Friday, January 31, 2014

(Mostly) Soiree Pictures

It's nice to know the "four or five guys" are not forgotten.  Several people got the "shoes for industry" reference and responded with reams of (mostly) Nick Danger.

Has anyone seen Americathon?  Proctor & Bergman wrote it, and there's a little crossdress bit in there in the "Both Father and Mother" segment.  By the way, the YouTube description is hilarious. Quickie poll on the right.

So, the other day I said it was a Good Thing that we carpooled.  Here's the 'why:'

Andrea does not like to drive.  I can understand.  Washington area traffic and streets are enough to turn anyone off driving.  And Star determined the wine Christine and Pamela had was really good.  So she took advantage of her passenger status and was in no condition to drive when we left. 

Before leaving, I told our hostess, Christine, "if you're looking for your wine, it's in Star."

If Andrea and Star had come in their own car, Star could not avail herself of the available beverages.  Or we could have planned to split up so one of our pool would drive Star and Andrea home, and the other would follow.  It's good to have a good time, and it's better to have a contingency plan.

I think everyone had a good time.  All forty-plus of us.  Pictures follow.  Click to enlarge.



LOVE that hose!



Katrina and her partner, Danielle



Sharon, Sarah, Meg

JoAnn, Diane, Meg ~ Talkin' Flying Pretty

Christine, Diane, Meg

Thursday, January 30, 2014

More Soiree!

Update: the poll will be explained tomorrow.

I'm not good at parties.  It's hard to get past my introversion, and I have to work at it.  I'm often the person you see wandering around by herself (or himself, depending on the party), acting like she's fascinated by the pictures on the wall.

I'm never the only one, but each of us acts as if we are.

There are always new girls at the soirees so I made it a point to find the one-who-could-be-me and say hi.  Star, who is the anti-Meg in terms of social interaction, had the same idea.

I spoke to one girl who came all the way from the eastern shore of Maryland (at least a 90 minute drive), two who came from Baltimore (an hour north; Star made sure they knew each other before the end of the night), one girl who had only discovered she enjoyed dressing a year or two ago, and more.  I had a long chat with Chris, a British ex-pat, about British humour and England in general.

click to enlarge and see if you can find Waldo :)
My self-assigned mission meant I didn't speak to as many of the "regulars" as I would have liked.  I barely more than nodded to Cindy, Monika, Julie, more.  I need to balance my "time with people" with "time without people."  I don't even notice I'm doing it; if I do notice, there's usually little I can do about it.  So I spent a little time wandering off by myself, studying the drink or food table a bit too long.

I was pleased to see that There were quite a number of partners there.  Carrie brought her new bride, Jennifer, who is delightful.  Diane, as always, came with Donna (and I never have a chance to talk to Donna, but I had a nice chat about the fear of flying (pretty) with Diane.

Jackie was there with Shelby,  Roxanne with Nan Lee,  Danielle and Katrina.

And Star and Charity were there, supporting Andrea and yours truly.



Wednesday, January 29, 2014

Shoes for Industry!

How many people got that reference?

I bought house slippers a while back.  I got them at Sears, it was difficult to get my size, and I wasn't

my new slippers
crazy about them anyway.  They are navy blue fabric and they have a low back.  I like shoes that stay on my feet.  I do wear some regular shoes without heel support, but they're never my first choice.

I do wear slippers when walking around the apartment, and I walk a lot.  The slippers didn't last as long as I would have hoped.

So I started shopping for new slippers.  It turns out there are two basic types of house slippers: open back and not my size.  I found a couple of pair that would work.  One was leather (really?  Leather house slippers?  I might as well keep my shoes on!) and the other was purchased.  They're a Mary Jane style, with a cute furry lining and sequins.  That's OK.  I don't wear them out of the apartment (much).

By the way, I  messed up yesterday and didn't publish until late at night.  If you missed it (and choose to) keep reading!



Tuesday, January 28, 2014

To the Soiree!

I forgot to push the publish button. Better late than never, or at least that's what I tell myself.

Sharon
Getting ready for a soiree is always a bit tricky.  It still takes me a long time to get ready, and that impacts dinner time.  This time, I did a late lunch and got ready in time for the 7:00 party.  Getting ready first would have worked, but I had a pasta dinner and did NOT want to be wearing my going-out dress for that!
Parking is also tricky.  Christine has a HUGE driveway, but snow and ice meant fewer cars could park there.  I wore (girl) tennis shoes (gasp!) for travelling and carried mid-heel Mary Janes to wear at the party itself.

To help limit the number of cars at Christine's, Sharon joined us for the drive.  We also picked up Star and Andrea, which turned out to be a VERY good thing.

Sharon had a fantastic purple dress; Andrea wore a sweater and long wool skirt.  Both looked great, as you can see here.

We all made it in and changed shoes without anyone freezing or falling, and the soiree itself was exceptional.
More pictures below.
Charity and Star


Andrea and Star




Monday, January 27, 2014

Over Two Months

Meg last went out in late November, to the Transgender Day of Remembrance event.  Saturday night,
I attended another of Christine's wonderful soirees.

Sunday, my friend Star had another game afternoon, but I had obligations that would cut short my gaming time as it was.  Dressing would mean I'd have to leave at least another 30 to 45 minutes earlier.  Since these gamers know both my drab and drag self, I went in drab.

More on the soiree coming up.  The picture is pre-soiree Meg.  It's hard to tell, but my shoes are mid-heel Mary Janes.  They have the widest possible box so my broken toe wouldn't complain (hopefully).  I also wore my (girl) sneakers to/from the soiree, recognising the abundance of ice and snow still in the area.

You do need to enlarge the picture to see the colours in the dress.  It's quite cute.

Sunday, January 26, 2014

Sunday Funnies ~ Wearing Disguises

Not long ago, I talked about hair and glasses as being part of the disguise.

Putting on a wig is a large change.  Taking off my glasses and replacing them with contacts is a minor change.  Unless you're Clark Kent (cartoons 5 and 6).

Arlo needed glasses and ran with it.









Saturday, January 25, 2014

Speaking of Sports

A couple from In the Bleachers.



 

Friday, January 24, 2014

Harder Than Expected

I lost a glove.

I figured that's a good reason to upgrade to girl gloves.  I mean, gloves are pretty much gloves, right?

Since they were going to be my primary gloves, I had to skip the cute ones and the ones with furry accents and the ones in bright colours/patterns.  Maybe next year.

I also had to skip any that only came in XS, S, M.  L was too small.  I had to go for XL.

I found a few and I made a discovery.  It seems hands are more different than I thought.

Women's gloves typically have thinner fingers than men's, which is fine.  Even with the extra-large, the fingers on some were too short.  But worse...

Many of the gloves were just too tight to go over my palm.  Some could be forced over my hand, but that's not something I want to do regularly.  Some would not go on at all.  I don't think my palm area is overly large, and most gloves would not fit.  I wanted leather (or fake leather) but went with knit.

Next year, if I think of it, I'll look for gloves at the start of the season so there will be more choices.  And I'll look at Lane Bryant or another "large size" store.  I bet I'll have better luck there.




Thursday, January 23, 2014

Transgender Dysphoria Blues

There will probably be a lot of reviews of Against Me's new album, Transgender Dysphoria Blues.

Ryan Russell - Inge Johansson, Laura Jane Grace, Atom Willard
and James Bowman of Against Me!.
The link is to the Washington Post review, excerpted here:

Against Me! tells an intensely personal story on ‘Transgender Dysphoria Blues’

In 2012, Tom Gabel, frontman of the long-running punk outfit Against Me!, came out as transgender to Rolling Stone. The Florida band’s new album, “Transgender Dysphoria Blues” is its first since Gabel, now Laura Jane Grace, announced her intention to transition. (Its title refers to the official term for Grace’s condition.) It is a lacerating, powerful work that is universal in its sweep and wrenching in its detail.

In the broadest sense, the album wrestles with topics that are the bedrock of punk songs everywhere — alienation, self-loathing, a longing for acceptance and love — interwoven with pointed, and occasionally clunky, political commentary. On a micro level, it’s a dark and very specific recounting of a very specific kind of misery. Frequently profane, defiantly clinical, fraught with sadness and relief, it’s the sound of a dam breaking. “You’ve got no hips to shake / And you know it’s obvious,” Grace sings on the opening title track. “But we can’t choose how we’re made.”

In retrospect, no one should have been surprised. Gabel had hinted for years at a roiling, fundamental internal dissatisfaction. The 2007 track “The Ocean” (“If I could have chosen / I would have been born a woman / My mother once told me she would have named me Laura”) laid that struggle bare for those who were paying attention. 

Until the 2012 announcement, Against Me! was a well-liked, top-of-the-middle-tier punk band that survived a brief flirtation with major-label stardom. Grace is now almost certainly the highest-profile musician to transition, and her new album is part manifesto, part open letter to fans, her wife (to whom she plans to stay married) and her remaining bandmates (two members left after Grace’s announcement, for possibly unrelated reasons).

Read the rest here.

Wednesday, January 22, 2014

Simple Pleasure? My Worst Enemy

If I was employing the royal we, I could say "we have met the enemy and he is us."

Since that's not something I normally do, I'll just admit to being my own worst enemy.

I was in New York, visiting my mother with my two boys.  She lives in the same apartment she has lived in for the last 58 years.  I don't think kitchen furnishings have changed in the last 40.  I should be able to navigate blindfolded.

Yet Sunday evening I put my little toe squarely into the iron leg of the kitchen table.

New idea: the lower six or eight inches of any furniture that touches the floor should be made of rubber.  Or maybe plastic filled with water, like those breakaway barrels on the expressway surrounding concrete supports.  It should definitely never be made of any substance harder than the toebone.  Without even looking, from the amazing pain, I was sure it was broken.  Visual examination the next day showed a blue and purple barrel where my pinky toe used to be.  The pain reminded me that I had broken it, in case I wasn't able to look at it all the time as a visual reminder.

My mother, Captain Hindsight, said "you should have had shoes on."

I'm planning on getting out soon.  I think I'll wear a dress, wig, makeup, jewelry, and sneakers.  Anyway, it's snowing now and heels and snow are a bad combination.




Tuesday, January 21, 2014

Alternatively...

My friend Sharon sent me a note about her hair removal experiences:

I have been getting laser hair removal treatments at a local spa.  I found one with reasonable prices and evening hours.

Many laser providers have deals on Groupon, Living Social, and Amazon Local.

My provider has a detailed questionnaire which they use to determine your hair and skin type, and they explained the procedure and risks in detail before i started the treatments.

So far i have had 6 treatments of my upper chest, and one for my face.  They use the GentleMax laser by Candela, which combines an alexandrite laser for lighter skin with a YAG laser for darker skin tones.  The laser emits a puff of cool air mist to protect your skin.

So far I have had significant reduction of my dark hair in the treated areas.  My skin is usually red for a day or two after each treatment, but hydro-cortisone cream and aloe help reduce the swelling.


The treatments are painful, but they work.  I had 12 treatments on my face in 2007-08 using an older laser at another facility, and some of the hair grew back.  This newer laser yields greater result in fewer sessions.

I still have a few gray hairs in the treated areas, but i am happy with my results.  i may need maintenance treatments every few years to keep the dark hair from growing back.  Or not.  My biggest concern is that the hair will turn gray and then come back, and
I won't be able to remove it with the laser.

Based on my personal experience, some of the dark hair will be gone for good, but not all.

Dr. Oz reviewed the Gentlemax laser on his show in 2011, along with the Tria laser which is a DIY product for in-home.  The Tria cannot be used on the face.





Monday, January 20, 2014

The Agony of De Veet

The combination of short memory and a common sense deficiency caused me to try Veet again.

I was going to shave my stomach.  My first thought was "hey, it's a jungle down there."  My second thought was "stomach skin is pretty tough.  Maybe I can try the Veet."

I had been looking for a replacement but hadn't gotten to a drug store yet.  At the supermarkets, my choices were home waxing kits, Veet, and Veet home waxing kits.

I decided to be careful and attentive (memory not that short).

I put Veet on my stomach only and cleaned my hands immediately.  I started a timer.  I paid attention to possible reactions.  At one time, the underside of my wrist touched my stomach and it started to burn, almost immediately.  Actually, that happened twice.  Short memory strikes again!

But at the end of the proscribed (maximum) time my stomach was fine.  I removed the Veet and the hair with it.

I wonder if hair removal creams are catalysts.  I mean, can I treat an area for the required number of minutes, scoop it off and place it on another area for the proper time, scoop it off....

There are three problems with that experiment.  One, you'll be putting loose hair on the new part.  Yuck.  Two, each area will have to be smaller ~ you'll always lose some.  And three, how do you completely remove the chemical and wash the area without messing up the new area?  You'd have to do, say, legs and transfer it to chest, then transfer it to...  what?  Back?  I dunno.

My favourite short memory joke: a (pick stupid stereotype group) guy goes to work with bandages on both ears.  A friend says "what happened?" and he says "I was ironing.  Someone called and I accidentally put the iron to my ear."  His friend says "what happened to the other ear?" and he replies "the jerk called back."

My favourite lack of common sense joke: An engineer, a mathematician, and a physicist are each sentenced to die by the guillotine. As the physicist is led to the guillotine, he decides that he'd like to observe the blade as it falls, and he requests to be strapped in face up. The executioner agrees (why not? it all pays the same...), and straps him in. As the blade falls, it sticks about two thirds of the way down. Seeing this, the crowd cheers - the physicist must be innocent! So the executioner unstraps him and sets him free.
The mathematician is next. Being well versed in matters statistical (perhaps she is an actuary), she quickly asks to be placed face up as well - after all, the odds of it happening again are pretty good, especially if the initial conditions are similar. So the executioner obliges, and once again, the blade sticks about two thirds of the way down. Again the crowd cheers, and the mathematician is also set free.
Finally, the engineer.He, too, requests to be placed face up. As the executioner is strapping him in, he's looking up at the blade and studying the track in which it slides.  He calls out to the executioner, "I think I see what your problem is...."




Sunday, January 19, 2014

Overflo

Flo and Friends made a brief appearance yesterday. Here are a few more.





Saturday, January 18, 2014

Don't Wait Until You're 89!

Arnie, that's what I've been saying all along!

 The Duplex is kinda sorta CD related. I think there's a lot of "forced fem" fantasies out there.

click to enjoy


Friday, January 17, 2014

I Concur

Yesterday, Stana's Femulate blog entry was entitled Things To Come

She wrote about her belief that femulating in public will become more prevalent.  If you haven't read it, take a minute.  I'll wait.

I agree 100% with her first reason, that bloggers like us who have safe, public, frequent forays out are encouraging others to do the same.  I'm no trailblazer.  I started this blog because I thought I was: I wanted to chronicle my femme flight from Dulles, VA to Topeka, Kansas.  I learned that I'm far from the first, but still a rare bird (ha!).  I do have fun, and if I knew what I know now, I would have gone out a long time ago.  I am always thrilled when I hear from someone who said "you encouraged me to walk out that door, high heels clacking on the concrete."

I have a little problem with reason number two: Each year I go to the Transgender Day of
another femulating boy from Youtube
Remembrance and hear about the girls who didn't have fun on their last day femulating.  There's still a lot of hate out there, but I think if you're dressed your chance of being hurt through haters is less than the chance of having car problems.  (Bad: I had a flat while en femme.  Worse: it was one of my first times out.  Good: a guy changed my tire and treated me as I appeared.  That made it a great day.)

For still another reason, well, I guess Stana hangs out with a different crowd than I do.  I don't see men in tights, jewelry, makeup or carrying handbags....  Self excepted.  I can't wait until these things become more commonplace.  Because when they are, I can "up the ante."  Stana has given me an idea thought.... leggings.  Hmmm....

But I definitely concur with her conclusion.  Men are more relaxed about femulating.  When I was young, most guys would rather die than play dress-up.  (Of course, when I was young, it was the guys who wore the powdered wigs and frilly shirts. :) )  Now search for crossdress or crossdress brother or crossdress husband on youtube and there are guys getting pretty by the dozen.

So my question to myself is, how would my crossdressing experience be different if I were college age today?




Thursday, January 16, 2014

Read Label Redux

Due to my little tiny (and self-inflicted) wounds, I still can't shave below my neck.  That limits what I can wear if I don't want it to show.  My damaged hand looked way worse last weekend than it does now.

Last Friday, I visited a friend who I usually see as Meg, but not always.  The plan was to go out to eat and play a game.  I did want to go out as Meg.  Instead, our host cooked (a superb meal) and we stayed in.  Between my skin, the fact that it wouldn't be much of an "out" night, and it would be a late night that becomes later if I have to remove makeup and such, I went in male mode.

Sunday, I went to see the Capitol Steps at a local high school.  It would have been nice for Meg to attend, but I often see people I know there and I wasn't in the mood to deal with that.  And with the little scabs....

So not a Meg weekend, in spite of opportunities.  This coming weekend I'll be with my boys in New York so Meg will miss another weekend.

Meg misses weekends, I miss Meg.




Wednesday, January 15, 2014

Simple Pleasure I'll Never Have

I'm Jealous.

My friend Andrea went to a hair stylist last weekend.  As Andrea, not as her male self.

She's part-time and she works in male mode.  She has long wavy hair, similar to what I had long ago.  Hers is much longer, but we were similar in wave.

I'd love to get my hair styled in a feminine or "either way" cut.  The closest I ever came was almost thirty years ago when my hair was brown, as well as long and wavy.  I went to the same stylist to get my haircut.  For a few appointments, she said I should get a permanent "because it's easier."  A few appointments back then was a long time span.  I regularly got my hair cut twice a year.

I got my hair permed.  Rollers, smelly stuff, long periods of waiting while it set or burned in or whatever.  Arguments over the true meaning of "permanent."  I wanted to bring in my camera to get a picture of my with the rollers (curlers?) but never did.  My camera was my prized possession and I didn't trust it to be out of my grasp.

After she was done, I said "what did you mean this is 'easier?'"  She said "easier for me."

Funny story: I got my first perm on a Friday night.  I was promised if I didn't like it I could wash it out within a day or so.
I wasn't sure if I liked it.  Around midnight I was going to go to bed when the phone rang.  It was Larry, who I worked with at the time.  He was stuck on a software problem and needed to finish and deliver this Monday.  He needed me to come in.  I told him "I'll be there in twenty minutes but if you say one word, I'm leaving."  He said "one word about what?"  I said "you'll know" and hung up.

I walked into the empty (except for Larry) building and he stared at me and said... nothing.  We worked on the problem for a bit, I found the bug, we were doing some testing when our manager (Ed) walked in.  Larry had called him in as backup.  Ed wasn't a software guy, but he was responsible for the project going out on time so he wanted to check progress.

Ed looked at me and said "what the hell happened to you?  Did you stick your finger in a light socket?  You look like Chico Marx."  Larry said "Thank you!  I wanted to say something since he came in and was told not to."

I kept the permanent for a couple of years.

Alas, I wasn't yet dressing in the mid-80s.




Tuesday, January 14, 2014

Read Label? Check. Follow Instructions? Not So Much.

Early last week, I decided to Veet my upper arms, underarms, shoulders, the back of my neck and upper back ~ whatever I could reach.  Veet is my toxic chemical of choice when it's time to kill body hair.

I've done this before.  I know to put the Veet on my underarms last, and take it off first because they're a bit sensitive.  I keep it on for the maximum time, because it takes that long to get rid of the hair.  Usually, it works without incident unless I'm sloppy.  For instance, stray Veet has stayed on too long because I didn't notice it and caused what looked like a burn.  It doesn't last long.

The Veet label says the following: Before each use, TEST YOUR SKIN REACTION by applying the cream to a small part of the area you wish to treat, following the directions for use.  If after 24 HOURS there is no adverse reaction, begin using.

It also says to not reapply for three days after use.

I can't figure that out.  Let's say I want to de-fur my arms.  I'd have to do a small patch and wait a day.  Then I could do the rest of my arm.  But I'd have to be careful to not Veet the part I did the previous day.  That means I'd probably end up with a little border that's not defoliated because it's impossible to go right up to the edge.  Unless....

1. get a heavy material with a sticky back.
2. cut out a small shape.  Keep both parts.
3. stick the large part to your arm.  Veet within the cut part.
4. remove the material and test.
5. wait a day.
6. carefully stick the small shape to the defurred area.
7. Veet the exposed parts.

Shaving is looking easier and easier.

So I'm guessing nobody does that.

I've been using Veet every couple of weeks for several months without a problem.

Back to early last week....  I started with one arm/shoulder and worked towards the back of my neck and upper back.  Almost immediately, my upper back began to feel odd.  Not painful, but tingly.  The Veet had been in place for less than a minute and my arm seemed fine, so I finished with my underarm and started on the other side.  The back of my neck/middle of my upper back started to hurt a bit, but I dismissed it.  I decided to finish with my hands and started the timer, as I usually do.

My upper back hurt, but not horribly and I figured it was a mild reaction to the Veet.

It turns out "mild" was the wrong word.  After removal, it felt like a sunburn.  Visual examination showed redness and some blistering.  Over the next few hours, it hurt more.  Like a sunburn.

Unlike a sunburn, it turned into hundreds of tiny scabs.  There was no bleeding, but it seemed like many pores were injured.  It wasn't everywhere.  It was worst on my shoulders, upper upper arms, middle of my upper back.  It didn't affect my underarms or upper arm below my shoulder at all.  It was spotty on other treated areas.  The scabs appeared on one hand but not the other.

I'm guessing the dry winter weather is causing dry winter skin and that made it worse.

I'm also guessing I should toss the Veet and look for some other brand which I'll test on a small spot of skin first.

Oh....  The label also says if you experience any smarting/tingling during use, remove the cream immediately and rinse thoroughly with water.  If this sensation persists, seek medical advice.




Monday, January 13, 2014

Odd Wording

Friday the 13th falls on a Monday this month.  Take appropriate precautions.

Thursday was another cold day.  I wore a hat and carried my tote and gloves out to my car.  I tossed the gloves into the car ahead of the tote and put my coffee in the cupholder between the front seats.

Before covering the gloves with the tote, I took a good look at them: for a second I thought there was only one glove there but after a longer look I was sure there were two.

I got to work and discovered, nope, there was only one glove.

When I arrived home after work I looked in the parking lot where my car was parked.  No glove.  I went in the side door where I went out that morning.  No glove.

I went to the office and asked the man at the front desk if perchance someone had turned in a glove.  He said no, but the woman in the back office called out "that's funny.  Another woman came in and said she had lost a glove earlier today."  I suggested that, if she comes back, to send her my way and maybe we could make a deal.

What I really wanted to say was "another woman?" and follow up on that but I decided that it might be more prudent to just let her comment hang.



Sunday, January 12, 2014

Photoshop

These all appeared on the same day last week.  Two are pretty much the same joke; the third is a variation.  Cornered, Bottomliners, On the Fastrack




Saturday, January 11, 2014

Feminine Side

Herb and Jamaal, Rhymes With Orange, Least I Could Do, and One Big Happy.  Click to enlarge.





Friday, January 10, 2014

Cover Those Legs

It's tights weather!

For all you just thinking about it, don't do the socks-over-hose route.  Wear tights.  Opaque tights will pass for socks, and imagine if your cuff rides up and people see above the top of your sock to your hose.  That won't be easy to explain.  If you need a story "my SO said they'd be warmer so I agreed to try.  Is it a big deal?"

A friend mentioned that, when she lived in Russia, men wore silk stockings.  They're thin and really warm.  Wool tights are an inexpensive second.




Thursday, January 9, 2014

Hair Ye!

This is a follow-up from my hair post from last month.

Pat wrote: I am intrigued by the constant ads for the "No-No" device. How does that stop hair growth. Do you know if it actually works or is just a heavy duty promotional campaign.

and Alice, who wrote a great description of hair growth, followed up with: I just noticed Pat's question. I don't know the nono device specifically, but there a number of DIY laser, IPL and RF (radio wave) devices out there, and I don't think that any of them have the same power level as a comparable commercial device, so I have no idea whether they work just as well, not as well or not at all. I suspect the latter in most if not all cases.

I checked some reviews of the No-No and most people thought Pat was spot on (subject of "a heavy duty promotional campaign").  I'd say no to the no-no.

At Ulta, I saw a couple of different devices.  One needed a part that burned out (I forget the specifics); the other did not.  These were both home laser devices; I've looked at others.  They all claim to work best on dark hair/light skin, they usually warn against being used on men's faces (but some claim to be OK on women's faces, below the lip).  They also claim to eliminate hair for "up to a year" after repeated uses.  I kind of understand the repeated uses ~ hairs grow on different cycles and you need to get them all.

But if I'm going to invest my time and money, I want something that's permanent and will work on ALL my hair.  I don't think that exists yet.  Maybe tomorrow.




Wednesday, January 8, 2014

Choice

Most of you know it was pretty cold here Monday night.  Air temperature reached 7F (-14C).  For the first time since I moved to the apartment, I wore nice, warm, flannel pajamas instead of a nightgown.  I have a warm nightie or two, but I was certainly glad I had that choice!




Tuesday, January 7, 2014

Gender Equality!

I was watching State of the Union last Sunday and Candy Crowley (host) had an all-female panel.  (Note: I don't normally watch the Sunday political shows.  They usually have someone on I can't stomach and I hate spending the morning yelling at the tube.)

Candy was wearing what appeared to be an oversize black jacket over a red dress, with black tights.

One guest had on a red cap sleeve top.  It had large (1/4"?) black dots that appeared to be raised ~ maybe embroidery.  She also wore a red skirt, nude hose, platform pumps.

The guest next to her wore a long-sleeve black jacket.  It had small white polka-dots and she had a red pullover under the jacket.

She was next to a guest in a 3/4-sleeve purple button-down shirt.

The final guest had on a red something over a purple shirt.

I could not see the rest of the outfits on the final three guests.  Each had different neckwear, from none to pendants on string, to large pearls.

Then I flipped to Fox News Sunday, simply because it was on at the same time.  There were several male guests wearing white or light blue shirts, patterned ties, dark suits.

I've noticed this phenomenon before.  A common place is at religious services: men dress up in a uniform.  Women dress in anything but.  You can have four women on the dais and see four different tops and bottoms, suits and dresses and skirts and pants.  Four different sleeve lengths, four different shoe styles, four different leg coverings.

I consider the variety permitted a blessing and a curse.  I'd love to have choices like that, but I'm afraid I'd stand in front of the closet for hours, trying to decide what to wear, every day.

But it would be so nice to have that choice!



Monday, January 6, 2014

2014

Another year, another blog post.

I hope everyone had a safe and fun New Years.  Are there any good resolutions you'd like to share?

So far, 2014 has been an "indoor Meg" year.  The weather hasn't been great, and it's been worse for heels.  Plus, I haven't had anywhere I'm dying to go.

A few days ago, I went to a major mall near my place.  My goal was to get a haircut and meet with an old manager for coffee, a little bit of networking we do every couple of months.  The plan:
1. coffee
2. haircut
3. home

I think I've explained that I seem to be incompatible with schedules.  As I was about to leave the apartment, I got an e-mail asking if we could change the morning coffee to an afternoon one.  That meant I should get my haircut first.  That meant I'd have a break somewhere, in case my haircutlady was busy and I had to wait.  So my schedule changed to:
1. spend time at the mall waiting for my
2. haircut
3. spend time at the mall waiting until time for
4. coffee

1 and 3 take about an hour and a half, and one or both might be null, depending on whether haircutlady was available.

I went into a dozen or two shops, mostly women's clothing, women's accessories (are there men's accessories stores?), and department stores.

I didn't look at jewelry much.  I did see some really nice dresses, tops, and skirts.  I was really tempted when I saw a new Spanx store.  When I saw items I coveted, I repeated my new 2014 mantra:

I have enough stuff
I have enough stuff
I have enough stuff
....