A quick fix for a problem originating elsewhere.

 

About a week ago, I started to have problems connecting to femulate.org.  Stana's blog has been around for many years now, and I doubted that anything she did would be causing problems for me.  When I tried to connect to her site with Firefox, I got the following message.

I never had problems connecting to this site before, so I emailed Stana, and she gave me the following fix:

Although this fixed the problem, it is a patch for something going wrong elsewhere.  Normally, most of the blogs I link to are updated on a daily basis.  Yet, none of these blogs have been listed as being updated for several days now:

 

All of these sites have been updated during the past week.  So, I wonder if there is a problem within one of Google's sites, specifically in blogger.com/blogspot.com, where this issue might originate.  Yet, it still might be elsewhere, as my site displays this same information in the chrome browser. 

So what could be causing this problem?  It's obviously related to Firefox and Blogger.  It is subtle, and I bet it will be fixed eventually.  Until then, I'll have to use workarounds. 

- - - - - -

Recently, Femulate.org reported on the same problem from a different angle.  Stana reports:

I received several emails reporting that My Blog List in the blog’s sidebar was broken. Instead of displaying the latest posts from the blogs on the list, it was displaying posts more than a week old.

I checked my blog’s settings, but nothing seemed amiss. Then I visited other blogs in the Blogger universe and, lo and behold, their blog lists were not updating either.

It turns out that other users have brought the problem to Blogger’s attention. However, at the time of this writing, the blog lists are still not updating.

Now that it can be shown that the problem originates with blogger.com, I now have an explanation for why this blog (and others) have had a reduction in visitors.  Hopefully, this problem will be resolved soon.

 

 

 

 

 

Another weekend with RQS (a short post)

 

It was the first weekend in New York after returning from our cruise, and I wasn't sure if my legs would hold up.  If I were sure of when I'd be meeting Maria to notarize my FBR paperwork, I'd have gone to RQS's house as Marian.  But, as is often the case with Maria, I couldn't count on her schedule to work as planned.  Since I'd possibly be driving to Maria's on Monday, I decided to present as Mario through the weekend for convenience.

- - - - - -

On Friday, I had a visit with the foot doctor, and that scotched the idea of me driving to RQS's place on Friday.  Instead, I planned to leave on Saturday morning.  But first, I had to stop at the bank and change my account relationship from "private banking" to "generic customer".  This would allow me to free up money I have in the bank, so it can be moved to my investment account at another institution.  Although the banker I dealt with made the change (or so he claimed), the private banking relationship still showed up on my account later on.  (It's something that may have to be fixed with another visit to the bank.)

Once done with the bank, I drove down to RQS's place.  There was virtually no traffic, and I made it to RQS's place in roughly an hour and a half.  Since I was up early that morning, I took a nap on arrival.  Sadly, one of our favorite places for dinner was closed (probably permanently)  so we were stuck with ordering a pizza for dinner.  Now, this is not much of an event, but the quality of person who does delivery these days leaves a lot to be desired.  In this case, the person was trying to deliver the pizza to an apartment across the street from RQS's place.  (We got that fixed.)  All too often, many of the last mile delivery services/personnel screws up delivery - the gig economy attracts the lowest skilled workers and pays them what they're worth - almost nothing.  One gets what one pays for.

- - - - - -

Sunday came, and we stayed in our Jammies all day.  The only reason I bothered showering was because I had to apply an ointment to my feet twice each day.  So, if I have to clean my feet, then I might as well clean the rest of me too.  (I certainly sound like an old geezer saying this.)  I did make it outside, only to do two things: (1) Make sure that there were no temporary no-parking signs on the street which would force me to leave early, and (2) to pick up a 12-pack of soda that I could drink on my next visit.

- - - - - -

Monday was a day of movement.  After showering and treating my feet, I loaded my car with my heavy suitcase (left at RQS's place following my cruise), then drove RQS to a donation center where she could drop off some stuff.

On my way home, I got a call from our co-op's site manager.  She needed copies of two months' of meeting minutes, so that she could be fully prepared for a lawsuit in which we were involved in landlord/tenant court. The woman affected by this dispute has been a problem to the co-op and its residents.  In April, she disrupted our yearly shareholders' meeting, and I wanted for the co-op to be rid of this person as soon as possible. (Where is the fictional Don Corleone when a friend needs a favor?😃) Although I couldn't get the paperwork to our site manager in a timely manner, it appears that we will be able to win our case by this time next week.   

 

 

A visit to the foot doctor, with more medical appointments to come.

 

Sometimes, I feel like the old lady pictured above.  I had one main thing on the docket for today, and I made sure to visit the foot doctor on schedule.

But first....

Although I'm feeling better than I have been feeling for the past few weeks, I know I'm operating at 50%. I've only had one opportunity to go out as Marian, and I'll likely be more limited in my outings due to appointments that have to be scheduled.

I started getting ready to visit the foot doctor around 1:00, and accidentally cut my big toe on a disposable razor.  AARGH!.  But if I was going to do some damage to my foot, this was the day to have it happen.  So, after a quick lunch at a local diner, I drove to the doctor's office.  And I couldn't find the office, as it was in a corner of the building that I hadn't been in before.

After checking in, I met with the doctor.  She told me that I might have spinal stenosis (based on other information I've given her) and said that I should see an Orthopedist. And whe prescribed a regimen of physical therapy to strengthen my muscles.  For my feet, she prescribed an antifungal, and scheduled an appointment for two weeks from now.  (I showed her a picture of me as Marian, and told her not to be surprised if she sees me this way next time.)   I'll discuss this and more when I see my GP next week.

This left me with a free afternoon.  I didn't feel like running off to the bank to change my account status.  I can do that tomorrow before I go to RQS's place for the weekend.  If I'm up to it, I'll do some laundry tonight. 

I'm back in the USA, and wish I were still in the UK. (A short post)

 

Both RQS and I have been devoid of energy since we came back from the UK.  And though it's been a few days, I wish I could go back there tomorrow. There are tasks I have to do, people I have to see, and places I need to be.  And yet, I didn't do anything today other than folding laundry left sitting in a basket from before I went on my cruise.  In short, I needed another Jammie Day, and today was it.

But this didn't mean my mind wasn't active.  Part of me was looking for a way where I could go on another cruise, this time as Marian.  Until I talk with my doctor, I still won't even consider booking another cruise until I know I'm safe to book the cruise.  And I don't want to take the risk of buying a cruise, and then not being able to go on the cruise.

My plan for the rest of the day was to cook something for dinner, and I realized that I didn't have much to eat.  So, I looked at a tub of soup, and found that it expired a week ago.  Luckily, I had bought a tub of Lobster Bisque - and that was my dinner. 

As you can see - not much to say today.  I'll have something more to say tomorrow. 

 

 

Catching up on things

 

There were many things I had to take care of when I got home from my recent cruise. Some of these things were:

• Paying outstanding bills.
• Picking up a prescription at the drug store 
  (and complaining to my doctor for misdirecting my prescription).
• Updating the relationship status with a bank, so that I can move money without penalties.
• Notarizing paperwork to be sent to a Foreign Birth Registry, needed for a second citizenship (as well as sending this paperwork off to the registry.)
• Seeing a foot doctor for an issue brought up by my GP.
• Giving a souvenir teddy bear to the 1 1/2 y/o son of my next door neighbors. 
• Unpacking luggage.

Getting back to "normal" after a cruise isn't always easy.  But when one is having mobility issues, it can be troublesome.  If I hadn't done laundry before I left for my cruise, I would have a large laundry basket that would be an effort to bring down and up my stairs.

 - - - - - -

Yesterday, I was exhausted when I got home, and I only had the energy to go out for a quick Chinese dinner and to make a grocery run at Trader Joe's to restock my refrigerator.  Today, I had only one thing on my docket - lunch with MSJ.  And we met at the Gazebo in a nearby park for lunch.

Lunch was unspectacular, but the conversation was different.  We both had stories to tell, me with my mobility issues, and MSJ with her trip back from upstate New York.  And then we got talking about family issues.  (I won't go into her issues, save to say that a parent-child role was involved.)

All too soon, lunch had to end, and I took a long drive before going home.  I knew that once I was in my apartment, I was in for the night.  And I was right - the day effectively ended when I got home, and I was glad of that, as I had little energy left in the tank for anything else. 

 

  

British Isles Cruise 2026 - Reflections (09/08/26)

A little over two weeks ago, I wasn't sure if I'd be able to go on my cruise.  It'd have been a great shame if I had not done so.  In it's own way, this cruise opened up my eyes a bit more in seeing the world.

- - - - - -

When I went off to take this cruise, I was not sure if my legs and back would hold out through the cruise and get me home.  While on the cruise, my leg/back problem was always on my mind.  I'd get up in the morning and wonder whether I'd be able to make it to breakfast, not even sure if I'd have the ability to go on any of the upcoming shore excursions.  And I had good reason for doubt.  

In Cobh (the port for Cork), I could barely move.  It was a long walk from the ship to the Cobh Heritage Center, and I was constantly looking for places to sit while touring the museum.  Would I be able to make it on other shore excursions we had already paid for?  Dublin would prove that with a little help, I could make it through a long day's shore excursion, as I was able to tour Malahide Castle by using a portable collapsing stool provided by the castle.

Now that I had proof that I could deal with the pain, Liverpool may have been the worst pain I had to deal with before things got easier for me.  We had scheduled a walking tour of Beatles' Liverpool, and knew we couldn't keep up the pace.  We still walked over to the Beatles Museum on Mathew Street (about 1 km away), and got a little lost going back to the ship.  When I looked at the fitness tracker on my phone, we had walked about 2 miles that day.

Things started to become easier for me when we went to the Giant's Causeway and to Skara Brae.  Walking a distance wasn't that bad, as long as I found places where I could take a rest now and then.  By the time we were ready to go home, I could have walked a couple of miles and survived the effort.

- - - - - -

Strangely enough, on our trip home, RQS had arranged for us to get mobility assistance from the airline, getting us from the check-in counter, through Heathrow security, to the Handicapped persons' waiting room, and then to the gate.  And in New York, the same assistance was provided getting us from the plane to customs, luggage pickup, and to the ride share pickup.

In short, I found that I was capable of much more than I thought I was capable of doing. And by taking on the challenge of this trip, I enjoyed experiences I never would have enjoyed had I given in.

 

British Isles Cruise 2026 - Disembarkation / Flight Home (09/07/26)

Today was a lot of "Hurry up and Waiting."  RQS and I had requested special help from the airline to get us through the airport, and I'm glad she did so.  

But first...

We got up around 6 am, so that we could get showered and dressed, and out of our cabin by 7:30 am.  And we did just that, even though we had a disembarkation time of 9:15 am.  Our first stop was the restaurant at the back of the ship, so that we;d be able to have a leisurely breakfast and have a place to wait until our disembarkation group was called sometime after breakfast.

Waiting, waiting, and waiting....  We moved closer to the gangway around 9:00 am and waited.  At 9:15 am, we took the long walk through another restaurant at the back of the ship, through the long ramps to enter the cruise terminal, then on another path to the luggage pickup area.  Once we found our luggage, we then started another long process to find the bus to take us to the airport.  And that was a stop and go process until we got to the bus that would take us to the airport.

They were loading buses based on the departure terminal, and we had to wait again to get a free bus and have our luggage loaded for the trip to the airport.  Unlike most buses, this one had a trailer to hold our luggage - and ours was loaded in the rear, meaning first in, last out.  This would be a problem later on, as both of us needed to take bio-breaks before we reached the airport, and couldn't do so until we got our luggage back.

When we finally had our luggage in hand, we rushed to the toilets for our much needed bio-breaks.  And then to the desk to check in for our flight.  RQS had requested wheelchair help, knowing that it was both a long distance to walk through Heathrow to get to the plane, and a long distance to walk through JFK in New York to get to the ride share area.  And again, we had to wait for wheelchair assistance which would take us to and through security, and then to the handicapped waiting room.  Unfortunately, we were escorted through security by two different people and deposited to two different destinations.  And RQS had problems finding me.

Our hurry up and waiting at Heathrow didn't end there.  There is a cart that is used to take mobility challenged people to the gates, and they wanted us to share the cart with 3 other people, with no provisions for our luggage.  They thought it strange that we'd each have a carry-on and a personal bag, and for both of us to be carrying medical bags of different sizes.  (My bag was bigger, as I use a CPAP machine.)  So we had to wait again to get a cart to deliver the 2 of us to another waiting area near the departure gate.  And that still wasn't the end of our waiting, as another person had to deliver the 2 of us to the departure gate, and to the plane.

The flight was uneventful.  But there was one thing of note.  A large number of ultraconservative Jews were on the plane, and one was standing up and praying in the middle of the flight.  If that wasn't strange enough, another man came along the aisle and was asking every man he found whether he was Jewish or not.  By the time the plane landed, my butt was aching and I couldn't wait to get to RQS's place.

Neither of us were in a rush to get off the plane.  We had nowhere to go but home.  And, when we got off the plane, two wheelchairs were waiting for us.  And then, we were separately wheeled through customs, then to the baggage claim area.  The gentleman wheeling me around shared a conversation about dual citizenship, and I mentioned my foreign birth registration, and he noted his dual citizenship.  Eventually, we were dropped off at the ride share area.

The Uber ride to RQS's place was quick, and the driver helped us deposit our bags at RQS's front door.  I was lucky - my legs weren't failing me, and I had all the strength I needed to get ALL our bags upstairs.  It was a long day, and I was glad it was finally over!