Guess who was the birthday gal! (No, not me.)

 

I rarely drive to TCL's house these days, as she is uncomfortable with me when presenting as female. So, I save the times I plan to see her for when I'm presenting as male.  This means that I visit her much less than I visited a former cruise partner when we were still friends. Today was a day I was presenting as a male, and it was a perfect day to visit TCL.

But first...

RQS's friend was in town today, and we had made arrangements to meet her for lunch.  Of course, this dictated that this would be Mario's day out. So I made sure that we'd see TCL for a belated birthday dinner.  While I was at it, I also scheduled my Covid vaccination for today as well.

Waking up at 9 am, RQS and I went to CVS, so that I could get my arm stuck.  Then it was off to a small diner in Yonkers where we'd meet RQS's friend (and family) for lunch.  This diner was tiny, and not geared for 5 people (plus infant) to have a leisurely meal.  Yet, we were able to get a table quickly and we were able to have lunch together.

RQS's friend started off by telling us about her sister falling ill overseas.  I won't describe the symptoms here, but she has been stuck in a clinic in Fiji.  Travel insurance does not cover her evacuation to America.  Instead, it covers evacuation to the nearest place where appropriate care can be given - Australia.  AARGH!  Now, RQS's friend is trying to figure out a way to get her sister home and under the care of American doctors.  Although we talked about other things, this was the overriding focus of our get together, and something still being worked on as we left the diner.

Next, we were off to New Jersey.  RQS had to go to Land's End to return a coat, and came out with another at a lower price.  (Everything was on sale at 50% of the list price.)  Once done at Lands End, we killed 90 minutes before driving to TCL's place to pick her up for a belated birthday dinner.

The 3 of us made it to a nearby Italian restaurant just before the crowds came in.  We had a leisurely meal, TCL being greeted as a regular at the restaurant.  Around 6:45, I got a subtle hint from one of the wait staff that they'd like to seat new people  (Don't think this was an unreasonable hint - there was over 15 people waiting inside the doorway, and another 15 waiting outside in the chilly weather.)  So, I signaled TCL after she finished the last bite of dessert that it was time to leave.  When I pointed out how many people were waiting to get in, she understood why it was time to leave.

It was a long day.  And an expensive one, as I dropped $250 on two different meals.  Yet, it was a good day.  RQS got to see her friend, and I finally got the chance to see TCL

Parting is such sweet sorrow

 

So many odds and ends for people to catch up on, and I'm in the middle of many of them.

Let me explain.... 

I've been there for RQS through 2 emergency room visits, and forced diet changes caused by her ailments.  This is not a problem for me, as I need to have less ultra-processed food in my diet.  However, it may crimp our style when we choose places to eat for our once (or more) per week nights out.  In many ways, this will be a good thing, as I will need to clean much of the crap out of my cupboard, replacing it with healthy foods.

Before leaving RQS today, we decided on a place where we will have her birthday dinner.  It's a nice restaurant where we've held two of our co-op board's yearly dinners.  Since it will be the first weekend of Hudson Valley Restaurant week, I figured that we could have a nice dinner for a little less than I'd normally pay for such a dinner.

When I got home, I texted my brother to ask him how the house is coming along.  Well, we may have to make some hard decisions, so that we can rent the place out as soon as possible.  It looks like my brother's car got totaled by some idiot kid driving recklessly on a side street while my brother was patiently waiting for a light.  Given his workload, etc. I wasn't going to push him for information for my taxes.  However, he said that he should have things ready soon.  And I made arrangements to help him with work on the house next weekend - something I hate doing, but needs to be done.

I wish I could have stayed with RQS another day, but I have a doctor's appointment in the morning.  If I make the time AND get my bedroom cleaned up enough to have my bed delivered on Tuesday, I may decide to go into the city and see an old movie, completely recut and reedited with never seen footage - Caligula: The Ultimate Cut.  Will this end up being the final version of this production?  I doubt it.  Although this version has much of Bob Guccione's porn removed, it is still a flawed film.  Yet, I'll bet that someone will rework the film into something better than the the 2 versions that currently exist for sale.

A belated birthday dinner

 

This is NOT what I wore out to my belated birthday dinner with RQS.  I was thinking of wearing this outfit until I realized that it's a pain to go for a bio-break when wearing a jumpsuit.  But I figured that I would show you how I looked today when I met with a friend for dinner.  The trouble with that plan is that her phone is an Apple phone, and they do their damnedest to make their products incompatible with Android and Windows equipment, so that Apple can lock people into their ecosystem.  And I had to figure out how to get 3 pictures sent to me in text messages from an Apple phone copied onto my PC, then accessible by Google's web software.

The above is the dress I did wear to my belated birthday dinner.  It is comfortable, and I felt pretty when we arrived at the Hudson House Inn for dinner.  This restaurant is only a few short feet from the river, and is a wonderful place to have a nice romantic meal.  But I digress.

RQS and I have been at this place a couple of times.  First, it was for a Hudson Valley Restaurant Week dinner.  Next, it was for a Thanksgiving dinner a year and a half ago.  I am no stranger to this place, and would cheerfully eat here more often if my finances allowed for it.  Both of us ordered the same main course, crab stuffed salmon - and loved it.  It's hard to believe that one can get filled up with a smaller quantity of high quality food than a larger portion of lower quality food.  (Too bad that I grew up on junk food, and have a lower class palate when eating on my own.)  

Years ago, when I was dating CSN, we had considered this place for a wedding banquet.  (I'm glad that I terminated that relationship, as it would have ended in a costly and messy divorce.)  The Hudson House Inn may have seen its better days.  But I can't complain about what it is now, as it is known for being an excellent restaurant with nice accommodations for people who might want to spend a romantic weekend in Cold Spring.

You might wonder why I broke up with CSN almost 40 years ago.  The first thing was that she was one of those yuppies who wanted to get to the top, and would never have understood who I really was inside.  (And this was way before I realized that I was transgender!)  Next, CSN wasn't a humble person as I remember her, and she was extremely status conscious.  (I, on the other hand, did not care about outward displays of status.  The last thing I wanted to be was a pretentious asshole - even if I didn't recognize it yet.)  In the end, it was a good learning experience for me, as I learned a little bit more about who I was and what I valued in life.  I still was far from the person I am now.  But I had started to find out....

Fast forward about 40 years, and I am still living in the same apartment I bought before I met my late wife.  Her death taught me to appreciate people in the here and now, as they may not be around in the future when I "have time" for them.  So, I try to show RQS how much I care for her whenever possible.  Though it might have been a birthday dinner for me, it was a way of realizing that someone like me has undergone similar experiences and is trying to show how important I am to her.