Party Notes

Here are some comments regarding the company Christmas party I attended on Thursday.

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All my previous femulations among my co-workers was with blonde hairdos, so when I showed up as a brunette on Thursday, some people did not recognize me.

While standing in line for the buffet, the co-worker in front of me remarked that she had no idea who I was because I looked so different as a brunette. She added that I looked gorgeous as a brunette.

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Although I had a great time celebrating the holidays with my former co-workers, it was also a little depressing to hear the news I missed during the past year. One co-worker's son committed suicide, another co-worker was diagnosed with colon cancer, and the company is being sold (again), which may result in my division disappearing.

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Good news is that I reached my weight loss goal this week. Bad news is that I now have a closet full of shoes that no longer fit. I had no idea that losing weight would result in reducing my shoe size as well as my dress size.

I plan to go through my collection and see what fits and what doesn't fit. Every cloud has a silver lining, so I assume I will also find shoes that were too small six months ago that now fit.

I discovered my shrinking foot problem when I tried on the Nine West metallic platform pumps a few days before wearing them out. They were very loose and after a few steps, I would lose one shoe or the other.

Being a stubborn fashionista, I was determined to wear those shoes with my new dress to the Christmas party, so I inserted heel liners in each shoe. The liners helped and I did not lose a shoe throughout the day, but often I had to clench my foot when it felt like a shoe was not going my way. So they are destined for the "do not fit" division of my shoe wardrobe.

Wearing Boston Proper (Source: Boston Proper)

Alan Sues femulates Jo Anne Worley on television's Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In.

Company Christmas Party

Thursday, I attended my former employer's Christmas luncheon party.

I wore the Julia Jordan gunmetal fit-and-flare dress, Dress Barn off-black pin-dot tights and Nine West metallic platform pumps. Instead of accessorizing with silver jewelry as I originally planned, my wife suggested I wear something colorful for the holidays, so I wore a red necklace and red earrings.

As I began to fill my old tired-looking black handbag, my daughter gave me an early Christmas present: a red Kate Spade handbag! I was so surprised and happy with her generous gift that I almost started to cry, but I held back my tears so as not to ruin my makeup.

I left the house and drove to the banquet hall hosting the luncheon. Usually I wear my heels when I drive, but the platform pumps are about a half-inch higher than my usual footwear and that half-inch or so made it difficult to manipulate the three pedals under the dashboard, so I wore flats to drive and switched to heels when I arrived at the banquet hall.

I entered the hall and when I checked my coat, the three women staffing the front of the hall said they loved my outfit. One said she wanted to buy shoes like mine.

I found a seat at a table with my former co-workers and it was just like last year's Christmas luncheon when I wrote, "It was as if I showed up in boy mode." Folks greeted and chatted with me like old times. The fact that I was presenting as a woman made no difference.

Reflecting on what I wrote last year "...as if I showed up in boy mode," I realize now that it did not matter if I showed up in boy mode or girl mode. Rather it mattered that I showed up in Stan mode. In a dress or slacks, I am the same person that my former co-workers knew for 20 years and I think most of them were glad to know me just as I was glad to know them.

Wearing Unique Vintage (Source: Unique Vintage)

Joe Regalbuto femulates in a 1990 episode of television's The Love Boat.

Good News

I want to thank you all again for your condolences regarding my dog's death.

It has been a very bumpy road the past two weeks, so it was great to finally receive some good news. Mid-morning Friday, out of the blue, I received an e-mail from the administrator of the CEO at my former employer inviting me to the company's annual Christmas luncheon.

Last year, I was invited to the luncheon after my mid-year retirement and I attended en femme leaving no doubt in my former co-workers' minds that I was trans. (Where did they get that idea? Maybe going to work en femme five Halloweens in a row had something to do with it.)

It was anticlimactic last year. It was as if I showed up in boy mode. Except for one female co-worker, who said she loved my skirt, no one mentioned my feminine outfit or the fact that I was presenting as a woman. Everyone called me "Stan" and socialized with me as they always had in the past.

I expect the same when I attend later this month and I am looking forward to seeing my old friends again.

Wearing Bebe (Source: Bebe)

Norman Wisdom femulates in the 1963 British film A Stitch in Time.

All Dressed Up, But...

Shopping this time of year, I often encounter a dress for sale that would be perfect to wear to a holiday party. And I often buy what I find with the hope that I will have the occasion to wear it.

Want to know how many sparkly dresses are hanging in my closet that I have never worn? They are to-die-for dresses and I am dying to wear them if only I get invited to a holiday party.

I did get invited to my former employer's Christmas luncheon/party last year where I did dress pretty, but now that I left the building over a year and a half ago, I doubt I will get invited back this year.

And so it goes!

Wearing Boston Proper (Source: Boston Proper)

My 2017 holiday luncheon outfit.

All or Nothing

I was very concerned about my weight during the long holiday weekend. After some ups and downs, I am happy to report that my weight before and after the weekend is the same.

Tomorrow is another day out for this woman. I am scheduled to do outreach at a human sexuality class after noon and will probably do a little shopping before the class and grab a bite to eat after the class.

The local Avon reps were talking about getting together for a Christmas party, but the plans have not jelled yet, so I don't know if I will be joining the other girls for our annual Avon rep get-together.

Visions of going to work as a woman are still dancing in my head. My mind is made up that if I do it, it will be daily and not an occasional when-I'm-in-the-mood thing. I think consistency is critical in order to impress upon the civilians that I am trans. And it will also help me get used to the routine of presenting a woman every day.

And so it goes.

Wearing Alice + Olivia.

Casa Valentina on the Miami stage, 2015.

Short and Sweet

Tuesday evening was the local Avon representative Christmas party. I took Tuesday afternoon off to do some things around the house and then get ready for the party.

My getting ready routine was different on Tuesday due to the dress I was planning to wear. It had a very narrow collar and I found out the hard way when I tried the dress on that it was impossible to get my head through the collar without smudging my makeup and soiling the dress.

So I dressed first and then did my makeup. To prevent my makeup from getting on my dress, I wore a big old T-shirt over the dress and I tucked tissues in around the collar of the dress. It worked perfectly; I got my makeup to go where I wanted it to go and not where I did not want it to go.

I was ready early. The party was at 6:30 PM and it was only 4:30, so I decided to go to Serphora at the Brass Mill Center mall in Waterbury to buy a gift card for my daughter.

Brass Mill Center was a new venue for this girl. I was born and raised in Waterbury and have family, friends and acquaintances there, so I usually avoid going en femme in my old hometown.

I am sure no one would recognize me as a woman, but they might recognize my car and its distinctive license plates. But since it would be dark by the time I arrived at the mall, I figured it would be safe, so I drove to Waterbury.

The parking lot was packed ― no surprise considering the time of year, but I scored a spot near a mall entrance, entered the mall and walked to the Sephora section of JCPenney.

It was all for naught. The gift cards that they sold could only be used in a Sephora store that was imbedded in a JCPenney store. Since my daughter shops in a variety of Sephora outlets, as well as online, that would not do. So I returned to my car and drove to the site of the party.

By the way, while I was walking through the mall, guys were checking me out, which was quite flattering for this very mature woman as well as a big ego boost, so my mall visit was not a complete loss!

I arrived at the party at 6:30 on the dot. I checked in and found a seat with a group of women, who I did not know, but welcomed me to join them.

As in the past, I was probably the nicest dressed woman in the room of approximately 50 women. Most were dressed in neat slacks and tops, while some were dressed not so neatly and in my opinion, did a poor job of representing the company they represent. 

The woman who invited me to sit at her table lived in my town and was very friendly. We chit-chatted about where we live, about the business of selling Avon and about the cold temperature of the hall (and wasn't I freezing in my sleeveless dress?).

The party started with our district manager making a presentation recognizing the sales leaders. In the middle of her presentation, my cell phone rang ― a call from home about a health emergency that necessitated me leaving the party and going home to attend to the emergency.

I was upset that I had to leave the party just as it started, but I was even more upset about my family health emergency. My family has had one health issue after another for over a year and we are all getting very tired of it.

It was a short night out en femme, but a short night out en femme is better than no night out en femme!

 

 

 

Wearing New York & Company.

 

 

 

By popular demand, another photo of actor Ben Porter in the 2004 film School of Seduction.

A Very She & Him Christmas

I attended the local Avon representative Christmas party Tuesday evening, but am composing this Tuesday morning, so as I write this, I don’t know what happened at the party yet! Perhaps I will have time to post a photo from the party before I go to bed Tuesday night. If not, as Ms. O’Hara would say, “Tomorrow is another day.”

Anyway, I am a big Buddy Holly fan and awhile back, I bought “Rave On” – a Buddy Holly tribute CD on which various contemporary artists recorded Buddy Holly songs in their own style.

I had the MP3 queued up on my Apple Victrola the other day and after hearing She & Him’s version of Oh Boy!, I fell in love with that group’s female vocalist and wanted to hear more. So I started sampling other tunes by She & Him, liked what I heard and eventually purchased all five of their albums!

Curious about who was She & Him, I explored the Internet and quickly discovered that the female vocalist of the band is actress Zooey Deschanel.

I had no idea!

 

 

 

Wearing Bebe.

 

 

 

Britney Smith in her Christmas dress.

Every Cloud Has A Silver Lining

Have you noticed lately the ads on television for law firms willing to sue pharmaceutical companies whose drugs caused boys to have Gynecomastia? Personally, when it comes to Gynecomastia, it has been a cup half empty or cup half full scenario.

In my youth, the cup was half empty.

My peers abused me and bullied me because I was a feminine boy, which was bad enough. Revealing my breasts would just give my abusers more ammunition, so I avoided participating in any activities that involved going topless because when I did go topless, it did not always go well.

For example, I will never forget a game of touch football at a family picnic. I was unlucky enough to be on the skins team and my breasts were bouncing around during every play and became the object everybody's attention. When one of my uncles made a crack that some of the players needed bras, I was so embarrassed that I had to hold back the tears.

However, as I got older and began to embrace my womanhood, I learned to appreciate my feminine body. When I wore a revealing blouse, I discovered the joys of Gynecomastia ― add some push-up bra inserts and a little makeup and my breasts rivaled many women's breasts.

Today, I am proud of my breasts. They bring me joy because they so represent being a woman and I am proud that I am a woman. Even when I am in boy mode, I just have to touch my breasts to remind me that I am a woman and it brings a smile to my face.

So, as an adult, the cup is half full (actually, the cups are nearly full).

By the way, the photo above was taken after I got dressed to attend the Avon representative Christmas party in 2012. I missed last year's party because of a snowstorm, but the forecast is good for tonight, so I will be attending the 2014 installment of the Avon rep Christmas party this evening.

 

 

 

Wearing DailyLook.

 

 

 

Professional femulator Terry Durham, circa 1973.

Overdressed

I have never underdressed (see Saturday’s post), but I have overdressed on occasion. And on one occasion, I was way overdressed (above). The occasion was the first Avon representative Christmas party I ever attended.

Most Christmas parties I attended in the past were dressy affairs, so I assumed that the Avon Christmas party would also be a dressy affair. It was not and you can read about my uncomfortable December 2006 evening here.



 

Wearing Eva Franco.

Two femulators, circa 1930.

Words of Wednesday

flickr… Argh!

My flickr account is messed up again. It was reset to free status and 200 images maximum a few days ago. I have a new complaint into flickr and hope the problem will get fixed once and for all or I will take my business elsewhere.

Off Broadway

Aunty Marlena alerted me to a new off-Broadway dance, Summer's Different, about a married with children transwoman. Here is the New York Times review of the dance.

My Dance Card is Filling Up

Yesterday afternoon, I was invited to a party after my ham radio group's banquet next Friday at Hamvention. The party is at a hotel 7 miles from the banquet hall, so I am definitely stopping by.

Google Hitchcock

If you are a fan of Alfred Hitchcock films like I am, visit Google today and view their video honoring Saul Bass, Hitchcock's master of film titles. It is very cool!

 

Advertisement for comedian Tim McNiven’s UK stand-up show Emasculated, 2012.

 

 

 

Wearing Alice + Olivia (top), Love Letter (skirt), and Marc by Marc Jacobs (bag).

Out Now

When this is posted this evening, I will be attending the Avon representative Christmas party.

I promise to post a full report about the party real soon now!