Happy Valentine’s day, folks! I hope you’re all enjoying some quality time with a special someone.

I took my wife, the fabulous Mrs. H. out to a nice dinner yesterday. We thought we were being smart going out to dinner a day early and beating the Valentine’s Day crowd. We even went out for an early dinner, just in case. Early or not, it was still quite packed. It was still a smart move, though. Our waitress explained to us that Valentine’s Day is their busiest day of the year, right up there with Mother’s Day. Packed as it was, the wait to be seated was a whole lot longer for those poor folks who were just arriving when we left. Kind, courteous, and attentive, our waitress did a great job given the stress load she was under, and earned herself a good tip from yours truly.

On this day last year, Mrs. H. bought matching lingerie for her and I. It was the first Valentine’s Day we enjoyed together after coming out to her, and probably the coolest related present I’ve ever gotten from her. Sorry, folks. No photos of us in our lingerie together.

Valentine’s Day is the biggest holiday for flower vendors and candy makers – it is their Christmas, but I am a little puzzled by something. On Christmas, the biggest holiday for buying tech-related gifts for people, the price of big screen TV’s, cameras, laptops, and the latest gadgetry usually drops. Why is it that on Valentine’s Day, and leading up to it, that the price of flowers doubles and even triples depending on the source? I’m not really puzzled, by the way. In economics, it’s called supply and demand, but it seems like the “day of love” is just another good excuse for suppliers to get grrrrrrreedy (yes, I said that like a pirate). Perhaps because of their love of the “green” (or whatever color your currency is depending on location).

For those who are single today, I’m sorry… or congratulations – whichever you feel is most applicable. It can be a lonely holiday for single folks, but it is also a LOT less expensive. ;) If you’re lonely – just keep your mind on that silver lining. I’m not lonely… but my pocketbook feels a lot lighter right now. Then again, all the money in the world would not bring an ounce of happiness in my life without my lovely wife to share it with.

How did/will you spend Valentine’s Day this year? What was the coolest gift you either gave and/or received from your spouse?

Happy New Year 2010! I hope everyone enjoyed a safe and festive evening full of fun and laughter, among good friends and family.

The Mrs. and I were pretty low-key last night. It was just the two of us with no real plans for the evening. We enjoyed some TV together (a bit of Dexter season 3 on DVD) and took it easy. The fabulous Mrs. H. wasn’t feeling so fabulous (due to a visit from her monthly friend) and fell asleep well before midnight. I woke her with a gentle kiss and wished her a happy new year just before calling it a night and joining her.

Following the long standing tradition, many people will make new year’s resolutions with good intent, only to give up after a short period of trying. There are some very important resolutions I made this year. I pray that I have the strength to follow through with them.

The New Year’s cliche
One of the more popular new year’s resolutions is to go on a diet, loose weight, exercise more, etc. – call it the standard “get-fit-and-trim resolution”. It often doesn’t last as people quickly discover how time consuming and unpleasant getting in shape really is, not to mention the level of self-discipline required to maintain a healthy diet AND stick with the exercise regimen.

Staying fit and trim is a life-long commitment and there’s nothing fun or enjoyable about the process itself. The outcome is, of course, looking more attractive, feeling better and living healthier. I’ve always been able to stick with it, whereas so many others fail after what seems like only a halfhearted attempt. The main excuse is always the same: “I don’t have enough time.” Whether it be working long hours, raising kids, spending too much time watching TV, social networking and grazing on junk food while sitting on one’s ass, it always comes down to “lack of time”.

Never enough time
Even though I don’t buy that excuse from many people who toss it out there ever so quickly, I do fully understand the difficulties of living within tough-to-manage time constraints. That’s the story of my life – always so much to do, and never enough time. Even so, I always take the time to maintain physical fitness, often at the cost of letting other things slide.

Personal failures
Exercising daily is not something I enjoy by any means, but I keep at it. So many others do not, offering excuses to justify their failures. Fact is, there are many areas in which I fail miserably while others seem to have little problem, and that is where I find myself offering excuses. Of course, my excuses aren’t just excuses. They’re very real obstacles… aren’t they? That’s certainly how it feels. Perhaps this is how it feels to those who attempt dieting and getting in shape only to throw in the towel so quickly. A lot of people are, simply put: just plain lazy. I also think there are many who try very hard, only to run into what seems like serious and unbeatable obstacles in their lives.

A growing problem in my life
It is a little known fact that I am a foul-mouthed, quick-tempered hot-head in person. More accurately, my man-side, Gabe, is. As Gabrielle, I’m somehow more balanced and not as moody. Most of my time is spent in guy-mode however, and I have some serious anger management issues that have built up considerably in recent months. My out-of-control temper is mostly the result of misplaced anger. The real problem is stress caused by numerous factors in my life, and, dare I say – my lack of time and resources to deal with them.

My resolutions

• Manage my limited time more effectively. There’s never enough time to do it all, but with better time management and self-discipline, it will be possible to accomplish more in the time I do have and reduce the number of stressors that fuel my anger.
• Be mindful of angry feelings and hold my tongue before a stream of senseless profanities come out of my mouth at high decibels. It feels good to let it all out like that, but it has been causing serious trouble in my marriage and professional life and needs to stop.
• Focus and fully apply myself to the task at hand, rather than dwell on the problems I am powerless to change (at that particular moment). Deal with one task/problem at a time. Take things one day at a time.

What are your resolutions, if any?
Cliche or not, what are your new year’s resolutions? Have you chosen to make some changes and personal improvements? Have you abandon the whole “new year’s resolution” thing like many others? Please take a few minutes to share what you’ve got going on… and wish me luck on taming my own demons.

If you don’t have any resolutions to share, I’d still like to hear how you spent your new year’s eve, if you don’t mind sharing.

It’s Christmas day, 2009. May your day be filled with family, friends, love and happiness. I hope Santa was good to you.

In my childhood, the anticipation of opening up presents on Christmas morning made if difficult to sleep the night before. My brother and I would always be awake very early on Christmas morning. Tactfully waking up our parents so that we could have at the cornucopia of presents that lie under the Christmas tree was a yearly ritual.

After several years of being woken up around 5:00 AM by kids who could not contain their excitement, our parents started the tradition of opening up presents on Christmas eve – just after returning home from the Christmas eve mass that we attended as a family. It worked out great for everyone – my brother and I got to open our gifts without that last grueling wait of anticipation for one more (sleepless) night, and Mom and Dad got to sleep in the next morning.

Those were magical times – the joy of opening up gifts in my youth and then playing with new toys for the first time. Having Christmas break off from school to enjoy new toys, sledding, and playing in the snow was always a joyous experience. My memories of playing with Star Wars toys and Atari video games are probably the strongest from those days.

I miss the magic that Christmas once held for a much younger me, but there are still good times to be had and plenty to be thankful for and celebrate.

With a few family gatherings out of the way already, there will be more family coming over throughout the day today. In-laws, nieces, and nephews will be joining us for their Christmas presents that await under our tree, and what will surely be an amazing pork dinner prepared by my wife, the fabulous Mrs. H. She started preparing the meat two days ago and the delicious aroma has already filled the air as it slowly cooks.

What are your favorite Christmas memories from childhood? What are your plans for today? Was Santa good to you? Please take a moment and share a bit of your Christmas joy with me in a comment. :)

DISCLAIMER: I have no control over the suggested videos offered after mine finishes. I do NOT endorse any of them.

Related content: My YouTube Channel

It’s Christmas eve, 2009, and I wanted to share a couple of short greeting videos. I hope you’ll enjoy with a smile. :)

I’ve been terribly busy lately (and dealing with life) so this is the first new content I’ve been able to publish in a few weeks. Sometimes I think my website should be renamed to: MyCrazyBusyLife.com. lol I’ll share more about what’s been going on in my life in upcoming posts. For now, let’s concentrate on the most wonderful time of the year.

This second video is a playful and humorous take on unwrapping presents:

The music in both videos is “O Christmas Tree” as performed by Doro Pesch. I’ve said it before – I’m kind of a metal head.

I wanted to spread a little Christmas cheer on the night before Christmas and let you know that I’m alive and well… just been busier than Santa’s elves in December!

Please check back again tomorrow (Christmas day). I’ll (hopefully) have another short Christmas video and smile to share with you. :)

In the meantime, have a beautiful day. Please take a moment to let me know what’s going on in your life this Christmas eve. I’d love to hear about your plans.

DISCLAIMER: I have no control over the suggested videos offered after mine finishes. I do NOT endorse any of them.

Related content: My YouTube Channel

Halloween is often regarded as the “crossdresser’s holiday”. On this single day of the year, it is generally socially acceptable to venture out into public en femme without being ridiculed, harassed, or facing harm (from haters). Because a man dressing up as a woman is regarded as a simple “costume” rather than a social deviation, the rules are changed, if only for a short time.

In years past, I remember some of my male friends dressing up as women on Halloween. Their costumes consisted of ridiculous looking dresses, mismatched jewelry, a bad wig, over sized breasts, and absurd makeup (applied almost clown-like). I observed similar displays at various costume parties. In addition, the men behaved very much like men with only occasional feminine behaviors displayed, and usually highly exaggerated for comical purposes.

I am not a costume
Although many of my crossdressing sisters will be going to Halloween related events as their fem-selves, I will not be. The idea of “Gabrielle” being some kind of costume or sight gag is insulting. Wearing a women’s costume however, would be a very different story. A women’s Star Trek dress uniform was on my mind for Halloween this year. The uniform itself and presentation as a Starfleet officer would be the costume. Being en femme (Gabrielle) would not be a part of the costume, but rather my gender expression, or simply put – me, as in the one wearing the costume.

Poor planning
So why do you see a photo of Vamriress Gabrielle rather than Yeoman Gabrielle? The costume shown to the right here is only available online (or I could only find it online). Is I’ve said before, nothing I order online ever seems to fit. I’m rather tall (for a woman) and it would probably end up fitting more like a shirt, than a dress. Most Halloween costumes are not returnable, or involve penalty restocking fees. Because no specific measurements are offered for such an item (just small, medium, etc.), I didn’t bother. Mrs. H. and I checked out a couple of local costume stores, but they didn’t have anything comparable. Had I started my search sooner and put a little more effort into it, things may have turned out better. As friends suggested, I might have made my own… or have Mrs. H. make one for me (I can’t sew). It was poor planning on my part. As usual, time elapsed rather quickly and somehow summer morphed into October while my mind was preoccupied with other things. Perhaps next year. Truth be told, if I happened across a women’s Star Trek uniform (that fit right), I’d buy it any time. I’m a big Star Trek nerd and would love to have one just to geek out en femme, not to mention all the fun that could be had with Trek-style photos and imagery.

I’ll be en femme, but not because of Halloween
Saturday, I will be done up as Gabrielle… but only at home. Simply put, the opportunity to spend some time as Gabrielle will be present. After a long, busy week stuck in guy-mode, Gabrielle needs some time to relax and unwind. It has nothing to do with Halloween. As stated, I am not a costume and will not present myself as such. My wife suggested I “be Gabrielle” for Halloween (as in “Gabrielle” would be the costume), but I explained to her why I would only be Gabrielle for Halloween if Gabrielle had a costume to wear… which this year, she does not. The vamp-photo is just a manipulated image – I won’t appear like that on Halloween… only in the haunted digital world of the computer. Nothing worse than a byte from a digital vampiress. lol Sorry, geek humor.

Why pass up a rare opportunity to move about freely en femme?
I’ve explained why it’s not for me. Best wishes to my trans-sisters who will venture out en femme (as a costume). If you can enjoy yourself as such, then by all means, go for it. :) I’d rather see (tg) people go out for Halloween in an actual female costume of some kind rather than just en femme (as in just presenting as female in appearance), but to each her own and I respect the personal choices of others.

If I had a women’s costume to wear, I probably still wouldn’t be going out this year. I’m not much of a party-goer these days. The last time I went out to a Halloween themed event was 16 years ago. Back when I used to have more time on my hands, Halloween was a big deal to me and I’d invest much time and money into a convincing costume presentation.

Sexy = bad, but sexy Halloween costumes = good?
Ever notice how most adult women’s Halloween costumes are very sexy? Don’t take my word for it, check out this Google image search on “vampiress costume”. Perhaps a better example is this image search on a “nurse costume”. Some may call it “slutty”, but that’s usually just a sentiment expressed other women out of jealousy. Slutty is a behavior, not a look or appearance. Our sexually repressed society (mainly American) just loves to chastise women who happen to show just a little “too much” skin, or sex appeal in their appearance. Oh God forbid!

De-evolution of self-expression
It is interesting that on Halloween, it’s socially acceptable for women to express themselves in a very sexy appearance, so long as it is just a costume. Some may justify it as just “fantasy play”, which is considered to be ok on Halloween. My question is why is it only ok to be sexy in “fantasy” and not in reality? In the late 80′s and early 90′s it was fairly common for women to express themselves in a variety of sexy styles in public and at work. I loved every minute of it and miss those days immensely.

My personal feminine style is fairly sexy in presentation. Short skirts and dresses are my favorite. I love wearing them, and I’ve got the body to pull off the look. Please do not mistake my words for bragging – I pay my dues with hours of exercise every day. For me, miniskirts and short dresses are the ultimate show of feminine expression. Unfortunately, they’re also considered “too sexy” by much of society… except for on Halloween. That irritates the hell out of me.

Let’s not loose focus
Enough of my indulgence into some matters of a more serious nature that occupy my mind this Halloween. I appreciate your taking the time to read while I explored some interesting issues and would love to hear your thoughts on them. Halloween is supposed to be fun and it’s time to get back to that aspect of it.

A nightmare on my street
In 1993, I attended a costume contest at a sports bar. It was the last time I went out anywhere in costume for Halloween. There were some very cool contestants there, in a variety of creative forms. I received quite a bit of attention from people that dark and spooky evening. I went as the dream demon himself: Freddy Krueger. Rather than wear a simple (and fake looking) mask, I spent weeks meticulously preparing custom made latex facial appliances to simulate the disfigured, burned/melted look of Freddy’s face. It took about 3 hours just to apply it all properly, and was very hot and uncomfortable to wear. The judges thought my costume was not “original” and I won no prizes. Oh well. I collected their souls anyway. heh heh heh :P For those who are curious, I offer a photo (the background has been altered, but the rest is all me). I was a little heavier, my nails were very long and razor sharp and my hair was very, very short (heehee). My man-side as Freddy Krueger. I kid you not, that really is me under all that rubber, paint, and striped sweater. I believe I’ve mentioned before my fascination with slasher and horror movies.

What are your Halloween plans?
I want to know how many of you will be en femme this Halloween and whether or not your feminine Halloween costume is just you en femme, or does it include an actual female costume? I’m sure many of you will be in guy-mode this Halloween as well. What costume will you be wearing, regardless of gender expressed? Will you be going out, or just handing out candy to trick-or-treaters? Tell Vampiress Gabrielle all about it. :)

It’s July 4, 2009: A celebration of Independence Day for my fellow Americans and I. If you live outside the USA, it may not be Independence Day, but that’s no reason why you can’t still celebrate a beautiful 4th of July Saturday anyway. Celebrate life and have some fun just because. :)

Whereas most websites might display the American flag along with the traditional pictures of fireworks, I’ve decided to take a unique approach with the visuals. I’m a member of the original generation of gamers. Why not serve up the holiday imagery with style using old school bits and bytes of gaming coolness?

The United States of America is 233 years old today, having declared its independence from Great Britain in 1776. From the original 13 colonies, the country has grown into a union of 50 states. There’s also Washington, DC (District of Colombia). It’s not really a state, but it sort of is, but it isn’t. Puerto Rico, is kind of part of the USA, but I’m not exactly sure how that works. It’s not an official state, but still connected somehow. You’ll have to look that one up for yourself if you’re curious.

I hope everyone has a safe and happy Independence Day. Enjoy the company of friends and family over some delicious outdoor grilled foods and beverages of choice.

Firecrackers, fireworks and other forms of loud, explosive joy-with-a-fuse are a lot of fun, but please practice safety when handling and setting them off. Life ain’t like a video game. If you blow your hand off because a firework exploded in it, a new hand will not magically respawn to take its place. ;)

At the end of the festive day there will be plenty of fireworks displays going on, so get out and enjoy the big colorful show in the sky. After all, that is the big grand finale to the day that most look forward to. Last year, Mrs. H. and I were treated to an awesome display of fireworks in our own back yard. A nearby neighbor put on their own show, thus offering us a front row view of it all from the comfort of our patio.

About the Super Mario Brothers themed Independence Day imagery in this write-up: I’m sure many gaming websites might utilize this kind of approach, but why on this website? I’m a crossdresser, but I’m also a gamer (and many other things). Modern gaming is mighty fun, but sometimes there’s nothing like the classics. That’s why I chose to go with the old 8 bit imagery. Did you notice that “USA” is displayed above the score? The score is “233″, the age of the USA today. Rings collected is “50″, one for each state of the union. The stage, or world is “7-4″, representing July 4th. The year “2009″ is the flag-grab score displayed. More noticeably, the standard game flags have been replaced with the American flag (although not entirely authentic due to pixel limitations). And of course, the “starburts” represent a display of fireworks.

Adding to my love of classic gaming and the technology of yester-year that helped bring them to life, you may notice that the images are not of a simple screen captures. That was a fun creative exercise in old school gaming display technology.

There you have it: Crossdressing, classic gaming, and Independence Day all masterfully woven together by yours truly. And now I, Gabrielle Hermosa, “The Crossdressing Gamer”, will indulge in a game or two of Super Mario Brothers on my original NES hardware, attached to a big, old, heavy, non-HD television set. Only after saving the fair maiden Princess Toadstool from the vile clutches of the evil spike-shelled Bowser can I properly enjoy my Independence Day…

Today is Memorial Day here in the United States of America. It is a day of remembrance for those who have died in our nation’s service. I’m always grateful for those who are brave enough to serve, and for those who have paid the ultimate price while doing so. All politics aside, without all the brave men and women who have served over the years, it is unlikely we would be enjoying the quality of life and freedoms so many take for granted today.

Many Americans have the day off from work and will take advantage of the opportunity to gather with friends and family. The local parks will be filled with people and the aroma of outdoor grilled cooking.

Where I live, today is considered the unofficial first day of summer. The harsh, cold winder is over, spring has sprung, and warm weather will be here for a few months.

I hope everyone has a safe and happy Memorial Day. Please drive responsibly and be courteous to the other travelers.

To non-American visitors of this site, happy Monday, May 25th to you. :) It may not be any official holiday where you live, but that’s no reason you can’t still enjoy the company of friends and family anyway – even if only after work.

About the photo in this posting: As you may or may not know, almost all of the imagery on this website is taken care of by yours truly (barring the “babes”, TV shows and other obvious commercial imagery). The flag is one of several adorning the street I live on and I took its photo yesterday afternoon. On the right side is Arlington National Cemetery in Washington, D.C. My father took that photo in the spring of 1980 while we were there on a family vacation.