She's Baaaack!

I am back again on my PC and all is well again in my web world.  Recapping a couple of  items from the Sunday Edition this week, the military was in the transgender news with Chelsea Manning and beyond. Chelsea won the approval to be called "she/woman" and  the U.S. Army has taken a step that makes it more difficult to discharge transgender troops, but other branches of the armed forces have yet to follow.

The Army announced Friday that it was elevating authority to discharge transgender service members from local to the assistant secretary of the Army for manpower and reserve affairs, the highest level to which that authority has ever been assigned.  “In essence, the announcement places a moratorium on dismissals by requiring officers to explain their decision to discharge a transgender soldier to a high-ranking civilian leader, a move many would view as potentially damaging to their careers,” reports USA Today.

We also spotlighted a story on transgender model Andreja Pejic. (above left)  She told Gay Star News about the ten years it has taken her to get to this point in her life. In the article Andreja spoke of knowing the possibility of a MtF gender transition was possible as early as 13, but was hesitant for career reasons and now says there are other trans models in the closet for the same reason.She also mentioned the Leelah Alcorn tragedy. Follow the link above for more.

Finally, a couple of you commented on the addition of a direct link to "Frock Magazine" on the top right hand side of the blog:

1. Sally BendMarch 6, 2015 at 1:39 PM

   Very cool idea putting Frock directly on the front page, hon. What I did was create a page for it within my blog, and then just update the cover image/link on my front page for each issue
2. Pat ScalesMarch 6, 2015 at 2:52 PM

   It was an excellent article in Frock. I am proud of you for your contributions to the T community. We are a diverse bunch in terms of age, interest, proclivities and needs and you surely fill a spot in the T world.
   Pat
3. Thanks to both of you ladies!  In fact Sally, Katie Glover, the editor of Frock mentioned the same idea to me!  And, Pat, Katie and I had actually been "chatting" back and forth for over a year before we could come up with an idea which would possibly work.  Thanks so much for the compliments!!!

Sorry!

For those of you who thought you saw the Sunday Edition and it went away. You did. I pulled it down when I found something on my lap top I didn't put there-so I pulled it down. Until I can work on it or find someone better...and hope I didn't spread it to any of you!

A Small Victory

My thanks to one of our intrepid Cyrsti's Condo "reporters" Bobbie for alerting me to the small story about the military/prison Chelsea Manning is in:
Manning challenged the military's ongoing refusal to refer to her as a woman, and won. A court order from the U.S. Army Court of Criminal Appeals instructs the military to refer to the soldier in all future official correspondence either using the gender neutral "Private First Class Manning" or employing the feminine pronoun.
As a result, the military is henceforth forbidden from referring to Manning as a man and if you recall, Chelsea has been allowed to begin HRT.

Cha-Changes In the Condo

This morning I got brave and did a little more in depth "shuffling" of rooms here in Cyrsti's Condo.

The biggest change is you all can access "Frock Magazine" anytime you want by going to the upper right hand of the blog.  When you move the small tool bar to the right at the bottom, you will get access to a full screen view of Frock.

Then, you can go to page 48 (of course) and see my article! YAY!

I also have tried to remove some links I believed to be underused...especially with a few of the blogs I was linked to.  Similar to so many other things and people in the transgender/cross dresser community-things come and go!!!

I guess you could say, I'm trying to put the blog on a Spring cleaning diet.

A Life In Backfill

I know, "backfill" is a rather stark word.  For me it brings up memories of playing with other boys when I was a kid. I never really wanted to play in the sand with construction toy trucks-or even getting my hands dirty. 

Backfill today to me means merging my feminine life with all the years living in guy drag.  Any of you who have gender transitioned will probably vouch for the fact, the longer you live as the gender NOT of your choice, the more back fill you need. My example is fielding innocent questions about my past.  The greatest majority of them are very innocent in nature. After all, if they want to pry into the fact I am transgender, I am not shy now in asking why do they ask? Times have changed.

When I first began to experiment in the world as a girl, for any number of reasons, I made up a whole new past for myself.  As entertaining as that was for awhile, the more I saw the same people, I had to backfill in touches of the real me. After all, I had a life I was proud of in many ways.

So, as I began to merge my past with my future, I had tons of backfill to chose from.  Actually, it was easier than I thought.  The closer I looked, either the old feminine stereotypes were fading - or were gone. All of the sudden, I didn't have to drink some fruity "fu-fu" drink to prove my girlhood when down the bar there were groups of women drinking draft beer and watching sports.

At this point in my Mtf transition, I am using less and less "back fill."  I don't out myself but then again I don't shy away from questions because in turn I can make conversation.  I was a curious social (if somewhat cynical)  person as a guy and I have backfilled myself to that point as a woman.

Looking back, not having the desire to play road construction with the boys, doesn't look like a bad choice after all!

Cyrsti's Condo "From the Hart"

Recently my Sister in Law walked by with a pizza she ordered about an hour or so after she got done whining about how she was gaining weight while I was losing it. I said:

A Look is Worth a Thousand Words?

 I happened across this picture of an unidentified cross dresser and wondered what the eyes were saying.

You Go Girl!!

Recently I wrote a post here in Cyrsti's Condo about how just a simple "thanks girls" (directed at Liz and I) was a nice stroke of sunshine on yet another snowy afternoon.  And I received two comments to pass along:

1. Mandy ShermanMarch 3, 2015 at 4:24 PM

   When it happens to me, I have the same thoughts....
   
   Mandy
2. 
   Teresa Perri FellMarch 4, 2015 at 10:47 AM

   Friends, therapists and loved ones can always understand (to varying degrees) when you write, "I thought, no, Thank you!", but those of us in any state of transition can *sympathize* with your comment. Every "Yes, ma'am?" and one clerk asking another "Can you help her with..." is pure gold. You go, girl!
3. What's that old phrase? You had to have been there to appreciate it? Well, I believe a ton of you have been there! Any transgender person most certainly has worked hard enough and has gone through enough pain to deserve a little verbal "Smootch!"

A Visionary?

As I have written here in Cyrsti's Condo before, my first initial explorations into Mom's makeup and clothes seem like a lifetime ago.  That is because it is true. Plus, every time I think one stage of my transition will not lead to another-it does.

It's happening again. All of the sudden, a very clear picture of whom I am to become in  the next stage of my transition is coming into focus .Huh?? Can't tell you exactly why, but everyonce in awhile my noggin kicks in with concrete "oh that makes sense" ideas. As it did when I decided to start HRT. 

Here's a look...kind of.  First of all, I wear glasses but only have a male pair.  I need a new pair so I "see/need" girl glasses in my future-so I can see...better...duh! Never had to worry about it when I was "part time." So,  barring plague, or pestilence, glasses are the number one priority. Secondly, in an order only my mind may comprehend, I'm thinking about a new off the shoulder hair style to complement the glasses. Plus, I have lost close to 25 pounds on my diet.

Finally, there is the TATOO.  Finally, I boxed myself in about subjecting my body to un-needed pain and suffering.  I slipped up in a moment of insanity and told Liz -years ago I would get a tattoo when Ohio State won another National Championship in football.  (Thinking they wouldn't) Well of course, this year they did and guess what?

For once, I do have a plan and it involves a pink and blue butterfly design (like the one on the left) over my right breast.


One way or another, I can't do my usual procrastination with any of this because yet again I'm meeting a whole set of new peeps.  I don't necessarily want to do any extra transitioning in front of them!