A day spent as Mario - AARGH!

 

I had several errands to do in Mario mode today, and I ended up putting on a pair of trousers for the first time in over a week.  AARGH!  

But first....

It started as Mondays usually do for us when RQS is at my place.  I woke up first, and let the alarm clock wake RQS up.  It was much cooler this morning than it was yesterday, so I was glad to have a clean long sleeved shirt to wear for the day.  Around 11:15, I dropped RQS off at the train station, and stopped for a bit to clean my wiper blades.  And then it was off to Ossining to take care of some errands.

First, I stopped by my bank to have a replacement credit card reissued.  (The old card expired, and I never received a new one.)  This was the first place where I needed to present as Mario.  After a few minutes at the bank, the teller ordered a new card for me, and updated an incorrect phone number on file.  (I was glad to have my drivers license on me.)

My next stop was the cable TV store where I exchanged my cable box for a working one.  (Unfortunately, I didn't decide to test it until late in the evening.)  I had decided not to stop by a second bank in the same strip mall to see if I could get an account type changed to one not charging service fees.  I was more in the mood to go home and relax.

Late in the evening, I called the cable company regarding the box.  It needed a technician ID to complete the setup process - and they couldn't help me because key staff had already gone home for the evening.  Now, I have to call back in the morning to get help.  AARGH!  (If they have 24 hour tech support, why couldn't they have someone on call for problems like this?)

At least, if I can get the cable box set up tomorrow without a technician's visit, I'll be back to presenting as Marian until the end of next weekend....  

The Heat Wave is breaking and we finally were able to see a movie!

 

Yesterday, we missed seeing this film because all seats were sold out.  Today, we did the smart thing and bought our tickets several hours before showtime.  

But first....

We woke up early, and made sure that the air conditioners were still running at full blast.  Although the weather wasn't going to be as bad as it has been for the past few days, it was still going to be hot.  So we took it easy until 2 pm, and were out the door for a 4 pm arrival time at the theater.  

This would be the last time I'd be wearing a dress for the next couple of days, as I had to schedule my presentation as Mario for tomorrow's errands.  So, I pulled out another Flax dress from my closet and made sure I'd be comfortable outside.  We arrived at the theater a little before 4, and we were among the first to be there.  Even though "Peter Asher - Everywhere Man" was not at the top of RQS's list of films to see, she was glad to see this film after seeing how this man had connections to so many people in the entertainment industry from childhood on.

When the movie let out, it was time to go home for the night.  I was glad to get back into my jammies and be comfortable for the rest of the evening.  It was just as well that we didn't go out again later on, as a storm came in which cooled things off - finally!

Fourth Day of the heatwave - July 4th

 

Today, we ended up deciding to brave the heat to go out to a movie. It's not because we wanted to go out in this heat.  Instead, it was because we didn't want to deal with an apartment that couldn't be kept cool enough for comfort.

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Both of us woke up around 10 am, and finished breakfast around noon.  There was a movie I wanted to see playing at the local "Art House" and we got showered, dressed, and out the door to make it to Pleasantville in time for the movie.  One problem: too many other people had the same idea as we did, and the movie was already sold out by the time we arrived at the ticket office.

So, what did we do instead?  Well, it was off to a diner for some predictable grub.  Because of the holiday, there was almost no one at the diner.  But it was a comfortable place to eat, even though the selections on the menu were underwhelming.  (Next time, we'll choose somewhere else to have a bite to eat.)

I was glad I was in Marian Mode today, as all I had on was my wig and a short dress (and the usual underwear) - the less I could wear, the more comfortable I could be.  RQS was also dressed for the heat.  And comfort was the word for the day.  Once we were done with dinner, it was off to Trader Joe's (it was closed) and then to the local Stop & Shop.  

Now that we had finally picked up food for tomorrow, it was time to go home for the night.  I'm glad we didn't stay out longer, as thunderstorms rolled into the area around dusk.  Hopefully, we'll soon have relief from this weather pattern soon....

Third day, worse than the first (a short post)

The above is not the kind of "Hot Dog" one usually eats on the July 4th weekend.  But, this year, it might be too hot outside to put anything on the grill today.

= = = = = =

With temperatures expected to reach over 100 degrees today, the last thing on our minds would be to go outside in this heat.  Instead, we stayed inside watching movies on TV.  Around 4 pm, the outside heat overwhelmed the AC and it became uncomfortable inside.

In short, this was a Jammie Day, and I don't have anything much worth saying.  Hopefully, this heat wave will break before the weekend is over.

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Sorry for the short post, but we're having electricity issues in my county today.

The second day of the heatwave - more brutal than the first.

I hate hot weather with a passion.  And when the thermometer reaches 104 degrees, not even my apartment's A/C couldn't keep up with the heat from outside.  At least, my car's A/C could keep up with the heat - even when doing a drive which averages 37+ mph.  But I digress.

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The day opened up slowly, and I didn't get moving until 1 pm.  RQS wouldn't be arriving until 7, so I had time to do some minimal cleanup in the apartment.  By the time I was ready to go out, it was 4 pm, and my task was to pick up lobsters.  ShopRite had them on sale, and we take advantage of these sales at least once every season.  So off to the nearby store for me, and they only had 1 lobster left.  That would not be enough for 2 people.  The man behind the counter suggested that I try the store in Mohegan Lake - which I did.  The lobster tank was full, and I came home with 5 lobsters and a newly emptied wallet.  (I went to the ATM on the way home to refresh my money supply.)  Once home, the lobsters went into the ice box, and I found the equipment needed to steam the critters to perfection.,

RQS arrived at 7:15, and she had forgotten her medicine at home.  Instead of doing without, I said we could make a drive to Queens much later in the evening.  So, we proceeded home and started to cook the lobsters.  In this heat, boiling or steaming lobsters would be a big mistake, as it adds way too much heat to my top floor apartment.  But the savings from eating in vs. eating out at a local restaurant made this splurge worthwhile.

- - - - - -

When the clock struck 10, we got moving and drove to Queens.  Normally, getting to RQS's place takes roughly 2 hours.  Tonight, with minimal traffic, it took just a little more than an hour.  Yet, it was a little scary, as I noticed that I was a little tired and not at the top of my driving game.  Couple this with an excessive number of people driving like they were in a NASCAR event, and it could have been a recipe for disaster. (There were unlicensed motorbikes weaving through traffic on the urban parkways, as well as souped up cars zig-zagging through narrow gaps between cars on the suburban roads.)  Even RQS was shocked about how crazy the roads were on the drive down and back.  After a 10 minute stop at RQS's place, we returned home without incident. And even though I was legally speeding on the full trip down and back, the car got 37 mpg.  

Arriving home before 1 am, we noticed that the A/C had finally cooled off the apartment.  We'll have to depend on foods that don't depend on stove top or oven cooking this weekend if we want to stay cool.  So, I'm hoping for this heatwave to break soon!    

The first of 5 days in Mother Nature's Sauna

 

As I write this, Independence Day is still a day or two away.  And yet, I have things to do to prepare for the long weekend that require that I leave the comfort of my apartment and brave the 100 degree heat outside.  Knowing that RQS is coming up makes things a little worse, as I don't want her to suffer heatstroke on her trip to see me, nor do I want the headaches of dealing with the heat.  But this "brave little girl" will do so, simply because it's the right thing to do.

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The day started off with me lying in bed when the A/C shut off.  No, there was no problem with the A/C.  Instead, the fan turned off because the desired temperature was reached.  At that point, there was no going back to sleep for me.  Yet, there was a great reluctance to do anything while the temperature outside was tolerable enough for light outside activities.  It would have been nice to put on one of my exercise dresses and take a walk today.  (Maybe I can do that tomorrow morning.)

After wasting much of the day time, I took a shower, did my makeup, got dressed, and took some garbage outside.  (I didn't want the cardboard box and packing materials from my new chair to get in the way any longer than needed.)  Then, I took a drive, not caring about the destination - I simply wanted to get out of the house. A half hour later, I found myself at Trader Joe's looking for some foodstuffs that would justify my drive.  

Once done at TJ's, it was back home for the night.  It was nice to get out again as Marian, and I wish I didn't have to change back to Mario as often as I've needed to lately.  At least, today's hot weather justified wearing one of my more comfortable summer dresses. 

According to the weatherman, when the temperature is hot....

Although I had only one thing on the docket for today, it almost got totally screwed up.  So let me start from the beginning, and explain why the temperature made a difference in things.

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Today, I was scheduled to see a friend I once dated, but both of agreed we'd make better friends than lovers.  Like RQS, this woman, VW, is an LCSW.  (Free therapy!  😇)  Being serious, I don't interact with any of my friends in their professional capacities with one exception - Maria, who will notarize paperwork for me.  Both of us had agreed on a place to eat, but we made one mistake - we didn't make sure that the restaurant was open on Tuesdays.  So, I suggested a fallback - a local buffet.  After doing some shopping at the "Dollar Store", I went and checked whether the buffet was open - it wasn't.  So, I called VW again, and we decided to meet at a nearby "Red Sauce" joint that I knew would likely be open.

I got to the "Red Sauce" joint before VW, and I decided to go indoors as it was starting to get too warm to eat out on the patio.  Yet, indoors wasn't as cool as I'd like, as the doors to the outside were opening and closing way too often for the A/C to catch up.  We had a nice chat, and we agreed to meet towards the end of July, when I'd introduce her to RQS.  The two of us had to leave around 3 pm, VW to ick up her dog at the vet, and me because I might need a bio-break in a hurry.

- - - - - -

Once home, I rested for a bit, then decided to tackle the assembly of my new chair.  It's a 1.25 person job, but I was able to do it alone.  Once done, I tried to get the chair inside my bedroom.  But the chair was too wide.  So, I had to get creative to get it in the bedroom and put it by my desk.

Tomorrow, I will need to get dressed, only to take the box the chair came in out to the dumpster, along with some garbage that I need out of the apartment.  Hopefully, I'll wake up early enough to do this before the temperature gets unbearably hot.  (They expect us to be in a 100+ degree heat bubble for the next 5 days.  And I don't intend to go out much until the bubble breaks.)