for some reason, that domain is being redirected to my bloggains.wordpress.com site which they say is expired.
I might be partly wrong here, but I think it is your domain registration that might be expired since wordpress.com accounts do not ever expire. At to the matter of redirection, you will have to use the "WhoIs" link to see where your domain is currently pointed (which nameservers), and then correct that, if necessary. And wherever your domain is pointed, that control is available at your Registrar...and wordpress.com (Wild West or whatever) might or might not still be your Registrar.
I did the guided transfer and you can no longer use the WordPress dashboard for a self-hosted site?
You have never been able to use your wordpress.COM Dashboard for your self-hosted site. At a self-hosted site, you can only use its own WordPress Dashboard.
