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Happy belated new year! I didn't have many updates to give so I waited until I
did and, well, now I do.
First: I'm moving! Final week of May, my husband and I are packing up our stuff
and driving across the country to Maine. We've been wanting to move for the
past couple years, but Utah just passed both a very restrictive anti-trans
bathroom bill and a bill making it illegal to teach anything that could be
constrained as "DEI" in places of higher education. We saw the writing on the
wall and decided it was time to go.
On the plus side, the part of Maine I'm moving to has doctors who actually
advertise trans healthcare! no more whisper networks! Also, I've been wanting a
change of scenery for a while, and hiking through the appalachians is something
I've always wanted to do.
I'll post updates to the moving process as they come! I've got a friend with a
massive storage trailer who is helping us move our stuff in exchange for the
price of gas and hanging out on the trip over, and I've picked up some neat MURS
radios so we can sync during the drive since we have to take separate cars.
The other thing is that this week there was a huge kerfuffle as it was reported
that Fortinet had been hit with a DDoS attack that originated from a botnet
infecting IoT toothbrushes.
The story was later found to be false, but it's just funny enough that I want to
believe. I absolutely canNOT wait until the "everything needs to be IoT" trend
finally ends. The other day I found a bluetooth-enabled water bottle! They said
using their water bottle and associated app was "the first water bottle to cure
dehydration."
Sorry, Klean Kanteen water bottle with a little straw on it. You've served me
well, but I guess you need bluetooth to keep up with the Joneses.
Related to the move, my husband and I have been taking a hard look at our stuff
and finding what we can sell, donate or throw away.
It's amazing how you don't notice how much STUFF you have until you suddenly
have to plan for how many boxes it'll take to pack it all up!
I get the feeling I'll be entering Maine with significantly less random articles
of clothing and single-use electronics. The hardest part will be parting with a
few of my larger stuffed
animals, but I've got stuffed animal collector friends in the area who I'm sure
will be glad to give my gigantic stuffed unicorn a good home.
I bought myself a set of rollerblade Cruiser W's for my birthday, and I've been
trying to get out at least a couple times a week to practice skating around.
It's fun!
I got an annual pass at the roller rink just in time to find out we're going to
be moving sooner than anticipated, so that's a sad waste of money but I'm also
making the most of it while I can. I've found that, if I show up to the rink
right after work, I can usually avoid the after-school crowd and the gaggles of
Mormon teenagers going there for church activities, so then it's just me, a few
parents of small children, the occasional dancer and this one old guy who is
SUPER IMPRESSIVE on a pair of skates. Legit tearing up the dance floor!
Meanwhile, I'm still practicing the basics of balance, which edge of the skate
to stand on, going fast and then stopping, etc. Each time I practice I get a
little better though, so there's that!
All last year I was saving up my money to pay for bottom surgery, aka GRS, aka
"THE SURGERY" if you're a curious cis person. My previous insurance, blue cross
blue shield, was going to cover the whole thing at the University of Utah.
However, with a new year my work switched to United Healthcare. United
Healthcare does not cover surgery at University of Utah. When I explained that
they are quite literally the only hospital in Utah that does the surgery I need,
I was told I'll have to go out of state to get treatment. And no, they won't
cover travel or hotel costs. I checked :)
After fighting back and forth for a while and spending quite literally 5 hours
in one day of just talking to reps on the phone (my phone battery died during
the last call!), I started looking at alternatives.
I found a medical travel agency in Thailand that will do the surgery I need,
with a surgeon who is recognized the world over for his techniques, for probably
less total money than if I had to travel for care in the US, and with only a 3
month wait time.
The best part? They pay for hotels, hospitals, EVERYTHING included in the
surgery package, and my husband can come with me!
Also, they use a technique during surgery to remove the hair follicles in the
skin they'll be using during the surgery, DRASTICALLY reducing the number of
electrolysis sessions I'm going to need before surgery.
Getting told by insurance to fuck off sucked, but finding this new hospital has
filled me with new hope. After we're settled in Maine I'm going to check plane
tickets, get the required screenings with a local doctor and send all my info to
the travel agency so I can get a surgical date booked.
I'm so excited! I'm finally at what feels like the finish line. I will not get
too TMI about it, but bottom surgery is something I've very desperately needed
since I was like....9. It feels incredible to almost be there.
Alright, I think that's about all I've got for today. See y'all next time!