If you don't think Trump is responsible for inflation....

 

If you don't believe that Trump's actions are causing inflation, look at the sale price of this dress.  Normally, it has been selling at Target for $50.99.  Today, it is listed for $76.49.  What has changed in the past week?  Not much.  But what has likely happened that Target's warehouses (or those of an intermediary who sells on Target's website) has just received a new shipment of these dresses, and has marked them to their current profitable price.

Let's assume that it is Trump's tariffs that account for the price hike.  Do we have a domestic industry large enough to maintain a price-competitive supply chain?  I doubt it.  Opening up our market to cheap Chinese goods 35 years ago destroyed much of American industry, its logistics and supply chain.  And we don't have what it takes to bring it back.  

Sadly, we never had a transition for those workers being displaced by cheap overseas labor.  Our capitalists acted as, if by magic, their consumers/workers would find other work so that they could afford to buy goods produced by cheaper labor.  For a while, this happened, as displaced labor was limited to a few rural towns.  But more and more people were affected over time, and both blue and white collar workers have been affected by these misguided policies.

No, I am not arguing against competition.  Instead, I am arguing against opening the doors to competition without a clear path for labor to have its needs taken care of.  European nations would never allow this to happen to its labor force, as they do not want social unrest and alienation.  They believe in a well educated people, with regular access to a relatively under biased news media still focusing on presenting objective truth to its consumers.

Trump has taken advantage of the 1st Amendment to the Constitution in ways our founding fathers couldn't conceive.  Political lies have been protected by the courts, and Trump has never been anywhere close to telling truth to his followers.  He lies, knowing that his cult will ingest anything he says.  In short, he is Orwell's "Big Brother" to his followers, and can do no wrong.  To the rest of us, he is an autocrat who has broken all social conventions, and has few checks and balances to stop him from destroying America.

So, why are tariffs so important?  In short, they are sales taxes on the economy.  They only serve to slow things down.Is this dress worth 50% more than it was a week ago?  No.  Could the price hike have been caused by the recent Iran war?  I doubt it.  There is no clothing industry of note in the Middle-East. But there is one in Southeast Asia and China. And their industries are being affected by Trump's tariffs and his war.

The prosperity of nations depend on constancy and predictability.  For generations, farmers knew that they'd plant crops in the spring, tend to them in the summer, and harvest them in the fall.  To increase yields, farmers have added fertilizer to their land for ages, much of it now being derived from Middle-East oil products.  Now, much of the fertilizer supplies we'd use are no longer available because of the war.  Many of the markets for American farm products no longer exist due to Trump's trade wars.  And yet, many in the rural states have yet to signal that they want this buffoon to be removed from office.  The infallibility of their cult leader overrides objective truth.  People are afraid of reality.

For those not part of Trump's cult, we see his cruelty destroying the friendships between America and its friends.  Canadians are largely avoiding the US, as well as tourists from many other nations.  Trump's Gestapo (read: ICE) rounds up people solely based on skin color and puts them into prison camps without due process.  Trump's CBP agents at our borders often harass travelers with proper documentation, and have put them into prisons as well.  Why should any nation want to be friends to America, much less help it in an illegal war?   Losing tourists from these nations is causing economic problems for many tourist areas in the US, and I don't see this happening soon.

This leaves us with a declining American workforce that has to suffer with increasing inflation.  It will take a generation or two to undo what Trump has damaged - it it can be undone at all.  If I were young, I'd have already left the US for countries which protect labor better than we do, inform and educate its people better than we do, and protect freedom better than we do.  But I am old, and stuck on America's roller-coaster.  For the rest of us, it will take come time for America to collapse.  And it is time for those with marketable skills to leave America.  Just be careful choosing where to go to.... 

 

Taxes, taxes, and more taxes.

 

Twas two weeks before tax day, and all through the house.  Two ladies were stirring, both seeing an empty purse. One purse got emptied, the other got filled. No, I'm not going to continue with working those lines.  But they illustrate the differences between RQS's position in life and my position in life.

- - - - - -

This was a day that I had to spend in Mario mode.  Our tax lady doesn't know that I am TG, nor do I want her to know.  It works out better for me that I am able to live in stealth mode when I need to, and in this political climate, it's a bonus.

Both of us were ready and out the door by 10:30, and were at the tax lady's office at noon.  Unfortunately, she has to redo my paperwork once again, so I couldn't pick up my tax forms.  But RQS was able to do so, and paid the bill for her taxes, as well sending money out to the tax man.  Once done, our next destination was RQS's place, where I dropped her off.

I left RQS's place at 1:45, and was home 2 hours later.  There were some idiots on the road, and I was almost nailed by one trying to squeeze between me and the car to the side of me.  Yet, this wasn't the worst of it.  Some person totaled his car in a fight against an 18-Wheeler.  The car's front end and roof was destroyed, while the truck and its trailer didn't show any damage. The traffic slowdown leading to the accident site wasted a bit of my time.  Yet, by planning to take an exit, I bypassed most of the traffic jam by passing it on the right, and by merging back into traffic just before the accident site which just happened to be 300 feet away from the exit I planned to take.

- - - - - -

Once I was home, I was in for the night.  Tomorrow, I'll be back in Marian mode, and have another nice day outdoors.

A birthday dinner at Chazz Palminteri's (a short post)

 

Tomorrow is RQS's birthday, and I wanted to take her out tonight.  (It's easier to get a good meal on Saturday than it is on Sunday at many places, and I wanted to make sure she enjoyed the meal.)

- - - - - -

Originally, I wanted to take RQS out to a place where we had to get dressed up a little.  But, with the weather as cold as it is, getting dressed up didn't make sense.  Instead, we both decided to dress for the weather, and drive down to White Plains for dinner.

Chazz Palminteri's place is in the heart of White Plains, NY, in an area where one must park at a garage, than on the street.  Although they have an arrangement with the hotel next door to use their valet parking, I did not want to remove my car's key fob from my handbag just to have my car parked.  Instead, I drove into the public garage nearby, parked the car (not needing to tip the valet anything when picking up the car) and walked to the restaurant.

How do I describe the food?  Well, we split an order of Calamari for an appetizer, and it was some of the best Calamari we've ever had.  The pieces were lightly battered, and cooked to the point of wellness just before the meat becomes rubbery.  It was a pleasure to eat the squid, and I almost wished I could have ordered a dinner portion for myself.  Instead, I ordered the Seafood Fra Diavolo pictured above and feasted on the clams, scallops, and lobster tail resting on a base of spinach fettuccine, YUM!  Everything was cooked to perfection!

Eventually, we left the restaurant and drove home.  It was a nice day, and something we'll do again when the budget permits. 

World Affairs: Can the Orange Monster find a way to end his war?

  

I'm hoping that this needless war doesn't come to using weapons like the one above.  It is effective, but a weapon of last resort.  Sadly, the Orange Monster has gotten himself into a war with no way to get out.  If he wanted to cut and run, he'd have only made the current Iranian regime more extremist, and more of a danger to the world.  So, we're likely stuck fighting an army of at least 1,000,000 men if we decide to put our boots on the ground.

There are conflicting claims on both sides regarding negotiations.  Are there are aren't there any negotiations going on?  As much as I can't trust Iran's statements, I trust anything coming out of today's White House even less.  Anything the current administration says has been proven to be a lie, including the words "And" and "The". Given that Israel and the US started this war while negotiations were going on, Iran has no reason to believe that we will negotiate in good faith.

I expect that we will get stuck in a war that will last for months at best.  If we pull out now, Iran can and will continue to cause trouble for us and our allies in the Middle East. They will have many scores to settle, and they won't stop until those scores are settled.  So what options do we really have?  As I see it, not many.  We will need to crush both military and civilian resistance in Iran for years to come.  Our boots on the ground will likely be fighting a guerilla war for many months, as it's now in Iran's interest to cause as much trouble for the US as possible for as long as possible.  There will be many bodies coming back to America in Body Bags (oops, I mean "Human Remains Pouches"), coffins draped by flags, men and women dying in a war which could have been avoided.

America is being led by a senile, self-aggrandizing simpleton with ADHD who doesn't have the capacity or interest to being a wartime president.  He acts as if all he needs to do is post something in his money-losing social media platform, and things will happen by magic. Hopefully, this will be the quagmire that he can't escape, and that his base will finally see him for what he is - a grifter with no class in an office he is not qualified to hold. 

 

I wasn't in the mood to do much this morning

 

Again, I woke up early today, and again, I was tired when I needed not to be.  But first....

- - - - - -

I was supposed to get together for coffee with one of my co-op board members.  However, I woke up around 6 am, after a not so restful sleep.  Staying in bed until 8:30, I didn't fall back to sleep, but awakened enough to get up and cook breakfast for a change.  (I have all the ingredients for a home-made version of s sausage-egg-cheese sandwich on English muffin.)  It sated my hunger, but I lost all track of time.

Why is losing all track of time important for me?

Well, there were 2 things I wanted to take care of before RQS arrives at 4:30.  First, I wanted to take a box of paper to the mobile shredder.  Since they shut down at noon, I knew I wasn't going to make it.  Next, was coffee with the co-op board member.  I wasn't ready when she called, but both of us had things to do.  So, it was a fortunate circumstance for both of us.

- - - - - -

Right now, I have been busy putting winter clothes into storage containers, as well as putting clothes back into my closets and dresser drawers.  I want to make some progress cleaning up my place before RQS arrives.  Now, I have a couple more hours to do so - and I'm grateful for this.

Game night was cancelled, and I was too tired to go into NYC to see a play.

 

What does Jumbo the Elephant have in common with an Off-Broadway show?  The answer is that both were meant to entertain people in NYC.

- - - - - -

When the day started, I had two things on the docket: Lunch with Maria, and Game night in Yonkers.  There was one problem that would cause me problems today - I didn't go to sleep until 4 am.  (I stayed up an extra 30 minutes to write yesterday's blog entry.)  So I knew I'd need more sleep during the day to recharge my batteries.

Waking up (but not getting out of bed) around 7 am, I unsuccessfully tried to fall back to sleep for another 1-2 hours before getting up.  Around 10:30, I got out of bed and started getting ready for the day.  By 12:30, I was in Cold Spring and was on time to meet Maria.  We talked about her family, including her new grandson, and issues she's been dealing with for a while.  Of course, I had a bit to say as well.  Sadly, she had to fetch her other grand kids at school, or we could have chatted longer.

Next, it was home to take a nap before going to game night.  Around 5:00, I received a text to let me know that game night was cancelled for the night.  Murder Mouth (their dog) didn't have a sitter for the evening, and he couldn't be trusted around people.  If I had known this earlier, I could have made a 7:00 performance of  Amazing Sex Life of Rabbits in NYC.  Sadly, this was not the case, and I ended up doing a load of laundry instead.

Although I would have enjoyed seeing the play, I didn't feel like I had the energy to go into the city and back today.  At least, there will be other plays I can see in the next 2 weeks. 

Lunch with a friend, and an aborted evening plan.

 

Today, I had only one thing on the docket - lunch with MSJ.   We always have a good time in our monthly meetings, but today would be a little different.  There was a little too much noise in the restaurant for me to hear anything.

But first....

I woke up to the morning sun when I'd have rather have stayed asleep.  After some time futzing with the computer and watching videos, it was time for me to get dressed and get ready to go down the hill to meet MSJ.  As usual, I wore my usual winter garb - a dress over leggings.  And I was at the restaurant at 1 pm.

It was unusually noisy in the restaurant, as several people were talking loudly to people sitting at a nearby table.  I had a hard time hearing my friend, and had to ask her to repeat herself a few times.  We talked about many things: politics, her family, my family, and my cruise related website.  She gave me a few ideas for improvement, several of which I will seek to implement in a future version of the site.

After lunch, I went home to nap - and overslept.  The idea of trekking into NYC for an off-Broadway play was squashed by the nap.  Then, my brother called - we were on the line for 2 hours.  So I ended up going to the diner for dinner, when all I wanted was a couple of pizza slices from the nearby (now closed for the night) pizzeria.  At least, I was able to enjoy some fish and chips.

The important things on the docket required me to be Mario for the day.

 

The other day, I had to restore my male image to my Facebook profile so that I could join a message group.  Amazingly, several of the people I know from the Widows/Widowers group noticed, and said hello.  As for me, I wonder what they will say when my profile reverts to a female Alfred E. Newman in the next day or two.

- - - - - -

Everything I had on my docket today effectively required my presenting as a male in public.  First, I had to get a book from the library, and then attend a co-op board meeting as Mario.  So, first, I went out to a local diner to have some Greek Salad, and  couldn't finish the dish.  Unfortunately, I couldn't go back to town the same way I went to the diner, so, I took the long way to the library.  

Picking up the book at the library got in the way for doing laundry.  I'd have been picking my clothes out of the dryer in the middle of  the co-op board meeting.  So I deferred that task until later. Around 5:30, the co-op meeting started, and the interviewees who was supposed to attend didn't bother to show up.  The next time we'll be able to meet with them will be in May.  Their loss.  And then we had to deal with a shareholder and her issues.  She has problems that can't be corrected quickly, but won't take a delay for an acceptable answer.  We're trying to delay spending money until we have a major funding issue resolved.  Until then, we have to slow walk everything.

- - - - - -

Eventually, the meeting ended, and I had enough time to do a load of laundry.  Even when it is done, the work will not be finished - I still have to fold it, and put it into places where it belongs.

I had to go home today

 

After a long weekend with RQS, I had to go home.  It's just as well I did so, as I needed to start getting things done at home. So, it was with regret (and a little relief) that I got on my way.  (As they say: Absence makes the heart grow fonder.)

- - - - - -

Both of us got moving late in the morning today.  But that didn't mean that either of us were ready to go out.  I knew that I had to get ready to leave around 1:30, so that I could drive home by 3.  One problem - I should have started earlier, as afternoon traffic jams would be starting early.

The reason I started to get ready later than I planned was RQS's TV.  We wanted to move a large screen TV into the living room, and move the smaller one into the sitting room.  Well, we had to move furniture, storage boxes, and other stuff out of the way to get at all the wires (power cords being the most important), and disconnect them so that we could carry the TV into the living room.  We did this before I showered, and we had working TV in the living room before I left.

One of the problems I have at RQS's place is that the lighting is terrible.  There is only one place in her apartment where I can get enough light to do my makeup, and it's her bathroom.  The lighted makeup mirror I brought to her place doesn't do enough good.  But I can make do with it if I'm careful.  If I could find a solution that works, I'd have a much easier time of applying my makeup at her place.

I left RQS around 3:15, and it took forever to make it from her neck of the woods to the other side of the East River.  But once across, I had no problem making it to Stew Leonard's to do some food shopping.  But again, I hit some traffic on the way home, as I was traveling in the middle of rush hour.

Eventually, I made it home for the night - and finally had a chance to relax.

As I write this, I can't sleep

 

First, as I write this, I can not sleep for some unknown reason.  My relationship with RQS is going well, and we are scheduled to go on another cruise in a few weeks.  So, what is going on?  I described how I'm feeling as like a cisgender male version of a female's hot and cold flashes.  She said it might be hormonal, and to bring it up with my doctor on my next visit.

With this out of the way, I'm not sure if I was individually contacted by my former cruise partner, or whether it was a broadcast to an entire meetup group.  Although I might have responded "Yes" to an invitation to join the meetup group at a local restaurant, I would be busy that same night with co-op business - and the co-op comes first these days, due to the importance of my attendance at meetings.

My brother is flying out of town for his final interview with a firm.  If he's hired, he'll be moving to another state.  And I'll miss him, in spite of him and I seeing each other less than every 3rd month or so. I don't want to get stuck managing the family homestead, and I don't want to deal with the paperwork of paying bills, etc. to keep this joint venture going.

Tomorrow, I'll look up the phone number of the place where my doctor wants me to get an ultrasound, and schedule it for next week.  I'm at the age where my body is likely to betray me, and I don't look forward to its series of betrayals.  

Yet, none of these things can fully explain why I can't sleep right now.  Maybe, after I'm done with this post, I can get back to bed, cuddle up with RQS, and finally fall asleep. 

A tip into NYC for the Billy Preston documentary

 

I wanted to see the documentary on Billy Preston's life (Billy Preston: That’s The Way God Planned It) but it wasn't showing at the local art-house.  So, I had put it on the list of films I'd look for when searching for documentaries to watch on the various streaming services.  Yesterday, RQS and I went to see this film.

But first...

This weekend, I drove down to RQS's place en-femme. She's comfortable with me this way, and I didn't feel like switching my id from wallet to wallet to travel as Mario.  

I got up moving slowly, and started my preparations to dress as Marian. By 2:00 pm, I was out the door, making my stops on the way to RQS's place.  First, it was to the bank to get some cash.  And then off to the gas station to buy some overpriced gas.  (We have the Orange Monster and Israel to thank for this.) Once my local area tasks were done, I was on my way to Queens.

There were the usual slow spots on my way to RQS's place.  So, I ended up driving through Forest Hills to bypass the traffic snarl in Kew Gardens, where the Grand Central Parkway, the Jackie Robinson (aka Interboro) Parkway, and Van Wyck Expressway all meet.  Even though NYC/NYS did a lot of work to improve traffic flow at this confluence of roads, they were constrained by the local roads also having to flow through this area - there was no way to widen/lengthen the merge points to accommodate the traffic that needs to flow through the area.  So, 90% of the time, I'm forced to drive through local streets because the Van Wyck Expressway is at a stand still for over a mile before the exit for the Jackie Robinson Parkway (JRP), and the entrance to the JRP being blocked as 5 lanes merge into 2.

What surprised me was that I made it to RQS's place in 2 hours (an acceptable time), and that we were able to relax for the evening before 6:00 pm. 

- - - - - -

Saturday came, and we had a movie to go to.  Around 3 pm, we both started getting ready to go out, and I spread my makeup all over "my" side of the dining table.  By 4 :30, we were out the door and headed to the city.  Reaching the Hudson Square area of Manhattan, we could only find one place to eat - Shake Shack.  Although the burgers were good, we could have spent half as much at Mickey D's and enjoyed it just as much.  Yet, I can't say that Shake Shack wasn't worth the money they charged for their burgers.  They were good!

We were in walking distance of the theater, and were able to find a seat with ease.  However, we had issues with sitting down, as we both wanted to take off our coats, and had a big bag of popcorn to manage.  Once seated, we found that the movie focused on Billy's growth as a musician, followed by the pain the Billy had to deal with.  His abuse (both what was done to him when young and the substances he "enjoyed" to survive) was the focus of the latter part of the film.  It wasn't until the end of his life that he could even start to share his pain.  What a sad life balanced with joyous music.  Too bad for him that he couldn't have had a "normal" life.  Too good for us that he didn't.

I suggested to RQS that we take the long way home to avoid stairs, and we did that.  But it took us twice as long to get home from Manhattan.  First, it was a local to South Ferry, where we changed to another subway line to take us to Union Square.  From there, it was a trip back to 8th avenue to preserve our ability to sit down on the outbound ride, and then a transfer of trains in Ridgewood to that we could make it to a deli for a quart of OJ.  

We were home around 10:15, and ready to sleep.  And both of us needed it....

I prefer to see reality than live in a fantasy world

 

The other day, RQS sent me some links to various "meetup" sites whose purposes are simply to enable people to make new social connections.  A couple of these sites were geared for females to make social connections.  So, I asked RQS how passable I am, and she noted that there are some telltales that I am TG.  In short, I am not 100% passing, but that's OK for most purposes - just not for all.

It's hard for people to see reality these days, much be comfortable with reality.  We live in an age where the people we once could count on to tell us things resembling truthful opinions now tell us lies we want to hear.  We have a president who is a pathological liar, and who is totally disconnected from reality.  We are in a war that no one wanted, save for two people: Bibi Netanyahu and Donald Trump.  And now, Trump is telling lies which conflict with themselves:  "We have won the war with Iran." and "We need more money to win the war with Iran."  Where is our objective reality here?   Trump is the leader of an American cult which, unfortunately, has taken control of our government.  At a macro level, much of America is stuck living in a fantasy world.  But what about us as individuals?

As an individual living in a society which has become untethered from reality, I find it harder to maintain a solid connection to reality. First, I need to find objective information about myself and the world I live in.  As a TG, I need to know many things: How well do I present? What can I do to improve my presentation? Where can I travel safely in my preferred presentation? How do I keep informed of significant events that could affect me?    Second, I need to make reasonable decisions based on the information I gather.  In the case of travel, I have to be absolutely sure of how well I pass, as I could be committing a felony in some states.  (I was in one Southern state where I had to go to the loo and relieve myself while presenting as Marian.  Technically, I committed a felony just by needing to take a bio-break.  Luckily, no one cared where I was.)  Even worse, I can't visit many countries as Marian, as my assumed gender preference would be considered illegal and punishable under their laws.  (We're seeing that in some American states today.)  I have to be sensitive to the fact that we now have a federal government hostile to TGs and the rest of the LGBT community.  So, I am glad that I sent information to a nation where a grandparent came from, so that I have an exit route available in advance.

One TG individual I know has been corrupted by the media she consumes.  Although she has lost the desire to get her passport renewed in her identified gender due to Trump's executive order, she still refers to his political enemies by the childish names he uses for those people.  Yet, she can't identify why these people are bad.  She sees the word "Socialist" and identifies all evil to this word and those who identify with it.  Yet, she can't identify what is bad about the word itself.  Even though she's unhappy with the cult leader, she still identifies with the values of the cult - even when the cult would treat her like crap.  This transgender woman is not alone in her fantasy views of identity.  Another transgender woman I met belonged to a conservative religious denomination.  When she moved to upstate NY, she went to attend another church of that sect.  The pastor said that she shouldn't attend again because she was TG.  Her identity conflicted with what others saw that her identity should be,  We all can make similar mistakes.  This is why we need to always seek objective reality, instead of seeking to feel comfortable living within our fantasies.

I ended up doing nothing until dinner

 

I didn't have much to do today, so I stayed inside until dinner time.  And then, it was time to get off my rump and do something....

- - - - - -

Although I went to sleep late last night, I finally had a full night's sleep with the exception of a few bio-breaks during the night.  (I wonder if this is a result of the new meds I'm taking.)  So, the 10 am alarm woke me up, and I had my bagel for breakfast.  (The other one will be eaten tomorrow.)  And then, I started watching YouTube videos.

Although I had plans to do laundry today, I decided NOT to do it.  Instead, I relaxed until the end of the afternoon, and then started to get dressed as Marian. This was not a day I wanted to spend much money for dinner, so I drove to a Halal food joint in Yonkers and got a combo platter.  Boy, was this platter filling!  But then, my stomach seems to be getting smaller.  So, I could have easily split the platter in half and brought the other half home as leftovers.

Next, it was off to Lidl to buy some food.  By the time I left, I had a full bag and was only out $24.  Not bad for an unplanned food run.  What is weird about the store is that if one uses the self checkout machines, one is supposed to let a gate scan your receipt before letting you go out of the store.  Luckily, someone else opened the gate, and I went through under her scan.

- - - - - -

Sometime tomorrow morning, I have to pack some clothes for my upcoming cruise and bring it to RQS's place.  (I'll have more to bring to her place in a couple of weeks.)  So, I'll have one big suitcase to bring with Mario's clothes, and a smaller suitcase to being for this weekend in Marian mode. 

Some of the things I like involve historical restoration.

Lately, I've been watching videos  regarding the restoration of a GM EV1, number V212.  This is a rare car in private hands (a small number of the production run was donated to schools and museums with the guts disabled).  Unlike those cars in museums, this car has no restrictions on its use, due to the way the car was obtained.

The YouTube channel "The Questionable Garage" is actively attempting to restore this car to drive able condition.  And it is fascinating to see what they have gone through to prepare the car to be restored to road-worthiness.   When I saw their first video, they explained how the car fell out of GM's control, and the problems that they'd have to face in restoring it.  One of the big problems was the windshield, as no other car used this exact windshield shape.  They noted issues with batteries, electronics, and other challenges that they would have to overcome to achieve their ultimate goal. (See this article for more information.)

I was pleasantly surprised to find out that the current management of GM is taking an active role in helping to get this "one of a kind" car in private hands back on the road.  And they gave this project a set of parts from their very own "parts car" (including glass) to help in the effort.  They showed the history of both GM's work with electric cars and the batteries used to power them.  Strangely enough, it made me feel good about GM to see them help get the car back on the road.

Hopefully, more episodes about this vehicle will be available soon, as I'm hoping that the owner will take the car on the road during 2027. 

Lasagna - a dish Garfield and I both love.

 

Today, it was lunch with CCS in Ossining.  Given that I hadn't seen her in a month, I was hoping for a quiet time at a "Red Sauce Joint" in Ossining.  That was not to be, given the loud table behind me making it hard for us to have a nice conversation.

But first...

I had some new clothes to wear today.  So after shaving, showering, and applying makeup, I decided to wear them.  First was the sports bra from Rainbeau Curves.  That fit well.  But the leggings were one size too small.  (I'll save them for when I shrink a size - they were cheap enough to gamble on.)  Over this was another tunic dress from J.C.Penney.  I looked good when I drove to the restaurant.

CCS and I arrived at the same time.  It was crowded for a change, and we ended up sitting too close to the group of friends/office workers (?) who were talking loudly.  I couldn't hear CCS, and I had to ask her to repeat herself many a time.  We talked about politics, health issues, family, and other things of note.  At least, the Lasagna was as good as usual, and I had enough for leftovers.  Yet, I could barely keep track of the chat due to the noise behind me.  But the crowd left before we finished our meal, and we had a few quiet minutes before we, ourselves, had to leave.

After dinner, I went home to relax.  I made a couple of appointments with friends - one for coffee with a co-op board member, and the other with a friend from Dover Plains that I haven't seen in ages.  This will keep me busy for a while.

Catching up on my reading. (A short post)

 

This is the book that I've been reading lately.  Unfortunately, I have no more renewals left on the book. It means that I'm supposed to return the book to the library by the end of the day.  Of course, I'll do my best to finish the remaining 325 pages by tomorrow night.

- - - - - -

I keep hemming and hawing about signing up for a dinner group in NYC.  To join will set me back $20/month, and I'm not sure if I want to spend this kind of money, plus the cost of dinners, and the cost of weekly trips to meet new people.  It might be worth joining the group for a month.  But I'm not sure whether this kind of commitment is worth it.  Yet, it might be nice to go into NYC on a regular basis for a while.

Right now, I have several more hours to make this decision.  I'll write more about this soon.

Getting used to a reorganized kitchen (a short post)

 

I wish my kitchen was this useful.  Sadly, I have too much stuff in the kitchen to make it truly useful.  It would make things easier for me if I were to get rid of items I don't use.  But to do that would mean making hard decisions that I'm not ready to make right now.

This weekend, RQS straightened out my kitchen.  But I hadn't yet had the chance to use it.  Today was my chance.  First, I had to drop RQS off at the station to return home.  And then, I could go home to rest.  Given that it was a dreary day AND that I had no plans to go out later, I got dressed as Mario just to drop RQS off.  After a quick stop at the deli to get a breakfast sandwich, it was home for the day.

Once home, I took a needed nap, and then started work on reorganizing information I'll need to create another cruise tool.  So, that killed some time until dinner.  There was some salmon in the fridge, but I wasn't interested in that.  Instead, I was more interested in the "more than" half chicken from last night.  Cutting off the remaining right breast (RQS doesn't carve a bird well) and full left leg, I proceeded to prepare this part of the bird for nuking.  Next, I made some flavored rice, then cobbled up some gravy to ladle over the bird.  Finally, I warmed up the bird and had a hearty meal.

Regarding the placement of some items in the kitchen, I switched the garbage can's spot with the original place for the rolling cart, Now, I don't have to move the cart each time I want to get utensils from the drawer.  RQS is good at finding the energy to do this kind of reorganization, but not as good at figuring out a practical final state.  Maybe that's why we work well together - we complement each other in our areas of weakness.

Tomorrow, I'm hoping to get out and (maybe) get my nails done.  Then, it should be another week as Marian.

Saturday, a trip to IKEA. Sunday, a brunch not eaten.

 

Saturday would be a day spent presenting as Marian.  But first, RQS decided to help organize the clutter which was my kitchen.  So, for half the day, I didn't bother doing much.  But at 4 pm, we ended up driving to IKEA to look for a rolling cart.  $143.00 later, I had the cart and other needed items coming home in my car with us.  Both of us knew NOT to work on any IKEA assembly (including simple ones) until after we had a chance to sleep and get some more rest.

- - - - - -

Sunday would be a day spent as Mario.  We had negotiated noon as a mutual time for brunch, as RQS's friend insisted that we meet no later than noon because her grandchild would need her 1 pm nap.  I was a little miffed, as I knew that the friend didn't want to bend or accommodate our needs.  But, since this friend was down from Boston, I said OK to having lunch at noon, missing church for the nth Sunday in a row. !0 minutes before we were to arrive at the diner, the friend called asking us if we could meet at 1:30 pm.  Both of us were annoyed.  We altered our plans for the friend, and now she wanted to change things.  Both of us were peeved.  Her friend didn't care what she was doing to our schedules.  Only her schedule was important.  So RQS said we'll have to get together another time, and we proceeded to have lunch on our own.

What to do next?  Well, we hung out until 5 pm, assembling the rolling cart we bought the day before, then drove to BJ's to pick up a rotisserie chicken for dinner, and then went back home to eat.  For the most part, it was an OK day.  But one that could have been much better if we had been able to keep our original plans for the day.

The day started with phone calls

 

Anyone who knows Commercial Street in Provincetown, MA will notice something very wrong about the AI generated image above.  I gave ChatGPT instructions to draw me in front of the Lobster Pot restaurant in Provincetown and got the above picture.  Can you tell me what's wrong with the image?

- - - - - - 

There were several things on my docket for today, and two of them involved phone calls.  First was a call to RQS to tell her NOT to bring up her fancy dress, as we'll be a little bit more casual tonight when we go out for dinner.  The second had me being more apprehensive, as it was to return a call from my doctor's office.  I found that the assistant couldn't get the GLP-1 drugs cheaper than the prices I found, and was asking me to check with my mail order pharmacy to see if they had a better price for the drugs.  So, I have another phone call to make soon.  RQS would be coming up later in the day, and that meant that I also had some laundry to take care of before  I picked her up at the train station. 

- - - - - -

Around 1 pm, I put laundry into the washer, and started my process of getting ready to go out.  By 3:30 pm, my laundry was done and I was ready to go out.  At 4:30, I picked up RQS at the station, and we drove to Chappaqua for dinner - French Food on the last Friday of Restaurant Week.  It was a good thing we got there when we did, as the place was empty when we got there, but getting full by the time we left. The food was very good, but I made one mistake in my choices: I chose the wrong liquid in which my mussels were prepared.  I chose the white wine sauce, when I had a craving for something like the Dijon mustard sauce.

Once we were done with dinner, we went to the supermarket to do some shopping.  And finally we were home for the night.  It was nice to take off my bra again.  RQS will never understand why I want the headaches of being female, but then, how many people understand us TGs?

 

 

Lunch with "Short" Vicki and finally a Game Night

 

I really didn't want to get up today.  The weather was dreary, with intermittent showers punctuated by periods of drizzle.  But, it would be my one chance to have lunch with "Short" Vicki and see her before she goes on her cruise.  

- - - - - -

The other day, Vicki asked me if we could change our lunch date from Friday to Thursday (today), as one of the pregnant ladies she has been helping (Vicki is a Doula) was expecting to go into labor this evening. I had no problems saying "Yes", as this would give me more time on Friday to get things ready when RQS comes up for the weekend.

Just after I took my shower, I got a text message from Vicki.  Basically, it said: "WTFRU? in much more polite language.  I told her that she was an hour early, and I'd be there at 1 pm.  Although I was getting interrupted by messages, I was out the door and in Scarsdale a couple of minutes late.  One problem - the parking meter ate my quarters and wasn't showing that I had time on the meter.  To be safe, I ended up moving my car to a spot with a working meter, and ended up entering the restaurant at 1:15 pm.  AARGH!

We settled down and started chatting service at the restaurant wasn't rushed, and we both enjoyed a nice Italian meal.  Both of us had to go out and check the meter after we finished the main course, but that was only a minor interruption for us.  All too soon we had to go.  I'm not sure if Vicki was going to head straight out to the hospital where the baby would be delivered, or whether she'd go home to wait for the phone call.  Either way, I knew she would have a busy evening in front of her.  As for me, it was time to go home and relax before game night.

- - - - - -

This would be the first time I'd be going to game night (if I recall correctly) because of cruising and uncleared snow.  So I put this high on my priority list of things to do today. 

Around 600 pm, I got up and got ready to go to game night.  Arriving around 7:45, I was just in time for the first and only game of the night, and enjoyed playing it (although I lost as usual.)  It was nice to see familiar faces again.  But all too soon, I had to go home.  And that was just as well, as I had had enough of people for the day. 

Rule of Acquisition # 34: War is good for business.

 

A wise scriptwriter once wrote something like this: 

"Rule of Acquisition # 34: War is good for business"

"Aren't you confused? Rule of acquisition # 34 is: Peace is good for business."

"Yes, it's  easy to confuse the 2 rules."

Corollaries to this include: "War is good for business, but less so closer to the font lines you get."

- - - - - -

The "Special Military Operation (read: War) in Iran is proof of this.  Once America burns through its stockpile of arms, we will be placing orders to refresh our supplies - with kickbacks going to the Orange Snowflake and his family (of course).

Right now, I'm very glad that my nephew is long gone from the military, and has built up a nice civilian life.  Soon, this war will become very asymmetrical, and I expect to see terror attacks occur around the world.  (God, I hope I'm wrong about this.)  But when one side has outgunned the other, what other way can there be to inflict pain upon an enemy?

I believe strongly in the law of unintended consequences.  The orange snowflake keeps making errors which would force normal politicians out of office.  But, as the leader of a cult, he has the support of a lot of under educated Americans  who hold grievances against the society that has left them behind.  Closing the main business in a "One Horse Town" often results in unemployment and a town that can no longer provide needed services to its residents.  With no opportunities available, this class of people becomes economic surplus and not worth investing in.  These people become alienated from the larger society, and will follow any "leader" who promises this group a new prosperity and the restoration of their social class and its privileges.

Many Americans see the Iran war for what it is - a distraction from the Epstein Files.  With a submissive House and Senate, there is no effective check and balance on this demented megalomaniac. He only wants to be able to say "I AM the State!"  So far, he has had a good run towards his goal.  But this comes at a cost - he has destroyed all of America's soft power, as well as people's faith in a government that would work for the people.

Luckily, and I hate putting it this way, he will likely trigger a world-wide recession.  Americans will not be able to afford foreign goods, and America's role as the "Consumer of Last Resort" will have ended.  America will cease to be first among many democracies.  Instead, it will be a lesser power among the democracies of the world, as we will need to regain the trust of the world.  Yet, the entire world will have a large price to pay for the snowflake's aggression. People will starve because they can't afford food. Nations will need to build up their militaries because we no longer live in a rules-based world.  And freedoms will be curtailed because authoritarian regimes will have more power over people.  Does the end justify the means?  I don't think so.

- - - - - -

The current administration is floating the idea of resurrecting the draft.  If I were of draft age and had a useful skill, I'd visit a few foreign lands (Canada being one of them) and look to leave the US for these countries.  Being TG, I'd get as far away from the US as possible, as I fear that the snowflake will seriously consider annexing Canada before his term ends.  I hope that Canada takes this threat seriously, as the snowflake is following the 1930's German History map which includes Austrian Annexation.  (You may want to translate the page into English first.)  

Although part of my family background comes from the Caribbean, it is way too close for comfort.  Most of the Caribbean is inside America's "Mare Nostrum",  So I wouldn't feel safe there as a cisgender person, much less a TG.  All I can say is that I have my exit route planned, and am waiting on paperwork to make it easy to do so in a hurry.

- - - - - -

Last night, I was talking with my friend Vicki about current events, and she sees the danger we are now facing.  I mentioned the movie "Casablanca" and its cast, mostly made of European exiles forced out of their countries by the Nazis.  Right now, I expect to have my "Letters of Transit" soon, and I hope my readers in America are making similar plans. 

Another Doctor Visit, Another Prescription. Another Co-Op Board Meeting, Another Evening Dinner Delivery.

 

There was no chance that I'd spend any time as Marian for the next day or two, so I moved my license and insurance card into Mario's wallet, showered, shaved, dressed, and headed off to my doctor's office.  I always dread this, but today's visit was a little worse than usual.

Around 10:15 am, I drove to the doctor's office, and there were no parking sport near his office.  This was an omen if there ever was one.  I had to drive an extra 5 minutes before I could get a nearby spot on a side street.  Several minutes after I arrived, I was shown to one of his rooms where he took my weight, my blood pressure, and proceeded to check my liver and some glands on my throat.  Now, he wants me to get another ultrasound.  AARGH!  To make things worse, he prescribed a medicine that's going to run me another $200/month - without consulting whether I could afford it or not.  When I mentioned the outrageous GLP-1 drug price, he wanted me to spend another $500+/month on the drug, something I will not do.  Until doctors start pushing back on drug prices being charged to patients, there is no way health care prices in this country will drop.  They are at the front lines of health care, and they should be our primary advocates for what we must do to maintain our health AND to keep the overall cost of that healthcare down low enough for the average person to afford it.  (Although I will soon have another $700/month coming into my pocket, do I really want to spend it on 2 drugs?)

When I was done with the doctor, I went home to rest.  I had a co-op board meeting starting at 5:30 pm, and there would be a lot to do at the meeting.  One good thing: We should be able to sell an abandoned apartment as-is, and help deal with our financial issues.  But I knew I would be very hungry afterwards, so my plan for the evening was to use the Slice app to order Italian to go, and have some Chicken Parmigiana and Penne pasta delivered - I would be in mo mood to cook or reheat food.

- - - - - -

Tomorrow, I'll be heading to my tax preparer, and then back to Croton for the yearly co-op dinner.  Yes, it'll be Italian food again, but I'll order something very different from what I ordered tonight. 

    

Parting is such sweet sorrow

 

RQS had to go home today, and both of us would have liked for our weekend to last longer.  So, I showered, made up my face, and got dressed to bring RQS to the train station.  However, this was not the only thing on my docket - I had arranged to have dinner at the Brazilian BBQ with Vicki, and it would be an evening I'd be tempted to overeat.

It was much warmer than I expected when I dropped RQS off, so I decided to change into something else for the evening.  Instead of a tunic dress over leggings, I decided to wear something different.  The first dress I tried didn't work well with the bra I was wearing.  So, I took another dress out of the closet and wore that instead.

Vicki arrived at 6, and I did the driving to get to the Brazilian BBQ in West Nyack.  She didn't believe how easy it was to cross the river, and I noted that it's usually backed up during rush hour, but not at other times.  We found the restaurant where I expected it to be, and almost as soon as we were seated, the meats started coming to our table.  I could have easily pigged out.  But I didn't want to be processing last night's dinner when I arrive at the doctor's office tomorrow.   

After dinner, we stopped at the store, so that I could pick up a thumb drive for my tax files.  This way, I'll be able to avoid carrying a lot of paper as I go to my tax preparer.  (That's on the docket for Wednesday.) 

 

PS: I'll be presenting as Mario for the next couple of days.  I can't wait until Thursday where I can get back to wearing something pretty again. 

Needing to get out of the house (a short post)

 

It always seems that both RQS and I always end up doing some serious relaxing when we're together.  Yesterday (as I write this), RQS and I drove up to Poughkeepsie to have dinner and to do some shopping.  It was simply an excuse to get out of the house and do something more than just sitting on the sofa and watching TV.

Today is the day after the big clock change.  We were up until 4 am last night (it would have been 3 am, save for the time change), and there was no way I'd be awake enough to go to church this morning.  But, due to not having enough sleep, both of us ended up taking naps after we had something to eat. Although we planned to relax today, having no commitments to do anything, rest was the most important thing we did.

We had talked about doing a load of laundry.  That will be done later on in the week.  But what we did do was to cook more stuff from the freezer, with some onion soup that I'd been planning to make for a while. Although the soup was decent, it wasn't one of my best efforts.  I'll use different types of onions next time, and maybe throw in a few shallots as well.

It was a restful day, and one that we decided NOT to deal with the desire to go out again.  Our need to rest was much more important than the need to go out....

Coming up for air

 

One of the things I thought of doing today was to go into NYC for another pop-up store.  The Unclaimed Baggage store (from Alabama) was doing a pop-up in Manhattan today.  It would be interesting to see a subset of their collection of goods.  However, I didn't want to spend any energy getting up and out of the house early, so that I could return to Croton on the same train with RQS.  Instead, I preferred to stay in bed until 11, and do chores such as folding last night's laundry before picking RQS up at the station.

If I went to NYC today, I'd likely spend roughly $30 for the round trip to the store alone.  And if I bought anything, I'd likely be down another $50 for things I don't absolutely need.  Why bother?  There are enough things that are on my shopping list, that I don't need to waste money which can be productively spent elsewhere?

- - - - - -

My brother finally gave me the tax information I need to go to my tax preparer.  Now to get that appointment scheduled.  I will try to get that done on a day I'm supposed to present as Mario (such as for the co-op board's annual dinner), so I don't have to change clothes (and gender presentation) during the day.

At least one thing is true - Other than minor corrections (and other tweaks), I am done with the cruise cost spreadsheet for a while.  I can finally come up for air! 

 

It's War! It's War!

 

As I write this, It's almost been a week since we've been at war with Iran, and I see no viable end in sight.  Yes, it could have ended if we (I should say, the Israelis with US help) didn't kill off much of the Iranian leadership who could negotiate with us.  But without a clear objective, war becomes open-ended, and can last for years "if needed".

Has anyone noticed that the two wars that the Orange Monster had been involved in both involve OIL producing nations?  Yes, Iran has been a sponsor of terrorism.  Yes, Venezuela has been a thorn in our side.  But did we need to go to war to deal with these countries?  I don't think so.  In the case of Iran, I think that the Israelis have gotten us into a quagmire.  First, we will bomb the hell out of Iran.  Then, when we haven't crushed them, it will be our boots on the ground, and our boys coming home in body bags.

Given the lack of long term thinking in our current administration, I think the four defenders of Freedonia pictured above could do a better job of running our country. And Rufus T. Firefly (the gentleman with the mustache in the picture) could have made a better president than the one we have now.  Sadly, he passed away roughly 50 years ago.

In an age of increasing inflation, I'm pretty sure that a President Firefly would take Capt. Jeffrey T. Spaulding's advice for fighting inflation and replace the discontinued penny with a seven cent nickel. In his day, one could buy a two cent newspaper and get the same nickel back in change.  Capt. Spaulding noted that: "One nickel, used wisely, could last a family a lifetime."

Sadly, war is not a laughing matter, and 6 service members have already come home in flag draped coffins.  Our president did not even have the courtesy to pay proper respects to men who gave their lives as their coffins left the plane, as he didn't take off his tacky white baseball cap emblazoned with the letters USA in gold.  Is it too much for us to ask that a president actually give a damn about the lives being lost in war, instead of displaying his Merchandise for all to see?   

I could have gone out, but....

 

I stayed home much of the day, when it was a perfect day to go outside.  Today's focus was on the spreadsheet (see yesterday's post), but I didn't have any real plans for the day.  

- - - - - -

When I got up, I realized that I could either get showered, made up, and dressed.  But if I did so, I'd be spending money I don't need to spend to entertain myself.  And that's something I don't really need to do.  So, I decided to finish work on the spreadsheet, and add two more cruise lines to the options available for use.  It was easy to get lost in the tedium, and time passed as if hours were just minutes.

Around 5 pm, I decided to get showered and dressed.  It was nice to be able to apply makeup again, as I won't be able to spend much time as Marian next week, as I'll be stuck as Mario for both a Doctor's visit and for a pair of Co-Op board meetings.  (Once they are over, I can switch back to Marian mode for a while.). At 6 pm, I drove to the local Chinese take-out to pick up dinner, and I got a call from Vicki - we both forgot about dinner at the local Japanese restaurant.  So, we postponed again, and will likely go to a Brazilian BBQ sometime in the next couple of weeks.  

After I returned home, I got things set up for the Zoom meeting with our Texas friends.  It was a good meeting, as both of our friends were more animated than usual.  When I mentioned that I may have to set up my own Zoom account subscription, one of the gals volunteered to help pay for it.  Now we know how much this one person wants to keep up our monthly Zooms.

- - - - - -

Tomorrow, it will likely rain all day, making it a perfect laundry day.  I'll bet that I find excuses not to do it until late in the day. 

I think I can put a spreadsheet to rest for now

 

Over the past couple of weeks, I've been working on a spreadsheet (with formulas) which will allow one to compute the approximate real per-person cost of a cruise.  My problem with creating the spreadsheet is that I've never had to build something this complex before in Excel.  My thought processes towards computing values are akin to programmers who use procedural programming languages, where one could use "IF Statements"  (IF test, true condition statements, false condition statements) to do the work, where in spreadsheets, it is often easier to put key tests into separate cells.  So, when I find commonality between cruise line calculations, I reorganize the spreadsheet to simplify processing and make it easier to manage.

This work has been a tedious process, and is still subject to revision.  It has kept me busy to the extent where I've decided not to go outside when the weather looked nice, and instead focused on the work that needed to be done to complete basic work to fix known bugs, so that it can be used by others.

- - - - - -

Why do something like this?

In retirement, people still need challenges to keep their brains alert.  Current day politics strain my sense of well being, as I react poorly to falsehoods in the news.  The Orange Snowflake and his cronies do not care about objective truth.  They change the lies they tell and do not back down from their lies.  So, listening to the news becomes a soul suck for me, as well as something that can make me get angry.  As a result, I have to find ways to distract me from paying too much attention to the lunacy going on in the world, and focus on something which depends on objective truths and falsehoods.

My next step with my cruise blog still depends on objective truths - going back to the online classes on video production, and starting to record VLog entries to post on YouTube.  I do not intend to post anything with Marian's image for now.  It will be hard enough for me to post things as Mario, as I do not yet have a screen presence or screen personality.  But that will come with practice and experience.

In the end, I will maintain my sanity by doing things which allow me to maintain a healthy balance in life.  The outside world is going nuts, and I need to maintain a healthy mental balance to maneuver in today's insanity.  One has to see truth, and stay off the radar of the lunatics in charge of the asylum, while making plans to get as far away as possible before everything burns down around us. 

I hated getting dressed today

 

If I could have dressed like this to bring my car to the dealership for a NYS safety inspection, I would have done so.  However, I had to present as Mario today, and there's no fun in dressing as a male of my age.  But the car needed to go in, and I had to take it there....

- - - - - -

I woke up today knowing that there was one absolute task on my docket - My car's annual safety inspection.  With only 26k miles on the meter, I knew that I the car should have a clean bill of health.  The tires are roughly halfway through their expected lifespan, and the next major (expensive) maintenance wouldn't come for another 4,000-5,000 miles.  (I'm wondering when I will need new tires and brakes - but I won't bother doing that tonight.)

Since there was a Wendy's across the street from the dealership, I decided to have their Lenten-only offering - a fish sandwich.  It wasn't bad, and it wasn't that good.  But it sated my hunger.  Once done with lunch, I crossed the street and dropped my car off for service.  While waiting, I saw my downstairs neighbor in the waiting room and said hello as we were paying our respective bills.

Once done, I planned to return home, change into Marian mode, and go out.  But I was a little tired, and figured that I'd rather rest, then do laundry sometime in the evening. When I got home, I started to work on the spreadsheet again, and was interrupted by TCL when I was starting to get into mental "Flow" mode. I was able to get a load of laundry in (washed and dried) before 10 pm, and brought it back upstairs before calling RQS at the end of the day.

- - - - - -

Tomorrow, I will have a Zoom meeting with our Texas friends.  More on this then. 

It was finally time to go home.

 

Neither of us wanted to get up this morning.  It was chilly outside, and it would be another few days until we were together again.  Yet, I was up at 6 am, as the sunlight coming in from the window outside  wouldn't let me sleep.

- - - - - -

For some reason, I couldn't find the undies I left at RQS's place for when I sleep over.  Yes, it's easy to determine which undies belong to me when I'm presenting as Mario.  But, when both are wearing the same gender's undies, things can get confusing.  I was lucky to have a few pairs in the suitcase I brought with me this weekend.  Even more so, a pair of socks had holes, so I pulled out a pair from the suitcase as well.

Around 2:30, RQS and I left her place.  She needed to go to the bodega to pick up tonight's dinner, while I went to the bus stop which services both the express route and the local route.  This was a good move, as the first bus that came along was the express bus.  But even with the express bus, the trip home was problematic - the transit authority was replacing the turnstiles, making an "Accessible" station non-accessible.  I had to drag my bag down a couple of flights of stairs to get myself and my suitcase to the train.  (I'm lucky that the escalator to the upper level was working, as the elevator to that level was shut down for work on the turnstiles.)

Eventually, I made it into Manhattan, and then to Grand Central.  I had just enough time to make it to an express train to Croton, and was home before 5 pm.  By 6 pm, I was at Trader Joe's, picking up food for the rest of the week, before going home for the evening.

- - - - - -

Tomorrow, I'll have to present as Mario to get my car inspected.  After this, I can change back to Marian and put new polish on my nails.