Twen-Dee Twen-Dee Four

As we unveil 2025, a last look at 2024….

Like Kandi wrote recently, I take photos every time I dress. A quick scroll and count through Google Photos says I dressed 49 times during 2024. Except for a couple times, every time I dressed I went out. With the exception of November (traveling in Europe and Morocco most of the month), I ventured out every month.

I can also say with virtual certainty that I thought about dressing every single day of 2024.

A fun task back in February was a trip to downtown Melbourne (I travel to Australia annually, as my Aussie wife and I have a second place in a Melbourne suburb) to find something fun for my favourite Swiftie, my GG friend Ms. Dee-ism. I bought her a Taylor Swift t-shirt (Dee-shirt) and a water bottle. Then two days later, I sparkled up and headed downtown to be a Satur-Dee night Swift-Dee (the middle night of three nights of concerts at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, capacity 90,000). At the main train station, a woman named Sharna approached me and chatted me up, and I ended up walking to her place, meeting her daughter Keeley (and hearing her operatic singing voice), and their two dogs. An unexpected but fun evening.

The upside of buying Ms. Dee-ism her Eras Tour t-shirt? She’s been buying me red lipsticks that I love; three to date and counting!

With my wife staying back in Australia until late May, I had multiple opportunities for fun with my BFF Michelle, including Easter morning outdoor church services, a symphony concert featuring music from R.E.M., the musical Moulin Rouge, a girl’s night out hearing a Beatles tribute band,  a music festival, a Cardinals game, and a casino night (yes, we get around). Later in September, when my wife was again out of town, we had an afternoon and evening at a music festival, where the both of us received compliments from multiple patrons.

In September I flew to Atlantic City with a bike, my triathlon gear, and a load of Dee stuff to both race through and strut around Atlantic City. My races went Dee-cently (placing around 50th in each), while my non-racing time was often spent dressed, including a glam dinner at Ruth Chris steak house, and three days in bikinis/swimsuits at the beach. Following Atlantic City, I trained pretty from Philadelphia to New York City (and back), and spent four days wandering New York doing touristy stuff like the Empire State Building, attending the Back to the Future musical, hearing Squeeze and Boy George at a concert in Central Park, and seeing Times Square, in multiple cute outfits. I even wore a couple of revealing dresses to a nightclub, where I heard some music and enjoyed my favorite adult beverage.

I also attended our Transgender group lunches and dinners when possible, picked up my race packet for my spring 10K while dressed, and hit my normal quota of shopping venues, including regular stores and thrift outlets, including one shopping trip with Michelle and Ms Dee-ism. I also met with Michelle’s real accountant (Bonnie) while dressed, and gave her a mild shock (so she said) when I showed up another time in drab. I also had a chance to see my friend Falon, whom I had not seen in a couple of years (time flies).

I ended the year at Michelle’s 50th birthday party at a music bar in the nearby suburb where Michelle lives, dressed in silk pajamas (it was a grandma theme, and that was the best I could do), along with Ms.Dee-ism, who glammed it up for a night (wearing a dress she bought at our joint shopping trip), and seeing acquaintances of Michelle I had not seen in a while. I was happy to see them, and they were happy to see me.

In all, a pretty good 2024 to be pretty, and I hope for lots of chances in 2025 to get out dressed.