This week it was off to Peoria IL to make a visit to
Caterpiller.
My opinion of Peoria has flip flopped through the years,
first with my hating the place, then loving it, and then not liking it again.
When I first started going there, I thought it was just a terribly boring place
to go, with no places to have fun at, and no one to talk to. Then I met someone
a few years ago and she showed me around. I thought that she was a great
person, but I’d have to admit that I have forgotten her name at the moment –
I’m gonna have to look through my blog to dig it up and give her a call the
next time. Anyway, she showed me a couple of places to hang out that I enjoyed,
and most of all, I enjoyed hanging out with her. One of the places that she
took me to was a “straight” but friendly karaoke bar called the “Elbo Room”,
and I went there several times. It was often full of younger people that I took
to be university students, and also with folks from the nearby hospital. It was
a nice and friendly crowd who didn’t care in the least if I got up to sing with
a decidedly male voice. Well, that all
changed when the owner of the “Elbo Room” apparently got upset that people were
starting to think of his bar as a “gay bar”, and he put up a sign stating
something along the lines of “This is NOT a gay bar.” Apparently that really upset a lot of
locals who then came out to protest.
Even knowing about this event, I still returned to the Elbo
Room – I can’t recall now if I did it as Matt or as Kim, but it was depressing
either way. Gone was the young and fun crowd. The only people there looked to
me as if they were homeless alcoholics. I tried the place yet again and had the
same experience – only old drunks there. I was heartbroken. . . It bothers me to this day that I might have
been a factor in its decline – I certainly hope not but the thought still nags
at me.
A lot of people accuse me of being brave, but in the Atlanta
airport I saw someone who is much braver than I am. As I was stepping onto
their tram to take me to my concourse, someone was stepping out of the car that
made quite an impression on me. I honestly don’t know how to refer to them – as
“him” or “her” so I hope that I don’t cause any offense, but “he” was making no
attempt to hide the fact that he was male, so I will stick with that. Anyway,
he had short and masculine hair, but was wearing a womans top and pants, dangly
ear rings, and a little makeup. Now THAT is brave I think! I guess that I would
consider him a very effeminate male and honestly have no idea if the person is
actually transgender or not.
The night before I left Peoria for home, I was torn on how
to fly home. I didn’t feel an overwhelming urge to do it as Kimberly, and the
quick change and wash-up in the Austin airport are a royal pain in the butt, so
I was really on the fence. I went so far as to shave my legs and get my outfit
together, but I eventually decided that I was gonna fly as Matt. Well that all
went out of the window when I woke up early the next morning to the sound of
the people in the room above me rehearsing for “River Dance”, or so it seemed
from the racket that they were making. I stared at the 5AM display on the clock
for a few minutes before throwing in the towel and admitting that I wasn’t
going to be able to go back to sleep. Well, I had plenty of time on my hands now,
so I changed my mind yet again, and started hauling my makeup back out of my
suitcase.
I would have to admit to a little trepidation at the idea of
flying out of such a small airport, but I did it anyway. The two or three TSA
folks that I talked to were all very friendly and full of smiles, so I guess
that it is all good. I’m sitting in the concourse typing this and I haven’t
seen any pitch fork wielding crowds yet!
When I arrived in Detroit where I was to catch my connecting
flight, I had about two and a half hours to kill, and so I had plenty of time
to think. The more that I did think
about it, the more that I realized that I wasn’t really feeling the love - I
didn’t feel pretty, and so there wasn’t much point to it if I still felt ugly.
I made my way to the “Family” bathroom where I washed the makeup off, stuffed
my outfit into my backpack, and put my male clothes back on. I then made my way
down the concourse to a hamburger shop where I waited a moment for the hostess
to offer me a seat.
“How many sir?” the pretty young lady asked me, just loud enough
to be heard over all of the noise in the concourse.
“Just one.” I said, raising my left hand and extending my pointing
finger in case she couldn’t hear me. Then I turned bright red, because there on
my left hand was my elaborate and not at all subtle women’s wedding ring that I
had apparently forgotten to take off while I was doing my Clark Kent/Superman
act in the bathroom. I quickly lowered my hand and spun the “diamond” around so
that was facing inward toward my palm, and then followed her to the table where
I removed it and stuffed it into my back pack. Oops . . .
You may not have "felt the love" about flying pretty on the way home, but you definitely looked good, as always!
ReplyDeleteAs for the ring...i have to be very careful when doing one of my "cornfield changes" on the way home from an excursion in a skirt...wouldn't want to walk in the house sporting a ring or earrings or anything else out of the ordinary. Your situation caused some major blushing. Mine would be a huge catastrophe...
Be safe!
Mandy
Dressing is a part of you. You don't have to be a hottie, older, lady to enjoy it ; )
ReplyDeleteSamantha Smith
However you are feeling in these photos as always you are looking good. I suspect we all have those moments when we "leak" the other day I turned up at an event that I was attending as "him" only to realise I still had pink nail polish on.
ReplyDeleteAfter a long day at home as Julie, I changed in time for my go's return (she is supportive, but doesn't want to participate) After she was home a half hour or so, she pointed out the magnetic studs I still had in my ears. Ooops.
ReplyDeleteKim -
ReplyDeleteI've come close to forgetting to remove my nail polish. That would surely get in the way of my dating women.....
M