Returning home with an empty car. (A short post)

 

Whenever I think of the problems I now have in getting around, I should think of our former president (pictured above).  He had polio in middle age, and yet, that didn't stop him from becoming one of America's greatest presidents.  So, if he could do that, I can handle the aches and pains I'll encounter when RQS and I leave on our next cruise.

But first....

It's hard to believe, but it was the first day in ages that I woke up around noon.  My body is telling me something, and that is to take it easy.  And I'm trying to do this before my upcoming trip.  RQS cooked me some breakfast (she's a great soul!) and I proceeded to get showered and dressed shortly afterwards.  Unlike most days, I wasn't going to risk slipping and falling just to shave my legs and other parts of my body.  That can wait until I get home.

Around 2 pm, I dropped RQS off at the drug store while I drove home.  I wasn't feeling too bad, but I knew that I wouldn't walk much further than up my steps and into my apartment,  For the rest of the day, I rested, and ordered a pizza for delivery around 7:30 pm.  Yum!  But by then, I needed my cane to walk to the doorway to get my pizza.

As you can guess, I can't wait to call my doctor's office and find out the next step I need to take for recovery.  More tomorrow.... 

Waking up without extreme pain (for now)

 

Last night, I tried resting on my side to minimize the type of pressure on a section of my spine that comes from laying on my back.  And I can't be sure that it helped.  However, I was functional when I got up, and had few problems when closing up my large suitcase and getting it ready to go down to RQS's place.  And I hope I can feel this way for the next few weeks, while waiting for doctors to figure out how best to relieve my pain for the long term.

- - - - - -

Don't think that I am not feeling "fine" today.  My legs won't carry me for long, especially with heavy luggage.  But I had to get my suitcase to RQS's place, and I had to move slowly to do so.  So, I lugged my suitcase down my staircase, one step at a time, and tossed it in my car..  And I started down to RQS's place at 1 pm on a Saturday afternoon.

Normally, I take a simple path to lower Westchester county, and then take the Hutchinson River Parkway to the Whitestone bridge.  Not today.  The Hutch was backed up, so I took local streets to bypass the jam, and get back on the approach to the bridge.  And then, traffic moved until I hit the area where I had to make a go/no-go choice: Do I take the Jackie Robinson Parkway to RQS's place, or do I drive through Forest Hills on local roads to get to her place.  Given that traffic started bottling up around Jewel Avenue, I took local roads.  

Now, driving through this section of Forest Hills is almost pleasant on a Saturday.  The Orthodox Jews are not driving their cars because it's Shabbos.  This means that half of the usual traffic isn't there.  And I made it through this bottleneck with relative ease.  Then, I was on predictable local roads the rest of the way to RQS's place.

Next was the headache of finding a parking spot.  Like many older, more densely populated neighborhoods, there is never enough parking for residents, much less their guests.  I was prepared to drive around for a while, but I found a space less than half a block away from RQS's place - I was very grateful for that, as my legs were weak, and I couldn't walk far or long.

- - - - - -

Once at RQS's place, I knew we weren't going to go far for dinner.  Luckily, there was an old standby 2 blocks away.  That put me at my limit for the day.  Tacos were the only meal in walking distance, and I could barely finish what I ordered.  At least, I will likely not eat too much while on the cruise.... 

 

You aught tp be in pictures. OUCH!

 

Now, I know what's likely wrong with my legs, and it has nothing to do with my legs, save for the nerves that lead to them and signal pain.

But first...

Today, I woke up early (and with pain in my legs) to get dressed and go to the x-ray location of my health care network.  Getting there around 11 am, I had to wait a little bit, and got up when the x-ray technician called for another person with my same first name.  Then, a few minutes later, I was called, and I was hurting.  Once the x-rays were taken, I was told (not officially) that I will likely need surgery on my back.  AARGH.  I'll have to suffer for at least another month before a surgery date can be scheduled, and then be out of commission for another 6 weeks or so.  

Once out of the radiology area, I called RQS to tell her the news.  I didn't want to say to her that I might have to ask her to go on the cruise alone.  But I'll make up my mind on this within the next week.  Then I went home to rest.  Later on, I ended up chatting with Vicki for a couple of hours, and then decided to go to dinner at the local diner.  Initially, she wanted to go into problem solving mode, when all I needed was an ear.

Around 7 pm, I met Vicki at the diner and we continued the conversation we started over the phone. From what I said, she has a low opinion of my doctor, and recommended a different doctor to try out after work on my back is done.  Hopefully, all necessary procedures will be complete by year end, so that I can start cruising again in the spring.

 

My legs didn't hurt when I got up, but....

 

OK, I'm not talking about pantyhose today.  But I figured my readers would want to look at something more interesting than my aching legs.

- - - - - -

When I got up today, my legs didn't hurt much getting out of bed.  But they did remind me that I couldn't count on them too much.  Yet, they gave me an idea - if I keep getting up and moving around, the muscles that support me will stop degrading, and start building up strength.  Let's see what happens....

The key task I had on my docket for today was to start packing my suitcase for my upcoming trip.  Somehow, I have misplaced many of the items I depend on for long distance travel, and I've had to reorder some from Amazon.  Even with that being done, I still have to pack my bag and get ready for my trip.  And that's where I have the problem.  It's no longer something I can automatically do, the way I did last year.  I need to have the kind of "go kit"  with a dedicated place to store stuff, so that I can load a suitcase, and unload it as needed.  Clothing is easy.  It's the other stuff that can be a problem, as I'll always need travel adapters for electricity, chargers for my phone and tablets, etc. to leave the house for a week or two away from home.

I didn't bother bother rushing to pack my suitcase, as I have tomorrow to finish this task.  But I got a lot of little things done, and that's the important thing for me.  So, around 5 pm, I showered, made up my face, got dressed, and headed out the door for game night.  After a brief stop for dinner in a trusted diner, I was off to game night.  And then, I was in for a surprise - I was the only guest there!  Everyone else bailed out for various reasons, and I was caught by surprise.  Well, I ended up playing a couple of games (lost both) with the host, hostess, and their son.    It was a nice evening, and even "Murder Mouth" (their dog) was taking a liking to me.

All too soon, the evening had to end.  I called RQS on the phone and chatted for a while.  When I got home, I put a 25-pack? in a shopping bag and carried it upstairs.  It was at the upper end of what I could do.  But it gave me home for when I have to bring my bag to RQS's place prior to our trip. 

 

 

 

The day started slowly and in a little pain, but....

 

There's a part of me that feels like I should have been in a hospital bed this morning.  The walking I did yesterday, coupled with transiting my staircase several times did me in.  My legs didn't want to support me when I got up, and I made sure that I was going to call for appointments to go to the foot doctor and get the X-Ray done.

- - - - - -

With the above being said, I decided to stay in bed much of the day, not snacking, eating or drinking.  That wasn't because I didn't want to do these things, but because my legs didn't want to do them.  Yet, by the time I decided to get up in the afternoon, things had changed a little.  So, I made my appointments and decided to cook something before taking a shower.  (As I thought about things, I realized that my weekend will be spent presenting as Mario.  But that's another story for another post.)

I exchanged a couple of emails with my doctor about the name of a drug that my pharmacy isn't filling.  All the doctor would do would have me contact the pharmacy to find out why.  I may do this, but I'm concerned that he's passing the buck on tasks he (or his office) doesn't want to tackle.  But I was able to set up a post-trip appointment with the foot doctor, and found out when I could go into the radiology practice to get my spine X-Rayed.

Even though I was feeling better later in the day, did I go out?  No.  Instead, I took it easy, and planned to work on packing my suitcase for the trip.  Did I even do that?  No.  I didn't want to be uncomfortable.

 

A visit to the doctor

 

A cruise ship's doctor - one of the few people I never want to meet professionally.  Both RQS and I have done so on separate cruises, and it's no fun.  In my case, I was lucky - I was prescribed an antibiotic to deal with my issue.  In RQS's case, she hobbled around for weeks after someone on the ship fell and injured her ankle.

Recently, I visited my doctor's office to discuss the problems I've been having with my leg, causing any attempt to walk to be painful.  I arrived before noon, and it took over 45 minutes for him to see me - he was backed up with other elderly patients.  When he finally got to see me, I discussed the problem I was having and told him how painful it was for me to walk this past weekend.  He instructed me to walk around, hit my legs with a medical hammer, tested my sensitivity to light touch in each leg, and examined my feet.  As a result of all of this, he wants me to see a foot doctor and get some x-rays.  (I have flat feet, and he wants to check out an issue I have with my spine.  Too bad that he wouldn't understand the joke which references American slang:With these flat feet, I should have been a policeman walking a beat.)

While in his office, he asked me about the GLP-1 process.  I was a little annoyed at him, as I said that the onus was on him to start the process of qualifying me for the Medicare "Bridge" program, not me.  He has to contact the pharmacy, get the Medicare form, fill it in, and hope that my GLP-1 drugs can be subsidized by the program.  Luckily for me, a couple of his staff were in the room, and they understood what had to be done.  (You can imagine what was running in my mind.  I had told him that HE had to take the next step, and he didn't - for reasons unknown to me.  How dare he hector me about weight loss and GLP-1 drugs, when he doesn't want to do his share of the paperwork needed for affordable drugs.)

Once done with the doctor's office, I went home to rest. Soon, I'll start getting my luggage ready to go to RQS's place, staged for our upcoming trip.

- - - - - - 

Later in the evening, I decided to do a light load of laundry - Mario's underwear.  Given how rarely I present as a male these days, I don't know for how long the earliest items of dirty laundry have been sitting in my hamper.  So it's going to be "fun" folding and storing what's been around for a while.

When I returned to my apartment, I found an email ostensibly sent from the daughter of a friend. It looked authentic until I saw the email address of the sender.  I was lucky NOT to go any further into the process of opening invite.  Instead, I sent an email to my friend's daughter, asking her if she sent anything to me.  (I'm also glad that this woman is a distant enough acquaintance to know that the only communication I can expect from her is when her mom dies.)  Hopefully, she can undo any damage a scammer has done to her computer.

 

Snacking with a friend in the LGBT community

Today, I almost forgot that I had arranged to have coffee with one of my friends from the LGBT community.  This friend (who I will not name) is in financial trouble and wanted some advice.

But first....

I'm glad that I'll be seeing my doctor tomorrow morning.  Although my leg pain wasn't as bad as it's been for the past few days, I know I have to talk to the doctor about it, as well as whether I can get into the GLP-1 Bridge program that I likely qualify for.

RQS got up late, and yet, we made it to the train station on time, without any rush.  Things were working my way for a change.  Once RQS was safely on the train, I drove to Trader Joe's to pick up some food for the week.  On the way there, my friend called to confirm our meeting.  Luckily, I had the time to both shop at TJ's and to get to the diner on time.

Once I was done with my shopping mission, I dropped my TJ's haul off at home, then proceeded to the diner to meet with my friend.  We talked about many things, including some issues she had with her residence.  I made a suggestion that could help her, and paid the bill for our snack. We spent 2 hours in the diner, and I was glad that it was quiet time for the place, as I'd have hated to only order a couple of cups of coffee instead of the plate of nachos we devoured.

When we were finished at the diner, we went our separate ways, and I proceeded to get the mail out of my mailbox and go into my apartment.  I didn't realize it when I opened the envelope that it wasn't addressed to me.  So I resealed it, and marked the envelope "Return to Sender".  (The intended recipient does not live in my complex, and may not have lived here in years.)

My day was over - I was tired, and didn't feel like doing any laundry. All I wanted to do was take a nap, and I did just that.

A painful day at home (a short post)

 

It's the day after our drive to Hudson, and I ache. That's not an accurate description of what's going on with my body.  I'm not aching when I sit or lie down.  I'm simply in pain when I try to stand up or walk.  The muscles in the back of my calves simply do not want to support me.  There may be a set of pinched nerves in my back causing my problems, or it may be something else.  But I know that the doctor is going to ask me why I'm using a cane when I visit him soon.

Getting out of bed and taking care of myself lately has been troublesome at best.  I've put off doing a load of laundry for several days, simply because I'd hurt too much while going up and down the stairs. This weekend, RQS has been doing much more than I could ask of her to keep me out of pain.  And I'm grateful for that.  She has done all of the cooking, and a bit of the cleanup after meals - and more.

For the most part, for me to get around in my apartment, I need my arms for 3-point support.  At least, one of my arms needs to support my body in addition to the 2 legs that normally do so.  So, it hasn't been much fun for me to get around.  This is why I'm a little bit afraid.  I have a trip coming up, and I need to be mobile for that trip.  

But enough of my venting for now....

This morning, I received a delayed reply from my Canadian pen pal.  She's doing well, but is very busy.  She doesn't live with her wife yet, but visits her every so often.  When her parents die, she and her wife will find a way to live together - either in one city or the other,  Until then, my pen pal will be taking care of her parents.  And that's the sign of a good adult offspring.

My brother is likely going to be out of a job soon, and has started interviewing for a new one again.  He works in a place which is in receivership, and doesn't think that the banks will bail the firm out a second time.  This makes me glad that we've sold the family homestead, as my brother has a small financial cushion to tide him over until finding a new position.  It won't be an easy time for him - he suffers the from the discrimination our society has against older workers.

I'm still waiting on New York City to send me a copy of my grandmother's marriage licence.  That's the hardest thing for me to get to complete the requirements for the foreign birth registry.  I'm still going to see if I really need this document.  But, I need to get on an online chat to do so, and I haven't found the time for this task.

As a wise person said in four short words:

"This too, shall pass." 

Antiquing on a dismal day.

 

Today was a day we planned to drive up to Hudson, NY and do some antiquing.  The big problem was with my legs - I couldn't walk far, and I was grateful to have my cane with me.  Thankfully, I'll be seeing my doctor in a couple of days, and hopefully he'll able to help me walk properly before my cruise.

But first...

We got up at our usual time today, and got out of the house around 2 pm.  I knew it was going to be a long drive to get to the Antique Warehouse in Hudson, NY - 80 miles away.  For the most part, we made good time getting to Hudson, stopping only for gas and a bio-break.  By the time we got to the warehouse, the heavens had started opening up, and we rushed inside to get out of the rain and explore the place.

Once inside, we were overwhelmed by the size of the place.  Half of the building was occupied by the warehouse, with a smaller section occupied by smaller, independent shops, and a small section occupied by an Amtrak maintenance department.  I could barely walk, and was glad I could sit on any chair I could find in the place.  However, our stay in the warehouse was short, as it was warm and humid inside.  I couldn't wait to leave the place, so I could get comfortable.

Our next stop was a restaurant that Vicki and I went to when we returned from our trip to the Flax barn sale.   Savona's is part of a 4 restaurant group operating in the Hudson Valley.  I have wanted to go back with RQS in tow, and today was our opportunity to try this place together.  However, we had to pay for 15 minutes of parking, and it took some time for me to use the app to pay for those minutes.  Once I paid for those minutes, we went inside and ordered our meals.  RQS said that I made a better Caesar Salad than the restaurant, but that's because I make the dressing from scratch.  When the main course came, neither of us could finish our food.  RQS loved the place and would go back in a heartbeat.

We got home around 8, and I was aching - my legs could barely support me.  But I was safe, and I was at home.  And that's the important thing.

Dinner at Lefteris - Even salad can taste good if done right (a short post)

 

Lefteris Gyro is a family owned chain of several Greek Restaurants, whose first store is pictured here.  It has been one of my go-to places when I want good Greek food and don't want to risk a bad meal somewhere else.  Tonight, RQS and I went to dinner at one of their other locations, and as expected, we had a tasty meal.

But first....

I finally changed the appointment I had scheduled with my doctor to take place one week earlier than planned.  My knees were telling me that I'm older than I look, and that I needed to have the doctor examine me while I had time to take care of things.  Yet, with uncooperative knees (and legs), I decided NOT to do a load of laundry.  Instead, I lallygagged until it was time to get showered, made up, and dressed.  And then, I picked RQS up at the train station.

The first order of the evening was to go out for dinner.  We saw the skies darkening, but chanced the restaurant in Hartsdale, NY.  We both had the Greek Salad with Chicken, and took home some leftovers. When we got in the car, we were lucky.  It had just started to rain, and we didn't get wet.  But that didn't mean we weren't affected by the rain.  Halfway home, the heavens opened up, and I could barely see the road I was driving on.  Luckily, I knew to drive slowly, and made it home without incident. 

Tomorrow, we plan to take a long drive.  Let's hope the weather cooperates with us. 

Recovering from unforced errors

 

Yesterday, I mentioned an "Unforced Error".  Today, I recover from that error.  No, I'm not bothering with the bank until next week.  Instead, I just needed to put myself in the right frame of mind to function for the next few days.  Of course, I've been putting off calling the doctor for an earlier than planned for visit to discuss what's happening with my legs.  I've been waking up around 7 am after 5 hours of sleep.  Several years ago, I was getting more sleep and waking up later in the morning.  Now, I'm concerned about the little changes in my health which may add up to big things.   I'm not as worried about my sleep as I am about other things.  I have so much on my mind these days, and yet, nothing that I can't handle with some friends to lean on.

- - - - - -

I knew I needed to get out of the house.  And by 6 pm, my legs were starting to feel like they could support me for a while.  So, I got showered, made up and dressed, and out the door I went.  Although I had no exact plans about what I wanted to eat, I knew I wanted something with more plant based protein than I usually have.  So I decided on Chinese.  One problem - the new restaurant I wanted to try didn't have working AC.  On an 85+ degree day with high humidity, I'd melt in the heat.  As a result, I was off to another place to eat.

A couple of miles down the road was a diner I've been to before.  The food was good, the prices reasonable, and the portions large enough to have leftovers.  This was the place I chose to have dinner, knowing that I'd never make it to Trader Joe's for a food run.  As expected, the food was good, and I got out of there at a reasonable time to make a phone call to TCL.  (Nothing much in the phone call was worth reporting here.)

Eventually, I made it home with a stop at the local supermarket for some food items.  $35 later, I was out the door and on my way home.  I'm glad I didn't buy much, as my legs were starting to complain again.  But I had food for tomorrow's dinner, and that was the important thing that I took care of.... 

 

I made an unforced error. AARGH!

 

Yesterday, I went to the bank to do a couple of things, and I screwed it up.  It didn't help that I was in Mario mode (and was uncomfortable), tired, and a little bit hungry.  Everything was a little out of whack when I went to the bank down the hill.  

But first....

As I've noted lately, my legs have been bothering me, and they didn't want to cooperate with me when I got up.  It was a pain to do much of anything because I couldn't trust my legs.  So, I was doing everything slowly and carefully.

When I decided to get moving and prepare to go to the bank, it was around 3 pm.  And then I went down the hill.  I had the proceeds from the sale of the family homestead to deposit, and I was nervous about handling this money, as I wanted it handled properly and put into appropriate vehicles for use.  Entering the bank, I found that my favorite staff member there was in semi-retirement, and no longer is in the branch.  (This is the woman with a TG offspring.)  So, I ended up sitting down with a junior account manager, and then was handed over to the more senior person.  And this is where the up sell began.

First, one can't (as I was told) do a split deposit with the amount of funds I was bringing into the bank.  So, the senior person tried to sell me on a savings account to be used temporarily where I could get a bonus of maintaining $150k there for 90+ days.  One problem - they don't pay a reasonable rate on this type of account, and my money would be locked in for 90 days.  But I was weak, and focused only on the "free" $1k.  So in my weakness, I signed up for the deal.  Even though I'd get all of the benefits of being one of their "Private Client" customers, this would be a problem for me when I shut everything down.  I'd have to make sure to shut down the "Private Client" relationship, or I'd get charged $35/month.  OUCH!

Driving out of the bank, I regretted what I had done.  After a quick fast food lunch, I called Vicki, as I needed to talk to someone.  I didn't make a big mistake.  Just one that will cost me time sometime in the near future.  And it was enough to leave a bad taste in my mouth for the rest of the evening.

 

Lunch at the Gazebo with MSJ

 

I set up an Amazon order last night, knowing that I'd want to think about it before placing the order.  One thing I ordered was a yoga mat, so that I can do the exercises I'll need to rehabilitate my legs before I go on my cruise.  And it was the weakness in my legs that made itself apparent when I met with MSJ for lunch.

- - - - - -

This would be a day spent fully as Marian.  It was nice to present as a female again, after a weekend where I ended up presenting as a male due to yesterdays finalization of the house sale. So, I took my time getting ready after waking up, and cooked an egg for breakfast for the first time in a while.  After watching some videos, I got showered and dressed, and headed to the deli in town to pick up lunch.

MSJ met me a little after 1, and we headed over to Croton's Senasqua park, where we planned to eat under the gazebo there.  Unlike most days, it was busy there, and we had to look for an open bench before we could start with out lunches. (Out of 10 benches, only 2 were unoccupied.)  Once we sat down to eat, we got down to catching up on things.  I talked about my visits to the city, my cruises, and the house sale.  MSJ talked about family affairs, and difficulties with her business.  While we were chatting, town employees were setting up for a shindig occurring later in the day. One thing I mentioned was how several people took me as a cisgender female, and she was glad I had some validation.  What I didn't have the chance to mention was one conversation I had a while back in Shoprite, where a cisgender woman and I were talking about menopause, and I noted that I haven't had to worry about it for years.  😇

Around 3 pm, we left for our homes.  I ended up stripping off my dress and started to fall to sleep.  And then TCL called.  AARGH!  She wanted a review of the voice she used on her answering machine.  At least, the call was mercifully short, and I was able to take a nap until 6 pm.

- - - - - -

Tomorrow, I'll deal with the issue of depositing some checks at the bank, and switch back into Marian mode for the rest of the day. 

Selling the family homestead - At Last!

 

I could have found a picture of a mat asking whether the people at the doorway were missionaries or not.  But this one reflects my position on Covid during the darker days of the epidemic.

- - - - - -

RQS got up around 10 and found me in the living room watching TV.  I was not in the mood to bother her, and figured that if I left her place around noon, I'd be able to pick up my brother by 1 pm, and get to the law office for the closing by 2 pm.  While I was killing time, our attorney called - the closing was delayed 1 hour.  While on the phone,my brother called toe to say the same thing.  So I killed more time and picked him up at 2.

We did a last minute inspection of the house and threw out some garbage.  I grabbed a single outlet extension cord that I planned to use to connect my printer to a non switched outlet.  At 2:30, we left for the law office where the closing would be held.  And we were there just in time.

Real Estate closings are relatively simple, but require a lot of "I Dotting" and "T Crossing" to make sure that all items on a checklist are taken care of in the proper sequence.  And I was totally confused by the paper shuffling that went on.  Thank God that our lawyer knew what he was doing, and explained the things we needed to understand.

We were done with the closing by 4 pm, and made it to a nearby restaurant before 5.  And that's where the three of us (myself, my brother, and our lawyer) had a filling dinner.  All too soon, dinner had to end, and I was on my way back home.  Rush hour was over, and I could finally relax again.

- - - - - -

Tomorrow, I can get back to being Marian again and do things I want to do.  Additionally, I have to touch base with a financial advisor, and with the foreign birth registry to take care of the next steps in processes I've committed to.  

Shifting to RQS's place for convenience

 

Lately, I'm grateful that I use a cane (albeit mostly for security), as my legs have been giving out on me.  So, the decision to drive to RQS's place to spend Sunday evening and go to the closing on the family homestead the next day wasn't done lightly - it was a matter of practicality.  There was a much smaller chance of getting hung up in a traffic jam on the way to the closing when I didn't have to cross a bridge, and I knew I had to play these odds.

Knowing that parking spots on the correct side of the street would be scarce the later I looked for a spot in RQS's neighborhood.  On one side of her street, there is no parking on Mondays and Thursdays from 8 am to 11 am.  On the other, there is no parking on Tuesdays and Fridays during the same hours.  I would either have to get up, get showered and dressed and kill several hours, or I could sleep late and meet my brother at lunch time.  So, we left my place before noon, and found a good parking spot around 2 pm - about 600' from RQS's place.

Going up the stairs was painful, as my legs didn't want to cooperate with me.  But, with a little bit of use, they functioned acceptably.  Yet, I knew that I will need to do some exercises to strengthen some muscles to get my mobility back.  And I will need to do this before leaving for my next cruise, as I want to go on the shore excursions and not feel like a cripple.  At least, I was able to take a nap when I was upstairs.

When evening came, we ended up getting delivery from a nearby Thai joint.  The food was good, and I was ready to fall out again after dinner.  I'm growing less able to eat large meals on a regular basis, and have already started to cut down some.  Hopefully, I won't look like the lady in the photo above when I'm on my cruise.... 

Starting a weekend at home (a short post)

 

There are times that I don't have much to say about myself, politics, cruising, or transgender related issues.  Today is one of those times.  And yet, I stumbled onto an ethical question brought up in the New York Times.  I'm glad that I wasn't caught between two generations with different values.

But first....

RQS arrived at the train station at the usual time, and we decided to eat out at a local pizzeria.  She had to be careful with what she chose to eat because a crown came off her tooth.  Although I could have had a steak, I chose to have a pasta dish, as I wanted something filling which would allow me to have leftovers for today's lunch.

After dinner, we drove to a local ice cream stand for something sweet, and then it was time to go home and strip.  One thing this T-Gal has in common with every cisgender female is that we feel comfortable when we remove our bras.  Unlike cisgender females, I have to make sure that my falsies are properly maintained.  But I digress....

The next day, we stayed inside all day.  YouTube videos occupied our day, and the only "work" I did was to move my ID and money from Marian's wallet to Mario's wallet, as we'd be driving to RQS's place so that I can go to the lawyer's office for the house sale on Monday.

As I said - this would be a short post, as I didn't have much to say.....

Lunch with Maria (in spite of the recent weather)

 

The above is certainly not a lunch for a summer's day.  But it does illustrate how full I felt after finishing off a chicken sandwich and a bowl of clam chowder at lunch.

But first....

Over the past few days, we had several inches of rain which caused major problems in the area.  Tuesday was the worst of it, with 6+ inches falling in my region, causing some small bridges to be washed out, some roads to get flooded, and some hillsides to fall onto local roads making them impassable.  On Wednesday, we still had a little rain, but all of the roads I needed to take to New Jersey and back were clear.  Today (Thursday), I had to deal with a sporadic light mist of rain on the way to Cold Spring to have lunch with Maria.  However, Maria had a much harder time to reach me, as the main road from her place to the restaurant we were to meet was closed.

 

In my area, there are 2 main roads on the East side of the Hudson River to reach Albany (our state capital): Route 9 (which is mostly a local road that connects communities along the river), and the Taconic State Parkway (a limited access, divided highway that parallels the river, but is more inland).  I live near Route 9, and use it to travel upstate (or, at least until I cross the Hudson to connect with the New York State Thruway (another limited access road, part of the US Interstate roadway network).  I had to leave Route 9 before the washout in order to reach the restaurant, while Maria had to take a detour.  So, she was a little bit late.

When Maria arrived, we were seated outside, under a large umbrella.  This would keep us dry in case of a light rain, and get drenched in case of a heavy rain.   It was a little of a crap shoot, but we chose outdoors seating and were lucky.  I told Maria of my issue with the foreign birth registry (among other things), and she told me of things going on with her family (her daughter is moving out of state), and more importantly - she is starting to date someone nice.  Yay!  We had the longest lunch we have had in a while, and I'm hoping that she and her boyfriend (?) can meet both RQS and I for dinner soon.

All too soon, we each had to go home. And when I got home, I had no energy to do much of anything.  But it was a good day.....

 

 

 

Thanks to RQS, I can get a needed document.

 

As I mentioned in a prior post, a bureaucrat ruined my day by telling me that I have to resubmit paperwork to be recorded in a Foreign Birth Registry.  Today, with the help of my partner, RQS, I was able to locate a record requested by the bureaucrat and request it from NYC bureau of vital records.

But first....

I didn't get much sleep last night because of the email I received from the overseas bureaucrat.  So, when I finally woke up this morning, I had only gotten 3 hours of sleep.  This wouldn't be enough to make it through the day, but it would be enough to see RO in Parsippany, NJ for lunch.

Parsippany, NJ is one of New York City's suburban communities, not known for much other than a highway or two, as well as a shopping center and some strip malls.  For us, the town is a midpoint between the Poconos and the Hudson Valley, and a convenient place to have lunch now and then.  And it is in Parsippany that one of the very few remaining Fuddrucker's franchises stands.  We both love their burgers, and will occasionally meet at Fudd's for our lunches.

Both of us reached Fudd's at the same time, and ordered our burgers.  Then, the catching up on life started.  I talked about the sale of the family homestead, my upcoming cruise(s), and the status of the foreign birth registry.  It was nice to see RO, but the time to leave came way too soon.  So, we made a date for September, and then went on our way.

- - - - - -

On the way home, I chatted with TCL, and she wondered why I didn't suggest getting together.  I mentioned that I was in Marian Mode, and didn't think she'd be comfortable seeing me as Marian.  Eventually, I made it home and was able to take a nap for a couple of hours.

Next, it was time to go to dinner with Vicki.  So I put my dress back on and drove to Yorktown Heights to meet Vicki at a restaurant where one of her friends was performing.  I was running late, but got to the place on time.  Vicki complimented me on the dress I was wearing, Part of our conversation involved the quality of my feminine presentation, and how she respects the effort I make in that presentation.  Although the food served was decent (both of us ordered Caesar Salad w. Chicken), I'm not sure if I'd order the dish again.  Then I mentioned how my appetite has changed lately, and Vicki noticed that I lost a few pounds.  I mentioned my health issues, and that I'll be discussing them with my doctor in August. All too soon, it was time to go, so we parted ways. 

- - - - - -

Later in the evening, I had my nightly call with RQS.  I told her of the problem locating official NYC records for the foreign birth registry.  She found the record I was looking for, and made it possible for me to order the paperwork I needed to send to the registry.  (Now, I have something to talk to Maria about when I see her tomorrow.) 

Even though RQS got the smallest amount of space in today's entry, she made my day!  And now, I can proceed to get the paperwork needed for the foreign birth registry.... 

 

 

PS: My Grandmother and Grandfather (not my biological grandfather) got their marriage license at the end of one year, and got married the next day in a local church.  It must have been unusual in the 1940's to have a Protestant marry a Catholic in those days.  Too bad that my grandmother didn't save any pictures from that day.     

 

 

Installing a Door Knocker (a short post)

 

OK, this is not going to be a long post today.  I have too much on my mind to talk about my day, or about the big issues that occupy my mind these days.  Instead, I'd like to talk about something simple: How should people announce their arrival when delivering things such as a hot pizza?

- - - - - -

When my apartment building was constructed, the doorbell buttons were placed below the mailboxes on the main landing.  This is not intuitive for most people.  So, I placed a new doorbell button near my front door - and no one knew to ring me.  All they could do was knock on my door - and I couldn't hear it from my bedroom.  So, I decided to buy a door knocker.

The first door knocker I bought was way too big for my door, a star shaped knocker that measured 8" x 4" from top to bottom and side to side.  The minute I saw it, I knew it wasn't right for me.  So I decided to go to Home Depot and Lowe's to find something I could put on my door.  Well, Home Depot no longer carries these items in its stores, and the only one at Lowe's cost $70.  There was no way I'd spend that kind of money on something that would rarely be used.  So, it was back to Amazon to order a new knocker.

Two days later, the new knocker came to my place.  And I decided to install it during an afternoon where I'd be at home for the day.  I was lucky to have a cheap drill to put new holes in my door.  But it was a pain to screw the knocker onto the door, as the "Knocking ring" (whatever you want to call the piece hanging from the lion's mouth) got in the way of screwing the screws into the door.  AARGH!  But I got this job done in two separate attempts, and not have something which should make a loud enough sound when someone's at the door. 

 

 

PS: Today's post reminds me of a joke from the movie "Young Frankenstein."  In one scene, Gene Wilder is looking at Teri Garr's breasts and the giant door knocker nearby, and says "What Knockers!?!"  Leave it to Mel Brooks to slip a joke like this into his films.   

 

I got crucified by a paper pusher - will I come back to life?

 

As I've written before, I applied for the foreign birth registry of a nation, so that my right to claim citizenship is recognized.  Although my brother hit a bump in the road with his paperwork, he is now a dual citizen of both the United States and of this country (which I will leave unnamed at the moment.)  I just hit another bump in the road, and I will need to resubmit my photographs (no big problem) and submit one extra piece of paperwork that I do not have access to - my grandmother's marriage certificate.  AARGH!

I do not know if my brother has the date and jurisdiction of my grandmother's marriage license, so that I can get a certified copy from the appropriate entity to file with the photographs requested by the foreign birth registry.   But you might be interested in the contents of the following letter, so that if you are going through this process, you can understand what I'm going through.

Dear applicant,

We are dealing with your application to obtain Citizenship through entry on the Foreign Births Register. Unfortunately we cannot proceed with your application without the following document/s:


For the applicant (yourself):

1. A newly completed application form (pdf attached) and 4 new photographs, the witness to the application submitted is not the same witness that certified/witnessed your passport sized photos and your photo ID. The same witness must certify/witness all your documents. Please ensure the form is completed in full. Please ensure that the back of 2 of the photographs submitted are stamped, signed, dated and the application number is entered on the back by your witness. Please ensure that your witness stamps, signs and dates your application and submits a business card /letterhead if no stamp is available.

2. A certified/witnessed photocopy of your current state-issued photographic ID document (i.e. passport, drivers licence, national identity card), certified/witnessed by the witness to your application form. If you are sending a copy of your passport, please ensure that all the data on the photo page is fully visible.


For the grandparent (your grandmother):

1. Original civil marriage certificate/s showing name change from birth surname to current surname - Church certificates, certificates of marriage registration, marriage licenses and/or photocopies are not acceptable.

Please ensure that your application number is clearly marked on the envelope.

When the documents are received and your application is reviewed, you may be contacted again for further clarification or documents if required.

As you can see, I have a bit of work before me.  My grandmother's history is a bit sketchy, as my dad preserved precious little documentation regarding her life.  Yet, my brother squeaked through this process, so I should do so as well.  But when?  I want to be able to leave the USA if the Orange Monster goes completely berserk.

 

 

PS: We found a photograph of the Marriage Certificate, but we need an official copy. Given that it is not digitally accessible in the NYC records database, it's going to be a bit more of a pain in the ass than I would like.