It's Backwards-Both Ways

On occasion, even I'm impressed on how poor my communication skills can be especially when we are talking about one of my HRT doctors.  The reason I have two is even though my primary physician at the VA (Veteran's Administration) has a transgender niece, he is still not medically qualified to monitor my blood work and/or estrogen level.  For that I need an Endocrinologist. That's OK because  an elevated estrogen level can cause blood clots.  Especially at my age!

I see my Endo Doc about every six months or so and it always has been a struggle (for whatever reason) for him to write a prescription for what he says he is going to write it for. It took me a couple appointments to get the amount of estrogen I wanted and he said I could have.

Then, there is my other main HRT med, commonly known as "Spiro".  It's also used to control blood pressure but one of it's "side effects" is to lower testosterone. Since I have plenty of blood pressure to control (it's normally high), Spiro was good for me in a couple ways. Somehow though, I was certainly stockpiling enough to last awhile.

In fact, the last couple times I refilled my "Spiro", I wondered why I had more than the pharmacy did!  As I began to think about it, as reticent as the Doc was to give me more estrogen, the more he spoke about upping my dosage of Spiro. That was cool but telling me would have been even cooler! What confused me was somehow he wrote the prescription for double the amount I was taking but the instructions on the pill bottle (from the VA) said otherwise. I was following the instructions and becoming a Spiro "hoarder."

My next appointment with him is in September, so I have plenty of chance to take the right dosage and he can check me for "Low T" and high "E". And yes, I have checked up on the effects of a higher dosage. Plus, I have talked to a couple other trans women who were prescribed even higher dosages. So I should be fine.

What frustrates me though is I actually checked the size of the "girls" and found I am getting comfortably into "C" country.  I may have been able to take up residence there already if the "Doc" and I had been on the same page!

Cyrsti's Condo "Cover Girl" of the Day

Our feature cover today is the androgynous model from Singapore Andrew Semuel.  As a sidelight, I wonder if Andrej Pejic's coming out as transgender will encourage more of the male to female models these days to do the same?

There Are More of Us!

It's been a very exciting week for the transgender community!

As more and more transgender women are not going from one closet to another-by going stealth-much is happening! The message to the world is becoming clearer. We are here, always have been here and will be here!

Laverne Cox  visited  "The View" to talk about her starring role in the Netflix series (Orange is the New Black) , as well her position as one of the most prominent voice for the mainstream transgender community. At one point during the discussion, Whoopi Goldberg brought up how, as the first transgender activist to gain this level of notoriety, Cox had to take the "slings and arrows" of the critics. Cox responded:

"This weekend I was thinking about Sydney Poitier. He won the Academy Award 50 years ago for best actor and it was actually the year the Civil Rights Act was signed. What he says about that moment is that he didn't feel like we had overcome as black actors because he was the only one. And so I think the revolution happens when it's not just me -- there's more of us."

Then, male to female androgynous supermodel Andrej Pejic, (shown below) did what most of us suspected- and came out as transgender.

She is now known as Andreja!

Another Trans Barrier "Crushed!"

Ashley Love (journalist, media advocate), Tamara Adrian (ILGA World Trans Secretariat), Tara Avery (cartoonist, Prism Comics) during this year’s Pride month

Maybe I should say the barrier was dissipated by a death ray? What ever!!! The fact remains
this  year’s Comic Con will hold the first-ever trans-specific panel, Breaking Barriers: Transgender Trends in Popular Culture, marking a positive step forward in comics, film, TV, and pop culture.

While there have been LGBT panels in the past, there have never been one that was solely created for trans panelists. Breaking Barriers will be moderated by trans female comic Tara Madison Avery. Joining Avery on the panel is Dylan Edwards (Transposes), Milanie Gillman (As the Crow Flies), J.D. Saxon (Mahou Shounen Fight!), Elizabeth Lain (F*** the Limit!: The 30-Day Art Project), Ashley Love (Trans Forming Media), and Michelle Nolan (Love on the Racks: A History of American Romance Comics).

Read more on this story from SheWired here.

Be Cool in your "Boyfriend Jacket!

If you would have told me I would have been looking for a light jacket to keep me warm on a July evening last Spring-well, I may have thought you were crazier than I am!

But thanks again to the summer "polar vortex" our evenings here in Ohio are again dipping into the 50's.

Every now and then here in Cyrsti's Condo, I refer to a fashion site called Fabulous after 40, which as the title indicates, focuses on women past the age of 40.  Recently they ran a post called "The Casual Boyfriend Jacket-for Grown Up Girls."  To be honest with you, I didn't quite know the definition of a "boy friend jacket" but liked the transgender irony of it.

Here's the scoop and a picture from "Fab after 40" :

"Have you noticed that as you’ve gotten older your body has gotten softer and rounder and sometimes you don’t look as polished and chic in your clothes as you’d like to?

A simple solution for that is to add a jacket to whatever you happen to be wearing.  You see, a jacket is like hanger. It gives you body structure and shape. Throw one on and you instantly look more polished, slimmer and trimmer.

One of my favorite styles is the boyfriend jacket, which has been pretty popular the last couple of years.

Remember the days when your chivalrous date would lend you his jacket on a chilly evening? That’s the idea behind the boyfriend jacket. It’s a softer, slightly oversized, but not baggy jacket, with a relaxed look and feel. It’s a casual alternative to the fitted blazer, but still looks polished."

I feel better (and a little warmer) because I happen to have what could be referred to as a "boyfriend jacket" in my closet which I used to have to wear back in the day to cover the hair on my arms.  It was difficult to find because of my size of course and it is slightly tailored in at the waist.  It's just a wardrobe basic I have kept over the years and now I'm glad I have.  My "boyfriend" doesn't need it anymore!

For more idea's on the jackets, go here.

Cyrsti's Condo Womanless Pageant OOPS!

I just love this picture which obviously comes from a womanless beauty pageant somewhere...
Check out the expression on the guy's face and the slightly pained look on the cross dressed contestant's face.

From the look on "her" face I wonder where his hand is and what is it doing????

Waitin'-Wishin' and Hopin'

I was going to "expand" on my previous post on the perils of "old rubbers"  and it turns out a comment from Maggie Pope provided the perfect lead in!

wow,
That would be crazy doing the waiting hoping that someone cool shows up,
Great Story & thanks for sharing...

Thanks Maggie!!!!

Looking back, I think being stranded on the side of the road cross dressed as a woman was one of my first - most realistic looks of what women really go through in their lives. First of all, you have to worry about your own security.  What "good Samaritan" might stop by and not be so good quickly.  Second of all, being stranded is a really good way to attract the attention of a cop who happens by (doesn't have to be bad though-could be worse!) Last but not least, as I have written in the last Cyrsti's Condo post, the attitude of who picks you up for a tow or changes your tire has wildly fluctuated for me over the years.

Of course the feminizing effects of HRT and the confidence to be myself as I have transitioned has eased the pressure somewhat, but past experiences (not unlike rest room nightmares) just stay with me.

The worst I mentioned.  The driver was so evil, the company had to send someone with him.  He was scary and of course it was at night and i had to ride in the cab with him until he got my car home.  Then there was the driver who talked all the way about having a family remember who was gay or "like me." He was a little goofy but harmless.  Then there was the driver (along with the sheriff) who refused to pay attention to any ideas I had on how to get to my house.  It was my first real first hand experience of losing intelligence as I changed genders.

As a point of reference, I do need to point out all of these experiences have happened over 7 or 8 years.

I do think the most frustrating flat tire I ever had was after a particularly blissful afternoon at the salon and as I was riding the crest of just knowing I had reached an all time high of being beautiful- BOOM! Momma Karma comes along and says "wait girly girl" this flat tire will bring you back down to earth!  You know too, you can't argue with "Momma"!

Old Rubbers Keep You in the Gutter

I'm am the first to admit, during the many years now I have been behind the wheel of car, I have been legendary for not driving on the best tires.

Recently though, I have been trying to clean up my act and actually up grade my tires and yes, even buy a new one every now and then.  If there is such a thing as "tire karma", it caught up with me the other day.  I had a flat (only on one side) on literally one of the best tires I have owned for awhile. Yes, I know it is sad I can remember.

As a back up plan, I shell out money for a membership to a certain well known road side auto service, who by the way, has been a life saver for me over the years.  It's been a guilty pleasure of mine to stand back and watch a guy change my tire- BUT!  The process of getting him there and doing it has been scary a couple times.

Years ago, I had one driver who had to tow my car some distance and basically refused to because of me, until they made him do it. (You may remember it from an older Cyrsti's Condo post.

Anymore though, the only real issue is the lack of me presenting a feminine voice on the phone.  I just do a terrible job and for some reason just haven't put the work into a transitioning my voice the way I have the rest of my body...on the phone. Yes, I have read the thousand ideas on how to do it but I'm lazy and my friends accept me the way I am.

Back to the phone situation...I called the service and gave them my very female name and all the info about where I was and was mis-pronouned all the way.  Didn't care, just wanted my tire fixed! Plus the person was professional and polite. I certainly didn't feel the need to get into a conversation about transgender women!

As I was left to wait and worry though about what sort of driver was going to show up to fix my tire (on a hot humid evening)  I think my blood pressure was near a boiling point.

Turns out I didn't have to worry.  He cheerfully fixed my tire, needlessly explained why he thought such a fine piece of engineering blew out and - called me mam.

Again I was allowed to enjoy watching a man do all the heavy lifting for me, although I don't recommend the process! Although I seeming have a real need to do things the hard way, this wasn't one of them!

Cyrsti's Condo "Remembers"

Aleshia Brevard, Actress, Writer, Director, Professor, and the first transsexual in primetime TV:

Follow the link above to her website!