Time for a Re-Introduction

I was first told about Steemit by @winstonwolfe, after many questions and some looking at it, I figured I'd give it a try. Of course when I was finally ready to sign up, the registration to the site had been shut down for a week. Ooooh, the pins and needles checking endlessly to see if I could finally join!

Since my signing up to Steemit on July 22, 2016, it's been quite the adventure. I really can't call it a roller coaster, since it's pretty much been in one direction...up. Yes, I was around in the earlier days with Steem over $4, out of this world post and comment payouts. While the money is nice...it's really not my gauge.

For starters, I've never been the more social person (especially online) and I hadn't written anything for pleasure (preferring face to face conversations) in at least a decade. This site really helped my writing bug to return...to the point of now having 240 posts, hosted 32 @steemittalk podcasts, and met so many great people. With it being so long since my original introduction post, it seemed like a great time to re-introduce myself.

A Bit of Background

College and MUDS

Never being one for small talk, I spent my time reading about utopias, dystopias, various history books, sci-fi, eastern philosophy, psychology, and conceptual physics. Now, 20 years before when I'd first moved to Springfield, Missouri, I was a marketing and psychology double major, which I called "professional bullshitting." Similar to my writing, at that point I'd not read a book for fun, in...ummm...never?!?! However, within the first year I met some extremely interesting person, one in particular who was nicknamed "Lao."

I was introduced to ideas, topics and conversations that were absolutely fascinating. I started playing on a MUD (think of World of Warcraft, but with only text) called Delusions of Grandeur along with him and at least a dozen other students packed into the computer lab during the wee hours of the night. Eventually I become a part of my clans 'higher ranks', getting to play a part in the planning of things like setting up our guild hall, training members, and overall moving to have our team absolutely dominate the server. It eventually became more a game of our group versus the implementors (actual owners of the server) and the 'rules' they could code into things. We'd still become unbalanced and too powerful rather quickly. Eventually most of the higher ranks in our guild became staff, with Lao and myself later becoming 'owners' of it.

Now during this time I realized I really dislike the business school, finding so much being what I saw as common sense. I'm sure it didn't help that I was up late into the night playing and being presented with the choice of, "I can go to accounting class and fall asleep, or I can stay in my bed." Guess which I did. So I ended up dropping out to just work and be able to read whatever I wanted...which was great. I had been exposed to so many phenomenal books including a few of my first favorites being Masks of the Illuminati, Illuminatus Trilogy, and a textbook on Eastern Philosophy.

It really was a great balance of uncomfortable exposure to masses of conspiracy mixed with the inner calm of beginning to understand philosophy and zen.

College 2.0 and Starting to Wonder

After years of reading whatever the hell I wanted, I had generated some really interesting questions and the best answers I could (for me.) It was over this time that I built up my concepts of politics, religion and a personal philosophy. However one of the biggest takeaways was the full understanding that I DON'T KNOW EVERYTHING! In fact, there are some areas that I can't know everything...literally impossible. So rather than seeking absolute truths, I looked to develop and refine my own best ideas and generalize out what I could. To do this, I talked with people, giving my viewpoints, and trying to get theirs.

After all...I wasn't trying to talk about these things with the idea of being RIGHT, but rather being BETTER, which required the other party having at least some, ideally better, understanding then I did. To me, this is how to refine things I found important. I'd assume many of you out there have read and thought a lot on topics that deeply interested you, then when looking to get into conversations, things kind of fell flat. Sure, they would smile and nod, maybe some even understood aspects of what I was talking about...but the feedback I was looking for just wasn't there.

I tried writing some of my ideas out, posting onto a forum board or two, Myspace, and Facebook...but nothing ever really made me feel like I was getting what I was looking form. Not being someone who is driven to be social, enjoying my alone time or with rather groups of people I knew, I had to find other ways to 'connect' with people, even if it wasn't on the topics I'd spent my time on. And guess what?!?! This mean MORE GAMES!!

Let the GAMES Begin!! Again?

I grew up playing games, whether it was chess, scrabble, card games, pool, ping pong, atari, (eventually) nintendo...you name it. So while I was working overnight at the college dorms, I started playing online poker. (Before the laws changed, making it illegal here.) Eventually I played in some weekly home games with a group of friends including @giftedgaia. I absolutely loved the idea of playing games that could also make a little bit of money. One important thing I found over this time was that 'if I went into a game feeling like I HAD to win...I'd lose." This mindset always caused me to make calls I knew I shouldn't, pushed to hard or some other form of just bad decision making. While there is a luck component, I still tried to make what I though was the right move, meaning the odds were in my favor. Play enough hands with the odds in your favor and you start to go ahead.

After graduating from college (this time with physics degree), I ended up working as a knowledge engineer for an artificial intelligence company. My primary jobs was to interview experts our system was looking to mimic and translate it into logic graphs (concepts, plans, goals and actions) for the core software. It was over this stretch of time I fell into what I lovingly call a Warcraft hole, about 4ish years...I'm better now. I 'cracked out' so much with WOW, starting just before the release of burning crusade and ending after downing the Lich King (even though I played an hour or two into Cataclysm.) But at this point, I'd lost the drive to put in that much time and didn't want to play if I couldn't 'do it right.' (Which meant absolutely 'cracking out', reading through updates, prepping/leading raids, chasing yellow dots, making bank in the auction house, and oooh the level grind.)

A little while later I met up with some members of the Overclock Network (OCN) gamers who played Team Fortress 2. This was through @giftedgaia's brother @karrrma. I don't claim to be a top notch first person shooter player, but I liked to think I could hold my own in certain roles. Many of these guys became a part of the USA gaming, and playing a slew of other games such as League of Legends, Rocket League, Overwatch and others I can't even remember right now.

Accepting being Transgender and Transitioning

Around 7-8 years ago I had reached my limit in deciding that my feelings of being a female was not going to go away. I was in my early thirties and it has been something consistently in the 'back of my mind'...which I didn't talk to ANYBODY about. At this point I started telling some friends, allowing people to see me 'dressed female,' and even daring to leaving the house that way once in a while.

Within a couple years of this I started seeing a counselor, first so I could be absolutely sure this was the path I wanted to go down (this was my choice) and then going through the necessary paperwork to move through the process. I've been living full-time female since February 4th, 2014 with some years of 'part-time' before that. This is something that I absolutely DO NOT regret, even though like anything in life...it has it's moments.

I try not to make a huge deal of this, since it's really a rather small part of my life. But I've written about the topic to try and provide information to others so they can better understand. I've also given the opportunity for Steemit members to ask questions in a couple of Trans AMA's I'd done months ago.

If anyone does have a question on this topic feel free to ask. I know it's often uncomfortable to directly ask trans people things, especially if the are your friend, due to fear of saying something wrong. I promise the worst I can say is 'that is too personal to answer.' But honestly, I'm yet to ever give that response.

And then there was Steemit

Since starting here, this will be my 241st post and made over 3000 comments. I've moved away from writing on 'utopia' theory to just reading others in this area. Often you'll have seen me write on

• transgender experiences or issues
• science, technology, or AI news
• Various Steemit related topics
• And over a stretch months back, many Steemit guides for the Steemprentice mentor group

Early on, the endless topic of Steemit came up when I was around @winstonwolfe. We were both new to cryptocurrency in general and were learning how this place worked. So when the idea came up that we should record these talks, it began what is now known as @steemittalk podcast. Our first show were the two of us talking about 15 minutes into an iPhone. A few days later we has @giftedgaia join us, using 3 iPhones attached to stands with twisty ties.

We've come quite a long way, using out Steemit earnings to buy gear allowing a professional sounding podcast. We had some great guests on the show such as @williambanks, @soundlegion, @stellabelle, @papa-pepper, @raymonjohnstone and just completed our 32nd Episode with Special Guest @kevinwong.

I have to say Steemit...I didn't exactly know what I was wanting when I first started here. But I absolutely LOVE the opportunities it's allowed me to find and follow my passions!!

Don't Miss the Show! Follow the Steemit Talk Podcast (STP) Account

New STP Website!!

Are you new to Steemit and Looking for Answers? - Try https://www.steemithelp.net.

Image Sources:
Trans Icon
Quote