Cyrsti's Condo "Star Gazing"

For some reason now my life is like a huge pin ball machine and I am the silver ball. Some how I think my scope follows that theme!

Libra (September 23-October 22): You’ll be making headway now, which means keep up the momentum. If you take your hands off the wheel for even a second, it’ll result in setback. There is only one way to go now and that is full speed absurd. Paint your world in different colors and embrace a multi-dimensional tomorrow. Yes, there is so much to learn and you’ll want to understand it all.

Some days, I just hope I can keep this crazy ride on the road!!!  I think I will spotlight you Acquarians this week for HELP!!!

(January 20-February 19): Whoever ignores you now is a fool. Knowledge will be running about your brain and you will be on point with all you say. Sure, your thoughts are wilder than the general consensus, but if someone craves greatness, they need to be brave enough to jump into it. Free will is yours. Free will is a power. Own yours in spades, like the universe will ask of you now.

Yeppers! Finding your astrological sign is simple! Go here to theFrisky!

Cyrsti's Condo "Sunday Edition"

KerPlunk! Another issue of our Sunday Edition has just hit your virtual front porch, stay in those fuzzy "jammies" grab a "Cup O Joe" and let's get started!

Page 1-The Week that Was-or Wasn't!  Looking back, my week was one of success's including an early week semi annual trip to my Veteran's Administration "Doc" and then of course Thanksgiving.  As I have mentioned, putting my positive exam aside, he has a transgender niece in Chicago, which gives him a bit more interest in my transition.  In fact this entire week, I ran into more peeps who seemingly wanted to learn more about me.  More on all of that later.

Page 2.- Girl's Night OUT!  The Rubi Girls (left) are a Dayton, Ohio based drag troupe  who have raised over a million dollars over the years for local Aid's Research.  Their shows are rare and more "productions" than drag show.
Plus, last night was the third time I went with my daughter and her friends. Again, more on that experience later.



Page 3.- The Back Page.  Actually, this could have been our lead story.  MTF transgender star Laverne Cox is coming to Wright State University (Dayton/Fairborn, Ohio) this Tuesday night.  Most certainly, I will be there and get back with you!!!!

So it looks as if I will have a lot of "catching up" to do with all of you!  Thanks for stopping by "the Condo!" Luv ya!!!!

Cyrsti's Condo Trans Woman of the Day

Our feature Mtf Transgender woman today is Josephine Jochman from Germany:

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!!!