I am sure no one will understand this as it all happens in my big empty head. I am making a personal commitment to “going to work”. What that means is that instead of working as often from home, thereby allowing myself to either get distracted, drinking or both, I am getting dressed as any woman would and going somewhere to work. That could simply be going to the library, a coffee shop and/or will also mean getting far more actively involved with the event planning company I also work for. I may still continue to lapse into skipping the dressing part as I am desperately trying to make my life a bit less of a grind.
Most weeks, I have and will continue to drive my truck on Mondays and Tuesdays. Then three days a week, I will work for Party411, working either events and/or helping my amazing friend continue to assist with her long term, highly successful business as it continues its accent from the pandemic. She is amazing and she makes me feel young. Sherri (not THAT Sherry) has been doing this all of her life. She and I are now like sisters. She has a fascinating past, writing two books and appearing on Donahue, Sally Jessy and Geraldo back in the day as well as organizing many huge events (we have done at least 50 private parties for inductees at the Pro Football Hall of Fame among many other big events including a recent booster party for the eventual NCAA champion South Carolina women’s basketball team, NFL draft parties and many, many other big events). Sherri was recently diagnosed with Parkinson’s and is frankly aging as are we all (with yours truly who we have documented here, living dog years). I want to learn, work, help, be successful, help her be successful and quite honestly be around this force of life. This could last, for me, a day, a week or the rest of my life. I am interchangeable there, he or she, Kandi or that other guy, I can wear a cute little dress or my sweats. I contribute little or nothing there, being creatively deficient when compared to Sherri’s staff, but I am indeed unique and do know how to grind out process.
July 18, 2024, The Cleveland Foundation Annual Meeting, held at the Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse. We did this last year to great success. It is just nice to be a part of a large civic event and be absolutely and completely comfortable in the circumstances and in my own skin. No real stories, just a great dress!
July 19, 2024 a sales call; Third Friday at 78th Street Studios and a networking event at Studio West 117.
So the prior Sunday I attended the Woman Up event, pink dress, pink bow. That event and the Third Friday event both featured vendors. I am walking through looking at things when a woman selling baked goods asked if I was at the Woman Up event and she described my pink dress and bow. I guess I stand out a bit…
I left the networking event at Studio West 117 because they are clueless. It was supposed to be a professional networking event and they were playing music heavily laced with the “N” word as well as references to male genitalia. Look, I am no prude and am as profane as anyone, but under those circumstances, I found it offensive. I despise the use of the “N” word by anyone and also hate the word “queer”, which I consider the LBGT equivalent of that word. Sorry, if you don’t want to be called that, then stop using it! My two cents…
July 21, 2024 Sunday services. This will be the last time I am able to see our pastor preach before his retirement. I will be attending his final send off and party, but that is more of a celebration than is the weekly wonder that is him, his wife and that church. Services were outdoors and I received quite a few compliments on my outfit, many from people I had not had any real interaction with before. That always pleases me.
Also, Marvin invited me to a monthly men’s group meeting, held on Saturday afternoons at a local BBQ joint. I could wear whatever I want, but I will go as myself because it is his way, I think, of simply accepting me for who I am, and I am indeed both genders. I am looking forward to that!
I felt like I did myself proud on this day.
10 Responses
Kandi,
I’m glad to hear you still have lots of energy to be a working girl. You “dress for success”
and look great doing so.
I ran out of energy years ago, so retired. Which is not always a good thing.
Jocelyn
Not sure I have lots of energy….just stringing one day after the next!
Kandi, I love all the dresses, especially the first one. The red accents on the white dress are just the right pop of color. I would have left that networking event as well, there still needs to be a professional standard for them using background music, even for the younger crowd.
Amen, sister!
Kandi,
With every post of yours it proves to me that you are the energizer bunny and I’m amazed at all you do and very proud of my dear friend. Your pics are all beautiful but my absolute fav is you in the white dress holding the Rose . You look stunning girl.
Trish
Thanks Trish, you are a dear!!
Kandi,
Sorry a little late with my thoughts but been away for a few days , I may post the full story in the next few weeks .
No not empty headed at all , being more comfortable as Kandi makes perfect sense to me . Working as a girl can work as I had to prove to myself , I wouldn’t have it any other way .
You always look lovely. I have always said to those who are still working that you’ll know when it is time to retire. Maybe the key to staying active in the work force is to have a variety of jobs. I was stuck in a job for thirty years and knew when it was time to pack up my crayons and go home. When I first started working in that professional office there was a dress code for men and women. Of course, for the guys it was a minimum of dress slacks, dress shirt and tie, shined shoes, and, sports coat or business suit if working outside the office. The women railed against the required attire of dress or skirt and blouse. Thirty years later the attire became so unprofessional; for women it degraded down to jeans and in one case, even capri pants.