The Josie Pages

Field Notes In/On Transition Trans Canada Trans 101 So here's my dorky latest attempt at a video blog, I kind of like the  you can tell I am reading the text vibe, but I plan to get more professional in my presentation as I do more of these which if you follow along, you will see I am again promising to do more of. the TLDR version, is I am going to keep looking for low key work in the fall, and postpone my train trip until I get more financial secure (I am on the way)  and better at the video blogs throug actually doing some more of them... below is the transcript or script that I kind of painfully read in the video above... I have been saying for about a year now, that I want to take a train trip across Canada on VIA rail and video blog it, little daily bits maybe, longer pieces in the places I stay for a few days, or weeks, about said place, hopefully talking to other Trans folks, family, and friends, as I have so many friends and family all across C...

Field Notes In/On Transition My 4th Transiversary, and first video blog (script/Transcript) ooh Transcript, I am co-opting that, is below with pictures. But pretty much also word for word in the video link above. So My Transiversary is coming up soon. I mark the ‘official start date’ of my transition as March 21st 2012, as that’s when I both began both HRT (Hormone Replacement Therapy) and started the expensive and labor intensive process of changing my name and gender where possible on my ID. So this is my 4th anniversary of starting Transition. Why does it feel so much longer than that? I guess because I spent my life since I was 25 coming out, almost starting transition, starting, stopping, until finally at 45 I started for keepsies. I turn 50 in September.  Really though, I feel like my Transition started when I first realized what the heck it was that made me feel so differently than I was told I was supposed to, as a kid. My awareness that I could...

Field Notes In/On Transition So I Lost a Job, let me tell you that story. In my last blog, I told you how I got this great new job at a cafe in a nearby hip neighbourhood. Well, that lasted five shifts before I was let go. What? I know right, seems improbable. I have always been a bit of a complainer when it comes to the retail ‘no break, we pay you instead’ culture. It’s inherently classist, putting as usual the onus for the most physical and emotional labour on to the shoulders of those making the least money. People who serve folks all day. Every one of you deserves a break, paid or not. There was a few years ago, in the labour code, an exemption re being due breaks on a four hour shift, you got 15 minutes, more than six, an unpaid half hour lunch. The hours for that have increased, now 5 hours or more before you are due a break. Most employers at small businesses choose to pay the worker for that 15 minutes, or sometimes that half hour unpaid lunch, so you can alway...

Field Notes In/On Transition. So, I got a job. Let me tell you the story. I had been really stressing out coming up to the time of getting my end of January welfare cheque, as I had to show the workers my employment search record, which I wasn’t sure was adequate, turned out to be just fine, but I have to call on Feb 4th or something, maybe go in to the office with a finished work search, ie; I did 125 job search things over 5 weeks. I was on track for doing that, and had sent out a few resumes. Then the next day, Thursday afternoon, I was doing some depressing looking at job ads online when I got a facebook message from a choir friend, Jess. The cafe she was studying in was looking to hire a new person, and they were specifically looking for underemployed diversity, aka maybe the old trans lady who can’t get an interview anymore. I happened to be going right past the cafe, a few hours later, on my way to a board meeting for the community health clinic (REACH) that I am o...

Field Notes In/On Transition Too Many Ideas I post a lot of ‘my plans’ on my blog here, or on facebook. My dreams to craft, write, paint and do low key ‘jobs’ on my way to financial stability. Sure I’d love to make a lot of money. But I would rather work less, earn less than be stressed all the time or work 60 hour weeks at something that is just a job. Occasionally I do a bit of ‘background performer’ work: an extra on a TV show or a movie, though it being Vancouver, I have only so far done TV. The other day was the first time, though that I got to keep my makeup on, and I think I have a shot of actually being seen in the final product. Cross your fingers. I seem to get cut from things. Anyway, one of the problems with me making plans is that I don’t do well with plans, I am not organized. I am scared to death of every job I apply for stating in bold letters: “must be highly organized, detail oriented,” etc and so on. This is not me. I could lie about it, and have, but...

Field Notes In/On Transition 2015 The Year That Josie Broke I have very mixed feelings about the year 2015. It is the year that I went from being someone with a small nest egg for the future, and a year already in 2014 of employment disappointment; to someone with zero savings, no employment, or very little. But for all the long stretches of very real stress, and depression, in the end, at the end of the year, things are starting to brighten up again. Early in the year my EI, or employment insurance ran out, but I had some savings, so I went to the bank, and took out a chunk of those savings in my RRSP, paying huge fees, and taxes to come likely, on that money, which I used to pay down my line of credit, and credit card, mostly, which I had overused while during 2014’s loss of hours at my old job, and eventual lay off, with sucky EI, based on the last several months I worked there, when I made less than I ever did the previous busier 7+ years at the video store.  I al...

Field Notes In/On Transition Crafting My Future? So, I have printed out some calendars for my Strawgirl digital paintings, that were part of the perks for my Indiegogo, and sent those off with my old poetry books in some case to fulfill the perks, minus of course the actual memoir, which I have now, a decent draft of, and am waiting to get some feedback from a couple of writer/editor friends. I am hoping for some good input on readability, sometimes my sentences, kind of drag on, indefinitely, if you know what I mean. And more importantly any really glaring grammar issues, or that kind of thing. When I get my feedback, I am going to re-edit those first few ‘chapters’ which really are just the first section of my story of early transition, from this blog, along with my childhood memories of my gender dysphoria, and other aspects as well of growing up in small town New Brunswick in the 70’s. It’s not like it was all gender dysphoria all the time.  I tried to be the pers...