Vegas trip small details
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Anwyay, there are lots of things mundanes never worry about, which weigh heavily in the pre-op and non-op TG.
Someone raised the public restroom issue in another thread. That's a very big deal. In some places you can get arrested for using the "wrong" restroom, and can get in trouble for using the "right" one anyway. So my plan was pretty simple: stay at a Strip hotel (most likley IP), limit my intake of fluids, and stray no farther than a 40 minute trip back to the hotel in case of emergencies. Of course this carries a risk of dehydration, particualrly in the dry and hot Vegas weather. But that can be managed. I do plan to enquire ahead by email at some properties I plan to visit. We'll see.
Another issue is ID. I don't ahve an ID that matches my en femme self, nor can I get one easily. So small things like getting a players card need some planning. I currently have cards for lots of places, including the Harrah's/Caesars and MGM cards, which cover almost the whole strip. For what I'm lacking and might need this trip, I plan to sign up for cards on my first day, which won't be en femme anyway. For now that's the Palms, the Venetian, the Cosmopolitan and possibly Ellis Island.
Well and good, and maybe that takes care of all ID issues. I'm not liekley to be carded to see if I'm old enough to play or drink. But what if I win somethign big that requires filling out a form and, I assume, showing an ID? Well, as I said I plan to enquire ahead.
More later.
But the ID and player's club cards shouldn't be too much trouble. When you're en femme, are you so feminine looking that people would have a hard time believing you when you tell them the truth? If not, then it's not a problem. After all, you're talking about Sin City. Nothing surprises people there.
I wouldn't worry about hitting the big jackpot; you certainly won't hit it at table games, and a $1200+ payout at your level of slot/VP play is unlikely (hope it happens though!). I would just present them with your regular ID and just let them figure it out. I'm sure they've seen weirder things -- it is Vegas after all.
By the way, are you planning on coming to WoV Con "en femme?" Having met you as non femme, that would be a shock. Never let it be said I'm not open-minded...but that would be something.
Quote: DJTeddyBearBut the ID and player's club cards shouldn't be too much trouble. When you're en femme, are you so feminine looking that people would have a hard time believing you when you tell them the truth?
I want to say yes ;)
Actually absent some kind of cosmetic surgery, usually you can tell a person from a photo even if she doens't look like the phot. You comapre the shape of the nose and eyes, the jaw line, eye color and such.
But that's not the point. The point is exposure. from my limited experience, I'll run into three broad categories of people. Some won't read me as TG, some will but won't make a deal out of it, some will read me and let me know. The first two kinds are more prevalent (I count on the second type those who read me and then pay me a compliment; it happens). So I don't want to let people know if I don't have to.
I've never won anything requiring forms or a hand pay, but I really hope to someday.
Oh there are other bathroom solutions. One is to go along with another woman, which is still risky but somewhat less so. Another is to ask to use a staff restroom; which might just work in places that boast of being GLBT friendly.
Quote: teddysBe sure to sign up online for the Venetian card before getting there to get $15 in free play. I also have a coupon for another $15 in free play from them for new sign ups that I can mail to you if you want, and also I think one for Ellis Island.
Thank you! Please email them by all means. Do you still have my email address? PM me if you don't.
Quote:I wouldn't worry about hitting the big jackpot; you certainly won't hit it at table games, and a $1200+ payout at your level of slot/VP play is unlikely (hope it happens though!). I would just present them with your regular ID and just let them figure it out. I'm sure they've seen weirder things -- it is Vegas after all.
You never know. I could get very lucky, or even greedy and lucky.
I need to see when my passport expires. Maybe I can get a kind of androgynous look for the new photo. I've done that with a driver's license, but many, many years ago. My legal name can pass for a woman's name in english, too. And I do need to renew my US Visa.
Quote:By the way, are you planning on coming to WoV Con "en femme?" Having met you as non femme, that would be a shock. Never let it be said I'm not open-minded...but that would be something.
I haven't decided yet. I want to, and I even think I should, but there are other matters to take into account.
I do hope I can shock you, but I'm not counting on it. If you like I can email you a picture before the trip. Just to give you some time to get used to the idea :)
This may not seem much, but just setting down my thoughts here has helped me to clarify my situation, and to both plan ahead and find the resolve to move forward.
Thank you all.
I was at Sands Bethlahem today.
The property map shows four sets of restrooms. None of them indicate the family restrooms. I visited three of them. One had a family restroom next to it.
Therefore, it's probably a safe assumption that newer / larger resorts have at least one family / assist restroom available.
Quote: NicksGamingStuffIn Vegas I don't think anyone will care which restroom you use...
We wouldn't, but I would hate for it to be one of those cases where the place would be full of drunken frat boys who would kick her ass in the men's room, or a city ordinance that would get her arrested in the ladies' room. So that's why I wondered what the law was about that.
Quote: DJTeddyBearTherefore, it's probably a safe assumption that newer / larger resorts have at least one family / assist restroom available.
Thank you. I will look up for that if necessary.
There are options I hven't mentioned yet. I'll address them on another thread, as they pertain to other issues I may want to discuss here later.
BTW, there's the matter of names. A common choice among many a TG is to take the female form of their birth name. I never even thought of doing that for some reason. I just kept trying names that caught my eye until I liked one. Then I added a middle name some years later. This was odd for me since Mexican Jews don't usually have middle names at all (Mexican gentiles, do, though). I grew up not knowing anyone with a middle name.
Lately, though, I felt the need to change the middle name. It's easy for now since I haven't adopted that name legally, and I probably won't for some time yet (it's complicated). I don't feel like doing a poll, so I'll ask here, which do you think sounds better:
1) Katarina Nadia
2) Katarina Gloria
I'm inclined for the second because of how it sounds, and because my family name starts with "G" but I won't be keeping it (long story short, it's spelled and pronounced like a man's name).
Quote: FarFromVegasWe wouldn't, but I would hate for it to be one of those cases where the place would be full of drunken frat boys who would kick her ass in the men's room, or a city ordinance that would get her arrested in the ladies' room. So that's why I wondered what the law was about that.
On most other areas, shops, casinos, public transportation, out in the street, restaurants etc, I think a large majority of epople woulnd't care if they saw a tranny, and 99.99% of all people wouldn't do or say anything about it either way, aside perhaps from staring.
But when you get to restrooms, lots more people care and will do or say something about it. The situation is a little too intimate, and restrooms are rather isolated as comapred to other public areas. The objections you cite are real possibilities.
Quote: NareedThank you. I will look up for that if necessary.
There are options I hven't mentioned yet. I'll address them on another thread, as they pertain to other issues I may want to discuss here later.
BTW, there's the matter of names. A common choice among many a TG is to take the female form of their birth name. I never even thought of doing that for some reason. I just kept trying names that caught my eye until I liked one. Then I added a middle name some years later. This was odd for me since Mexican Jews don't usually have middle names at all (Mexican gentiles, do, though). I grew up not knowing anyone with a middle name.
Lately, though, I felt the need to change the middle name. It's easy for now since I haven't adopted that name legally, and I probably won't for some time yet (it's complicated). I don't feel like doing a poll, so I'll ask here, which do you think sounds better:
1) Katarina Nadia
2) Katarina Gloria
I'm inclined for the second because of how it sounds, and because my family name starts with "G" but I won't be keeping it (long story short, it's spelled and pronounced like a man's name).
I don't like having both names end with "a," but that's a personal preference. My last name ends with "a" and I made sure to pick a name for my daughter that didn't end with "a" but my s-i-l with the same last name gave both her daughters names ending in "a." I like both Katarina and Nadia, though. I just don't like that song Gloria, so that may color my perception.
Quote: FarFromVegasI don't like having both names end with "a," but that's a personal preference. My last name ends with "a" and I made sure to pick a name for my daughter that didn't end with "a" but my s-i-l with the same last name gave both her daughters names ending in "a." I like both Katarina and Nadia, though. I just don't like that song Gloria, so that may color my perception.
Just how opposite can we get? In many Western languages women's names often end in "a", and I happen to like that ;) Even the names I give my female characters usually end in "a": Alyssa, Ailya, Althea (wow! many also start with "a"!), Sandra, Marina, Lirya, Aelia, D'ara. The big exceptions are Nareed and Vash, but there are reasons for that, mostly having to do with story backgrounds.
You don't specify which "Gloria" song you don't like, the one by the Doors, or the one Laura Brannigan sang. I like them both, as it happens. As it also happens, I was listening to one of them when I thought "how about Gloria?"
I often choose the names for my characters based on the meaning of the name. Once in a while I don't but the meaning fits anwyay. I didn't chose my name that way, but some research tells me Nadia means "hope," which I rather like. Gloria, surprisingly, means "glory." I forget what Katarina means. I picked it in February 1988, and from that it's easy to tell where I got it from.
Quote: NareedJust how opposite can we get? In many Western languages women's names often end in "a", and I happen to like that ;) Even the names I give my female characters usually end in "a": Alyssa, Ailya, Althea (wow! many also start with "a"!), Sandra, Marina, Lirya, Aelia, D'ara. The big exceptions are Nareed and Vash, but there are reasons for that, mostly having to do with story backgrounds.
You don't specify which "Gloria" song you don't like, the one by the Doors, or the one Laura Brannigan sang. I like them both, as it happens. As it also happens, I was listening to one of them when I thought "how about Gloria?"
I often choose the names for my characters based on the meaning of the name. Once in a while I don't but the meaning fits anwyay. I didn't chose my name that way, but some research tells me Nadia means "hope," which I rather like. Gloria, surprisingly, means "glory." I forget what Katarina means. I picked it in February 1988, and from that it's easy to tell where I got it from.
I don't like the combination of two "a" names. My mom was German and her name ended in "e" which was pronounced as "a". Her mother was Jewish and didn't give her a middle name, but her father was Catholic so she got a Confirmation name that ended with "a" and I thought the combination sounded clunky (Marianna Veronica)
I love the U2 Gloria but not the Brannigan one. Too whiny.
I think you and I are very close in age, so Katarina to me will always be Katarina Witt! But Ekaterina Gordeeva was so gorgeous as well.
Quote: FarFromVegasI think you and I are very close in age, so Katarina to me will always be Katarina Witt!
As I said, it's easy to see. I just loved it as a name. I use Kathy for short, and that's how I sign, too.
Quote:But Ekaterina Gordeeva was so gorgeous as well.
The name kind of rings a bell, but I can't quite place her. So wild guess: tenist, gymnast or track and field?
Quote: NareedAs I said, it's easy to see. I just loved it as a name. I use Kathy for short, and that's how I sign, too.
The name kind of rings a bell, but I can't quite place her. So wild guess: tenist, gymnast or track and field?
Pairs figure skater, with Sergei Grinkov.
Quote: FarFromVegasPairs figure skater, with Sergei Grinkov.
Ah, yes. I remember her now, vaguely.
BTW my favorite skaters ever are Torvill and Dean. Yes, I know that's ice dancing and not figure skating. But they're way on top.
Quote: gamblerI vote for Katarina Nadia!
+1. Of the two its the one I think sounds better. I must admit I have no strong feelings as to why, it just appeals to me more.
The only advice I would give is as its your name you are choosing, choose which ever name you thinks suits you. Its you that has to live with it.
Quote: NareedAh, yes. I remember her now, vaguely.
BTW my favorite skaters ever are Torvill and Dean. Yes, I know that's ice dancing and not figure skating. But they're way on top.
Well, I'm glad you separate figure skating from ice dancing as well! I've always been a huge skating fan because there's no way I could ever do it myself, but's it's so beautiful.
My favorite ever is Sasha Cohen. Fantastic lines but not much of a competitor. Like Johnny Weir.
Quote: Croupier+1. Of the two its the one I think sounds better. I must admit I have no strong feelings as to why, it just appeals to me more.
The only advice I would give is as its your name you are choosing, choose which ever name you thinks suits you. Its you that has to live with it.
Yes! You have to like it!
I tell my oldest son "If you have 100% popularity, you're kissing too much ass. Be yourself, and whoever likes you, likes you."
Quote: Croupier+1. Of the two its the one I think sounds better. I must admit I have no strong feelings as to why, it just appeals to me more.
The only advice I would give is as its your name you are choosing, choose which ever name you thinks suits you. Its you that has to live with it.
I like Nadia a lot, but the combination doesn't quite go well. Nadia starts with the same sound with which Katarina ends. Say them together and it feels like you're stuttering :) Actually I even pondered using the Russian full form of the name, Nadezhda.
Katarina stays, though, because that's how I think of myself. And I just love the name. It's an uncommon variant of a rather common name. And it works just as well in many languages.
Nadia isn't as exotic as it was before 1976, but it and its westernized version, Nadine, are sort of rare. Gloria is more common, which better suits an uncommon name, or so it seems to me. I'll probably tray a few others, too. Actually I tried Michelle as a middle name once, but ultimately decided to use it for a character.
Quote: FarFromVegasWell, I'm glad you separate figure skating from ice dancing as well! I've always been a huge skating fan because there's no way I could ever do it myself, but's it's so beautiful.
I'm a fan about every four years. Proof is I know ice dancing is a very different sport from figure skating :)
Maybe this is just the dopey white boy in me talking, but, Katarina and Nadia both sound Hispanic. Gloria sounds American.
Then again, maybe that's what you're shooting for.
At the risk of asking a dumb question, have you checked any baby name books?
For what it's worth, I find it odd that you're asking a bunch of relative strangers for an opinion about something that is very personal.
Quote: DJTeddyBearThe first time I read it, I saw Katrina, not Katarina. And the next thing I thought were that Katrina and Gloria were huge hurricanes. Is that what you want to name yourself after?
Not at all :) It is KatArina (emphasis added), and I chose that name 17 years before the hurricane. I don't recall when hurricane Gloria happened. besides, with a handful of hurricanes every year since they've been named, I guess all names starting with "a" through "l" or so will be used up soon.
Quote:Maybe this is just the dopey white boy in me talking, but, Katarina and Nadia both sound Hispanic. Gloria sounds American.
Funny. Katarina derives from ancient Greek, allegedly from the word "katharos," meaning "pure." Gloria is actually Latin for "glory," though it's also Spanish for the same word. Nadia is of Russian/Slavic origin. Spanish being a Romance language, descended more or less directly from Latin with some Greek admixture, Gloria is the more Hispanic name.
Oh, in Spanish the spelling would be "Catarina," but I prefer the "k" for an initial. Trivia, the Spanish word "catarina," not used as a name, is what lady bugs are called.
Quote:Then again, maybe that's what you're shooting for.
I wasn't shooting for anything other than a name I liked when I chose Katarina. But since then I also wanted a name that would be pronounced the same in English and Spanish, which fits all three names we're discussing here. Lately I've also thought I should have a middle name starting with "g."
Quote:At the risk of asking a dumb question, have you checked any baby name books?
Not quite. I do frequent baby name websites. As I said, I often pick character names for their meaning, and that's a good source of name meanings and assorted name trivia.
For a story still in planning stages, I picked a male lead named Nathan. At one point the female lead, Althea, calls him "God's gift to me." It turns out Nathan is a form of Nathaniel, which means' "Gift from God." How's that for an amazing coincidence? BTW this becomes an inside joke to them, sort of, because they're both atheists, but it's also a measure of how much Althea loves him; but I digress.
Quote:For what it's worth, I find it odd that you're asking a bunch of relative strangers for an opinion about something that is very personal.
I don't see names as personal. Other than your face, it's usually the first thing the world knows about you, and how you're identified by just about everyone who knows you.
Quote: Nareed
I don't see names as personal. Other than your face, it's usually the first thing the world knows about you, and how you're identified by just about everyone who knows you.
It's kinda cool to get a do-over and pick a name that suits you and doesn't have a negative connotation that came along after you were born. My real name doesn't suit me (it's serious) but my nickname does (people even tell me I look like one!) So it's fun to run names by strangers and see what they think.
Quote: NicksGamingStuffOk now I am curious to know what the names are!
Mine? I'll PM them if you're talking to me.
Quote: FarFromVegasIt's kinda cool to get a do-over and pick a name that suits you and doesn't have a negative connotation that came along after you were born. My real name doesn't suit me (it's serious) but my nickname does (people even tell me I look like one!) So it's fun to run names by strangers and see what they think.
I think this would be an excellent topic for discussion on a new thread. If you could pick a new name for yourself that fits your personality now, what would it be? Would you keep the same name that you were given at birth?
Quote: FarFromVegasIt's kinda cool to get a do-over and pick a name that suits you and doesn't have a negative connotation that came along after you were born. My real name doesn't suit me (it's serious) but my nickname does (people even tell me I look like one!) So it's fun to run names by strangers and see what they think.
I also find it helpful to talk it over with other people. They can come up with ideas or thoughts I wouldn't.
I've been following DJ's suggestion and looking up names. Not many nice names with "g." So far the only other name I'm considering is Helen. I like it, but I don't feel like a Helen (if that makes sense). Katarina Helen doesn't sound too good, either.
Quote: NareedI also find it helpful to talk it over with other people. They can come up with ideas or thoughts I wouldn't.
I've been following DJ's suggestion and looking up names. Not many nice names with "g." So far the only other name I'm considering is Helen. I like it, but I don't feel like a Helen (if that makes sense). Katarina Helen doesn't sound too good, either.
My grandmother is a Helen, so to me a Helen is 93 years old!
I like Galina, but Katarina Galina may as well be Hannah Montana. No good. Grace is pretty but no fun.
Quote: FarFromVegasMy grandmother is a Helen, so to me a Helen is 93 years old!
There's Helen of Troy. And the associated joke of using the name as a measure of beauty. "Millihelen: the amount of beauty needed to launch one ship."
Quote:I like Galina, but Katarina Galina may as well be Hannah Montana. No good. Grace is pretty but no fun.
Oh, absolutely no rhyming names!
Grace just doesn't do anything for me. I think I prefer names with more than one syllable.
Quote: gamblerI think this would be an excellent topic for discussion on a new thread. If you could pick a new name for yourself that fits your personality now, what would it be? Would you keep the same name that you were given at birth?
You should start one.
Changing one's name isn't easy, but it isn't terribly difficult, either. Most of the difficulty lies in changing/updating documents, starting with the birth certificate and going all the way to degrees, driver's license, credit cards, etc. That's why few people do it, even then they hate their given name. A compromise seems to be adopting a nickname and getting your friends and family to use it.
Nadia
Gloria
Helen (I'm warming up to it)
Kira
Wendy
So what's with the Russian names? Well, Nadia you can guess where the idea came from. Kira was the hero in Ayn Rand's "We The Living," and Rand's most likeable chcracter. It's also the last name, not the first, of Major Kira in DS9. The only problem I see is that it starts with a "k."
I should explain that there are kinds of rules I more or less follow when choosing names, both for myself and my characters. One is that I avoid names of people in my family. That shot down names I do like such as Diana, Lucia, Elizabeth and variants of these names. The reason is that I picture these people when thinking of their names, so to an extent if I took such names they wouldn't feel mine.
Another rule is that names starting with "a" are out, because Katarina ends in "a." One name I absolutely adore is Althea, but Katarina Althea neither sounds nor looks good. I think that's why, subconsciously, I made a character with that name so nearly identical to me in personality and behavior. Of course, if I change my mind about the name, I can rename my character something else.
Anyway, so far I prefer Gloria.
No, I don't think dreams mean anything much, but I'm interested in dream imagery and I tend to remember some of my dreams. This time I dreamt I was in a hotel room talking to a man. I don't recall what we talked about or what his name was. Above all I recall two things. 1) I felt very attracted to him, to the point I wanted him to quit talking and take me (interpret that any way you want). 2) He called me "Gloria" every time.
Well, in the dream the name just sounded beautiful. Next day, at odd moments, I kept saying it to myself, aloud. It still sounded beautiful. I really like Katarina Gloria, and I'm keeping it.
All I need now is a diminutive for Gloria. Names have formal short forms, but people keep making more of them up. For Gloria I can only think of these, and I've no idea whether their formal or not: "Glory," which seems presumptous but it's what "Gloria" means anyway, and "Glo" (pronounced like "glow"), I suppose I could also use "Lori," but it doesn't seem too related to the full form.
So there you have some more fodder for the "Nareed is really weird" file ;)
What are you saying? LOLQuote: NareedSo there you have some more fodder for the "Nareed is really weird" file ;)
Quote: DJTeddyBearWhat are you saying? LOL
I'm a late-blooming tranny and I write science fiction. If I'm not weird, strange, odd, eccentric or otherwise, as was discussed at another time, disturbing, I'm doing something wrong :P
Quote: NareedI'm a late-blooming tranny and I write science fiction. If I'm not weird, strange, odd, eccentric or otherwise, as was discussed at another time, disturbing, I'm doing something wrong :P
But what if you are normal, and everyone else is strange?
Quote: CroupierBut what if you are normal, and everyone else is strange?
That would be a good idea for a story. I wonder how something like that would develop.
Of course, to make it good, the "me" character would need to have some really odd quirks. I mean odd for me, like an unusual sexual kink, or a really strange hobby, or be involved somehow with a radical new science theory. That character has to be strange to me, otherwise I coulnd't write her effectively.
It's a start. Getting a story out of it, though, is another matter.
Quote: NareedThat would be a good idea for a story. I wonder how something like that would develop.
Of course, to make it good, the "me" character would need to have some really odd quirks. I mean odd for me, like an unusual sexual kink, or a really strange hobby, or be involved somehow with a radical new science theory. That character has to be strange to me, otherwise I coulnd't write her effectively.
It's a start. Getting a story out of it, though, is another matter.
Not long ago, I read a science fiction story where the only remaining humans were living in an earth-orbital colony; indifferent, all-powerful aliens had suddenly descended on Earth and wiped out all humanity. Only those who were actually in space at the time had been able to get away. The aliens didn't bother to communicate with the surviving humans, and didn't even acknowledge their existence except to instantly destroy any probe or vehicle the humans attempted to send down to earth. The surviving humans had built a kind of low-gravity utopia, with their lives devoted to pleasure and amusement, since humanity had been stopped dead in its tracks. They dreamed of one day retaking Earth, but they didn't have remotely near the technology to do so.
One of their amusements was undergoing periodic sex changes, usually every few months or so. Unlike the pseudo-sex changes here on Earth (it's impossible to actually change sex using today's technology), this was a complete, full-body transformation. The subject even acquired the mental characteristics--hormone production, body chemistry regulation--of the opposite sex. And of course, the appropriate equipment was hacked off or installed.
The result was that no one actually thought of themselves as being of one sex or the other. I forget the other details of the story, but this was an interesting approach to a utopian future society.
So, first, am I right these properties don't have safes in the room? If so, what can I do? One alternative is to carry all my valuables with me at all times. That's safe enough in the Strip, but I'm not so sure about Downtown and off-Strip. Besides a woman is more easily robbed than a man. Snatching a purse is a lot easier, if more public, than lifting a wallet.
The only other option I see is to get the box while fully en femme and present my ID and explain things then. That should work best, especially if I keep to a routine for accessing the box, say every day at the same time.
We'll see. Just one more detail. I might wind up elsewhere, too.
Quote: PaulEWogI believe all the 4 queens rooms have a safe in them.
Thanks. I'll check their website.
Other considerations aside, I stil prefer a safe in the room. It saves time.
Quote: CroupierAS of 3 weeks ago, the IP still does not have in room safes, as we enquired. We will have to get a safety deposit box for our valuables. But it is where we are staying in JUne.
FYI they're at the cage. To one side of the cage you'll see a few booths, 3 or 4, with doors. You go in one, ring the bell, and someone will help you. For accessing the box, you do the same thing. An ID is required every time you access it.
It's best to use it when the Dealtertainers (what an ugly word) are not performing. Otherwise it's too loud and you won't hear a word the attendant says.
Quote: NareedFYI they're at the cage. To one side of the cage you'll see a few booths, 3 or 4, with doors. You go in one, ring the bell, and someone will help you. For accessing the box, you do the same thing. An ID is required every time you access it.
It's best to use it when the Dealtertainers (what an ugly word) are not performing. Otherwise it's too loud and you won't hear a word the attendant says.
Thanks for the tip. Will remember that when I get there. Any Idea off the top of your head on cost for the box? Is it free, or is there a charge?
Quote: CroupierThanks for the tip. Will remember that when I get there. Any Idea off the top of your head on cost for the box? Is it free, or is there a charge?
It's free if you're a guest. And I suppose unavailable otherwise.
Off the top of my head, I've never been charged for a safe deposit box or a room safe anywhere, unless it was through "resort" fees. And this includes a dive in Florida near Cape Cannaveral.
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