Christmas Party

Well its that time again. The room that we have used for the past few years has been changed into a foyer. We will be using a room downstaris that should prove adequate but we are looking elsewhere for next year. The seating will be limited to 30, so I will have to know early who is coming. As in the past, the party Is not limited

We are still planning to have the Christmas party on Dec. 13 at 7:30 P.M. The price should be $30.00 for members and $20.00 for wives. The room we have had in the past has been converted to a foyer and we will be in a downstairs room that is not as pleasant. I hope that it will be satisfactory to all who attend.

Dinner Menu

CHURCH

We have been invited to attend church at The Unitarian Church on Dec. 14, the day after the Christmas party. The church is very friendly and has requested that we come to church to meet with them. I have been there several times, and Alice is a regular member of the church. The service starts at 10:30 AM and you could change in the downstairs bathroom.

Wives Meeting

The wives group is meeting on a regular basis. I hope that this continues and that more come to the meetings.

Girls Night Out

Anyone wishing information about future NIGHT OUT events and dates should contact Alice.

TIME TO
Renew Membership Cards

If you do not have yours, get it from Robin at the next meeting.

HELP! WITH NEWSLETTER

For those who know me, this might come as a surprise, but I could use some help with articles for the newsletter. Simply email anything to me that might be of interest. Please keep it to about one half of a page as I do not have the time to edit and I can not put long articles in the newsletter.

ANY IDEAS????

Anyone have an idea for a meeting?
October will be the Halloween Party and Magic Show and Dec. is the Christmas Party.

August, September and November are open. If you have an idea, please give it to me. If you know of someone who can/will give a program, tell me.

The Hermione Solution
by Jennifer Mae Barnes

In the Chamber of Secrets, Harry Potter has to travel to Hogwarts in Ron Beasley's flying automobile. As they are flying over London, Harry instructs Ron that he should make the vehicle invisible lest the Muggles catch sight of it. About a year ago, a nurse practitioner posing as a psychiatrist implied that if we transgendereds do not notify all and sundry about our condition, it is because we feel guilty about it. In the last few years, I have become more assertive in outing myself to people I never would have dreamt of telling about my second self as few as five years ago. Maybe someday it will be possible for mere transgendereds to dress as they please day by day and out themselves to anyone. In the meantime, perhaps it is just as well that there are some I do not wish to tell so that I can concentrate on outing myself in those relationships where such disclosure can truly enrich the friendships. But selective disclosure requires avoiding a Scylla and a Charybdis. First, one cannot disdain Muggles in the way that Draco Malfoy does Mudbloods. While competition sometimes almost forces increased quality, in many other cases, it is aimed at disabling competitors, and prevents the emergence of excellence. Avoiding a sort of arrogant elitism should be easy for transgendereds. Go see the 1982 classic movie Personal Best. But it might be more difficult for transgendereds to stop playing imaginary invalids. I refer to the famous play by Moliere, The Imaginary Invalid, which revolves around a man wedded to the enema. Because he imagines he is sick, he is addicted to this unusual cure. Support discussions are fine, but I do not believe that transgenderism represents an illness, so I wish to do other things than consult a doctor all the time. It has amazed me that transgendereds have never developed a cultural center and never hold film festivals, like gays and lesbians. I am appalled when I visit Giovanni's in Philadelphia to see what great books lesbians, gays and feminists have produced in comparison with the paltry shelf for transgendereds. At one point in another Moliere play, the Physician in Spite of Himself, an alleged physician courts a nurse saying (roughly translated), "Ah, little nurse, you are the senna and rhubarb which purge my soul of its melancholy." Admiral Hyman Rickover said that the Pentagon needs an enema, and maybe some transgendereds need this remedy, too. Let us eliminate this crap of whining. I do not feel I will not express myself if I do not tell all and sundry that I am transgendered. The choice is, do you want to be Rhubarbara or Hermione? So many support group discussions concern problems associated with coming out to people who are not worthy of it. If you wish to be Hermione, you must believe you are not sick but magical, and simply become invisible when your ability to fly will disconcert wingless Muggles.

HUMOR

A sign in the Bank Lobby reads:
"Please note that this Bank is installing new "Drive-through" teller machines enabling customers to withdraw cash without leaving their vehicles. Customers using this new facility are requested to use the below outlined procedures when accessing their accounts. MALE & FEMALE procedures have been developed after months of careful research. Please follow the appropriate steps for your gender.

MALE PROCEDURE
1. Drive up to the cash machine.
2. Put down your car window.
3. Insert card into machine and enter PIN.
4. Enter amount of cash required and withdraw.
5. Retrieve card, cash and receipt.
6. Put window up.
7. Drive off.

FEMALE PROCEDURE
1. Drive up to cash machine.
2. Reverse and back up the required amount to align car window with the machine.
3. Set parking brake, put the window down.
4. Find handbag, remove all contents on to passenger seat to locate card.
5. Turn the radio down.
6. Attempt to insert card into machine.
7. Open car door to allow easier access to machine due to its excessive distance from the car.
8. Insert card.
9. Re-insert card the right way up.
10. Dig through handbag to find diary with your PIN written on the inside back page.
11. Enter PIN.
12. Press cancel and re-enter correct PIN.
13. Enter amount of cash required.
14. Check make up in rear view mirror.
15. Retrieve cash and receipt.
16. Empty handbag again to locate wallet and place cash inside.
17. Place receipt in back of checkbook.
18. Re-check make-up again.
19. Drive forward 2 feet.
20. Reverse back to cash machine.
21. Retrieve card.
22. Re-empty hand bag, locate card holder, and place card into the slot provided.
23. Give appropriate one-fingered hand signal to irate male driver behind you.
24. Restart stalled engine and pull off.
25. Drive for 2 to 3 miles.
26. Release Parking Brake.