In Hot Water?

OK, of all the responses I figured I possibly may get from my transgender "Bucket List" post about going swimming, I missed the point totally on this one. I thought Connie would zero in on me for my "bucket" being large enough to use as a wading pool- or my bucket is so old it wouldn't hold water anyhow!  Here's Connie's comment:

Senior Ladies Water Aerobics class at the community pool? I hear the sharks in Ohio are among the most discriminating; they prefer aged meat. Be careful that your feminine expression does not become just another old expression, considering that "valor is the best part of discretion", that is. :)

**Note-the closest sharks to me are in the Ohio River and they have different names: giant catfish and carp!

Then Paula commented:

Paula GoodwinFebruary 9, 2015 at 5:29 AM

In London and Brighton (and quite possibly other places as well) we have special closed swimming sessions at local pools specially for trans and gender diverse people. It is really liberating, and great fun. Having been swimming with the London group and on holiday I am now challenging myself t use my local pool.

Thanks Paula!  My prediction is if my swimming idea happens at all, it will happen at a hotel pool when Liz and I travel. And, yes Connie, I will warn them ahead of time about an oil slick if I don't wear the right water proof makeup!!!!

Cyrsti's Condo "A Touch of Class"

Famous French transsexual Coccinelle in the 1962's Beach Casanova

Cyrsti's Condo "Quote of the Day"

This really speaks to transgender women and men!

Who will you be this Spring?

Nice subjective question I saw pop up in one of my email boxes this morning and I paused to see who it was from- I quickly saw the email was coming from one of my "dream" fashion sites "Free People" . It's a boho clothing site featuring clothes I can't possibly wear or afford but I can dream. My part of the dream is simple, even though I may not be able to buy or fit in to "Free People's" clothes-I can learn from them and find less expensive alternatives which will fit me here and there.

So, who will I be this spring?  Or, who do I want to be?  After looking at Free People's offerings, I knew.  I want to fill my bucket list up with water and swim in it.  I know how to swim but have never embraced it and felt it was something I  could never do as a girl. As you all know, never or ever are words I embrace less than water.  However, this summer may be the chance to frolic in my bucket of water. It's big to me too because I view the whole experience as one of the ultimate's in feminine expression-until I get eaten by a shark!

Now though, with my HRT changes in skin, breasts, hips and hair-it may be time.

Cyrsti's Condo "Sunday Edition"

Ker Plunk! Heads up! Another Cyrsti's Condo Sunday Edition has hit your virtual front porch.  Get your cup o joe and jammies ready!
Page 1.- The Week That Was-or-Wasn't:  It was an easy choice this week, the story of Bruce Jenner, who at press time was involved in a fatal accident. Unharmed, Jenner was being chased reportively by the paparazzi. Also riding on Jenner's possible MtF transgender transition was helicopter traffic reporter Zoey Tur. I just can't imagine sitting around the average American dinner table when one of the so called entertainment shows once again features either one of them.  Maybe stealth doesn't look so bad after all!
Page 2.- Transgender Seniors: For some reason this week, I fell and couldn't get up on the topic of transgender seniors and nursing homes.  An exceedingly tough discussion for anyone but worse of course for trans women and men.  Connie commented:
 "Having an advocate, like your daughter would be, is probably the most important thing for anybody when confined to a hospital or nursing home. I've had to be that advocate for family members and a friend, and I shudder to think of how much worse it would have been for them had I not made certain demands regarding their care. But, we know of so many transgender women and men who have been abandoned by family and friends. This very thing has led to suicide for too many of our transgender brothers and sisters. We, the survivors, must realize that getting past the pain of what life has handed us is not going to be of much help when we have to give up our own identities in order to receive medical care; care that could save our lives (even though we may feel as though we're dying inside at the same time).
Page 3.- Returning to the "Seen" of the Crime: Many times I think you lose track of your changes under HRT. Last week, for the first time in a while, I went back to one of one the venues I literally transitioned in. Wow, how times have changed! As I said in the post, two of the original bartenders are still there and no the venue itself didn't find itself in a "dangerous" neighborhood over the years. Go here to revisit the post.
Page 4.- The Back Page.  Congratulations this week to Stana of Femulate fame celebrating another blog anniversary! She is incredible! And, so are all of you for taking time to visit Cyrsti's Condo time after time! Thanks!

Georgia Cross Dressed Peach

Damn You Are Old!

Recently, here in Cyrsti's Condo we discussed the issue of being a senior transgender person in a nursing home.  Being in a nursing home at all is scary I know-but as with everything else in our trans lives, we have extra issues.

Pat was good enough to direct me to Caden Lane's post on the subject which you can read here.

Cyrsti's Condo "OOOPS?"

Hey Tim, you better get in here! Your friends came early to go to the movies!

Back "In" the Closet at the Nursing Home?

FABULOUSCONNIEDEEFebruary 5, 2015 at 6:20 PM

Cyrsti, the death certificate thing is a real concern of mine. Actually, my main concern is for the way I may have to live out my end days. I don't recall having read much on this subject, but I can't be the only boomer transgender woman who is thinking of this. Having seen the way some of my older relatives have been treated in nursing homes, many of the infirmed are not even respected for their species, let alone their gender. As long as I have control over my life, I will live as a woman. I pray that I will be able to die with dignity and respect the same way, but I can't count on it. Perhaps you could do a blog entry on this subject. How do you think the VA is handling this? Maybe transition ends when we do, but death (or near death) shouldn't change who we've sacrificed so much for to be. Yet, I fear that it may do just that. It's not enough that we know who we are; we need validation from others to make our lives have any real meaning - in death, as in life.

Connie, I understand your death certificate concern but I am with with you in how I may be put in some sort of back room closet in a crummy nursing home somewhere. My confidence lies in my daughter is an absolute force-BUT-I shudder to think of being in an androgynous body with gender markers changed, in a nursing home. It's a very real paranoia to me.

On rare occasions I have seen posts on this topic and even joined an on line group, no pun intended, maybe it just died out? I do believe as more and more of the Boomers hit our age, more publicity will come out.  Good and bad.

As far as the VA goes, they still (I think) just dole out some money for your closet and that's pretty much it.  The big hurdle with them is still getting gender markers changed on discharge (retirement) paperwork.  The key is the VA is beginning to do it, but it's not policy.

So, no Connie, I just haven't seen much on the subject but I do watch -plus if it is any indication, my Frock Magazine articles on being a transgender senior are well read.(other than well written) Most certainly if and when I see more I will "pass" it along. Probably a dirty word in Seattle!