Apart from our transition experiences, tell us something really enjoyable that you did that was unexpected or something special that was planned and finally happened. What unique activity would that be? Further, it isn’t time specific. It could be recent or long ago…
Good Questions DeeAnn ,
Gonna have to think about this , be back later to answer both .
Alexis
Well, since there is no stampede of replies, I’ll add mine…
Last Friday, January 21st, I was an Extra in a new TV series being produced by Apple TV. The description is in the link below.
I was one of 6 passengers on a bus. The scene was shot just north of Palm Springs. Were in location for 10 hours, but only spent about an hour in the bus for 4 or 5 takes. All the filming was done externally, so we may not be much more than silhouettes, if that. I also made my car available, so maybe if I don’t make it into the production, maybe my car will!
I’ve been a motorsports fan since childhood and, if at all possible, I will get a garage or paddock pass to go see the cars and the teams making adjustments and doing maintenance. It is analogous to being backstage at a stage performance. Being on set had the same sense a LOTS of things go on behind the cameras. It could be described as controlled chaos!
So, the question is: Would You Do It Again? Most Definitely! I registered with the Greater Palm Springs Film Alliance a few years back. I’ve made some submissions to casting calls before, but this is the first one where I was selected. The only down side is a bit of Hurry Up And Wait, but hopefully I will be a bit better prepared next time.
Well, DeeAnn, that's a tall order when you did a lot of unique stuff. The one that stands out most was last October. I was invited to play guitar and sing at a LGBTQ music weekend in Oklahoma City. I had the privilege of playing 2 one hour sets of blues and blues rock, once Friday and Once Saturday. I had the time of my life. It was my first live performance in over 20 years, and my first ever show as Carly. To top it off, I met a man who is producing a documentary on Trans entertainers...not the drag queen types, but more representative on our community. I submitted a couple of original songs for the soundtrack. I should hear a yea or nay sometime toward the end of March.
As might be imagined, the whole thing is beyond my wildest dreams.
Peace and love
Carly
Great! I’m glad that you enjoyed the experience and particularly in your more recent persona. That makes a big difference.
After my experience last month, the thought came to me that perhaps too often we keep things to ourselves. We miss out on the accolades and also the idea of raising that datapoint. Hopefully someone will see what we wrote and begin to think about doing something that has meaning for them.
As always, one of the best things that we can do is to be out in the world and doing what we want/need to do. That speaks volumes to all.
Also, it illustrates that power of putting ourselves Out There. I can look back at certain points in my life and realize that had I chosen the shadows instead of the sunshine, I would not be here doing what I am doing now and living in the place where I live. We just can’t hide anymore…
Hmmm, a unique experience of mine would probably not be unique to everyone else. Still it is hard to pick one thing out that was genuinely unique and enjoyable.
I think one moment I enjoyed most was during a night out to a local gay bar for its drag night. I had several women approach me, buy me drinks and finally ended up being drawn into a group of bi and lesbian women. We spent the rest of the evening in conversation and dancing. It was a wonderful night.
On another more recent ocassion, but pre covid, I had dinner and drinks at a lakeside restaurant/lounge. I had been keeping pretty much to myself. Then a young woman sitting near me, part of a bachelorette party, engaged me in conversation and invited me to join their group. Again, we talked and danced all night. It was much later in the evening that I thanked her for being so open and inviting me to join the, as a transwoman. At that point she insisted that she just took me for a mature and attractive woman. The revelation didn’t phase her one bit and the celebration went on till closing time 🙂
That sounds incredible… as a lover of blues and a musician looking to get out and gig locally, I’ve wondered how my transition could influence that desire. Perhaps it’s like that old blues line goes… “it’s in him (her) and it’s got to come out” 🙂 Thanks for the inspiration.
Years ago in Costa Rica, I climbed a small cone volcano at night, Vulcan Arenal which when dormant continuously erupts glowing rock from the summit. My partner at the time and I found our way through the thick jungle at night, and we’re told to climb until we reached a fence that says “peligro” (dangerous). We somehow missed it and sat mesmerized by the astounding light show up above. At one point a boulder the size of a small car landed 50 feet in front of us, split open and hissed hot steam. We then tried to run as gas as we could down the mountain.
