IMATS

Yes, just like last time, it's been almost a fortnight since my last post. I've been fairly stressed while trying to deal with being extremely busy with work, including 4 trips to Sydney for meetings and the like this month. My future remains uncertain although the previously set deadline for regulatory changes appears to have slipped, so it's no longer the end of this month.

Those 4 work trips weren't the only trips to Sydney for me this month. I took a day off last Saturday and went to the International Makeup Artists Trade Show (IMATS), which was held at Darling Harbour. Several of my friends from Beauty Heaven and Facebook had arranged to meet up at IMATS, including all but one of the girls I went shopping with in Alexandria back in June. In addition, Yvette, who I hadn't seen since the Beauty Heaven open day in May last year was there. I also got to meet several others from near and far including Chrissy from Sydney, Stacey from Queensland and Michelle from Victoria. There were also a couple of ring-ins in our group, including a friend of Chrissy's and Michelle's sister. During the day, I also said hello to a couple of other bloggers who I knew.

It was a long day. I was up at 4am to get ready. As with the shopping trip to Alexandria, I drove to Wahroonga and caught a North Shore train into the city rather than catching a train all the way. Part of the reason for that was that the Newcastle trains only run once per hour, while the trains to and from Wahroonga run 10 to 15 minutes apart, so there wasn't the risk of having to spend most of an hour waiting if I just missed a train. The other thing was that the closest station to Darling Harbour is Town Hall, which the Newcastle trains don't go to. The North Shore trains do go there, and it's much easier not to have to change trains at Central just to go to the next station!

I was so organised that I was in Darling Harbour by 8:30. Not long after I arrived, Yvette found me and I said that I was guessing that there would be about a dozen of us. We found a few more of the girls outside, and we went in together and found more of the girls inside as we wandered around the various stands. We didn't stay together as a group. Instead, we wandered around separately or in small groups, with the groups changing as we bumped into each other on the way around. We sat down in the Exhibition Centre cafeteria for a while, and the gathering grew until there were a dozen of us sitting around chatting. :)

I had 2 things that I specifically wanted to get, a large palette or two of eyeshadows and one particular sized brush. Remarkably, I bought what I set out to get and nothing more. The 2 palettes that I bought were on special at $35 each or 2 for $50, and the brush was just $4! While we were sitting around chatting, one of the other girls (I'm pretty sure that it was Su but I could be wrong) handed around a few eyeshadow testers that she'd been given by Chrissy. One of them was very much my colours, so I added that to my haul. :)

I'm embarrassed to admit that I forget who left us between sitting around and getting a few group photos in the foyer. The 4am start was really starting to catch up to me! A few of us walked down to the food court in the nearby shopping centre for a while. Eventually, I said goodbye and walked back to the station to catch my return train. As with the Alexandria trip, I was home early enough to shower and go out for dinner with the family in boy mode in the evening.

I believe that some of the girls are already making plans for IMATS next September! :)

Halter!

Yes, I know that it's almost a fortnight since my last post. Work is very hectic at the moment, and doesn't look like letting up until the end of the month. After that, I'm almost certain to refuse to sign a new contract with substantially worse terms and conditions and much higher costs, and in doing so, walk away from virtually all of my current work.

I may get to take some forced holidays while I look for other work. Holidays will probably mean a bit more time en femme, but very little money to spend.

On a brighter note, this week I achieved one of the goals that I set myself at the beginning of the year. I wore something with a halter neck for the first time ever, to Tuesday's cafe night. What's more, it wasn't a wide banded halter neck but a thin strapped dress that I bought at an op shop a few weeks ago. I finally wore one of the convertible bras that I bought last year, with a clear plastic strap that was barely noticeable with the dress. Before I put the dress on, the plastic strap kept on wanting to roll over up my neck, but the straps of the dress seemed to keep it flat and, aside from the halter straps being quite an unfamiliar feeling, it was quite comfortable to wear and I didn't experience any wardrobe malfunctions. :p

Fathers day

I guess you could say that I got a non-traditional fathers day present from my wife today. It's a hand-made charm bracelet. I have trouble with gold coloured costume jewellery tarnishing, so my wife made this from scratch using a type of coated wire that is not supposed to tarnish. Some of the parts in it required quite a bit of time to make.

My son gave me a hand-made fathers day card, which would have been a joint effort between my wife and son.

For someone living with depression as I am, these fairly simple, cheap but lovingly hand crafted items are a reminder that my family really do care about me, even if we do have our moments.

Rejection

For years now, it's been a standard arrangement that if I'm home when my son goes to bed, I make his bed for him, tuck him in, give him a hug, kiss him on the forehead and say goodnight.

Last night, I was still in girl mode after the day out for the nail appointment and shopping. I made my son's bed and tucked him in, but then he told me that he was too tired and wanted to go to sleep rather than give me a hug. It was a very clear rejection of something about my being en femme.

I have put him to bed before when en femme, and he's had a funny smirk but hugged me. I'm wondering whether it's just that my hair was out loose and he didn't want me to put my hair in his face.

I'm a bit sad about the whole thing, and am not sure whether this is just an isolated incident or a developing rejection of my femme presentation, as he was quite happy to give me a hug tonight when I was back to male mode.

I guess next time I'm en femme at his bed time, I'll have to remember to put my hair up first and see if that makes a difference.