Tighter than I wished, but stronger than you think

A couple of weekends ago, I put these on my person:

The sweater first:  It was, as I recall, a relatively chilly weekend in Madison, and this black sweater provided some necessary comfort while I headed out to a support group meeting.  (Oh, pay no mind to that middle button looking askew.)

Our worth

The other day, I went back on Flickr, not to post any new photos (not yet anyway), but to see how more glamorous — and more germane to this post’s topic, how more profound — the people I follow on Flickr are compared to myself.  Well, what can I say?  I’m a very modest person.

Just a dress in black and white

I’ve just enough energy and, on this last day of August, time to share a teensy bit of eye candy for all you peoples.

More than a few moons ago, I bought this cotton, black-and-white-striped bodycon dress at Forever 21 and wore it for my forty-tenth birthday.  (Told you it was many moons ago!)  Believe it or not, I was thisclose to wearing it at OutReach Magic PRIDE on the 20th.  But knowing that afternoon would be a very hot and sticky one (as it indeed turned out to be), no one would love seeing someone in a body-constricting dress sweating up a storm — least of all me.

But while I (wisely) wore something lighter and not as tight on that Sunday afternoon, I kept this dress on the hanger and brought it out the following Friday, paring it with a black belt and my best pair of wedge heels.

With autumn closing in and summer’s on the wane (well, apart from what’s supposed to be a hot Labor Day weekend), the light and frilly will have to take a back seat to warmer outfits such as this one.  No matter the option, however, it’s always a delight to dress up.

A comfy dress for a night at the theater

A spoiler alert to an upcoming post:  At the end of June, I attended some of Stage Q’s “Capital Q” performances.  And on one night during that weekend, I attended as Allison!

And this is the outfit I wore on that Saturday night!  The dress is a simple, all-polyester lace-like piece I found from the Who What Wear rack at Target just a few… uh, let’s just say it was a few moons ago.  The dress is perfect for summer, in that it’s light in both color (off white) and weight (the fabric is not heavy at all), not to mention simple in design (only the sleeves are frilly).

A little bit of time well spent

If there’s one thing that a crossdresser like me — well, at the very least just me — needs to remind the rest of the world — well, aside from the fact that we are real and we aren’t deviant — it’s this:  We do not spend every waking moment dressed up en femme.

Love sweet love

So, Valentine’s Day was on the calendar a couple of days ago.  As I’m sure every jeweler, lingerie shop, and confectionery company has reminded you, Valentine’s Day has been a day traditionally meant for displaying romance or affection for the ones you truly love.  Or at the very least telling those you seriously care about, “Yeah, what Hallmark says on this card here.”

Okay, that’s what the average guy would say.  Truth be told, that’s what I say as well when it comes to telling loved ones “Have a happy Valentine’s Day.”  I’ve never been the greatest of wordsmiths — in male or female mode — but somehow I always find a card or two (or several) that seems to hit the sweet spot in the hearts of my nieces, my mother, and my best friend.  And even though they may not send me a Valentine’s card in return (well, my friend does at least) they are very, very appreciative.  I know because they all texted me to say “thank you.”

As a very, very single person, I have long accepted Valentine’s Day is more than showering candy and cards and whatnot on the person you want to do the horizontal bop with.  Love means having an appreciation for those who make your heart swell up with joy.  My nieces are four prime examples of that in my life.  So, too, is my supportive and accepting friend, who one of these days I’d love to have some sort of a “Galentine’s Day” to-do with.

Here’s hoping that on Valentine’s Day (or whenever), all of you have wished to a special someone you’re not attached to, “I love you for who you are, for what you mean to me, and for how happy you make me.”

Some January, I’ll get around to dressing up

It’s the last day of January as I write this, and I have a confession to make:  I haven’t dressed up as Allison all month.  It’s true, not one skirt, not one wig, not even pantyhose underneath my male-mode jeans.  Heck, not even those pink silk pajamas that still fit me.

What I’m doing (and not doing) today

^{Image source: OutReachMagicFestival.org}

It’s early on a Sunday morning in late-August as I write this, and today will be a busy, hopefully fun day for yours truly.  I’m planning to get all dolled up and attend the Magic PRIDE Festival!  It’s an annual summertime event put on by Madison’s LGBT+ community center, OutReach.  The 2022 event’s promotional poster is what you see above, and, yes, I know, there are a lot of sponsors.  It’s a double-edged sword in that the bills to put on the show need to be paid somehow, but there are also those in our rainbow community who disdain the sight of how we’re considered nothing more than an advertising demographic.

Allison empties a bookmark about being gay in the rural life

In this post and the next one I’ll publish momentarily, I’ll be sharing some LGBT-related items I came across this week that you should seriously check out.  The first features this gentleman:

^{Image credit: Rodney Hagan via LGBTQNation.com}

His name is Logan Lee, and he works as a traveling nurse in his native Kentucky.  That’s rural Kentucky, if you haven’t guessed from the old barn, farm field, and mountain of trees in the background.

Brighter is better

As I mentioned in passing in my last post, I got dolled up, brought up the camera, and did a few poses.  Which was fun to do, let me make clear.  But…

Well, let’s just say that while what you see in the mirror staring back at you may look awesome, sometimes that rockin’ feeling isn’t always captured well by the camera.  Consider the above photo, where I’m trying to rock this cute rainbow hearts shirt, denim-like skirt, and a hairstyle that’s longer and darker than the style that usually flatters my facial features.

Okay, this is a little better.  I adjusted the camera’s position to capture less of the late afternoon/early evening shadow my apartment building’s east side casts on our backyard.  Is there still some shadow?  Yes, but not as much as on the previous picture.

Oh, perhaps you notice how my hair is having a split personality.  This style was right out of the bag it came in (yes, it’s store bought), and it shows.  Yes, it looks soft and supple on my left side, but it’s clearly showing knots and tangles and frizzes on the right side.  Perhaps I’ll save this hair for Halloween.

Ah, now we’re talking a flattering photo.  I swapped out that long, red mane for my trusty, go-to hair style of short and bright.  It’s not set perfectly in this picture, but it’s a style that seems to suit me best.  I also remembered to put on this pink jacket I found the weekend before at St. Vincent de Paul.  Yes, the sleeves may make appear oversized on me, but it kept me warm this early Saturday evening when things got a little bit nippy temperature wise (a far cry from the heat Madison is experiencing as I write this; amazing how we go from springtime chill to summer-like mugginess in just a few days).

And how did it get so bright, you ask?  Well, I turned the camera toward the east, when the early evening sun was casting its light on the apartment buildings on the other side of our block.  I think that’s what caused my camera’s flash to pop up and kick in when it was supposed to.  I always feel fortunate when the camera flash captures all of my good sides.

So, yeah, not every photo I take is a winner.  But as I hinted up top, dressing up as Allison and taking a bad picture is better than not dressing up as Allison at all. 😉