That's just it. You hit the nail right on the head. The beauty of who we are is that there is no official "rule book" or "formula" that one has to follow in order to express oneself theu CDing and to just be happy. Sadly, not everyone in the TG community feels this way. There will always be one or two who feel that "if you're not doing this or wearing that, then you're not a "true CD". Some folks take their dressing a little too seriously. My feeling is - if it can't be fun, then why dress at all?
As for my personality as Lorna versus my personality as Rick, some friends of mine will still maintain that I am much more perky, upbeat, and sweeter as Lorna than I am as Rick. And for some odd reason I tend to feel more relaxed and at ease when out as Lorna than as Rick, hence I meet more women as Lorna. Plus NY has some very open-minded women!
As for the code words when out shopping en drab with a female friend, I will often say "Oh, this would look great on Lorna!" I speak of myself in the third person quite often. But aside from that I am currently working on taking all of Lorna's positive qualities and incorporating them into myself en drab.
As long as you're true to yourself you will enjoy this wonderful gift we've been given to its fullest.