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http://www.etsy.com/ Dear Warren, Etsy is a great site to sell handmade goods. It is the largest in the world. Suggest you explore the website to get ideas . . . and Amazon sells books on how to sell on Etsy. Warren, there are many men who make beautiful jewelry. Take a look at Etsy's "success stories," and you will find many of them are men! Wishing you the best. Yours truly, Monica

Dear Karen, You are wise to look at the big picture, having done your research, and to avoid being being penny wise and pound foolish! Your friend, Monica

Sadly there are no HL's in my area :/ My choices are limited to Walmart and Target that are in my driving range unless I drive about an hour, even then I get Michaels (super expensive) and Kmart. I dont think I'll spend too much to just try this out, and see how it goes. But I will certainly keep the bulk option in the back of my mind in case this works better than I think it will. Warren

I don't have any jewelry ideas... but I have a suggestion --- if you have a Hobby Lobby nearby somewhere, you might want to compare prices before you buy everything in Walmart. While Wally World does have a lot of things cheaper than in other stores, Hobby Lobby is a hobby store and so may stock many craft items cheaper. I used to do a lot of Native American bead work. I bought probably 98% of my supplies from Hobby Lobby. I don't do much bead work now, but for any project I dream up...I usually head to HL.* It may also be worthwhile to check online for some items. I don't know anything about jewelry making...but if there is any item that you would use a lot of, you may be able to get that item in bulk, and it could turn out to be cheaper in the longer. The less you have to spend, the better prices you can offer, the more you can make. -Michael *Yeah, HL is that great little company that apparently doesn't have a whole lotta love for those of us in the TGLB community. Unfortunately however, as a wanna-be-artist, HL is the only place in my area that has a good selection of art and craft materials at a decent price. :(

She only told me that if I ever had any problems emotionally or need someone to talk to, call 911. Yeah....right. Thanks doc I'm not suicidal but I just hit really low, low points.

I have often thought, that if there just wasn't the crap on my chest, I could deal with this much, MUCH better. I understand your frustration, your disgust, your anger. My own frustration, digust and anger has been increased over the past 7 to 10 years because I've unfortunately gained weight. And of course, we know what happens to the chest when ya gain weight. Then I sit here and think of the days when I was nice and muscular. My calves were hard as bricks and my shoulders and neck were all built up - and that was just due to my occupation. And then go get some to eat. Yeah. They suck.

Everybody has their own story to tell, and you never know when your story will be the one that makes a profound difference in the life of someone searching for answers.

Hope it's a nominal event and you heal up quick ! Will be thinking of you. Fair winds as you go ! Veronica.

I'm so excited for you!

I think it is important to journal as I learned from others before me this way

Karen, I'm glad to hear of your journaling plans. its been great to follow along on your progress! Hugs, Emma

Addendum After posting this I walked 45 minutes to Cafe Borrone to give me a chance to put RAIN into practice. I'd stored up some anger and hurt since a confrontation with my wife on Friday morning. First: which to focus on, the anger or the hurt? According to the book, choose the "biggest one" so I chose anger. And I must say, it really seemed to dissipate as I went through the RAIN steps. At Cafe Borrone I settled into reading Learning Swift Programming and a pint of Racer 5 IPA. (Yes, the propeller on my beanie is spinning rapidly. Wouldn't you like to read about optionals and tuples?) As I was reading my thoughts drifted. I realized the next emotion to come up was fear. Where is all this headed? Will she (does she) still love me? Aha! Another opportunity to try RAIN. (Channeling Spock, with his raised eyebrow: "Captain, it appears you're experiencing the fear emotion that humans experience so often.") So yeah, I went through it again, this time for fear. And I'll tell you: it helped. Sure, I have some remnants. But the back has been broken on that emotion at least for now. Give it a try yourself. Probably ought to buy the book (no, not the Swift book).

Your comment about being an "imposter in the TG House", I used to feel as well. Especially if you go to a group where several have transitioned or are in the process of transitioning. I felt like if I was not in the process of transition that somehow I was a fraud. Someone said they felt like a fraud and someone else felt like they did not have courage as well and I said that I felt the same way to the group. But, we can't feel that way. We all have our own individual journeys and should not feel like we have to transition, have SRS, etc. For example, I may never transition. If I did transition, I may have FFS, but will most likely not have SRS or at least have it for a while. Yet I feel the need to present and express myself as female. And look good. It's true that gender is between the ears. But we all have a need to express our gender in some way. For me, it has to do with how I am perceived and what I've learned that society finds acceptable. For others, it may be different.

Muchas gracias to both of you! I really appreciate your support and comments. A recurring issue for me is, as Veronica says, let the chips fall. It's hard for me to let go. I'm working on that. It's all part of my own Finding Myself Journey I suppose. Maybe I should have satin baseball jackets made with "Emma's 2015 Tour" embroidered on the back? Kidding. I'd never do such a thing. Warm hugs for you both, Emma

Thanks for sharing Emma, the way I see it you are trans* by all means, no question about it and I say that in a good way. And I enjoyed reading this blog entry. IMHO it is not the clothes, heaven forbid I am not one to put on makeup and fancy clothes to say to the world "Hey, I am female". My best friend is relentless in trying to get me to purchase very pretty outfits but I will not have that. I agree to somewhat that it's between "here" that indicates I should be female or I should be male dependent on the person but to me, it's in my head. There are days in the past year I went out to teach a class and wore the appropriate clothes and not even attempt to look female but yeah I did and that is just fine with me. In the end I am comfortable in jeans with my hair in a ponytail. PS I am not one for sitting in a group to hear myself chat with others but instead a willing participant to share knowledge that benefits the group.

Sweetie, this is your journey and what it means to you may will be different from others. You don't need to be taking hormones or have surgery to be transgender or feel female. You also don't have to transition full-time, unless you feel you need to. I'm so glad that you do feel welcome here and can share. Hang in there! Lisa