Best Foot Forward

After the varicose veins were removed from my leg last Monday, I had to wear a compression stocking for five days (or more if I felt like it).

The stocking is opaque and hides the blacks and blues, scabs and hairs on my healing leg. But being opaque, it gives me a good idea how my leg will look after it is healed and shaved.

I was anxious to see how my leg will look in girl mode, so Sunday I applied minimal makeup, slipped on my wig and undies and took some selfies while posing in a few outfits. The best selfie of the photoshoot appears in the "About Stana" slot in the right hand column of this blog.

Doctor says it will take about a month to heal and when that occurs, I plan to slip on a pair of sheer hose, dress to nines and go out to celebrate.

Wearing Intermix (Source: Intermix)

Brothers (circa 1910)

The Someday Funnies

A few weeks ago, Amazon suggested some books for me to purchase including one titled The Someday Funnies.

The Someday Funnies is the long-awaited collection of comic strips created in the early 1970s by world-famous artists and writers such as C. C. Beck, René Goscinny, Harvey Kurtzman, Jack Kirby, Moebius, Art Spiegelman, and Gahan Wilson. What started out as a special insert for Rolling Stone took on a life—and mythology—of its own as writer/editor Michel Choquette traveled the world, commissioning this visual chronicle of the 1960s, only to find himself without a publishing partner or the financial support to continue. Forty years later, readers finally get to experience this legendary anthology as Choquette celebrates the birth, death, and resurrection of The Someday Funnies—129 previously unpublished strips by 169 writers and artists.

I was surprised! When I came up with the title for my weekly attempts at humor, I thought my "Someday Funnies" was original. Despite owning hundreds of books about comic strips and comic books, I was not aware of the book The Someday Funnies. And I do not recall seeing The Someday Funnies insert in Rolling Stone despite religiously reading that newspaper during the 1960s and 1970s. So that title was not imbedded in my subconscious only to turn up when I was trying name my blog's weekly amusements. But you never know.

Anyway, I ordered the book. It is a bargain: a hardcover book for $10.59 and it is huge. I had no idea how huge until the mail lady delivered a big flat package on Saturday — the dimensions of the 216-page book are 12 x 16 x 1 inches!

I only had time to browse through the book, but I did notice one strip (by Harry Buckinx) that was transgender-oriented and I also noticed contributions from two transgender comic artists, Vaughn Bodē and Jefferey Catherine Jones.

By the way, buyer beware because some of the contents of the book is adult-oriented, if you know what I mean.

Wearing Bebe (Source: Bebe)

Charles Demetri, womenswear model

Someday Funnies

Wearing Boston Proper (Source: Boston Proper)

Diedrich Bader femulates in the 1993 film The Beverly Hillbillies.

What I'm Reading Now

Cathy's Comeback Dress

I read a lot!

At any time, I am typically working my way through three or four books simultaneously. Lately, it has been three books: a radio history book and two trans-related books.

The Airwaves of New York: Illustrated Histories of 156 AM Stations in the Metropolitan Area, 1921-1996 by Bill Jaker, Frank Sulek and Peter Kanze.

"This heavily illustrated history traces the development of AM radio in the New York metropolitan area. While technical information and program schedules are fully covered, the work also provides unique insight into radio's influence on the development of the city. The photographs reinforce the sense of change brought about by the medium."

Transgender History: The Roots of Today's Revolution, Second Edition by Susan Stryker

"Covering American transgender history from the mid-twentieth century to today, Transgender History takes a chronological approach to the subject of transgender history, with each chapter covering major movements, writings, and events. Chapters cover the transsexual and transvestite communities in the years following World War II; trans radicalism and social change, which spanned from 1966 with the publication of The Transsexual Phenomenon, and lasted through the early 1970s; the mid-'70s to 1990-the era of identity politics and the changes witnessed in trans circles through these years; and the gender issues witnessed through the '90s and '00s.

"Transgender History includes informative sidebars highlighting quotes from major texts and speeches in transgender history and brief biographies of key players, plus excerpts from transgender memoirs and discussion of treatments of transgenderism in popular culture."

Trans Like Me: Conversations for All of Us by CN Lester

"A personal and culture-driven exploration of the most pressing questions facing the transgender community today, from a leading activist, musician, and academic

"In Trans Like Me, CN Lester takes readers on a measured, thoughtful, intelligent yet approachable tour through the most important and high-profile narratives around the trans community, turning them inside out and examining where we really are in terms of progress. From the impact of the media's wording in covering trans people and issues, to the way parenting gender variant children is portrayed, Lester brings their charged personal narrative to every topic and expertly lays out the work left to be done.

"Trans Like Me explores the ways that we are all defined by ideas of gender--whether we live as he, she, or they--and how we can strive for authenticity in a world that forces limiting labels."

On the blog front, two recent blog posts got my attention.

Faith DaBrooke of Adventures of a Gender Rebel fame, hopped on the wayback machine and presented an interesting gallery of annotated herstoric photos in her recent Some Old Favorites post.

Peter Lappin of Male Pattern Boldness fame, also hopped on the wayback machine and came up with a vintage pattern to sew a dress for his cousin Cathy's comeback. The circa 1959 dress is to-die-for and reminds me of something my mother might have sewn for herself or me.

Wearing Bebe (Source: Bebe)

Peter Lappin's cousin Cathy Lane

Well Wellness

I had two medical appointments today, one to check the condition of my leg after Monday's varicose vein removal and one with my general practitioner to check my wellness.

My leg checked out ok and all I have to do now is heal.

My wellness appointment went well, too. To tell you the truth, I was concerned about my wellness because I have not had a check-up since the last century and you never know. But I left the appointment a very happy camper. My bloodwork indicated that among other things, my cholesterol, electrolytics and prostate were good and I had no sign of diabetes.

The only thing left to do is a colonoscopy which is scheduled for next month.

And so it goes.

Wearing New York & Company (Source: New York & Company)

Grzegorz Wilk femulates Amanda Lear on Polish television's Twoja Twarz Brzmu Znajomo.

You're So Vein

My trip to the vein center yesterday went well. The procedure lasted about one hour and was relatively painless... just 15 to 20 brief pinches when the doctor was inserting pain meds or making holes to remove veins.

I could not view the procedure because of the location of my head relative to my leg, but it is just as well because I might have anticipated the pinches.

Near the end of the procedure, I asked the doctor what a vein looked like because I had never seen one in the flesh, so he showed me a vein he had just removed from my leg and it looked like hollow spaghetti with some red sauce.

I go back tomorrow for an ultrasound to make sure everything is copacetic.

Rodney To (in pink) femulating in a 2012 episode of television's Modern Family.

To the Vain Center (pun intended)

I have been busy going to doctors and dentists lately. No bad news, but it has affected my blogging time resulting in a scarcity of posts.

I am going to have the varicose veins in my left leg removed today. First time I had this done about 25 years ago, I had to go to the hospital where they put me under and surgically stripped the offending veins. 

Today, they will do it in the doctor's office (called a "vein center") by giving me a local, inserting a catheter into the vein and use radio waves to heat it and close it. Then they will remove the bulging veins using tiny stab incisions that usually do not require sutures to heal. The bulging veins are extracted through the incisions. 

I hope I can watch, but I bet they won't let me.

Wearing Cools

David Guapo femulates Rebeca on Spain's version of television's Your Face Sounds Familiar.

Someday Funnies

Wearing Jovani

Sheet music for "The Fashion Girl" sung by professional femulator Tom Martelle

Big Deal

Crossdressing: Erotic Stories Kindle Edition is available today for $1.99 on Amazon.

(Source: Harper's Bazaar)

Female vs. Woman

Must Read Dept.

My BFF, Cyrsti of Cyrsti's Condo fame, took the words right out of my head when she wrote her Saturday post, Female vs Woman.

Poster Girls Dept.

A recent Moda Operandi e-mail advertisement (see above) can be a poster for us gurls on how not to femulate women.

The young 20-something models in the advertisement may be dressed appropriately for a Saturday girls' night out, but not for a lady's day out or even a lady's night out.

Unless you are very gifted in your appearance, dressing in public like the young women in the advertisement will brand you as something or other and neither is flattering. Someone might even call you (heaven forbid) a "transvestite."

Wearing Dress Barn (Source: Dress Barn)

The Three Stooges (Larry, Moe and Shemp) femulate in the 1950 short Self Made Maids.