Sunday marks my 53rd birthday. I’m also celebrating it as the fifth anniversary of my transition, though I usually do that at New Year’s. I don’t remember the exact date that I said, “I have to transition or I’m going to die,” all that matters is that it happened.
I wrote a mini-autobiography (with songs) on facebook. I won’t repost it here because it’s too long (a main post, thirteen comments and fourteen video links). However, everything on the post is “public” so those not logged in can read it (as far as I know), you just can’t react. I limit comments to my friends list due to harassers and “chasers”.
Though it’s only five years out of fifty three and seems like a short time, the distance I’ve come is amazing: starting out close to a mental breakdown; tentative steps in experimenting with makeup, clothes and wigs; going public; socializing and making friends; living openly full time (aside from work). The only downer about my time since coming out is that I can’t take HRT. I did for a few weeks about two years ago, but it put such a strain on my heart I ended up on heart medication for eight months. (Better, now.)
Out of curiosity, I looked up famous people born on the same day. Many I’m glad to be associated with, and one, I’m like…aiyah! No, no, no! The first name is my favourite of the bunch, though I’ve watched the entirety of “The Doctor’s” career.
Famous people I like sharing the day with:
1953 – Roberta Williams (games designer for Sierra Online)
1955 – Janice Dickinson (who helped convict Bill Cosby)
1957 – LeVar Burton (and 2335 – Geordi Laforge on Star Trek)
1964 – Christopher Eccleston (Dr. Who, 28 Days Later, Cracker)
1973 – Cathy Freeman (Australian olympian)
1975 – Vanina Ickx (race driver)
1979 – Valentino Rossi, aka “The Doctor” (MotoGP 7x World Champion, 115 career wins)
It is just me, or does Valentino Rossi look like Krusty the Clown from The Simpsons?
People I’m okay to share the same birthday with:
1951 – William Katt (Greatest American Hero, Carrie)
1952 – James Ingram (singer, who sadly died last month)
1959 – John McEnroe
1960 – Peter “Pete” Willis (guitarist, Def Leppard)
1961 – Andy Taylor (guitarist, Duran Duran)
1958 – Tracy Lauren Marrow (aka Ice-T)
Those I’m embarrassed to have the same birthday:
1935 – Sonny Bono
1942 – Kim Jong-Il
Here are some notable historical events from February 16:
1881 – The Canadian Pacific Railway is incorporated and operating. Without the promise of a national railway in 1871, the western half of Canada (BC, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Yukon) would have joined the yanquis. Instead, Canada became a coast-to-coast nation.
1959 – Fidel Castro becomes Prime Minister of Cuba
1968 – In Haleyville, Alabama, the first 9-1-1 emergency telephone system goes into service.
1978 – The first computer bulletin board system is created (CBBS in Chicago, which I mentioned a month ago).
1985 – Hezbollah is founded.
2005 – Russia ratifies the Kyoto Protocol, becoming law.
Many people make timeline videos about their life. Unfortunately, I can’t because I have only one photo of myself before 2015, a picture with college classmates. The rest were ID photos: pics for my passport or other documentation. I hated the camera when I was hiding from the world. Now I love it. (I also suffered data loss due to a crappy Seagate HDD. Never again, I’ll stick with Transcend, a Taiwanese brand that never gives me trouble.)
Maya Henry is a Canadian Transgender woman (from Ontario) who transitioned around the same time that I did, January 2015. Hers is one of the first transition videos that I saw.
I have no connection to her and have never contacted her. I just like the video and the fact she was able to do it so young, and had a supportive family.
Happy birthday!
Personally, I pay no attention to brands. Instead, I keep lots of backups. I have a full copy of all my files on three different hard drives. Two of which are actually Seagate.
Happy Birthday!
Transcend don’t make their own drives, rather they repackage drives from one of the 3 HDD companies: Seagate, Western Digital or Toshiba. I’m assuming Transcend has good qualification practices that result in you getting high quality drives regardless of the origin.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hard_disk_drive#/media/File:Diagram_of_Hard_Disk_Drive_Manufacturer_Consolidation.svg
We share the same birthday. Happy birthday a day late. I am now 65. Yippee. I hope you have continued happiness in your life.
Brian