December and New Year's Eve
December was full of new experiences, nonstop excitement and a few bumps in the road.
My trip to Fast Eddie's started off the month with
a bang. 
It
wasn't my first time there, but definitely was my most memorable. The
first time I wore a flowered dress and was spotted immediately. The second
time I decided to wear jeans and a nice blouse, trying to blend in, but the
results were the same - spotted right off. So for my third visit, my
reasoning went like this: if I am going to get spotted I might as well wear
something interesting. So I carefully went through all my outfits and decided
that I would wear leather, an appropriate choice for that bar.
Lisa, John and I met at Bubby and Sissy's, a GLBT
bar in Alton, just a few blocks from Fast Eddie's. We visited for a
while and had a drink, then
headed out. We caught several looks when we entered Fast Eddie's.
The band was Z-band and the dance floor was full. I found a table near
the dance floor and waited for the next song. 
I did realize that I was receiving more attention than the past two times.
I guess it was the thigh-high boots. When the next song started,
I notice two gals starting to dance so I hopped up and started dancing.
After a couple seconds, I realized that no one else got up and neither John
nor Lisa were joining me. A minute later the two gals disappeared and
I was by myself. Well, I wasn't about to stand down. It was a little
nerve-racking and a little like a drag show without the money.
Well, I stuck it out for one of the longest 4 minutes
of my life. That was the last song of the set and the band announced
a break. 
I went up to Rocky, one of the band members and said, "I must've really
shocked them," to which he replied, "I don't know why, it is
a biker bar." Well, it was tense for awhile, but when the band
came back, others decided to dance and during the evening, several gals and
even one guy danced with us.
My next big event
was the Casa Loma Christmas party. Several gals went to Casa Loma on Halloween, but this time we were definitely going as transgendered. Both the manager and owner recognized us and greeted us warmly. The band was the same band from Hallowe'en, Sh-Boom. The evening flew by without a hitch. We were all glad that we went, and look forward to more enjoyable evenings at Casa Loma.
New Year's Eve was not looking very well organized
by 4 p.m. on the 31st. Our small group was divided on three different places
to go. With a little luck and some last minute calls and planning,
we ended up at Generations, sandwiched between before-and-after trips to
Ameristar. As always, we did not go unnoticed. We were
dressed in similar fashion to the other ladies there. We seemed welcome
and had a very enjoyable evening. I did end up losing a scarf and an
earring. Seems as if I always have to lose an earring.
The month was not without its share of problems. We had trouble with security at Ameristar over using the women's restroom. It seems they haven't heard of Ann Landers or her statement to use the restroom appropriate to the gender you are presenting. All is not yet resolved there. The head of security, William, promised management would give me a call. I haven't yet received that call, but will keep you informed. The female security guard is so uptight she even ordered some gg's to use the men's room.
Some gals also had an incident at the Viking over using the women's restroom near the banquet area. The management has requested that transgendered use the women's restroom across from the lobby. I think this is a good compromise that will help avoid complaints from some of the close-minded guest. Please, if you use the women's restroom, sit don't stand.