Cyrsti's Condo "From the Hart"

Your Credit is Good!

From our Cyrsti's Condo post "How Many Words IS a Picture Worth?

Paula GoodwinNovember 28, 2014 at 8:15 AM

Thank you for your comments here, I just want to pass credit where it is due, the photo was taken by the brilliant Justin David

 http://www.justindavid.co.uk/www.justindavid.co.uk/Home.html

He writes, photographs, and performs his own work, indeed he is an all round very clever and very nice bloke.

Thanks Paula!!!!

Giving Thanks

Well, in my family, Thanksgiving Day has come and gone ushering in the commercial frenzy of Christmas (which if I live long enough, will start on Labor Day in September!) Yes, there was also the too bountiful meal with bunches of kids, way too serious discussions on politics and sports.

I have become in many ways the androgynous patriarch of the family who lost my significant inheritance in a failed business and a wife of 25 years. Nearly eight years ago, around Thanksgiving.

I used to be the "elephant" in the room with my transgender secret that most of the family thought they had an inkling of. In the past, I had a tendency to just be passive in my participation, not knowing from one year to the next when my androgyny would lead to a full time "hey look at me Thanksgiving."

The fun part this year was interacting with several of the older grand kids (12-17 year old range).  Of course I already knew how incredibly diverse my two oldest grand kids are but I didn't know about my brother's 17 year old grand daughter. Along the way, we were able to duck the political speeches and talk about her studies of different religions such as Islam, Buddhism and Hindu. She didn't know that in another life in Thailand, I was best "man" in a Christian/Buddhist wedding and considered myself "follower" of the religion until Liz began to interest me in earth based religions. As it turns out she hasn't been "polluted" by a parenting system who has encouraged her to think.

My 13 year old grand daughter doesn't say much but my 10 year old oldest grandson does...and stuck near my side most of the day.  To catch you up, he is the one who had a very out gay man for a fourth grade teacher a couple years ago. Not so long ago he proudly announced to my daughter how proud he was of me coming out as gay. My daughter said "not gay-transgender" and proceeded to explain the difference.  Fortunately, he seemed to become even more inquisitive about me.  Yesterday we had a quick conversation on a serious side about how he has ran into a few anti-Jewish remarks in his sixth grade class.  I said unfortunately haters are lurking around everywhere and told him about my encounter with "GSB" (gender slur bitch) as my example.

Being who I am too, I tried to get my daughter to let him and his younger brother come watch The Ohio State-Michigan football game Saturday with the family.  He would surely learn how hyper sports fans can reel off a set of cuss words in a record minimum time.  For those of you who don't know, "the game" is nearly a holiday here in Ohio.  As far as my leanings go, all you have to do is look at the picture above. It was taken last May at the Trans Ohio Symposium in The Ohio State Student Union with mascot "Brutus Buckeye."

So, today presents itself as a brief respite before "the game" at noon tomorrow and "the drag show" Saturday night.  More on that in a later Cyrsti's Condo Post!

Wassssuppp! Doc?

I had my semi annual Doc's visit a couple days ago, and in many ways,  the check up was a wonderful beginning to my Thanksgiving.
Everything was fine. No sign of pre diabetes they checked for, all blood work cool-so-we could get to the "important stuff" - like getting my HRT meds renewed.

No problems again.  Whether a few generics like it or not-we do share certain potential problems with them such as an increased chance of blood clots and breast cancer. When we (as my Doc said) increase our estrogen and decrease our testosterone. Perhaps you remember, I went through two mammograms and know full well the risks of going off the deep end and taking too much estrogen. I can't stress enough how having a physician monitor your HRT is a big deal.  What you may consider too much of a good thing-can kill you! HRT alone will not give you those "DD's" breasts of your dreams.

Perhaps the most interesting part of my visits are with the rest of the staff in the small VA Clinic I go to. Yes, the same Veterans Administration which has gotten so much deserved bad press. I have never much of a problem with the Dayton, Ohio hospital of which my clinic is part of and as a matter of fact the former director here was sent out west to try to clean that mess up. Plus, with me, Momma Karma has stepped in with a little extra "smootch" as my Doc has a young transgender niece in the Chicago area! It's a small world.

I do have a couple of nurses I interact with on a regular basis, who at the least know of my medication therapy.  Almost the first question out of one of them this time was "did you change your hair color?" So being an exceedingly rare "one of those" (transgender woman) is a giant elephant in the room. An elephant which is always treated with respect.

It's no secret, without our health we are nothing.  So far so good with mine and I cherish it!  Well, almost. I'm not out running up and down hills everyday!

Cyrsti's Condo "I 'Doesn't' Know it?

After her son won this womanless beauty pageant, this Mom is thinking four things...
1.- So maybe this Isn't a phase?
2.- Is this why he "practiced" every night for a month?
3.- I hope Dad doesn't see these pictures!
4.- Damn! He looks better than his sister in her LBD!

How Many Words IS a Picture Worth?

I have been meaning to write a post "focusing" on pictures here in Cyrsti's Condo for a minute now. Finally, I'm going to try to make some sense of a complicated concept.

If you are like me, pictures don't really represent what I think I look like.  So, either I try to play with them or just don't put much emphasis on them.  Years ago, I think I could take a better picture than what I really looked like. As an example,  I have used a picture on the left which is actually 10 years old and quite possibly the most commented picture I ever put on line...but...presenting to the public in this outfit was quite a different story for several reasons.  The picture itself as you can see, is essentially what I call- a picture of a picture-taken from a mirror reflection. It wasn't a "fake", but an adjustment designed to garner all the false adulation one can get on line-which does us NO good in the public eye.

Now, lets take my "red" picture below for an example.  I was getting a little better with my "poor person's" photo manipulation.  It's a blurred mirror shot too...without showing the camera. Nothing new about the process, just check out the close ups of the famous movie actress's of the 1930's and 40's.

Bottom line though, although I did feel as if these pictures made me look better than I actually did, they were only moments in time.  My feminine life was maturing and I was moving on.

Now, let's get back to pix and one I originally saw on Femulate from Paula Goodwin (left).  I positively love this!  I see a proud transgender woman in her musical element and the strength in her eyes! I could go on and on about Stana's and Janie Black's photo's and not even scratch the surface of trans women who also are able to present themselves wonderfully with a picture!

As far as I go, I can only say, I'm kind of working on pix,  and was pushing my very talented and creative partner Liz to help. She took the easy way out and just underwent major shoulder surgery. So, she will be "one arm short" for a couple months.  Excuses-excuses!!!

Perhaps for the first time in my life, I want the special picture or to which represents my spirituality with nature, writing, inner self etc.  I actually thought about sending in a picture to Femulate-but decided I don't have one which fairly represents where I am in life. To hell with looks.  Sadly, the subject was send in your fave photo and I don't have one-yet!

Finally, here is Mandy! Rightly or wrongly, I always look for a transgender person's picture who is not in the same room all time or a motel room- like Mandy!   OK, I'm a photo snob!!!

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!!!!