As much as I'd like to go on this cruise, I can't do so.

 

A year and a half ago, I was thinking of a Panama Canal cruise that went from New York City to Seattle. This cruise route is no longer being offered, and I doubt it will be offered until 2025 at best.  So the above route is the best alternative I can find that does both a full transit and will bring the total cost of the trip in at a price under $5,000 (at the time I'm writing this entry).

Now that I'm sailing alone, I have to focus on being more frugal than I was a couple of years ago.  Although this cruise sails out of Florida and ends in California, I can fly to Florida, meet up with a friend or two, then sail to San Francisco (via the canal), and then fly home with minimal difficulty.  However, this would be a trip made in Mario Mode.  So I'd leave all my feminine trappings at home.  

This trip would have one big advantage - I could change my plans and have a new travel partner come with me.  If I'm very lucky, a woman with whom I've had a few dates will be coming with me, as we share the same interests in trips.  But I'm not counting chickens before they hatch - I'm still waiting for the eggs to be laid.

As I said, I won't be going on this cruise.  One of these two conditions will be true: (1) I'll still be employed by the firm where I work now, or (2) I'll be working in a new organization.  Either way, conditions will make it impossible for me to take this trip in 2022.  And, I'm not sure if I want to take this bucket list cruise in the same year that I want to take my Hawaii cruise.

I'm reminded of an old movie with a hit song

 

Today, I don't have that much to say.  I was going back through some of my photos and the first photo popped up.  It's a view of a catering hall that once was a fancy restaurant.  Seeing the place in snow reminded me where parts of a movie whose set were used in two movies featuring the same hit song.

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As I write this entry, two holiday dates are coming up next to each other.  One is a social holiday where romantic rituals often lead to mating rituals.  The other is a legal holiday, where fewer and fewer people are given the day off due to the changing nature of American employment.  Neither day has much meaning to me anymore.  Valentine's Day is meaningful when one has a romantic partner who gives you comfort (however you define it).  And Presidents' Day is meaningful only if you have the day off for enjoyment.

Given that I'll be without a romantic companion on Valentine's Day and that I will likely be working on Presidents' Day, it's a big change from where I was 10 years ago.  But then, I was still in the closet, and worried about what people would think if I came out. Now, I can go to an interview as Marian, and not worry about what a person thinks of me.  Yes, FH still wonders why I want to go to work this way, and TCL probably thinks I'm a little nuts.  But this is OK with me.  Not all questions are meant to have simple answers....

 

I saw a friend today, oh boy. She's a lucky gal who made the grade...

 

I had only one thing of note on my docket today, and that was seeing a friend who knows me as Marian, but who also knows that Mario exists.  It's always nice to get together with her, as I can talk about both sides of my life and yet, still be accepted for who I am.  FYI, this woman and I met on a dating site.  And though she is dating someone else, we have agreed to be friends and enjoy the friendship.  It's nice to know that there are some people who accept anomalies such as me, and I am gladdened that this is the case.

My alarms were set for 9 am, and I had to get myself moving by 10, if I wanted to make it to New Paltz by 12:30.  Given that I lollygagged a little, I texted my friend to tell her that I wouldn't be there until 1 pm, and that wasn't a problem. So I got dressed up as Marian (for the first time in several days) and made the drive North.

We decided to meet at the Clemson Brewing Company (formerly the Gilded Otter), and both of us arrived within minutes of each other.  Although there were people in the restaurant, no one was within 25 feet of us, so we both felt relatively safe.  We talked of conversations I had with a mutual acquaintance of ours, my trips to the city, her boyfriend, and of business in general.  (Did I mention that one of her clients is a firm I once worked for?)  

As most of us are painfully aware, the pandemic has affected businesses - some for the better, and some for the worst.  My friend's business has been affected for the worst, and changes going on at my former firm have made it worse for her.  Given her age, she is not yet ready to retire, and she is not in a position to jettison my old firm as a client.  To make things worse, they are trying to turn independent contractors into employees of a captive contractor, so that they have more control over these people. In one sense, this is good - these formerly independent contractors will get benefits.  However, it will gradually force them to jettison their other clients, and make them much more vulnerable to the whims of my old firm. 

Sadly, this conversation had to end, as she had to relieve her ex of dog sitting duty.  So we agreed to meet again soon, and I proceeded home for the evening....