Summer 2002: Summer of Whine and Roses

Build your own website on Tripod It's fast, easy and economical.

Share This Site More

One of the joys in my life is being a Barbershopper. I have traveled far and wide (some places wider than others, I admit). But since

coming to grips with being Gender Dysphoric, and being able to be a little more free in my mannerisms...well, it really puts a whole

The S.O.'s family lives not far from the site of the 2002 International Convention city of Portland, OR. So do both of my dearest

friends. So of course we both wanted to go. When I travel, I often have to travel pretty much in drab. While I am out to a number of

people, there are many, many more that don't know…and probably shouldn't, for their own good as well as my own.

However, I as I said earlier, I do take vacations. And since I (usually) take them with my S.O. and family, I have to be careful, because

I still am a woman inside, after all. So while I don't travel in skirts and pumps, I do take all women's clothing anymore, by and large.

It is with that understanding that I share with you my trip to Portland, OR. for the Annual Barbershop Harmony International

Convention and Contests (hereby dubbed Int'l for short).

YYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY

I have to run back to the office to grab the last of my makeup. Plus, I have to take out of my new handbag all the Jayne stuff,

plus file, etc. (Much of my ID as Jayne has already been sent ahead, in a sealed envelope in my camera bag. Anything left has

to be left here at home, in case I'm vetted.) There…everything is packed. 9 pairs of panties, 3 pair slacks, 2 pairs of shorts, a

million pairs of socks, too many bras, way too much gender-bender jewelry, plus femme t-shirts, ballcap, polo shirts…and

then, all of the Barbershop paraphernalia that usually comes with me. Time to go to bed…and try to sleep.

Get up, shave and get dressed: Blue racerback bra, blue panties, blue socks, blue polo shirt with a Johnny collar, Navy blue

slacks, black belt w/silver buckle, and my Princess model Reeboks. Jewelry choices: Dark blue beaded bracelet, clear bracelet,

and my slide necklace with the large light blue slide on it. Get my eyelashes curled, some clear mascara on them, and comb

them out. Get everything stowed in my suitcase-Good heavens, it weighs a ton!-and off to the airport. Breakfast is there, once we

check in. Clear lipstick goes on AFTER breakfast (Thank you, Cover Girl!). Getting to the gate was interesting: I get pulled off to

the side for a wavedown with the wand. This is okay, until the guard gets a little fresh on me, and tries to goose me with his x-ray

wand. If he had gotten much closer to my crotch, I'd either have him introduce himself, or I would have slapped him. A girl's got to

Then the flights themselves…St. Louis is a nice airport, but I wouldn't wanna live there!…and finally we arrive in Portland. Get the

luggage, and…dammit, I fractured a nail. It'll have to wait, as both files are in the suitcase. We have lunch at an Olive Garden just

off the Airport about ten minutes or so. Fix my makeup afterwards…a girl wants to look her best when catching up to her S.O.'s

folks, after all…And finally arrive at the house. Fix my nails, grab all the Jayne ID stuff and return it to my purse, put the file away…

clear the polish off (It's clear too…) and reapply. Spend the rest of the evening just resting. It has been a long day.

I've forgotten how early the sun comes up on the west coast. It is light way too early out here…This morning, we are going to the

S.O.'s Brother's church. A cute little Assembly of God church with all that that entails. So, for this event: My black Liz Claiborne

polo, with a 36c sportbra, black panties, white sox, black belt, Navy slacks, a Sterling cross, black beads, clear beads. All clear

makeup applied (no mean feat, I assure you), and off we go. After church, it is home for lunch, and a quick change: I change tops,

into my blue square top t-shirt. After touching up my makeup, we go to visit a friend of mine that moved to Oregon right about the

time he got divorced. He hasn't changed a whit, unfortunately. After some time there, we went out (Including my friend, his sister,

and his two boys) to Lincoln City to do some outlet shopping. I was able to get two pairs of dress slacks from the Dress Barn

Woman outlet (which I needed for work). At that point, it was beginning to get near to dinner, so my friend and his entourage took

off, and we went to Newport for dinner, at a cute little fish place named Georgie's Beachside Grill. They had fantastic fish, and an

No trip to the coast is complete without a walk on the beach. So the four of us went to the beach below Georgie's, and walked

along the shore for an hour or so. By that point, we were getting pretty pooped, so home we went, to relax and rest. After all…

that is what this was supposed to be all about.

This is a day I have wanted for quite awhile. I am getting to spend the bulk of the morning and early afternoon with a very dear

friend. I want to look my very best for the occasion, so I get around, depilate and shave my chest, wax my eyebrows, and

carefully shave. Then it's a shower, and fix my hair just right, with mousse to hold it steady. I apply a very light spray of Vanilla

Fields to my boobs, then get dressed: a white 36c bra, blue striped panties, blue socks, a blue striped spandex t-shirt, navy

slacks, black belt, my white Reeboks, and a jacket because it is cool out today. Jewelry consists of light blue beads, clear

beads, and a sterling slide chain with a dark blue oval stone. I checked my makeup: my eyes look good, as do my hands, and

My friend shows up promptly, and after some pictures, we depart for Eugene. Now you must understand: my friend is either very

straight, or he's so far in the closet I'd never know unless he told me. So I knew this wasn't going to be a date per se; but I just

didn't know. We made a stop at the local grocery store so I could get a store card (just another piece of the Jayne puzzle), we

snagged a soda from a convenience store, then we went into Eugene. Lunch was at a place called Misako; my friend loves

Japanese food but nobody in his circle of friends there would eat with him when he does. (In fact, he picked up the tab for it…

bless him!) We lunched on huge bowls of ramen, had sushi, and talked much about many things. After lunch we went to his

place. Since he's single, he has a lot of discretionary cash to spend, and has a fantastic home theatre setup. He popped in the

DVD of "Black Hawk Down" for a bit, then switched to Akira. We sat and chatted more, then he had to take me to the mall and

drop me off so he could go on to work (He works 2nd shift).

After he had dropped me off at Valley River Center, I had about 30 minutes before I would meet up with the S.O. and family.

Locking myself in the handicapped bathroom-alone-I took advantage of this time to clean up a bit. I always carry some Biore'

cloths with me for removing much more obvious makeup; I used one to clear away the last of the perfume. Unless you got really

close, you wouldn't smell it anyway, but I didn't want to tip my hand to the S.O., either. Then I did some walking about to

slow down my pulse…My friend had lost weight and was in great shape…and I was horny as hell. My S.O. and her mom took

care of that; we went shopping for a few things. I ended up with a new belt, a t-shirt, a short sleeve campshirt, and a pair of khaki

dress slacks. If you don't at least look at Penny's, you ought to! J

Once we got done spending mom's money, we went to get me a new watchband off the mall, then went to Marie Callender's

for dinner. The SO mentioned that my dressy Birkenstock shoes had been picked up, which was a good thing. She had dropped

off her wedding and engagement bands (which are soldered together) to have the stone reset; the tines were loose. That wouldn't

be ready until Wednesday, and she kept having to remind herself that she hadn't lost them. After a dinner of too much food, we

piled in the car, and her folks took us past where they will be moving to in 2003…then the trip home. I love spending other people's

I had the best time this day. Yes, it could have been better, but hey…I'm here to see people, not necessarily get laid. (Although both

Today we are going into Portland to get our name badges and convention stuff. Now you must understand: If you do not do the

bulk of your shopping at a Barbershop Convention early, you won't have much to choose from later. It was a case of go now…

or wait until possibly Thursday. We were also going to tour Portland today. So needs are a little more comfy than good looking:

A blue-tan check polo, navy slacks, black belt, white sox, purple/blue bra, blue striped panties, black beads, clear beads, and a

G-clef necklace. Makeup: Mascara, lipstick, and a quick check of my nailpolish. We did some shopping on the way to Portland.

The Mom-in law-loves outlet shopping almost as much as I do. Did our namebadges and shopping at the convention, and then

had lunch at Todai. This place is incredible. All you can eat sushi buffet, something like 40 types of cold sushi, plus hot bar and

drink…$13.95 a person. I all but squealed when I walked out. (This little piggy had Ebi…and Ike…and Tekka Maki…and Tomago…)

In the same building, I got to poke into J.Jill, which is not the same one as online (go figure…a lot of the same stuff, but two different

divisions, I suspect). A trip to Portland must include a trip to Powell's bookstore. The place covers a square city block, has three

levels, and is full of books. New…used…rare…blank…you name it, they either have it or can get it. Spent several hours there,

including a foray into their coffee shop ("The Brown Room"), which is a no cell phone/pager zone. I love it! Got a new diary book

(You didn't think I kept all this on a computer, did you? J) On the way back to the car, we wandered around the Lloyd Center

shops for a bit. Ended up with a few new blouses for work, courtesy of the mom-in-law. When all was said and done, though, we

piled our weary bones back into the car for the long trip home, and had a late dinner there.

Sometime today my folks are supposed to come ~~rescue~~ pick me up for the evening, so that we can spend a little "quality

time" (whatever that means) together before the convention. So: The convention polo, khaki slacks, tan socks, a white

microfiber bra, gray panties, black belt, white shoes, and my vest with all the patches and pins from different conventions on

it. Jewelry: Tan beads, clear beads, and a sterling herringbone chain. Makeup: Mascara, lipstick, and my nails still look okay

from the other day. They arrived, right on time. Not bad, considering that Daddy's had surgery only a month or so before

(they yanked his prostate, if you really want to know). We tossed my stuff for the next few days in, and went on up to Portland.

Got in, went to the Harmony Marketplace so my folks could take care of business (and while they did so, I managed to get a

badge done up under Jayne Sakura…ask me no questions, and I'll tell you no answers! J)

After that, we wandered over to the Lloyd Center so the Mom could get a backpack. I went into a Spencer's and bought a

new pair of earrings (the folks weren't around, and I needed a pair in the color they had). We had dinner at the Azteca on the

Mall, then slowly (We were way past stuffed, honey!) walked back to the hotel where we were staying. I managed to get on the

guest computer there to check my Jaynemail, being sure to delete cookies, temp files, etc. when I got done. After that, we were

all pretty beat (especially Daddy-he's walked more today than in the last month, easily) so we called it a night. Now here comes

the fun part-getting into my pajamas without attracting too much attention. Granted, there's a bathroom, but…well, it's easier to

talk about than it was to do. Especially since I had to put everything I wore back into the suitcase…

Mmmm…yesss…ooohhhh, baby, okay…right there…oh, honey...huh? Where am…whups! It's not a good thing to wake up

in the midst of a kinky dream with your parents asleep in the bed next to you…after getting myself collected, it was back into

the loo to change. Today was a green polo, tan khakis, white socks, a white microfiber bra, a clean pair of gray panties, black

belt and the vest. Jewelry: clear beads, black beads, and my Celtic Love Knot necklace. Putting on my makeup proved to actually

be easier than at the in-laws: curling my eyelashes went quickly, as did mascara, a quick touch-up of my nails, and lipstick.

After a really huge breakfast downstairs in the hotel, we wander over to the convention and do some convention type stuff: sing

a little, enter the raffle, and catch up with old friends. Since today is the Fourth, that means the Mass Sing is taking place at the

Courthouse Square. Now…I want you to picture a city block. Fill it with…oh, let's say 8500, maybe 9000 people. Now…get them

to sing the same songs all at once. In the same key…and in the same tempo. That's what we do every year at a convention!

(And it sounds really good, too! J) After all that singing, though, it's lunchtime. Had lunch with both sets of folks, the S.O., and

her bro at Kells. A nice little Irish place right off Skidmore Fountain. Ate way too much. (eating is the National Pastime in my

One meeting I had to be in attendance at was the Founder's Club. This is essentially a club for those who donate a given amount

of money over a period of time. Both my folks and are members; the S.O. is by default, being as she's my S.O. They had quite a

spread, including a cheese bar I had no business even looking at…much less making dinner out of. (sigh…one way to this princess'

heart is with cheese…J ) Later that evening, it was time for the past champions' show. This is where all the quartets that have

won the gold medal in years past get together and sing for us. It's always a lot of fun to see the past champs. (See, once a

quartet wins, they are barred from competing as a quartet again. They can form new quartets, but the same four cannot compete

together again.) The only problem with all this is that once the show is over, I have to move all my ~~junk~~ stuff out of my folks' room

and into the room with the S.O. Again, easier said than done. But once moved, I could change freely into my pj's and go to sleep.

Which was a really good thing because it was so late…

…and had to get up so early this morning. My former chorus was putting on a Master's class demonstration-early-and I really

wanted to see them again. So it was up at a most unladylike 6:00AM to get ready and get to where the class was to be held.

Clothing for the day: a cream colored t-shirt, the tan khakis, white socks, a 36c sport bra, pink striped panties, black belt, vest.

Jewelry: Tan and clear beads, a chain with an abalone slide. After getting my makeup on (and it hasn't changed all week…) I put

my sunglasses on the bed for just a second, and then went to check something and…sat on them. I said some most unladylike

things, fixed them enough to wear, and off we went. Made the master class, and after getting caught up with my friends, went to

a Lenscrafters to get my glasses fixed. (I am highly light sensitive, and thus need good, dark lenses outside or I am effectively

blind.) Got those fixed up, did a little shopping at Bath and Body Works, and met my folks for lunch at Todai. (I know, we were

there on Tuesday…but this is Friday, and Sushi is always good for lunch. Or dinner. Or breakfast, for that matter. )

After lunch, we registered for next year's convention, to be held in Montreal, Quebec. The S.O. and I had to crunch numbers

earlier to see if this was going to be financially feasible…she's not thrilled with this, but we are going anyway and that is that.

Took the tour of the Japanese garden this afternoon. It was hot, but the garden is cool, and has a great view of Portland. I really

enjoyed being outside, warm as it was. Afterwards, however, my folks and my S.O. and I parted ways; they were going to meet

some friends of theirs; we wanted just a light dinner. Ran into her folks on the way back to the hotel, and so joined them for dinner

at Stanford's. I had a sandwich that was just right.

This evening is the quartet semifinals. The top 20 quartets square off to see who makes the finals tomorrow night. It is always one

of the very best nights of the week, and this year was no exception. When that was done, we went back to the hotel, chilled a bit,

This is the marathon of convention week: The International Chorus Contest and the Quartet Finals. The events start at 10:45 AM,

break for dinner somewhere around 4:30, and resume about 7:00ish…and will go well past 10:00 PM. Comfortable, casual clothing

are the order of the day. Cream colored convention polo, tan khakis, white socks, black belt, white 36c sport bra, pink striped

panties, vest. Dark blue/clear beads, sterling slide chain and slide with a dark blue stone. Makeup: mascara, lipstick, and a quick

check of the polish. Lunch was onsite; dinner was at an Applebee's over near the Lloyd center. Outside of the contests being

really tight, the only thing that really will make sense to those outside the Barbershop community was a comment from one of the

other attendees, asking if I was bisexual, right in front of my folks! As I have not shared with my parents my orientation, I was

totally stunned. So I'm standing there, attempting to figure out what to say, as she went on: "You have both a Lead and a Bari

button on, so you're bisexual, right?" I could have passed out right there…!

Every year on the Sunday after Convention ends, I feel slightly hung over. This is amazing, considering I rarely if ever consume

an alcoholic drink the entire week. This year is no exception, either. I wake up, toss my clothes on (convention t-shirt, tan slacks,

black belt, gray panties, white 36c bra), my jewelry (light blue/clear beads, Celtic love knot necklace), my makeup (done in virtually

no light), and pack up so I can meet the folks for brunch at their hotel. We enjoy a leisurely brunch, then pack the Lincoln up to

head back south. They are dropping me at the S.O. folks' place…but we stop at Lum Yuen for lunch first. (Like I have said before…

eating is the family pastime…) Once they have dropped me off and have departed, then I get to rest for just a sec. Then I have to

get changed; we are headed for a minor league baseball game tonight. The Eugene Emeralds are in town, and my very best friend

is going to meet us there. So, I change into a femme green striped t-shirt w/shoulder pads, brown belt in the tan slacks, grab my

powder blue ball cap, fix my makeup, and off we go. The game itself was bad-Eugene lost big time-but we had fun, talking, eating

ballpark food (including some of the best ice-cream going), and just generally enjoying being outside in the great Pacific Northwest

on a summer's evening. Once the game is over, we take a few more pics, say our goodbyes, then head back to the in-law's place.

It's getting late, and I am pooped, so I crash early.

When I finally come to, I realize that today is the last real day of vacation…where has all the time gone? I get up and toss some

scruffies on; I'm going to the gym with the Dad in law. This includes a soak in the hot tub. Boy…that felt good, even if I did get a

few looks from the locals. Geez, you'd think they'd never seen a rack of boobs before...! Once home, it's back in the newly cleaned

green tee, tan slacks, white socks, brown belt, pink panties, white 36c sport bra. (The mom in law did our wash while I was out,

bless her heart!) Jewelry is the tan/clear beads, and the abalone slide necklace. Of course, I have to do my makeup; I have

sweated pretty hard. Fix my eyes, do my lips, and fix my hair for now. We decide over a lunch of leftovers from various places that

there is just a little shopping left to do; Oregon has no sales tax. Since the S.O. has gotten a new electric razor, she gives me her

old one, and we go in search of new blades and screen for it. No luck, but did find some more clothes for work and a pair of earrings

that, once I get home, I will have to buy a pair of. (In fact, I did find them, bought them, and wear them on occasion.) Dinner was at

McGrath's, a fish place with decent (albeit cooked) fish. Once we returned home, the S.O. and I hit the shower. I showered at the

club this morning, but need to do it right this time. Tomorrow is flight day, and I won't have a lot of time then to take a shower…the

It's time to go home. I have a suitcase full of new femme clothing, most of which I didn't have to pay for, and a bunch of memorabilia

from the convention. Most of all, I have some good memories of this trip…clothing for the return flight: a red, white and blue striped

femme polo, tan slacks, pink panties, 36c sport bra, brown belt. Jewelry is red and clear beads, and a larger lt. Blue slide on the

slide chain. Full makeup, including curled lashes, mascara, lipstick…I redid the polish last night; so I know that's good. I stuffed all

the Jayne stuff deep in the suitcase. I don't care if they open it at this point…of course, they don't, which is a relief. The flights are

uneventful, and once home, it is a joy to see my cats again.

It was a good trip, and as much fun as it was, and with the chance to vacation mostly femme, I am ready to get back to normal…