I got crucified by a paper pusher - will I come back to life?

 

As I've written before, I applied for the foreign birth registry of a nation, so that my right to claim citizenship is recognized.  Although my brother hit a bump in the road with his paperwork, he is now a dual citizen of both the United States and of this country (which I will leave unnamed at the moment.)  I just hit another bump in the road, and I will need to resubmit my photographs (no big problem) and submit one extra piece of paperwork that I do not have access to - my grandmother's marriage certificate.  AARGH!

I do not know if my brother has the date and jurisdiction of my grandmother's marriage license, so that I can get a certified copy from the appropriate entity to file with the photographs requested by the foreign birth registry.   But you might be interested in the contents of the following letter, so that if you are going through this process, you can understand what I'm going through.

Dear applicant,

 

We are dealing with your application to obtain Citizenship through entry on the Foreign Births Register. Unfortunately we cannot proceed with your application without the following document/s:

 

For the applicant (yourself):

  

1.      A newly completed application form (pdf attached) and 4 new photographs, the witness to the application submitted is not the same witness that certified/witnessed your passport sized photos and your photo ID.  The same witness must certify/witness all your documents.  Please ensure the form is completed in full.  Please ensure that the back of 2 of the photographs submitted are stamped, signed, dated and the application number is entered on the back by your witness.  Please ensure that your witness stamps, signs and dates your application and submits a business card /letterhead if no stamp is available.

2.      A certified/witnessed photocopy of your current state-issued photographic ID document (i.e. passport, drivers licence, national identity card), certified/witnessed by the witness to your application form.  If you are sending a copy of your passport, please ensure that all the data on the photo page is fully visible.

 

For the grandparent (your grandmother):

 

1.      Original civil marriage certificate/s showing name change from birth surname  to current surname  - Church certificates, certificates of marriage registration, marriage licenses and/or photocopies are not acceptable.

 

Please ensure that your application number is clearly marked on the envelope.

 

When the documents are received and your application is reviewed, you may be contacted again for further clarification or documents if required.

 

As you can see, I have a bit of work before me.  My grandmother's history is a bit sketchy, as my dad preserved precious little documentation regarding her life.  Yet, my brother squeaked through this process, so I should do so as well.  But when?  I want to be able to leave the USA if the Orange Monster goes completely berserk.

 

 

PS: We found a photograph of the Marriage Certificate, but we need an official copy. Given that it is not digitally accessible in the NYC records database, it's going to be a bit more of a pain in the ass than I would like.

I'm having trouble choosing between two cruises.

 

Soon, I will have a minor influx of money which will allow me to choose between 2 similar cruises offered by 2 different cruise lines.  The first cruise will be a 5-day cruise on Virgin Voyages between New York and Bermuda.  It will arrive in Bermuda at 4 pm, and leave at 4 pm the next day.  The second cruise will also be a 5-day cruise on Norwegian Cruise Lines between the same ports, both departing and returning 1 day later.  This cruise will arrive in Bermuda at 8 an and leave at 3 pm the next day.  Which cruise will I take?

Examining the 2 cruise itineraries, Virgin's cruise spends several hours less in Bermuda than NCL's cruise. Is that the only difference?  When I ran the numbers for the add-ons I'd purchase for each cruise, Virgin's cruise comes in with a price a few dollars more than that of NCL's cruise.  However, Virgin serves better food than NCL does.  Even when I factor in the specialty meals I'd get on an NCL cruise, I'd choose Virgin over NCL in this area.  But food isn't my only consideration.  The extra time I'd get in Bermuda on an NCL cruise allows me to get to St. George on Bermuda's other end - for free, if I use NCL's ferry.

What I haven't mention so far is loyalty status.  If I take the Virgin cruise, I won't accumulate much.  I'd have to reach the equivalent of 5 cruises to get an extra specialty coffee and a $100 bar tab per cruise.  However, on NCL, I'd get an extra water container after 1 more cruise.  (I'm at Platinum level, and I get the free bag of laundry already.)  Big deal!  Virgin does not have any more cruises scheduled to sail from New York after this fall, while NCL makes New York one of its home ports.  I don't add much to loyalty status by taking either cruise.  The next level of NCL loyalty status will be easier for me to achieve.  But I would get more on Virgin - if I choose to fly to Florida for one of their cruises.

So, which cruise will I choose?  In a week, I should have the money that I'll use for this cruise.  One cruise sails out of Brooklyn (Virgin), while the other sails out of Manhattan (NCL).  It is easier for me to reach the Manhattan cruise terminal than the one in Brooklyn.  Yet, I'm not sure of what I will do  I'll let you know when I make the decision. 

RQS had to go home today, and I had to go....

Mary Roach, the author of the above books would understand the problems I have with my GI-Tract.  Today, my problems were much worse than usual, and I almost needed to call for a doctor to deal with it.  As a result, I'm going to have a conversation about this issue and the issue with my legs when I see him next month.

But first....

RQS had to go home today.  So we got ready at the usual time for a Monday, and I drove her to the train station.  Hopefully, she got home before the first of the thunderstorms started.  After I dropped her off, I decided to take a drive to Costco, and look for a dish drying board that they had on the shelves a couple of weeks ago.  I didn't find it, so I left the place buying nothing.

When I returned home, I had the first of my GI-Tract issues.  (I won't go into details here, but it was a painful experience.)  Once this need was taken care of, I decided to take a nap.  And then, as I was getting ready to cook something for dinner, the co-op president called, and we chatted about some co-op business I'm not free to discuss here.  At this point, I only wanted a slice and a soda - which I got at a local pizzeria.

Next, it was off to Walmart for some undies (I'd never buy my bras there) and a few other supplies for the house.  This gave me the chance to walk around a little without putting too much strain on my legs.  I figure that I'll have to find safe, dry, and cool places to walk so that I can get in the activity to restore my legs to some form of "normal" health.

Finally, I ended up back at home.  And it was just in time,   So off came my clothes, and soon I was comfortable in my bed.

A trip to "The Egg" that almost ended in a disaster.

Today, we drove from Croton, NY to Albany, NY to see a performance of Paula Poundstone at "The Egg".  This theater is one of a modernist group of buildings near the New York State Capitol building that were commissioned by Nelson Rockefeller (if I recall correctly) to spur development in this area.  Anyone driving to Albany will see some beautiful old buildings near this complex, as well as this complex.  It's too bad that there is an economically depressed area near this peaceful area.

But first....

RQS had forgotten some of her diabetic supplies at home and wanted to buy some to keep at my place. So, we drove to the local CVS, where RQS had problems with the person working the pharmacy counter.  RQS wanted to buy her supplies at retail prices, as her insurance wouldn't cover an early purchase.  The woman behind the counter had no idea of what she should or could do, as all she knew was how to push buttons for insurance coverage purchases, and not for "full price" purchases.  RQS was getting frustrated, and I decided to fill the car up with gas while RQS was trying to get things done at CVS.  Well, it took a supervisor to fix RQS's problem (I should say that the problem was with the inexperienced counter clerk), and RQS was out of the store shortly after I returned from the gas station.

We finally were on our way to Albany at 3 pm, and got there around 6 pm. (We had stopped nearby for dinner before arriving at the Egg.) The theater was scheduled to open its doors at 7, not 6.  So we decided to relax near "The Egg".  In the upper picture, one will notice a bench near the entrance to the Egg.  We sat by tables near this entrance.  And this is where the "Almost Disaster" once happened.  The following email to the office of the commissioner of police describes it best:

My partner and I drove to Albany, NY on July 25th to see a performance of Paula Poundstone at The Egg. We arrived early, and we were sitting outside on one of the nearby benches. Around 6:30 pm, a youth came up to us and asked us to help him take a picture of him and his cousin. We both were a bit suspicious, as he was posing in a way NOT to get his face in the picture, but to get a small shot of his cousin on his phone. (The weirdness of this caused us to both be concerned that something bad was going to happen.) While this was going on, another person on an e-bike was riding around the area. Both of us thought that a "grab and snatch" operation was being attempted, and we didn't give either of these people (both happened to be black, if that helps you identify them) the chance to make us victims.

Please note that we were very lucky. Others may not be lucky in the future. Hopefully, there is something that can be done to make this area safer for the public.

Thank you

We were lucky.  I'd hate to deal with Albany police AND try to get my car started so that I could go home.  Even worse, I had over $500 in my handbag (as well as some credit cards and keys for both my car and house), as I had just gone to the bank for my weekly cash expenditures.

Shortly after this almost disaster, we went inside the theater and waited for the Paula Poundstone performance.  She was funny (as well as very political), and worth the 2 1/2 hour drive to see her.  The show started a little after 8 pm, and ended around 10 pm.  Due to road construction near the Egg, we ended up crossing the Hudson, forcing us to take local roads back home.  I was very grateful to have made it home by 1 am, as both RQS and I needed a long delayed  bio-break, followed by a restful sleep.

I wonder what has happened to someone I once knew.

 

Thirty five plus years ago, I ran a computer bulletin board system which allowed users to dial in and exchange messages.  This bulletin board system was connected to others via dial-up phone connections, and predated the general use of the internet by the masses.  Several of us in the Northern Westchester area met in person and developed friendships.  Chris was one of those people.

Now, Chris was one of three siblings, the only boy of the three.  Vicki and I feel that Chris was a victim of emotional abuse for reasons I won't discuss here.  But I will say that Chris lived in a fantasy world of his own making, and that he would tell "fantastic" stories to make himself seem special in front of people. His reality was mundane.  He paid his bills by working as a security guard at a nearby firm and dumpster dived for the computer parts from which he build his first computers.  He was responsible for introducing Vicki to me.  But he was always under the illusion that Vicki would be his girlfriend, while Vicki was making sure that this would never happen.

Eventually, Chris's parents died and left the family homestead to the three siblings.  When I saw this building, it had solid bones, but it was in need of a lot of TLC.  There was a big hole in the kitchen floor that needed repair, and I never found out why it was there. The sister I met was a little bit crazy, and the other wanted nothing to do with Chris or her crazy sister.  In time, Chris would be the sole resident of the place, but he couldn't perform basic property maintenance.  For example, he didn't even know how to keep his driveway free of ice during the winter.

Chris got mixed up with the wrong person and got locked up for an attempted crime against someone's property.  (His acquaintance persuaded him it was going to be a practical joke, from what Chris once recounted.)  He was in jail for roughly a year and a half while the house went unattended.  During that period of time, several of Chris's friends tried to look after the place until Chris's sister put the kibosh on that.  That winter, the pipes froze and made the house a disaster area.  Neither sister knew or cared to turn off the water and winterize the house. Eventually, the house was sold as-is, and needed just as money to repair the place as it did to buy the place.  Hopefully, the new owners have made this place a good home.  But I'm digressing from the story. 

When Chris was released from jail, he ended up in a nearby suburb.  Vicki and I each said that it would be prudent of us not to be in contact with him, and I had one or two contacts with him at computer flea markets   Luckily, I lost contact with him.

Several years later, I met Vicki while shopping at Bed, Bath and Beyond.  Vicki noted that I was the only person she missed from Chris's circle, and we began a friendship that lasts to this day.  But what happened to Chris?  Neither of us wanted to renew contact, but we wanted to find out what happened to him.  After a little internet research, I found out that he moved to North Carolina - far away enough, that neither Vicki nor myself would ever have to worry about meeting him again.  

Yet I wonder.  Did he ever get the therapy needed to put his life back on track?  That's one of many questions I doubt will be answered....

Lunch with CCS and Game Night afterwards

 

It's nice to have friends.  And today I was able to see one for lunch.  CCS and I have known each other since the 2020 Census, and we try to meet with each other once per month.  Both of us had a bit to catch up on, and it felt like we could have chatted longer if we didn't have time constraints.

But first....

I had several things to do today:

1. Lunch with CCS
2. Laundry
3. Trying to find a Door Knocker
4. Game Night

Since CCS and I rarely meet before 1:30, I usually have time to take care of little things before meeting her for lunch.  I didn't start getting ready for lunch until noon, as I'd be able to get showered, made up, and dressed without rushing.  So, I decided to wear a flowery dress to lunch, as it would be comfortable both in the heat of the afternoon, and in the coolness of the evening.

Lunch lasted longer than usual.  We tend to meet at 1:30, and finish around 3.  Today, we finished closer to 3:30.  The conversation stayed on the typical subjects that usually come up - our trips, our activities, and upcoming events.  We will meet the week before both of us leave on our upcoming trips, and it will feel like we just met a few days before.

Once done with lunch, I decided to run over to Home Depot to find a Door Knocker.  The one I bought from Amazon was a little too large for my door, and it will be returned soon.  This trip was a waste of time, but I learned something - Home Depot is not the be all/end all big box hardware store it makes itself out to be.  There are interesting gaps in its store offerings.

When I got back home, I rushed to put a load of laundry into the washer and then the dryer.  I was done with my laundry by 6:45, and I was off to game night.  As I left the house, my brother called - all the obstacles to selling the house have been removed.  The lender's bank has approved arranging the closing, and I could now give the lawyer a schedule of my availability to set up a closing date.

Game night was fun, even though I didn't do well in the game we played.  While playing the game, I sent word to a few friends that the last known obstacle to selling the house has been removed.  Hopefully, we'll have a closing date set before my upcoming trip.    

On the way home, I decided to get something to eat.  So, I drove to the White Castle in Yonkers for some "Belly Bombers".  (I grew fond of them as a kid.)  As I drove there, I was reminded of how the area used to look when my late wife worked nearby.  There were several late night food trucks operating in the downtown Yonkers area - I don't think this would have been the case 30 years ago.  Hopefully, this means that this area of Yonkers is becoming safer and a more desirable place to work and live.

I was supposed to have lunch with a friend today, but...

 

Last night, I received a text from MSJ asking me if I could postpone our lunch until next week.  Considering how busy  this week would be for me, I was glad that we could postpone things.  But this left me with nothing that absolutely had to be done today.

- - - - - -

I finally got a decent night's sleep and woke up reasonably well rested.  Yet, I could not get up the energy to get dressed and go outside for most of the day.  MSJ and lunch were postponed until next week, and I decided to make this a Jammie day (again).  I still had to take care of things, so I started by washing my wig and letting it dry for future use.  (I'm glad I have a choice of wigs to wear.)  But what should I do? what do I need to do? And what will I do?  all came to mind.  Then, I decided to get showered and made up, and put on the dress below.

 

It is an exercise dress with built in shorts.  So I knew it would be a little inconvenient to wear.  (Think potential restroom visits.) Yet, it looked good on me, and was appropriate for a summer's day.  So I'd be prepared to go out when I finished taking care of things at home. 

Around 5:00, I decided to drive to the local mall, and found that there was almost no activity there. The Sears at one end of the mall closed several years ago, and the mall is barely hanging on.  Most of the storefronts are empty.  Some of the remaining storefronts are occupied by places such as a martian arts studio, an independent jewelry store, and other small independent businesses.  If the remaining anchor store (a Macy's) were to close, I'd expect this mall to be closed within a couple of months.  I didn't bother to walk the full mall length, as it was very depressing and my legs were bothering me after a short walk.

My next stop was at Trader Joe's where I picked up some fruit, some juice, and some salad I could eat for dinner.  Did I need to stop there?  No.  But I still needed to walk around a little, and it gave me a few more minutes on my feet.