Cyrsti's Condo "Cover Girl" of the Day

We are back with our Condo feature covers. Today check out beautiful drag artist Jem Stone

Summer Fun!

Forget the inch of snow we had the other day and the frigid temps which sent me scrambling for my sweaters, I figured it was time to begin my maintenance on summer's number one fashion accessory- skin.

At this time in my life, I have certain "specialized" needs.  As far as fashions go, unfortunately, the flirty short summer skirts and sundresses are not age appropriate for me but the longer ones certainly are.  While I still have the remnants of my upper body biceps, my muscle definition has gone way down and my HRT induced skin tone has gone way up. So sleeveless tops this summer are back for a second season for me.

I do a pretty good job of taking care of my upper body skin and if I don't it tells me. As far as winter and my legs and feet go though, not so much.  I have work to do to shed dry skin, soften and moisturize.  Also, I don't think I have mentioned my dislike of wearing any sort of hot panty hose in the summer. I'm going bare legged under my long skirts and normally do a self summer pedi for sandals.

What I am looking forward to this summer though, is adding a long sun dress or two to my wardrobe for the first time.  I think with the right bra and panty set, I will be able to enjoy my new found femininity this summer to the max and stay cooler. (#1  goal!)

So, we will see what climate change does to us around here in Ohio and my plans. I am notoriously short term though so maybe I will have to come up with plans "B or C" too. First, I have to think about them and I actually have started.  I am subscribed to a local woman's Mary Kay site which recently promoted tons of summer cosmetics.  On the other hand, I also use "home made" products too.  My most recent example was when Liz directed me to her cooking Olive Oil to help my dry facial damaged winter skin. She read the hint from Glamour Magazine and it actually worked better than any of the big name expensive products I was using.  Just check around.

Another hint is my grocery store (Kroger's) has a ton of on line coupons. Several are for cosmetic products
and if you hit a day when they are already on sale, you can do well.

The MaryKay link is above and I'm sure there were and are other places you can go for fun!

Ketchup

Yes, I'm using a condiment name for a Cyrsti's Condo blog post and it actually serves a couple purposes!

On a lighter note, I'm "catching up" on a few of your comments from a post which indirectly involved food. Clever, right?

Thanks to all of you who commented on the Trans Girl Guide to Eating Out post.

The first came from Leann:

Crysti, I agree whole-heartedly with 1, 2 and 5. Of late, I have been trying to go to a local (Northeast local) chain called Legal Seafood about once a week. I have at least one waitress who sits down to chat with me. As far as 3 and 4 are concerned, I haven't run into these S&Sers so I haven't run into them in the restroom either. The only conversation I have ever had in a restroom is someone commenting me on my suit. :)

Thanks Leeann!  For those of you who don't know, #4 was my reference to using the women's room. Similar to you, I haven't had any problems for literally years but having the cops called on me twice, being called a perve and getting kicked out of a venue left their marks I'm afraid! Anymore, I don't let the past ruin the present!

The second came from Mandy Sherman:


On #3, Trouble in Paradise... It's not only the 50-somethings. While it's indeed precisely as you say with them, alas, teenagers haven't given up on S&S yet. Last fall during my final 2013 en-femme outing, I was having a solo dinner at an upscale steakhouse restaurant on the Maryland side of Washington, DC. The joint wasn't full by any means. A pair of 18-year-old-plus girls and their dates were seated across the room, with the girls having an unobstructed view of my table. (How do I know they were at least 18? The wine bottle and glasses...) The girls spotted me as I walked in, and as soon as I was seated they informed the boys of my existence. The boys seemed rather ho-hum about it, as a mere glance was all they sent my way. But every few minutes, one of the girls checked me out, whispered something to her friend, who then looked my way. They then giggled, and whispered things to each other, while the boys looked rather annoyed at their dates' actions. The special dinner date (for which they were paying a tidy sum) was being compromised by this "guy in a skirt." 

The foursome got their "special night" back when I left...with no wine, appetizer or dessert, I finished well before they did. But I could feel two pair of young female eyes following me all the way out, once they noticed I was leaving. And you can bet I remained a part of their conversation for the rest of the evening... Sorry, guys - your dates were paying attention to me, not you. Better luck next time... But this is a solemn testament to the fact that teenage female S&S is still very much alive and well in suburban Maryland. 

And with regard to #4 - Rest Room Pass: Since that night, I have used a few select women's rooms, while dressed androgynously. But that particular night, I was in a "holding pattern" - waiting to go back to my hotel room. No way would I have wanted to chance meeting those girls in a restroom situation. Cheers, Mandy

Hi Mandy and thanks!  Sounds as if the narrow minded young women just were looking for diversions to their boring dates and you were in the line of fire.  You bring up several really good points.  Ultimately, stupidity is not limited to one age group and the longer someone has to sit back and look you over, the more chance you become of someone making you their business.  Pretty much that is what happened to me the other night with one of the bitches who about broke her neck to stare and smirk.  (The other didn't give me a second look later.)

Once again ladies, thanks so much for your comments!