Estrogen & Me

As I type these words my fifth Estrofem is dissolving slowly beneath my tongue, and I'm feeling pretty good. Thus far it's way too early for there to be any observable effects, but I'm feeling better over all, and that's really what I need right now. I'm actually doing it. I'm really transitioning.

Somehow I thought it would be more exciting than this. It's disappointingly mundane, this. I think I thought there would be ponies or something. Put the pill under my tongue for five minutes a couple times a day and...well, that's it. I want a pony. Pink, with sparkles. Where's my pony, dammit?

Did I say no observable effects?

Well, I did, and I was WRONG with a capital "WRUH"! I just got a letter from SMC's financial aid department telling me I'd been approved and I was close to tears.

Wow. I was NOT prepared for that, and not so soon.

We all seek approval

I’ve perhaps mentioned before that I’m back in school after twenty-ish years to score a degree, yes? I’ve been fighting an uphill battle for the last couple months to get financial aid lined up. I qualified for a fee waver so I don’t have to pony up any money for tuition, but everything else - books and fees - comes out of my too-shallow pocket, so financial aid was all but required for me to carry on much longer with my education. When I first applied, everything seemed to be copacetic, but then last month I was notified that I had been declined for financial aid. The reason cited was my PRIOR education. Nevermind that I had no intention of trying to bring any of those old credits forward, that this was meant to be a fresh start. No, I’d already had a shot and fucked it up, so that was that.

I appealed that decision with a prettily-worded (but wholly truthful and sincere) letter to the appeals board, and was told to wait. Well, today the wait is over. I have been approved. I’ve no idea for how much aid I will qualify or how/when I will receive said aid, but it’s coming, and that is a HUGE relief.