Politics - Poli = Greek for Many, Tics = Flesh Eating Insects.

 

I don't care what they have to say.  It makes no difference anyway.  Whatever it is, I'm against it.

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Groucho Marx was an interesting comedian.  Although he died almost 50 years ago, and his heyday was in the 1920's,  his anarchic view of the world still is an influence in my life.  Only Groucho could say: "I once shot an elephant in my pajamas.  What he was doing in my pajamas, I'll never know."  It's that weird way of looking at things that still help me to think out of the box.

Lately, I've been watching the news and wondering why news reporters don't hold the Orange Monster to account.  And I realize that they are so afraid of the monster, that they let him get away with everything.  Yet, in about 20 years, I'll bet that someone does a comedic take on the monster and his cronies.  We are way too close to history being made for anyone to satirize the monster the way Chaplin satirized Hitler in The Great Dictator. With this being said, it's a shame that Groucho (and his brothers) aren't around anymore, as only someone like Groucho could put the monster in his place with witticisms coming too quick for the monster to deflect. 

Slowly, we're seeing some Republicans start pushing back against the monster.  But not enough to show that the dam will break, and they will actively push him out of power.  Until this happens, things will keep getting worse before they start getting better.

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Now, we're starting to see the Democrats finding ways to take the offensive.  Recently, they worked with the GOP to get a housing bill bassed with veto-proof majorities.  Yet, just before the bill was to be signed, the monster decided not to sign the bill.  Assuming there is no veto, the bill will become law, and the Democrats will have a cudgel to beat up on the GOP.

Politics is a nasty game, and this is the worst I've seen it in my lifetime.  Ideally, the monster will die of "natural" causes before January 20th, 2027, limiting Vance to a single term in his own right.  Even better, I'd love to then see the Democrats hold up ALL federal funding until Vance were to then resign.  In this case, if there is no GOP VP confirmed by the senate, guess who then becomes president?

Well...  Keep your fingers crossed.  I hope not to need my "Letters of Transit" like those from the movie Casablanca. 

 

OK, I did plenty of nothing, and just a little bit more.

 

For the most part, I knew today was going to be a nothing burger of a day.  Yes, I had a Zoom scheduled with RQS and our Texas friends.  But I didn't have the energy to do anything else until the afternoon came.

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I awoke around 7, and fell back to sleep until 10.  Since the sun was out for a change, I knew that I'd eventually have the energy to get moving.  (Rainy days tend to drain my energy level, and not because the rain depresses me.  It may have something to do with the change in air pressure.)  By noon, I was up, and by 3, I was out the door thinking that I might go to Lane Bryant to buy a new slip.

On the way down to Lower Westchester, I stopped by a deli I used to go to when I was working at the imaging firm.  No one was there that I remembered, in part because of the time of day.  When I paid for the sandwich and a bottle of iced tea, I was $15 poorer.  Boy, prices have gone up in the past few years!

At this point, I changed my mind about going to Lane Bryant, as I'll be in lower county tomorrow for game night.  Instead, I went home for a while and relaxed before starting up the Zoom meeting.  Surprisingly enough, our Texas friends were more animated than usual in our chat.  Yet, they didn't bite when RQS mentioned that we could visit them close to home.  No big deal.

Once the Zoom meeting ended, I ran off to CVS to pick up some quick dry for my nails.  (I screwed up one finger's polish during the zoom.)  By the time I was back, it was 11 pm - and the only thing I had accomplished was a zoom meeting.  And that only involved me setting up the meeting.  Plenty of nothing, and just a tad more. 

I didn't do much today, save for add to the donation bag. (A short post.)

 

This was the second day in a row where I didn't feel much like doing anything.  Today was very different, as my lack of energy had to do with my body as a whole, and not just what was going on in my head.  So, I expect that this will be a shorter post than usual. 

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Today would be a jammie day.  Often, I sleep in a comfortable slip or nightie.  The last time I remember wearing anything from my male wardrobe to bed was when I had my last sleep test for renewing my CPAP machine prescription.  Yet, I'll bet that some of the stuff I wear to bed may look a little strange on my body.  But comfort and self image are the most important things - especially when no one is going to see me in my bed clothes.

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Recently, the second of two watch bands broke on me.  (Two different watches, the second bought as a replacement for the first.)  I have a third watch I wear as a backup, although the band is much worse for wear than I would like. (It needs a new battery.) Sadly, Timex doesn't sell this watch (and band) anymore, so I can't replace it.  I am old fashioned enough to wear wristwatches both for telling time, and for adornments on my wrist.  A watch is the one piece of "jewelry" which is practical and serves a purpose other than adornment, and I'm used to wearing the same watch whether I am presenting as a male or female.

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Thinking about things I wear, I decided to take some clothes out of my closet and put them into a donation bag.  I have way too many things I bought in Universal Standard's "Mystery Boxes" that I didn't wear enough to get my money's worth from their purchase.  But pruning these things from my closet makes it possible for me to buy new things that I will wear.  (I'm no longer fantasizing about going to work again, so why keep the 50% of a wardrobe that reflects a pre-retirement image of myself.

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I thought this would be an even shorter post when I started it.  Yet, it's nice to think a little about the things I wear.  Hopefully, I'll be able to keep looking appropriate in whatever I pull out of my closet and jewelry chest. 

Rain, Rain, Go Away.... (A short post.)

 

After doing much of nothing yesterday, my normal inclination would be to put on a nice dress and go outside today.  Well, the threat of rain and thunderstorms put the kibosh on that plan.  Yet, I had to go out and restock my refrigerator, so what to do?  Stay inside until just before dinner time, of course!

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Although the early part of the day was relatively dry, the rains came early and created a dreary atmosphere.  It wasn't the best day to go out and shop.  But it made perfect sense to do so around dinner time, as the rain was due to end sometime in the evening, and it would likely be a lighter rain when I drove to Trader Joe's.  So I got dressed in a tunic dress and leggings (this was not the day to go out in a summery dress) and drove to Trader Joe's.  On the way to TJ's, the heavens opened up a little, and then stopped when I got there.  After picking up my foodstuffs, the rains stopped for a few minutes, and did the same when I got home.  Now, I have enough "fresh" food in the ice box to last me to the end of the week. 

Could I have done a load of laundry?  Maybe.  But that task can wait until tomorrow. It was simply nice to be able to get dressed as Marian and present myself as female for past of the day.

So many reasons I could have gotten dressed and gone out today - and I didn't.

 

Ok, this may end up being a shorter post than usual.  Yet, I have to write something about my life today.

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I first woke up around 7 am, and had a choice: Do I go out to Church, or do I want to stay in bed.  You can guess which choice won out by the image above.  And this is how I spent my day.  Either I was in bed resting, or I was in the living room watching YouTube videos.

Strangely enough, if one is careful and selective, one can get a lot of objective news information from YouTube that the mainstream news media is afraid to cover.  For example, much of the mainstream American media is afraid to hold the orange monster to account, lest they lose access to him.  But I ask, and will continue to ask: Why have access when whatever he says is a lie, including the words "and" and "the"?  If you are there to report news, and all you get are lies, why be there at all?  If you can't report these fallacies for what they are, why bother reporting anything at all?

Once I got moving, I realized that I didn't have any food in the freezer that could be defrosted quickly, nor did I have anything tasty that I could nuke and enjoy a good meal.  So, I could have gotten dressed and gone to the store to buy something.  But I didn't.

By the time I was interested in doing anything, it was getting ready to rain, and I had no interest in going out.  Yet, I had my choice of too many dresses to choose from.  (When am I going to start filling another donation bag?)  Could I have put on some clothes and done a load of laundry?  Maybe, but I wasn't in the mood to even do that.

As you can see - it was a quiet day, something I still needed after a marathon Friday with Vicki. 

A lazy day, coupled with my first visit to the Drafthouse in months.

 

With RQS seeing her cousin in Philly, I had no absolute demands on my time this weekend.  So, I thought I might go see an Off Broadway play in NYC, but didn't get out of the house on time.

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When I have nothing scheduled that requires me to be on time, I often miss what I originally put on the docket to fill my time.  Today, it was the chance to see the play "Dirty Books" which is nearing the end of its run that I missed.

After a long day of travel yesterday, the last thing I wanted to do was move - even if someone else would be in charge of the movement.  So I stayed in bed way too long, and missed the train to NYC that would have gotten me to the city on time.  Instead, I decided to see the film "Disclosure Day", as it had received decent reviews.  

Disclosure Day can be described as 2 parallel chases (bad guys chasing 2 different people) leading to a TV Studio where the proven existence of Alien life would be revealed.  Although this film has Steven Spielberg behind the camera, it is not up to the standards of his other work.  One could have done much more with the idea of a conspiracy to hide the existence of Alien life from humanity, one could feel that a little bit more could have been done with the meat of this story, instead of having most of the movie revolve around the chasing of 2 individuals.  What surprised me most was not the film, but what had changed at the Yonkers Drafthouse cinema.  In the past, one would raise tickets with one's orders.  Now, one uses one's cell phone to place an order and to order refills.  And their app confused me. 

On an aside, I had to go to the loo twice while at the theater.  Years ago, I'd be a bit nervous when entering the female only area.  Now, I am comfortable standing on line with the other women waiting for a free stall.  So, when the credits started to roll, I was the first person to get to a stall.  By the time I was done, there was a line that was at least 12 women long, and stretched out the door.  (I still wonder how cisgender women manage to hold it in with their smaller bladders.  But that's another story for another day.)

At least, I was able to get back into bed at a reasonable time.... 

A visit to the Flax Barn Sale

 

The only thing on the docket for today was a long drive to Wampsville, NY for the Flax Barn Sale.  Two years ago, I scored several dresses, tops and bottoms for a dirt cheap price.  This year, Vicki and I decided to do it again while RQS was in Philadelphia with her cousin.  Yet, neither of us expected the drive to be as long as it was.  But then, Vicki was following speed limits to the letter.  (I wonder if she got a ticket recently - I'm not going to ask her....)

I woke up around 8 am, with only 4 hours of sleep.  Yet, I was ready for Vicki on time - 10 am.  There was no way that Vicki wanted to stop to eat until lunch time, so she offered me a protein bar to stave off any hunger pains until we sat down for lunch.  About 1 1/2 hours later, we stopped at a Thruway rest area and paid almost $20 for a Burger King meal - something that off the Thruway would cost $12-$13.  Ouch.  Neither of us finished our meal, and continued onward  for another 2 hours for another bio-break.  This time, Vicki picked up some Dunkin' Doughnut Holes, small 1 bite doughnut pieces that could temporarily stave off hunger pains until we got something serious to eat.

Eventually, we made it to the barn sale, and we started going through boxes of garments, looking for things that would fit us.  On my side of the tent, some women were stripping down to their undies to try on clothes.  (The only male in the tent was on the far other side, manning the cash register.)  Even if I had a cisgender female's body, I doubt I'd want to show myself in my underwear to other women.  This is not a gym locker room, nor is it the Syms (a defunct store) women's dressing area.  Vicki bought 4 garments for herself, and several for her friends.  I bought 1 outfit for myself, and a light linen dress I could wear this summer. 

We started home around 4-4:30 pm, and I changed into something comfortable at the first thruway rest area.  (I was wearing a unitard, so that I could try on clothes without stripping down to my underwear.)  Once in a more comfortable dress, we traveled for the next 2-3 hours until we reached Hudson, NY for dinner.  I looked for an affordable place, and found Savona's.    It's a good, stick to your ribs Italian joint, but not one you'd call a "Red Sauce" joint - even though it serves many of the red sauce joint specialties.  While waiting for our food, Vicki and a man at a neighboring bar seat got into a long winded chat.  (She wanted to end the chat earlier, but he couldn't stop once started.)   occupied myself by playing a game on my phone.  When the food came, we realized that after we finished, that we would go home with leftovers enough for a small meal.  (Both of us would go there again tomorrow if it weren't 2 hours away.)

Having left the restaurant, it took us another 2 hours to get home.  Vicki was getting tired, and I could see that in the way she was reacting to idiots on the road.  So, I was glad when she dropped me off at 11, knowing that she'd be in her own bed by midnight....