The start of a nice weekend

 

As I've mentioned quite often, I don't have the energy that I used to have years ago.  In past years, I'd set myself up to do several things in the same day, and get them all done.  For example, I'd create a checklist for the things that I wanted to accomplish that day such as that below:

1. Call Cruise line about promotion offer.
2. Call Doctor's office regarding being set up to be able to leave messages after hours.
3. Lunch with a friend.
   
4. Shopping at the supermarket.
5. Ear Piercing.
6. Manicure/Pedicure.
7. Dinner Meetup.

When I was working, I had the energy to fit all of this into a weekend day.  (Not all of these things could be done on the weekend.  But I digress.)  These days, if I'm lucky, I get around to 2 or 3 of them. So when RQS came up for the weekend, I knew I had time to do only 3 things before she got here, and only accomplished 1 of them - the Mani/Pedi in that list. Retirement changes a lot about what one can expect from herself.  In my case, I manage what I do, so that I have enough energy to enjoy the time that RQS is here.

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My day started slowly, and I got out just early enough to have time for a Mani-Pedi at the local nail salon.  I'm not a conversationalist when I'm at the salon, as I am not a regular, and I don't want to use my voice that much.  So, my visits become a sort of quiet time that I can enjoy while someone takes care of me.

Once done with the Mani-Pedi, it was off to Dunkin Donuts where I sated my hunger with a egg & chorizo wrap.  It would not fill me up enough to make me skip an early dinner.  But if needed, it would hold me over until we ate a late dinner.  Either way, I'd be able to be in sync with RQS when she arrived at the train station.

As usual, I was in Marian mode when RQS arrived in Croton..(What would you expect after getting a Mani-Pedi?)  She liked the dress from Flax that I was wearing, and this confirmed my desire to continue purging clothes that no longer fit my style and fill more donation bags.  Since we both could enjoy an early dinner, we went to a nearby place for Greek food, then took a drive before getting ice cream for dessert.

Finally, we were in for the evening.  And it was time to strip.  But before I did so, I showed her an exercise dress I got from Macy's (online), and she liked it on me.  Yes, the hemline was a bit short for purposes other than exercise.  But it looked good enough to consider buying another.  (Now, I really have to prune what's in my closet!)

Tomorrow, it'll be off to have a delayed birthday dinner.  (More on that later.) 

A "Short" Weekend

 

It's been hard keeping my composure as of late.  Although I am slowly recovering from the theft of my wallet and the loss of my backpack (with old Chromebook and assorted supplies), I do not yet feel back to normal, due to GI-Tract issues I'll soon be seeing a doctor about.  (My internist told me to contact a specialist, and I'll be dealing with triage procedures next week.) So, with the exception of my health, most of the other issues are being managed to my satisfaction.

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On Friday, RQS came to Croton.  Our plans were to do some leaf peeping before the last of the leaves fell to the ground.  Unfortunately, most of the leaves were already on the ground when we started our Saturday excursion.  However, this wasn't so bad, as it was a day I could get out in the world as Marian and show RQS some of the vistas that can only be experienced in the Hudson Valley.

We started our trip by crossing the Hudson and taking side roads through Harriman State Park.  There were a lot of great views to be captured, but there were too many people following us for me to stop for her to take snapshots.  Once out of the park, we headed North towards Walden, where we made the mistake of pulling into a Dunkin Donuts, where the help totally ignored us for several minutes.  After a reasonable amount of time, I took RQS by the hand and exited the shop to get a snack at the hotdog/ice cream stand next door.  Going there for food was almost as bad as stopping at DD's, as we had reactions to food that tasted excessively greasy.  We will never stop there again.  At that point, I felt it was time to go home, and we crossed the Hudson to take in the views from Fahnstock State Park.  At least, this time, RQS could get some photos.  

Finally, we returned to Croton with a quick stop at the dam, where she got some nice pictures.  Although the park was supposed to close at 5:30 pm, there was no way they would be able to clear out all of the people there before the sun set.  It was too nice a day in October for anyone to rush home, as this would likely be the last nice day we'll get until Spring.

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Sunday came, and we did nothing all day.  So I won't talk much about that.  But I was supposed to receive 2 shipments from Amazon that never came.  They were delayed until Monday, and weren't delivered until RQS got home.  As I said, I'm still replacing things I lost when I misplaced my backpack at Croton-Harmon station.  Hopefully, though I doubt it, MNRR lost and found will have the backpack the next time I go into NYC by train.

I brought TCL and RQS together for the first time - a short post

 

No, that is not RQS next to me.  Instead, this strong, silent critter  just made me want to show some affection for someone who is a little different.

But to be serious....

I've been trying to get TCL and RQS in the same place for a while.  But circumstances never permitted it.  Recently, I was able to schedule a shopping trip to New Jersey to take care of some errands for RQS, and then meet up with TCL afterwards to chat.  However, I had to make sure that I was presenting as a male 😞 for this meeting to happen.

First, RQS and I went to the pet store to buy some "pill pockets" for use this coming week when we planned to take one cat to the vet for its periodic fur removal. After that, it was off to Home Depot to get some blinds for her apartment. And then it was off to Dunkin Donuts to meet with TCL for coffee. Who knew that we'd be chatting for over 2 hours, until the shop had to close.  Now, RQS has seen TCL and understands how she can ramble on and on at times.  (I do it too, and have to watch out for when I do so.)

Later on, I received a text from TCL - she loves RQS and sees how and why we get along.  I'm sure that the two of us will be seeing her again soon.

Day 01 - Starting off on our cruise

 

Early this morning, RQS and I “rushed” to get showered and dressed. Sadly, this was not a cruise that I planned to take in Marian mode. But, for RQS's first cruise, I wanted to make it as pleasurable for her as possible.

Before calling an Uber, we decided to walk over to a local Wendy's and grab a breakfast sandwich. This was a big mistake. Wendy's does not do breakfast well, and we were disappointed with the quality of service, the quality of the "food" and the variety in their breakfast menu. (We should have known better when Wendy's does French Fries for breakfast, instead of doing a Hash Brown offering on their grill.) So we walked over to Dunkin Donuts for some coffee, then called an Uber.

The Uber arrived shortly after 11 and took us to the pier via the back roads. He didn't want to go into Manhattan via the Midtown Tunnel while the UN was in session, so he chose to go via the 59th street bridge and zig-zagged his way to the pier. When we arrived at the pier, the place was mobbed. There was a line stretching from pier 88 to pier 90 with people waiting to check in to our cruise. We were glad we got there early, as we were onboard by 1:30 pm because the on-boarding process went smoother than expected..

By the time night fell, we were exhausted and got to sleep early.