"Passing" the Eye Test

Those of you Cyrsti's Condo sports fanatics probably have heard the term "passing the eye test" in a negative connotation. An example is a football player who totally "looks" the part and even has the physical skills to be a star. For what reason though, the player never makes it. Compare it to the beautiful cross dresser you know who never quite captures the essence of being a woman!

I had a chance to check my theory last night on New Years Eve,  as my eye test told me an incredible amount of 20 something Cincinnati area women would start 2014 with a cold - or worse.  Very "little black dresses"  and very high heels were the norm on the very chilly streets of Cincinnati. Obviously, coats were optional! OK, I know I sound like someone's Mom and my intention is not to critique the young women last night. I would have loved to have ever looked like them! Proof was the rule of thumb I experienced when my girlfriend and I were trying to hail a taxi : The longest legs in the shortest skirt with the highest heels, gets the first cab. Guess who got the last cab?

Going back to when we left the hotel, Liz and I tried to define my "style".  This was as close as we could come. A "shaggy haired, too much eye makeup, good old girl" partying with my girlfriend on New Years Eve.  Take the hair in the blog profile picture with the makeup in the Google+ picture and that's close. In short, I thought I looked great and  passed my own mental "eye test".  As I have always said "confidence is your greatest fashion accessory."  Mine last night led to a  thoroughly enjoyable evening. We went to a couple places including one of the newer "brew houses" which overlooks the Ohio between the Red's and Bengal's stadia.  If you don't know, Cincinnati has a huge German heritage and it's finally beginning to reclaim it's past as a home to many quality craft brewers.

I'm very much a creature of habit and this was our second year in a row greeting the New Year on the banks of the Ohio in downtown Cincinnati.  This year, I was on a confidence roll other than the looks department. For once,  I didn't let the "rest room" paranoia creep in and ruin much of my evening. I just figured I would use the women's restroom when I needed to and if anyone bitched, I would pee down their leg- not mine.

Looking back, the most interesting experience of the evening came as we were checking into our hotel under my female name.  The clerk was having absolutely no problems with the process until she asked for my drivers license/I.D.  The picture on the license shows a very androgynous me - with my very male name.  She just paused for a second, didn't say anything except "sign here Mam" on the paperwork. I knew I passed the "eye test" and she thought damn that woman is wearing too much eye makeup and has too much hair for a woman her age.

I'm not exactly sure men my age feel the same way!