The Art Museum





Saturday night I went to the grand opening to a new Art Museum located in the Claridge Hotel in Atlantic City.

I have to admit it was quite impressive. I'm really not an art coinsure, but I can appreciate what I consider talent. There were a number of artists who had their work displayed, most notably, Burt Young. I must admit I really never knew his name but he was very recognizable, he played Paulie in the Rocky movies, the brother in law, I would have thought he would have more of an ethnic (Italian) name, I mean "Young" sounds more WASP like.


So here is the way the night starts. The function is "Cocktail Attire", fancy name for wear a suit and gown, don't come in with sneakers on, baggy jeans hanging down to your Butt crack and a "wife beater" T shirt on, of course some people who buy 5000.00 to 250,000 dollar art can't read or maybe think they don't have too. I wanted to look right and I respect requests so that I might be respected back. I wore a long black form fitting gown and a black designer shrug my, murdered (yes murdered for real) neighbor gave me about 8 years ago.


There was a large group of people on the wide stairs waiting to be let in so there were a few minutes for people to look around and chat with one another. One of the artist who does beach related photography (very good BTW) noticed me and called out my name. Well apparently "Louise" is a little popular and a few people who were in front turned and wanted to great me too. I felt a little self conscious but also proud that people of high status would show they knew me, it was very flattering, especially when you're a cross-dresser.


As the doors open the crowd started to enter, I crossed the threshold and saw the Mayor, I put my hand out to shake his but instead he reach and grabbed me in a bear hug and kissed me on the lips, this man is about 6'2, I'm 5'2, so I was at a disadvantage. I was totally shocked, yes he has met me before (both ways), but I never expected him to react the way he did.


As I was trying to regain my composure I looked forward and there was a photographer reaching over people heads to get my picture, I don't know how that turned out. Then I looked to my left and my eye doctor is standing next to me and asks me if he can have a picture with me (I have two eye doctors, this one is an ocular specialist also a eye surgeon, he gives me an injection in my left eye once a month) how impressive is that, he has a PHD and is a practicing Doctor and he wants his picture with me..


As I walked through the gallery people who know me from various functions or restaurants I go to and of course my businesses would come over to say hello and introduce me to their wife/husband or friends they were with, unless you've been in someone else's shoes and know them on both sides you can't understand why someone would risk everything and (in this case) cross dress in public.


As I came to the back of the museum, there was Burt Young in person sitting on a metal folding chair, looking almost in a blank stare. To me it almost looked as if he just accepted the fact of who he was and didn't mind pictures taken with him. But as I stood back I could see there seemed to be a problem, perhaps dementia of some type. Most of the artists were describing their work or talking to a few people, socializing if nothing else, but Bert Young looked BLANK, he never moved from that spot not an inch, what a pity. I hope some of his work sold.

The New Car

Another episode in the life of Lou/ise.

For about a year I have been scanning the Toyota Certified used car sites for a new Toyota XLE they also make an XLE Limited edition and even though I was in the business I was more of a "general surgeon" and not 100% aware of every model of car, after all there must be 600-700 different styles and models according to a quick Google search.  I addressed repairs as they came in regardless of type, but still didn't know all the models.

Never the less I was looking specifically for a Minivan from Toyota that had a radar controlled cruise control but I wasn't sure of the exact name it was called, I later found out it's called DLCC (Digital Laser Cruse Control) and that wasn't because the sales person at the dealership told me, he didn't know either and that's why this had developed into a fiasco.

After finding two 2013 Toyota XLE Minivans in Runnemede, NJ I called to ask if they were equipped with the option of Cruse Control that had the option of setting the cruse to a specific speed and it being able to slow down and speed up as cars in front of me dictated, I was informed yes. I said I would be up to look at them and was told the 2 cars would be waiting for me.

My wife and I took the 50 mile ride with our title and a check in hand. The dealer has a greeter at the door and escorts you to the next sales person in line, ours was a nice person about 40's, he was very polite and had mentioned he had been at this dealership about a month.

After some chit chat to qualify us (I guess) he took us to the first car, we weren't very impressed by the color or interior so he said I'll get the other one. He pulled it over to the side of the building and we check it out, it was exceptionally clean. Being about 10 years newer than our car I wasn't sure of all the buttons and controls, for example we have a separate roof mounted control center for the garage door opener and a couple other options on this car they were mounted on the mirror and were unnoticeable until you actually saw them. I was also quite disappointed the backup camera was very small, about the size of a point and shoot camera screen, if you have the option of the built in navigator then it's much larger.

I then ask again about the cruise control and where the radar was, ours is in the lower front bumper and you can see it.  Being unfamiliar with the car I figured they hid it somewhere else and the sales person said it's built into the back of the mirror, there was a little white thing there, so I figured that was it, but questioned that and he said I'll check to make sure, which he never did. Now I could have taken the car for a ride, but we would have had to get on a highway to test the cruise with could have taken about 45 minutes, we had been there about 3 hours by now and my wife wanted to get to work, besides, we had his professional assurance it was equipped the way we wanted.

It took another 3 hours between paper work and other conversation and negotiation before we finally left exhausted about 7:30 at night, seven and a half hours to buy a car, it was almost the same when I bought my own car a year before.

We stopped for a pizza dinner and were on the road by 8:30. I set the cruse but couldn't locate the controls for distance, there had to be something somewhere for that, it's an integral part of that type cruse. I asked my wife to check the manual, she said it's right on the front of the horn button where the radio and controls are, you guessed it, the option was not there.

I called the sales man and told him the most important option is not on this car, he said OK, bring it back in the morning, I'm not going to stick you with the car. Fair enough, we were tired anyway and it was almost 9 PM.

The next morning I called the salesman and said I was on my way up and wanted to make sure he was there and there would be no difficulty, he said he would come in special, he had to bring his kids because Thursday was his day off and he didn't have a sitter. I apologized but I needed to take care of this as soon as possible. As I was driving up, I get a call from the sales manager, he informs me all sales are final, I said look, the car was supposed to have this option and it doesn't, he said in so many words, you bought it, you should have looked, I said I relied on your sales person, do you have unreliable people. I also mentioned I stopped payment on the check.

I get up there, the salesman is there with his 2 kids and the sales manager, a no game player guy comes over and says look, we're not taking the car back, we go back and forth and I say look, the car was misrepresented, I was VERY specific of want I wanted, I could have bought a car near me if I wanted something different. He said let me talk the GM, he comes back and says we'll take another 1600.00 off the price, I said that's generous, but I'll give you 500.00 to take it back for your trouble and your salesman's time.  He thinks a second and said we'll wipe the deal, give him his car back.

As I leave, I ask about any paper work, I'm pretty much in shock at how accommodating he was and wasn't expecting such a quick decision he said we didn't do any title work so you can just go but I forgot to ask for my title back. I get home and see the other title for my other car on the desk and said "Oh Shit", I give a call and the salesman says I'll get it in the morning. Since I wanted to go away Friday en-fem anyway I decided to drive up as Louise. As I walk up to the door, someone rushes over to open it for me, as I walk in a guy from a few desks back comes running over and says "I know you, you're Louise from Margate, my Mom and I were customers of yours". All the salesmen and managers are gathered around with big smiles on their faces as if I was some celebrity, but in the mean time, I cost them almost 8 hours of effort and compromising on their policy of taking back a sold car.

I need to give a high recommendation to the Runnemede Toyota for their integrity and honesty in doing the right thing, this could have been much worse and gone to court, I think the decision would have been "contributory negligence" I was as much at fault as the dealer, they did the right thing in my book and I took care of the salesman for his time and effort so everyone was happy.

As my quote states

"Everything I do right turns out wrong"

The 2015 Atlantic City Auto Show

Over the last 12-15 years I have gone to the Atlantic City Car show Auction, usually alone and ALWAYS en-fem (as Louise). This year after meeting a few gurls within 50-60 miles vicariously though one of them, I asked if they would like to join me.

 Heather, Staci, Nikki and Brianna (Brianna was not at the Auto Show)

The actual motive, I believe for joining me and also for myself, in going to this venue is more about presenting ourselves in public to see how far we can push limits. I don't mean by over exaggerating our appearances by dressing to provocatively or like "Drag Queens" , but more to see how we will be treated in a large public venue. 

I know even after 19 years of being "out" I still get a kick and enjoyment of people needing to talk with me, there is nothing more important than being recognize for our choice of appearance, but also for people acknowledging accepting and respecting us.

The conversation usually amongst most cross-dressers or even people who are interested in the lifestyle is  how "Passable" are you, it almost seems as if our rational is taken for granted that we are pretty much normal, but then the other question that follows next is "are you gay" or do you like men. What most people (including us as CD's too) don't understand is that everyone, who is human has sexual needs and it doesn't matter who or what level of society or business we are, sex is a VERY motivating commodity, in fact, you can have sex rich or poor, fat or skinny or ugly and attractive.

Many people of the Christian faith try to address sex on a morality and guilt basis, yeah, that works, ask a Priest. Other faiths feel it's OK to have sex with minors, as long as it's a family member (I have to think about that one). I'm sure they're many perverted beliefs but because we as male cross-dressers are considered aberrant people automatically consider us "cruising". But many people go to a bar/lounge either to pickup or be picked up and that's normal behavior because you're wearing the properly tagged underwear and socks or pantyhose. 

 

I seem to always go off thought.

The part of the day where it becomes more interesting is when my wife (Millie) picks us up from the show and we go to our favorite breakfast place, but for dinner time now.

As we walk in (4 CD's and one GG) the lady owners welcome us with hugs and kisses and set us up at the most visible table in the place to put us on display. They hovered over us like we were their personal guests, hugging us and having pictures with us. For the other gurls it had to be thrilling to be treated with such respect and admiration (FYI: this is a Greek owned establishment).

I have to also point out, that all but one of these gurls has been out for a few years, usually with a group, possibly for safety, but still trying to discover how it feels to be welcome, there is a difference between acceptance, tolerance and being welcomed, the first two are usually done because people do what's acceptable practice (politically correct, so to say) but being welcomed is something done because people see only who you are regardless of your look or status level in life. For example, a politician commands a certain amount of respect, even if you hate what he stands for, you have to accept or tolerate his BS or be subject to some type of punishment. But take a homeless person who has been down on his luck, he has nothing to offer you, nothing you can take from him that hasn't been taken already, he looks like hell but as a person he asks for little more than just some "daily bread", you empathize with him, you want to try to help and might offer a meal or a bath. To me that's the difference between being accepted and welcomed.

After dinner we went to a dance lounge, there was a new hostess (I really didn't know that) she addressed me with a warm reaction, I thought she knew me. We went over to one side of the bar and the lady manager came over a few minutes later and said to me "the new hostess wants to apologize that she might have scared you, we have your picture on the wall and she was so excited to meet you she over reacted". How about that, talk about celebrity status.  She then said I have a table on the dance floor I want to give to you, I'll put reserve signs on it so you can be comfortable. Holly mackerel, instead of being critical of me and any motives I had by bringing in 4 other CD's with me we were given TOP honors. One of the gurls (Heather) said Louise has pull where ever she goes, she's exactly right in how important it is to act "Lady Like" in public in order to allow people to respect us first before they make assumptions. 

I can't take credit for most of this, I always tell people when they say I have courage (I use another term that starts with a "B") I express they're the ones with courage because people will be more critical about them accepting me and think that they might be the one with ulterior motives.

Also Millie was my backup person, she created, accepted, encouraged and help developed my look so I wouldn't look or act like a clown if and when I went out. She is the HERO.

Louise