Shaving, or the lack thereof.

So, I'm out at my new workplace, which should probably go without saying. I am going by my chosen name, so that I can get used to responding to it, and the only people who know my legal name, are management.

I've also stopped shaving. While I was putting in on online applications I stopped shaving entirely and discovered that my beard filled in alot better than it did when I was shaving it about twice a week. So, I'm letting it grow and see how it fills in. I've got a good amount of fuzz coming in, but it's not a full beard yet, or even really close to it.

I had planned to shave and ignore it until I was post-chest surgery, but I am getting more consistently read as male when I have the 5 o'clock shadow. Babyface means I get Ma'am still, even with the dropped voice and masculine face. And oh boy has my face gone that way. These photos are from last night:




It's amazing to me how much my face continues to change. It was awkward and puffy for months as everything adjusted. I seem to be past all that now, and the acne I was experiencing has mostly cleared up. Especially since I stopped shaving. I've had trouble spots on my right side to the extent that not as much hair comes in on that side. I'm just washing and moisturizing it now, not shaving, not trimming.

Once it all gets to a length I'll begin trimming it, but for now, I'm letting it go a bit. :]

Technically employed.

So, exciting news. I have a job. A friend of mine let me know when a bunch of her co-workers got canned for various reasons, and I put in my application. Luckily enough I'd done some chit-chat and pleasant small-talk with the store manager, night before at said friend's birthday party. She (the manager) and the other manager think I am exactly what they are looking for.

My orientation (paperwork etc) is tomorrow starting 1pm, and they'll have me stay to begin training. I had to run around and buy some things last minute since they have a set uniform. I went and got some black slacks, a new black belt, and some black polishable work boots. They'll have a work shirt for me in a day or two, and in the meantime I can wear a blue polo (which I already have) to work.

It's a little shop that is essentially a "classy" pawnshop. It looks like a rent-to-own place in terms of the quality of products and the way it's all displayed, and the associates are all friendly. I'm already on great terms with three of the managers since one of them, is the afore-mentioned friend, who is in her manager training right now. The other two, were impressed with my diplomacy, and my ability to say no, firmly and apologetically. Because, this is a shop that buys their stock from customers, to sell. They don't get shipments from other places, everything for sale is stuff they've bought from people. And Katy, the friend of mine, says they want me for the buy shop, because they think I'll be pretty good at knowing what I can and should buy and what a reasonable price is, and how to let people down easy or diffuse angry people as necessary.

The job is on a 30 day probationary term, but it's certainly a start. Katy has been there quite a while, and I know if I have questions she'll be able to help me out as necessary. I'm nervous because it's different from the retail experience I do have, but I'm excited because it means I am, at least for the moment, employed. If this turns out not be something I can do well, at least it's something bringing in a paycheck for the moment.

Apollo has a face!

So Osaka painted Apollo up for me yesterday, much to my delight. I went to a birthday party though so there were no pics until today. :] I'm very pleased with how he turned out. However, I find that white dolls are still a pain and a half to photograph without them going all glowy and washed out in direct sunlight. :[

Anyhow these the my favorites from today. :D

The second to last one is my desktop wallpaper now. Funnily enough my last three wallpapers have been my Soom dolls. The first was Doran, and the one I had until now was Starshine. :]

Two drawings and a minor rant.

Okay, I don't pretend to be a spectacular artist, but I occasionally do sketches that I'm happy with. These fall into that category.

The first is a self portrait. I don't do them frequently for probably pretty obvious reasons. Or if I do, they aren't especially accurate. This one is more than they generally are.

And then we have Apollo. That would be my Soom Shale. His new wig has arrived, but he is not yet painted. I'm still getting a feel for his personality, but I'm pleased overall.



I tend to bond with my dolls through sewing for them, and exploring how they (their characters) might react to theoreticall situations. Apollo seems to be playful, a bit snarky, and maybe a touch of a hipster. I want to make him a t-shirt or three with "ironic" sayings. Overall though he seems to be pretty sweet, and have a clear sense of what he wants to wear, which makes things easy in theory. So far, I've made him a pair of star-print boxer-briefs, and I have fabric set aside to make him a hoodie or t-shirt (or both), and some denim. I need to draft a skinny jean pattern.

If weather permits, Apollo will probably get faceupped tomorrow morning. There's just too much going on tonight for that to be an option.

Side rant:

I'm very very pleased Pherret enjoyed his vacation and came home safely. I am displeased that he's been spooling back up a bit more each day since his return. He was really chill and relaxed for about four days, and has been chippy on a sliding scale for the last three days. Sunday we were all home for the first time in MONTHS, because I used to work every weekend. It was a pretty quiet mellow day until out of the blue he snapped off about how he was sick of hearing us yell at Ringo and the dogs all damn day. Osaka and I exchanged a side glance and bit our tongues. We'd been calling Ringo and the dogs most of the day, just like "Hey come here a minute" or "Hey Bitsy/Sadie, lay down/come here/get out of that". Basic commands/direction none of which were said in anything more than a casual/relaxed tone.

I'm so tired of him being stressed out all the time. I want to be supportive and I KNOW it's the PTSD, but I've just lost all patience for him. It's come down to me retreating into my headphones with a quiet word to Osaka that I've reached my max Pherret Socialization. How sad is that? He's seriously one of my very good friends, and while he and I aren't as close as Osaka and I are, I'd like to be able to be frank and honest with him, and I just CAN'T talk to him about it at all. All attempts turn into him talking over the person, and/or flat out ignoring/misinterpreting what they say. He gets crazy beligerant, and rude, and there's just no talking to him.

I am so exasperated. He's a great friend, but he's incredibly hard to live with, with the PTSD. It wasn't like this (at least not NEARLY to this extent) pre-Afghanistan.

Introducing Apollo (Soom Shale)

My Soom Shale arrived today! My hands are shaking a bit too much, and I haven't gotten any good photos yet. He doesn't have a faceup yet, but Osaka has agreed to do him up for me, once she's feeling a bit better.

I did have some great eyes on hand for him, and he's borrowing one of Ichigo's fur wigs right now. His wig shipped yesterday, so should arrive tomorrow or Friday.

This is the wig I've got coming for him:


I wasn't expecting Shale to arrive today at all. My tracking never updated past the 4th, where it cleared customs at 5:31am. I'd had my hopes up yesterday and was REALLY disappointed when my new laptop cord arrived but there was no box from Soom. I mean I needed the cord, mine died mysteriously last week, and I've been borrowing Osaka's on and off as my computer has needed charging. But, I wasn't remotely excited, I was just overwhelmed with disappointment. So I had no expectations for today.

Which, is probably why I was still feeling a bit less than enthusiastic when I initially started opening the box. I mean I got over it real fast, but I was well into the box before I started to feel that new doll glow.

I'm not crazy about the unicorn parts in this scale. I mean there's nothing WRONG with them, but they don't charm me the way that Starshine does. I've set those parts aside and will come look at them again later.

After dressing Shale and playing with him a bit, I've concluded that his name is Apollo. I don't think there is any actual connection with the Greek mythology, but I brushed up on it anyway. :]

And now that my hands aren't shaking so badly, here he is. My apologies for his lack of faceup. That will be remedied shortly.



It's interesting to me, what differences there are, not just in scale, between Shale, and Beyla. The eyes are a slightly different shape, the lips are much lippier, and the face is longer but still rather baby-faced. I may do a side-by-side comparison between Moonbeam and Apollo once he's got a faceup.

Sadface.

Bah! I was really hoping Shale would arrive today but he was only released from Customs at 5:31am. I know he would arrive tomorrow normally. However, tomorrow is Labor Day. So I will likely have Shale in hand Tuesday instead. :( EMS does deliver on Sundays here, so it wasn't a ridiculous expectation.

Also the last several dolls I've gotten direct from company (read Iplehouse) were in my hands less than 42 full hours after they shipped. So I had kind of high expectation.

And aside from slight letdown, I've been feeling a little rundown today. I woke up at a reasonable hour, 9:30-ish, and from the start just felt weak.

Now I'm attributing it to a combination of fatigue from being out and about for 3 days running, and being back on my thyroid medicine. I refilled all my prescriptions 2 weeks ago but overlooked that one, somehow, and so I was off it for about 2 solid weeks. Today was my second day back on it, and I've felt weak, heat sensitive, and dizzy/lightheaded. I think fatigue plays a huge part in it as well, both physical and emotional fatigue. I've had a hell of a month.

Blood sugar may have also played a part. I've gotten used to eating 3 times a day, at pretty regular intervals, on workdays. I'd eat some breakfast, pack a balanced and filling lunch, and frequently have a nice dinner waiting for me when I got home from work.

On non-work days I tend to forget to eat. There's no pressure to eat when I first wake up, if I'm not going anywhere. I might remember that I should eat, about five hours after I wake up, but if I'm home I'm probably playing videogames, or engrossed in conversation or crafts etc with Osaka, so there's no guarentee I'll eat then either.

Today I ate some leftovers a few hours after I woke up. Several hours later I was laying on my bed playing Pokemon and ignoring hunger pains until Osaka came to visit with me. I ate a handful of cheezits.

Cue a dizzy spell when finally feeling hungry I walk to the store with Osaka to pick up dinner. So I ate a bag of peanut M&Ms on the walk home. I felt wobbly, I got pale, and I felt flushed. That was why I thought it might be the thyroid medicine. It can cause heat sensitivity and flushing. Osaka pointed out that it was likely blood sugar. Because she is smart.

The End.

First phone interview.

I had a phone interview with Geico today. If I am hired, which is pending approval from a hiring manager after they get results from a background check, I would be starting at just shy of $14 an hour. And, I'm told, after the first three months of training, it would increase by 10%. Which would put me at around $15 and some change.

That's nearly double what I made at Home Depot. And this is just a normal customer service job, from what explained to me. I'd work in their call center as a customer service rep. I've already had to deal with that sort of work, working returns, and as a head cashier.

I've worked in call centers before, and don't mind that sort of work, as long as it isn't telemarketing. I have NO issues with people calling in, needing help. I worked as a telesales associate at Ticketmaster when I lived in McAllen, Texas, and I didn't mind that job at all.

If I am approved, I would begin training with the next batch of hires on September 26th. During training, I'd be working day hours, Mon-Fri, I believe he said in the 8-5 range. After three months I would likely be moved to evenings, which would be 3:30-Midnight, and working alternating weekends. I don't mind that, but the buses don't run that late, so I'll need to make sure Pherret won't mind picking me up that late until I can get something else lined up.

And, un-related to that, I went by my normal doctor today, and had some blood work done. My Gender clinic closed down inexplicably in the March or April time-frame, and I haven't yet found a new specialist. My normal doctor is taking over that aspect of my care until I can find a new specialist, so they took some blood to get a new baseline, and he wrote me a prescription for my maintenance-level testosterone. I'm relieved, as I was worried about stalling out in this, while trying to find work again.

I've also just about settled on my name. I've chosen Rory Math C***. I was considering Rorick for the first name, because it is the correct spelling of Rorek, which I've gone by, for about a decade, but I decided that since I would likely be shortening it to Rory anyway, that I will just make that the name.

And one last thing COMPLETELY unrelated to job and transition, I got a shipping notice.

Way back when Shale and Adamelli were released, Osaka was kind enough to order Shale for me, and let me pay her back over time. I had a different doll on layaway at the time I believe, which is why I couldn't/didn't order it myself.

I'm really excited, and I'm thrilled that I will have a shiny new doll to play with while I wait for Geico to get back to me. They said the earliest I would likely hear from them would be Tuesday or Wednesday.

And timing-wise, this feels like a good thing, because I should have my final dental work done before the 26th, and so have nothing extraneous to worry over, in the event that I do get hired. Please wish me luck.