Fluid Transsexuals?

As we continue to beat one another up internally and as a community for what we are,  yet another fascinating study is coming to light which proves once again much of our anguish is something we had no control over.
This look at being a man in the morning and a woman at night comes from the "Scientific American" site:

"A graduate student of famed neuroscientist Vilayanur S. Ramachandran has found a group of men and women who report that their sexual identity can switch involuntarily to that of the opposite sex and back again. The transgender metamorphosis, these people assert, can occur several times a day and at inopportune moments. It is also accompanied by the sensation of phantom breasts or genitalia of the non-biological sex.
The research grows out of Ramachandran’s long-standing fascination with the study of body image and how it contributes to a basic sense of the self, work that has included investigations into the phantom limbs of amputees.
The preliminary study by Laura Case, Ramachandran’s student, raises the prospect of a new category of transgenderism. “Alternating gender incongruity (AGI),” the neuropsychiatric term the researchers have tentatively proposed, describes the involuntary change of gender identity, along with perceived phantom sex characteristics, a tendency toward ambidexterity and bipolar disorder, all signs that suggest a biological basis for AGI. (A related term, bigender, defined as blending or alternating gender states, precedes AGI.)"

Of course there is much more to this study. Just go to the "Scientific American" link above to read more. 

Another Look at Our Transgendered Image

Every once in awhile, I read a post which really describes a huge portion of my life as I know it and
this post certainly jumped out at me.
It's called "De Facto, Defect or Defector" from "Andie's Place" and this is part of the post:

"Defector

And then there are the gender politics. Am I an intruder, as far as women are concerned? To some I certainly am. Why are you in the ladies’ loo?! Well, it’s because I am not a man, and I am not disabled. And I am not a spy either. I am who I am, and I know where I fit easily and best. I do not think about you like a man does.
More to the point, for some men I am a threat. I am a defector from a place of privilege and power, who is undermining the solidarity of the male realm. Goodness! What would happen to male authority if too many people like me started to climb down and join the other side? If that is you, and you need reassurance, I was never on your side, never a part of your tribe, even though I made a decent presentation of it most of the time. I don’t hate men, I just never did man stuff very well and I never liked the idea of male privilege. Some people were most persuaded by my ‘male skills’ – that I was taught in school just because it was a boys’ school.
I am not defecting; I was just never legitimately in the right team. And I’m not taking sides now either. I am just being myself.

Summary for the newly puzzled

I understand that I have changed you without your permission. You are now the person who knows a transsexual, or a transgender person (please just don’t say tranny), and the closer you are the more difficult that may feel. I got over it, so can you.
De facto: this is how I am, so get used to it. "

Read the entire post here.

Shopping Part Deux!

Since I wrote the "Fun, Thrifty Shopping" post a couple days ago, I have heard from several of you about new and fun things to do on the shopping trail.
For you "high tech" girls I understand some chains now have "apps" you can install on your phone promoting bargains.
For others of you who think all of us this is too good to be true, let me tell why it just may not be.
First of all, you beginners just might find shopping is one of the easiest ways you can be accepted in your feminine role.
Here are a couple reasons:
Merchants want our money. Many now even have training for their staffs in dealing with people like us.
Other shoppers are on a mission-most could care less about anyone but themselves as they look for their own "finds".
So if you don't do something crazy like dressing totally outrageously, you can go about your business with very few problems.
Normally, most of our problems deal with the confidence to do all of this and that is very understandable.
Here are a couple more tips to consider:
Most sales people are open to helping you. Many are on some sort of commission and at the least that factor alone makes you more reachable.
Many store associates want to help you and they do have a lot of expertise to offer. You do have to be careful of becoming more of a dollar draw than a fashion challenge to some clerks.
If you are relatively presentable as a woman of course, all of this will be easier but don't get too sly. You may be hurting yourself.
I have two examples from within my immediate family alone.
My daughter and my brothers daughter in law both worked for a certain leading woman's lingerie retailer with the word "Secret" in it's title. They both have unsolicited stories about men shopping for themselves in and out of dress. In fact my daughter made major commissions waiting on one of us when no one else would. (Way before she knew about me).
The moral to the story is that both said if the shoppers had reached out for and accepted more help, it would have been a better experience for all involved.
Well, we can go on and on about this subject. 
Be on the outlook for Part Three!