So on the way to work in Austin Texas this morning my wife and I are listening to the JB and Sandy morning show on 94.7. Sooner or later the topic comes around to the fact that Oscar De La Hoya has apparently been outted as a crossdresser and now the poor guy has his pics posted all over the internet. The JB and Sandy radio show is usually pretty humorous and so I fully expected them to take full advantage of the opportunity to make fun of Oskar and crossdressers in general and was pleased when they didn't!
Oddly enough, the one that seemed the most put out by it was Autumn, a young lady you might consider sort of a sidekick of the show. While I don't recall her exact words, the gist of her comments was that it was weird, and how could he do this being a husband and father of 4, and how could he be gay, etc.
To my surprise, JB and Sandy both spoke up saying things along the lines of "we all have our things we wouldn't want everyone to know", and "what's so bad about it, he isn't hurting anyone". I was so impressed that when I got to the office I did something I've never done before - I wrote them an email. I told them that I was impressed and relieved that they had responded in what I thought was a reasonably adult way. I went on to tell them that most of us (crossdressers) have the same hopes, dreams, morals, and standards as anyone else. I also told them that most crossdressers are not gay and DO get married and have children, we just like to look pretty! :-)
After writing the email I packed up my tools and laptop and headed to a local customer of mine where I was working this morning. Imagine my shock when I started the car to head out and heard them already reading my letter on the air! I was stunned! Once again I waited for the other shoe to drop, fully expecting them to start taking pot shots at me - and again they didn't! They read my letter in the spirit I sent it with, and said "cool"!
So, it's a long way from being a hero of the TG revolution, but I actually got put a little good press out to the entire city of Austin Texas - how cool is that?!
Friday, September 7, 2007
September 07, 2007 - Still In Richmond Va
Well, my second day in Richmond Virginia went well. I had three days to install three systems that we normally allocate 2 days each for and I got all three done on two days. Not only that, but I trouble shot a fourth system that was quite old and well out of warranty and was able to show my customer where the problem was with their tool and not my system - life was good! I was back to the hotel at a reasonable hour so I did the Kim thing.
This was cool as the Z2 club has Karoake on Thursday nights and the last time I went (almost a year ago) they had some outstanding talent. This night they had a few good singers, but nothing like the talent that I recall from my last visit. After a couple of Long Island Ice Teas, I got up and did a few of my favorites.
You should see the look on peoples faces when a cross-dresser gets up to sing. At first you see a lot of looks that seem to say "Oh no, that drag queen is going to try and sing like a woman - this is going to sound like Mickey Mouse!" but then when I just start to sing in my normal voice, all of a sudden the smiles come out. I had fun, and didn't make a fool outta myself, and that's what counts.
I had been wearing my favorite pink outfit so much I was wearing it out, so I had searched high and
low for another like it. This is VERY close to my favorite top and skirt, just a slightly different shade and tone - its not as dark a shade of pink:
Well, the next day (7 Sep) things went to hell. My director found out I was here, and it just so happened that one of our customers here needed the software in some of our generators changed. I'd never worked with this product, but what the hell, how hard can it be to plug my laptop in and upload new software?
Has the ring of famous last words doesn't it?
Well, the application my company sent me to be used to upload the software did not work, so I wasted my customer's entire morning and accomplished nothing. Not only that, but we wasted HIS customers morning as well. See how fast you go from Hero one day to Zero the next??
I was supposed to meet Michelle and hang out with her tonight, but I didn't get out of there until very late, was emotionally and physically exhausted, and so just ate dinner and came back to the hotel. No Kim tonight, just tired, depressed, and lonely old Matt. I miss my critters and I'm all outta hugs . . .
This was cool as the Z2 club has Karoake on Thursday nights and the last time I went (almost a year ago) they had some outstanding talent. This night they had a few good singers, but nothing like the talent that I recall from my last visit. After a couple of Long Island Ice Teas, I got up and did a few of my favorites.
You should see the look on peoples faces when a cross-dresser gets up to sing. At first you see a lot of looks that seem to say "Oh no, that drag queen is going to try and sing like a woman - this is going to sound like Mickey Mouse!" but then when I just start to sing in my normal voice, all of a sudden the smiles come out. I had fun, and didn't make a fool outta myself, and that's what counts.
I had been wearing my favorite pink outfit so much I was wearing it out, so I had searched high and low for another like it. This is VERY close to my favorite top and skirt, just a slightly different shade and tone - its not as dark a shade of pink:
Well, the next day (7 Sep) things went to hell. My director found out I was here, and it just so happened that one of our customers here needed the software in some of our generators changed. I'd never worked with this product, but what the hell, how hard can it be to plug my laptop in and upload new software?
Has the ring of famous last words doesn't it?
Well, the application my company sent me to be used to upload the software did not work, so I wasted my customer's entire morning and accomplished nothing. Not only that, but we wasted HIS customers morning as well. See how fast you go from Hero one day to Zero the next??
I was supposed to meet Michelle and hang out with her tonight, but I didn't get out of there until very late, was emotionally and physically exhausted, and so just ate dinner and came back to the hotel. No Kim tonight, just tired, depressed, and lonely old Matt. I miss my critters and I'm all outta hugs . . .
Wednesday, September 5, 2007
September 05, 2007 - Richmond Virginia
"I wish I'd known you were going to be here!"
"Too bad I missed you"
"Let me know the next time you're going to be here"
I don't know if these folks really missed my posts before I went or if they just couldn't screw up the courage to say something until after I was gone.
In any case, Michelle does not suffer from a lack of courage. One
look at her and you know that you're dealing with someone that has lots of
attitude and confidence. Come on, just take a look at that face and
tell me she doesn't look cocky as hell! She replied almost immediately with an offer to meet for dinner and drinks and so we did! We had a couple of games of pool (she let me win), a good meal, and a few drinks! Michelle does not suffer from a lack of courage. One look at her and
you know your dealing with someone that has lots of attitude and
confidence. Come on, just take a look at that face and tell me she
doesn't look cocky as hell! I don't know how comfortable Michelle would be with my saying much about her past, so I'll just tell we had a lot in common and it was night well spent. Thanks Michelle!
So the following day I have to go to work (that IS why I travel you know!). At one point I had to remove the side panel of our rack to gain access to the interior. The panel is probably three foot wide by 5 foot tall and heavier than it looks. I realized just how heavy it was when the darn thing surprised me and slid out of place and dropped two or three inches . . . to land on . . . my toes!
So while my vision turns to a red haze of pain and I'm biting my tongue to keep from yelling, what do you suppose I am thinking?
Am I thinking of how stupid I am going to look if I have broken my toes and have to tell the customer I have just ruined their "XX days with out an accident" record?
Am I thinking about how silly I'm going to feel if I have to take my shoe off and show the pretty pink polish on my toe nails?
Nope. All I'm thinking about is how damn ugly my foot is going to look in sandals with black and blue toes! Fortunately no broken toes, and if it did bruise, it's under that pink polish I mentioned and can't be seen!
After work, I decided not to do the Kim thing because I don't want my poor face to be raw from shaving so close so many days in a row. Instead I decide to go shopping drab. As I'm getting out of the car, I see a tall girl standing at her car and another very pretty girl a few yards away walking toward her. I could swear the girl at the car has a beard shadow but figure I've just got dressing on the brain. At least that's what I thought until the two started speaking very loudly to be heard over the cars and across the distance. Surprise, surprise, they are BOTH transgender! I was so surprised all I did was smile and say hi as I walked past them. The pretty one turned on the glam and gave me a thousand watt smile while she said "Hi honey, how are YOU doing?". That's where the conversation ended though as they both got in the car and left.
Small world, huh?
Tuesday, September 4, 2007
September 04, 2007 - The barnacle snow man and other ramblings.
So my daughter is upstairs watching Scooby Doo while my wife and I are talking. Suddenly my daughter is at the top of the stairs yelling.
"Scary scary! There's a bad snowman trying to get Scooby and Shaggy!"
Your gonna have to trust me on this, you have never heard anything as cute as a 3 year old saying "Scooby and Shaggy". At first we had some trouble understanding what she was trying to tell us so we asked her to repeat herself once or twice. Getting exasperated that we just were not getting it, she tried to clarify things.
"The bad snowman! The abom...the admo...the barnacle snowman is trying to get Scooby and Shaggy!"
I guess she just couldn't say "abominable" so it became a barnacle snowman! We spent the rest of the weekend laughing about the barnacle snowman.
So I was in the Austin airport this morning when I saw something that struck my funny bone. A woman in three inch heels...and a cane. Now there is someone that takes fashion seriously! Having trouble walking and needs a cane, but still gonna wear her heels! Gotta love it!
The 3rd was my birthday, yet another year of wrinkles to add to the collection. Women think they have it bad trying to remain or feel attractive as they age. Try being a guy getting old and still trying to look like an attractive woman - sigh. I HATE my birthday . . .
"Scary scary! There's a bad snowman trying to get Scooby and Shaggy!"
Your gonna have to trust me on this, you have never heard anything as cute as a 3 year old saying "Scooby and Shaggy". At first we had some trouble understanding what she was trying to tell us so we asked her to repeat herself once or twice. Getting exasperated that we just were not getting it, she tried to clarify things.
"The bad snowman! The abom...the admo...the barnacle snowman is trying to get Scooby and Shaggy!"
I guess she just couldn't say "abominable" so it became a barnacle snowman! We spent the rest of the weekend laughing about the barnacle snowman.
So I was in the Austin airport this morning when I saw something that struck my funny bone. A woman in three inch heels...and a cane. Now there is someone that takes fashion seriously! Having trouble walking and needs a cane, but still gonna wear her heels! Gotta love it!
The 3rd was my birthday, yet another year of wrinkles to add to the collection. Women think they have it bad trying to remain or feel attractive as they age. Try being a guy getting old and still trying to look like an attractive woman - sigh. I HATE my birthday . . .
Tuesday, August 28, 2007
Watch the Stars Come Out
(August 28, 2007)
Warning - proud parent moment coming:
So after I got home from work and ate dinner, I headed outside to paint the house. We just had the siding replaced a month or so ago, but due to all of the rain in the Austin area, we haven't really been able to get out and get it painted. Almost $8,000 worth of work and lumber that's gonna start rotting if not protected! At some point while I'm out playing with the paint and the mosquito's my wife bathed our 4 year old and started the process of getting the little critter to bed. By the time I got into the house, cleaned up, and to her bed to kiss her good night, it's almost 100% dark outside.
The first thing I noticed as I walked into her room is that her curtains are pulled wide open.
The next thing I notice is that rather than at the head of the bed like most of us would have it, my daughter has moved her pillow to the side farthest away from the window, and she is laying sideways on the bed and starting up and out of the window.
"What ya doing with your pillow over there critter?" I asked her.
"I'm looking out the window," she said matter of factually, as if explaining something to an idiot.
"Not much to see up there is there?" I asked, knowing that her room is on the second floor and given the angle of the bed, all she can see is up and out.
"I'm watching for the stars Poppa. You wanna sit with me and watch the stars come out?"
Call me crazy, but that's got to be the one of the sweetest offers I have ever had! I sat behind her, next to her bed for a while, petting her hair and talking to her as we watched the stars come out to play. I suppose it's a good thing it was dark - it just wouldn't do to have her know how easy her Poppa tears up.
Have I mentioned that life is pretty good these days?
Warning - proud parent moment coming:
So after I got home from work and ate dinner, I headed outside to paint the house. We just had the siding replaced a month or so ago, but due to all of the rain in the Austin area, we haven't really been able to get out and get it painted. Almost $8,000 worth of work and lumber that's gonna start rotting if not protected! At some point while I'm out playing with the paint and the mosquito's my wife bathed our 4 year old and started the process of getting the little critter to bed. By the time I got into the house, cleaned up, and to her bed to kiss her good night, it's almost 100% dark outside.
The first thing I noticed as I walked into her room is that her curtains are pulled wide open.
The next thing I notice is that rather than at the head of the bed like most of us would have it, my daughter has moved her pillow to the side farthest away from the window, and she is laying sideways on the bed and starting up and out of the window.
"What ya doing with your pillow over there critter?" I asked her.
"I'm looking out the window," she said matter of factually, as if explaining something to an idiot.
"Not much to see up there is there?" I asked, knowing that her room is on the second floor and given the angle of the bed, all she can see is up and out.
"I'm watching for the stars Poppa. You wanna sit with me and watch the stars come out?"
Call me crazy, but that's got to be the one of the sweetest offers I have ever had! I sat behind her, next to her bed for a while, petting her hair and talking to her as we watched the stars come out to play. I suppose it's a good thing it was dark - it just wouldn't do to have her know how easy her Poppa tears up.
Have I mentioned that life is pretty good these days?
Saturday, August 25, 2007
Life is Good
In responding to someone's post on CD.com, I was reminded of this and thought it might make a decent blog entry.
About a year and half ago, my daughter was in the hospital for a week with RSV aggravated by asthma. At 2 years old this can be a fairly serious situation, and of course my wife and I stayed with her in the hospital for the entire time. Any of you that have children will understand the torment you feel as a a parent when you watch your little one suffer and know there is nothing you can do to make it better.
At the time I had grown a little disenchanted with my job and perhaps to some extent with my life in general. I grew convinced that I could get a better paying job somewhere else, where my talents would be recognized, and everyone would acknowledge that I was awesome, etc, etc. I was clearly suffering from "The grass is greener on the other side of the hill" syndrome. and this event was a great wake up call. Even though I was scheduled to work with one of our largest customers here in Austin, my manager gave me zero grief and assured me that there was no problem with my staying with my daughter as long as it took. He flew another engineer in to cover the job I was supposed to be doing and put them up for the entire week while I stayed with my daughter.
Several times a day I had to walk by the waiting room for the children's surgery - any time I went to get clothes, get something to eat, etc. Every time you would see couples in the hall sobbing as they held each other waiting to find out if the most precious part of their life was going to make it or not. Those that weren't crying had the "thousand yard" stare, lost in their own misery, hopes, and fears. I started to wonder what they were going through, what was their story. I came to realize that more than likely, some of them had children that were NOT going to be all right. Some of them had children that had serious problems that were not going to be resolved now, but would linger on for months or years, and may well result in death.
This was a pivotal moment in my life when I realized that my life was GOOD, and two years later this lesson remains very vivid with me.
MY daughter WOULD be going home soon and she WOULD be all right.
My son, my wife, and myself were all in good health.
I have a wife who loves me as much as I love her an that's a lot.
I have a good home.
I like my job and they DO like and respect me and they proved it when the cards were down.
I suppose my point is this. If you feel like your life sucks, and you think you have it bad, try to remember that right now there are hundreds or thousands of couples around the world clinging to each other and sobbing. If you aren't one of them, you need to step back and realize that YOUR life is pretty darn good right now.
About a year and half ago, my daughter was in the hospital for a week with RSV aggravated by asthma. At 2 years old this can be a fairly serious situation, and of course my wife and I stayed with her in the hospital for the entire time. Any of you that have children will understand the torment you feel as a a parent when you watch your little one suffer and know there is nothing you can do to make it better.
At the time I had grown a little disenchanted with my job and perhaps to some extent with my life in general. I grew convinced that I could get a better paying job somewhere else, where my talents would be recognized, and everyone would acknowledge that I was awesome, etc, etc. I was clearly suffering from "The grass is greener on the other side of the hill" syndrome. and this event was a great wake up call. Even though I was scheduled to work with one of our largest customers here in Austin, my manager gave me zero grief and assured me that there was no problem with my staying with my daughter as long as it took. He flew another engineer in to cover the job I was supposed to be doing and put them up for the entire week while I stayed with my daughter.
Several times a day I had to walk by the waiting room for the children's surgery - any time I went to get clothes, get something to eat, etc. Every time you would see couples in the hall sobbing as they held each other waiting to find out if the most precious part of their life was going to make it or not. Those that weren't crying had the "thousand yard" stare, lost in their own misery, hopes, and fears. I started to wonder what they were going through, what was their story. I came to realize that more than likely, some of them had children that were NOT going to be all right. Some of them had children that had serious problems that were not going to be resolved now, but would linger on for months or years, and may well result in death.
This was a pivotal moment in my life when I realized that my life was GOOD, and two years later this lesson remains very vivid with me.
MY daughter WOULD be going home soon and she WOULD be all right.
My son, my wife, and myself were all in good health.
I have a wife who loves me as much as I love her an that's a lot.
I have a good home.
I like my job and they DO like and respect me and they proved it when the cards were down.
I suppose my point is this. If you feel like your life sucks, and you think you have it bad, try to remember that right now there are hundreds or thousands of couples around the world clinging to each other and sobbing. If you aren't one of them, you need to step back and realize that YOUR life is pretty darn good right now.
Monday, August 20, 2007
I met Nicole Meadows and Moon Baby!
I got to meet Nicole Meadows and Moon Baby - nanny nanny booh booh! It turns out that by happy coincidence they are going to be in the Dallas Area the same day that I am going to be there.
Now that I have your attention, I'm gonna bore the hell outta ya. (Don't worry, we'll get back to that story in a second)
Frazzled. That was my day pretty much from start to end - frazzled.
I'd have to back up a little to put it into context and give you any idea why I was so frazzled.
I've been on the road for work three Saturdays in the last 30 days or so, then last week my flights home from my service call on Friday were screwed up with multiple delays. The plane coming in that was to be used for our flight out was late by 40 minutes. When it landed they had to call maintenance because a bird had the audacity to commit suicide on the wind shield. Flight takes off about an hour and a half late and I'm thinking I just might make my connection after all. EEEHHHHH - WRONG! The pilot comes on the intercom to explain that due to a storm we will be circling Atlanta for 45 minutes. Oh goody. Missed my connection and the next one going to Austin didn't leave until 10PM. WRONG - it was of course delayed and didn't leave until after 11PM. By the time I got my bag and my car and made the drive home it was after 2AM.
TMI follows - you might want to skip this paragraph.
/BEGIN TMI.
I think I mentioned that I have this wonderful condition called Erythema nodosum. More or less, it results in very large bruises just miraculously appearing all over my legs for no reason, no known cause, and no cure. Ironically enough it is a primarily female problem so perhaps fate is getting a kick out of it. Like "hey, watch this! This one wants to be a girl! Let's chuck 'em a curve ball and see how he likes it!"
Anyway, it got to the point where it hurt to stand and it hurt to sit - purty well screwed, so despite getting in so late I got up early and went to the Scott and White clinic to see what they could do for the swelling and they gave me steroids. Yeh, just what a guy trying to look female wants - steroids. NOT. These things make me just jittery and nervous as hell. I mean we are talking a crack addict on over drive. Not the energy the crack addict has mind you, just the jitters and jumpiness.
\END TMI
So Monday morning I head north to Dallas. Due to my work load the week before, I've never even had the chance to call the customer I'm going to visit and so I call him on the way. It turns out the problem he is having is NOT what he described to my manager, and not what my manager described to me. So an hour into my trip I have discovered that I probably don't have the appropriate parts to fix it. I'm burnt out, jumpy as a long tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs, and I know I'm headed for almost certain failure. In the Army we had a term for this - it's SNAFU. Many people have seen this acronym but I bet a lot of you may not know what it stands for: "Situation Normal, All F#&$@d Up!"
I get to our office in Dallas where I have been asked to help them set up a test stand I created years ago to work with a new instrument. Of course the instrument is from a huge customer of ours, they need it ASAP, and it can't be tested until I set the stand up for it. I had thought this was going to be a simple matter of adding some info to a data file, a 10 minute job. Wrong. I had to actually edit the software, and we are talking about a very old compiler called QBasic and I had long since moved away from it and can hardly remember anything about it or the program I had written using it. I had expected it to take 10 minutes - It took all day.
So I get to the hotel at about 430PM and start to get ready to meet Nicole and MB for dinner. This was an unusual situation for me and I just couldn't be pleased with me or my appearance. Most of the time when I go to meet someone for the first time, it's someone I've chatted with once or twice, or maybe someone that a friend has recommended. While I wouldn't care to be thought poorly of by anyone, I'm not going to loose any sleep if most of these folks aren't impressed with me. Nicole and MB are different for me. I've chatted with them a lot on a forum, in yahoo 360, and Yahoo Messenger over the last few months. These are people that I have grown to like and respect over the internet and their opinion MATTERS to me. It doesn't help that given the popularity of their 360 pages, I feel like these two are almost famous. I'm going to dinner with THE Nicole and MB! So several hours later I give up on the makeup and decide this is as good as it gets.
Thinking we were to meet at 7:30PM, I called Nicole just before 7 to see if they were almost there. This is where I find out that apparently I was even more frazzled than I had thought because I was supposed to meet them at 6:30 to 7, NOT 7:30 to 8 as I had been thinking. On her first night out, I have left Nicole sitting in a restaurant with out the support of another T friend she had been counting on. Way to go Kimberly - your off to a great start with these folks.
So I get there late and as I walk in the door I see this very pretty young lady walking up to me with a smile - it's Moon Baby (MB)! She looks wonderful and is wearing a great dress that is just the right combination of cute and flirty. She is SO adorable! Kind and wonderful eyes that are so expressive - it would be easy to get lost looking in there. One look in her eyes and you just knew that Nicole had chosen (or been chosen) well.
So we say all the usual things for people that have just met and she walks me back to their table where I meet Nicole. Nicole is just as you would imagine from her 360 page - intelligent, well spoken, and beautiful. She ALSO has very deep and caring eyes - it's easy to see part of what these two may have seen n each other. As you may have noticed, I'm big on eyes. I'm a firm believer that you can "judge" (for lack of a better word) the character of a person by using very few words and taking a good long look in their eyes. They are good people - you know that immediately.
So I want to describe what they are like but they don't fit comfortably into most of the categories you would typically try and use! Well, let's give it a shot anyway! They are both skinny, and yes I hated them for it! :-) Nicole is a bit on the tall side, MB is . . . not. In less than 5 minutes with MB you felt like part of the family. She is smart, friendly, talkative, animated, and expressive. Almost immediately MB is sharing herself with you, no act, no facade, no mask - you are talking to the real person.
Nicole is every bit as friendly but maybe a bit more reserved. She gives the impression that she taking it all in and is just filled with pent up energy waiting to go BOOM!. Like a race horse just before the gate is opened, or a muscle car just before it roars to life as you turn the key that first click. She just radiates this pent up energy, this attitude of excitement, and it's infectious. I remember my first night out around people - I was scared to death. Not Nicole. She sat there smiling, appearing completely comfortable and pretty much giving the impression that she damn well belonged out in the world.
We had a great meal, talked a lot, and just enjoyed the evening! I hope we will get to meet again, perhaps when I am not so frazzled so that maybe I wont make a fool outta myself!
Wonderful people - I hope you get the chance to meet them.
Got back to the hotel . . . and discovered my card key doesn't work in the door. Didn't matter how many times I slid the darn think in and out of the lock, I kept getting the red led and the locked door. I got stubborn thinking if I just keep trying it's bound to take it sooner or later! Well, no, no it wasn't bound to work, and no it didn't. All I could think of as I headed down the steps to the front desk was "Yup, SNAFU, no question, SNAFU". Of course things are getting better - as far as disasters while dressed, this sure beats the hell outta getting your car towed or stuck on a curb.
What do ya know, the folks behind the counter treated me just like a "normal" human being when I walked up, put the key card on the desk and said "This wonderful little widget no worky". She asks me for my room number, then runs the card through the programmer. She looks at me and proves she is sharp and thoughtful! Rather then say "Mr Huddle?" she pauses and says instead "Last name Huddle?" I almost giggled as I said "uh huh" and wanted to hug her just for caring enough to make that little gesture.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)