The "Ultimate" Gift List?

From the Advocate:  What is the perfect gift for a drag performer this holiday season? Wigs? Makeup? Tuck tape? At the World of Wonder holiday party, drag stars like Lady Bunny, Alyssa Edwards, Yara Sofia, Kelly Mantle, Landon Cider, and more revealed what they'd love to see in their stocking this December.

There are several drag queens interviewed for this story. I picked YouTube Star - Lacey Noel:

What should one give a drag queen for the holidays?
Tucking tape.

Is there a gift that straight people should never give gay people?
A Chick-fil-A gift card.

Follow the link for more!

Mo Mail

This Cyrsti's Condo post is basically a potpourri of comments from you ladies.

First Paula Goodwin ran a little poll on her blog on a choice of three outfits she could wear to a holiday party.  The Fashionista in me won!   Paula GoodwinDecember 22, 2014 at 11:21 AM

You guessed my outfit for tonight!

Thanks Paula and I hope you had a wonderful time! You looked great!!!

Speaking of "Fashionista", how does hair fit in?  Here's an experience:

J.AlanaSDecember 22, 2014 at 11:14 AM

In my childhood, I was a tow-head blond but it got darker as I aged so that it became more of a darker blond/brown with red highlights. I was once mis-gendered because of my long blond hair. I'd just checked out and the bag boy said, "Have a good day miss" The check out girl had my atm card and corrected him. I just said "Thank you" 

Good point! If you remember even I mis-gendered a 14 year old boy with straight long blond hair recently in a surgical waiting room.  Furthermore, I believe my hair growth was one of the biggest surprises of my HRT. It happened quick and I believe was the biggest factor being accepted as a trans woman.

Finally, J.AlanaS., I had a similar 'encounter" with a bag boy who was just "melting" in front of me.  I was just a redhead in a baggy sweater and 1980's big hair wearing a short mini and flats. He could barely get out he would help me with my one bag of groceries to my car.  The cashier found it all to be quite humorous.

We Got MAIL!

Gee all of you are on your game more than I can ever say and I really appreciate your quick inputs!!!

In no particular order, let's get to the post What Would Mao Say?  and this comment:

 J.AlanaSDecember 22, 2014 at 9:07 PM

Funny because during one of my college classes we read M. Butterfly, and it seems that Mao or his government weren't above using a little gender confusion to elicit information about the US in Vietnam via a low level French attache.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M._Butterfly
and the real French Diplomat:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bernard_Boursicot
and the opera singer:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shi_Pei_Pu

Thanks "J.AlanaS" and if you haven't seen the movie, it's worth a look too!

Moving on to our Cyrsti's Condo post "Androgyny and the Trans Girl" -Sally Bend commented:

Sally BendDecember 22, 2014 at 11:28 AM

Well said, hon. Everybody talks about before/after, but you rarely see anybody talk about that androgynous in between. That grey area used to bother me, but with no true after in sight, I've come to appreciate the little joys it delivers.

Thanks Sally! Looking back at the post, I don't if I made my point about how androgyny really sux for the kid being bullied at school.   For the rest of us though, the tipping point of gender androgyny provides an exciting/scary look into the gender life you are considering.  You can go forward, back or as Sally said, appreciate the view.

We have more mail next!!!

Love at Christmas!

Recently, MtF transgender activist Janet Mock began hosting an online show on MSNBC . Then, she celebrated another milestone- a romantic one!

This weekend the longtime boyfriend of transgender author and activist Janet Mock upstaged her Friday debut as a host of an online show for MSNBC. He popped the question, and Mock revealed the news — and showed off the ring — to her fans and friends on Instagram andTwitter, declaring, simply: “I said YES.”

Here's the juicy  love story from the Advocate: 
Tredwell met Mock early Easter morning of 2009 at a bar in Manhattan, and as she described their first encounter in an article on XOJane, she caught him looking at her as she twirled on the dance floor. “He's a fantasy come true, and I want him to want me,” she recalled.

They went for a walk on Houston Street. Over lattes and a cinnamon roll, they shared their stories: He’s from North Dakota, takes photos, and trains dogs for a living; she’s from Hawaii and works as an editor for a popular website. She told him she wants to tell stories that matter.

After a month of casual dates, Mock revealed her own story, saying, “I was born a boy.” She told him what she called her “whole story,” because she was falling for him. Her revelations includded “I knew I was a girl from my very first thoughts”; “I began presenting as female from age 12”;  “I took hormones in high school”; “I flew to Thailand to have surgery at 18.”

Afraid, worried about what he would say, Mock waited for him to react. And his reaction, as she described it, provoked tears: “Can I hug you?”
Mock credits her relationship with Tredwell and his desire “to know me, to ask me questions about my past, force me to retrace steps that have made me the woman I am today” for inspiring her to write her best-selling memoir, Redefining Realness. 

Follow the Advocate link above for more details on her first show So Popular with Janet Mock.

In Pads and Out

Last night the Cincinnati Bengals surprised the NFL world (and most all of it's fans) by beating mighty Denver and QB Peyton Manning.  Over a 15 plus year storied career, the Bengals had never beaten Manning.  Last night, the future hall of famer Manning looked ready for retirement in a very cold and heavy "Kentucky Rain" -in all respect for the Elvis Presley's 1970 hit "Kentucky Rain" because Cincinnati lies right across the Ohio River from Kentucky.

The real reason for this Cyrsti's Condo post has very little to do with sports though.  Last night, I also kicked into high gear finding an outfit for New Year's Eve.  Fortunately, I came up with four alternatives-two of which, were eliminated.

This year, Liz and I aren't really going anywhere really fancy or upscale, so I was looking for an outfit which was somewhat dressy but not over the top. Also, the outfit had to be comfortable, warm and include low heeled shoes. Cincinnati is not known for it's balmy temperatures in December, we could experience any kind of weather and we will have to do some walking to the places we are going. (Even after using cabs) I have a bad hip, so I can't even think about wearing my low healed boots.

What I could wear though was an ancient black stretch skirt I have had soooo long, I truly can't remember when I bought it.  I only know if I had a museum for cross dressing clothes which helped open the closet door for me, this skirt would be in it.  It even has survived a couple of clothing purges years ago.  (Come on! Did you really think I was going to throw everything out?)

At any rate, I thought a could pair the skirt with a lacy camisole top and a patterned gray and black top. The camisole's lacy trim matches the gray in the blouse.  Now, all of that sounded good in "practice" but I hadn't practiced the outfit yet and practice I did.

I rummaged through my bras and found a lacy gray push up bra which seemed to be perfect for the camisole and built up from there.  I knew already how the top fitted nearly perfect over my hips and I knew my dressy black flats would be ideal, but how about the skirt?

Turns out I saved the best for last.  "Back in the Day" I used my do it yourself foam padding to make my own hips and even made a makeshift pantyhose device to hold the pads in.  At times, I felt like I was returning to my old football days and "suiting up."  Last night though, for the first time in my HRT experience, I was able to see clearly how feminine my hips and butt area had become.  I was simply astounded. I knew it was happening (and that it takes awhile) but I hadn't really worn an article of clothing like the skirt which showcased my new feminine look.

To add to the fun, to be closer to my family at Christmas,  I have been staying at my Sister in Law's (Missy) and of course she was peeing down her leg to help? or more correctly, see.  (Classic generic curiosity)  She too was genuinely impressed with the outfit and was correctly jabbering away about the need for a pair of exotic black stockings to go with it. (Of course!)

So, I guess if you live long enough and keep on trying, the world can come full circle.  I never did want to play football anyhow. I will have pictures for you all-I promise!

Brazilian Transgender Beauty

Our  Cyrsti's Condo feature covers today are two gorgeous MtF Brazilian transgender women, Roberta Holanda and Marcela Ohio: 

Cyrsti's Condo "Star Grazing"

It's time again kids to take a look at our astrological readings for the week!

As always, we Libra's go first:  (September 23-October 22): Your communication lines are open and people will be dialing back with their complaints, worries, confusions, etc. It’ll seem as if all the floodgates will open and truth will come pouring down on you, soaking you to the bone. Although most of the dramatics don’t involve you personally, it’s never ‘just easy’ being in the front row when Pandora’s Box is opening.

Wow! I can't begin to tell you how accurate this "Graze" is for me! Scary!!!!

This week I went back to you Acquarians for company! (January 20-February 19): You can’t underestimate catty, jealous people. While you have been enjoying the holidays, chances are the haters were working overtime to sabotage your plans or tarnish your rep. Although you should have seen this coming from miles away, be glad you were busy living your life and prefer to see humanity in a better light. Don’t worry. Eventually, you will get the last laugh.

There you go kids!!! If we didn't get to your sign, don't get your panties in a bunch and go to theFrisky!

What Would Mao Think?

Bobbie sent this along from Foreign Policy.com:

Over the past 30 years, Chinese society has undergone an evolution in traditional morality perhaps as rapid and unsettling as its economic boom. Yet sexual orientation and gender identity have retained a strong aura of cultural taboo. Same-sex marriage remains illegal, and many LGBT individuals enter into traditional marriages in order to assuage social and family expectations. But even that is changing, as LGBT communities haveflourished in China’s sprawling metropolitan centers such as Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Beijing. Now a widely published scholar and well-known proponent of same-sex marriage has revealed her own relationship with a transgender man, a revelation that has taken Chinese social media by storm.

Li Yinhe, a public intellectual with a Ph.D. from the University of Pittsburgh who writes frequently on sexuality, revealed Dec. 18 on the Sina blogging platform that she is in a relationship with a transgender man whom she does not name, and that they have lived together for the past 17 years, starting in mid-1997.* The revelation was all the more unexpected given Li’s prior marriage to the renowned male novelist Wang Xiaobo; many in China had continued to view Wang’s untimely death of a heart attack in April 1997 as a romantic tragedy that left Li an ever-grieving widow. Li’s Dec. 18 revelation has already been viewed over 600,000 times, garnered over 7,000 comments, and has been widely republished in mainstream news outlets including Tencent and QQ. Li also posted the blog to her one million followers on Weibo, China’s massive microblogging platform; within 24 hours, it had been shared more than 33,000 times with more than 10,000 comments.

The shear size of China's population alone means when it makes a statement-it makes a big splash. If you are of age though, you will remember the Marxist Chinese dictator Mao Tse-tung . Furthermore you may remember how cool it was (in the non establishment sort of way) to carry and/or have a copy of Mao's Little Red Book.  Even if you never read it.

So, when I read stories such as this, I know the world has come a long way. The article is quite complex and has a few corrections. Go here for more.

Do Blondes Have More Fun?

Paula and Mandy both commented on the Cyrsti's Condo post Historical Blond (hysterical?):

Paula GoodwinDecember 22, 2014 at 4:22 AM

1. The Blond Bombshell is still an aspiration for some of us! As my natural colour became lighter (grey) I found that using a wig of my original colour (Dark Brown) no longer looked natural as my skin tones had changed as well. However the grey did age me so I have just gone blond, being the wrong side of 50 I was a little worried what people would think when I was pretending to be a bloke, but so far no negative comments.
2. Mandy ShermanDecember 22, 2014 at 6:51 AM
3. Lucky you! Blonde would be nice....
   
   Every time my hair gets lighter, I get comments from my wife, which lead me to darken it up. She definitely rebelled at the highlights I tried...and it took several months for them to completely disappear!
   
   So I just stick with as close to my natural color (back in the day, since I'm gray now) as I can get.
4. Thanks ladies!  Looking back, I can see when I tried to go very blond was a mistake (I looked like a bloke, Paula) but going with a honey blond shade, I began to come and go in society.  My wife however, disliked any shade of blond on me- which (looking back) I think had more to do with her prejudice against other genetics than me. Also Paula, I'm a firm believer in NOT following the hair length rules and color shades on women of age.  Do your thing, own it and society will too-unless you are squeezed into a mini skirt and 4" heels in the mall. 
5. Mandy, sounds like you may be going through what I went through.  I am lucky Liz wants to play with my hair as much as I want to experiment with it.  The whole process is fun because it fits my shortened attention span!