Lunch with CCS, Laundry, and a Living Spreadsheet.

 

There was only one "Must Do" and one "Should Do" item on the docket today: Lunch with CCS, and Laundry.  And, believe it or not, I took care of both things.  But, doing laundry threw me a curve ball - one of the dresses I was to launder was labeled "Hand Wash, Dry Flat."  And this made me wonder about two other dresses from Universal Standard that found their way into my laundry basket.

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I woke up early enough to catch part of "Morning Joe" on the vidiot box. But it took me another couple of hours to get dressed and drive to the Italian restaurant in town to meet CCS.  When I got dressed, I put on a tunic dress over leggings, as I couldn't justify a dress with hosiery on a slightly rainy winter's day.  And, I got to the restaurant before CCS for a change.  During lunch, we talked about family events, our upcoming cruises, and politics - the usual stuff.   And, all too soon, lunch had to end.  Both of us had leftovers to eat another day.  So we scheduled our March lunch, and went our separate ways.

After lunch, I drove to Briarcliff Manor in the vain hope that I might stumble into the acquaintance I met at last night's meetup.  Of course, I did not stumble into her.  I guess she may have realized that I couldn't be the travel partner she seemed to desperately want.  (I also wonder if she wanted me as a lesbian partner.  But that's another reason I had to tell her that I have a long term partner in RQS)   Since she did not try to contact me, I'll write her off until the next time (if there is one) I stumble into her.

Once I was back home, I started work on my spreadsheet of cruising costs.  Finally, with enough experimentation, I was able to get the computation down for one of the nine cruise lines.  While doing this, I had two baskets (should have been three) of laundry in the washer and dryer.  So, after everything, this was a very productive day.

Finally, a meetup I could attend!

 

I had only one thing on the docket, and that was a Mardi Gras dinner in Rye, NY.  However, it didn't mean that I did nothing all day.  But it did mean that I avoided doing laundry again.

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The day started with me gaining consciousness around 8 am.  It doesn't mean I was fully awake.  It only means that my mind was functioning at a level where I could navigate the obstacle course from my bed to the toilet in time.  Once my bio-break was done, I was awake enough to start watching videos, and then work on a project for my cruise blog.

One of the problems most people have is having a good idea of how much their cruise will cost before booking the cruise. For most of us, we learn how to price out a cruise by the experiences we have when cruising.  But I want to make it a little easier, by having a spreadsheet that can be used to make the grunt work of calculating costs a magnitude easier than it is right now.

A problem with cruise packages is that there is no way to compare "apples with apples."  There are too many little wrinkles that make a side by side comparison of two cruises impossible. That is, until I finish this spreadsheet.  Then, one should be able to compare apples of two different varieties.  The spreadsheet will be far from perfect.  But it will give the cruiser a ball park figure to work with.

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Around 4 pm, I started getting ready to drive to Rye.  The location wasn't easy to find without Google Maps, but I got there almost on time, but not excessively late.  I had to call the restaurant to find out where to park - all street parking was in use.  But there was a nearby parking lot I could use.  The strange part in all of this is that I think I've been in the parking lot before, but not in the restaurant.

I saw the meetup hostess and her husband at the table, and a lady sitting there struck up a conversation.  This is one case where saying that I'm in a relationship AND presenting as female helped me.  I didn't want to send any signals that I am available (RQS would kill me for good reason), but I did want to send a signal that I was looking for another female friend.

The Jambalaya I ordered wasn't that great - the flavors were too muddy, and there wasn't enough protein (chicken, sausage, shrimp) that stood out.  For the most part, the dish tasted like gravy soaked rice with a minimal amount of protein to enjoy.  (Too bad we didn't go to the original restaurant, where I know the Jambalaya is prepared much better.)  

My new friend monopolized by attention for a large part of dinner, and I couldn't really enjoy the ice cream covered brownie, as I had to give this lady my attention.  Yet, I'd like to see her again, just as friends.  It would be nice to keep building up a network of people who only know me as Marian, and not as Mario. 

And now, back to my everyday life

 

I dropped RQS off at the station today for her trip home.  She'll have 3 days to run her errands (and me the same) before she returns here this weekend.  

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There are only so many current events videos I can watch before getting sick thinking of the Orange Monster and what he's doing to this country.  So, I limit my consumption of political news.  I wish I could filter out the damage the monster is doing to this world, so that I could focus on everyday events that occur in the NYC region (fires, building collapses, murders, subway derailments and other disasters that affect a small number of people in my region.)   To contrast a NYC view of things vs. the rest of the world's views, I suggest looking at a case of suicide via subway train during rush hour.  To outsiders, we'd be mourning the tragic loss of a human life.  To New Yorkers, we're getting pissed off that some jerk has screwed up thousands of commutes at the worst possible time - if the person wanted to off himself, the least he could have done is to wait until after rush hour AND have the good taste do it where it wouldn't affect anyone's commute.  (One needs a certain sense of callousness to live in this city.)

I got up around 8 am, and let RQS sleep until 10:30 am.  Around noon, I started getting showered and dressed, so that RQS could make a 1:30 pm train.  Although I was thinking of doing a couple of loads of laundry today, I decided to make a run over to Target and pick up a few things I'd need over time.  Sadly, the route that I'd normally take home was closed off to me (and to all) as the failure of a bridge over the nearby railroad tracks prevented me from taking my usual route home.

Arriving home, I decided to contact a friend and schedule a lunch get-together.  Although her schedule was a little tight, we found a convenient lunch date, and scheduled something for this week.  And then, I decided to rest for the remainder of the day, giving up any plans to go out again.  So, off with the makeup and outside clothes, and on with my jammies, and I could go to bed any time I want. 

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Tomorrow will be a "Fat Tuesday" meetup, and I hope all goes right.  I think I'll wear a nice dress for the evening, and get some use out of it this season. 

Some thoughts on current events

 

The longer the Orange Monster stays in office, the more I'm afraid that he'll have enough time to turn this nation into a dictatorship.  The media is either afraid to lose access to key government personnel, or simply afraid of being put out of business by this regime.  Fox "News" is owned by an oligarch who wants to destroy liberal institutions.  CBS is now owned by another oligarch with similar political views.  It's a damned shame that a bandit capitalist class is working to exterminate liberal democracy.

Whether of not the bandit capitalist class succeeds in the US, the American empire will have left something of great value to the world: An economic structure where David Ricardo's ideas of capitalism based on comparative advantage and free trade has been adopted by most of the world's most powerful economies.  Each nation does what it does best, and prospers because of this.  

The orange monster believes that the US can stand alone.  (I'm giving him credit for a belief system that he probably doesn't have.)  Seeing what North Korea and its Juche philosophy has done to that nation, I expect to see the fall of America in my lifetime.  What will happen next?  Who knows?  But I know that we have helped democracy flourish around the world, and that the American empire has left the world better off than when we entered this stage of its existence.

Luckily, we are seeing a rebellion from below.  Power is not centralized in one level of government.  The states are resisting the monster's grab for absolute power.  Democrats in the Senate have checked the power of the orange monster by denying funding to DHS and ICE.  TSA officials at airports will not get paid while this pissing match between the Democratic party and the Orange Monster has ended.  Although ICE has 75 billion to piss away, the Coast Guard does not.  In short, the Democratic party is shutting down a key area of government to cause as much pain as they can for the GOP.  The Democrats simply want ICE officers to follow the same standards that most police officers have to follow - to be identifiable, so that rogue officers can be identified; to have people in ICE detention have the right to Habeas Corpus; and to have only judicial warrants used for detaining people. I may not be phrasing everything correctly, but the Democrats want to make sure that ICE follows all of the laws, and recognize the constitutional rights afforded to all residents in our country.

Sadly, I see events in America being a race against time.  How much damage can the monster do to keep his opposition from gaining power on January 3, 2027?  Can we prevent him from doing so?  When we have someone like Pam Bondi excuse the Jeffrey Epstein cover up by citing a Dow Jones Average over $50,000.  It's sick, and it shows that a large part of America no longer cares about anything but fluffing up their bank accounts. I hope to see America regain its sanity before I die... 

Getting dressed up for Valentine's Day (a short post)

 

When presenting as Marian, it's always nice to have an occasion to dress up.  Valentine's Day was it for us.  And I know I enjoyed doing so more than RQS today.

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Both of us were glad to stay inside most of the day.  Saturdays are often a day of rest for us, and we do that well.  What can I say about two seniors who know how much energy they have to spend, and want to spend it wisely?

Around 5 pm, we both started getting ready to go out.  Both of us had red dresses at the ready, and we were ready to wear them.  Both of us did our makeup, put on our jewelry, and did everything we needed to look our best when we went to the restaurant.  If the weather had been colder, I'd have worn my flannel dress.  If the weather had been warmer, I'd have chosen a lighter dress.  However, the sweater dress I chose was perfect for the evening - and a few minutes later, we were going out the door.

We made it to the restaurant 20 minutes early, finding an almost perfect parking spot in front of the restaurant.  When we entered, the host remembered us from previous visits and made a table available to us before our reservation time.  Then, we got started with dining.  In front of us was a proper table setting, with the napkin folded like a red heart.  It was the perfect setting for a Valentine's Day meal.   And both the food and service was as good as we expected - perfect.

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After dinner, we went to the supermarket to refresh the soda supply in the refrigerator, then homeward for the evening.  It was a nice day, with the high point being our V-Day dinner.

Help with healthcare. (A short post)

 

I was appalled with Obamacare subsidies were cut in the Orange Monster's favorite bill.  Today, I'm not going to comment on this man's evil nature.  Instead, I'm providing a link to a website, where help for paying for Medicare can be found.

https://armandalegshow.com/help/

Hopefully, my readers will pass this link to those in need.

Another Jammie Day (a short post)

 

This morning, I woke up around 10 am and had nothing on the docket.  Should I go out?  Should I clean my apartment?  What would be the best way to spend my time?  So many ways to spend the day, and I spent it watching videos on many subjects.  Even as I write this entry, I have a historical video on TV, covering the history of the A-Bomb and how our government managed its propaganda during WW2.

The clothes horse side of me wanted to see what dresses I could buy.  Did I need them?  No.  Yet, I can see how my late wife got addicted to buying clothes she didn't need.  So I always try to ask myself: Does the new garment add something useful to my wardrobe?  Usually, the answer is 'no.'  But, last week, the answer was 'yes' , when I placed an order for a pair of brown leggings that I'd be wearing with a light brown sweater dress.

I eventually got moving around noon, and moved into the living room.  6 hours later, I finally did something useful and deals with two suitcases.  The first, a 28" bag, contained most of what I carried with me on our January cruise.  The second, a 24" bag, contained some items from my female winter wardrobe that I planned on wearing last weekend when at RQS's house.  Even though nothing was removed from either bag (I actually added underwear and socks for my next cruise in the 28" bag), I placed both bags to the corner of the room where I previously stored empty suitcases, making space in the living room.

Was it a wasted day?  To a degree, yes.  But I will be busy over the next week or so, and I don't want to be overwhelmed before then.

Ragtime

Today, there was only one thing on the docket - going into NYC to meet with RQS and see Ragtime at Lincoln Center.  As much as I'm not a fan of musicals, I knew RQS would enjoy it, and we planned for this day long before Xmas.

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I set my alarms to wake me up around 8, so that I could make a 10:42 train.  This would bring me into Grand Central at 11:40, giving me 20 minutes to make it to Union Square for lunch.  So, I hopped into the shower at 9:15 (after I finished the co-op's meeting minutes for review), and was ready to go to the train station by 10:00.  This was a little chancy.  I'd be late if I couldn't find a parking spot (the station I go to is large, but often has no vacancies), but I wanted to pick up an egg sandwich before getting on the train. But luck was with me today, I got a decent parking spot.

Given this is winter, a sweater dress was my choice of the day.  Although most cisgender women were wearing trousers, some were wearing dresses.  So I didn't stand out too much.  I hoped that there wasn't too much of a snow melt, as I  didn't want to be stepping around puddles while wearing flats and tights.  I got lucky there as well.  So, when I made it to Grand Central, I chose the non obvious route.  Instead of taking the 4th avenue line direct to Union Square, I decided to save on walking by taking the shuttle to Times Square, and the Broadway line to Union Square, where I'd be leaving the system at 16th Street instead of at 14th Street. (2 street blocks = 0.10 mile, plus a 1 avenue block = 0.33 mile.)  The walk was long enough already than to add close to 1/2 mile of unneeded walking.  This was a smart move, as I ended up less than a block away from where we planned to eat lunch.

When RQS arrived, I said that she should go buy her lunch, and that I'd get up when she got back to the table.  All of a sudden 20 people walked in, and the store received a large door dash order at the same time.  It took her 20 minutes to get a sandwich which normally would be ready in 3 minutes.  So, we split her small sandwich, and headed up to Lincoln Center for the play instead of lingering in the sandwich shop.

It took us 15 minutes to make it from Union Square to Lincoln center.  Not being familiar with the complex, I had to ask for directions - and found the theater in the back of the complex.  It was nice to enter the theater from a mid level, as we didn't have to walk up too many flights of stairs to get to our seats. Although the seats were too narrow for me, my knees weren't hitting the back of the seat in front of me. So, I was able to be tolerably comfortable for the two acts of the play.

Rarely does a musical make me say "Wow!" But this was one of them.  Like a good Opera, the songs told the tale.  Unlike an opera, there was some spoken dialog that helps people understand the play.  So, when intermission came, there was the usual mad dash to the women's room.

I've never seen a sign like this before, but it made sense.  Where does the long line to the ladies' loo start?  In the case of this theater, the line was over 120 feet long.  Yet, that line moved, as there had to be 20 stalls available for use at any one time.  As for RQS and me, we were on a different line for only 2 stalls.  And it was just as well, as I liked having the extra room that a single stall facility has.

The play ended at 5:00, and both of us entered the subway around 5:15.  RQS was home by 6:15, while I was home by 7:00.  It was a long day, but well worth the effort I made to get to see RQS and the play.

First, the dentist, then a few other things.

 

Today, I ended up at the dentist's office for my regularly scheduled tooth cleaning.  I was not really in the mood to go, as I'm always getting hit for a bill similar in price with an oil change/tire rotation service on my car.  Yet, it was something that needed to be done, and off I went.

Now, for those people who haven't read this blog before, I always present as Marian when I visit the dentist's office.  Although I could have gone as Mario, it wasn't in the cards for me today.  I didn't want to remove my nail polish and get stuck in Mario mode for the next few days.  So, I took out a sweater dress I own, got out my tights, and dressed as a cisgender woman would for work on a cold winter's day.

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This time at the dentist, I wouldn't be seeing the doctor, but only the dental hygienist.  I expected a $300 charge to my credit card, and that's what it was.  After that, it was off to Panera Bread for lunch.  The outlet near me was busy, and I envied the 4 ladies who were playing Mah Jongg, as it would be nice to get back into learning the game by playing it.

From there, I tried to visit a co-op board member in the rehab center, but I couldn't find a space in their parking lot.  So, I skipped out on that, and went to Trader Joe's to pick up some food before going home.

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Around 5:30, I started the Co-Op board's Zoom meeting, and we took care of some long outstanding business.  I disagreed with the board's president about an issue I can't go into here, but the Site Manager understands why I want a certain type of information we can get without any issues.

Finally, around 8 pm, I was able to start cooking dinner.  It was a long day.  But tomorrow will be another long day, as I'm meeting RQS in the city to see a play.  More on this tomorrow. .  

Returning home in the cold

 

 

Given the weekend's cold weather, I was not in a hurry to go outside and go home.  But, I had a dentist appointment scheduled for Tuesday, and it had already been postponed once.  So, homeward I had to go, and that meant I'd be leaving RQS sometime in the afternoon.

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As usual, I woke up relatively early, allowing RQS to sleep for an extra hour or so.  It took us a while to get moving, as she had things to take care of as well.  Around 2 pm, I ended up leaving her house and walked to the bus stop, where I didn't have to wait long for the bus to arrive.

When I reached the subway station, I didn't go straight in.  Instead, I picked up a sandwich and ate it on the train.  (This is New York, after all - no one gives much of a damn on an uncrowded train, as long as one is far away from the people on the train.  I'd never do this in other cities, as it would be an unforgivable sin.)  It took a while to reach Manhattan, and then 20 more minutes to reach Grand Central.

So far, today's trip was much easier than Saturday's trip - it was 15° f warmer than Saturday, with much less wind. Also, I could use ADA Accessible stations to make my transfers between subway routes. In short, it was relatively comfortable trip  for a winter's day.  So, I felt comfortable going home, as I didn't have to deal with Saturday's travel issues. When I arrived at Grand Central, I took the time to get a buttered bagel at Starbucks, and still had time to spare when catching the train home.  Although I took a semi-express train home, I got home around 5 pm or so, and was able to rest. 

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With the afternoon having been spent in transit, I took the rest of the day to rest, and to work on my travel blog.  It's my way of keeping busy and doing something constructive. 


PS: It was nice being able to go to RQS's place as Marian - the cold weather made it easier, as I wouldn't overheat in what I was wearing.

Going to RQS's place for a change

 

 

 

It's been a while since I've been to RQS's place, and it was time for me to make an appearance.  But, alternate side of the street parking has been suspended for a while, and I was warned that I wouldn't find a parking spot.  So, I knew that I'd be taking a cab to the train station, then the subway to Queens, and possibly a bus to RQS's house.  It would be a pain - especially with the subways on a weekend schedule.  Yet, I didn't realize how much of a pain this would be.

 

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I didn't start to get moving until 10:30, and proceeded to get showered and dressed.  Around noon, I went out for my usual sausage and egg sandwich, then called the cab service around 1:00 for the ride to the station.  By 1:45, I was on the train and heading for Grand Central.  This would be the easy part of the trip.

 

Once at Grand Central, I had to make it from Manhattan to Queens.  I made the mistake and followed Google's directions for the subway:

• Take the #6 line to Canal Street.
• Transfer to the J line to Essex Street.
• Transfer to the M line to Myrtle/Wykoff
• And finally, take the bus to RQS's place.

Well, Google didn't take into account one thing - I was toting a suitcase.  The Canal street transfer is not accessible for those using wheelchairs.  Even though I am able bodied enough to walk, I would need elevators to make the transfer at this station tolerable.  Instead, I should have taken the #6 to Brooklyn Bridge (a known accessible station) and made the transfer there.  Sadly, Canal Street is a complex station with many confusing passages (with staircases) to navigate - and I must have walked up and down at least 5 flights of stairs with a heavy suitcase.  AARGH!

Now that I made it to the platform, I saw my train pull away.  It would be almost 10 minutes for the next train to come. At least, I was still sheltered from the sub-freezing wind outside.  I hopped on the train, and made it to the next transfer point, where the train had just pulled into the platform.  And now, I was on the train that could take me close to RQS's place.

Finally, I made it to Myrtle/Wykoff.  I had a decision to make.  Do I leave the subway system and take a bus to RQS's place?  Or, do I take the subway 2 more stops, and go down 4 flights of stairs to make it to street level, then walk to RQS's place?  The accessible station won out.  Leaving the station, I hoped that the MTA's bus schedule was correct - I'd only have a 5 minute wait for the bus.  This may have been the second big mistake of the day.  Once I was outside, I was hit with a blast of wind that almost knocked me to the ground.  If I didn't find shelter from the wind, I'd get frostbite - it was less than 10°f outside, and 5 minutes' exposure to the cold would be the maximum one should risk.

Luckily, I didn't have to wait long for the bus, and I was finally within 10 minutes of RQS's place.  But this trip would take longer than the expected 10 minutes.  First, there was the streets, narrowed by snowbound cars which hadn't moved since the big snowfall 2 weeks ago.  My bus was stuck waiting for an Uber to unload.  In normal times, the bus could squeeze between the Uber and cars parked on the other side of the street - but not with snowbound cars on both sides of the street.  Next, there was construction/demolition equipment at the end of the block, taking up more than their share of space.  (This is where a fire displaced 120+ people 2 weeks before, just around the corner from RQS's place.)  Finally, I was in walking distance of RQS's place - and by 4:15 I was inside her apartment, enjoying both the warmth of the place and the aroma of meatballs being cooked.

It's amazing how evil our president is (a short post)

 

It's hard to believe how ugly this man's soul must be.  I've been totally disgusted with this poor excuse for a member of our species for a long while now.  He has no standards, and yet, he's still in charge of our government. He has turned a division of our government into his own Gestapo.  He has destroyed the department of justice.  He is destroying our economy.  And yet, he is still in power. 

Like many TG people, I am avoiding the headaches of coming into contact with Federal government officials while presenting as Marian.  Next year, I will be trying to renew my US passport, hoping that I have not been placed on our government's blacklist.  (Yes, citizens with some names, mostly Middle-East/Arab in nature, are being prevented from getting passports.)  My desire is to be able to leave this country when I can, just in case the remaining safeguards that preserve our freedoms fail.

Assuming that the Democratic party regains control of the House of Representatives in the 2026 elections, I see one way that he (and the rest of his regime) can be forced out in 2027 - denying the government for funding of any of its functions.  The Orange Monster has destroyed the rule of law.  So, why not deny the government the money to pay any of its employees, essential or not.  What would happen if the government was shut down for months?  Would the military stay on duty?  What about Air Traffic Control?  So many parts of government would cease to function when people stopped showing up for work.

But how could this force the monster out?

The answer is simple.  The Democrats in the House could say that both the President and the Vice President MUST resign before they will allow the government to be funded.  The Speaker of the House, a Democrat, becomes president, and then he can start work on cleaning up the monster's mess.  Even better than this, he could serve for a little under 10 years, as he could be elected to 2 terms in his own right.

If money makes the world go round, then the people who control the money can control its spin.... 

 

I was exhausted, and it wasn't yet 3 pm.

 

I was awake by 7, even though I didn't have plans to leave the house by 10.  Why was I awake this early, you might ask?  Well, I had to drive to Summit, NJ to see my cousin who will be going to hospice soon.  He'll be the second of my cousins to die, and I wanted to make sure that I got the chance to see him while he's still above round.

It's a 90 minute drive from my place to Summit, mostly along highways.  To avoid the tolls on the Garden State Parkway, I decided to take I-287 to SR-24 to reach Summit, and then side roads to the hospital.  It wasn't a hard drive, but a boring one.  

When I reached the hospital, I found something quite unusual: One enters the parking garage on the 4th level, and can go down or up to find empty parking spaces.  Once one is at the main entrance to the hospital (floor 5), one can go down or up to reach patient levels.  In short, the entry levels are not on the "Ground floor", something that can be confusing to a first time visitor.

To use an expression, my cousin looked like "death warmed over."  He had almost no energy, and he was spending a lot of what he had left to talk with me.  He was under heavy medication for pain, but not enough to have made this visit not worth it.  We talked about our family, and people who died decades ago.  We talked about our ethnic heritage (specifically about the Caribbean Island that our shared grandparents came from), and how our grandparents came to America.  He mentioned that I should check into getting a third citizenship from this island, but I had to tell him that one can only get citizenship by descent if one's parents were citizens of this island country.  

All too soon, it was time to leave.  My cousin spent all of his energy speaking with me, and it was time for me to go.  He'll be barraged by visitors tomorrow, and I expect that will take the last of his remaining energy away from him.  I know that if he dies during the week, that I won't be able to attend the wake or the funeral.  At least, I paid my respects to him while he was alive.

I did plenty of nothing, and nothing's plenty for me.

 

I didn't think much of writing anything today, as I had nothing much to say. I didn't get up until 10:30, and only made it to the sofa for most of the day.  It was a classic jammie day, where staying in a warm apartment made much more sense than going outside.  There was food in the freezer, Cokes in the icebox, and bread in the breadbox.  I could easily get by for a few days if needed.

What I did do was fine tune the cruise blog entry that I screwed up over the weekend, and get it ready to be published next month.  No, it won't be as good as my original post.  But it will be good enough for people to read and learn something from.  And that's all I want for now.

Sometime late in the afternoon, I got a text from my brother.  One of my cousins is being moved into hospice, and I'd like to see him before he passes away.  Now, I didn't get from whom he got the information, nor did I get a call back number for the relative who made the call.  

With one exception, all of my cousins are older than I am by 10 years or more, and I have only seen one of them in the past 20 years.  So, it won't be a great loss for me, as none of them ever made the effort to develop a close relationship with me.  If I'm lucky, I'll get to see him before he may be moved to another hospital.  If not, I'll have made a long drive for nothing, as I will not ruin a weekend with RQS, nor will I give up any more of the Marian time I had scheduled for the weekend.

To make things worse - On Saturday, I'll have to take mass transit to get to RQS's place, as there is no available street parking there. And I'll have to make it back here by Monday for lunch with a friend, then a co-op board meeting.

I took it easy today, until I didn't.

 

For most of the day, I worked on finishing up the reconstruction of my Queen Mary 2 entry in my cruise blog. This was not much of a challenge, as I gave up the idea of needing to be as complete as I was in my original version of the post.  All I had to do was restore images, rewrite text, and skip providing my opinions of each dish presented in 12 nights on the ship.

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I spent the afternoon in my jammies, and took my time doing things.  The library called to let me know that a book on hold for me had arrived.  As much as I didn't want to remove my nail polish, I knew I had to do so before going to the library, as I had to present as male. So, I stripped off my nail polish, got showered and dressed, and drove to the library.

Once I picked up my book, it was time to get some grub.  I made the mistake of going to the local Halal joint and ordered a meat combo.  Where I used to work in NYC, there was a Halal cart with a fantastic chicken and lamb combo.  Add a large helping of white sauce, and a dollop of hot sauce and one would get a cheap, hearty, tasty and filling meal.  Sadly, I have never found a Halal joint or cart selling food that good again.

When I returned home, I started to eat my dinner.  Once I started, I knew I wasn't going to finish it.  So, after eating the meat part of the dish, I tossed the rice, "salad", and fries - I didn't need to stuff myself with starches.

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Now that I've dealt with the need to present as Mario for the week, I can now get my nails done again, and keep them polished for a couple of weeks.  (Valentine's day is coming, and I want to look my best when I take RQS out that evening.)   

I'm not going to do everything all at once.

 

I'm not going to do everything all at once.  That's a lesson that can be overwhelming to most people, as they look at the big picture before breaking it up into little, more manageable tasks that need to be done.  In the case of my other blog, I have to rebuild and rewrite all text from scratch, including my impressions which were lost to a typo.  So, expect me to keep you informed of my progress over the next few days.

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Unlike yesterday, I was able to wake up around 6 am.  However, I did it on (maybe) 4 hours of sleep.  So, I knew that I'd be tired later in the day - and I was. For many people, if they have to go to the toilet in the middle of the night (or early in the morning), they usually fall back to sleep once they relieve themselves.  As for me, the movement needed to get to the toilet is just enough to bring myself to full consciousness, and knock my sleep/wake cycle out of whack.  So, when RQS got up, she saw me semi-conscious on the sofa.

Once I woke up again, I knew that I would need another nap.  Around 2 pm, I drove RQS to the station for her return home, and then I picked lunch at Mickey D's.  (Sadly, there were no places serving what would fit my food cravings, so I had to settle for a fish sandwich.)  Arriving home, it was time to nap - and I didn't get up again until 6 pm.

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Now that I was awake, it was time to sort out my mail, and start work on the travel blog again.  At least, all my photos were still safe on blogger, and I could use some of what I wrote for this blog as tools to refresh my memory of the cruise I took in November/December. 

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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Shoveling snow the next day

 

This is the aftermath of this weekend's snowstorm.  One will notice what happens when someone leaves a car in the parking lot when the co-op board of directors and our managing company told our shareholders to vacate their spaces for the duration of the snowstorm.  Over a foot of snow fell on our cars, and took a lot of digging out for most of us who could do so.

My car was parked out on the street, where our town's DPW (Division of Public Works) plowed another foot of snow onto the driver's side of my car.  So, I had to clear out 2 feet of snow from one side of the car, plus the foot of snow on top of the car.  This meant that I likely cleared out 50+ cubic feet of snow.  But I had another 30-40 cubic feet to clear in front of my car to take care of, just to get my car free of the snow.  This took me about 45 minutes.  But there were others who couldn't do what I did.  One of our board members was in the hospital and couldn't move her car.  Another neighbor is disabled, and she had to hire out some help.  (I'm not sure how my body will be able to handle tasks like this in 10 years, so I'm starting to think of life without a car now.)  This meant that almost everyone would be busting their butts to get their cars free before the sun set.

Once I was done, I ended up chatting with my downstairs neighbors about the snow and things in general with the co-op.  When I went inside, I rested a bit before going out with RQS to take some photos at Croton Gorge Park.  Visiting the park today was a mistake - too many people were visiting the place, and there was not enough room for 2 cars to pass each other on their way to the parking lot or to the street.  We decided to get out of the park quickly and go to a hamburger joint for a bite to eat.

After we finished our burgers, we called TCL for a minute to see that she was OK, and then went home for the night.  Tomorrow will be the day RQS goes home for a couple of days.  But with another snowstorm coming up this coming weekend, we'll be ready for the next dump of the white stuff.

The snow is here!

 

As I write this, it is the last full weekend in January.  And the snowstorm hit as expected.  As one can see in the photo above, most residents found spaces to park on the road outside our complex, so that snowplows could clear our lot.  If  one looks carefully, the snowplow has cleared at least 8 inches of snow and pushed it to the rocks bordering our parking lot.  What bothers me is the one car in the photo has not moved in a couple of weeks, and I will ask management if they know whose car it is so that we can verify that it was not abandoned here.

I had originally intended to go outside to photograph the snow, the parking lot, and the road outside.  However, the sub-freezing cold made me reconsider this today.  I figured that I will need to shovel 12-18 inches of snow from my car, so that I can move it back to a plowed parking spot.  However, I won't do this too early, as the snow removal service will be using part of my parking spots as a place to dump snow.  (Yes, I have 2 spots.  But they are set up in a way that only one family unit can use them, as the car deepest in the 2 spots will be blocked by the other car associated with the apartment.)  

Being a co-op board member, I received messages from both shareholders and board members.  The following voicemail transcription (with minor edits by me) illustrates an issue that I discussed involving snow storm parking:

I saw your email about parking in the visitor spot. I see the plow. He's actually pushing so much snow into our spots, so we're not gonna be able to bring some of our cars back.

I'm parked way down (the road). I couldn't find anything closer. I don't know how I'm gonna get there and I'm stuck in the spot because I had to go over a curb. It's a little bit high and there was ice on the grass. This is the difference between what's happening this time and last time we did this a few years back. 

I really think we need the front loader to remove the snow. I don't know if we can afford it, but we're not gonna have our spots available to us because nothing's gonna melt and it's all gonna be ice. 

I'm stuck in the spot where I am on the road. I can't move forward or back. My car was stuck in the ice after I parked it there (last time).  

This woman is on our board.  However, a neighbor brought up similar concerns with a different attitude, as he's middle aged with a newborn son.  I'm grateful to have this man and his wife as neighbors, as they are some of the most considerate people who have lived here in years.  As you can see, we have a big problem dealing with heavy snowstorms because we do not have enough extra space for dealing with snow.

Sadly, the beauty of this snow will be lost within a day or two.  All we'll remember is shoveling out of our cars in sub-freezing weather.  Then, we'll see dirt accumulate on the road side snow.   Its beauty will be gone.   I miss those days where I could play in the snow all day.  But childhood must end for all of us.  I miss being a young adult, being able to go out cross-country skiing all day.  (I still have those skis, not having been used in 40 years.)  I miss being middle aged, where clearing my car off from a heavy snowstorm was not much of an effort.  For all things there is a time and place, and for me, I'm glad to still be able to dig my car out of the snow and move it back to its normal home.

Until I'm ready to go outside again, I'll stay in my jammies and relax.

Preparing for the dumping of the white stuff, with a touch of sadness at the end.

The above is the scene after a snowstorm we had years ago.  It doesn't look like that much compared to what we're expecting to get sometime tomorrow.  Right now, many people in my complex have moved their cars to the street, parking on the grass, with some cars having their driver's side wheels on the paved shoulder.  (It's technically illegal, but in Stormy weather, who cares?)  Yet, there's not enough off-road room for 120+ cars in our complex to be moved out of our driveways and parking lots.  So, the snowplows that will come sometime on Sunday through early Monday will have their work cut out for them.

I was mostly prepared for the storm before the weekend.  Yet, I had gone to the store a few times, picking up a few items I would need to have good, hearty meals while stuck indoors.  The last time that I saw supermarket meat counters this empty was during Covid - which just happens to be when the last major  snowstorm hit.

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And now for some sad news...

No, I am not going to mention the second ICE murder in Minnesota.  The Orange Snowflake and his demonic minions killed someone whose potential threat (a legal gun) was removed from him before they shot him.  I've had enough of our dictator wannabe for now.  Instead, I'm going to mention the loss of a minor NYC area personality - Uncle Floyd.  The best way to describe him is a 1920's vaudeville comic who took lessons from Soupy Sales, having a show on a ultra low power, ultra low budget UHF station. (Think of the UHF station from the movie UHF, and you'll get an idea of the station carrying Floyd Vivino's show.)   

Last night, I was surfing YouTube videos, and found that Uncle Floyd died the day before. Unfortunately, I lived in an area of the NYC suburbs where I could rarely receive his station's UHF signal over the air, so I missed his broadcast show.  One of his later (non-TV) performances came up on my feed, and he was funny.  (The tune he played was much like Benny Bell's "Shaving Cream", where the song's rhymes imply a "dirty word" would be used at the end of the next sentence, but replaced by something else - in Bell's case, the words "Shaving Cream".

As you can see, it's work staying sane in the USA these days.  It's even harder for us in the LGBTIQ community.  This is no longer the country I was born in to.  And I feel sad that I might have to leave, as I don't want to be among those rounded up by the Snowflake's ICE Gestapo.

With certain exceptions, I am most comfortable with women.

 

If I could have been the woman in the picture above, there would have been no stopping me.  This version of me would have been very confident in her shoes (preferably low heels) and unafraid to tackle any challenge put forward to her.

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As you can see, I've been playing around with ChatGPT a little to figure out what a cisgender female version of me would have looked like. This is the "should of" version of me that could not have been due to when I was born and the life is was born into.

Even as a child, I was more comfortable with women, although I received the typical male programming.  Yes, I played with wax molded "action figures" (think of wax GI Joes cast in plastic molds) when I was in lower grade school. But I was equally comfortable playing hopscotch with the girls up the street.  You can guess what would happen when puberty hit the children of my generation.  No longer would boys and girls see each others as equals - the social customs related to reproduction came into play.

If I were born with XX Chromosomes, I likely would have been a girly girl, modeled as such by my mother.  What she didn't know was that I wish I could have been born with those XX chromosomes, even with the adult knowledge of how inconvenient a female body could be.

- - - - - -

One of my friends described me as her straight gay best friend.  What she meant by that is that I have a gender preference for females, but have many of the interests of a gay male (theater, music, arts, etc.) in our culture.  (This woman is married to a stereotypical male - nice looking body, but not too much brain in the head.)  

When I present as a male, the first thing women think if I offer friendship is whether I am interested in them sexually.  I can't blame them: our culture doesn't provide well for cross-gender friendships.  It also doesn't help that male primates (save for the Bonobo apes) tend to be male dominant.)  So, presenting as a female puts me on a more equal plane with women - especially if I can blend in enough for my masculine features not to be noticed.

Life isn't always fair, but we have to make the most of it.  At least, as a transgender person I can do so as long as hateful people stay out of my way....