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[Upfront] The Month
[Review] Breakfast on Pluto
[Options] Sheila goes out
[Trivia] How did you get started?
[In the News] Consumer Savvy
[Last Laugh] How to look like a transvestite

[Upfront]
THE MONTH

Diane Frank attends the Cleveland première of "Breakfast on Pluto" and provides her review here.

Cabin fever? Sheila Wagner shares a couple of her favorite local places and shares something of herself too.

A Crossdresser’s journey entails many firsts. Gloria Fenton shares a few of hers.

Happy New Year!

Elaine

[Review]
SKIPPING BREAKFAST

By Diane Frank

I know they tell you that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. But Breakfast on Pluto is one meal you can definitely skip. The people who like the film tend to focus on how nice a girl Cillian Murphy makes as Patrick (Patricia) Kitten Braden. Despite a totally unconvincing voice, and a certain stiffness that belies certain romantic inclinations, some people think good looks are enough to carry things off, either in a movie or real life. By the way, in the original novel, the character was "Pussy" not Kitten. Someone made an editorial decision somewhere between novel and film.

The real problem with the film however is the concept of the character of "Kitten". Intended as something of an Irish Holly Golightly, Kitten is more of a mix of Raul Julia’s cine-noir obsessed gay window dresser from "Kiss of the Spider Woman" and John Leguizamo’s fantasy princess obsessed drag queen from the more recent film "To Wong Fong Thanks for Everything, Julie Newmar". These are in turn based on the trope that feminine gay men create flamboyant fantasy worlds to inhabit, and this is why they can brighten up a dull straight person’s house or life. One fantasy scene pays specific homage to this trope - where Kitten hallucinates being a black vinyl clad temptress who single handedly knocks out an IRA bomb factory with spritzes of Chanel perfume. But Kitten simply isn’t a vivid enough character. The fantasy scene has the blurry unfinished quality of an opium dream, without the conviction or moral ambiguity that made the Spider Woman so compelling. Granted it’s a dream extracted under torture, but then so were the dreams about the Spider Woman.

The film is loosely structured around the plot of an orphan seeking his parents. Kitten flees Ireland and the violence of the IRA, to seek his mother in London. Oh, I used that possessive pronoun. His. Is Kitten a boy or a girl? I don’t think Kitten cared much about parts or plumbing or social role. What Kitten cared about was being fabulous, being desired and being secure. Being a something in-between was apparently fine for Kitten. But towards the end of the film, Kitten works as one of the girls in peep-show, in an all women’s environment (except for the customers on the other side of the glass). Here there does seem to be a shift in attitude for Kitten seems to fall in with them without a moment’s hesitation. When his unacknowledged father shows up at the peep show to disclose where the mother is, Kitten chooses to approach the mother as a girl, not a boy. And when returning home to help an old friend with her pregnancy, Kitten goes to his father as a girl, not a boy and is to the horror of the town’s folk accepted as that. One can’t fault Liam Neeson’s acting as the father here, even if one wonders what he was drinking when he read the script. Killian Murphy’s mumbled delivery on too many lines reminds me of certain films of shall we say suspect genre’s where the actors are too embarrassed to read the lines. But La, look at me, I’m being ‘serious, serious, serious’.

Does Kitten live happily ever after? I suspect not. Kitten is a vehicle for episodes, a reason to paint scenes, be they of IRA violence, Carnaby Street London, school days or peep shows. With that kind of reason for existence Kitten will live a happy life only until the author Pat McCabe (who wrote the novel, has screenwriting credits AND acted a bit role in the movie) dreams up some more scenarios he thinks could merit that touch. But if he does, I think I’ll skip lunch too.

[Options]
ABOUT TOWN

By Sheila Wagner

AS a heterosexual crossdresser, I'm not looking for a date when I'm out and about as Sheila. So why am I out and about? Quite simply; to enjoy a few hours of fantasy time. In that interest, I frequently eat out, shop, attend the theater and often close out the evening at a bar, complete with a drag show. Clearly my interests are not for everyone at AO. My rantings are provided under the aegis of AO as nothing more than suggestions for that extra night out.

To every wife who may be reading, please understand that in just a matter of days, I will have been married to the same lovely girl for 37 years. She does not like what I do, but tolerates it once a month, sometimes twice. She has never seen me dressed, does not want to see me dressed and doesn't want anything to do with the crossdressing world. We have established this arrangement because we love each other and don't want to part company. It works for us and I don't abuse the privilege. Nuff said.

Marcals
In recent months, Sheila has eaten several times at a nice little restaurant on Pearl Road in Middleburg Heights called Marcals. Prices are reasonable, the food ranges from pleasant to good and the "wait" people, generally female, read me as male and treat me as female. After dinner, it's only a few steps to Marcal's piano bar where the piano man is surprisingly talented. His one-man presentation is augmented by tons of electric componentry, but it seems to work in a personal kind of way.

You'll find the Marcals display ad in the Cleveland Yellow Pages with seafood specialties, prime or choice steaks and veal dishes being advertised. I can attest to the veal; tender and tasty. The address is 6786 Pearl Rd., Phone 440-885-5510. The neighborhood is perfectly safe, unlike some of the downtown places I've frequented. This is a place to take your wife, for dinner and dancing as well, fellas. Although not a five star establishment the comfort level at Marcals is easily five stars.

Queen of Hearts
You may have heard about Queen of Hearts formerly located a block away from Warren's Historic Square - quite a beautiful spot, one of Warren's few. Queen has moved to a new, larger, location almost on the Warren-Niles border. The address is 1977 Ridge Avenue SE, Warren OH.

What attracts me to Queen is the generosity of the place, not to mention its well-managed history. In the past few years, this bar has given $30,000 back to its community and your non-perishable food items are always welcome. They are given immediately to area food pantries for the poor. To me this seems atypical for a bar, but then this isn't just any bar.

The third Friday of every month is set aside as GNO (girls night out) night for those of us who enjoy crossdressing. The drag queens that perform there are very friendly and love to talk about clothes, cosmetics, wigs and they offer plenty of tips. Often nationally known, many of these performers do not lip synch, they use their own voices. Amazing.

Typically a GNO night will attract 30 to 50 crossdressers, sometimes more, from Cleveland, Akron, Canton, Warren, Youngstown, Pittsburgh, Erie and Columbus. There are pool tables, light bar food, music and dancing. Note: This is loud dance-by-yourself music where people appear to be dancing alone. Each trying to outdo the other. At my age, I watch.

Modern Day Precautions
Remember that AO meetings offer an enviornment where we learn about ourselves, our direction in life, and can count on 100% anonymity, safety and security. Crossdressing outside this environment entails different risks.

When you are dressed and out be extremely careful about drinking. Watch your glass at all times on the off chance someone might drug you, real girls do and it's good advice. Do not drink enough to be arrested and charged with a DUI. If you feel you've had one glass of wine too many switch to something like cranberry juice and sprite. Eat some pretzels and wait until you've regained control of yourself before even thinking of driving. Better yet, don't drink at all.

Obey every traffic law and be hyper vigilant about it even if you haven't been drinking. Stop for every red light, keep your vehicle between the lane lines, never exceed the speed limit and don't switch lanes anymore than you must. We all have much to lose if we are outed. For every plan you make, be sure to have a backup plan. Remember, chance favors the prepared mind.

[Trivia]
FIRSTS

By Gloria Fenton

Makeup
I wore lipstick for the first time when I was three years old. It belonged to my mother. At seven, I started wearing other women’s lipstick whenever I had the time and opportunity. Until I was eighteen, I never wore any makeup other than lipstick.

My girlfriend, Sandy, was the first woman to give me permission to wear her makeup. My girlfriend, Sandy, taught me how to put on and wear makeup by letting me watch her put on her makeup. I wore full makeup for the first time when I was eighteen. Because of an argument between my then wife, Sandy, and my mother, Sandy stopped wearing makeup. Sandy gave away her make up shortly after that because we had an argument. I was still wearing Sandy’s makeup, and giving it away was her way of getting back at me because of the argument.

At twenty, I began wearing the lipstick and makeup of other women when I had the opportunity. I bought my own makeup for the first time when I was twenty-two. Sandy was the first person to ever see me wearing any makeup. I was wearing powder, mascara, and lipstick at the time. I was twenty-three then. Sandy, just the next day after seeing me in makeup, was the first person to ever wear my makeup. She wore my powder, mascara, and lipstick.

Two years after Sandy and I were divorced, my girlfriend, Ellen, was the first woman to ever see me wearing full makeup. Ellen was the first person to ever watch me put on makeup. Ellen had never worn more than powder, eyeliner, and lipstick, and did experiment with my makeup. After a long purge after Ellen and I were married, I began wearing Ellen’s powder and eye liner. Ellen was the first to ever buy make up just for me. She bought me powder and eyeliner of my own. Ellen was the first to ever tell me that I knew more about putting on and wearing makeup than most women.

The first time anyone ever put make up on me, other than myself, was at an AO meeting.

Clothes
I was four years old when I wore my first dress. It was a dress of my mother’s and far too big. At seven years old, I put on a pair of my mother’s stockings for the first time. At nine years old, I put on one of my mother’s bras for the first time. I had to tie the bra around my chest to make it fit. I learned to pad the bra, and wore a top over the bra for the first time, also when I was nine.

When I was twelve I wore the first bra that ever fit me. It was a brand new bra my mother had bought, and I was the first to ever wear it. At twelve I also wore my first girdle, and learned how to hook my stockings to the girdle with garter hooks for the first time. I wore the first full slip to ever fit me when I was twelve. I wore a bra, panty girdle, stockings, slip, a dress I hemmed up, high heels, a woman’s hat and woman’s gloves, and dressed completely as a woman for the first time when I was twelve.

At fourteen, I wore my first nightgown. Several times I borrowed one of my mother’s nightgowns and wore it to bed. I was never caught. At sixteen, I wore my first long line bra. It also was a brand new bra of my mother’s, and I was the first to wear it. I was eighteen when I wore a woman’s clothes for the first time with permission to do it. The clothes belonged to my girlfriend, Sandy.

Sandy had the first pantyhose I ever wore. She had even left a new package of pantyhose in her dresser, with the ones I wore, so I could read the directions on how to put on pantyhose. Sandy had a blue plaid, A-line dress that I wore that was the very first dress to ever actually fit me. It was Sandy’s favorite dress.

Other than at four, Sandy was the first person to ever see me wearing a dress. She even zipped and unzipped the dress for me. The dress was the blue plaid one, and I wore nothing else with it. Sandy told me I looked too good in her dress. Sandy’s mother bought her a brand new pair of stretch denim jeans, and I talked Sandy into letting me model them for her. They were the first women’s jeans I ever wore, and I was the first to wear them. Sandy said I looked too good in her jeans. Sandy had the first panties I ever wore. They were white nylon bikini panties.

At nineteen I wore Sandy’s panties, pantyhose, bra, and the pair of her jeans, a long-sleeved pullover sweater, a pair of Sandy’s heels, Sandy’s make up and jewelry, and a wig of her mother’s, and did completely and totally dress as a woman for the first time. Flashback – I wore my first one-piece woman’s bathing suit when I was ten. It belonged to one of my aunts. The first mini dress and mini skirt I ever wore belonged to Sandy’s sister, Bernice.

Just a week before Sandy and I were married, Sandy let me dress up, and saw me in her things. I wore panties, pantyhose, the jeans she had already seen me in, a pair of heels, a bra, a white blouse, and some jewelry. I purposely tried not to look too good. Sandy said I looked better than she had expected me to. Sandy had never seen me in a bra before, and though she didn’t say anything about it, she did stare at my chest a lot.

Sandy was the first person I ever told that I liked to wear women’s things, and liked to dress like a woman. Sandy was the first to ever knowingly and willingly, not only let me wear her things, but even made the times possible for me to do it. After we were married, it was Sandy’s idea to let me dress up and wear her things to bed when she did not feel amorous. That became quite often that Sandy wasn’t in the mood. It did get, though, that I was to only dress up after she was asleep, and had to be out of her things before she woke up. I did that. However, one night she surprised me, and did see me dressed up. I was in panties, pantyhose, girdle, bra, heels, jewelry, and the blue plaid dress.

Sandy was the first to tell me that I looked better in her dress than she did. She also told me that I looked and walked like a woman. I undressed and went back to bed with Sandy. As I laid there holding Sandy, she said the hardest part of seeing me dressed up was seeing me with a woman’s breasts. Sandy never told me or even asked me to not dress up, and every so often she still made time for me to dress up. After she had given away the make up, and after another argument, Sandy got rid of the blue plaid dress, and four others that she knew I liked to wear, just so I could not wear them. Sandy getting rid of things she knew I liked to wear, after arguments, became common.

Flashback – When Sandy and I were still going together, and she made time for me to wear her things, I would tell her what I had worn. Almost always the next day she would very knowingly wear the very same things I told her that I had worn. When Sandy and I visited her parents, and stayed overnight, we usually got to sleep in Bernice’s bedroom. More than once, Sandy told me I could get up, after she was asleep, and wear Bernice’s clothes, if I wanted to. I only did it once.

Though she never came out and said so I was fairly sure Sandy had long suspected I had worn Bernice’s clothes before. It did not seem to bother her in the slightest. On the one visit I did wear Bernice’s clothes; Bernice almost caught me wearing them the next morning. Sandy had already gotten up and had to have seen me in Bernice’s clothes. Bernice came up to get some clothes for herself. I got under the covers and pretended to still be asleep. I could tell by the sounds that Bernice had opened up her dresser, and had gotten something from her closet. I knew Bernice noticed that her pantyhose were not in the dresser and that a dress was missing from the closet. Bernice never said a word, and I began to suspect that Bernice knew I wore her clothes. After that morning, if there was time and opportunity to wear Bernice’s things, I did not go out of my way to hide it.

to be continued

Miss a chapter? You can find them here:   Part II    Part III     Part IV

[In the News]
CONSUMER SAVVY

From The Scotsman Evening News - 6 January 2006

WOMEN SPEND MILLIONS ON CLOTHES THEY NEVER WEAR

WOMEN waste millions of pounds on clothes they do not wear, research out today shows.

Ambitious purchases of clothes in small sizes by unsuccessful dieters are one factor behind the trend.

Other garments languishing in wardrobes have fallen out of fashion - or out of favour with their owner.

Women have an average of 14 unused items costing an average of £21.82 a piece, a survey for Churchill Home Insurance found.

Shoes top the list of items which women buy and do not wear, while shirts are number one "most unworn" item of men's clothing.

Women in the UK have an average £305 worth of clothes in their wardrobe which have not been worn in the last year, the research found.

British women collectively own around £7.3 billion worth of clothes they do not wear, with each spending around £12,810 during their working life, the insurer said.

By contrast, men have an average of nine items of clothing they have not worn in the last year, each with a price tag averaging £18.68.

This adds up to £7901 worth of unwanted clothes over the average man's working life.

The January sales are the time when women are most likely to buy garments which never see the light of day.

[Last Laugh]
How to Look Like a TRANSVESTITE!

From La Femme Silhouette - January 1999

1) Make your bust line as large as possible. Pad it out to a D cup, preferably using something with no appreciable weight. Air filled balloons are best, followed by tissues or shredded foam.

2) If you do spend your money on silicone breast forms, be sure they have nipples the size of your thumb. Wear them with a thin tricot bra and white silk blouse. Complain a lot about how cold it is outside.

3) Buy a bra that is much too small, since 38 is the largest size at the dime store. Remember, the look you want is a pair of ice cream cones set about three inches apart and about two inches below your collarbone.

4) Don't Pad your hips. Just because they throw your figure totally out of proportion and emphasize the masculinity of your walk is not enough reason to forgo the feeling of your dress sliding over your panties. Ideally, your hips are slightly smaller than your waistline.

5) Forget foundation garments. Corsets are uncomfortable when laced tight enough to simulate a woman's waist. Besides, they push so much flab up over the top they displace your ultra-light balloon bra padding. Heavy elastic garments from the department store catalogs are almost as bad.

6) Make sure the sleeves of your dress or blouse are nice and tight around your muscular upper arms. If someone giggles, crush his skull with your biceps.

7) Get one of those cute little wigs that hang smoothly and just brush your shoulders. Add a high lace collar and choker necklace. It took years to develop the muscles in that bull neck - let others appreciate it.

8) Never wear false nails or shave your hands. Someone might notice nail-glue residue on Monday morning or count the hairs on the backs of your hands. Your best bet is a pair of white gloves, size 12, with wide fingers.

9) For daytime shopping, you'd best wear a leopard print Lycra exercise suit and glitter eye shadow. Later in the evening, you can switch to something loud. You may prefer micro-miniskirts and patterned hose with rhinestones, especially if you have knobby knees. The essential thing is to wear what you'd like to see on Madonna.

10) Show the versatility of your taste by buying your clothes in isolation. Get a blouse that looks good on the mannequin, a skirt because it reminds you of one your big sister wore in 1962; the tallest shoes in the store regardless of color and so on. Try to get something in fuchsia or purple to highlight your bright red lipstick.

11) Don't ever study your movements in a mirror or, worse yet, with a video camera. The reactions of others are your best guide to femininity. Remember, practice is for dopes that can't do everything perfectly the first time.

12) Never practice your makeup techniques at home. You'll do fine applying makeup once a month for meetings. Anyhow, you've always admired Tammy Faye Baker's look!

13) Always dress as if you're doing to the prom. Never dress for the occasion or the weather. So what if the GG's attending are in tank tops and shorts! You must never be seen in anything less than a satin dress and spike heels. Truth is, you love sweating in satin or having your heels sink into the lawn at a picnic! Conversely, a micro-mini and 5" spike heels are the only thing to wear during blizzard conditions.

Alpha Omega is a non-profit social support group for heterosexual crossdressers and their wives or partners. Also, members from related organizations, helping professionals, and approved guests are welcome when cleared through Alpha Omega’s officers. We serve Cleveland and nearby Northeast Ohio communities.

Meetings are the second Saturday evening of each month unless a special event is scheduled that takes the place of the regularly scheduled meeting. The location of the meeting or event is only released to members or others with the approval of an officer. Members and visitors must be 18 years of age or older.

This newsletter is copyright 1998-2006 by The Alpha Omega Society. All rights reserved. Articles and information contained in this newsletter may be reprinted by other non-profit crossdresser organizations with advance permission of the author AND provided a copy of the issue containing the reprinted material is sent to Alpha Omega within two months after the material is published and proper credit is given to author and source. The opinions or statements contained in this newsletter are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of Alpha Omega.

Contributions of articles are welcomed, but may be altered in the editing process, with the author’s intent retained, or may be rejected, whether solicited or not. Absolutely no sexually explicit material will be accepted or printed.

We will exchange newsletters with any other similar group. Send all correspondence to Alpha Omega, P.O. Box 2053, Sheffield Lake, OH 44054.

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