Technically - It's Platinum!

A couple days ago, I wrote a post about my "gray" roots which my sister in law called "silver" and J. Alana commented:

J.AlanaSNovember 24, 2014 at 9:52 PM

LOL Cyrsti, technically it's Platinum Blond, best bet is not to fight it with a dark color. Instead try going with a blond shade with your next coloring.

I've had an ever increasing amount of platinum hear since my mid 30's. I went for my first color just last month. In this small town, they don't color men's hair, but I talked them into giving me some blond high-lights to cover the platinum.

Thanks!!!  "platinum" makes me feel better than gray!!!!  Ironically, last summer I did go with a progressively lighter blond shade to go with an overall chestnut shade of red.  Under the careful eye of Liz, when we went went this auburn (almost ombre) shade of color, my roots were very reddish.  All I really know is, I'm willing to trust others with my color (Liz) and she hit the jackpot on this one.  I have an experience to pass along from this morning about a conversation I had with my Doctor's nurse on what the color was-and she had tried to find it.    

Cyrsti's Condo "Star Gazing!"

After missing a week, we are back to checking what the astrological signs say about about our lives here in the Condo.  First off, my sign- Libra:

(September 23-October 22): It’s amazing how much you do know and how little you give yourself credit for it. Listen to yourself now. This is the time to step out and look at yourself from the outside in. When you embrace certain truths about your patterns, it’ll help you untangle messy connections that are trying to saturate your brain. Stop the madness now, as it can be a slippery slope.

Interesting! I have been accused about giving myself too much credit over the years on occasion!

Our guest sign this week goes to the Capricorns! 

(December 22-January 19): Restlessness can plague you at night, as darkness will bring out a different creature in you now. Instead of trying to fight the insomnia, dive into new obsessions, play new characters and let your inner werewolf howl. Not only are your odds high to discover a new level of genius within yourself, but there’s also a trippy feeling flying around your head now.

Cut it loose girls!!!!

If you didn't see your sign here, don't boo-hoo and go here to theFrisky to find yours!

This Says It All!

Thanks Bobbie!!!!

Proud to be a "Buckeye?"

If you didn't know, I am from the state of Ohio also known as the "Buckeye State".


I have always been a fan of another Ohio - Marcela Ohio to be exact.  She is a gorgeous Mtf transgender woman, not from Ohio!

The "SisterHood of the Silver Hair?'

If you have noticed my newest and (most popular) hair color is an auburn toned very dark brown.  It was all good until my sister in law Missy in all her glory said:  "Wow! I never noticed your new hair color included silver roots!"


After a brief pause and I skipped over all the cheap shots I could have come up with, I said: "Damn Missy! Those are not silver high lights! Those are GRAY!"


I don't know where I will spend all this silver I found!


FYI, I came up with title after Liz and I watched the film "The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants." Tissue alert-do not watch this chick flick if you are on HRT without a box of tissues!

Master Mechanic?

It figures I ran across this article which fit right in with my recent "Mechanic" post about my basic style and how I go about it-after I wrote it.   I passed along five of my "basics" and forgot an important one- being allowed access to a dressing room to try on clothes.


I will say, I have never been denied access anywhere, but years and years ago, Lane Bryant used to discreetly move me to a secluded room.  I have always lived with the idea that me being green trumped me being transgender.  Most stores simply wanted my money.  In fact years ago, my daughter worked for "Victoria's Secret" and there was a regular customer who spent big money on the largest sized items they stocked.  Of course he wasn't too sly about who the apparel was for and most of the other clerks steered clear of him.  My daughter was on some sort of a commission and saw a monetary opportunity and tried to always wait on him.  This was way before she had any inkling of my cross dressing or later transgender gender fluxing. Similar to so many other issues we see in our community, it takes only one misguided bigoted individual to send an old issue once again into the public eye:



Recently, a major site took on the issue with these results:


Like a lot of people, my biggest fitting room worry is that none of the jeans I picked out will make my butt look good. But for many, that’s a microscopic concern compared to the potential human rights violation they might have to endure. For transgender individuals, having a store employee humiliate, dehumanize, or turn you away for simply wanting to try on clothes in their fitting room is a constant  — and sadly, legit — worry. Back in July, a transgender woman was expelled from a lingerie store in Austin, Texas. Earlier in 2011, another transgender woman was thrown out of a Macy’s dressing room for make the audacious and ludicrous attempt to just try on some clothes. To see how other mass chain stores dealt with transgender customers, Ashley Hoffman at Styleite cold called a handful of your (probably favorite) stores, inquiring on their transgender fitting room.


As my partner Liz (generic) just told me, this problem won't end until the world understands our interaction in the world is a gender deal and not a sexual one.  A penis in the closed dressing room next door in a woman's clothing store is not cause for a panic.

Cyrsti's Condo "Sunday Edition"

"Ker Plunk!!!" another Condo "Sunday Edition" has hit your virtual front porch!  Get your hot "Cup o Joe" ready and let's get started:
Page 1.- The Week that Was-or Wasn't?  The week past saw us discussing a "self professed" life long cross dresser bemoaning the fact we all are delusional fanatics who live in our mirrors and will never look like a generic woman.  It was quite the rant!  In sort of a reverse order only we dyslexics can embrace, I wrote an exceeding rare post on the mechanics (so to speak) on how I go about my personal feminine style and fashion.  Later today, I am going to add to it a link looking at how transgender or cross dressers are faring today in four of the major women's apparel outlets. 
Page 2.- The Polar Plunge and the Gender Flux?  Last week in much of the country, winter tore in to us and tossed any ideas of a gentle return into the ditch.  For me it meant a bit more "flux" back to my male being.  I needed his help (what's left of him) to assist moving a couple heavy vintage furniture pieces out of my old house before I list it for sale. I found out quite literally how the combination of my age and HRT has robbed me of a tremendous amount of any of the male upper body strength I used to possess.  It's a very simple deal-the decrease in size and definition of my biceps (which have given me the ability to wear sleeveless tops) equals a decrease in strength.  DUH! The problem I have is though, under bulky flannel shirts, jeans and an old Army ball cap, the perception the public still has is I still should have at least a little strength with my bulk.
Page 3.- What's Up Doc?   Coming up Tuesday, I am scheduled for my semi annual visit to my primary care physician.  To prepare, I had to fast on a diet of water for 12 hours or so and visit the vampires and provide a "sampling" of my blood.  One of the unfortunate traits I learned from my Mom, was the fine art of being a hypochondriac. So, when the vampire nurse asked me if I was diabetic, I said no, at least not that I knew of.  Then I began to worry if I was, would it have any thing to do with my hormone replacement therapy meds?  My partner Liz, knowing me too well, said no offense, they check people your age for diabetes anyhow.  Gee thanks!
Page 4.- The Back Page. As Mom always said, "Life is like a roll of toilet paper-the closer to the end it gets-the faster it goes!" This past week zoomed by too and now Thanksgiving week festivities are again almost upon us.  I know the holidays present a unique time (and not always a pleasant one) for many in our community. Here's hoping you are looking forward to a fun, loving and festive one! Thanks for stopping by Cyrsti's Condo.

The "Mechanic's of Style?"

I'm always fascinated by the detail involved with a person's style and or fashion sense. How the smallest addition of an accessory such as a scarf, belt or jewelry can send the rest of your outfit into the dumpster-or over the top.


Earlier in the week we did have a conversation here in Cyrsti's Condo about the power of a mirror-good and bad.  Face it, if you want to do the girl thing, you have to have some sort of intimate relationship with your mirror.  Of course, if you let it-it will lie to you.  On the other hand the mirror is a necessary and even fun part of being a cross dresser and/or transgender woman.


For what it's worth-here are my basics, before I get to the mirror.

1. First, who are you dressing for? I dress for women and to "blend". What will the majority of generics be wearing where I am going.
2. Secondly, I consider if I can afford the fashions I'm looking at.  Normally no, but I have developed a very good system of "value/discount" shopping.
3. Then, I have to consider if the fashion would look good on my body type at all, or if I would ever wear it.  For example, I may love a pair of business professional slacks or blazer but would never wear it.
4. Plus, can I find items in my size.  I can't diet enough to wear many of the trends I see on pencil thin young models but I can adapt a variation.  A good source for me has been the "Fabulous after 40" fashion site.
5. Finally, I try to maintain a basic wardrobe of seasonal "classics" which aren't likely to change before I can wear them out from use.

My biggest "guilty" pleasures though are accessories such as earrings, necklaces, scarves and purses. If there is any way to get your ears pierced-I would recommend it!  Somehow, I discovered I had a hidden knack for adding items to my outfits which give them a little pizzazz. 

Let's take this outfit to the left as an example.  I have a black leather jacket I bought in the spring at a deep discount price.  Scarves similar to this cost 1.29 at Goodwill (discount).  The top could be a "treasure" from the same store at 3.29.  The leggings I bought for 8.99 at a well known "Dollar" store and my boots are from last year. 

The positives for me are this look, "lengthens" me and deflects my thick upper torso as much as possible. Plus of course it keeps me warm and accentuates my legs and thighs (a positive.)

What I would not do would be to wrap the scarf like this and let it fall down the front of me.  I don't want to add more upper bulk and again lengthen my look.  The problem I have is finding tops which fall this far to my hips.

Finally, this is where my much maligned "too long hair" for a woman my age BS comes into play.  Again, I'm tall and can wear my hair longer and when it drapes over my shoulders it helps to cover my thick and short neck.

So, there you go kids.  I know I don't write much about my fashion and what I wear much.  That does not mean I don't take intense pride in trying to do it right.  It's just one of the "girl things" which are fun when it all comes together.  You can always blame your mirror when it doesn't.  I see plenty of generics who should too!

Womanless Beauty Pageant "Amateurs?"

Amateur, by my definition means a person who does not seriously pursue a certain interest, job or hobby.  Ever sense Cyrsti's Condo hit the internet, the seemingly unlimited pictures we see at times of participants in womanless beauty pageants fall into a couple categories:  those guys who are truly cross dressing for fun  and those who just may have tried it before-or could again. 

Since rarely do we ever have an answer, sweet speculation adds a bit of spice to the process!