More Megan Magic

I mentioned earlier that Megan turned a necktie of mine into a chic female belt.  Well, she didn't stop there!

Megan made five belts, one headband, and six button flowers.  They look great!

I was very appreciative when Megan gave some of her creations to me as gifts.  How nice of her.  You'll see them in future outfit-posts.

Check out the rest of Megan's magic at her blog -- right here.

"The Debt"

Do you trust my judgment in movies?  If so, see this film.  Really.  It's one of the best movies I've seen in years.  You'll like it.

There are some things movies do well and some things they don't.  Movies are excellent at telling stories, building suspense and creating moods.  Movies are terrible at explaining intellectual ideas.  Thus, some material is well-suited to cinematic treatment and "The Debt" is perfect for it.  In fact, this story was told before, four years ago in an Israeli film.

The movie is a thriller.  It is heart-poundingly exciting and, unusual for the genre, it explores its characters deeply.  You see three people (played by six actors) experiencing life-changing crises and making consequential moral choices.  There is a depth to the movie that will surprise you.  Along with plot-twists you don't see coming.

The film has a female point-of-view, which always appeals to me.  You see it from the perspective of Rachel, a secret agent who is part of a team trying to kidnap a Nazi war-criminal in East Berlin in 1966 so they can return him to Israel for trial.  The movie flips back and forth between that time and 1997, thirty years later, when the three agents are played by different actors.

The movie stars Jessica Chastain as Rachel when she's young and Helen Mirren as Rachel in her later years.  Chastain has been annointed by Hollywood as our next big movie-star.  You may not have seen her but you'll know her soon.  She starred with Brad Pitt in Terrence Malick's latest film, "The Tree Of Life" and also had a role in "The Help."  For the next two decades, Chastain will get plum roles to exhibit her considerable acting skill.

The movie is expertly directed by the guy who did "Shakespeare In Love."  The plotting and editing tell the story with persuasion and thrills.

"The Debt" is an artistic success which makes it worth seeing.

Do You Shave?

I probably shave more than you guys.  I thought you might like to see me in action...

How much do you need to shave?

News and Updates

Five things to report.  If any interest you, feel free to comment.

1. Chaz Bono, Cher's son who was born female (Chastity), was just announced as a contestant on the new season of "Dancing With The Stars."  Hateful remarks were immediately made by traditional "family" organizations and assorted intolerant individuals.  Chaz refuses to be intimidated by the comments and Cher herself tweeted several messages in support of her son.  Chaz will be the show's first transgender contestant.

2. Last night, ABC broadcast a news special on transgendered children.  It was well-done for the most part.  If you missed it, you can view it on their website here. 

One fact that isn't widely known outside the TG community is the horrible rate of suicide among people like me -- it is 50%.  That may surprise you but it doesn't surprise me.  When you are so different that everything in society aligns against you, telling you you're an unacceptable freak, life can be unbearable.  Suicide is often considered by us as an alternative to living in pain.

3. I visited my friend Larry tonight.  He's in a rehab facility.  Larry is the 45 year old printer who suffered a heart attack and stroke last month.  He's doing better.  His physical ability is improving; he can't walk yet but can get around holding two canes.  His speech is still a little slurred, but his mental ability is near-normal.  Most important, the depression he was in is lifting.  He isn't happy, but he isn't as despondent as he was initially.  I gave him a baseball I bought at my recent ballgame and tried to pep him up.

4. In March, I told you about my friend Geoff who had just been diagnosed with a brain-tumor.  Geoff underwent radiation treatment and is doing fairly well.  He's coming to visit in two weeks, during which we'll talk more deeply about his situation.  One of you (Wendy) has asked me a few times about Geoff's progress so I'll keep you posted.  I'm really touched that Wendy cares.

5. I heard that polka-dot dresses are going to be fashionable this Fall, so I went looking for one.  I luckily found a beautiful one in green tonight, made by Calvin Klein.  Fortunately for me, this expensive dress was marked down to only $10 because the back-zipper is broken.  I can deal with that.  I plan to try on the dress tomorrow night after work and will post pictures soon.

Have a happy holiday weekend!

Dear Ally

This is a sad post.  It's about a real situation.

A friend of mine, who's a fellow-blogger, recently learned that her husband cheated on her.  She was, of course, devastated by the news.  Now, she's debating how to react: i.e., whether to work on salvaging her marriage or to throw in the towel.  She is wondering whether this transgression is unforgivable or forgivable.

Some female-members of her family want her to forgive him and resume the marriage.  A girlfriend of hers "basically said that any woman should expect it to happen at any moment and that I should just talk about it and continue my relationship."

Her frame-of-mind was revealed in this sentence: "I just cannot accept that the few women that I have talked to seem to find this behavior acceptable and forgivable and in my head it just does not seem right."

My friend wants more feedback so she can sort out how to think about this terrible situation.  She decided it would be a mistake to talk about it on her blog.  Instead, she asked me to pose the question to you here, keeping her identity anonymous.  So, I'm doing that. 

What do you guys think?  What advice do you have for her?

Transformation

Megan exceeded my expectations with her transformation of ties into a belt.  I never imagined doing what she did.  Check out her post; here is a closeup of the belt...

Male To Female

I'm talking about clothes, silly!  Why, what did you think I was referring to?!

I admire women who know how to sew and re-fashion clothes.  Their skills are almost magical.  They can transform an item into a completely-different type of clothing.

Megan is one such magician.  Recently, she took a man's shirt and made a woman's skirt out of it.  (See here.)  Megan is also a great blogger with regular outfit-posts.  I like her personal style and her passionate devotion to blogging.

Megan mentioned in passing that she wants to create a woman's belt from a man's necktie.  I happen to own a few ties... in fact, I have over 200.  (Take a look here.)  Many have outlived their usefulness and are just hanging there.  I suggested to Megan that she take a dozen off my rack and use them any way she wishes.  She did and they arrived in Tennessee today.

I'm eager to see what Megan does with them.  I'll keep you posted on her progress.  And check out her blog!