Okay, don’t go there…
From my earliest memories of music, I remember loving Herb Alpert. The list is endless of great Tiajuana Brass tunes. His late 70’s renaissance lead by “Rise” was amazing. I still listen to and love these tunes. But the only time Herb sang, he crushed it, this No. 1 song from 1968. A gorgeous song, one of my karaoke favorites. A Burt Bacharach classic!
On a personal note, in my lifetime, I played one instrument. The trumpet. For a few years, in grade school. If you handed me one now, I could not blow a single note. I learned I was a better music fan than an actual musician.
See that “A” on the label above? It stands for Alpert, he ran one of the premier labels back in the day.
This guy’s in love with you
Yes, I’m in love
Who looks at you the way I do?
When you smile, I can tell
We know each other very well
How can I show you?
And this all means nothing regarding this day.
August 7, 2026 could not have been a better day, full of tremendous love and happiness. I took my time getting ready and ran quite a few errands on my way to my monthly gig at the art museum. It was MIX time with a Bridgerton theme (which I ignored with my attire). I stopped at the bank and the teller lit up when I walked to the counter, apparently remembering me from a previous stop or two. I stopped in three other places, just being.
Then…holy cow! I went to Bar Italia, a favorite place and bartender. Britney and I chatted a bit and I ordered my usual (which she knew). There were people all around me, I paid no real attention to anyone except to relax. In these circumstances, I let things happen rather than inject myself into someone else’s conversation.
As I began eating, Britney came over to tell me that the ladies across the bar would like me to join them. For the 45 minutes I had left before I had to go to “work”, Margaux and Amanda and I shared sooooooooo much, believe me, soooooooo much!
Margaux ordered another round and picked up my tab, to which I of course said “you don’t have to do that. If I knew you were going to do that, I would have ordered more…”. I asked why they called me over and Margaux said when I walked in and owned it with (her words) “grace and elegance”, she wanted to get to know me. We kicked around some future girls’ night options and parted with many hugs and kisses. The bonds were instant!
Off to the art museum and let’s hear about how things looked when I got there.
And this is how the evening ended.
In between those videos I could not have had more fun! And yes, I had had a few and my contacts failed me necessitating the different glasses (I often wear contacts and then some type of fashion glasses I got with clear lenses). My wonderful friends Magda and Mo were there with their respective dates, both of whom I chatted up extensively. Shelley and Daniel were there, my great friend Jennifer, Brian stopped by. At one point in time I was surrounded by about ten people, all chatting in different little groups, all people that have become friends with others in this group, all brought together by me. The great connector! I was rather fond of my outfit this evening.
Say you’re in love
In love with this guy
If not, I’ll just die
Comportment
When I am dressed, I speak in my normal male voice. But when around strangers, especially in short answer situations, I try to soften my voice a bit, speaking with a bit of a lilt in my voice. A “thank you” can be delivered femininely. Other than that, I know I’m not fooling anyone. This has now proven itself in thousands of situations. You can certainly hear this on my YouTube channel. [You can hear me now on many recent posts, including this one.]
I believe in all other aspects, I hold myself as a woman does. I have always been able to walk gracefully in heels. I find myself naturally swinging my hips and often enjoy a lengthy walk through a mall, happily playing up my walk. With minor padding, I believe my shape is close to that of a natural woman. I have actually now completely gone away from any padding other than my breasts (and frequently then I simply wear a padded bra). I only wear hip padding when I need hips to hold up a certain skirt or pair of slacks. In every aspect, my wish to “feel” like a woman is greater than how I am viewed or perceived.
I allow my breasts to lead me, which then allows me to naturally hold my arms back a bit and have a more feminine posture. At a recent cocktail party (okay, it was a few years ago), a woman complemented me on how I hold myself as well as my posture (which lead me to think up this post).
I am more expressive with my hands. You can again see this in my videos. My manner of speech changes, the profanities I normally use go away. I pay attention to every detail; every stitch of clothing worn is female. I may not be the best at makeup (although my skills have improved dramatically, where I now prefer my own handiwork to that of a professional), but it is always done properly. I want women to know how much I respect them and admire all they go through.
I guess one of the best pieces of advice I picked up while reading and studying how to do all of this is to get small. Men like to spread out. They hold their feet apart, cross their legs so they take up more space. Women stand with our feet together, we hold our arms closer to our sides. Men cross their arms, woman gently let them rest in our laps. When I take a photo, I automatically stand with my feet together or one in front of the other. That produces a slimmer silhouette. Our legs are crossed in a manner which reduces the space we fill. I believe this manner of holding myself, coupled with my obvious glee in being who I am, has allowed me to move about freely. Time to put it all to the test yet again!
I have now built quite a resume, so to speak, of situations, events, places, activities, experiences, while dressed. I know how I am treated. I cannot speak for anyone else. I now believe I am a woman. I am transitioning in-place. I am not trying to pass. I am what I am, who I am. Personality, style, generally good humor, confidence, a huge smile, but a key is my comportment. That allows me to do what I want, go where I want, to be accepted in general.
This struck me as so important at Keystone. I observe people, am a student of human nature. Many of the ladies at Keystone looked fabulous…..then they walked. Some looked like they were trying to make a tackle in the backfield, eying the field like a linebacker. Look, we are who we are. We have the body frame we have. But don’t draw further unnecessary scrutiny to yourself by lumbering about in that beautiful dress, with your fantastic professional makeover! Comportment simply enhances the feminine experience. Be mindful.
This public service announcement was brought to you by Kandi’s Land!
By the way, I wrote this quite some time ago and, on the day discussed above, I lived it, owned it and was rewarded for it. Comportment is so very important.
