I got the form filled out by my doctor to change my gender on my birth certificate. Saskatchewan is very particular about needing a doctor to sign off on it. I got the form notarized and then dropped it off for my doctor yesterday and got it back at the end of the day and rushed to the post office to send it away with a money order. And now we wait! I sent it XpressPost so it will arrive on Friday and then get in line I suppose. I am hoping it doesn’t take a super long time. Six weeks maybe? The time to get new birth certificates processed in Saskatchewan was eight weeks over the holidays but I’m hoping that just got extended because they were out of the office over Christmas and New Years. I guess we’ll see! I had no way to rush it which sucks, because I need it for my passport.

I also got a letter from my doctor so I can take it to Service Canada and change my gender on my Driver’s License, and I have to change my name there and on OHIP. So I made an appointment but it’s later in February and I might go bite the bullet and take a number and wait in line to go do it. At least they have a bunch of chairs there. That takes four to six weeks to come in the mail and I will need it to get my passport.

Once my passport is in my name and gender I’m going to feel a lot more relief. I also need to change my bank name and then reset my Interac so that my real name is on my etransfers and stuff. I think my chosen name is just my real name. It’s legally mine! I did the things!

I feel like I’ve done almost all the stuff related to my transition after this name/gender paperwork change goes through all my stuff. I know I probably won’t change my name everywhere for a while because I will still forget places until I go to use a service and see my old name. I also want to update my name at the Universities I went to and get new degrees issued, just for my own happiness. No one actually needs to look at my Master’s degree but it’s on my wall because dammit I worked hard for it, and it would be nice to see my real name on it. Also the University I went to changed it’s name from Ryerson to Toronto Metropolitan University and I think I would like to not see it’s deadname on my paper either, considering why the Ryerson name was dropped.

I recently got a grant and paid some debts and also put a lot of money down on a printer/scanner and it’s been MY FAVOURITE THING! Doing all this paperwork to change my name and gender legally has needed me to print and scan and copy so many forms and letters. And my handwriting makes me look like a serial killer and I don’t know that it’s very legible, so it’s good writing letters in print and being understood by doctors and bureaucrats. Definitely a worthwhile expense.

I’m also starting to work on my transition video more. I have a few more things I want to record but the grant is mostly for post production so I’ve been gathering all kinds of materials and am going to start playing around with them. I have multiple Instax photos, so many photos on my phone of my changing body, videos, voice memos as my voice changed. I also wrote a detailed blog here this whole transition so I might record some things I wrote here. I also want to get a video that uses an old prop in a new way.

Puppy is doing well! We’re starting to figure out how to lessen his bitey attacks. He doesn’t like being put on the floor because he likes being close to me, so when he’s being bitey I put him on the floor and when he stops I bring him back up and if he starts he goes back down. He is figuring it out. I learned this works because I signed us up for Puppy Classes at When Hounds Fly and we did the orientation where they explained how to do positive reinforcement and how dog psychology works. Basically I was flipping him on his back when he got bitey but then he just thinks we are playing. But when he’s on the floor he can’t play so it’s less desirable. He’s taking five classes over the next two months and hopefully that helps him become a good citizen. If I can I am going to sign him up for more classes, there’s a foundational dog skills class we might take. This school also does scent detecting classes and he might like that because Dachshunds are scent hounds.

Anyway I’m glad Todd is adjusting to this home. He’s doing ok, and Posey even likes playing with him sometimes unless he gets real annoying.

I also learned I may have a longstanding bacterial infection which I was confusing with a specific STI. But no it’s not this particular STI it’s something else! If it gets sorted I can have a real active sex life again so I am looking forward to that. Condoms only prevent so much and I don’t know how infectious this bacteria is so I haven’t really played a lot. BUT that doesn’t mean I don’t have an endless parade of dicks in my Grindr and I could be having fun instead of having to wait for this to clear and turn people down. Not to say I only play with people with dicks, but PIV sex even with condoms is more contact and more potential to transmit things than other sex with barriers like using gloves and dams. Also I just want my life back!

ALSO though it’s potentially having more impacts on my body than my play areas. Like, the Infectious Disease doctor was asking if I was losing clumps of hair, and I know it’s thinning but I assumed that was the hormones. Also he asked if I was getting more spots, like zits and boils etc. And I AM. But again I thought that was the hormones. So it turns out I probably have an infection that I’ve had almost as long as I’ve been transitioning. What the hell. BUT I dunno maybe when it clears up I can have another glow up. It would be nice to grow my hair again but I don’t know if it will all come back. It definitely does look a bit patchy. I don’t know, I’ve been constantly shaving it.

Overall I am doing well. Dogs are well. I should be able to get rid of this infection finally. Name change proceeding along as normal. Gender change also proceeding legally. I’m feeling good about where things are at. ALSO I am going to get to travel eventually which is good.