A "Natural" Crossdresser

It's no secret a few men are born with bodies which scream "woman".  Many don't ever act upon their "gift", others "cross dress" their bodies and yet another segment augments their femininity with HRT.

Here's a natural on the Cyrsti's Condo big screen:

Cyrsti's Condo "Cover Girl" of the Day

As the Olympics approach, here's a look at an alternative Russia that Thug Putin has not managed to squash. We feature Alexandr Shtrauh (also known as Armago Andante) a young musician and model from Russia.

Honey "Boo Hoo?"

This is just funny and I got it off of Pinterest:

I "Doesn't Know It"

For all of you who followed the links to Jasmine Ford's show that I was supposed to be on, as you know I wasn't.
The only answer (txt) I ever got after waiting for over an hour and changing my plans for the evening was "running out of time."
I apologize to any and all for bringing it up at all here in Cyrsti's Condo.

Tune in Tonight!

Tonight (Thursday) I'm going to be a phone in guest to Jasmine Ford's new Internet Gender Experience Show on www.TruRythme.tv  at 10:00 p.m. I will be on around around 10:30 or so don't panic if you don't see me right away and think I'm another Janet Mock no show. I think she got bumped when Morgan became embroiled in a gun control argument with a politician from Oklahoma.

At any rate, Here is Jasmine's shows "bio":

Jasmine Ford, along with her co-host, Renee Singleton, will discuss "thought provoking material from an unconventional perspective". "This talk show was created to take a hard look at the social construct of sex, sexuality, and relationships as they occur across the gender spectrum."

To put it mildly, I'm way across the gender spectrum from Jasmine's experience.  In her pre interview with me, Jasmine said the absolute oldest transgender person she has ever met was in her early 40's. Not to mention, I'm far removed from the Miami, Florida culture-which is exactly why I need to be interviewed.

Amazingly to me, during my half hour or so on the phone with Jasmine, I was surprised how similar our idea's actually were. A prime example was when she said most transsexual women were just interested in the next operation she could afford to make her beautiful.  The real beauty they were lacking was on the inside.

Here is a link to see missed episodes www.thegenderexperience.com .

Liz's Post

Recently I read a post from a fairly populated blog when the transsexual author wrote something to the point that cross dressers have the best of both worlds.  I thought immediately the comment was simply the work of yet another elitist transsexual and then began to wonder if someone would blitz me with the same.  As of yet no one has. My simple answer is "I don't have the best of both worlds, I earned the right to exist in them."

Here in the "Condo" we received several responses to the post Now You See Me, Now You Don't including this one from Pat:

You are spot on in noting that the male presentation is more convenient. Just the simple act of going to the end of the driveway to get the mail demonstrates the ease of male presentation as opposed to the needs for a proper female presentation. It does seem like you have a wonderful relationship with your girlfriend. Does she read this blog?

Pat, YES! Liz, my gf or partner does read the blog so I really have to be careful about what I write! (Just kidding!)  Our relationship is much more than I could ever imagine finding at this juncture of my life.  As I have written here in Cyrsti's Condo, she only sees the female side of me, no matter what my exterior says.  At times she is a mentor of sorts when I need in depth feminine instruction but more importantly she has helped me to believe in myself. I never really lacked for male confidence but had very little self esteem as a trans woman-until Liz. It's important to point out Liz met me very early into my serious transition years, so she had a chance to run like hell.

Why me, why now and why her is a big question.  I never have been a believer in luck per se. Success in anything to me ends up falling in the lap of those who are persistent enough to be in the right place at the right time.  Plus, I'm a firm believer in positive karma and I was attracted to Liz's interest in organic spirituality.  My term, hers is, she is a Wiccan.

Why now?  It's her fault! We were both on a dating site, lived close together and she contacted me. It wasn't easy, at one point in time I was on about four different social dating/networking sites and after many months and mega idiots, I found Liz and another very close friend.  It's hard to believe it was three years ago.

Why her?  I touched on her spirituality a bit earlier.  Her religion I think gives her a basis for an understanding of a transgender person-not unlike the certain ancient Native American cultures who accepted "Dual Spirited" gender people.  To mention her faith only, is a real insult to her because she is a very multi faceted person.  She is so much more and so am I. Similar to a huge puzzle, we have so many pieces to put together.  I just hope I live long enough to see it happen.

Also, Liz shares a vision of me which is the same as mine.  She is an artist of sorts and now she has a very human subject to work with- in transition.  I just read today HRT takes three years to really sink in and I have a way to go.

Finally, to give you all an idea of how tough it is to me around me for any length of time, I'm a bi polar, dyslexic, hyper active person who happens to be transgender.

So at about now, Liz has read this and has opened a bottle of wine and is trying to figure out just what the hell she got herself into!

Thanks for the question, Pat!

Cyrsti's Condo "Cover Girl of the Day"

Julieta Biesa, Argentinina transgender actress, before and after herMtF transformation

Cyrsti's Condo "Horrorscope"

I have been a "dolla short" and a "day late" forever-specifically the "dolla short" part.  The scopes are a day a late in the Condo this week and I'm sure you all have been in a "tizzy"- It's OK, calm down kids, Momma Cyrsti has you covered! Here's a scope:


Libra-September 23-October 22): Whoever said you can only have just one is a liar and bore. You’re under no obligation to be frugal with what makes you happy. If there is more than one seducing you now, get seduced by all. The worst that can happen is that you won’t know who deserves more of your time. All the balls are in your court, so fondle them all for fun and fabulousness.

I have always said be careful...don't drop other balls!

For your scope, go here to theFrisky.

Cyrsti's Condo "Cover Girl" of the Day

Today we feature drag artist, female impersonator from Thailand Sira Soda, plus a video on the Cyrsti's Condo big screen.

Now You See Me, Now You Don't

In the current polar cold conditions and with my current androgynous condition,  I have presented several interesting fashion "looks" to the world.
Here's an example.

My girlfriend's car is "heat challenged", which is a bad way to be in the weather we have had here, when 0 degrees is warm.  I start my retired morning by warming up my car and taking her to work.  I apply plenty of day moisturizing cream, put my guy jeans and flannel shirt on, tie my long pony tail back and out through the back of my ball hat, unisex boots and super warm guys coat-and hope the car starts.

When I pick her up from work, though, I am all girl. Yesterday the day started as I pointed out and finished on the way home at the grocery store when the clerk called us "ladies" twice.

I used to feel guilty about "jumping presentations", not so much anymore.  As I have become more secure in myself, I don't have to worry about what the transgender "purists" say about being a pretend transgender person.  It took me close to 50 years to figure out what my gender inner self was trying to tell me and during the half century I endured tons of male conditioning. If I liked it or not.  So why not incorporate parts of my past into the present? In other words, collect a little back pay.

Another reason I am bringing this all up comes from a "pre interview" I had last night with Jasmine Ford.  Thursday night I will be interviewed on her show which I have mentioned a couple times here in Cyrsti's Condo.  We immediately hit it off and began to discuss our pasts which have been so incredibly different. She was completely fascinated I had lived over 50 years as a man/cross dresser and then transitioned.  I was completely fascinated with the fact, by her own admission, she transitioned from a gay boy to a woman at the age of 18. In essence, Jasmine really never experienced much of a "male life" at all.

Coming up in future posts, I will pass along her insights on her transition and beliefs and of course will give you all the exact links and times I will be on her show. It's really cool I'm going to be interviewed of course but not as cool as her ideas concerning the transgender community.  Stay tuned!

Don't Call me Transgender

Recently, with all the extremely popular, literate and gorgeous transgender women role models who have made their way to popular media platforms, some are saying "they are not trans women, just women."

In some sort of perfect world that is true but until we can all navigate society freely as transgender women and men, thank goodness, the recent women have been "out and proud"- finally adding a capital "T" to the LGBT group.

How wonderful is it "S" has not been added again to our little letter of the alphabet.  The "S" which stands for "Stealth".

Look, I'm selfish and any help I can obtain from positive transgender public relations, I will take. Plus, I'm sure there are many who deal in semantics who would say no matter how accomplished a Janet Mock is or how beautiful Jenna Talackova (below) is- they will always be labeled as trans by birth.

The good thing is though, none of that matters.  As each one of us who navigate the world knows, every person we interact with has a chance to finally see us as humans.  Surely we aren't as flashy as our transgender "stars" but each and everyone is helping to show all of us the way.

I have to say it again, "Thank goodness they are still transgender, women and willing to step forward!"

Our TG Cup "Runneth Over"

Coming off the heels of Lavern Cox and Carmen Carerra's appearance on the Katie Couric Show, yet another extremely positive transgender role model is set to step forward.  Perhaps you have already heard of Janet Mock.  She has a new book out called Redefining Realness and is going to be on CNN tonight. (Monday) on the Piers Morgan Show. Listed to air at 9pm ET in the United States.

Here's an excerpt from her bio:

JANET MOCK is a writer who stepped onto the national stage in 2011 with a catalytic profile about her journey to womanhood in Marie Claire magazine. Since then, she’s authored the memoir, Redefining Realness: My Path to Womanhood, Identity, Love & So Much More, which will be published on February 4, 2014 by Atria Books/Simon & Schuster. After publicly proclaiming her identity as a trans woman, Janet focused her efforts on speaking about the struggles, triumphs and portrayals of girls and women like herself.

Follow the link above for more!

So Simple, So Powerful, So Sad

Transition Days

I place this video is the B+ category of examples of quality mtf transition videos.  Check it out on the Cyrsti's Condo big screen:

Fashion Find

Shopping in my regular grocery store today, I saw this T-shirt.  I lost my appetite for shopping when I saw Duck Dynasty Boy Phil's image jump out at me between the frozen food aisles.  The front of the shirt shouted at me "I ain't no Yuppie!"  I was disappointed , when the back of the shirt was empty and didn't say "But I Am an Ignorant Bigot."

Cyrsti's Condo "Sunday Edition

Greetings "Condo-ites" and welcome to another Sunday Edition.

The Week in Review.  Fairly quiet around here as once again we absorbed polar vortex snow and winter only to be greeted with the coldest weather yet of the winter due next week.  The only positive I can see as of now is I have a difficult time judging my HRT progress under three layers of clothes.  On a serious note, Duck Dynasty's return was greeted with an astounding cold shoulder and a 28% drop in viewers. Plus the family was exposed as yuppies in beards...with an homophobic bigot patriarch .  I wonder if Phil thinks his grand daughters should be married off at 14 so a man can train her right.

Finally, let's not forget the landmark Swedish operations which implanted uterus's into women born without them which of course means transgender women could be in line sooner more than later for the procedure. Which will set a whole bunch of trans haters on their rears.

Indy Film Review.  Late in the week I was contacted by Daniela Sierra, concerning her film project Pupa. Check out the review here. Also this week, for some reason I finally caught up with the Canadian independent film Better than Chocolate.  The 1999 film is billed primarily around a young lesbian romance but also is intertwined with the life of a transgender woman character.  In a classic scene the mother of one of the young lesbian lovers, discovers her daughter is gay and her new best friend is transgender in the same day.

Media Section.  Perhaps you remembering me mentioning this radio show in Miami:

The Gender Experience: A New Online Talk Show For the Transgender Niche with host Jasmine Ford.  It turns out I am working with Jasmine on the possibility of being on the show, by phone.  A trip to Miami, Florida would be nice about now!  Seriously, the show is on every Thursday and I will be getting back with you here in Cyrsti's Condo about show topics.  If I'm on it or not.

Also, lets not forget yet another indy transgender film project in the works by Pamela French called Becoming More Visible.  It's fantastic so many of these projects are beginning to appear. We need all of them we can get!

We Got Mail!:  In our email box, I received a wonderful email from Jae, over in the UK. At the age of 70 she is starting hormones, not to transition because of her wife, but to help her personally in other ways.  Jae proves once again the possibilities of positively influencing our transgender lives are endless-at any age. Thanks Jae.

And thanks to all of you!

Cyrsti Hart

A Natural?

I have followed Melissa Carmen's videos on YouTube for a while and have shown her here in Cyrsti's Condo.  Follow her story though and even the path of a "natural" is far from easy.

Cyrsti's Condo "Quote of the Day."

"Did you have to come all the way from New York to be stupid in new surroundings?"

1935 movie Murder on a Honeymoon.

A Beard, A Ball Hat and HRT

I do love the MtF transition videos of trans women who are a "little older". (Not a lot older like me!)  I have found the video's are much harder to find on YouTube most likely because the older we are, the more the technology is difficult to grasp.  Or, another scenario could be, a glamorous, stunning gender transformation is simply more difficult to achieve at an older age and not perceived as worthwhile.

I admire most all the transgender women and men who have taken the effort to make a video for YouTube. I'm sure you have read the extreme hatred contained more than a few of the video comments, especially aimed at transtioners such as me who are never going to make the runways as a model.

This video coming up on the Cyrsti's Condo big screen speaks to me because I do see a lot myself in her transition and where I would like to end up as a person.

"Pupa, A Short Film"

Daniela, a student from Sussex University is writing and directing her own first short film which will be her graduation film and portfolio for future projects. Her film is about Marjorie a male-to-female transgender woman and about how she deals with the prejudice from society.  Here is the press release:

Pupa is a Sierra Rose Productions light drama that aims to approach the transgender world with a different take. This Sussex University graduation project by the aspiring Brazilian writer and director Daniela Sierra hopes to raise the awareness against transgender prejudice. The story offers insight into the world of Marjorie (Nick Moon), the ever-present woman inside Mark, who after 35 years of hiding, is revealed to the world after an office incident. As Marjorie finally experiences being subjected to a society that now extends further from solely her bedroom; she suffers from prejudice from society, and is attacked. After struggling to recover from it, Marjorie decides to revenge those who oppressed her as her way of externalising her self-acceptance. Art direction and cinematic style will be an essential feature of the film throughout, with every scene, shot and prop undergoing careful consideration in order to provide a clear and continuous design. 

Check out the promo trailer and here is the link for more! From the looks of the fund raising efforts so far, Daniela is tantalizingly close to reaching her goal. From just looking at the promo, I saw quite a bit of myself, especially in my early cross dressing days. Be sure to help if you can!

Cyrsti's Condo "Cover Girl" of the Day

Our featured male androgynous model today is
Kirill Sadovy

Talking to Myself

Do you talk to yourself?  I know you do because you want someone who is intelligent and understanding to talk to, right?

I have been known to have more a few down to earth "chats" with me and yes, I used to think I was crazy for doing it.  Then again, I used to think I was crazy for not accepting my birth gender either. Fortunately , over the years, I began to separate the "crazy" idea from the transgender idea.  One had absolutely nothing to do with the other except I was going crazy trying to figure out my transgender roots.

Crazy is a wonderful crutch though.  I can't tell you how many Halloween's I conjured up the "C" word to explain my costume or how I thought if I acted somewhat off the norm, people wouldn't be surprised to learn my "deep, dark secret". Don't you see? I want to be a girl and isn't that crazy? What a crock!  As years turned into decades and I was beginning to finally understand all the facets of my life, I discovered, yes I was a little crazy and it had nothing to do with being a transgender woman.  I learned to embrace yet another little "spicy ingredient" to who I am.

Surprisingly though, I get many mixed reactions from many in the transgender world who seem to want justify their "transness" with being crazy.  These days, mixing crazy and trans is exactly what we don't need.  How fair is it anyhow we are required to spend the money on a therapist to even prove we are mentally sound enough to start HRT?  Really?

So all you peeps who are a little off center like I am, stand up proudly and shout- all you boring peeps stay in the shadows where you belong.  Just never say crazy equals trans to me.  If you think I write a lot, don't get me talking.  I can stick my foot in my mouth with the written or spoken word!

Cyrsti's Condo "Cover Girl" of the Day

Leah True and wife.  They look like sisters!

Oh-Oh! Now What?

Perhaps you have read this story which I am passing along from the Huffington Post and Stephanie Mott:

The recent CBS story regarding nine Swedish women who received uterus transplants undoubtedly caught the attention of transgender women throughout the world. Anyone, with even the slightest awareness of the advancement of medical science, understands that eventually there will be few things left in the realm of impossible. 

The idea that a transgender woman will one day be able to carry a child in her womb is no longer just an idea. It is a reality of the future. Another story in the Dallas Voice is evidence to this fact as Sarah Luiz has positioned herself as a candidate to become the first transgender woman to potentially give birth. Anyone, with even the slightest awareness of society's obsession with sex and gender, understands that the word controversy applies to this situation in the same way the word skirmish applies to World War II.

Of course this story will shake up many of the radical feminists and other hate groups who attack the transgender community.  Then again, the RadFemmes are probably figuring how this is yet another example of the "male privilege" crowd discriminating against genetic women. Just don't bring up the fact these uterine transplants were for genetic women born without a uterus. There has to be a conspiracy "gender invasion" theory somewhere!

Finally, I'm passing along this quality paragraph from Stephanie which ties the whole subject together:


Any controversy that comes from transgender women seeking to experience pregnancy and give birth to children is based on the same ignorant myth that creates controversy about bathrooms and locker rooms - the myth that transgender women are not really women. How absurd is the idea that someone other than me could possibly know who I am? If it were possible for me to be a man, I would have done that long ago. God knows, I tried. As a woman, it is quite expected that I might have the same desires that many other women have. Among those desires is the desire to be a mom; the desire to carry a child. If medical advances offer that possibility to transgender women, it is no different than offering that possibility to cisgender women. 

Follow the link above for more.

Cyrsti's Condo "Transgender Woman of the Day"

Our featured transsexual woman today is the beautiful entertainer from Israel, Dana International.  She's been in the spotlight ever since winning the Eurovision Song Contest in 1998:

Mandolin Wind

Here we go again with another visit from our new "bestest" friend, the Polar Vortex.  It should be a balmy -20 around Cyrsti's Condo tonight.  To put the temp in perspective, our normal temp would be somewhere around 20 above.   This whole winter has reminded of one of the Rod Stewart songs I liked "back in the day."

Can't say I was a big fan of Rods but I was a free form "progressive rock" DJ in a college town so I had the rare opportunity to be creative with my music and his Mandolin Wind tune always fit in my sets when I wasn't destroying my hearing blasting what was to become heavy metal rock.

I was in a very dark time.  My finance had dumped me when I graduated college, I was 1-A in the Vietnam draft and scheduled for a winter time vacation at the Ft. Knox resort in the middle of January.  As you Kentucky readers can attest to, the hills around Louisville are nice in winter. So, here is why parts of the song stuck with me:


Through the darkest nights Ive ever known, If the mandolin wind couldnt change a thing,

Then I know I love ya Oh the snow fell without a break Buffalo died in the frozen fields you know

Through the coldest winter in almost fourteen years.

Actually, in Mandolin Wind, Stewart's woman decided to stay with him, unlike mine.  She knew of my cross dressing and knew of my forthcoming military absence and out she went.  Hurt like hell then but looking back, she was right!

At the time, I was working at a radio station in Bowling Green, Ohio. If you have ever been to the Bowling Green area, south of Toledo, you know the only hills are the ones manufactured by men and the winter winds did chill you to the bone.  So Rod was right. It was my coldest winter in 14 years, for several reasons.

This winter officially is much colder but even with the effects of HRT, it has been so much warmer because of all my cherished friends and family.

Cyrsti's Condo "Horror Scope"

After several rather bleak "scopes" I'm finally beginning to turn the corner and bringing all you Libra's with me! Isn't that nice and rather egotistical of me?

(September 23-October 22): It’ll be a sweet week for special dates. Even if you’ve been with your boo forever, you can make running errands together matter. For the next few weeks, your life will be peppered with precious moments that can define your relationship or set a strong start to a new one. Yes, it’ll be in the banal that beauty will come, as gratitude will be everything,

See, I told you! Now run and go get your "scope" here from theFrisky!

Better Than Chocolate?

Have you seen the Better Than Chocolate movie?

I really never had, until last night, since it was billed as a lesbian love affair film. But, early in the movie I spotted a character with my "trans dar" and decided to follow along for a few minutes.  "A few minutes" turned into a half hour and I heard a song which really caught my attention, which is featured on the Cyrsti's Condo big screen. (Cover the kids ears! The lyrics contain the "F" bomb.)

This 1999 Canadian movie covers a lot of ground with it's main lesbian love plot but also includes a superb transgender sub plot. Amazingly, way back then the transgender character was a very positive one and not played by a cis woman   In fact, Peter Outerbridge's performance as transgender character Judy Squires was incredible.

As the film rolled on, I could see even more and more of Judy's everyday life scenes reflected in my life...good and bad. The worst was a very negative scene in a woman's restroom rest room and was similar to one that happened to me.  Very simply, a lesbian from the club refused to acknowledge "Judy's" right to use the room as a woman and started to physically abuse her.  In my case, I didn't have to go through the physical abuse but took intense verbal abuse and I wasn't in a lesbian bar. But "back in the day" when I did frequent lesbian venues, I did think they had the lowest "tolerance" of any venue for allowing trans women access to the women's rest room.

If you have a chance, this is a film worth watching! In the meantime, on the Cyrsti's Condo big screen, Judy Squires:

Pandora's Box

 I have wondered forever,  what role does an attractive cross dresser's feminine presentation play in possibly later moving her into a transgender existence? Is it similar to the worn out idea that a majority of heroin users got hooked because of marijuana? Did my first experiments with Mom's hose and underwear get me hooked, or was I just predestined to be who I am today? I believe the answer was a little of both. What caused me to open that Pandora's Box of goodies? By the way, this definition of "the box" comes from Wikipedia:  

The phrase "to open Pandora's box" means to perform an action that may seem small or innocent, but that turns out to have severe and far-reaching consequences. Certainly, the definition is correct. Little did I know how severe the gender torment I would feel during my lifetime and it's far reaching consequences. But what made me open the box?  My brother didn't and for all I know the greatest majority of male type kids in my school and town didn't. The simple answer is some sort of switch already existed in my noggin and I flipped it to "on".

Even more interesting is the number of "switches" we have ready to be turned on or off.  Why was it for me, the occasions I was told I made a better looking girl, was mistaken for one, or was made over to look like one, I felt worse about being a cross dresser a few days later. I believe now,  cross dressing never seemed to come close to explaining my first gender switch. . Hell, I didn't have a  "switch", I had a 50 amp circuit breaker!

I flipped the breaker and got a better look into Pandora's Box. I saw all the glittering bling of new wigs, dresses and heels. They were sooooo inviting but sooooo non fulfilling.  Finally, after years of torment, I ignored the bling and went for substance and found a book called the My Little Book of Trans.  I grabbed it and found there was even an instruction guide, which of course I didn't read first. Who needs "no stinkin instructions?"

As I blissfully thumbed through the book's  pages from back to front (I'm dyslexic) I learned my obvious gender disconnect wasn't so obvious to me. I had to read backward to  Chapter One in the "Book of Trans", to make some sense of my life as a trans woman.  A cross dresser looks like a woman, a transgender woman socializes herself as a woman and a transsexual acquires the sexual genetalia of a woman.  In addition, none of them ever become females and being a genetic female does not guarantee you're a woman.

Of course I spent 50 years fighting the crossdressing in me, five accepting the transgender spirit of my soul and no years obsessing on purchasing a store bought vagina. 

At this point in my life, I have to blame my slow learning on someone, so  I'm blaming it on Pandora!  I've been known to be nothing if not persistent.  Seems as if I kept bugging our girl with the box just long enough, she got up off the "good stuff" and threw the book at me!

By the way, "My Little Book of Trans" exists only in my fertile "itty bitty" mind.

Cyrsti's Condo "Cover Girl" of the Day

Jen Merrill is certainly not a new face around the internet but definitely a refreshing one.  Here is her own "bio":

I'm an artist who enjoys exploring the great gender divide and meeting fellow travelers and fans... While I have been diagnosed as transsexual, I live mostly as a male, venturing out regularly into the world as a woman whenever I'm in the mood. I really don't worry about labels... male, female, impersonator, transgendered, transvestite, crossdresser, androgyne... I'm just me, and my girlfriends all tell me I have a great sense of style and eye for fashion.

You can check her out on Pinterest or on her other sites.  She looks good in black and Googles easily!

28% Gave a Duck!

Or...they didn't give a "duck" and the ratings of "Duck Dynasty" took a 28% dive in the opening 5th season show. As it turned out, one of my least fave "tranny drag queens"- Rude Paul  came up with a potential home for the three million Duck defectors:  the Tuck Dynasty.

Certainly I'm impressed three million people are not gonna stand for Phil Robertson’s offensive comments about bestiality, gay sex and statutory rape!

Cyrsti's Condo "Sunday Edition"

Snuggle in and welcome to yet another earth shattering "Sunday Edition" here in 'the Condo."

Week in Review.- During the week, we featured several impossibly beautiful androgynous male models (who I want to hate!) Just kidding! On the opposite side of the spectrum we tried to cross Chris Christie's bridge and have an easier path (at least in New Jersey) to having our transgender birth certificates changed without expensive and painful SRS. As it turned out the rotund New Jersey governor blocked both.  Of course I watch any moves in this direction because I am facing many legal moves as my MtF transition progresses.  Christie gave some gobbledygook reason which sounded suspiciously similar to the danger of transgender women and men invading restrooms of their choice and committing ghastly acts. I considered the source, got mad and moved on.

Book Review.- It's fairly rare when I miss any sort of writing which involves itself with transgender women and men.  Not only did I miss this one, it turns out the trans woman and her spouse actually live within an easy traveling distance of me!  I featured Bobbie in a post aka Alana about her past and future writings and got this response:

WOW ... thanks so very much for sharing information about my memoir. Our target release date is Feb 14, 2014. I thought that would be the perfect date for releasing a love story. We're in line for meeting that date. IF anyone wants a signed copy from the first printing it can be ordered from www.hunginthemiddle.com. Let us know the next time you're in our area ... would love to meet in person. Bobbie Thompson aka Alana's Spouse (on FB and Twitter)

As I mentioned, the "road trip" mileage is definitely within reach as soon as the "polar weather" gets out of here for awhile!

We Got Mail Section.-  From Vicky, responding to our Hormone and the Hair Post:  I agree with you Cyrsti my hair I am just starting to grow out with the help of Rogaine then I am going to style it I hope it will not be to long until I can do it then no more wigs.  Thanks Vicki!  As I said, if and when you can ever be able to wear your own hair, it's a blessing.  Especially at my age!

From dloring on Christie's veto:

"You said it girl, no reason to veto that bill. The only fraud being perpetrated is by the Governor."

That's about it for this week's Cyrsti's Condo Sunday Edition.  You are the best for stopping by and checking in when you can!  Thanks so much!

Cyrsti

Cyrsti's Condo "Cover Girl" of the Day

Our feature model today is androgynous Tima Marso from Moscow, Russia...probably a secret Putin favorite!

Cyrsti's Condo "Quote of the Day"

 Food for thought : " A man in women's clothing is nothing short of obnoxious. On the other hand, a guy who uses clothing, makeup and hair to BECOME a woman is not."

Lynne S.

Cyrsti's Condo "Cover Girl of the Day"

Our featured cover person of the day in the Condo is Anderson Brooks and here is is his bio from Model Mayhem:


My name is Anderson Brooks, I live in Los Angeles. I started modeling and acting when I was 8 years old and as a kid worked for brands like GAP, H&M, Sony, and Sean John to name a couple. I was signed with LA Models and LA talent for years but as my look got more edgy and androgynous I stopped working through them so much. I currently work mostly as a nightclub performance artist, host, and gay nightlife personality. I guess my whole goal in everthing I do is showcasing myself as my own original creation and stripping away gender rules and limits with my own brand of gender-bending. I am and plan on remaining 100% male.

My Husbands Looks Better in Lingerie?

Here's the full title: “My HUSBAND Looks Better in Lingerie Than I Do . . . DAMN IT”. It is a new book which actually has a target release date of Spring 2014, and is a companion memoir to “Hung in the Middle: A Journey of Gender Discovery” written Alana Nicole Sholar.

Here's more from Alana's spouse:


I had been friends with Alan for nearly 30 years and our past included a three-year intimate relationship. However, when I saw ‘Alana’ for the first time in December 2006, I told ‘her’ I thought she was a freak and I didn’t want to have anything to do with her. Two years later, December 31, 2008, we were married. (Alana tells her side of our story in her memoir and you can read Chapter 1 at her book’s website). Of course, my response to Alana came from MY ignorance and lack of experience with the trans-community. 

We live in a small town in Kentucky, so there is much ignorance and lack of experience with the trans-community in this area. It is our hope that sharing our journey together can help eliminate the ignorance and foster acceptance of trans-persons, not only in our small town, but all over the world. However, acceptance is not instantaneous – it comes through a process – at least it did for me. My process began at intolerance, advanced to tolerance, eventually became acceptance and grew into love. I’m a Kentucky girl raised in the Baptist faith and would have never dreamed I’d be such a staunch advocate for the trans-community, BUT, here I am – and mine is a ‘wonderful world.’

I am especially impressed and interested in this wonderful couple's story because of their proximity geographically to where I live.  So, I know quite a bit about the populace around them. I'm not going out on too much of a limb by saying, gaining transgender acceptance by anyone is not an easy path.

If you, like me, want to read more , follow the link above!

Crossing Christie's Bridge

Under the white hot spot light of a rumored future bid for the United States Presidency, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie's true spots are beginning to emerge.

Perhaps you international visitors here in Cyrsti's Condo (no relation) have heard the story of how last summer, the governor's aides basically shut down partial access to one of the busiest bridges in the world supposedly as a political "punishment". As the story broke, Christie broke down (not on the bridge) threw a couple aides under the bus (not on the bridge) and tried to apologize. Turns out the governor's blood is still in the water and the political sharks are circling.

If I lived in New Jersey and was affected by the bridge move, I would be bitter too.  Yet another arrogant move by another politician.  Not much new there. What indirectly does affect me though, is Christie's recent veto of a bill  this week that would have eased the process by which transgender individuals can change the gender markers on their birth certificates.

From the Philadelphia Gay News:

 The proposed legislation, which both chambers of the New Jersey legislature passed last year, would have allowed the state to issue amended birth certificates for individuals who have undergone clinical treatments for a gender transition, including such methods as hormone therapy. Current law requires gender-reassignment surgery for certificates to be changed. In his veto memo, Christie said the bill could provide an opportunity for individuals to commit fraud. He contended that “New Jersey already has an administrative process in place to streamline applications to amend birth certificates for gender purposes without court order. Under the proposal before me, the sponsors seek to alter the amended birth-certificate application process without maintaining appropriate safeguards.” 

Look, I'm no expert concerning the validity of why Christie vetoed the bill but his reason sounded suspiciously similar to the politicians in my city which refuse to offer across the board protections to TGLB citizens...those protections already exist.  When indeed they don't.

At the least, the governor is doing me a favor by marking him off of any candidate I may be interested in.  I'm intently following the Republicans and other third parties such as the American Independent Party, to see if there is any chance of restoring a semblance of a strong two political party system  Looks as if Christie will block the bridge again and he's out.

Cyrsti's Condo "Cover Girl of the Day"

Todays featured Cover Girl is Plastic Martyr, who I have seen identified as an androgynous model- if you are into labels!

Tasi & Company

I feel some sort of a "kinship" to Tassi Zuriak.  She another of the "blogging sisters" I have corresponded with who are dedicated to many hours of time and effort to produce quality blogs. Here in Cyrsti's Condo, I've added links where you can check out Tasi's Fashionable TG Woman blog and now, here is another of Tasi's efforts called Sister House for you all to check out.

Over the years, I have found it interesting how different paths certain blogs take.  For example,  Stana of the Femulate blog and I share age and a few similar experiences but her gold standard blog takes her visitors into more of her daily life and fashion.  I have a tendency to be more into transgender news, events and of course my own opinions.

Then, if you take Janie Black for example, she is younger and really questions the basis of gender and sexuality in the world.

Toss in Shelle, Paula Gee and Pat (who should have her own blog) and all the various diverse layers of our culture come to life.

It's all so fun and difficult to stay up with because the younger gen transgender women and men are busy writing their own future too! The future is bright! Now, where the hell are my bifocals?

We Are Everywhere

Like many other folks, I have a tendency to think transgender women and men come from bigger urban areas.  Plus I think many of us tend to focus on the too "amazing" before and after MtF  transitions, rather than noticing how far the person had to go on their gender transition journey.  This video on the Cyrsti's Condo big screen is a little of both:

Becoming More Visible

A "Kick Starter" fund raising campaign has been started for a film project called "Becoming More Visible".

The project,by Pamela French and photographer Josh Lehrer, challenges viewers to examine their own complacency in regards to transgender youth homelessness. According to recent statistics, a staggering 40 percent of America's homeless youth identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender (TGLB).

I have written here in Cyrsti's Condo of my meeting with just one of the 40% (a young transgender woman) who "grew up" all too fast on the streets of Detroit and L.A.  So very different than my sheltered closet here in Ohio.

What stood out to me at our meeting at Trans Ohio was her fierce pride of who she was and her determination to do what ever it took to elevate her status.

I know many of you here in the Condo do peek out from your closets and wonder what you can do to make a difference without jeopardizing your life (that's cool-I'm not judging you) but here is a chance to slide a few bucks to this effort. (one dolla' minimum).  Check out the link above for more.

The Next Time You Look at an American Flag

Did you know?

Transgender Americans serve our country in uniform at twice the rate of the general population yet they are forced to keep their gender identity a secret or risk being discharged. While the United States military made a tremendous step forward within the realm of social justice and fairness with the repeal of “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell,” nothing was done to remove the ban on transgender individuals from serving in uniform, a uniform I proudly wear as an officer in the Naval Reserve.

I didn't write this.  Will Smith, a heterosexual, African-American, church-going, Catholic military officer did in the Washington Blade and there is more:

The issue of transgender service is personal. Equal rights and the struggle for fair treatment under the law is analogous to the civil rights struggles of my parents and grandparents. As the great civil rights activist Julian Bond once said, “No parallels between movements for rights is exact … but we are far from the only people suffering discrimination — sadly, so do many others. They deserve the law’s protection and they deserve civil rights too.”

Most of you Cyrsti's Condo regulars know I'm a transgender veteran and the lack of rights suffered by transgender service members goes against the very basics of what our country was founded on- the right to fight for the freedoms we cherish.  Instead of fighting to protect the freedoms we are denied,  by an archaic system.

Thanks Will!!!!

Go here for more of the post.

Cyrsti's Condo "Quote of the Day"

"I used to have a strong body and a weak mind. Now I'm stuck with just the weak mind."

Cyrsti Hart

Heavenly Make Over

My first real makeover certainly wasn't as dramatic as the previous post by Adrian Acosta but at the least, something I can identify with.

Some time ago I have related this story in Cyrsti's Condo but it fits again now.

As I was really getting out of the closet and going to cross dressing meetings in both Cleveland and Columbus, one of the meetings offered free makeovers by a guy.  At the time, I thought my "look" was about the best I could manage.  For the most part, I was still experimenting with a bewildering array of make up products, shades and colors.  In addition, I never had the money or the courage to take advantage of one of the make up "pros" at one of the local department store makeup counters. (Remember, this was in the early 1980's.) That evening, the thought of having a man do my makeup almost sent me running but I hitched up my big girl panties, took off all my makeup and sat down.

He did wonders.  There is a school of thought that a male makeup artist can do better with a male face because he has experience with them and understands the nuances of beard covering etc. I don't know about any of that but when he finished with me I was nearly speechless- which is almost as rare as embarrassing me. Not only did I think I looked great, I received all sorts of compliments from the group. Even the "A-list" snooty cross dressers were impressed and I received a rare invitation to go with them later on in the evening. The "take this bitches" moment came when it was me who attracted the undivided attention of a man in one of the venues we went to.I've added the "red" picture to my left because that wig is similar to the one I was wearing that night.


However, as the bewitching hour approached, "Cyrstirella" had to return to her reality and go home to a male existence which she was never sure of.

Sure experiences such as the make up night provide all kinds of great memories, then again, there were huge learning moments I missed, which turned into major dark episodes of my life.

More on those later!

A Cyrsti's Condo "Must Read!"

From the HuffPost Gay Voices, comes a must read post by Adrian Acosta called "Why Men Come to Me to be Transformed into Women."

Here's an excerpt:


  There are many things I love about doing makeover transformations. I love my client's faces gleaming with delight as they see their femme selves in the mirror. It's like a child's face on Christmas morning. It's the kind of happiness that is contagious. I love that they are emotionally transported to an alternate universe where they are a beautiful, sensual female: The female inside they have suppressed for years. To tell you the truth, by the time I'm done transforming them, I have a hard time believing that they had been males just a few hours before they arrived in my studio. To me they are a beautiful female standing in front of me; I respect them and treat them as such.

On a deeper level, I love the fact that while out in the world there are men robbing, stealing, raping, killing, etc. -- in my Transformation Studio, it's just me and my client; two men relaxing, having fun, chatting, laughing, creating sensual art. Imagine how peaceful and fun the world would be if more men allowed themselves to get a Boy-to-Girl Transformation, to literally walk in women's shoes?

Truthfully, as I started to read the post, I was thinking snarky/bitchy thoughts like is Adrian some sort of SRS God? Can change he men into women with magic makeup? Or, am I going to read yet another "drag centric" post from a cis gay man who has no idea what my transgender world is like?  I was pleasantly surprised and I think you will be too because Adrian covered much of what I didn't expect to read- and more.

I did wonder though, if more than a few of his clients developed a taste for feminine finery from school day "womanless pageants" or even fraternity "hazing" shows. Plus, if just for a second, you can enter the world of an attractive or beautiful woman, what a powerful elixir it can be!

Go here for more!

Cyrsti's Condo "Horror Scope"

It's time to "watch my back" according to this week's "scope": Some of you know it better as C.O.A.

Libra September 23-October 22): You’ll get the respect you want from others, but in face only. So, put out your antennae and trust your gut. This will expose a mole among you, which will be your challenge this week. Yes, some social rearranging will be on the agenda, but when all falls back into place, trust this can be as good as chocolate, as you will gain ultimate leverage.

Well, I guess Karma dictates leverage is better than revenge and I love chocolate!

For your "scope" go here to theFrisky.

The Hormones and the Hair

Back in the day here in Crysti's Condo, you may have recalled my first prescribing HRT doctor telling me to expect a fuller, longer head of hair.  Being similar to most (I assume), I just thought, "Yeah, that's cool, but let's get on to the real priority - breast development."  Now that my hair is reaching the middle point of my back, I'm not so sure my priorities were reversed.

To begin with, I believe as sensitive and feminine as my "girls" are, my hair has become a true treasure for me.  As big as a pain in the rear it is for me to color it and try to style it, my hair gives me a huge step forward in my feminine presentation process. As one of my initial "admirers" (another pain) told me on one of the first nights I went out with no wig, "Look at you, sitting over here looking all natural."  He was one of those who delighted in calling me "Chris" and saying things like "hey man."  From that point forward, he left me alone.

I know there are many very realistic wigs on the market but for me I could never afford them, or had very poor judgment in which wig I purchased.  So when I did go "natural", three doors opened for me, which were hoped for but not necessarily expected.

The first I mentioned.  I just navigate the world as a transgender woman easier.  I need every tool I can get and a full head of hair is an effective one. The second and third are intertwined to a degree.  The so called straight admirer (or whatever he was) jumped off my boat immediately as do gay men and drag queens.  All of them realized I wasn't a cross dresser.  Before you want to rip my hair out, I'm not in any way being derogatory.  We all know there is a difference between being a cross dresser and being transgender and the public all of the sudden read it in me.

Perhaps the whole theory of why goes back to the Janie Black question on defining gender.  One of the responses was (I'm paraphrasing), "Gender is more in the eyes of the beholder, than in the person themself."

Very simply, what's going on in my noggin hasn't changed as much as the world which is viewing me.

"Tranversals" Cyrsti's Condo Cover Girls of the Day

Andrej Pejic

I happened across an eclectic  site called "Anne of Carversville". It's claim to fame is "From Fashion to Flogging, telling Women's Stories."  Of interest to me of course was the "Transversal" page which featured extensive coverage of androgynous and transsexual models such as Andrej Pejic and Lea T.


Go here for more.

Lea T

Bored in Church?

"Back in the day" my Mom literally had to catch my brother and I, force us to wear sport coats and ties for the trip to church most every Sunday. Once we did get there and began the count down to when we could leave, the bigger problem became keeping my Dad awake.  Here is a solution obviously he never thought of:

I ever remember as a kid sitting in church watching the women walk to the altar to communion I would calculate the number of women wearing seamed stockings compared to those who wore the newer non-seamed stockings. Of course all women wore dresses and covered their heads. Many wore gloves as well. My recollection is that by the early to mid 1960s most hose were seamless. Pat.

I agree Pat, with your time sequence on the hose.  While it's true genetic women do value the impact of certain "sexy" looks, they also value "ease of maintenance" and of course comfort.  Girdles for the most part have gone the way of the "body shapers" and seamed stockings have gone the route to a no hose at all - bare legged look. As always, thanks Pat!

Cyrsti's Condo "Sunday Edition"

Greetings all! to another "Sunday Edition" here in "the Condo".  Get a cup of coffee and let's get started!

Weather Section.- Finally the dreaded "Arctic Vortex" has headed back to where it belongs and life is getting back to a semblance of normalcy around here in Southern Ohio as we thaw out.  As I whined incessantly, it figures the coldest weather in a couple decades settles in when HRT has settled in on me! Not a good combination.

Comments Section.- I'm still catching up!  Of interest was Paula's response to genetic men and transgender women:
 As an observation on the sex (rather than gender) front, I have found that all the women I encounter accept Paula, whatever their sexuality, all the gay men I have met so far have accepted me too, the only ones who have any problems are the straight guys, I wonder why, I think this is the only group to who I can represent a perceived threat, Gay men don't care because I'm a woman, gay women don't care because I'm a man straight women don't care because I'm a woman, but some straight men are confused, is it because I undermine their masculinity, or are the confused because they don't know how to interact with me, or are they frightened by their own reaction? One day I will ask.

Thanks Paula, I think your last two points are the best!  Genetic men don't know how to interact with us and are frightened by their own reactions.  In a round about way, I think we see it all the time with all the cross dressing fetish profiles on line with (dare I say) ridiculous pictures.  Of the two genders, men are wired to be the sexual beings who see all women first in a sexual sense. Breasts, booty, legs, face etc are triggers.Chances are, a cross dresser or a transgender woman does present one or more of those "triggers" and the confusion is on about where to take it.  Then again, there is the old story of those who "protest too much." and have long harbored cross dressing fantasies of their own but have never acted on them. When and if they do I think they form a basis of the CD fetish group we see.  Bottom line is Paula, when you start asking, save the answers and start a survey. I think everyone would be interested!

Leanne sent in a comment on the "Drag Queen" New Years Eve video:

Cyrsti, Every TG person needs to watch this video; not to emulate the drag queen but to watch the lack of reaction almost everyone you see in the background has towards these two girls. Most people these days have seen it all and just don't care anymore. Thanks for posting.

Thanks for responding Leanne!  Great point!  Certainly the world is changing around where I live and peeps kind of treat me as a curiosity if they notice me at all.  I know novice girls just heading out of their closets are positively paranoid of the world but as one of my genetic friends once told me "Relax ego girl, it doesn't all have to be about you!"  Those people weren't even talking about you.

Media Watch.- Last week the ever "cutesy" Katie Couric hosted two transgender icons on her show, possibly for the last time.  The main reason is the show is being cancelled because Couric is moving to Yahoo is some sort of major move.  The other is the push back from the line of questioning. I have of yet not seen the show with transgender women  Carmen Carerra and Laverne Cox.  Critics are saying essentially Couric was more interested in how many operations both women had went through rather exploring their lives in depth and the pressing issues facing the transgender community as a whole. I am reserving my final thoughts on the issue until I see the show because I know our community is a tough group to please-and should be. There is too much wrong and we desperately need transgender icons such as Laverne and Carmen to speak out! How great is it though to finally have more "icons" to speak out!

Well, it's time to take the dog for a walk. Even she feels the deep freeze is over for at least a week or two and it's time to work off some of our lingering extra pounds from the holidays.

Take care of yourselves and thanks for taking the time to stop by Cyrsti's Condo!

Cyrsti's Condo Transgender "Woman of the Day"

Beautiful transgender model Nicole Gibson is featured in the Condo:

Gender 101

Lesson #1 when you cross dress pretty boys in pretty feminine clothes- you get great looking cross dressed boys as seen on the Cyrsti's Condo big screen:

The Purse Monster and Muscle Memory

This will seem like such a small piece in the huge transgender MtF transition puzzle but then again it's not.

For many years I have noticed with interest how women approach moving and grasping items with their hands.  Regardless of the inherent size difference in the hands, most genetic women just seemed to have more dexterity working for them.

Now, as I work my way through counters and clerks with my purse and it's wallet, I find I need more coordination to accomplish all the moves.  Gone are the days of picking up the change and shoving it into my pockets and moving on. Plus, just tossing everything into my purse doesn't work either.  If I don't keep some sort of basic organization going in my purse, then I am doomed to carry a stylish yet deadly "bottomless bag." You know the purses I'm talking about.  If you have lived around a woman for any length of time, the "changing of the bags" is often not pretty.  No one knows what is living down there and how the hell did the purse get that heavy? Things were breeding similar to how life began on Earth.

As I transition into more and more full time "purse living", I know now. I'm developing the "layers" of "stuff" women accumulate over time.  It's comparable to an archaeological dig when you uncover that old lipstick you loved and couldn't find. It disappeared into the bottom layer of my purse and was waiting patiently to see the light of day again. Forget the "boob pinch" pain I felt a couple nights ago, the real pain could be lurking in the bottom of my purse and will it attack with no warning?

Look, the last thing I want to be doing is holding up a line at a counter while I dig through my purse, get attacked and lose a finger.  People do have a tendency to care less if I am transgender in line but care a lot if I'm slow. Just imagine if they had to call the paramedics to reattach my finger?  How would the peeps behind me buy their "cigs" or lottery tickets?

I have a plan though to combat all of this, I call my new "dexterity" a slide move.  At the counter, I know the basics of what I'm paying with, what kind of change or receipt I am going to get and where it's coming from and going in my purse.  The smoother I can accomplish all of that, the more feminine I appear or at the least fit in.

In order to insure success though is repetition and committing the moves into my muscle memory.  Now if I can keep my purse from sliding off my shoulder at the wrong time and messing up the entire process- life will be better!  "Sigh" Who would have thunk it that all this "girl stuff" would have been so complex! Women make it look so easy and they still have all their fingers. It's because Mom warned them to beware of what could be lurking in their purses!

Cyrsti's Condo "Cover Girl of the Day"

Our "cover girl" is a bit different in that he shows pictures of himself as a boy with his girlfriend on the site I'm going to give you. No mention of being transgender or transsexual, he just happens to be a make up artist who happens to look great in make up.

 The 18-year-old cross dressing beauty, Yiming Zhao, is attracting of attention on Weibo, China’s Twitter, particularly after his photos were mistakenly listed in a photo collection of beautiful Chinese girls on a Korean forum. Wonder why?

I've selected a couple for you to take a look at here.

Cyrsti's Condo "Quote of the Day"

Credit for this quote goes to Janie Black and my shower.  Janie asked on her blog today what gender means her readers and/or how they would define it.  I came up with a short version in the shower, where I do some of my best thinking.  (can't sing)

"Gender is simply what is between your ears and how you decide to present it to the world."

Cyrsti's Condo "Woman of the Day"

Amelia Maltepe
a transsexual model from Toronto by way of Bangladesh and a strict Muslim family.

Katie and the Trans Girls!

Carmen Carerra

Recently Laverne Cox and Carmen Carrera stopped by the Katie Couric show.  Katie for the most part has always presented transgender women and transgender men in a very positive light.  Go here for the videos.

Laverne Cox

"Jender-Jumpers"

As I watched this video sent along by Lynne, I began to consider if more than a few of these dramatic cross dressing transformations are what set men on edge. If you can't trust that girl sitting across from you to be "home grown", what can you trust in life?  Maybe she is a "hybrid" and more satisfying than any other woman he has ever been with but sadly will never know.

Check out the video for yourself on the Cyrsti's Condo big screen:

Cyrsti's Condo "Horror Scope."

Here is our first true weekly "scope" for the New Years!


Libra:  (September 23-October 22): Your moods will be hard to stabilize, but when you’re around others, try to have a sense of humor. People in authoritative roles will try to run you over, but you don’t have to take it lying down. Use your charm and be willing to laugh it off. If you maintain your sense of respect with this person now, they will give more to you in the long run.

All I can say is, when I went into semi retirement, it was to get away from people in authority. Now I have to see if my dog is going to force her issues with me this week!

For your very own "scope" go here to theFrisky!

Her Legs Go "All the Way Up"

As promised, here is the video followup from the last Cyrsti's Condo post:

Naked Garters

If you are similar to me, your first cross dressing experiences involved trips through Mom's undie drawer.  The biggest draw to me were her stockings, garters etc.  Just had to experience the silky feel of the nylons on my legs.

It's no secret how pervasive the appeal of a smooth nylon clad leg is to so many in our culture. I have told the story many times of when I met Stana from Femulate last summer and she had men walking into walls staring at her long shapely legs.

As I always do, I try to connect the dots of my gender identity experience and nylons define my timeline more effectively than almost anything else. In fact, I've almost gone full circle.

Very early, I lost the fetish appeal of hose.  By the time the boom of pantie hose came around, I was diligently shopping the brand packed in those plastic legs for the best sizes and shades. I realized quickly, I couldn't wait to try on my new purchase.  Not because of the way the hose felt, it was how they looked.  Looking back, I was transitioning from cross dresser into transgender and didn't know it.

These days, I'm lucky because some say I have very presentable legs that I never present.  Never is a big word and not exactly true, though.  Skirts in the hot weather have proven to be a very useful cooling piece of clothing, especially when I go 'bare legged" (with no hose at all).  It's the classic story of HRT giving and taking away.  HRT gave me a furnace of a body to deal with during MtF transition but took away most of my body hair to ease my leg maintenance.

I was trying to come up with a highly inventive phrase to wrap this Cyrsti's Condo post up.  I was trying to take us from seamed garter stockings to no hose at all.  I guess you get the point!

The reason I actually went down this Condo hallway this morning is coming up in the next post.

A "Living Doll?"

In my endless travels over the web over the years, I have seen men who have done the feminine rubber mask cross dressing trip.  It seems now, it's becoming more widespread, or maybe the whole deal is yet another "invention" of the social medias. In the UK, a "Channel 4" documentary called "Secret's of the Living Dolls" is going to feature a segment on "maskers".  Not stopping at masks though, these men are taking the experience to a whole different level with custom made body suits (as shown in the pictures)

I'm sure you have heard of the men who buy a very realistic (spooky) life size doll as a girlfriend. This whole scenario just takes the guy and puts him into the doll.  Regardless of what I happen to think or not think of "maskers", the future should be bright for them as technology improves. I'm sure someone is working diligently on producing a truly attractive feminine body suit a man could wear to fulfill his fantasy of being a "hot chick"  On the other hand, replacing a genetic or transgender woman with a latex "suit" seems to be rather sad and lonely.

Not all the "maskers" are single and the documentary even features one guy who is married.  Can you imagine that conversation?  "We going out tonight dear? Sure, just zip me up. I don't need a coat." By the way dear, is it OK if I walk about four steps behind you and don't forget your straws."

Cyrsti's Condo "Cover 'Cos' Girl of the Day"

Li Jingcheng (right), 23, got his fame through a series of cross-dressing photos.


Ying Zhongche (left) is a Chinese university student and  a big fan of comic cosplay shows.

"Hurry up! - and Wait!"

Those of you Cyrsti's Condo readers who may have had previous military experience, may recognize the title of this post. On more occasions I can count, we hurried to be at an assigned point in the Army at an appointed time, only to wait and wait and wait.  In many ways, my HRT journey has been the same.

In the beginning, changes begin quickly and I began to wonder if the process was happening too easily.  Perhaps my body was predetermined to make this step all along.  Reality soon set in though.  Changes did slow for a couple reasons, due to obtaining my dosages and medications.

Now I'm getting mixed signals.  If you recall my posts before the end of the year, I very much thought I had "hit the wall" with my bodily changes.  Of course my hair was still rocking but I felt as if my breasts and hips were not keeping up their end of the bargain.  All of the sudden I was feeling frustrated.  I waited so long to begin HRT, hurried into the initial changes and now I'm waiting again.

The problem is, I have never been a patient person.  Nothing is good enough over the long term, including my feminization progress.  It's also extremely hard to judge daily changes in myself, the first thing I do in the morning is not measure my breasts.  I need to just forget about the process and let it happen.

Some would argue there is more than a little change in one's emotional make up during HRT.  I don't doubt I do feel more emotional about everything, including staying positive about many things.  Why aren't my breasts bigger or my hips more feminine, etc.

This past couple of days though, I think I may have been over reacting.  All of the sudden, I'm noticing a little more "bounce to the breast" and jiggle to the hips. Now, I'm fairly sure I was totally over reacting. I know going through HRT at (64) with my body style can only achieve so much.

It's time to calm down, hurry up and wait for more!

Cyrsti's Condo "Sunday Edition"

Welcome to our first "Sunday Edition Post" here in "the Condo".  Relax in your "jammies" with hot cup of your favorite coffee (or whatever) and let's get started!

Sports Section.-   My Ohio State Buckeyes were beaten by Clemson primarily because of the worse defense I have seen in my life, conversely, my Cincinnati Bengals embark on yet another NFL playoff adventure-not a good experience in my past. In fact, the standing joke around here is, "when you feel the ground getting cold under your feet, it's hell freezing over-the Bengals are going to the Super Bowl."  Actually it did 32 years ago when the Bengals played the same team they are playing today (San Diego) in the coldest game ever in the NFL.  Close to -60 degrees (F). "Momma Karma's little sis Momma Nature" tried to go it again this year but missed it by one day.  She shifted her cold breath up to Green Bay and spared us freezer until tomorrow - 40 below wind chill.

If you have ever heard the old "brass monkey" saying, the next couple days around here and a load of other spots in the U.S. should take heed.  The revered proverb goes something like this, "Better bring your brass monkey in off the porch before he freezes his balls off."  True, right? Unless he wants a quick head start towards SRS.

Week in Review.-  New Year's Eve was another wonderful evening for me and among other things the third I have spent with Liz, my partner and the beginning of my third year on HRT. Of course we exchanged all the pleasantries back and forth here in Cyrsti's Condo.  Thanks to all for checking in and all the best to all of you in 2014.  Outside of our insulated world here, all sorts of transgender "best of" lists all starting to appear.  At least in this country, the anti closeted stealth transgender women and transgender men, are helping to raise the bar for all of us.  Which brings us to our next section.

We Got Mail.-  As you all know, I'm quick to jump upon my soapbox and blast all the transgender community who "jumped closets".  They transitioned then went away.  On the other hand there were just as many or more who refused to accept their true gender identity and stayed in my cross dressing closet. (Me)  Shel le , who is close to my age, pointed out in one of my posts, "it was a different world back then." She is right. I think finally we "T"'s in the LGBT system learned from the gay and lesbian community on how to advance our own agenda. We are seeing it now on many fronts.

To finish 2013, we also became entrenched in discussions of how genetic men interact with transgender women - or don't.  We covered hardly earth shattering thoughts like how insecure men are with their sex and indeed their whole gender.  As those of us who grew up as card carrying members of the male gender know, men have precious little to hang their gender hats on.  I'm not being a male basher here but men just live in simpler systems than women and when one of us wants to "jump" ship, it's cause for concern.  First, those damn women were allowed to vote, allowed to work in the same jobs and even are starting to manage companies?  What's this world coming to...the unkindest cut of all.  Men wanting to be women and just maybe I want to talk to her???  Quite the dynamic we can discuss forever.
 
So much for this "Sunday Edition" here in the Condo.  I look forward to our upcoming week and may Momma Karma smile on you and do something about her " Sis" Nature.

Cyrsti's Condo "Transgender Woman of the Day"

Our featured transgender woman today is:
 Florencia Trinidad (born Roberto Carlos Trinidad; March 2, 1975), better known by her stage name Flor de la V, is an Argentine transgender actress and comedian. In 2010, after a court decision, Trinidad was legally recognized as a woman, and changed her name.  

Top Ten Transgender Positives from 2013

Two respected sources recently put together their 10 Important Transgender Moments of 2013 


The Advocate collaborated with Mara Keisling, (left) the executive director of the National Center for Transgender Equality, to discuss what 2013 meant for trans rights. She highlighted the many victories seen this year, concluding that 2013 was a true year of momentum and sharing that perspective in a similar feature that ran first on The Huffington Post.


Follow the link above for your own look!

Coming Out Tutorial

In this Cyrsti's Condo big screen feature, Nicki talks about her first year of MtF transitioning.  She provides an excellent look into a barely 20 something transgender woman's life, coming out to parents and more.
Check out the video.  See if you agree how much sadness still seems be in those big beautiful eyes.

It's Never Too Late

I happened upon a post by another transgender woman who is transitioning later in life and living to write about it! (Just kidding!)
It's called "When to say Yes to the Dress" by Courtney Bedell on the Baltimore Gay Life site.

Courtney's story is similar to many of us.  She met the same resistance, harbored the same inner turmoil and ultimately reached the points we are now in life. Not so surprisingly in the transgender culture, we are called "pretenders" because we waited so long to transition.

Six year old Coy Mathis was used by Courtney as an example of a "no doubter" transgender child who just knew she wasn't a boy.  Coy of course also benefitted immensely from a family who has battled for their daughter's right to be herself.  I'm guessing, immensely rare for anyone of my age.

Here's an excerpt from more of the post:

By 12 I felt strongly that I was a girl but unlike Coy, I couldn’t talk about it to my parents, or anyone else. I did what most TGs did 20 or 30 years ago: deny, deny, deny! At 12 I was wearing my older sister’s dresses and using her make-up, but not in public. Despite my having plenty of friends adolescence was a lonely and devastating time for me. I could only be myself when I was alone so I often hooked school to spend the day in a dress curling my hair and putting on make-up. 

 Nobody ever saw me looking pretty—ask any teenage girl if that isn’t a version of hell! I wanted to tell my mom but I just couldn’t find the words. Even when she might have picked up on the clues she didn’t open the subject. When I saw a psychiatrist at my parent’s behest it took me two years to tell him I was convinced that I was a girl and had XX female chromosomes. Naturally, he thought I was simply gay or a cross-dresser. I continued to live two separate lives for another 20 unhappy years.

Sounds familiar, right? Here's more:

 So, the answer to “when do you say yes to the dress?” is simply, as soon as possible! From my own experience, I say do yourself a huge favor and don’t waste half your life denying your true essence! Don’t endure decades of pain and loneliness waiting for the ideal time to change. We often wait until the situation becomes severe enough to outweigh our fear of the potential upheaval our transition will cause. It doesn’t have to be that way if we approach it preemptively before our lives become unbearable or unmanageable.

 See a gender therapist, go to a support group (Tranquility at GLCCB), search your feelings, explore your options, sort it all out and learn what action is best for you. You may decide it is time to transition or you may discover transition is not right for you­—the key word here is “discovery.”

Follow the link above for more!

Stop the Damn Bitching Already!

I believe I have whined, complained and yes, even bitched about how HRT has destroyed the thermostat in my body here in the Condo.  Go ahead and say it, "no one twisted your arm to start HRT Cyrsti, so get the hell over it."

I accept all of that except - after a brief respite from the minus teens wind chills we are having here in my part of Ohio, we are expecting temps to go to 20 year lows next week.  Really? 

I have a confession to make:  Cyrsti's Condo does not over look the mountains and the beach in the tropics but is in a circa 1860's drafty big brick building in Ohio. Our weather extremes though, do make you appreciative when Momma Nature throws you a bone and the temp rises to 50 in January - summertime.

To combat the cold though, I'm heading south again- to Cincinnati where the outside temp will be nearly as cold but the inside temp will be toasty with the help of a "B.A.F" - a big ass fireplace. Sorry about all the cussing in this Cyrsti's Condo post but this cold weather just gets me in this mood.

Setting aside all my whining, there are benefits to facing up to this cold "thang" as a girl. First of all, you are allowed to be cold by other women and men.  Secondly, you can stylishly "layer" yourself up to stay warm and look good too.  My best purchase of the season so far were my fur lined snow boots which fit over my hand knitted wool knee socks for warm "tootsies".  Of course my "imagined" overstock of sweaters, leggings and scarves all of the sudden isn't so overstocked at all!

It's too bad that "karma", "cold" and "cussing" all don't begin with a "C".  If they did, I could come up with some sort of inspired thought of why Karma was getting even with me for making fun of women all those years for being cold.

How about, I just can't or I give up Momma Karma, I'm sorry!  You were right and you win!

Cyrsti's Condo "Trans Woman of the Day."

A week or so ago we mentioned a "surprise" transgender beauty's appearance on Project Runway All Stars.  The show brought together a group of popular/established fashion bloggers from around the world and Gigi's Gorgeous New's Network blog made the cut!

During the show, Gigi proved she was much more than a pretty face as she owned the runway to the delight I'm sure, to transgender women around the world.

I have followed her YouTube videos for quite awhile and was particularly impressed when she came out as transgender and the work she has done which included her sister. (Thanks to many of you who pointed her video's out too!!! You are the best!)

In the -10(F) degree weather around the Condo, Gigi's work is certainly a thawing influence.  She is just another example of how bright the future can be for transgender men and women everywhere.

Of course you can follow the link above to her Blog.

New Years Fashion Police

I have actually had a couple of you "Condo-ites" ask what Liz and I wore on New Years Eve.
She out "pizazzed" me with a multi colored silky tunic top which draped over her thighs with leggings.  She also started out with a modest pair of heels for the short walks we were under taking but we went back to the hotel and she changed to a pair of metallic flats quickly. I wasn't have anything to do with heels as always!

I went with my 3/4 length patterned black blouse/top, black leggings and slouch boots.  We weren't going anywhere too fancy, unlike last year, so comfort trumped "glam" this year. On the other hand, our nails were polished, our makeup was top notch and a great time was had by all!

As I have written here in Cyrsti's Condo in the past, the mirror I worship the most is the public eye. New Year's Eve, the public was very accepting of me.  Interestingly, now I have several different scenarios to consider.

I am moving away from "Hey! isn't that a guy in a dress." To a very real possibility the public may think we are two lesbians.  So before I get "my freak on" concerning a real or perceived public reaction, I have to understand where it's coming from. Here's an example.  Our server where we ate,  quite possibly was a lesbian too,  gave us excellent service and better yet, spread that Ladies word around liberally. While it's true,  the more I transition, the less all of this is important to me at all.  Why I care at all just comes from years of negative conditioning.

Being identified as a lesbian though is a whole different idea than I ever considered, almost the same as becoming androgynous in the public's eye. The L identification also changes my interaction with men again. Which is another topic for another day!

Regardless, of over thinking this whole gender process and being repetitive, I felt truly wonderfully comfortable and at ease in my own skin and clothes on New Years Eve.

My only disappointment was I faded early and could only make it till 2 am!