Cyrsti's Condo

Some of us "of a certain age" may remember "sneaking a peek" at these female impersonators in magazines. One thing is for sure, drag artists have never been short on great legs! The first (right) is Lee Shaw. The second is Vicki (below)

Sunday afternoon, we had a big, yellow, bright UFO in the sky-the sun and we took advantage of it. After a short drive along the Ohio River, we stopped at one of the riverside parks near downtown Cincy and then headed for serious business-shopping.  Along the way back there is a shop called Spirit Wind and I understand the best description for it is an eclectic metaphysical shop.  I am aware many of you (like me in Cyrsti's Condo) didn't know what the hell that means. Here's as close to an explanation that I can pass along.  The shop specializes in earth based spirituality items of which is an interest of mine.  Today, I'm actually brave enough to show you the rings I bought and my crummy looking nails which again were abused this week. The fun part of shopping there was the acceptance from a group of very organic workers.   I was asked all sorts of questions on what stones I'm attracted to as well as what animals occupy the top of my totem.  The best one of

If you have ever wondered about the history of the transgender pride flag. It was created in August 1999 by Monica Helms and has five horizontal stripes. Two stripes are blue ones, two stripes are pink ones and a white center stripe. As with any other flags, there is a meaning to every colored stripe. To read all about them- go here . As we get closer to all the TGLBQ Pride events in your part of the world, I feel it is a crucial time to separate true pride in our trans status from the usual, drag queens and fetish cross dressers. Every color in the rainbow should be there and I'm sure we will hear the usual Stonewall drag queen history lessons but in reality, it's time to move on and show the rest of the world we belong -  not decked out in 4 inch heels and garish dresses.  Transgender is a lifestyle for us, not a weekend.   I may have to come up with a T-shirt!

Our Sunday feature cover  is the beautiful Sheila Verissimo.

"Ker Plunk!" Good morning all and welcome to yet another weekend edition. Page 1.- The Week in Review.   The week produced no major over riding transgender national stories.  Unfortunately national and international tragedies captured the headlines and attentions of the world. My heart goes out to all of the families. Around the Condo, we were locally focused.  Our Location, Location, Location post focused on the transphobic problems our transgender sisters have in rural America.I saw a rural transgender woman speak at a TransOhio community meeting a week or so ago and came away with the feeling I was so fortunate to be in the situation I am.  I was taking it for granted I even had the resources to attend the TransOhio Meetings I do.  Many rural trans women live in isolated transphobic pockets and for the most part are forgotten in blogs such as mine.  If you have a experiences pass them along and I promise to share them. Page 2.- Jan Hamilton's Story.   I noted the

" If you can't see it-you aren't there." Cyrsti Hart

I should have waited a couple of days and tied this Cyrsti's Condo post into "April Showers" but I always have had a hard time waiting. Plus who knows what the world be like in a a couple days? Today was one of those rainy windy "Spring" days in my part of Ohio-not a good "hair" day.  We had errands to run and as we rushed from car to store, I understood yet again the power of an umbrella to a woman. But, did I carry one ?  Do I even own one? No! I may soon. It's bad enough when I think I have my hair seemingly looking it's best until five minutes later in the wind-all is lost. All is even more lost though when moisture is involved.  My hair takes on a life of it's own and of course the wetter it gets-the worse it gets. I know. No one is twisting my arm to have all this hair but all those years, someone did twist my arm to cut it.   So, we are more than even.  In the meantime, I am learning the nuances of simply not taking your hair

It's no secret transgender veterans occupy a much larger percentage of world wide military's than anyone has been able to measure. After all, for the MtF trans person, the military is one of the great places to prove how macho you really aren't.  Finally, as in other segments of society, transgender veterans from the most macho areas of the military are coming forward-and out. The primary example from this country is former Navy Seal Kristin Beck. Now, there is a documentary being shown in Australia called Sex Change Soldier.   It's the story of  Ian - now Jan - Hamilton.(left)  Hamilton was an officer in the British elite parachute regiment, serving in Northern Ireland, the first Gulf war, Bosnia, the Iraq war and Afghanistan. After suffering near fatal injuries in a bomb blast in Afghanistan, he decided that he wanted to live the rest of his life as a woman. “The only emotion I was able to show in the army was aggression, and I became quite good at that,” she s

It's Saturday here in the Condo kids and time to lighten up a bit and pass along a couple "what if" pictures.  Here's my insight into what the genetic women with their cross dressed guys are thinking. The first one:  "Ha ha! and he thinks this isn't going on my Facebook page! The second:  "You know, I don't really mind him dressing like a slut, but those yellow heels???? Really????"

Be warned kids, this Cyrsti's Condo post is coming from several different directions in my noggin. First of all, most of you know I'm a regular visitor to Stana's Femulate blog. Thanks to January for sending in this comment: Stana of "Femulate" fame reports that her desk has a photo of herself en femme. If anybody asked, it is simply a photo from a past Halloween, in the office. Very clever, that Stana.   I agree January, I think Stana is using the picture to get others at work around her "used" to the new person who could be there every day! Most recently Stana asked the question : When you’re out en femme, has another woman reacted negatively (or positively) because you looked better than her.   The question didn't resonate much with me for several different reasons except to make me consider why. (Primarily because it hasn't happened to me much or at all for years.) Plus, at this stage of my tranisition, I don't consider myself out

Our feature cover for Friday is Daniella Daniloff

At the Trans Ohio Community regional meeting last week, there was one attendee I have given lots of thought to.  First of all she was late and all so shy and came with her sister. (Sister was not looking happy to be there.) As went we around the room, she did say she lived in one of the rural counties around Cincinnati and actually she was afraid to come to the meeting. I for one was amazed because the meeting itself couldn't have been held in a safer place, with no loss of accepting people.  Later though, I began to perhaps understand why.  For the most part we all live in pockets of transgender acceptance or lack of acceptance.  I live around both. For example, Columbus, Ohio is an incredibly diverse and open TGLBQ city. Cincinnati so far just isn't and Dayton for the most part is. But you can go approximately 50 miles or so south of Columbus and hit some very unforgiving areas. The trans woman in question had to first get out of the house, past her neighbors and into "

The past couple of days, I've been as sick as a kitty who ate a rotten mouse, so I've refrained from doing anything much on line as I have a tendency to become rather "snarky" with the world. Today though, I did get bored enough that I climbed out of my death bed and to my computer...priorities-right? Who says blogging doesn't become a lifestyle? Makeover Example This morning by accident I ran across one of the many quality MtF cross dresser makeover services.  This one just happened to be across the pond in the UK and is called The Makeover Room  .   Over the years, I've known several individuals who have taken advantage of similar services. Depending on your reason's for going, the results can be fabulous My example from several years ago, had nothing to do with me but involved a couple other cross dressers I know.  One of them went to a makeover specialist and ended up with a positively knock out set of pictures. So good as a matter of fact, t

Our Thursday cover feature is Chris Kolonko the most booked drag artist in Bavaria.

Our feature cover in the Condo is one you may recognize.  The beautiful transsexual actress/model Mimi Marks.   I remember some of her early appearances on a few of the now defunct daytime talk shows.  Her comments resonated with me because she didn't identify with the drag queen crowd-as so many did back in the day.

"All the usual" suspects and some not so "usual" (me) at last week's Trans Ohio Regional Meeting in Cincinnati last week.

Well kids, for the most part my power scope is in a boring rut.  I'm a Libra and have been jumping up and down on my scales for weeks! (September 23-October 22): You’ll need a double dose of patience and your blinders on in order to focus on your journey rather than the destination. While it’s great to think in hypotheticals and look at all the angles, realize that makes it way easier to drift into worst-case scenarios too. Instead, make real choices, because tomorrow is unwritten and this is the week to steer your plot onto solid ground.  Best Day To Get Lucky: Sunday, March 30 Go to theFrisky to get lucky yourself! My personal favorite this week went to Aries: (March 21-April 19): Time to spread those legs wider, make your smile brighter and use whatever you’ve got to get what you want. Yes, work your inner femme fatale in a more aggressive and obvious way now. Not that it’s nice to manipulate, but the rules are going to be tricky to define now. So, when you’ve got it, fl

Did you see this?  In a surprising move, controversial daytime talk show host Jerry Springer has announced that he will no longer be using the word "tranny" on his show. In an interview with TMZ, Springer responded to criticism over a recent episode of The Jerry Springer Show titled "Trannies Twerk It Out," telling the gossip site, "I've just been educated." "I won't use that term," Springer continued. "I honestly had no idea that you're not supposed to use that term, so now we'll find another term to use." That's his excuse and it's great he has dumped the term.  Now what about the transpobic Rude Paul?   The obnoxious cis gay man is still carrying the banner saying it's OK to use a gender slur.

Our Tuesday feature cover is make up artist Alain Adeva from the Philippines .

This spam made it's way into my mail box. If they only knew!

By definition in English, the term Deja Vu is French, and literally means "already seen". Or is the phenomenon of having the strong sensation that an event or experience currently being experienced has been experienced in the past, whether it has actually happened or not. On occasion over the years, I have wondered if any of the occasions when being feminine was so natural meant I had lived them in another life?  The "past life" theory is one of those ideas I put in my ghosts or aliens category of I don't believe- or non believe. These days, as I transition ever further into a feminine existence, I have a tendency to toss the feeling of Deja Vu into the category of syncing an over abundance of estrogen in the womb to my HRT meds today.  The process of day to day influences just seem more normal. Not because I lived them before, it's because I feel normal living them now. To put it into other words which you peeps from the 60's might equate to - thr

Our Monday feature cover is Gheovanna Sartory Cruz

I have a tendency to get all "snarky" when things don't work around Cyrsti's Condo like my Wi-Fi, or when I read about genetic females who think that being a woman was a birth right and dislike me. So....it's play time!!! Picture #1.-   The girl to the left is thinking WOW we really set him up for success in the womanless pageant - He's thinking Prom! Picture #2.- I am too genetic!!!!!!!!!!! Dammit!

Our feature cover today is Arthur Nazarov

Good morning "Condo-ites!"  Lots of content this morning! Let's get moving.   Page 1.- News.    Recently, this title caught my eye, 6 Ways Trans Women Are Helping to Deliver Gender Equality.   Essentially , for all the movement women have made in the world over the past two decades, this post points out: From the gender wage gap to increasing incarceration rates — or “Slavery 2.0” — the failure of the ERA in 1982 and the continued lack of a federal equal rights amendment are testaments to the unrelenting, pernicious and unethical treatment of women in America — especially women of color.  It goes on to say: The movement for women's equality has occurred primarily within the LGBT community over the past decade, with the discourse of “equality” often framed in terms of marriage. DADT and DOMA were both federally repealed, and the marriage equality movement has a nearly invisible state-organized apparatus, thanks to two Supreme Court's decisions this past sum

Our feature cover today is Adrien Lebreton.   I am beginning to use the term "gender blur" (before you have a chance to determine a gender in your mind, the person is gone)  as my own little pet term for an androgynous guy who doesn't have to "jump" far to visually cross dress as an attractive exotic woman.  We are seeing it more and more on the fashion runways of the world and undoubtedly it will filter down to many of us living in "less glamorous" places soon. I thought this picture was interesting in that the guy behind Adrien was also taking a picture, the guy to the right was intently watching and the kid only cared about harassing the pigeon.

Every once in a while, I love to pass along what experts think of our passions such as make up.  From day one as cross dressers or transgender women, we foraged through Mom's or sister's make up - fascinated and confused. This week I found a look at mascara - a very important part of my eye makeup routine.  As my skin is finally beginning to recover from the beating winter gave it and my old gray beard requires a lighter shave to cover, my eyes and lips take on an extra importance. This comes from Yahoo : If there's one beauty product we can't live without, it's mascara. It brightens, opens up the eye and, frankly, makes us all look way more pulled together. But with 192 million types of mascaras at stores, picking one is like a massive game of eenie-meenie-miney-mo. Wand size, shape, texture - the choices are endless. To help keep your eyes on the prize and your lashes reaping the benefits, pay most attention to the type of wand. For more follow the link ab

"Back in the day" as I was exploring the feminine side of my life as a cross dresser, one of my bigger frustrations quickly became making some sort of "big mistake."  All sorts of things could happen internally or externally. My panty hose could start creeping down my thighs, I could get a heel stuck in a crack in the concrete and yes, when I used water balloons for boobs-one broke. It seemed the more I learned, the more I had to learn. I was doing my best not to be a clown in the mall and an unpaid one at that! Of course genetic women face the same problems as part of the "high maintenance" gender, they are just more experienced and yes they have faced the same problems as we transgender girls- except maybe the water balloons. They were using tissue. Last night, I saw the process first hand. A friend and I (genetic) were out watching the basketball tournament in a big sports bar which features five huge television screens in a row, facing the bar.  Th

One definition for  enigma is: a person or thing that is mysterious, puzzling, or difficult to understand. It's no secret the binary male and female genders don't understand much about each other, so it's no wonder neither know much about we "invisible T's".  Here in Cyrsti's Condo in the past, I have taken the title from the classic guide Men Are from Mars, Women Are from Venus: The Classic Guide to Understanding the Opposite Sex   and added transgender people must be from Earth, right between the other two. If we liked it or not, we spent some time on both planets and many of us still commute back and forth. We are enigma's  with all the stigma which can be attached-good or bad.  This week for example, I ran into many new people.  Not just walking by them on the street, but interacting with them too in meetings and social events. Truthfully, I was willingly knocked out of my comfort zone all week long. I know what you are thinking "Whoa Cyrs

Quite the title, right?  The reason for it is last night, by sheer osmosis, I found myself in the middle of a porno discussion between my partner and three other of her genetic women acquaintances. Here lately, I'm becoming better at shutting up and have the conversation come to me.  It's very effective in that most people from without the TGLBQ community don't really know what to think of me and a little mystery doesn't hurt. After the get together last night we were all sitting around chatting and I was surprised when one of the women mentioned her ex husband and her resultant introduction to porno.  The conversation went to sex acts and then moved on rather quickly.  I am the first to admit, my experience with women has shown me, they are less than the prudes they portray around men. But,   this topic with this group of seemingly middle aged conservative women really got my attention! I found myself stuck in sort of a time warp in the conversation too. Here I

Our feature cover today is Stella Bueno 

Our feature cover today is Geena Rocero ,  model, activist, and transgender woman.

Back in the day" when I was 15, I used to be able to go with an older friend who already had his drivers license.  He had an aunt who had a neighborhood variety store which sold magazines and paperbacks among other things like chips, pop and beer.  Her store was in a less than affluent part of town and on very rare occasions I would find paperbacks such as these.  The problem was having enough courage to buy them-which I didn't and at the same time act like I didn't care!

If you recall, my sit down with the Dayton/Cincinnati Trans Ohio community meeting was this last Tuesday and I wrote a brief post about it here in Cyrsti's Condo. Since that time of course, I have come up with a few more observations.  First, I was disappointed in the transgender turn out.  In an organization called Trans, in a group of 14-16 peeps, there were only three in the room who identified as trans. From that point on, the meeting became one of educating everyone else about us and our concerns. Absolutely no problem. The tough part was explaining why we transgender women belonged there anyhow. Trans Ohio is largely a trans male based organization but I have no problem with that either.  The third trans person in the room was a trans guy and the host.  Bottom line was, once again, I found myself  aligning with the other trans women and speaking for a silent group.  Fortunately, neither of us was shy. As I said before, we introduced transgender employment, health care a

Our feature cover of the day today is a very "80's" looking Grae Phillips .   If you don't recall Grae's story, he was billed as the "original Tootsie." I still remember clearly when he made his first appearance on the Phil Donahue Show.  He couldn't land a job as a guy singer in NYC and just " happened" to throw on a dress and makeup with the help of a girlfriend and was much more successful performing as a woman. There are tons of Grae's videos on YouTube plus you can follow the link above for a website.

As you may recall, I posted here in Cyrsti's Condo about attending a Trans Ohio community organizational meeting.  Several were set up around Ohio. The main idea was to explore the main issues we face as TGLBQ individuals.  Meetings such as this have a tendency to either be used as a platform for some to vent on specific grudges or become extremely boring as a few seem to love to hear themselves talk. This two hour meeting was neither.  The mediators managed to keep an incredibly diverse group on track. Approximately 14 people attended, two of which (including me) identified as transgender. The remainder were either gay or lesbian and even a person who identified as gender fluid. As issues were discussed, we transgender women were able to mention primarily the lack of understanding from the rest of the community.  Of course, another main concern was the total lack of cooperation under the entire community umbrella.  In fact, the meeting started with one individual launching a m

I have mentioned here in Cyrsti's Condo of the internal changes which come with HRT.  Last night, or should I say early this morning, I felt the changes in a big way. I don't know if because I had a long day yesterday and did quite a bit of physical labor, I was extra tired when I went to bed.  I went to bed early, around 11 pm and was up around 3 just depressed as hell.  First of all, depressed may be the wrong word.  I believe the sadness caused with HRT is more of a melancholy feeling.  When I experience it, I have a hard time putting my finger on exactly where it is coming from.  I just know it's so real. I am learning though, crying it out helps.  The problem is, crying is still a conditioned problem with me.  Finally last night, I just let the tears go and along with a glass of milk, I felt better soon enough to go back to bed. Luckily, I'm retired and work my own schedule, so I slept in a bit.  When I woke up though I started to wonder what could lift my spir

Our feature cover of the day is Australia's Estelle Asmodelle. Asmodelle is an Australian transsexual who was instrumental in gaining recognition for transsexual and transgender people through her solo campaign to gain rights for transsexuals.

The natural need of Libra's to balance will be temporarily set aside this week. Go ahead and jump off the scales fellow Libra's! (September 23-October 22): You’ll be in a daydreaming mood as your routines put you into a trance. Feel free to let loose, because wherever you jump, the universe will somehow find a way to save you from bad consequences and give you a peaceful resolve. Call it a miracle or a boo that watches your back — just be grateful for whatever breathes life back into you again. Or, we are looking for a soft landing!  All the rest of you can go here to theFrisky   your own scope.

"Although my heritage is not Irish (British/German/Hillbilly), as you all have probably figured out, I am not one to shy away from a big party.  Many others aren't either.  What I don't understand is why bigots try to ruin it. Fortunately, mayors and sponsors of two cities, New York and Boston are coming out against the madness of keeping TGLBQ groups out of the parades.  In fact, both mayors refused to even be in the parades. As important as that is,as always money is even a more powerful motivator. In response to the bigotry, major sponsors such as Sam Adams  and  Guinness  Beers are pulling their financial support from the parades as well.  Their reason was simple and to the point. It was the right thing to do. Plus, just maybe, we TGLBQ peeps support their products! "Wearin' o da green with William Belli" My hope is St .  Patrick   would feel the same way. If you are Irish or "faux" Irish, enjoy the day, responsibly!

Cincinnati has an area of it's downtown which used to have the dubious distinction of hosting more murders within a certain area of any place in the country.  Now it's being transformed block by block into a thriving restoration area-almost. About a week ago, the area was hosting their annual "Bock Beer" Fest and one of the local TV stations was doing a segment of the area and it's recovery.  Of course, as soon as they did, about a half hour later, they reported a person was shot and killed only two blocks away from the festival. I recently read two stories from Brazil which played out the same way. The first of which came from the New York Times and featured a look at the rise of transgender models recently on the runways of Brazil. One of which is Melissa Paixao, shown at the left . Then, not much later I read the story of a slain "transvestite" in Brazil. Of course I'm not bringing up Brazil for unfair criticism. Especially after I read

Ker Plunk! Another edition of the Condo has just hit your "in box". Good day to Y'all!  I hope the weather Goddess is beginning to show a bit of kindness in your part of the world as she is here.  However, at this time of the year around here she is rather fickle but then again, being teased is fun. Page 1.- The Week in Review.-   Transgender service men and women were back in the news this week as a major study concluded what we all knew, trans service members should be granted all the rights of any other person in the military.  Just as important was the fact the "Prez" could make it happen with only his signature.  The classic so near and so far away.  Why would he do such as simple thing as guarantee rights to a neglected segment of the population when so many other key issues in the world go unattended? Page 2.-Beauty/Fashion.- With the change of seasons, comes a change of fashion-if your season actually changes or not. Your climate could be similar to

Yesterday, I was heading through the grocery store and in a rare moment of energy, I had a little "spring to my step" because Spring actually looks as if it may be here. (50 degrees yesterday! Whhoo Hooo!) As I bounced down the aisles, I noticed the fun feeling of my pony tail flipping around behind me. I entertain easily and started doing it on purpose as my hair is very close to the middle of my back now.  I quickly wondered if the young girls I see with flowing bouncing pony tails feel the same way?  I'm guessing they do and don't. I'm fairly sure the feeling is reassurance of their overall femininity but on the other hand, their hair after awhile just becomes part of their everyday being. Plus, long hair does take extra maintenance too, so I can see why girls such as my 12 year old grand daughter cut their long hair. She is more of a science and math nerd, so long hair as a boy magnet isn't so important to her...yet. Plus she did donate her hair to a c

It was just a matter of time. The androgynous super model Andrej Pejic modeling as a man and a woman for the MCM Spring Line. This photo is almost spooky in a clone sense!

From the Press Enterprise : A Chapman University senior became the first transgender contestant in the school’s annual all-girls pageant Wednesday night, winning the title of Miss Congeniality. Addie Vincent, 21, faced off against 15 other competitors for the title of Miss Delta Queen, a competition organized by the school’s Greek system. For the talent competition, Vincent recited an original poem called “The Look,” which chronicled the stares and stereotypes transgender individuals experience daily. In the poem, Vincent encouraged compassion and understanding for those who don’t fit traditional gender roles. Following the poem, students shouted, “We love you Addie,” and gave Vincent the night’s only standing ovation. “Addie has inspired so many people,” said Lauren Shouinard, a friend and former pageant contestant. “Addie sent a message so many people needed to hear.” How encouraging it is to see the joy on the faces of the other participants!  To paraphrase John Lennon's

I just love it when I find the occasional "free spirit" on line who happens to be trans or gender fluid or...how about themselves. Here is my latest "fave". Perhaps you remember not long ago I mentioned the Androgyn Beauty Blog. She has a "killer" wonderful attitude to go along with those "killer" legs! Follow the link above and read her "philosophy". The only thing I am missing is - I will be damned if I can find her name! It helps I do agree with her belief that "androgyny is the new human future."

Much has been made recently about the "birth" of the internet (along with social media) and how we "more mature" individuals were able to even exist at all back then.  Truthfully, those days were exceedingly difficult times to communicate with others in the culture. Plus,  if you didn't know, the concept of a transgender woman or man was just beginning to develop and most all cross dressers in the media were up to no good. Early on, female impersonator  Michael Andrews was undoubtedly one of the most popular entertainers of his era. Check out this YouTube   clip on the Cyrsti's Condo big screen:

Our feature cover here in the Condo today is Russian MtF transgender woman Charlie Somik Chan.

I caught this story from an Associated Press release. As an American and a transgender veteran it quickly caught my eye: SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - An independent commission led by a former U.S. surgeon general has concluded there "is no compelling medical reason" for the U.S. armed forces to prohibit transgender Americans from serving and that President Barack Obama could lift the decades-old ban without approval from Congress, according to a report being released Thursday. The report said Department of Defense regulations designed to keep transgender people from joining or remaining in the military on the grounds of psychological and physical unfitness are based on outdated beliefs that require thousands of current service members either to leave the service or to forego the medical procedures and other changes that could align their bodies and gender identities.  "We determined not only that there is no compelling medical reason for the ban, but also that the ban itsel

Rhys (left) with Zackary As in many social areas, the transgender presence is also growing quickly in today's pop culture and here's an example from The New York Times. The "Times"   recently featured two aspiring artists, Rhys Ernst, and his partner, Zackary Drucker. Rhys had recently graduated from Hampshire College and was working for MTV networks. Zackary had graduated from the School of Visual Arts and was appearing on a reality TV show called “Artstar,” hosted by Jeffrey Deitch. Over the last five years, Zackary has transitioned from male to female, Rhys from female to male. And in “Relationship,” a photo exhibition currently on view at the Whitney Biennial, the two have chronicled that process and the evolution of their own love affair. The post goes on to say that a show by two transgender artists should be so prominently featured at the 2014 Biennial should come as a surprise to no one. It is just more evidence of the increasing presence of trans peo

Our feature cover today is Brazil's beautiful transgender woman Luana Cimatti.

The more I bounce around the web, even I am impressed by the sheer numbers of pictures I encounter of all different "flavors" of men dressed as women, from cross dressers,  all the way to transsexual porn stars. I simply marvel at the individuals who post literally thousands of pictures of themselves on sites such as Flickr as much as I marvel at pictures of transsexual women such as Domino Presley (left). It's no wonder so many so called "hetero" men are "intrigued"  and the majority of other trans women get the ugly "fall out." Even though we live in an age of unprecedented advances in plastic surgery and HRT advancements, many times I have to look through the smoke and mirrors to see what I'm really looking at.   Domino reportively is an adult film star so her looks are a big part of her business. I assume, she has her peeps who market her in the social media. On the other hand, there are numerous examples of other MtF video tran

I have a tendency to believe one of the least mentioned effects of HRT is what it does to your finger nails- at least to mine.  My nails have become paper thin just at a time in my life I need them to have substance I can style. One place I have not been for help is a nail salon, yet.  My partner Liz wants to book us together for "mani/pedi's" sometime before summer  Oddly, it's not my feet which are causing me problems with the idea, it's my hands.  Neither are the most feminine in the world but Liz has convinced me my hands and feet are proportioned well for my body.  My hands specifically aren't huge but have and will continue to be subjected to what heavy labor I can still do. (My upper body strength is a fraction of what is was and my arm muscle definition has went with it!) My fear is having my nails done and doing whatever and trashing them.  I'm working between two homes and yards. Not getting the work done by being the pretty, pretty princess

Our feature cover today is Silver Summers

Well, the stars didn't take long to ground me from last week! Libra: (September 23-October 22): Forget launching anything new now, because it’ll crash and burn. Not that your ideas or feelings aren’t valid, but timing is going to plague you, as you’ll hardly have any of it in a good way now. Lucky for you, your vivid imagination will be intact and will churn out powerful visions. So, despite the lack of progression, take cues from your creative spirit and flirt with inspiration. As long as my "vivid imagination" is intact, life is good! For your "scope" go here to theFrisky .

In a week, I'm attending one of a series of meetings here in Ohio concerning community priorities for trans folks hosted by Trans Ohio.   Truthfully, my immediate reaction was, there are so many, where would you ever start? Plus over the past year or so, I have felt hindered by my age in such groups which are populated by younger people. I used to do quite a few meetings such as these in other community groups I was in and a huge problem is just deciding on a few places to start. Quickly, I came up with just three: 1.-Visibility 2.-Employment 3.-Health Care I'm not going into all three here except to say, all affect a transgender person regardless of age. For whatever reason my generation did a remarkable job of not being visible and are paying the price now by facing uncertain senior health care. Employment is a problem for everyone regardless of who you are and don't let the pundits kid you, jobs are still difficult to come by but even more so for transgender wom

My partner Liz and I finished out the weekend with her coloring my hair.  It was time!  My natural grays were starting to catch up with me! OK already, they passed me in the dust! As far as color choices go, I have willingly given up the total decision process, remembering a few of the completely atrocious wigs choices I made. Truthfully, we both were basically on the same color pages. The only compromise I made was putting the box of a streaked ash blond mix back on the shelf- if   I could use similar highlights later this spring or summer with the red color I picked. Then, I was told to get two boxes to treat all the hair I have. Cool!  The color also words for me because red heads do run in my family as I have written here in Cyrsti's Condo. So,  my idea of going back to a deeper red hair is not completely unfounded unlike many of my other ideas. If you have been through the process,  I think you would agree a home coloring ranks way below the sadistic rituals of waxing body

Our feature cover today is Lorna Vanda in a classic 2005 picture from Puerto Rico.