Second Worst Beauty Product Name

I will claim the worst name would be La Mest.  Yes, I know what La Mer means, but really.  This is marketed to Americans after all. 

I hope it's a really really good product, like the "with a name like Smuckers it has to be good" ads.  (This link refers to what they meant, although it normally starts with an schm, not an sm).  Wow.  Heck of a sidetrack. :)

And it's only $160 per ounce at Nordstroms!

Forward, Into the Past ~ Jewelry and Civilians

The roll ring: I am getting more comfortable dealing with guys as Meg, again, as long as I'm prepared for it. 

We stopped at one jewelry booth and they sold, among other items, "roll rings" ~ thin bands of silver that rolled onto your finger to form a tight shape.

I looked at those, and other rings I liked.  That took a while, but I tried on different rings and looked at styles I kind of liked but decided against, with help from the man behind the counter.  He showed me how to wear the roll rings and how to get the right size.  I rolled them on and kept them on as we were looking at other jewelry.

The salesman started a discussion with one of the women who work there and ignored us.

As we were about to leave I waved my beringed hand and said to the man "I'll just be stealing these.  Bye now."  He said "I can catch you" and I said "but I have a head start."

I paid for the rings and he shook our hands.  I didn't remember to offer my hand in a gender-appropriate manner, but I just did it properly and in retrospect, I was quite happy with that.
As I said, I also purchased a bodice.  That's a story for another day.

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Forward, Into the Past ~ Introduction

Back in October, Charity and I went to the Maryland Renaissance Festival.

Last year, my friend Star supplied clothes for us from her copious collection.  This year, we were on our own, but I was (inadvertently) prepared.

A few months earlier, I purchased a long green velvet dress at a shop misnamed "Unique" (misnamed because there's a bunch of them).  It set me back $10 and I thought it was a cute dress, but the more I looked at it the more I thought it was really a Renaissance Faire dress, not a street dress.  It sat in my closet ever since.

The dress is a bit longer than mid-calf but not really "Renaissance length."  I grabbed several maxiskirts and found one I liked that went well with it as an underskirt.

We went on the final day of the Renfest, and it was kind of chilly.  It wasn't horribly cold, but it was brisk.  Charity had the makings of a more realistic Renaissance costume than I did, and she gave us each shawls for warmth (and style!).  I also decided on my "regular" guy sandals (which are from the women's side of the aisle).  Heels are contraindicated for gravel and grass, and with sandals I could wear tights (green, to match the dress).  With, say, flip-flops, I would have had to go barelegged.

There was a long line of cars entering the festival, and a long line at the ticket window.  I continued my Meg-comfortable kidding and suggested to the girl behind the counter that I was considering a season pass but "that's probably a bad idea" (again, last day).

The final day, I discovered, is also "wrong day," where people kind of break with the real Renaissance Festival spirit.  There were a few guys wearing female medieval dress but not at all attempting to pass, and there were a LOT of kilts.  Members of the 501st Legion were wearing their full Stormtrooper regalia... with kilts.  There were costumes more suited for Halloween than 16th century England (a Star Trek Q was there).

501st Legion.  Click to enlarge

We went to a few shows and a lot of shops.  I was hoping to find some candlesticks but struck out.

I bought a couple of "official" Renaissance Faire ceramic wine goblets (purple), a roll ring (which involved a long discussion with the guy running the booth), and a bodice (long fairly funny story, coming soon).  I also bought Charity a ring, but she returned the favour so we evened out.

I also picked up some "Ribbon Fryes" and was asked by a civilian what it was.  I told him and where to get it.  I was caught off guard and a bit nervous and I realised I do need to get more comfortable in unplanned interactions with men.

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Sunday Funnies ~ Is Everybody Happy?

A few from Rick Detorie's One Big Happy....  Click or zoom in to enjoy.

"What we got here is failure to communicate"

Not Ready for Sat Cartoons

I hope you all had a good holiday Thursday.

Here's a few cartoons that are more girly than trans....

3 from Reply All

Luann

Preteena ~ one of the anti-Megs

The Middletons

Shoe

Sylvia

Big Top

Ramping Up

I first went out in 2004.  One time.  I doubled the number of times I went out the following year.  I matched those three outings over 2004 and 2005 during 2006 and 2007.  I matched my two year totals pretty much each year over the next three years.

Then... WOW.  Meg took off.

The numbers are approximate, but if you're thinking "I've only gone out twice in a year!  This is so depressing," remember last year or two years ago when you stayed in the house all year and take a look at my experience, and I bet some of the girls will write "I can't even count how many times I go out each year!"

Numbers are approximate.  And although I'm pretty happy with it, maybe I can add one or two outings to 2014.  I still have almost a week.

Christmas Chartoons

Merry Christmas to thems that celebrate.  Heck, everybody should have one.  I will.  We call it "the ninth day of Chanukah."  Next year, they overlap so I get a double day!  I'm going to practice being extra merry so I can cram it all in.

Tomorrow is Boxing Day in some countries. In the DC area, it's "no-one's at the office but you" day.

I am wit da guy in da middle

Just wonderful

Pretty cold, for a warm holiday

Simple Pleasure? Forced NonFeminization

I spent the last few days in New York visiting family and friends.

Due to the nature of my hosts, I had to spend the entire time in drab.

Except for my undergarments, tank top, socks, sneakers, (denim) shirts, jeans, purse....

And when staying overnights at my mother's place, I did have to kind of make sure I kept my socks on.  My nails are still painted.  Her eyes aren't what they used to be but the bright red would certainly be a beacon.

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Sunday Funnies ~ Adam @ Home

This strip used to be called Adam.  A few years back Rob Harrell added @ Home to the strip name.  Either way, it's enjoyable and sometimes I think I'm reading a parody of my life.  It's a good thing I can laugh at myself.  The first and last are bookends to a sequence about the classic messy desk (guilty).  Click or zoom in to enjoy.

And it looks like my next post will be Wednesday.  Thanks for reading, and thanks for being patient.

Carl? Is That You?

A Saturday from Brewster!

Another Quick, Enjoyable Day Out

Back in October, I went to the cardmodel convention again.  I had gone yearly (in drab) for several years and then stopped for a while.  I went as Meg in 2013 (posts here and here) and again this year.  Charity came along this year.

The convention is always very casual, the kind of place where you put on whatever happens to be in

The pictures ALL stunk that day!

your closet (or lying on the floor) and that's about it.  It's also almost all guys.

I dressed down, but, being Meg, it was dressier than anyone else there.  Again, that's a low bar.

The day was... ordinary.  I have a love-hate relationship with days like that.  I love the drama- and confrontation-free environment, so ordinary is good.  But then I hate that I don't have a lot to write about.  That's not going to stop me though.

I saw several people I had seen last year and in years past when I was in drab.  Other than one guy, no-one remembered Meg from last year.  I have mentioned before that I consider this a plus: it means people aren't looking for the t-girl, or even taking particular note that one was there.  In this environment, I do find it a bit odd....  You'd think a (mildly overdressed) woman where 98% of the visitors are men would stand out.  Maybe if I was 20.

As I did in previous years, I spoke to a number of the vendors and displayers about their models and purchased a couple of kits from different people, including one I've bought from when both in drab and dressed.

I also take part in the list and talked about being there but still I was wallpaper.

Because of other commitments, it was a one-event day.  I had to head back and change instead of dine or shop.  But I had a good time and I always enjoy civilian events, like this and the game group.

And I leave you with a little more Chanukah deadhead art.  A friend of mine puts these together.

I know.  Two candles short.  Shhhh....

Well This Is Embarrassing

I have Things To Say, but not right now.

I haven't written about the cardmodel convention yet, but that's a one-day thing and I still haven't gotten around to looking at the pictures yet.

I have my mani-pedi and dinner from a few days ago but I need to organise that a bit more first.

I still haven't done the Renaissance festival from October (!) but I have to embargo that for another couple of weeks.

I bought a dress from a new vendor and want to write that experience up (spoiler alert: it was wonderful and I'd recommend them to anyone) but that's embargoed too.

I'll try to have something to write about tomorrow, but for tonight....

Simple Pleasure: A Quick, Enjoyable, Trip Out

Casual Meg, out to get a mani-pedi (and a takeaway dinner).  A corduroy midi skirt, no foundation or eye liner or eye colour.  Flip-flops, no bracelet (because I would have had to remove it for my hand massage).  I should have adjusted my wig a bit or coloured my brows though.

I really like the flower she painted on each large toe, but the colour was so pretty that I was torn between getting art and covering the canvas. The finished product is below.

So It's Civilians Too!

Click on the headline below for the whole story....

Study proves high heels do have power over men

An excerpt:

From the article

The allure of high-heeled shoes is no secret among women, who have used them to entice men from the streets of Ancient Rome to the New York City sidewalks of Carrie Bradshaw. Heels have also been a controversial symbol in the battleground of sexual politics.

Now a scientific study in France has measured their power.

[...]

The study found if a woman drops a glove on the street while wearing heels, she's almost 50 percent more likely to have a man fetch it for her than if she's wearing flats.

Another finding: A woman wearing heels is twice as likely to persuade men to stop and answer survey questions on the street. And a high-heeled woman in a bar waits half the time to get picked up by a man, compared to when her heel is nearer to the ground.

"Women's shoe heel size exerts a powerful effect on men's behavior," says the study's author, Nicolas Gueguen, a behavioral science researcher. "Simply put, they make women more beautiful."

Please read the whole article ~ it's interesting and it has some beautiful shoe pictures thrown in! :)

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