Alaskan Transcendentalist

            It’s an exciting thing to start taking hormones to begin one’s journey to become the person they are meant to be. I remember going into the doctor for my first shot being super excited and nervous all at the same time. I couldn’t believe that I was finally there about to have a needle thrust into my butt cheek and begin my journey of becoming a real boy! My anxiety over the pain of the needle, however, was overdone as it didn’t hurt much; it hurt later that night because I made the mistake of going home to take a nap right on the side I got poked but other than that, it wasn’t bad at all.             I went into the doctor’s office for about three or four of my beginning testosterone shots. They do it themselves so they can monitor progress and make sure the dosage is okay. Every Trans person is different in their chemical makeup so sometimes the doctor has to adjust the dosage or even the type of testosterone given. My doctor put me on the maximum dosage, and I fe

Alarm beeps the most annoying sounds your ear could possibly hear. You get up; shower, maybe; toss something in your mouth that somewhat resembles breakfast; then drag yourself out the door to head towards the office. Exhausted and sluggish you go straight for the coffee pot to find that there is no cream, milk, or sugar… and so the day begins. Awful isn’t it? Our routine lives focused around work and our jealous alarm clock ruining our perfect relationship with our bed and soft pillows. The whole day at work we mosey along pretending to be alive and functioning at our desk. If you are lucky enough to enjoy your job, more power to you. I envy you. For the rest of us stuck in boring office jobs, we manage to get through the days by being zombie-like creatures depending on the elixir of coffee and energy drinks to keep us going. We push through our exhaustion and boring routine of our job and browse the internet, text or tweet on our phone, and try to get away with doing our own thi

Smoking is a hard habit to quit. Trust me, I’ve quit four or five times in the last five years. It seems to go okay until a stressful situation hits, and I return once again to that dirty habit that consumed my life. However, 68 days ago, I quit for good. At 24 years old and working for the State Department of Public Health Section of Nursing, I have grown to be more educated about smoking and the harm it has caused me and the potential damage that can happen. Through the last few months I have gained knowledge and done research and started monitoring my own feelings and surroundings when I get a craving for a smoke. It has been quite the eye-opener.             I started smoking at age 19 after my first partner broke up with me. I’ve come to realize that break ups or loss of friendships or other relationship losses are a HUGE trigger for me- I always reach for a cigarette and a drink because of course it’s the healthiest choice for me! NOT! Another trigger is emotional stress or

           I went to a specialist the other day that I knew was a religious man. I was anxious and nervous about how he would react to finding out I was a transman. I actually drank quite heavily the night before because I was an anxious wreck. Once in the doctor’s office I had revealed my Trans status to two nurses and had great reactions; very supportive. I was still nervous for the doctor, however. The doctor came in and checked my breathing under my binder and asked to check my genitals. Before I could say anything, the nurse interrupted to tell the doctor that I was Trans; his response was surprising and unexpected, “ yes, so? Do you have a problem with that because I don’t? Do you Danny? ” The biggest smile crossed my face and all my anxiety flew out the window.             The doctor and I had a great meeting and talked about my concerns. Before any of this though he looked right at me and said, “I apologize ahead of time if I mix up pronouns. I mean no disrespect but