Less is More

I am passing this video of a young transgender woman along on the Cyrsti's Condo big screen for the sheer simplicity of it and the fact she is a total "natural".

Shopping Idea

Every once in a while it would be remiss of me not to re pass along a shopping hint or two.

Most of you Cyrsti's Condo's regulars probably know I certainly don't have the financial means to be a serious retail price shopper. So the thrift stores around here are this girl's best friend. I'm a firm believer in building my wardrobe with fashion basics which fit my style and with a little time and some luck I can find those pieces at a fraction of the price. Not too long ago I found this wonderful lacy cream colored top which will look fabulous over a tank top for 2.99.

For you novices, these outlets are wonderful places to buy an article of feminine clothing or two for sometimes under five dollars.  "Back in the day" thrift stores were how I first learned what sizes looked best on me not to mention styles. Misfitting clothes and terrible fashion ideas were simply re donated for the next cross dresser. (just kidding about the cross dresser part).

For the most part these stores have no workers who do not do anything but stock so you face a minimum of people. So the bottom line is you really don't have much of one. Very little expense and exposure plus maximum gain as you learn!

Spring Fashion Accessory?

I guess you can use this as a potential personal security device or at the least one heck of a conversation starter:

Former porn star Jenna Jameson used a brass knuckle iPhone case when she beat up her transgender assistant in a California salon over the weekend according to reports. Jameson, 39, was charged with battery after allegedly assaulting her assistant, Britney Markham (right) with the accessory turned weapon following accusations she had stolen from her. Markham claims the mother of two entered a Newport Beach salon on Saturday yelling at her, hours before planning to celebrate her 39th birthday at Heat Ultra Lounge in Anaheim that night.

Maybe I should have said-conversation "ender". If you care about this earth shattering story, go here.

Transsexual "Iron Man"?

From Cruncy Roll:  
"Earlier this week, DC got a lot of comic book news press for revealing that Batgirl's roommate is transgender. That's nothing. Japan has given us a transsexual Iron Man with Miss International Queen 2009 Ai Haruna putting on the armor and joining decathlete So Takei to promote the Japanese release of Iron Man 3."

Here it is:

Aussie Prison Trans Rehab?

Paul Wayne Luckman/Nicole Louise Pearce

For quite some time now wife killer Robert "Michelle" Kosilek has captured headlines for his bid to have a state funded sex change.  It turns out Australia too has a history of violent men who become women behind bars. This story comes from the Australian News. It chronicles the stories of a few male criminals who transitioned to women behind bars.
Follow the link above for more.

Trans Teen Model

A documentary video from YouTube on the Cyrsti's Condo big screen:

We Are In The Comics

From Underwired:


Once banned from the world of mainstream comic books by the infamous Comics Code Authority, LGBT characters now have a stronger presence in the world of superhero comics than ever before, with gay and lesbian heroes like Batwoman, Northstar and Green Lantern Alan Scott openly declaring who they are — and even getting married. Today, DC Comics told Wired that it will continue to expand the LGBT diversity of its superhero universe by introducing the first openly transgender character in a mainstream superhero comic. In Batgirl #19, on sale today in both print and digital formats, the character Alysia Yeoh will reveal that she is a transwoman in a conversation with her roommate, Barbara Gordon (aka Batgirl). Taking care to distinguish Yeoh’s sexual orientation from her gender identity, Batgirl writer Gail Simone noted that the character is also bisexual.

You "Make" a Good Looking Woman

As I look back at my transition process in the early stages, one of the most difficult ideas to overcome was the idea that I made a good looking woman. All semantics aside, I don't think I ever had the power to make a woman.

My problem was of course I was being compared to the man I was. Now before you may be thinking I'm being a total brat-hear me out.

First of all, I was truly lost.  Sure the compliments would send me into vanity heaven for weeks but in truth the "buzz" was similar to what I experience when I eat a couple of my favorite cookies.  The sugar high just turns into empty calories and is gone all too soon. Looking back of course I was searching for my true transgender feelings,. Deep down I knew my cross dressing was just a quick fix and refused to face it.

Following up on my last post, I slowly but surely began to open my closet door. On occasion I did it the right way but other times I was terrible. I pulled some stunts on my wife I will always regret. On the positive side though I went out into the world as a woman by mutual agreement. We enjoyed enough of an income that I could take my clothes and makeup with me, get a motel room change and spend the day out and about.

The absolute most stunning realization was I just couldn't do this as just a another faceless person in public.  Quickly I learned I had to interact with the public. Going back to the last post, these weren't the people at the cross dressing meetings I went to or the people at gay venues-these were strangers who expected some sort of response from me as a perceived woman or even trans woman. To make matters more complicated, these encounters were normally always different.  An example would a stranger asking me for directions followed my a clerk asking me for my size.

No matter how good or bad, big or small these public interactions were, I would take them home with me and build off of them. Also, before I forget to tell you all this was occurring over years. Slowly but surely though my whole thought pattern was beginning to take on a different idea of who I was. I was fitting more and more into that newer transgender niche. During this time of discovery, I was starting to really stretch the boundaries of being a woman in the world. Shopping turned into lunch, lunch turned into going places I had never been before and finally to my first visit at night to a busy casual dining restaurant.

Was this process tough? Of course it was. No matter how the early compliments of being an attractive woman echoed in my head. There were (and are) people who took great delight in letting me know I wasn't. On the other hand, I found the power of feminine socialization overcame the narrow minded idiots.

Again and again my message to any of you who may be in the same spot I was in years ago is somehow, someway you have to find a way to try to live it. Who knows, if you do you may find you are content to be a cross dresser. As I continually stress there is absolutely nothing wrong with that and you may be able to hold your life together and have fun with it. The true tragedy comes when a person tries to take their gender identity too far. I know a person who went through SRS to simply become the best looking woman in the room but never grasped the "woman" part.

I can only say no matter how tough this journey has been-it was the right one for me.  It just feels right. When you begin to get there-you will know or won't. That's OK too. You just could me that man who "makes a good looking woman!"

Are You Man Enough?

As most of you know I'm a regular visitor to Stana's Femulate blog. Her recent "real life experience" post I thought was very thought provoking.  Basically, she was responding to a question or two about gaining "girl time" in the real world.

I get the same questions too of course.  It's a tough answer.  Perhaps you may remember my long ago mention of when my deceased wife finally told me "be man enough to be a woman". Which I suppose parallels Stana's "It's hard work being a woman" post.

From the outside looking in, it's easy to think is it that bad? Getting all dolled up in women's clothes-how much fun is that? My deceased wife used to call it the "Princess Syndrome". Taking hours to get ready every night just wasn't in her "woman's handbook".

I have never looked at the process as being "hard" as much as necessity. Sure, my hair, skin, nails etc take a lot more work but it comes with the territory.

Getting down to basics: How you get into the world as a woman" is as personal as you.  Are you married or single. Do you have a family and job you are risking?  As Stana said- trans conferences and the such won't get you far in learning what a woman's life is all about. My pet observation is you have to get out of the gay venues too.

I got my "start" doing my own shopping as a girl which forced me to interact as a woman (or trans woman) with the public and moved on from there. Because it worked for me, doesn't mean it will work for you. You just have to be creative and obsessive enough to know if you want this bad enough you can find away to do it.

Please go here to read the rest of the post on Femulate! In the meantime, I will try to come up with something more concise which may give you a better idea of my path.