Getting "Weepy"

Damn hormones! Here I was actually needing my soft sweater jacket not for fashion-I was getting chilly. The next thing you know I will be jumping from the summer furnace I experienced into the winter freezer I really never have.  Over the years, I have loved cold weather. Be careful what you hope for? Kidding, I love I'm experiencing what I hoped for but never really understood. Specifically unexpected weepiness in this case.  I don't even really know if it's a word but it sure visited during a show we went to on the tour.
The show was country/gospel and mountain orientated which sort of fit where we were in the mountains of West Virginia (DUH!) Certain musical numbers for some reason sent me into an elevated emotional state and yes a few tears followed.
Fortunately it was dark in the place and I really didn't want to be the only person in the place crying-female or male or transgender. All was good...until:
At the end of the show, the performers wanted to thank all the veterans in the audience. Please hold your hand up if you are a veteran. My friend jabbed me in the side until I did raise my hand. OK, no big deal. I survived until..."all you veterans stand so we can thank you!" Well, I really didn't want to stand for not the reason you think but guess what-I did-to stop the abuse to my side.
Oh, one more thing I neglected to mention. Not only did the transgender girl end up sitting in the front row, I was in the middle of the front row. Where the hell was Jimmy Buffet when I needed him? But I digress.
I'm sort of funny about my Vietnam Vet status for a number of reasons which I won't bore you with. Mainly my deal is that as a group we were swept under the rug like the war itself and don't get me started on the mistreatment of Viet Vets affected by Agent Orange.
So being singled out and thanked for my service is as foreign to me as going in the first place and you thought standing as a transgender person would bother me.
I had to say, standing was easier than being drafted and I only had one very elderly lady thank me for my service in WWII. (Kidding-I hope!)

Cyrsti's Condo Packing 101

Similar to so many other "jender jumping" issues, packing for a trip is yet another!
The days of tossing jeans, t shirts, socks and undies into a suitcase are gone. Not only did I have to plan for all the female accessories I would need, I had to plan for four to five days worth.
Of course the makeup was the easy part and my new "natural" hair style helped me not agonize over a wig. The hard part was planning outfits.
I was fortunate in that the entire trip was female casual too so I could mix and match sweaters, tops and jeans.  I think I would have only needed an extra top or so to have done better. The whole trip was an ideal starter venture for me but not without quite a bit of angst.
Finally, I shook off my considerable indecision on clothing choices and just started packing....everything. This  was huge! The whole process reminded me of how full circle I have been able to come since the cross dresser meetings I attended years and years ago. As it turned out, the feelings were just the beginning of how weepy I would feel later in the trip.
I know you are dying to know what I forgot!  It turned out to be just a minor article-my jacket. Really? Yes I did but I was lucky.
My drive to meet my friend for the trip was nearly an hour and a half away and for one of the very few times in my life I was running ahead of schedule. On the way, I had time to stop and shop at a deep discount store for some sort of jacket.
Amazingly enough I found a very nice sweater jacket at a very nice price AND it was the only one they had AND it was my size. The last time that happened was when all the planets aligned with some sort of esclipse of the sun.
So, as with most other life experiences, Packing 101 wasn't as easy or as hard as I thought it would be!

Jumping the Great Divide

I didn't really publicize the fact I was taking off on a mini vacation down into a very rugged area of West Virginia last week for about four days.
A genetic girl friend and I made the trip as two women and no we were not "roughing" it. If the truth be known I'm a huge rail buff and there are several historic operating train lines around the Elkins-Cheat Mountain area of West Virginia.
As fun and relaxing as all of that was, the fact still remained that I was leaving all vestiges of my male past behind for an unprecedented four days.
Interestingly enough, I have a ton of thoughts to pass along. So many in fact, I'm experiencing an overload problem of how to do it in some sort of coherent fashion.
My goal  for the next week is to try to pick bits and pieces from the trip and pass them along-including some of my friend's insights.
In essence, I'm unpacking my luggage and my mind.

All Hallow Back in the Day

This one goes wayyyyy back in the day:

" I won't tell you how many years ago this occurred . Only that I had a decidedly better figure! It was "back in the day" when a Halloween party was a rare coming out event. I believe as a transgendered person you can only do one party with the same people before they start to gossip. If you care. I got an invite to a classic party in an old Victorian mansion in one of the town's historic districts. At the door was an antique coffin with a very real skeleton observing the guests. My first wife (who figured that some day I was going to take off and be a girl full time) didn't much care I was going to the party with a female co-worker-dressed like a complete tramp. Halloween is a great time for genetic and TG females to strut their stuff. (Who do they think they are kidding?) Shaved legs, heels, micro mini dress and long blond hair pretty much described my outfit. When we arrived, I pretty much didn't say much and I found that a lot of the guests didn't really know I wasn't as I appeared to be. I was in heaven! Later in the evening, a couple did approach me to tell me how good I looked and didn't know the truth initially and did I want to go with them to another party? Reluctantly I had to turn them down. My ride was with my co-worker and I thought it would be rude to do that to her. The couple left and I asked the hosts who they were. It turns out he was a very new politician who was running for a state representative seat. As the years went by, he went to Washington and became a very powerful congressman. I've often wondered how deep the attraction was that night and did I destroy my chance for a job in the capital or even a "tell all" book? Let's see: "Monica and Cyrsti" A Life Under The Desk! lol"

Pick the Trans Woman!

Actually she is Liu Shi Han and is in the middle of this group of genetic women.

Eva Robbins

Beautiful Italian transsexual blond Eva Robin's!

Hey Dude!

Here is another Cyrsti's Condo post from 2010 entitled "Hey Dude-Nice Costume"


Due to work obligations, I knew my Halloween this year was not going to happen. I didn't give the matter much thought as I entered my usual hang out last Friday night-and walked right into their Halloween party. I almost panicked! A Halloween party is one of the hardest places to present as an actual female. People are obviously looking for all others in costume. "Ha Ha dude, want a beer? Nice costume" is exactly what I heard one place last year when I went to one of the biggest Halloween street fairs in the state. Unfortunately I was just dressed as me...no costume. This year again I was just in jeans and a sweater as I quickly surveyed the scene and got ready for reaction.. I saw about half the group was actually in costume. I was sure someone would spot me as a possible costume contestant but I was able to find a seat at the bar with no trouble. I got no reaction. Soon, after my first beer, it was time to survey the crowd to see if anyone else was dressed as a girl. Interestingly enough, the only remote possibility was a person across the bar wearing some big blond hair. "He" turned out of be one of the female managers in costume and probably wouldn't appreciate my thoughts on her costume. She made a great "drag queen"! I guess you could say my Halloween was real boring this year for all the right reasons!

Amor Concepcion

Amor competed in Ms Amazing Philippines 2009 a few years ago. She didn't win which makes you think how "amazing" the winners were?

Tis the season! Here is another Cyrsti's Condo Halloween post from the past:

" In my own part of the world, Halloween is the second biggest holiday behind Christmas. It is absolutely HUGE! I was searching through some of my older posts for Halloween stories. Of course the season is a prime time to sneak out of the closet or even out yourself in the process. If you recall one of my earlier posts, I mildly outed myself after one memorable Halloween party in the Army of all places. In those days "transgender" wasn't even a word and I admitted to a fondness for women's clothes to several close friends. For you girls who I will refer to as "accomplished closet dwellers"; when you do head out, someone will notice how accomplished you are! By the way, I meant nothing at all negative about the comment. I understand the closet well!!!! What I meant was you have achieved an attractive female persona that no one else has seen. If you decide to attend a party with friends and or acquaintances, they will notice you girl! The solution of course, is to go to a party or a club where no one knows you. Of course, I've done it both ways. I timed a couple "business" trips to be out of town and out at a couple big Halloween parties at straight clubs. Quite a rush! On the other hand I took the compliments and the questions in stride when I attended parties with people I knew. A typical question was "don't your legs itch since you shaved them... but you really have great legs!"