having had a few near misses as I lost my balance walking on the mogul like icy sidewalks here in the last few days.
You might recall I mentioned in the Christmas edition about sometimes getting the 'wrong' presents as in socks too big and scarcely me.

Well oversized boring  grey socks got replaced by smaller grey socks that are more girls socks a few days ago so at least we start the new year as I intend to: Being me.

Sorting one's draws

Hi folks.
Seeing it's the start of that cold season, Winter, and I need to distract myself from some of the bad stuff I referenced last week in passing, I've been going through my draws (there's a British pun somewhere in there!) sorting through the condition of my stuff.
One discovery was some of my socks had holes starting to form at the heel and as they went back a few years where my prevalent mode of presenting was slightly different bordering more on Goth I thought it was time for a change.

I bought several pairs of these white school girl socks with bows on because they go more my with my uniform which is what I wear most of the time and the bows are really rather cute which I'm sure will look great when I'm in alg company which is where I'm increasingly headed.

Not quite 'regulation' but very pretty, I bought another pair of these thicker socks that'll work for less 'school' settings or with things like my skater skirts or possibly tailored shorts (I'm the kind of girl who feels 'girly' even when not in skirts being more tomboyish in actual childhood).

One other discover was my spare grey pair of slipper socks were showing some signs of wear at the heel and as my other oldish Hello Kitty pair had gone down well at GHS as well as helping me dropping straight down to age appropriate behaviour to the point I could drop my 'groan up' guard, I bought a couple of pairs of these. Anything that aids that has to be good for me in the longer term.
They are also easier to pack than slippers for things such as alg meet ups and camp.
Finally I found a grey ragged sweat shirt that was definitely ragged in the elbows, one I'd bought around 2004/5 when much of this ten and half year adventure as documented here was starting and was in two minds as to do a like minded replacement or not as I have another grey one in much better shape.
Following a conversation at GHS around my green skirt and my explanation on why I didn't bring that, the suggestion was that actually red would go with it, I decided to get another red one from my usual school sweatshirt supplier like the one I'm pictured in a few entries back.
No doubt quite a bit of this will feature at the upcoming GHS meet up where I'll be in attendance.

Round and round

Do you know officially this blog has now had over 36,060 page views since its conception and a average of over 1,500 views per month? Well that's what the statistics that Google provide to anyone using their platform inform me and that is pretty good given there's no 'cheap thrills' on this site.
As anyone who ventures out is aware it's very much the back to school season with stationery stores stocking such essentials as Compass sets, pencil cases, note books, as well as obviously pens and pencils.
I've gotten a new Green pleated school skirt and a matching netball skirt with the pleats at the side and rear as well as some rather cute Hello Kitty socks.

Pretty traditional rather like me and it is very similar to a blue one I have had for a few years now the story of which is told on one my 'Pre-blog' entries here which are just unabridged notes I made some being almost ten years ago with no added commentary that just talk of things that lead me into the community of littles. They are just the things that I'd of talked with you about before we all met each other and it's a shame we weren't in a position too.

Moving on a little topic wise, the subject of ones age as a little came up at Tumblr where it appeared the notion people having just single fixed age as a little appears to be doing the rounds.
Let me say from the outset, there is nothing at all wrong with having just a single little age say 10 years if this is the age you feel when you are in a little (or Middle) Headspace but this is by no means the only situation. For a good number of us, we do vary a little having a 'Upper age limit' which is as old as we can feel and a lower point we may regress further back to in certain situations, getting a little 'silly' at times. This is when you think about it, is little different to that of actual children who can go back a few years especially at periods of great stress. 
I would like anyone who does find their 'age' is fluid to understand this is quite normal and certainly doesn't make you less of a little.
Although I hover around the 10 to 12 bit most of the time I go go back to around 8 or 9 or even younger sometimes and my littlest little would really like to be dressed rather like this:

See I can admit to it, having an even younger side to the girl within  and does she surprise any of you?

School Uniformed Life

This kind of uniform with blazer over blouse tie and skirt was very much a part of my own experience as a child because this was what girls generally wore to school. You cannot help but notice it just doesn't compliment their appearances but it looks very smart as well as defining you a school girl.
If you were in the 5th form (14 1/2  thru 15) or above you could wear tights usually a plain colour such as tan, blue, black or grey instead of knee socks

Of course any part of being a school child included shared interests of which a big one is comics and for me it was the British Comic, the Beano with it's adventures that we shared especially in my boarding school.
Recently it has been celebrating its 70th anniversary with a special soft back magazine edition that I bought back in July and this exhibition.

Alternative endings

I've often wondered what would of happened had I of lived in South East Asia, particularly in Japan as some Westerners whose folks go on employment  assignments do.
I'd almost certainly would have to learn some Japanese to get by as Japan is a country that very much expects you to integrate into its way of life and isn't bi-lingual although many do speak some English and other principal languages.
I might well had spent time in a school so I suspect I'd of worn a sailor suit uniform a bit like that one not that I'd of minded as actually I quite like it so being put into one wouldn't be an issue, wearing it with pride and the very structured school system would of probably suited me right to the ground. 
We'd of played Baseball that's a certainty and maybe soccer.
It sure would of been an adventure for me!