Love me some Tubes! I have seen them many times, mostly in the 2000’s. I really wish I could have seen them in the White Punks on Dope days. This is one of my very favorite albums. Needle down to needle up, turn over and the same on the flip side, every song a gem.
I found this interesting on the Google machine: The Completion Backward Principle is a strategic mindset where you imagine the final, successful result first, then work backward to determine the necessary steps to achieve it. This “imagination creates reality” concept is used to boost confidence, reduce anxiety, and ensure all actions align with the final goal. These many years later, maybe this is how I should approach life…
They hit big in 1983 with She’s a Beauty. Well-deserved success.
From the perfect song off this disc, I Don’t Want to Wait Anymore, something I later came to understand once I let Kandi out of the bag.
I don’t want to wait anymore
I just don’t think I have the strength
The strength to carry on
Oh, I don’t want to wait anymore
I waited so long
Forgot what I’m waiting for
Side story: On a recent Monday, I was at work. My principal job, driving the truck, dressed accordingly as myself (not Kandi). Usually near the end of a month, there is less and less for us to do on a daily basis as our client slows the intake of raw materials as the month concludes. I literally did nothing this day but still have to show up (45-minute drive from our home). This sometimes creates tremendous downtime. I took a nap, did some blogging and was bored out of my mind. Thankfully, there is a mall very close by and Macy’s opens at 10:00. So, I check out the Backstage area (where Macy’s sells discounted clothing) and their Final Act (clearance) racks. As I am looking principally at dresses, the lovely SA and I strike up a conversation and over the next 20 minutes or so, I share a picture and she pulls this dress or that one to show me. It was just a lovely encounter with a lovely woman. Another example of being authentic, open and honest, rewarding me. And I bought nothing (a very good thing).
April 29, 2026, a dear friend, Carrie, invited me and the enigma to dinner. Enigma was doing boy things, but I had an open window and gladly accepted the invitation! What a lovely day!
I left early and hit an antique mall I just discovered. I just love looking at everything in places like this. After about an hour (only because they were closing), I picked up over 20 postcards of Ohio-based landmarks, postcards easily 40+ years old. Many actually mailed to someone, with cursive writing on the back, actually postmarked. These will be made into a few awesome murals. And I also purchased a pennant from the 1964 World Champion Cleveland Browns (they had yet become the Clowns they are now, but not long thereafter). I told the woman who checked me out that it represented the last such championship in my lifetime, my children’s lifetime, their children’s lifetime and on and on…
Then I hit Urban Outfitters as I got to the restaurant early and agonized over an outfit I put together (leather miniskirt, oversized neon pink sweater and a large silver heart necklace). As of the time of this writing, I have not YET purchased it…
Finally, the evening with Carrie was simply a treat! We talked nonstop for a few hours. Just two ladies doing what ladies do, they share with each other. She and I have a lifelong common bond. We are alumni of the greatest college on the planet (no we’re not Harvard, we’re better!). I graduated literally decades before she did, but the bond is undeniable. The evening was fantastic! Such a great day for me. Thank you my great, great friend!
Yes, the sweater was as cozy as it looks!
We can fight this, we can deny this, but we all know being the women we were meant to be is pure joy. Find a way to be happy.
It is my great pleasure to welcome back Julie Slowinski in a different capacity. Julie was one of the original contributors here at Kandi’s Land, mostly in its initial form. She will now occasionally be gracing us with some of her words of wisdom as written and linked to her Facebook page. I will cut and paste the verbal content with links to see the full post (if you are on Facebook), which will usually contain pictures. I will also do my best to bring some of the pictures here as I know there are readers here not on Facebook.
Julie is a self-defined crossdresser, a perspective valuable to many here. Her perspective matters, her presence matters, her persona matters. Her visibility matters greatly.
“Many in the trans community are trying to distance themselves from this person by throwing the CD community under the bus. If you are feeling targeted, here’s what you need to understand. This is not about you. It’s about them. It’s about their insecurities. People who are confident in who they are don’t lash out about these sorts of things. People with confidence have nothing to prove.
Often they will make the argument that society is conflating a group they see as cringe with themselves. They’ll add that if this cringe group didn’t exist, then the world would finally be able to see them as the normal people they are. Here’s the problem with that argument. It gives the power to cis people. It asks cis people for their approval. It says, please like me because I’m not the same as that cringe person.
Often, I see people preach the opposite – I don’t need anyone’s approval to be who I am. That gets entirely undermined when they try to distance themselves from a segment of the queer community that makes them feel uncomfortable. The entire point of the queer coalition is to support everyone, because we’re all cringe to the cishet’s – google Sylvia Rivera’s 1973 speech “Y’all Better Quiet Down” for some historical context.
Now, if you’re feeling like you’re not trans enough because of these posts, I’d like to remind you that most major medical and queer rights organizations define the trans umbrella as this: If you don’t feel you’re gender identity matches your assigned gender at birth, then you’re trans, if you choose to identify as such. You don’t need to be full-time; you don’t even need to be part-time. You could be completely in the closet. What matters is how you feel. No one can take that away from you. Coming back to the spouse of Mrs. Noem, it is not up to us or society to determine if they are under the trans umbrella. It is up to them to decide and up to them to choose if they want to share that with the world. We (and/or society) have nothing to do with it.
Please like and repost this, because I know many in our community are feeling attacked by these unjust posts.“
See the entire post here.
Please comment on her Facebook page as she may not see your feedback here. We continue to bring to you the best we can find under the giant umbrella of community. Welcome back (sort of) Julie!
Click here for all of Julie’s social media platforms and to comment to her directly!
I have Julie’s full permission and support to repost her Facebook posts.
8 Responses
I was lucky enough to see The Tubes on their 1979 tour – in the front row no less. Identifying my friends and I as enthusiastic fans, Fee Waybill came down from the stage during WPOD and pointed his mic in our direction for us to ‘help’ with the WPOD chant. They were supported by Squeeze. Don’t remember much about their set other than the keyboard player who looked like what we call in the UK a complete prat wearing dark glasses and chewing on a large cigar the whole time. Later learned it was Jools Holland who I’ve grown to absolutely love these days.
And it’s good to see Julie back – I noticed that she was Glamour Boutique’s ‘eye candy of the month’ last month with photos plus a very nice in depth interview with her.
Wonderful memories! Thanks dear.
Welcome back Julie. I remember, back in the day, reading and enjoying your Kandi’s Land posts and photos. Great stories from Chicago.
Julie and I were regular KL posters.
I don’t do Facebook so this comment probably drifts to nowhere land.
I’m looking forward to more wisdom and fun from Julie.
Jocelyn
I’ll try as much as I can to bring all of her posts here, but a lot of that is difficult. I will certainly bring the vergage.
We are always eveolving here!
Kandi,
Like Jocelyn I choose not to use Facebook ( long story ) but I also don’t agree with their small print especially on the use of photos .
If my memory isn’t playing tricks I remember Julie from CDers.com , she was always worth the time to read her posts and comments so it’s good to see her back in Kandi’s Land .
Her comment about CIS people is sadly very true .We have as much power as them but often it’s their approval that counts , we have to accept we are a small minority and they are part of the thoughtless majority .
Sometimes I read pieces like this and realise how lucky I am , so many transgender people sail under the crossdresser banner which traps them between their own needs and the needs of people around them , often they seek escape without achieving it . Being full time means those shackles are gone , I don’t have to explain myself to anyone , I’m here to show people it is possible there is nothing to fear because most of those fears evaporate away .
You remember correctly. Her perspective is, like yours, one of walking the walk, so to speak.
I seen the Tubes many times. Pre-pandemic the Tubes would play the “Free Friday Night Beach Concert” put on by the local beach amusement park (with one of the oldest wooden roller-coaster). The Fee Waybill would “disappear” for part of a song and come back with his HIGH heels and sing WPOD. Seen many free concerts over the years (until pandemic). Also lucky one of my friends owned a night club and saw some shows there as well.
Julie was before my time.
‘I don’t need anyone’s approval to be who I am’ because I don’t do what I do to get approval, I do them for ME. I also don’t turn down the approval or compliments when I get them.
I saw Fee in the leather thong from behind for Mondo Bondage and he was no spring chicken at the time…