Trick? Treat?

As October blooms into fruition many cross dressers find themselves fixating on the opportunities that are offered by the final day of the month.   The whole fancy dress Halloween thing is a lot bigger in America than it is over here, I'm not entirely sure where the traditions come from (although I suspect Ireland has a lot to answer for) but it is clearly a very big deal on the other side of the pond.

Looking on the good old interweb there is all sorts of stuff on how to spend money at this time of year, there is also an almost inexhaustible supply of Christian, reaction, advice and response to Halloween, some seeing it as a bit of harmless fun, others a direct link with the Occult, and then just about everything in between.   I don't think I am going to add much other than to say that it is something I am personally uncomfortable about, and a large part of that discomfort comes from my Christian beliefs.

Being both a Christian and English I choose not celebrate Halloween, but being trans I do understand the attraction of a free pass to go out in public cross dressed, without worrying what others may think, so I do find myself slightly conflicted.   There were occasions when I have been tempted to make the most of this opportunity myself and don a (fem) fancy dress costume for the day, so I fully understand the temptation, and for those who view this day simply as a cultural celebration of Autumn who will enjoy dressing up and expressing a side of themselves that they feel they cannot any other day of the year ~ I do hope you enjoy it.

Now that I no longer feel as though I am in costume when I go out, I rather fancy the idea of doing fancy dress, I would love to dress up as a pantomime leading boy, or something even more outrageous like Jessica Rabbit, but now that I can I don't have the chance.   It is now several years since I last went to a fancy dress party and on that occasion I went as Roger Rabbit, I suspect that I would now be a bit more adventurous.

However tempted (or not) I might be to join in with the Halloween dressing up extravaganza, that is the day when I will be flying out to Malta, and even though I have yet to decide what I will be wearing, it will not be fancy dress, just me quite possibly in a dress.

Everyone Needs a Little Fun Sometimes

Sometimes life can be a funny old thing.   Earlier in the week I was struggling with depression, I would wake up in the morning and have to force myself to get out of bed, starting work would be a real battle of will.   Once I would get started I was fine, but getting to that starting point..... Then I would get home, wash and change and even knowing I needed to go shopping I just couldn't be bothered to do it.

Then I just sort of felt a bit better, no idea why as Thursday evening I went out to a meeting about organising ext year's IDAHO event in Croydon.   The weather had been inclement so I was at home anyway, I wore a nice grey M & S knitted dress with moderate heels and a classic Windsmore overcoat.   A very classic elegant slightly informal outfit for a middle aged woman going to a meeting.   The meeting went, we did manage a couple of decisions and agreed t put off some others until nearer the date.   I have to say that it is nice to be involved in this, party because Paula needs have a complete life, not just fun, and part because it is always good to include the T in LGBT.

Feeling better I popped into a hostelry on my way to the bus stop for a quick half, only to be addressed as Sir by the manager.   Once again feeling a bit deflated I was home before nine.   This was the night of Halloween I think I saw two people in costume and no trick or treaters.   But then neither have I seen anyone doing penny for the Guy.   Since then I have been very busy sorting out fences and feeling much better, so note to self keep busy, go out, have fun.

Fancy Dress?

As well as writing one  I like to read blogs, one of the things about the blogosphere is that it is truly international.   I read blogs from Canada, USA, Australia, Europe and of course here in the UK.   It does seem that today is one of the days when the UK, well maybe more England, is separated from the rest of the world.   Although interest is growing we still don't generally really "do" Halloween.   Yeh sure a few kids will be out trick or treating and there will be a few parties, but it is as nothing to next weeks celebrations of Guy Faulk's.

Now the bit of Halloween that seems to attract most attention on the blogs I read is the fancy dress aspect, if I understand this right it started out with people dressing up as pixies and other Celtic spirits and has progressed through "Goolies and Ghosties and Long Leggedy Beasties and Things that go Bump in the Night" to pretty much anything you choose.   At least one Australian Blogger does a very good Tinkerbell.

I am sure that a little more than one or two of you have attended work this day as your "Other" self, taking advantage of the license that Halloween gives to dress how you like, to dress how you like.   This year I am hearing something new, I hear girls saying that they will not be doing this as being transgendered is not fancy dress, the clothes are the outward expression of what is going on inside.   This then leaves the problem of what to wear when fancy dress is pretty much expected.   Go as your girl and it is not fancy dress, go as another girl and you risk being too good, go as another bloke and you miss the fun.

A band I sometimes play with had a concert last Saturday playing a selection of music from film and TV, they were all invited (instructed!) to wear fancy dress as characters from film or TV.

I'm not going to be doing fancy dress today, or at an time in the foreseeable future, but if I were I could fancy some serious gender bending, we have a tradition of Pantomine where the "Leading Boy" is always played by a girl, the essentials for the roll are a good pair of legs and being "easy on the eye" this is sort of balanced out by the "Dame" usually played by a male comic as a caricature of an older woman ~ the classic is Widow Twanky in Aladdin but they can be fitted into any of the stories.   My idea for fancy dress would be to go as a leading boy, so I could be a man dressed as a woman dressed as a man, let them pick bits out of that!

My first love

Ain't she a beauty

Tomorrow evening I will be indulging myself, I will be achieving a first and at exactly the same time going back to my first love.   I'm sorry to say this but to all those ladies who have meant a lot to me throughout my life, none of them can really be said to be my first love.   The one who has been loyal, who is still with me, who is always there for me, comforts me when I am down and celebrates with me when I am up.   The one whose mellow tones will soothe me when I am angry, or cheer me when I am sad.   The one who gives me a little joy  just by standing there in the corner.   Yes I am talking about my tuba.

I will be playing the tuba with the a group from the LGSO at a ball tomorrow night, this is the instrument I am most comfortable playing, it is my first love, and the one I have been playing longest.   I first started on the tuba as a 12 year old I had already been singing for some time and had some piano lessons without ever really taking to the instrument.   As soon as I heard and saw the tuba I knew that was my instrument, and I was right, and it still is.

The only problem with playing my favourite large CC tuba is that it sits between the legs of the player rather on the lap, in turn this means that my ludicrously large collection of LBDs are all unsuitable (if I am to retain any modestly at all).   Most ladies who play will either wear trousers or large full skirts that will accommodate the instrument and protect their modesty.  

I have already over spent this month so I will not be going out and buying anything just for this one performance, so I am a little split whether to wear some dress trouser, with a  sparkly waist or culottes which will still allow me to "show a bit of leg".   Bizarrely the waists of both of these options are a little on the large side so it may well be comfort that dictates the final decision.

Those of you have been reading attentively for some time will know that I am a little uncomfortable with the whole Halloween thing, I a certainly not in the habit of celebrating it, rather I will generally avoid anything to do with the celebrations.   I agreed to play at this ball some time ago when it was just being trailed as a masked ball, I now find that it is being billed as a Halloween ball with guests encouraged to indulge in gruesome fancy dress, the orchestra have just been asked to wear all black so at least I am spared that, but I suspect that I may be a little uncomfortable with some of what may be going on.   Still maybe it serves me right for not checking my calendar or asking the right questions.

Halloween ~ again

Being English, and a Christian, I find myself a little uncomfortable with the whole Halloween celebration thing.   I am however quite aware that a lot of my sisters on both sides of the Atlantic take the opportunity to dress in a way that they feel they could not at any other time.   Indeed it seems to me that the whole thing has become a combination of a fancy dress party with the added opportunity to demand money with menaces.

 

I am actually rather glad that I will be away in Malta on the night, we have been there a couple of times at this time of year and it does not seem to have gained the popularity it has over here.

 

If you do celebrate Halloween, I hope you enjoy yourselves, if you don't I hope you won't find those who do intrusive

Gifts

For many the point of Christmas seems to be the giving and receiving of gifts,   I would say that this is more an illustration of the pint of Christmas, however I would be disappointed not to be given any presents.

As usual click to enlarge

On this occasion I can say that I did a lot better than these two.   Nothing spectacular but I did get presents from my Wife and Daughter, who both managed to get me presents I really wanted, this makes me happy.   In case my last couple of posts seemed a bit down beat I just wanted to say that Paula is a happy bunny (now there's an idea for a costume)  

I actually wrote most of this post before the one I put up yesterday, and I spent some time musing on bunny costumes, when I remembered the picture of Stana of Femulate fame in her home made Bunny Costume from Halloween 2004.   I can't think of an occasion I would have to wear anything like that, or that I would have the nerve to wear it if I had the chance, but I do have to say that Stana looks very fine.   If you do not read Femulate can I suggest that you get over there and start.

Halloween - finally

As I have said I don't do halloween, but to thise of you who do - have fun and stay safe

Saturday Night - part 1

I did go out last night, I know as I have a bit of a hangover now, on Sunday morning.   I have made an interesting discovery, Paula drinks wine and it doesn't take that much to make Paul suffer the next morning, and forget that the clocks change so I could have had an extra hour in bed.

Well nobody phoned up and asked me out to dinner, so I hunted around for somewhere to go. In Croydon there is a very good, very small theatre, The Warehouse, last night they they had a play that looked interesting so I decided to see it, and give Paula a new adventure at the same time.   I spent longer getting ready than I normally would, simply because I could, I planned my outfit down to the last detail , had a long leisurely bath and put the finishing touches to my shaving.   After that I used a moisturising cream all over, put on my bra panties, cinch, stockings (yes stockings I was planning to wear some very glamorous open toed shoes and the only hosiery I have without reinforced toes are stockings), and slip before putting on my makeup.   It was nice to be able to spend time getting the look just right, a little more eye make up than I would use during the day and a brighter lipstick, although I didn't get my nails quite right I was very happy with the result.   Finally the dress and jewelry, first hitch my dress was actually just a little too short for the slip and I don't have a shorter slip available, so I had to abandon the slip altogether.  

Then I thought my shoulders looked a little "bold" so I should have something with me to cover them, and managed to dig out a large silk square I have.   I am very aware that I didn't really know how to make the most of this item and will have to investigate.

The glamorous shoes

I am a little nervous of public transport at night so I took Gloria and immediately hit the first problem - parking.   On street parking in Croydon is charged for up till midnight, but worse you can only park in any one place for up to 2 hours.   Since I was early and the play was over two hours this was a no go.   Then to make life more difficult most of the multi story car parks have height restrictions lower than Gloria's roof.   I did eventually manage to park in the Fairfield car park which meant a slightly longer walk back to the theatre than I had planned.   Not a problem other than that the very glamorous shoes I was wearing are not good for walking, very good for looking at, but not for walking.

All the people at the Theatre were very nice and friendly, I did find I was rather over dressed - LBD sparkly jewelry, stockings and as I say glam. shoes - which may well have attracted more attention than I might have sought, but no one pointed at me and shouted "That man's wearing a dress"

Halloween - again

I know a lot of you will be using Halloween as an excuse to go out

dressed, this year I might even do that myself, but lets agree that if we are going to do it lets do it well.   Browsing through the Telegraph on line I found a slide show of Celebrity Halloween costumes, some good some not, http://fashion.telegraph.co.uk/galleries/TMG8851001/Celebrity-Halloween-costumes-in-pictures.htm

Now I don't know much about Perez Hilton, no make that I don;t know anything about Perez Hilton, but I have to admire the amount of effort that has clearly gone into his Halloween costume.   If I can come up with something as good, and socially acceptable I will be "well chuffed".

As it is I'm still not sure what I will be doing on Saturday evening, my wife and daughter will both be out so I effectively can do whatever I like, the only thing is, I need to have a destination, and preferably company.   What I would really like is for some body to take Paula out for dinner.

I forgot!

Saturday night will be when most places are celebrating Halloween, maybe I will just go to a bar where hey are having party, just wear a LBD add one of my brooms and get a pointy hat,