A trip through Brooklyn to see a new friend

 

I may have mentioned that RQS grew up in Brooklyn before gentrification started.  Neighborhoods that had been segregated by race were now segregated by economic status.  Although RQS is mixed race, she grew up identifying as Black.  (My family on my mother's side became whiter and whiter as we assimilated into American society. That might be the only thing I might respect my maternal grandfather for doing when he arrived in America over 100 years ago.)  

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Today, RQS and I were scheduled to meet one of her friends at her apartment in Crown Heights.  Like Bed-Stuy, both of these Brooklyn neighborhoods were classic ghettos (in the modern US sense) a generation ago.  Now both neighborhoods are being transformed from "The Hood" (with all of its crime) to a up and coming "Neighborhood" with all of the problems of gentrification.  RQS's friend bought into her apartment building before gentrification, and will likely see it increase in value as poor people get squeezed out of the area.

Around 2:30 pm, we took an Uber across Brooklyn to reach RQS's friend, IS.  They have known each other for decades, and I was a little nervous about meeting someone new.  So, I ended up being extremely talkative.  Yet, this wasn't a problem - I made a good impression on IS.  While there, I fixed a problem IS had with her entertainment system before IS cooked dinner for us.  And then we feasted.  We chatted until 10 pm, and then Ubered home for the night.

Although my original plans were to drive home that night, I decided to stay the night and drive home the next day.  This was a good move, as both RQS and I were exhausted, and only sleep was on our minds when we got home.

PS: I feel that it will be safe to tell IS about Marian.  We'll see what happens in the future.

 

Rakugo (Again)

 

Rakugo, the Japanese art of story telling.  If anything, it focuses on one person telling a story, and setting people up to have a good laugh.  Even though we knew we'd hear some stories we knew from our last visit to see this man perform, we also knew we'd have a good laugh or two.

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Our day started with both of us feeling a little lethargic.  I had awakened early, and was starting to get tired again by the time RQS was up for the day.  After a nice breakfast, we made our plans for the day.  Around 5, we'd go into Manhattan and get a bite to eat around Union Square.  Then, after a little time killing, it would be off to the theater to see Katsura Sunshine's (KS) performance.

We were supposed to meet RQS's new friend at the theater.  However, we got there late, and her friend went inside without us.  What surprised us was that RQS's friend was seated adjacent to us.  So we settled down to see the performance. 

Tonight's performance was broken up into several sections.  First was one of .KS's apprentices, who told a story I've heard before.   

She was good, but her accent made it a little difficult to understand what she was saying in English (a second language for her.)  Next came KS himself.  He opened up in a different way than he did when we last saw him.

This time, we knew a little more about him as a story teller, and we found out that he spends most of his time in Japan, coming to New York once per month for this show.  And then came a performer who was not here the last time around - someone practicing the art of Japanese dance.

To me, this was the weakest part of the show.  The art of Japanese storytelling via dance is lost on me.  But there was more storytelling to go.  KS's second apprentice was next.  Unlike the first apprentice, this fellow came from New Jersey.  So he'd be easy to understand. 

This apprentice told a story which KS told the last time we were here.  The story was still amusing, but not as much as when KS told it.  Next up was the first apprentice with another story.  She was entertaining, but only if you could wade through the thickets of her accent.

Then, the dancer came back in full regalia.  This dance was more interesting.  But, without the cultural context, the performance was a little flat.

Finally, KS came back on stage, and told one last story

Although KS covered much of the same ground in this performance that he did in the last one we had seen, both RQS and I agreed that seeing Rakugo could be a once every other year treat.  This would give KS and his troupe enough time to have their performances evolve, so that it would be fresh each time we came to see it.

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We exited the theater with RQS's new friend, and she invited us back to her place to chat.  Neither of us wanted to be on the subway at midnight, so we begged off.  But we made sure this friend knew we do want to see her again - some time after our next cruise. 

 

Driving to RQS's place (a short post)

 

Normally, I would focus on what happened during the day.  Today, I'll simply focus on the drive to RQS's place, as  something weird happened - I was not delayed by any traffic jams on the way to Queens, and that's strange!.

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Given that this weekend required for me to present as Mario for both Saturday and Sunday, I took a more relaxed approach to getting dressed today (Friday).  Although I didn't need to shave my full body, I did so anyway, as I knew that it's easier to do it at my place than to do it at RQS's place.  Knowing that I didn't have to make up my face, and that it would be quicker for me to dress as Mario, I figured I'd be out of the house early - and I left my apartment an hour earlier than usual.

Normally, I hit a traffic jam in lower Westchester county, switching over from the Bronx River/Sprain Brook Parkway to the Hutchinson River Parkway, to have an easy approach to the Whitestone bridge.  (There are 3 bridges that connect the New York mainland to Long Island, and the Whitestone is the most direct way to RQS's place.)  From there, I'd normally take the expressway to Forest Hills then take local roads to RQS's place.  Miracles of Miracles - there was no traffic on the expressway, and I was able to get on the (former) Interboro parkway to reach RQS's area.  I was at RQS's place just as the kids were getting out of school.

I was there about 90 minutes early, and RQS was hungry.  So, it was off to the local deli for a late lunch.  Even though I had stopped by the lobster truck on the way down, I was glad to have stopped for another bite to eat - the sandwich at this local joint was good!

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For the most part, it was a quiet day and evening.  But tomorrow would be a busy day, as we were going to see Rakugo again in Manhattan.

Game Night - My only one this month

 

One thing I know about game nights - I usually lose the games we play.  I don't mind that, as this is always a good group of people to hang out with.

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This morning started out with a visit to my doctor.  As usual, he hectored me about my weight and tried to prod me to taking a GLP-1 drug - no matter what its cost.  That goes against my core philosophy - avoid expensive subscription items, when they are most in demand.  Would I mind taking a GLP-1 drug?  No.  But when the does will end up costing over 10% of my after tax income, the answer will be NO.  Yet, I will call my drug insurance company and find out whether (given my health) I can get it at a lower co-pay.

Next, it was back to my house to relax for a couple of hours, and then go for coffee with one of the board members.  We talked about the Orange Monster, Co-Op business, and her financial health (what little of it that's left.)  Sadly, I see her forced into less hospitable senior housing.  But that's what happens when a person never had the chance to save much during her adult life.

Finally, after another 2 hours of rest, it was time for game night.  I arrived just before 7:30, and got a call from the host - did I want him to save a place for me in the game they were setting up?  I said yes, and walked in to the house a minute or two later.  It was a pleasant evening, and though I lost (as usual), I had a good time. 

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Sadly, this would be my last day in Marian mode for a while.  This weekend, I'll have to present as Mario, as I'll be meeting 2 of RQS's friends. 

Boredom is the worst demon to handle (a short post)

 

The worst of my demons is boredom.  I can be idle, yet not be bored.  But it is when my mind wants to do something and I have no mental energy to do it, that I try to occupy the emptiness.  The picture above is a prop from a horror movie.  And yet, there's a certain something about it that compelled me to capture its image.  Maybe the separation of horror from the screen prop captured my interest.  But I can say I wasn't bored when I visited the museum the prop was in.

So, why am I talking about boredom today?  Well, when I have nothing to do, I use the media to keep my mind active.  I'll watch the news for a while, and then read articles online to keep myself abreast of what is happening in the world.  I look for things to keep my mind active, and it's not always easy to do so.  When I get back from my cruise, I'll start work on converting my cruise related spreadsheet to a JavaScript program.  And this is one of the many things I focus on to keep my mind active.

Over the years, I have become much more comfortable with my TG nature.  And I've learned that most people don't give a darn about how I dress or how I present myself to the world.  People care mostly how they get treated by others, and if you treat them with kindness, then they will treat you with respect.  (Or, that's how it feels to me.)

Am I rambling a bit?  Yes.  But I find that when I let my mind wander a little, I learn a bit about myself.  I've learned how to deal with my fears more effectively.  I've learned how to be more confident with others, and I've learned what risks to take and not take. Right now, I rightfully fear our federal government because of the madman in charge of it.  So I'm laying low for the most part until his reign passes.   History has taught me to be wary of events like today's events, as there is so much that can be lost if we're not careful.  

Right now, I'm trying to be careful and have plans A, B, and C at the ready.  Hopefully, I won't need to activate any of them.

The one time I can talk about a co-op board meeting

 

I could talk about going to the bank.  I could talk about the junk food I ate.  Instead, I will talk about the open shareholder meeting we had tonight.  And this is one of the few times I can talk about co-op business, as what I'm able to say tonight actually happened at tonight's meeting.

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Leaving for the board meeting at the local library, I made one mistake - running into the local pizzeria for a Chicken Parm Hero. (For those not familiar with NYC area sandwich terms, a "Hero" is an elongated sandwich roll. In other regions, it is known as a "Sub", "Hoagie" or "Wedge".)  I should have ordered pizza slices, as I was rushing to put food in my stomach before attending the board meeting.

Arriving at the local library shortly after 6, we reviewed business (which I won't recount here) for the next hour, until shareholders started to come in.  Just before 7, a woman we've been having trouble with  arrived.  The woman has serious mental issues, and probably should be institutionalized.  For the next half hour, people ambled in, but we only had 36% of the shareholder share represented.  So the meeting couldn't be official, only informational.  And then, the troublesome lady started to shout and disrupt our meeting.  She made a big deal about the contrasting color the outside walls of the laundry were painted.  She was shouting, and I ended up shouting back to her to stop shouting.  At this time, someone made sure the police were on call to remove her from the meeting.  Luckily, she left early, and her neighbors told the story of how they were being victimized by this woman on a daily basis.  (She even pushed one lady several times.)  Her neighbors had proof that this lady was harassing them, but the police have not yet done anything.  Maybe someone needs to get hurt before this sick person gets the help she needs, and gets her out of our way.

Eventually, we got to discussing the financial state of the co-op, and the need to continue with our current assessment.  (I won't go into the story of our former managing agent, our insurance, our mortgage holder, and going into special service handling.  I don't think I'm free to tell the story as I see it.)  Our shareholders didn't understand how a major bank could be treating a co-op like ours so poorly.  But then, we have a hard time understanding it too.  Although we think we're seeing the light at the end of the tunnel for our financial problems, it's going to be a rocky road for us until the end of the year.

Hopefully, the mentally ill lady will soon be evicted, and her shares reverted back to the co-op.  Only then, will the other residents in her building (as well as nearby businesses) will be free from her tyranny.  (BTW: One of the residents victimized by this woman handed the board a complete list of all the times this woman has caused them trouble.  Too bad this resident couldn't have known about this woman before she bought her apartment.)

RQS had to go home, and I had time to myself

 

It's always a touch of sorrow when RQS and I have to part.  Yet, this parting gives us the freedom to live at our own pace without having to worry about the others' concerns.  And maybe, just maybe, this makes our relationship work as well as it does.

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RQS's schedule was busy today - 2 doctors' visits and pottery class in the evening.  I won't go into details of her life, but she was busy from the moment she got out of bed to the moment she was able to get back into her own bed.  As for me, I took a little drive, went home, then relaxed for the rest of the day.

Right now, I have a book on JavaScript being delivered by Amazon.  Once it arrives, I will start on my next project: converting a web page with a downloadable spreadsheet to be used in calculating a true per-person cost of a cruise to a JavaScript program which performs the same function without making the computational guts too easy for others to duplicate.

Did I do any reading while I relaxed and had little to do?  Nope.   Instead, I watched videos most of the time, and then did some minor reorganization in the kitchen.  Although I could have gone out again later in the day, I didn't have the energy or inclination to do so,  Nor did I have any energy to deal with a medical appointment I should have made 4 weeks ago.  AARGH!

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At least, I did one thing of note:  I cooked some pad Thai.  Was it good?  No.  Next time, I'll try something different with rice noodles.