GTKY - Random Tidbit

starphish18 · March 2017

Tell us something we haven't learned about you yet!

friends lisa kudrow phoebe buffay phoebe friends tv

SKZW · March 2017

Re that gif: I just spent waay too much time staring at Phoebe's hands. Why are they so red?! I know, it's the shadow & light and gif colors, but still... they seriously match her dress!

starphish18 · March 2017

I have an orchid obsession. I have 9 at the moment, which is not that many for me actually. Most of them are phalaenopsis (moth orchids), a combo of full-sized and dwarf hybrids, and they all have names. My H and I installed some glass shelving for growing them, and when they bloom, I move them downstairs for display (that shelving is actually in the now-nursery). I'm pretty sure some of them are going to die when baby girl shows up, though...I've already been really bad about maintaining them for the past couple months.

SparkySunDevil · March 2017

After my dad retired (early) from the military, he took a position as a National Park Ranger. I lived in a national park, went to school there, used to hop on my bike and chase bears for fun. I miss it so much. It'll always be home to me.

jayandaplus · March 2017

@starphish18 That's awesome! I think orchids are so beautiful. My mom used to love growing them. They definitely take talent.

@SparkySunDevil That sounds like every child's dream come true!

My tidbit is I used to write. I've completed several novels. I haven't written much since getting pregnant, and I miss it. I know with the baby it'll be on hiatus (still), and I'm fine with that. But I do miss it.

RainyDays86 · March 2017

@starphish18 that is a cool fact! And I agree that that takes talent. My mom has a reputation for killing orchids just by looking at them.

@SparkySunDevil that sounds amazing. What a cool childhood experience!

@jayandaplus that's cool! What genre?

I can't think of anything super interesting about myself..

ShadeofGreen816 · March 2017

Not sure how exciting this is, but my current life is pretty vanilla. I played the viola in HS and college and was first chair in my college orchestra. I miss playing a lot and would love to get back into it some day.

hp_momma · March 2017

ShadeofGreen816 said:

Not sure how exciting this is, but my current life is pretty vanilla. I played the viola in HS and college and was first chair in my college orchestra. I miss playing a lot and would love to get back into it some day.

Ha, the only thing I could think about myself was that I played violin! I didn't pursue college orchestra but would pick it up here and there. I'd love for one of my kids to choose violin when the time comes so I could have an excuse to pick one up and play again!

bubsalicious · March 2017

@ShadeofGreen816 I wanted to be in orchestra and wanted to play viola! Never did, but that was my plan...

I use to race vintage snowmobiles when I was in high school. I was pretty good too, beating grown men that would laugh at my purple snowmobile. Then I moved out of my parents and it became a lot more inconvenient to be the one that wakes me up that early on the weekend.

thistlenweeds · March 2017

I've done 170+ plane flights and covered 80% of the distance to the moon while at it. Lol

I love Garfield comic strips (not the cartoons, not the movies)

SKZW · March 2017

@thistlenweeds: so like flights on a plane as a passenger, as part of a flight crew, or as the pilot??
In any case, that's impressive! My poor ears couldn't ever handle that much pressure, lol.

jayandaplus · March 2017

@RainyDays86 I write young adult mostly. Sometimes mild fantasy, sometimes contemporary. And you're very interesting, I'm sure you can give us a tidbit we don't know.

@ShadeofGreen816 and @hp_momma I think it's awesome you are so musically talented. I could never get the hang of any instrument. I'm sure a newborn won't allow us any time to get back into those old hobbies, but maybe when they're older.

@absbubbs That's so cool! I've never heard of snowmobile racing. Where was that?

@thistlenweeds Why do much travel? Work or fun?

bacorrea · March 2017

I am the oldest of 7. My parents adopted my three youngest siblings (they are bilogical siblings themselves).

KMD1106 · March 2017

I've talked about teaching ESL, but I also have a French teaching license. I've only ever taught one quarter of it when there were too many sections for the French teacher, but it was fun! I lived in France for a summer and visited two other times. I really miss speaking it regularly.

thistlenweeds · March 2017

@SKZW as a passenger. I feel it would be less cool if I were the crew because then it'd just be my job lol

@jayandaplus I think about 50-60% of that was for work, I was a traveling consultant (management consulting). My last gig was flying to Moscow from Seattle for several months and that's four flights per round trip. Also, my whole family is in Moscow so I fly there to see them and was flying to the U.S. when my husband and I were dating.

NotAPlaya-JustCrushAlot · March 2017

I was a total tomboy growing up. I had 2 go karts and loved anything I could "drive" (motorbike, snowmobile, 4-wheeler, jet ski, etc.) I loved fishing and mostly only had friends of the male variety. However, I was awful at and did not participate in any sports.

thistlenweeds · March 2017

@NotAPlaya-JustCrushAlot same here re: sports. I just was awful.

kns1988 · March 2017

SparkySunDevil, that sounds like a dream!

I've probably mentioned it before, but I rock climb as a hobby. Bouldering, top roping, indoor, outdoor. I had to get over a mild fear of heights in order to do it. I wanted to keep it up when I was pregnant, but I was too paranoid; I'm looking forward to getting back at it after the baby arrives.

MrsFox2008 · March 2017

I don't know if one would consider this interesting but I love to scrapbook. I started a scrapbook when DH and I started dating in high school and have scrapbooked all our adventures/vacations/special occasions together. It's awesome to look back at 9 years worth of memories!

cato99 · March 2017

I've worked with/studied 8 languages. I use those terms instead of "know" because my relationship with them varies wildly--for some I'm a native speaker, some I know at a professional level, some I'm comfortable reading but shy in speaking, and one or two I studied as a dilettante and have let fade and am abysmal with (e.g. I've forgotten most of the Arabic script but for like a second was somewhat competent).

Jens_Hoes · March 2017

I think I mentioned it before, but I did cheerleading in college for the women's basketball team, and got to travel with them to the NCAA games. I obviously got to travel for free, and got to go to: NJ, Tampa, North Carolina, Fresno and St. Louis in my 4 years cheerleading. I also got to miss classes, travel via chartered flights with the basketball team and band, and got a police escort from the airport to the campus after they won the national championship in 2009. I was also shown on CBS, ESPN and in Sports Illustrated in my time as a cheerleader.

erinh2005 · March 2017

I am also in the club that has let some things go for the time being but plan to pick up again in the years to come. I.e. Involvement in the performance arts, visual art (my bachelors degree was with a focus on fine art) and hope to be more physically active like I have been in the past. But as far as just a tidbit DH and I met in HS and neither of us had ever drank at all and we still don't/haven't!

chailife34 · March 2017

I mentioned this in the Team Green thread, but my most interesting tidbit is my wife is transgender and recently started transitioning from male to female. She's incredibly happy now and I'm so honored to be on this path alongside her. It's like witnessing the renaissance of a human being.
(Most people who I share this with have a ton of questions because they don't encounter it often, so if you do, please ask, I'm happy to share our experience).

ShadeofGreen816 · March 2017

@chailife34 I am full of questions! That is really interesting and definitely something outside my experience so if any of these are ignorant I am truly sorry. I guess I'll just ask a couple for now.

Was she already living as a female when you met her? What is the process for transitioning - is she planning on surgical intervention? Is it mostly hormone therapy for now? The psychosocial aspect is interesting but I'm also really interested in the medical aspect as I know I will have transgender patients in my future NP practice.
ETA: This is very personal so feel free to not answer - will your child be biologically both of yours or did you use a sperm donor? I don't know how/if hormone therapy impacts sperm production.

SparkySunDevil · March 2017

It really was such a cool experience!! I loved it!

llenadevida900 · March 2017

I love GTKY threads!

Mine is I worked for an opera company (glimmerglass in upstate ny) one summer and it was amazing. Probably my favorite summer ever.

pshaortao · March 2017

@chailife34 Thats incredible! I'm too full of questions and some good ones got asked already. I recently found out this guy I grew up with is transgendered and she friended me on facebook. I have absolutely loved seeing how much happier she is now.

skeetied · March 2017

@Jens_Hoes I'm guessing you went to college where I grew up. Cool!

My GTKY is that I taught martial arts while I was in college

chailife34 · March 2017

ShadeofGreen816 said:

@chailife34 I am full of questions! That is really interesting and definitely something outside my experience so if any of these are ignorant I am truly sorry. I guess I'll just ask a couple for now. Was she already living as a female when you met her? What is the process for transitioning - is she planning on surgical intervention? Is it mostly hormone therapy for now? The psychosocial aspect is interesting but I'm also really interested in the medical aspect as I know I will have transgender patients in my future NP practice.
ETA: This is very personal so feel free to not answer - will your child be biologically both of yours or did you use a sperm donor? I don't know how/if hormone therapy impacts sperm production.

Thanks for your polite curiousity, these are great questions, not ignorant at all. I'm so happy to hear you are supportive of your future patients. Our ND (naturopathic primary care doctor) that cares for our family is learning as we go, as my wife is her first trans patient, but there are tons of resources available.

I realize this can be a sensitive topic, so TW in advance. Sorry to derail a thread, maybe there is a better one to post this in? LMK

Was she already living as a female when you met her?
- She has only been living as a woman since this past July. We have been together for 11 years (high school sweethearts), married as husband and wife, so now we are updating everything. Neither of us had any real idea until she started having dreams that clued her in (this story gets complicated).

What is the process for transitioning - is she planning on surgical intervention? Is it mostly hormone therapy for now?
- The process is multifaceted: emotionally, legally, medically, etc. Her name has been legally changed (birth certificate, license, etc, all of which is a huge undertaking). She started hormones (estrogen and testosterone-blockers) in August and will be on them for a year before having "bottom" surgery. She isn't interested in any cosmetic surgery (like facial feminization) and the hormones are helping her grow her own boobs.

Will your child be biologically both of yours or did you use a sperm donor?
- Both of our children are biologically ours. After coming out, I asked if she would consider waiting to start hormones until we were pregnant again, which she kindly obliged. I figured we should use the equipment while it was still in good working condition, and we sperm banked just in case we decide to have more kids in the future.

@pshaortao so glad your friend is much happier now. Living authentically makes all the difference in the world. Let me know if you have more questions.

tl;dr we love each other, and it's a long process. Transgender people mean no harm and are trying to live their lives authentically and to have the same opportunities as everyone else.

thistlenweeds · March 2017

@chailife34 wow, that's really cool! Good thinking on getting pregnant now!

ShadeofGreen816 · March 2017

@chailife34 thanks for being so open about it all. I can't imagine how difficult this transition has been for you both but if she's happier now then I'm sure it's been rewarding as well. I think it would take a lot of adjustment if MH told me that after so many years together. She is incredibly brave and you seem unbelievably supportive which is a huge accomplishment in itself. I'd be lying if I said I didn't think I'd have more questions but thanks for sharing.

livin541 · March 2017

Love this thread! It's so fun learning more about everyone. And @chailife34 thanks for sharing! I have a transgender Team member who transitioned from female to male and I know the process has not always been easy on him. It's great to hear about others' journeys so I can try to better understand what he is going through!

Kipperoo · March 2017

@chailife34, that is a fascinating story--thank you for sharing!! These types of situations must be challenging for everyone involved--being able to share experiences is so important for fostering community understanding and acceptance, though! I imagine this has been an interesting and life changing past year for you and your family.

@starphish18 , great idea for a thread! I love reading these!!

I can't think of anything great, so I'll give you 2 sort of interesting facts--
1. I was on the Debate team in high school and spent my summers at debate camp at Stanford and my weekends at debate tournaments, mostly local but many required interstate travel.

2. I have a biological brother and sister (both younger than me), but my family has also acquired "siblings" along the way, so I have 2 additional "brothers" and 1 "sister". They are primarily children who were friends of ours who's family just refused to take care of them for various reasons (all very long stories). All 3 lived with us for a few years during their childhood (3-6, depending on the "sibiling"). It makes explaining my family tree very tricky. Especially because my parents had me at 19 (I'm the oldest), but one of my "siblings" is 2 years older than me, and another is 7 years older. None of them are officially adopted, but they all call my parents mom & dad and consider our family their primary family.

emilyalso · March 2017

@chailife34 - Would you say that you identify as a lesbian now? (Not sure of the logistics/nomenclature for your situation)

onebadmotha · March 2017

This is a great thread! I love seeing how diverse peoples' life experiences can be.

@chailife34 - Thank you for sharing your family's story! I can't imagine it has been easy, but it sounds like you and your wife have an admirably strong bond. It's also very brave of her to go through all of this in order to live an authentic, happy life.

I don't have a ton of super juicy tidbits. I guess I'll throw out there that I'm an avid long distance runner (in my non-pregnancy state) and have run several marathons. I'm planning to complete a half Ironman triathlon late next summer as a motivator to get my butt back in shape post-baby

livin541 · March 2017

The only semi-interesting fact I can think of is that I've never broken a bone or been stung by a bee. I am also the clumsiest person EVER, so it's a damn miracle.

chailife34 · March 2017

Thanks for the positive support, everyone, I'm really humbled and grateful for this community.

@livin541 believe it or not, it's been my understanding that female to male can be much harder because of the chemical severity of testosterone. People report feeling much more ragey and out of control, whereas estrogen triggers high emotions (my wife cries at the drop of a hat). Both drugs trigger all over body pain as fat get redistributed. Remember puberty? Yeah, imagine going through again that as an adult.

The empathy we have found for each other has been the most uniting: between physical symptoms of pregnancy/hormones, and her understanding what challenges exist for women in society, it's been cool to share experiences.

@emilyalso it's a weird thing to adjust but if I had to choose a label it would be "pan-sexual" - or someone who is attracted to someone for who they are rather than gendered attributes. I love love, and am not attracted to one sex or another.

BabyMC517 · March 2017

Love this!

Let's see...I was a cheerleader back in the day until high school when it got very political and they wanted more gymnasts than anything, and that I am not. We went to competitions and even nationals, but didn't win. It was a lot of fun! I even coached during high school since I wasn't cheering.

I took horse back riding lessons for 10 years or so when I was younger. I competed in those as well. I loved riding the trails! So much fun!

I've driven across country 3 times, drove up the state of California from Orange County to San Francisco, and have been to the Grand Canyon 4 times (maybe 5?). Hoping H and I can road trip up the East coast because he hasn't been on this side before we moved to Florida!

mdlorenz · March 2017

@chailife34 Thank you for opening up to us and sharing your story. I work at a clinic that is fairly well known for being LGBTQ* friendly and I have so so much to learn.

I love reading everyone's little-known facts.

One tidbit i can think of is that I have a 3rd-degree black belt in karate. Stopped right before I went to college, and I don't know if I'll ever get back into it. Seems like a different life sometimes...

Edit: Autocorrect gets it so wrong sometimes.

nda_roxybabe · March 2017

The thing people find most interesting about me: I was born and raised in Alaska.
Something fun: I had a bonsai tree in my locker all of the 9th grade.

vrj0522 · March 2017

My random tidbit is that we have a bilingual home. DH only speaks English to our children and I only speak to them in Spanish. I love seeing them saying something to dad in English and then turning around and saying the same thing to me in Spanish; pretty amazing how the brain works. DH and I speak English between us because his Spanish is rough but he feels strongly about our kids being bilingual so he puts up with not always understanding everything that we are saying.

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