Last night, a typo erased a week's worth of work.

 

As I've mentioned before, I have a travel related blog for which entries are published on a monthly basis.  Due to a typo I made on my Chromebook with a mistaken way of trying to prevent a loss of data, I lost my March 2026 entry.  Luckily, I can reconstruct most of what I've written, but not everything.  So, I'll spend the better part of this week rewriting the entry.

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I didn't get any sleep last night, so I made a decision not to start the blog post rewrite until tomorrow.  With this being said, I was able to relax a little, knowing that I didn't have to jump into any hard work until tomorrow.

Every Sunday, I make a decision when at my house - do I go to church or stay in bed.  A warm, comfy bed wins out most weeks.  This week, it was a no brainier - stay home and rest.  I would likely fall asleep during mass anyway.  (And I did fall asleep after RQS cooked breakfast.)

Both of us decided to make it a Jammie day,   We watched YouTube videos, as well as watched movies on the TV.  We now miss our nightly routine of watching the Perry Mason series, as it is no longer available on Amazon for free.  (I guess I'm going to kill my Hulu subscription and take one up with Paramount Plus.)

When I had a moment, I decided to look up the church schedule, and found out why services were being held in one building and not the other this month - the building in which I usually would go to is being used as a homeless shelter in this frigid weather.  Although I don't think they planned for this sub-freezing weather, I'm glad that they had perfect timing for helping the homeless.  Next, I found that ALL the pictures I uploaded to Blogger were intact.  So I don't have to upload them a second time as I rewrite the blog entry.

Tomorrow, RQS goes home and I expect to be busy.  So, I need to recharge.  More later.

Getting out and about when it's cold outside.

 

Provincetown, MA.  It looks beautiful after a snowstorm, but I wouldn't want to live there in the aftermath of one.  It's been a week since New York's last major snowstorm, and cars are still stuck in the snow on many New York City streets.  When I next visit RQS at her place, I'll need to take mass transit, as there will not be any available parking on the streets if I were to drive there.

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It's been a week of sub-freezing temperatures, and my stadium coats have gotten the most use they have gotten in years.  One advantage of this weather is that the snow won't melt and leave ice patches in dangerous places.  Given the mountain of snow that was plowed in front of my car (there was no other place to put it), I expect to see the remains of last week's storm hang around well into February.

RQS and I decided to go out today.  She wanted to get some coffee and try out the French Press I have in my kitchen.  As for me, I wanted an excuse to go out.  So, we bundled up, and out the door we went.  Off to Home Goods, and then to dinner.

Well, RQS found her coffee, and I decided to go to the same buffet that Vicki and I went to the other day.  This time, I overdid it.  Way too much food, but all of it was good.  On the way back, we took a route through back roads until we hit a roadblock.  Seems like a quarter mile section of road was out, and there was a 15 mile detour because of it.  As for me, the detour still brought us home without returning to the open section just past the detour.

A trip into NYC for a Sample Sale

 

As you can see, I've written this post about 2 weeks before you see it.  Today, I decided to take a trip into NYC to see what Universal Standard had for sale, and whether there was something I'd find worth buying.  But I wasn't sure if I'd bother to go into NYC today, as the temperature was 15 degrees Fahrenheit with a light breeze.  BRRRR! 

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When I got up this morning, I could feel the cold coming through the windows.  There is only so much that can be done to heat up an apartment when the weather is this cold.  Yet, around 10:30, I decided to get showered and dressed, and made it to the station with 20 minutes to spare.  

The train made it to Manhattan by 12:45, and I was at the pop-up store before 1:30.  One catch - there were 4 storefronts with the same numbered address, each with a different letter to identify their places in the building.  (e.g.: 262-A, 262-B, 262-C, and 262-D)  But once I found the place, it was easy for me to go through the racks.  Sadly, I only found one garment worth buying.  But that was OK.

Next, it was off to find something to eat.  I found a bagel shop on the corner, and ordered a sausage, egg and cheese sandwich on a poppy bagel. Add a can of soda to that, and guess what I spent - roughly $20.  I could have gotten the same in my neck of the woods for half the price.  But I was hungry, and wanted something to fill my stomach.

Finally, it was back to Grand Central and a wait for RQS.  She arrived around 3:30, and we were home by 5:00.

Now to try on my new dress.... 

Seeing the Doctor for a checkup and Vicki for lunch

 

Today, was a half and half day - seeing the doctor as Mario and Vicki as Marian.  I'm glad that I had the time between these appointments to both change my clothes and to do some more work on updating my cruise related blog.

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But first....

I didn't get much sleep the night before, as I had lost track of time.  So, when I woke up at 8 am, I knew I wasn't going to even to start moving until 9 am.  When I finally got moving, I shaved carefully (it would make things easier later on), and got dressed as Mario for my visit to the doctor.

Arriving at the doctor's office, I was surprised that they were running on time.  He had a new Nurse Practitioner (NP, in training rotation) in the office, and I was the guinea pig for the day.  The doc (as expected) read me the riot act regarding my weight, and I mentioned my headache (financial) in picking up the starter doses of both Mounjaro, then Ozempic at CVS.  (I will not spend $500+ for this drug, when it should be covered for a lot less on Medicare.)  So, they did some research, and found out that I should be paying $50.  Now, they are trying to determine whether my mail order pharmacy covers it, and at what cost.  Sadly, the NP was telling me to fight the insurance company on this, when I tried to get her to understand - I can only deal with so much frustration before anger takes hold.  She needs some real world time to understand deep seated psychological issues that I manage to keep from getting into serious trouble.  But I digress.

After leaving the doc's office, I went home to change into Marian.  It took me 30 minutes to make the change, and I left for the Chinese buffet "on the other side of the world" at 1 pm.  Arriving at 1:45, I sat down in the restaurant, and waited for Vicki.  She surprised me by choosing a buffet instead of a traditional restaurant.  She noted that both the appearance of this place and the quality of its food was very good - and she was right.  I'll go there again soon, when I can afford the calories.

Once we finished lunch, I drove home for the day, and was able to rest.... 

Happy Valentine's Day!

 

And now for a different take on this day...

97 years ago, Al Capone engineered the consolidation of the Chicago recreational substances and services industry.  It is because of this entrepreneur that in spite of a corrupt government's interest in keeping the Windy City drier than the Sahara Desert, this man was able to make sure that no thirst on any side of "The Loop" went unquenched. 

For most people, Valentine's Day is a day where chocolates and flowers are given to women, where couples go out for fancy dinners, and where most American males have a good chance of getting satisfied. With my strange sense of humor, I focus on the Chicago mob and Prohibition.  It seems like the more the government tries to enforce moral standards, the more that they end up triggering the behaviors they are trying to stop.  

In a way, this is what will happen to the LGBTIQ community.  The more that the Orange Snowflake tries to erase us from existence, the more likely our numbers will grow underground and in the closet.  Yes, we will not be able to be our authentic selves.  But most of us will be able to keep things hidden until this wave of evil passes on.  Many of us will suffer in the meantime - needlessly.  Sadly, this is what happens on the cusp of a social collapse.  

Many of don't yet see the signs of this collapse.  Yet they are visible to those who look.  The Social Security system is woefully underfunded, and Congress is failing to act.  What will happen when tomorrow's retirees lose 25% of the money they were promised by the government upon retirement.  What if you don't need Social Security?  Well, our current political regime is intent to inflate the currency to pay our debts.  We've seen what happened to Germany in the 1920's when this was attempted.  Then, we are destroying the education system, along with government funded scientific research.  How can a country earn its keep and maintain its position in the world without being at the top of the knowledge economy?  

I'm afraid this country is making many of the same mistakes that Germany made 95 years ago.  I just wonder - what country (or region) will become the next great superpower in this world?  This is the time to start looking for that country and having a migration plan to get there - and soon.

I stayed at home and stayed warm

 

This was a day to stay inside.  Outside, a strong chill was in the air, and I wanted no part of it.  So, I stayed inside, comfy in my jammies, and worked on updating my cruising related blog to reflect current conditions.

Sooner or later, I have to catch up on chores, laundry being one of them.  That will likely happen tonight, as I will be busy tomorrow and Friday.  Although the sun is out as I write this entry, I will likely get showered and dressed, then go out as Mario due to tomorrow's doctor appointment in the morning.

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As I write this, it is the end of January 2026.  Recent developments make me feel that it's time to start activating one's exit plan. The Orange Snowflake's Gestapo (ICE) has attempted to invade a foreign consulate today.  Foreign governments no longer believe that America will follow the rules based order that it established after WW2.  The regime now covers up murder by its Gestapo, and we have no respect (as a nation) from anyone outside our borders.  The rule of law is being replaced by the rule of a despot.  And this is our warning sign.

If my foreign citizenship (foreign birth registry) paperwork was fully processed, I'd have my foreign passport and be ready to move everything liquid (money) outside the US at a moment's notice.  I want to be on one of the last planes out, in a comfortable seat, before everything collapses here.

Keep your fingers crossed, I'm hoping to have tickets for one of the last planes.

The snow has mostly been cleared, RQS is home, and we finally Zoomed with our friends

 

As of this morning, the above car was still snowbound and will be blocked in even more when the next snowfall hits.  However, my spots are mostly clear (I didn't move my car until after the second visit of the snow removal people was over) and there were only a handful of spaces which evidenced people not moving their cars.  I just wonder what it will look like after this coming weekend's storm.

Shortly after 11 am, I drove RQS to the train station for the ride home.  For the most part, it was an uneventful drive for me, as the roads were mostly dry.  (That's what happens when the snow hasn't had a chance to thaw yet.)  It was also an uneventful trip home for RQS, save that she had to wait in the cold for a bus to take her home after getting out of the subway.   

I picked up my usual sausage and egg sandwich before going home, and made a trip to Target before going home for a much needed nap.  (I didn't sleep well last night.)  Around 6 pm, I realized that I had to start our Zoom meeting with our Texas friends.  So, I stayed at home, nuked some dinner, and got the Zoom going around 8 pm.  Our monthly Zoom went well, as we got one of our two Texas friends to talk more than she usually does.  

And then, the Zoom was over, and I had to catch up on things I've put off doing for a while - washing 2 of my 3 active wigs.  I figure that once they are clean and dry, I'll finish off wig cleaning by putting the 3rd wig in the sink.

Just another day in the life of a New York trans-gal.

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