Cyrsti's Condo "Sunday Edition"

KerPlunk and SMOOTCH!  Welcome to another Valentines Sunday Edition of the Condo which has hit your virtual front porch. We are between the bitter cold I wrote of yesterday and snowy weather today a great day to cuddle in my "jammies" with a hot cop o joe or cocoa! Let's get started.
Page One-The Week that Was or Wasn't: The week that was, revolved again around LGBT rights, especially transgender restroom rights in many areas of the country. Do the best you can to get out and support the trans youth in your communities. Here in Ohio, once again, legislators once again are trying to push a LGBT rights bill past a Republican controlled legislature. Not to mention a governor who happens to be a presidential candidate which means he is not above "blowing in the wind" and changing positions for votes. Now he is in South Carolina groveling to the Evangelical conservative right. 
Page Two- Yesterday's Coffee-Opinion: Perhaps you have heard by now U.S.  SupremeCourt Justice Antonin Scalia, the leading conservative voice on the high court, has died at the age of 79, a government source   and a family friend told CNN on Saturday. Perhaps, he was known recently for his "gobbly gook" opinions such as same sex marriage rather than sound conservative opinion. Like him or not, Scalia may have been an example of why Supreme Court justices should not have an automatic seat for life, once approved. Now of course the fight begins on who will replace him and many are saying the Obama administration should not have a choice. All in all, the process should be another increasingly interesting and important look into the American justice system.
Page Three- Rest Rooms and the Alamo? Both have incredible inconsistencies. The story (as told) is mostly fiction as you saw it on the big screen. To the uneducated, the easiest way for the radical right to prey on our rights is to mention imagined horrendous restroom activities by transgender women. The reason I bring it up again is, according to Mara KeislIng:

"The backlash against trans people that we’ve been expecting for years is here. As of today, we’re fighting against 29 pieces of anti-trans legislation in elevenstates. And more are coming. And if we lose even one, our opponents will only accelerate their efforts. We need your support to stop each and every one of these bills. Make no mistake, these anti-trans bills are not only attacking trans adults, but they’re attacking trans youth. Our children. They’d make it illegal for transgender students to use the restroom at school and even place a bounty on their heads—rewardingclassmates for turning them in. NCTE is taking a strong leadership role in these battles. We are helping coordinate messaging and strategy while finding trans people in target states to step up tell their stories. We have spent a year gearing up for this, but NCTE simply doesn’t have the resources to fight these. Please consider pitching in. We can’t combat these alone. Even if you don’t live in Illinois, Indiana, Massachusetts, Missouri, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Virginia, Washington or Wisconsin, where these bills are already up and running, they are threatening all of us and our kids all over the country." Page Four-The Back Page: Well kids, it's time to go. As always I love you and thanks for stopping by Cyrsti's Condo!

"Book' EM" Cyrsti

The last week or so I have actually settled into what I think I can and can't do with my latest book project, and along the way have actually stumbled across a couple proof readers, who work for coffee. One of them I live with also, which is a potential big stumbling block.

It's taken a lot but I have given her a red pen/pencil and said go after grammar/punctuation mistakes. Well, I just had to get over it as my efforts came back looking as if someone died on it with all the red. (And that's after Microsoft Word helped with it's own miracles.)

I'm sure those of you who are regulars here in Crysti's Condo and are grammar freaks like my partner catch me making tons of mistakes. Here is my excuse though, lots o times grammar just got in my way when there were points to make or my imagination was running wild. How's that?

On the bright side, I have figured how to move blog posts into the book after I copy and paste them to Word. Once I have something in place in my noggin it normally stays. Plus, the whole task of ever doing a book was the impossible dream for me and I have a close friend who is actually getting published and has a couple E-books. I can't come close to saying how much work that is, how creative she is and how she keeps that little all knowing
grin on her face when someone else talks about how they "should write a book." (Love it and can you tell how much respect I have for her?)

So, since goals seem to be a real live part of my life these days, the book is off and running for the finish line. The Trans Ohio Symposium or Pride Days this summer could be a real possibility if I keep working on it. 

Hopefully you are asking by now what's it about? The best and worst of my transgender life as told through Cyrsti's Condo.

It's COLD Dammit

Yes, the deep freeze has caught up with us here in Ohio and to add insult to injury, we are going to have a sizable amount of snow for Valentine's Day...time to stay home and snuggle.

My point of all of this is, if you are considering a MtF gender transition in a climate which changes seasonally, you have to consider what you are going to do about it. Unless you are much better than I am, it's tough to venture forth in cute snow boots with heels and bruise a hip. (Bad for my age.)

My problem is I am an extremely short term planner. Back in the day job interviewers would ask me what I planned on doing in five years. Early in the game I learned hoping I would be alive was not the right answer, or being a woman.

So now, after going on my second year of needing a seasonal wardrobe change, I think I have it down. Even though I can't wear heeled boots, I try to add to my boot collection every year now while they are on sale. 

Something that will be new for me this year will be the ability to go get another professional pedicure on my toes when I start wearing warm weather sandals. Then, I can retire my tennis shoes into an only exercise/walking shoe category.

I hate to say this but I think I'm fairly well set up in the tank/summer top category this year. However, I never say never! What fun would that be?

Plus, a lot could change this summer when I get my Medicare changed over and maybe I could get them to pay for a couple procedures, breast augmentation and a deviated septum surgery. I read somewhere a person ended up getting a nose job out of the deal. It's frustrating when I see a more feminine person peeking out of the mirror behind the person I'm looking at when I know that is just being shallow. I gave up being a mirror dweller years ago.

Most of these obviously are just dreams and goals, but then again without them, one's life becomes as cold and gray as the winter weather around here. Can't let that happen!