Esprit 2002

Introduction

Esprit 2002 was my fifth (5th) Esprit. You won't find (yet) an Esprit 2001 page, as I went in "boy mode;" I did not crossdress (as a woman. Whether I was crossdressing by looking like a man is another matter ;-). Yes, I went as a man. Yes, by choice. This year I was back in "girl mode." I enjoyed Esprit in both modes; perhaps I'll leave it to my diary to explain more about this. Suffice it to say, though, that I like myself either way, and try to express myself-- my masculine and feminine sides (at least to some extent)-- regardless of how I'm dressed.

Anyway, this page is to talk about the fun (and perhaps not so fun) things I did, the people whom I'm lucky enough to call friends, and to share pictures of them (when I have permission) and of myself.

The page is a work in progress, and here's the state to this point:

Wednesday Evening

I arrived relatively late (around 9 or 10 pm) to Esprit. The "sock hop" 50's and 60's dance was only getting started. I threw on my letterman's jacket, scarf, and hauled my capri-panted, t-shirt wearing self up to the dance. I had such a great time!! My friend Tami looked the part to a "T" (hee hee); I'll get a pic of her at the dance up on this page at some point :) Anyway, it was Tami's second Esprit, and I think she still only barely beat me for how many clothes she brought for only a few days. At least I didn't empty my closet into my car like I did the first time... ;-)

Thursday

I met up again w/my really (really really) good friend Tami on Thursday at various times. I also did workshops, more dancing, etc. Isn't Tami a nut? Well, she's a lovable nut, believe me... (Besides, I'm far from normal myself ;-) [BTW, what do you think of the blonde hair? Or the fact that you'll see my hairstyle and color change several times on this one page? ;-)]

Friday

Friday was a full day for me... hanging out with friends, the Fashion Show, the Talent Show rehearsals and performance, hanging with friends (yes, I do that a lot ;-) and plenty of dancing (and even a workshop or two squeezed in ;-) throughout the day...

This first set of pictures is of hanging out w/my friends. My friend Tina (who works for the hotel), my roomie Ginger, and me and my friend Domonique's daughter, Dyn'Elle. I made friends with Tina at my first Esprit, back in 1998. Being the shy, retiring person that I am (*hee hee*), I said hi to her in the hall, and struck up a conversation. Tina has a wonderful smile, great kids (and grandkids; can you believe this pretty young woman is a grandma?), nice friends, and is on a journey of discovery like us all. It's always nice to see her every year. My roomie Ginger I'd met before through mutual friends, and it was a pleasure getting to know such a kind and lovely person. As for DynElle, well, she's already got a lot of people wrapped around her little finger... :)

People definitely get dressed up for the Friday and Saturday evening affairs. It's wonderful to see so many well-dressed people in a room. There's something extra special, to me at least, to see a room full of transgendered people "dressed to the nine's" and having a good time. This next set of pictures shows some of the people I captured "on film" before or after the show [or at least will once I get more permissions to post :)]:

I really enjoyed the talent show; both being in it and watching it. I must admit that my performance this year was a bit lackluster; as opposed to 2 or years ago (or so) when I performed in the first show, and received many compliments. While I could blame it on the sound people starting the wrong song, or screwing up the start once they found the song, I must also blame myself for having used most of my energy and passion for the rehearsal. I simply went through the motions for some of my number, and I'm still kicking myself for it. Anyway, the other performers were generally awesome! There really is a lot of talent in this community of ours.

So this next set of pictures is from the performers on stage; though I didn't capture many of them... So far, the pictures are of Jacqueline, who performs w/a live band and has the courage to sing live (I don't), and a pic of me sitting on the stage:

Saturday

Saturday brought more workshops (though I didn't attend any ;-), shopping (w/Tami :), the formal dinner, and the slumber party...

It's gotten to be a fine tradition (2 years running now, at least ;-) to sneak out of the conference and go shopping on Saturday. Of course, anyone who knows me knows that I don't need an excuse to go have Thai food either. Anyway, Tami and I decided to wander around Port Angeles a little, and ran into another conference attendee, and some really very nice people. We even found a few cool things to buy... I've gotten good use out of the cute top I got already. Anyway, this first set of pictures is from shopping:

This next set of pictures is from the formal dinner and graduation for first-timers, and from being in our rooms to change into dancing clothes:

Sunday

Sunday was the trip home, after saying goodbye to everyone at the brunch. The following pictures are of me (what a surprise! ;-), Tami, and my speedometer during the trip. Hey, I call my car the Little Red Rocket for a reason...