“Now It’s Officially a MIX!”

December 6, 2024 back to my usual post for near ten years running at The Cleveland Museum of Art’s “MIX: Art of the Game”, presented in partnership with the Cleveland Cavaliers, to celebrate the release of the CMA-inspired City Edition Cavaliers jersey. Members from the Cavaliers Dance Team and Scream Team made guest appearances as DJ Steph Floss, the Cavs’ official DJ, spun an all-night set of party music. The jerseys are indeed awesome and by the way, so are our Cavaliers (although as a lifelong Cleveland sports fan, I am looking at how they will most break our hearts). I will say, I wish this was done last month as it is, if Hallmark is correct, the six-month Christmas season….

Since I was going garage to garage, no outdoor walking, I was able to wear the outfit I had intended for the day prior, heels and all! My boss for one of my jobs has set up a monthly Zoom call to get caught up. He scheduled them for 3:00PM, the first Friday of every month, which means I have a very condensed schedule to get ready for my monthly MIX.

I was scurrying into the museum and as I approached the main entrance, one of the guards smiled and said “Now It’s Officially a Mix!”. That filled me with pride, as I have indeed become the fabric of a fabulous event and a world-class institution.

With regard to my presentation, I wish I was as good at a career and life planning as I am at how I put myself together. This is a process, it is (hate the cliche but it applies) a journey. I am now at that point in the journey where I have gotten quite good at all of this. I do believe that Malcolm Gladwell’s “Rule of 10,000 hours” may well apply to me now.

This is my friend Shelly and I. She and her husband are great friends and they are almost always at Mix. Yes, she is short and yes, I am Godzilla-like.

I had yet another person ask if I were in a movie. “Didn’t you star in Calendar?” I quickly corrected him, saying I was only in the movie, far from a star. He recognized me because he has a relative in the film, so I am sure he has seen it more often than many.

That smile never left my face, which was amazing. I won’t go into it at all here, but I got into a dispute with regard to some business I hired someone to do that had me livid and it happened while I was attempting to get ready. I was beyond furious, yet in that outfit, in that space, with the love and acceptance I receive, knowing I was noticed in an amazing way, I was still joyful.

I chatted with many, hugged many, took photos for many in front of that Christmas tree which was to my left and simply glowed all night. I am loving the hair, learning new ways to style it (hair has always been my Achilles heel) and feel so completely feminine. When I got home, I lingered in my outfit, having trouble coming to grips with flipping the switch back to male.

As I walked out, I smiled at that same guard and told him I was leaving so he could now officially shut the Mix down. Seek joy, find happiness. Never easy, but so worthwhile.

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Just me venting… The list of the top blogs for CDs, TG, Transwomen is out and of course, we are no where to be found. While I am not delusional to think my blogs matters in the grand scheme of things, but no mention? The Godmother of these blogs, Casa Stana (aka Femulate) is deservedly on top the lists (as well she should be), but blogs that haven’t posted in years are ranked. So we will remain the Little Engine That Could. I go out into the general public week after week, I present as the woman I am (like an actual woman in terms of dress for the circumstance I am in), I interact with the masses, changing minds one at a time, but I guess that means nothing. We walk the walk, we are a community of ladies that I am proud of helping to assemble. We never phone it in but please understand, this is work. Not thankless work, it fills me with pride, but work nonetheless. To quote a friend, and so it goes!