Gaby time!

[Estefania]

After lots of careful planning, expenses, and almost the same level of logistics needed for the first moon landing, I have been enjoying a few “me days”. I technically started on Monday, when I moved all my stuff into the airbnb place I reserved for two weeks.

Monday ended up not being even able to change into smething nicer... I had an enourmous amount of work to do assembling clothes and shoe racks, organizing and hanging clothes, taking shoes out of boxes and organizing them on the racks, sorting out all the makeup and jewelry, etc. etc.

Anyway, had several hours on Tuesday, having to endure going to a makeup appointment to find out the place wasn’t open and the lady just “forgot” (we sorted things out... she apologized profusely and we rescheduled for next Thursday). On Wednesday I went out to my Torrid to pick up a couple orders and bought a couple things while there, also stopping by at other stores. On Thursday I didn’t do anything special I think, other than taking some pics.

Yesterday it was a very special day for me. A couple weeks before I had contacted a local hair salon asking if they would be able to see me and style my wig. Didn’t get an answer so I had pretty much forgotten about them. Until I founf their reply in my spam folder! They would gladly see me!

So, as soon as I got to the apartment (go there in the mornings, back home every evening) I relaxed, did my makeup with no pressure at all. I loved the results! Then I “installed the hair system” (fancy talk for “glued on my lace front wig) gor dressed up, and left for the salon. I was one of my best experiences ever! The owner and my stylist (Katie, and I said my stylist because I’m claiming her all for my self forever!!) were so nice! Even other stylists and customers were so nice complimenting my hair color and Katie’s work!

Went to a couple places before I decided to go to the mall so I could return a dress at a different Torrid store. Again the ladies there and everywhere else I went to were just so nice to me! Got compliments about my hair, my outfit, my shoes, my nails, my makeup in general, eyebrows in particular... and a lot of it I believe came only once I was finally able to “switch” into the feminine me earlier that day. It is not always easy to leave the guy self behind... heck, I’m still him, but it was nice from him to get out of the way if that makes any sense. I was able to talk with my “femme voice” and not feel self-concious about it, or walk or move “pretty” not worrying about it. Hard to explain...

I’ll have to say it was a “cinderella day” I just didn’t want it to end...

[KimberlyS]

Glad you got some Gaby time. I have never thought about doing an airbnb for femme time. That is a great idea. Cute picture.

Kimberlys

[Anthony Simon]

It sounds kind of wonderful. It's great the way all those ladies accepted you - Maybe it has something to do with you being kind of "natural" as a woman. They're all kind of saying "come again" - which is a hell of a thing for a CD.

[Estefania]

Anthony,

Sometimes I have heard the “come again” from sales people which sound formulaic (let us get more of your money). And heard sincere invitations too. The girls at the store where I returned that dress I mentioned... one of them in particular, told me she loved my whole look, eyebrows, nails, even my facemask! So told them how my nails were fake nails and they were surprised (they look really nice) when I told them I paid two dollards for the set, and the facemask got it from a beauty supply store for $1.50, talked about how I should invite them to go shopping since I found the best deals, then discussed about the jumpsuit in my photo gallery, and the same girl said she loved it but was sad that it wouldn’t look good on her due to how she carried lots of weight in her belly area, and I told her to still try it on sometime since she was about the same height as I am (5’9”) and the garment is stretchy, anyway, in my mind, that kind of conversation can only happen when there is real acceptance... not saying she thought of me as a woman, but they accepted my feminine soul at least.

[Anthony Simon]

Gabriela,

I get quite a lot of conversations (with women) where they're basically looking at me as a woman (or at least that's how it seems to me) - and that's when I'm not dressed up at all, since I don't go out CDing. I don't know, I somehow seem to get in that zone. When I'm at home and get dressed up, I can feel myself kind of gushing into the female self - and then, when I'm sitting there, I just feel "this is a woman".

When you say:

it was nice from him to get out of the way if that makes any sense

it makes me think how my male side pretty much all the time fights me being a female - like he can't sort of fit the idea that he can have a side that is a woman into his box - and there's a kind of negotiation (which is still ongoing in me) to make it 'alright'.

[Anthony Simon]

I see myself as a more extreme version of where you are, along the same kind of spectrum, Gabriela - I think that was what I was trying to say.