Right now, I'm thinking about what will happen if Trump wins the election. And it doesn't look good for anyone in the LGBTIQ community. Recently, I found a map of states which have passed "Bathroom Bills", and these tend to be the states which seem the most extreme in "traditional values". One thing I've learned over the years is that when religion becomes too powerful (or too weak) a force in society, that society becomes more authoritarian in enforcing conformity.
Does this affect me? You bet it does! And it could get much worse if these religious radicals get even more power in a Trump administration.
Looking at the map, I found that my going to the loo in Florida was a criminal act. Given that all trans people need to take bio-breaks now and then, it would be risky for me to get off a cruise ship in this state. This has placed an artificial restriction on how I visit this state - if I do visit it at all. Just because I can still visit in stealth mode doesn't mean that I want to do this. Instead, I'll avoid this state altogether, with the exception of when RQS and I visit her sister.
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Right now, my brother and I are looking to file paperwork to have dual citizenship with the US and one nation in Europe. Both of us are doing this for completely different reasons. Yet, both of us have the same goal - to have a place to escape to if the crud hits the fan in the United States. Could this happen? Sadly, the answer is yes. When I see ominous parallels between this country and the Germany of 100 years ago, I get worried. Sometimes, it's just best to be able to get out of Dodge City before sundown.
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Not all is gloom and doom with me. The other day, I had an fMRI done as part of a scientific study. Now that the study is underway, I received an Amazon gift certificate which is enough for me to replace a dying TV I have in the house. The software I have to use on a daily basis is fun to use, albeit not excitingly so. (I guess I am no longer into video games in the way I once was when younger.)
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Dealing with bureaucracy can be a big pain. Recently, as mentioned above, my brother got a bug up his behind that we needed to accelerate the progress in getting a second passport. To do this, we need to get official copies of our birth certificates and that of our father. I told my brother that I needed copies of our father's death certificate (I know how large bureaucracies work with official paperwork) before I went down to the city. He forgot to send me this paperwork, and I knew that I wouldn't be able to get our father's birth certificate for a few weeks.
My brother has way too much on his plate right nw, and he needs to feel that he's in control. He told me of a problem that took 20 years to develop, and that he expects to clean it up in 2 years. He may be able to clean up his firm's mess, but it will take longer for him (or someone else) to change the corporate culture that caused the problem. He doesn't see that, as he focuses on the financial side of things and not the people side of things.
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RQS found a cruise to New England and Eastern Canada that we wanted to take in September. Although I could afford to drop $1,200 on a whim, I knew that RQS spending this kind of coin now would get in her way of being able to afford next year's Alaska cruise. After sending her some financial details, she realized that we would not be able to get the price of the cruise down to a level she could afford. But damn! The cruise was so near, and yet so far.
We certainly could use a cruise this winter. I was thinking of taking a cheap MSC cruise and paying for RQS as a Christmas or Birthday present. However, the cruises offered by MSC stop in Florida, and I certainly don't want to deal with Florida's bathroom laws while traveling as Marian. I guess that we will need to find another trip to take early next year.
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When I bought my car, the salesman "helpfully" set up the radio presets in my car, as well as setting up my first service appointment. One problem - I had to redo the presets to organize them the way I wanted and I had to schedule car maintenance earlier than he planned. His "help" wasn't that helpful, as I now have a service appointment scheduled that I'll have to cancel soon.
While I'm thinking about my car, I shudder to think of how the auto companies will try to turn car features from purchase options to subscription options. GM is trying to ditch Android Auto and Apple Car Ply, so that they can convert services provided by Google and Apple for FREE, and making the car owner pay for Maps, directions, etc when in the car. I guess this may mean that I'll have to keep my car on the road longer than the 8 years I planned.
Why do I want to replace my car within 8 years? New York, like California is trying to force people to switch to EVs from ICE vehicles (EV- Electric, ICE - Internal Combustion Engine). I want to buy what will likely be my last car while I can still get a gas powered vehicle. I'll bet dollars to donuts that we will not have sufficient electric infrastructure in place to support the ICE->EV transition by 2035.
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Enough for now. I hope you enjoyed some of my thoughts.....
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