The longer I'm out and about, the less I write about being TG

 

When I started blogging, I used to talk about how I worried about whether people would clock me as being TG.  I discussed things such as voice training, meeting people as Marian, and other things that would set me apart from cisgender women.  Over the years, I have gained much more confidence in who I am and where I can safely go.  But people like me are under attack from the Orange Snowflake.  Most of us don't flaunt what we are.  We simply want to go about our lives without being treated less than human from certain social groups such as religious fundamentalists. 

This entry is not about being TG as much as it is about life in general.  For the most part, the vast majority of people lead humdrum lives.  Even if one has become famous, such as being a movie star, a sports player, and a politician, most of our lives consist of relatively boring activities such as shopping, doing the laundry, cleaning our houses, etc.. So, what should anyone write about?  I'm not one who makes a big deal about what I'm wearing these days, save that I want to hide my less than feminine features.  Going into the ladies' room is no longer a big deal when I'm presenting as Marian - I just go into the stall, get my clothes out of the way, sit down and relieve myself.  Most people don't bat a eyelash, especially since most fat people tend to be "invisible" to others.

For a little over a week, I've been wearing red nail polish.  As a consequence, I've been presenting as a female. The only reason I removed my nail polish today was that it was starting to chip away.  I figure that I'll go get my nails done when RQS goes home, as I don't want to spend the time to redo my nails while she's here.  

- - - - - -

Today has become a sort of "maintenance day".  RQS decided to reorganize my kitchen cabinets, while I decided to pay some bills and to prepare to do laundry.  Since the light over the kitchen counter got damaged, we will end up going to Lowe's to pick up a replacement later on.  While we were sitting down, we booked a couple of shore excursions for our upcoming cruise.  Now, we have 3 out of 5 shore days where we have things to see when in port.

Cruising has become our preferred mode of taking a vacation, as it gives us the most bang per buck. We keep looking at cruises we can take.  I'm hoping that the snowflake is removed from office so that sanity can rule in the US again.  Then, and only then, will I consider the cruise I want to take - a transatlantic crossing on the Queen Mary 2, where I can return to the States as Marian.

Until then, I'll just have to keep living my humdrum life....

The rains came, and I stayed inside - but the snowflake is still in the news.

 

 

I already miss summer and the warmer weather that comes with it.  The dress I wore on this zoom call has been retired for the season, as well as the baseball team that usually plays in the ballpark behind me.  My winter wardrobe has come out of the storage containers they were once in, and my closet is now filled with cold weather garments.

- - - - - -

Today, we had drenching rains in the NYC region.  Given that I had nothing much to do, I stayed inside where it was warm and comfortable - a perfect day for another Jammie Day!  However, two people I know had to go out in this rain and took the risk of getting drenched (one did) on the way to/from their destinations.  I can only imagine how rain water may have flooded some NYC subway stations. It's nice to know that I don't have to make that commute any more.

Even though I had nothing much to do, I took care of hanging up some clothes, and putting yesterday's laundry into my dresser. I figure that when RQS arrives tomorrow, I'll have a hamper filled with sheets and other items needing to be laundered.  But, I'll be able to see RQS again and take another drive North to see what is left on the trees after today's rain storm.

- - - - - -

Tomorrow, I'll enjoy having a chance to go out and have my nails done.  As much as I enjoy the feminine side of life, current political developments may get in the way of things.  The snowflake has reduced the standards for people recruited into ICE, and we're hearing about more problems caused by people whose only loyalty is to the snowflake.  Innocent US Citizens are regularly scooped up in ICE raids, and I feel that the ICE recruitment is akin to Germany's staffing up of the SA and SS.  The big question is: which agency will become the snowflake's next terrorist organization, and model the SS for cruelty?  Once I see that happen, it will be time for me to go stealth and prepare to leave the country.  If this happens, I will leave a farewell message - assuming I have the chance to do so.

 

Now that I'm home, I'm catching up on things

 

It took me roughly 2 hours to get home today, and I'm starting to take care of things needed to get me through the week. 

- - - - - -

Returning home after a weekend with RQS can be a pain, as I know of all the tasks to take care of when I get home.  For example, unlike my brother, I prefer NOT to use my bank's phone app to take care of bill payments and other things.  My financials are way too important to me to trust to a device that can get easily stolen (as happened with my wallet in Chicago a couple of years ago).  So, moving money from my personal account to the account dedicated to the family homestead had to be done from home.  But there were other tasks to take care of, such as 2 loads of laundry.  That got done this evening.  And I was expecting a delivery from Ulla Popken which UPS reports is stuck in Philadelphia.  (Dollars to donuts, the shipment is being delayed because US Customs isn't clearing the shipment due to the government shutdown.)

Normally, I'd have taken the time to switch into Marian mode and relax.  However, I have to present as Mario in the morning when I visit my doctor, as well as meeting the management company's site representative for a run through of the vacant apartment we are auctioning off next week.  Only after this is taken care of will I be able to switch into Marian mode and get my nails done (if I have the time) before going to a meetup in Valhalla.

I still have a big mess to straighten up over here, as well as laundry to fold and put away.  Those tasks can wait.  I'm tired and want to rest for a while.  

Dinner with Vicki

 

No, this is not what Vicki and I had for dinner.  Yet, this is a place I want to go to again with RQS when we're next in the city together.  Tonight's dinner couldn't be further from Jewish Deli fare, as we went to an Indian restaurant for dinner.

But first....

This was the second Sunday in 2 months that I had free.  Did I go to church as planned?  No.  I had no energy.  Instead, I lazed around all day until I had to get ready for dinner.  So, around 3:30, I started to prepare to go out.

One of the minor problems I've been having lately in the bathroom is that I have a small shelf in my shower which is meant to be attached by vacuum cups.  Unfortunately, one of those cups no longer wants to stay fastened to the wall.  As a result, I have to put my shaving gel, my razors, and soap on another shelf near the shower head.  This makes it very inconvenient when I shave my torso, arms and legs prior to going out as Marian.  Sooner or later, I'll find out a way to get this shelf to stay adhered to the wall tiles without glue.  Unfortunately, I did spend much more time than I wanted in the bathroom due to my GI Tract issues.  I think I'm going to talk to the doctor again when I see him this week.  Maybe, he has some ideas that will help me in this area....

- - - - - -

Finally, I was ready to shower, shave, dress, and get ready to go out as Marian.  What surprised me was the fact that I made it to Vicki's place earlier than expected.  And even more surprising was that I ended up driving to Brewster for dinner.  At dinner, we ended up talking about politics.  She sees the GOP having the upper hand at messaging, while I feel that if things get really bad, that even "Red State" GOP loyalists may abandon their leaders and put new people in charge.  Vicki doesn't understand the hold that the Snowflake has on people, where I do - it's the same problem Germany had 90 years ago, albeit with modern technology.  Unlike 90 years ago, we know what has to be done to preserve societal knowledge during a reign of terror.

Once done with dinner, I dropped Vicki off and went to the supermarket to pick up some stuff.  Lately, I've been using baby powder to keep from chafing and to absorb sweat in areas where it is not polite to scratch in public.  So, baby powder, chocolate milk, eggs and some crackers jumped into my shopping cart and made their way home with me.

With the exception of changing into Mario mode to do laundry (and to be ready for lunch with TCL tomorrow), I called it a night.

Canada/New England Cruise 2025 - Sea Day #3 (09/17/25)

 

Our last day on the ship, and we already reached a high point with the culinary challenge and galley tour.  Princess seems to do this on every cruise, and it's a fun presentation by the culinary staff of the ship.  On one side is an actual chef who knows what he's doing and does it very well.  On the other is a staff member acting as a clown, having fun and ruining a recipe for (usually) an appetizer, a main course, and a dessert.  This presentation shouldn't be missed.  Following this presentation, cruisers are encouraged to visit the galley and ask questions of the staff.

- - - - - -

But let's put first things first....

We were unable to do laundry last night.  So, I knew that I had to wake up bright and early to get to the laundry room and not wait for a machine.  Showering and dressing before 8 am is difficult for me (it'll be much worse tomorrow, on disembarkation day), but I made it to the laundry room by 8:05 - where 2 of the 5 washers were in use.  I asked some people to watch my laundry bag as I walked down to guest services to get some tokens.  On my return, I loaded up the washer and struck up a chat with 2 people from Canada.  It was a good chat, and I stayed in the laundry room until the wash was done.  And that's when RQS came in, saying we had to get some breakfast.  I loaded the dryer, paid another token for a 60 minute run, and it was off to breakfast.

We didn't have time for a dining room breakfast, so off to the buffet we went.  And again, I struck up a conversation with another out-of-towner wanting to see a baseball game.  Again, I was an instruction manual for someone wanting to see a game in Flushing.  Once the couple left, we decamped to the laundry room to await our dried clothes. 

Once our clothes were dry, we dumped them off in our cabin, then went to the culinary challenge.  There were no seats left, so we sat in the aisle's steps to watch the show.  RQS enjoyed it (as I expected), and then we went to the galley tour.  From there it was off to the gastropub for lunch.

- - - - - - 

Lunch at the gastropub was pleasant.  I chose their mushroom dish for an appetizer, as the other 2 menu choices were not appetizing to me.  And then I had the signature burger - which was tasty, but over embellished with fried jalapeño peppers.  This was the high point of the meal, as the pudding like dessert was marred by the popcorn embellishments.

And then, we packed for our return home....

- - - - - -

At 7, we went for our last specialty dinner of the trip.  It was a good meal,  Around 9, we put out our luggage for delivery to the pier.  And then we went to see the comedian in the main theater.  He was funny, but I left just before the show ended - I was ready to pass out, and I needed sleep.

 

 

 

Canada/New England Cruise 2025 - Boston, MA (09/16/25)

 

The above was the view from our Bridge Cam this morning.  At first, it looked like it would be a cloudy day. But as time went on, the day improved.  Yet, we just weren't in the mood to get off the ship.  So we spent this last port day on the ship instead of exploring Boston as we originally planned.

- - - - - -

We woke up around 9, and were having breakfast in the buffet until 11.  And then we walked outside to get some fresh air.  There is something about being on a quiet ship on a port day that is relaxing. For example, there was no crowd around the pool today.  If one wanted a deck lounge chair, it was there for the taking.  The ship was empty, and those left on the ship had it to themselves.

There is one problem with staying on the ship on port days - all of the shops and most of the restaurants are closed while in port.  One can't take advantage of everything the ship has to offer, as this is the one time many of the ship's personnel get a break from work.  Although the spa may be open, I've never found anyone rushing to get treatments due to the inflated prices charged by this venue.

For the most part, this was a day to relax, and relax we did - until it was time to go to dinner.  Tonight was "Surf and Turf" night, the one night that the main dining room goes all out to serve cruisers.  Was the surf and turf good?  Yes, but the steak was drowning in sauce - something I don't like on most cuts of meat.  (At least, RQS had the duck breast, and she enjoyed it to the fullest.)  While at dinner, I struck up a conversation with the man at the table next to us. RQS and enjoyed talking with this man about cruising, life, and other things, and chatted for the better part of an hour after our table was cleaned by the wait staff. 

After dinner, we tried to do a load of laundry.  Unfortunately, we were too late to get a load in and done in time.  Tomorrow, we'll have to squeeze this task in, between everything else we have scheduled. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

.

Canada/New England Cruise 2025 - Charlottetown, PE (09/12/25)

 

Today was a big disappointment.  This would be the second cruise we've taken to this port, and we had to skip this port again due to weather conditions.  The last time we were supposed to be here, it was on the heels of a hurricane.  This time, strong winds coming from the wrong direction made it unsafe to make port. (It seems strange that the waters weren't choppy from where we were.  But that's another story.)  So, we had an unexpected sea day, and more time to spend money on the ship's onboard activities.

- - - - - -

We decided to go to the MDR for breakfast today, and service was sloppy.  Although the food was good, I couldn't wait to leave and get back to our cabin to relax.  About 2 hours later I woke up after napping, and then it was time for lunch.  (There often isn't that much to do on sea days, save to relax and eat.) 

Even though this was a sea day and the main dining room was open for lunch, we didn't go there.  Instead, we went to one of the casual dining restaurants staged for lunch in the premises of the evening specialty restaurants.  During the day, Princess's pizza restaurant, Alfredo's, uses Sabbatini's space for its meals - and if one wants a custom personal pizza, this is the place to go at lunch time. Both RQS and I enjoyed our pizzas and wondered whether we'd have enough room in our stomachs to eat at the Crab Shack pop up later in the evening.  Although we could have dessert there, neither of us wanted Tiramisu. (Alfredo's on other ships usually has its own space, as well as O'Malley's gastropub.)  So, it was back to our cabin to rest.

Around 4:00 RQS decided to do laundry.  We still had tokens from our last laundry run on the Ruby Princess, so we hoped that the same tokens would work - they did.  About 90 minutes later, we retrieved our laundry from the dryer, and then proceeded to Crab Shack for dinner.

On the Island Princess, Crab Shack is not a lunch time pop up.  Instead, it is a dinner time venue in a cordoned off section of the buffet.  Other than that, it is the same pop up venue in a different area of the ship than on most Princess ships.  On our last cruise, we ordered the seafood bucket for two.  This time, we both ordered the seafood pots which contained clams, mussels, shrimp and crab (claws and legs).  It was tasty as expected.  Next time, we'll try the seafood boil for comparison.  

Once done with our meal, it was back to the cabin to rest while the food digested.... 

 

Alaska Cruise 2025 - Sea Day #4 (08/20/25)

  

The Pacific Ocean just after sunrise.  It's a beautiful sight, and something I'll have the chance to see one last time before reaching San Francisco.  Views like this are one of the many reasons to be sailing in a balcony cabin when taking an Alaskan cruise.

- - - - - -

Last night, while I was doing laundry, I met another cruiser in the laundry room.  We got to talking about current affairs, both of us being appalled by our current fascist regime's policy of hassling (or worse) anyone who doesn't look like a piece of white toast or have a white toast sounding name.  We wondered if the military would revolt (we didn't think so), and how people are acting out of fear.  I opened up about being TG, noting that I have filed for a European country's foreign birth registry.  She said that she has dual US and Mexican citizenship, and that she is trying to get Spanish citizenship, in order to be able to live in the EU if needed.

This morning, I started to think: Could I leave the US with nothing but the clothes on my back and get by?  30 years ago, I would have said YES! without a thought.  Today, I'm not certain of this, given my age. But I won't dwell on this question right now.  Instead, I'll sit and watch the ocean go by my balcony and stay relaxed until we get to San Francisco.

- - - - - -

The first thing we did after getting up was to go for lunch.  Yes, I pigged out with an appetizer, some soup, a burger and dessert.  And it was all yummy!  Then it was off the the atrium too see what was on sale.  As I write this, I have $322 in onboard credits - $172 nonrefundable, and $150 refundable.  Assuming that RQS burns off $75 of the nonrefundable credits in a spa session tomorrow, and that we burn off $140 at the Crab Shack pop up tomorrow, that means that I still have $113 to burn.  This means that I may buy a watch that I don't need to use up the remaining credits.  (Or, I could have Princess cur me a check for the remaining refundable credits.)  While we were still out of the room, we asked guest services about whether they have behind the scenes tours of the ship, as they do on some other ships.  All they have is a guided walk through the galley area, where one can see what goes on in the main kitchen.  Although it is something nice, it's not what I was looking for.  Yet, it paid to ask.

- - - - - - 

Around 6 pm, we had to get ready for the last formal night of our cruise.   I forgot where I put my tie, so RQS was ready before me.  We got more photos taken, and then went to another specialty restaurant (the Crown Grill) for surf and turf.  RQS had the lobster tail, while I had the veal chop.  Yum!  As usual, we were ready to pass out after eating, so it was back to our cabin to get a start on packing, and to watch some TV before going to sleep.  (You'll never know how quickly one can fall asleep until you watch a 50 y/o episode of The Love Boat!)

 

Alaska Cruise 2025 - Sea Day #2 (08/13/25)

Breakfast for two....

There were more plates and trays of food to start our day.  But the day had come late due to Room Service personnel oversleeping.  (Or, that's the excuse the man gave.)

- - - - - -

We were awakened by someone calling from New York, trying to get RQS to accept a dental appointment for cleaning only, as her dentist would not be there.  As usual, the person was acting with a pre-set agenda and wasn't listening to RQS. RQS wanted to see the dentist as part of her regularly scheduled appointment. But RQS made herself clear and got the appointment she wanted.  As for me, I could have used an hour or two more sleep.

When were finally moving, we had to wait more time than should have been necessary for breakfast, as Room Service was running late.  By the time we finished breakfast, it was lunch time - a meal we decided to skip in favor of afternoon tea later in the afternoon.

- - - - - - 

Afternoon Tea....

Around 3 pm, we went down to the dining room for afternoon tea.  There was not enough room in the area outside the restaurant to hold all of the people waiting to get in for tea.  At 3 pm sharp, the restaurant opened to let everyone in.  RQS and I were seated at a table for 2, a table off the beaten track of wait staff flow. This wasn't the problem that made tea unpleasant.  Instead, it was the loudness of our area.  We had to shout to hear each other speak.  Unlike tea on our Norwegian Fjord cruise, the small finger sandwiches had almost no flavor.  Was it us?  Or was it the ship's environment that caused us to give a "thumbs down" on tea?  Who knows?  But I won't be in any hurry to go back there again for afternoon tea.

- - - - - -

 

Dinner....

We got dressed in our nicest clothes for formal night, and left early for dinner.  This would give us some time to get formal pictures taken of us before we went to dinner.  After walking around for a few minutes, we found a place where we wanted our pictures taken - and did so.  Then, it was off to dinner.

Arriving at the restaurant a few minutes early, we asked if we could be seated at a table where our favorite waiter was working.  They hemmed and hawed a little, and seated us at another shared table.  Then Marco showed up, and greeted us warmly.  We love his touch in serving us at our table.  (Now, I understand why my uncle was once upset at not having his favorite waiter serve my dad when he visited him in the Hamptons one year.)  Across from us was a couple from Turkey who could barely speak English.  Shortly after we ordered, two ladies were seated next to us, and we had a great, non serious chat with them.  I suggested the Orange Duck, and she was glad I suggested it. Our dishes came.  First was the crab cake, then the ravioli, followed by the duck.  Yum!  The orange sauce was not as pronounced as I'd make it, but it was good. Finally, dessert was served, and I had the creme brulee.

- - - - - -

When we finished dinner, we decided to do almost a week's worth of laundry.  One of the nice things about a Princess cruise ship is that most (if not all) have self-service laundry.  Two problems: the token dispenser didn't work, and the soap dispensing machine was empty (or, we thought it was).  So each of us had to make our way to Guest Services for help... multiple times.

All in all, this was a good sea day.... 

 

Today didn't go as planned - and it's just as well.

 

Yesterday, I sent out two pieces of paper by snail mail.  The first was a form my brother needs to have notarized so that we can send it in to the town for a rental permit.  The second was to my best friend from college, trying to find out why his special email account was disconnected.  (Given that he had a stroke a few years ago, I assume the worst - he passed away, and both his email account and his domain (blueroan.com) were shut down.)  Hopefully, my brother will be able to get the first piece of paper taken care of before his vacation, and I will get notice that my friend is alive and well in Florida.

- - - - - -

Today, I planned to get some passport photos taken, fill out the form to register my overseas birth with a foreign registrar.  This would allow me to get my second passport, something I might need if things go "impossibly" wrong here for us transgenders.  Well, I got those photos taken, but I didn't fill out the form, as I wanted to make sure I could get things notarized and a paperwork package in international mail on the same day. Next, I wanted to do some laundry, so that I would have fresh clothes for an upcoming trip.  (This I did later on in the day.)  Then, things went wrong - I knocked over a lamp in my bedroom and glass was scattered on the floor on RQS's side of the bed.  Now, I had to take care of two things: (1) Clean off the carpet as best I could and vacuum the remaining glass fragments out of the carpet; (2) Buy a replacement lamp, so that I have enough light in the room when I'm not sleeping.

If I had gotten everything done as planned, I would have switched into female presentation to close out the day, and consider going to the movies where I'd be entertained for the evening.  Given that I needed to be male presentation for the passport photos and it was in the 90's outside, it wasn't worth switching into Marian's presentation to go shopping.  At least, tomorrow I will be able to get into Marian mode again.

I went out in the rain, only because I didn't want to cook.

 

Today, the weatherman predicted late afternoon rain, and boy, was he right!  After doing laundry (when it was dry outside), I decided to get showered and dressed.  By the time I was ready to go out, it was dark outside and the heavens had opened up.  There was no way that once I got into one of my dresses, that I would not go outside.  So I grabbed an umbrella, and out the door I went. After 30 minutes of driving, I decided to have some Fish & Chips at the diner in Pleasantville.  The food was plentiful, but they fried the fish for a bit too long.  At least it was filling....

- - - - - - 

Sadly, the Snowflake's Big UGLY Bill made it through the Senate, and it's back to the House for reconcilement.  I ration how much time I spend watching news these days, as a continued diet of unpleasant news is infectious, One can get the key elements of what one needs to know in 10 minutes of watching the news these days,  Why let the Snowflake have room in your head?

I'm still keeping my fingers crossed that the bill will die before it hits the Snowflake's desk.  But what I'm more worried about is the Snowflake's threat to revoke the naturalization of New York City's Democratic Mayoral Nominee.  He is using all the tools at his disposal to stifle any dissent.  I just wonder how long he can do so, given how unpopular he is in his own party. 

- - - - - -

With all the troubles going on these days, I try to remember this phrase:

This too, shall pass.

Too bad it feels like a kidney stone passing at times as of late.... 

 

 

 

PS:   Sadly, the bill did pass and was signed on Independence Day. 

Lots of little stuff, but nothing of major importance.

 

This was "one of those days."  No, it was not a disastrous day.  Instead, it was a day where everything was a little bit off, and led me not to accomplish much.

- - - - - -

I may have mentioned that my apartment's super was coming over today to work on the bathtub water faucets.   To do this, I had to be up early, so that I could be ready anytime he was to come.  This meant that I would be dressing as Mario today, as I would be able to take care of some errands that required the presence of me in boy mode.

Once dressed, I put two loads of laundry into the wash, and then took care of errands.  Between the time I put clothes into the wash and then the dryer, I picked up some lunch.  Once the clothes were in the dryer, I deposited $440 in checks and took out $140 in cash to pay my super for his time and materials.  Laundry was done by 1 pm, so I had the time to sit and relax in the apartment until the super came.

This would be the first time I payed loose attention to the work my super was doing in the bathroom.  An hour later, I had learned a couple of things about bathroom plumbing, as well as having a plumbing fixture that should last a few years.  The super only asked for $50 to cover the parts he bought.  But I slipped him an extra $50 to help compensate him for his effort (even though it was done on co-op time).

Now that I had a working faucet again, I could rest.  Then TCL (The Cat Lady, as I call her) called just before I was about to take a short nap.  While on the phone, I found that I got an email from NYS Office of Unclaimed Funds - we need 2 more documents before they can send us any money.  That's OK with me, but I don't have access to certain things, and I forwarded the email to my brother for his opinion.

- - - - - -

Thankfully, the weather will be cooler tomorrow, and I will feel better about going outside - if it doesn't rain.... 

A trip to Daryl's House with Vicki

 

Daryl Hall (of Hall and Oates) owns a music venue in Pawling, NY that was once occupied by the Towne Crier Cafe (now in Beacon, NY).  Tonight, one of Vicki's favorite performers, Martin Sexton, performed there, and we went up for dinner and a show.

- - - - - -

My day started with me starting to write an entry for my cruise related blog.  Although experienced travelers would have packing for a cruise down to a science, inexperienced travelers might need guidance.  This entry is meant to give those people some of the guidance they need.  While writing this entry, I decided to catch up on laundry, and put 3 loads through the washer and dryer.  By the time the laundry was done, I turned off the computer, brought the laundry upstairs, and then proceeded to get ready to meet Vicki at her place.

Given how warm it was today, I decided to wear the dress above.  I figured that the less I wore, the less oppressive this weather would be for me.  Even this would make me feel like I was wearing too much due to the heat and humidity outside.  But I digress.  Leaving my apartment at 4:45 pm, I knew that I'd make it to Vicki's place by 5:00 pm.  Yet, Vicki was expecting me to be a little late, and we didn't start our journey to Pawling for another 10 minutes.

Now, driving to Pawling during rush hour is rarely a pleasant drive.  If one takes the most commonly used routes from Vicki's house, one would drive to Route 684, then follow Route 22 North to Pawling.  One problem - traffic along this stretch of road moves very slow during rush hour.  So, Vicki consulted Google for directions (I feel that she depends on Google too much for my taste), and it took us through back roads to get near Pawling.  Given how remote this area is, I would not consider returning via this road at night.

On our way there, we discussed many things - with Vicki trying to take control of the conversation when I was discussing will making.  I didn't need any advice on how to make a will.  Instead, I simply needed to figure out what I want to have done with my assets when I pass away.  I wasn't venting. All I was doing was to state where my mind was at, and she went into problem solving mode.  Thankfully, I have her as a friend and not as a spouse. 

We reached Pawling at 6:00 pm, and were seated 1 table away from the stage.  I ordered the fried calamari appetizer and a huge pork chop for dinner - and I'd order both again the next time we are there.  Dinner was over for us around 7:00 pm, and we killed an hour before Martin Sexton came on stage.  Both of us enjoyed his performance of Beatle songs (his latest album covered the entire Abbey Road album), and I found it interesting that Vicki enjoyed some Beatle music.  (Long story here, which I'm not in the mood to cover now.)  After a break, he performed a set of his own music, and the show was over by 10:00 pm.

For our return, Vicki knew that the easiest way home was the most direct way home.  I was home by 11:00 pm and ready to call it a night.
 

 

The Outlaw Is Dead!

 

With an entry title like this, one might think we'd be celebrating another person's death.  But in this case, I am talking about a visit to NYC to see the play "Dead Outlaw" on Broadway.  As much as I should have gone into NYC yesterday when the weather was cooler, or earlier today, when more tickets were available, I have no complaints.  The play was well worth what I paid to see it.

But first....

I keep adding more clothes to the "Dirty Laundry" baskets, and I have enough to fill two washers.  Since RQS is coming up on Friday, I figured that I could either do the wash today, or put it off until tomorrow.  Guess what I chose?  If you thought I'd stop putting this task off, you'd be wrong.  If anything, I started putting winter clothes into storage containers, and figured that I have to start on a third donation bag with excess clothing that's currently in the closet.

Around 3:30 pm, I decided that I was finally going to go into into NYC to see a Broadway play.  Only one problem.  By the time I would get to Croton-Harmon station, I would be on the margin of being able to get tickets to one of the plays I want to see before those plays started.  As I got to the station, the 4:46 pm train was leaving the platform.  So I took my time walking to the elevator to the ticketing area.  At the elevator, there was a mob of friends packed inside and the doors weren't closing.  Taking the stairs, I got to the ticketing area at the same time as this group.  Luckily, I was able to get to one of the ticket vending machines without having to wait for this group to be done,  And then, I had to wait 20 minutes for the train.

Once on the train, it took me 45 minutes to cool down from the heat outside.  Thankfully, I was wearing one of my favorite dresses, as I would have died if I were wearing much else.  (Too bad that I have to wear wigs, as they don't allow my head to radiate heat the way natural hair would allow.)  When I got to Grand Central Terminal, I skipped the chance to take a bio-break, and this would be a concern later on  I took the crosstown subway, then walked to the TKTS office in Times Square to buy a ticket for a Broadway play.

For those readers not familiar with NYC, Times Square has been a place that true New Yorkers avoid as much as possible.  It is a place fit only for tourists and for people in transit to Broadway plays.  Assuming one has taken the subway to Times Square / 42nd street, even a native New Yorker can get confused where uptown and downtown is due to the buildings with scaffolding on them - it's hard to see the street signs and traffic lights which give clues as to which way to walk.  So it took me a couple of minutes to find my way to Duffy Square (at the Northern end of the Times Square area) and the TKTS office.

Of the plays I wanted to see, only Dead Outlaw was on sale.  $95 later, with ticket in hand, I went to the theater and went to my seat.  (Or, I thought it was my seat.)  A few minutes later, the usher came by and directed me to another seat - he mistakenly told me to sit in the wrong seat.  Now, I was dead center, 7 rows out, with no way to sneak out for a bio-break.  Throughout the next 1 hour, 40 minutes, I was hoping that the play would end soon, so that I could go to the loo.  Yet, even with this annoyance, I enjoyed the play.  Would I have paid $190 to see it at full price?  No.  But for $95, it was worth it to me.

Before I go on too far, Dead Outlaw is a musical based on a real person's life and afterlife.  Elmer McCurdy was a person who lived a complicated life, wanting to become a bandit from childhood.  His life took him in many directions, and he ended up becoming an incompetent bandit before being shot to death in 1911. And that's the beginning of his afterlife story.  The coroner who embalmed his body mummified him, and charged money for people to see his corpse.  The body ended up being an exhibit in several traveling shows, a prop for movies, and a display for a scary amusement park ride before being forgotten about for decades. It was only in the 1970's did the body show up again, and finally put in its final resting place.  Hopefully, they will find a way to make this person's life and afterlife into a movie.

But back to the play....

I first heard a clip of the musical's opening number being sung in front of the Coney Island Sideshow Museum - and it was a perfect fit to be performed there.  (Sadly, I can't find that clip now.)  So, it became one of several musicals I wanted to see.  The music was a blend of rock and Broadway styles, and had an energy that I like in my musicals.  The story was wonderfully macabre, without being gruesome.  Once one gets used to the main character being a corpse for 45 minutes, it's fun.

Luckily for me, the play ended with enough time left to make it to the ladies' room without incident.  As I left the theater, I fought the usual Times Square crowds to make it to the shuttle, and grabbed a bite to eat when I got to Grand Central.  Sadly, the train I took home stopped at Yankee Stadium, and got crowded with fans who saw the home team lose.  At least, the play had a happy ending - the corpse is finally buried, encased in 6 inches of concrete (to prevent further use of the corpse).

The Dentist, Some Rain, Overdue Laundry, Game Night, and Shareholder Complaints

 

Today wasn't the best day to go out.  For the most part, I wanted to stay inside.  But I had to go to the dentist's office for my periodic teeth cleaning, so I got dressed, made up, and rushed out the door for a 2 pm appointment.  And this was only the start of a busy day.

I still remember an old toothpaste ad which had a picture of a little child saying:

"Look Ma, No Cavities!" 

In a way, that's how I felt as well, because I didn't need to spend any more money on my teeth right now.  There are enough bills coming down the pike, that I'm glad that most of what came through lately have already been paid.

- - - - - -

Once done with the dentist, it was time to get lunch.  So, off to the pizzeria that I usually go to with friends from former jobs for lunch.  As I was finishing my meal, the heavens were about to open up. I rushed into my car - just in time!  For the next 30 minutes, I could barely see where I was driving.  But I made it home safely.  As I was preparing to do some laundry, a shareholder called me.  Seems like the anonymous complainer who previously spread half-truths and lies about the board had found a way to put another bunch of missives directly in our mailboxes.  Now, by doing this, a crime has technically been committed as nothing other than US Mail may be placed in a mailbox.  I figure that 119 counts of this crime have been committed even if wrongfully placed there by a postal employee, as none of these missives were in envelopes with cancelled stamps.

- - - - - -

When my laundry was complete, I went downstairs to bring it back to my apartment.  Then I got ready for game night, leaving the apartment around 7 pm.  It was nice to see the gang again, and as usual, I lost the game on the last play.  But it was fun.  Sadly, there will be no game nights in June or July, as the family will be very busy with preparations for their son to go to college, and for the family to take one last vacation together.

 

 

 

 

A free day before a lot of activity

 

Tomorrow, I will be dealing with a Doctor's appointment as Mario, and then a Dinner engagement as Marian.  So, it will be one of those "half and half" days where I have to change my presentation in mid day.  This is part of why I did nothing much today other than to pay a bill or two, and to do some more laundry.

But first....

I woke up after a good sleep.  How did I know it was a good sleep?  Well, I rarely dream, and I had a vivid dream during the night that has since faded from memory (like most dreams do).  Once I was fully conscious, I warmed up some frozen quiche from Trader Joe's (Meh!) and sat down to fold some of last night's laundry.  Even though the sock monster ate two of my ankle socks, I have more than enough to spare.

Next on the docket was paying some bills.  Although my car insurance went up, I was glad to get this payment out of the way, as I expect even more bills to come up before the end of the month, as well as a funds transfer to pay for work being done on the family homestead.  AARGH!  Yet, one good thing came of this - I found out why credit card payments to one account weren't being processed.  It seems like the partner bank for one of my cards had changed, along with both account number and lockbox addresses. So I updated this information, and I hope that next month all will be OK.

Finally, I got around to doing my laundry.  Two loads washed and dried, but not yet folded.  I will need to do this before the weekend, as I have to bring a packed suitcase along with me as I drive RQS home after the upcoming weekend.  This way, when I go there by train, I'll have my carry-on, my CPAP machine, and maybe my backpack.

- - - - - -

One item of mote: Today, I read a report where US Customs detained a US Citizen and his wife at the Canadian border, and made him surrender his cell phone - even after he noted that he was an attorney, and had sensitive information on it.  Even bright red congressional districts have had enough of this crap and are complaining.  The US Citizen and his wife were eventually released, but what does this say about the heavy handed treatment that ICE is showing people of all nationalities, including our own?

Given that I will be out of the US at least 3 times in the next 6 months, I wonder what will happen to me, as I am openly against this administration's actions.  Will they subject me to the same headaches as this citizen experienced?  Yes, I'll be traveling as a cisgender white male, and not the transgender woman I am.  But how long will it be possible for me to deal with being in stealth mode, and when will they start hunting us down, like the Nazis did in the 1930's?

 

 

A Co-Op shareholder meeting - I couldn't wait for it to end.

 

Well, this was another day that I couldn't spend any time as Marian.  By now, the look on my face probably mirrors the look on the picture above.  OK, it's not that weird, but I feel that way after the weekend I've had.

- - - - - -

Around 3:30 pm, I finally got around to doing 2 loads of laundry while I got showered and dressed for the 6 pm board meeting.  By 5:30, I was out the door and off to the shareholder meeting.  We have had a problem for the past several shareholder meetings - not enough people attending for us to have a quorum. And this year wouldn't be different.

At 7:45, our attorney called the meeting to order.  He noted that we didn't have a quorum, and that the old board would continue for another term.  And then, the "fun" began.  Due to financial problems we encountered last year and that we are working to resolve, we have a shortfall for which we will need to make an assessment of all shareholders to cover this shortage.  Understandably, people were upset.  They were even more upset that our bank hasn't been able to give us final totals for us to work with.  So, we are going with our attorney's estimate for what we will need to pay, and we then gave an estimate of what we expect to ding our shareholders to make things whole again.

The meeting ended at 8:30, and I was able to make it to the diner for a chef salad before they closed for the evening.  It was nice to go there again, as it is a place I only go when presenting as Mario.  Yes, I ended up eating too much today, but I'll watch my diet tomorrow.

 

Sometimes, it's too much of a bother to present as Marian (a short post)

 

Yesterday, we spent some time straightening out the apartment.  One of the things i did was to find a "new" blanket in my cedar chest and put it on my bed, along with a "new" mattress pad.  This meant that I'll have to restock with new ones later on - especially when the "new" blanket has been sitting in the chest for years, and is suffering from a form of dry rot (found this morning).

But this is not what I intended to talk about today....

I wasn't in the mood to spend the time to shave and apply makeup just to go to Walmart.  If I were a cisgender female, this wouldn't be an issue for me.  However, I am trans, and do not look that much like a female without makeup.  So, I figured it was time for Mario to make an appearance.

Walmart is only 15 minutes from my place.  Both RQS and I were able to get showered and dressed quickly, so that we could make it to Walmart and to the local grocery store before 7:30 pm.  (We were thinking of doing some laundry when the machines weren't busy.)  I was glad not to make myself up, as I would have hated to clean off the makeup after 2 hours out of the house.

Did we get around to doing laundry?  No.  But we did get out of the house for a couple of hours.

A snowy weekend - and I left my car at home.

 

I had planned to be with RQS this weekend, but this put me at risk of getting fined by my co-op.  By the time I would get home, I expected to clear off 7" of snow from my car and possibly get dinged with a fine from my co-op.

- - - - - -

Friday started with laundry - 3 loads of it.  By the time I was packed, out the door, and on my way to RQS's place, it was 2-3 hours later than expected.  I didn't make it to RQS's place until 7:30 pm.  Luckily, she had already started to cook dinner when I left the subway and transferred to the bus to her house. The rest of the evening wasn't that exciting.  We fell into our usual routine and watched a couple of movies before felling asleep.

Saturday came, and with it, the exterminator.  Each month, the exterminator is scheduled to take care of RQS's building, and today was the day.  Once his visit was over, it was off to the library to drop off some books, and then to one of our go-to restaurants for a bite to eat.  They were about to close, so we decided to get this food to-go and eat it at home.

Around 7 pm, the snow started to fall and I knew we were in for the night.  Although we weren't planning on doing anything this evening, it made me feel a little worried - if I didn't get home early enough on Sunday, I could have some problems with my co-op.  As they say, "the die is cast", and I would deal with things after getting home.

Sunday came, and there was less snow on the ground than expected.  Even with this, I figured that I should leave RQS's place a bit early, so that I could shovel out my car in daylight and move it back into my assigned spot.  This way, the co-op has less of an opportunity to ding me for not getting my car into the street so that the driveways could be cleared.  I left RQS around 1 pm, and made it to Grand Central in the nick of time to make the 1:50 train to Croton.  By 3:00 pm, I was home, and had a chance to finish this post before shoveling some snow....

- - - - - -

On other matters....

It looks like the Orange Snowflake is trying to put the LGBTIQ community back in the closet.  (Not that we didn't know this already.)  We've seen him give executive orders to (fr now) make it impossible to get a gender marker changed on federal documents, as well as erasing any statistics that refer to LGBTIQ's from federal websites.  This is the first step among many in which he intends to hurt us.

Why do I mention this?

Stalin made sure that no statistics were kept for his reign of terror.  It is estimated that 28 million people lost their lives in the gulags while he was in power.  We may not be able to stop the Snowflake from deleting our history for now.  But we can throw a wrench into his plans in regard to another at risk group - the illegal immigrants.  How, you may ask?  Get congress to act by requiring that accurate statistics be kept.  The public has a right to know how much the Snowflake's removal efforts are costing, as well as being able to know how many illegals of each category are being removed.  The more data we have, the more tools we can have to force congress to act when the time is right.

Right now, GOP members of the house and senate are afraid of losing power.  What they don't know is by surrendering their chambers' powers to the Snowflake and the SA Nazi (Musk), they are surrendering their own power and won't get it back.  We've seen this happen before.  But now, we can take a different path of activism.  Lawsuits can be filed in friendly federal courts, and slow down the march to tyranny.  I suggest that everyone buy copies of On Tyranny, and How Democracies Die to understand what is going on, and how we can cause the Snowflake some grief.

The apartment is a total mess, and I can't find the energy to do anything.

 

OK, this is only a slight exaggeration - I don't find my energy until the afternoon is half over, and it doesn't make sense to do many things.  Yet, I feel that my lethargy is getting in the way of life as I once knew it.

- - - - - - 

One of the problems I have is a reluctance to deal with people when advocating for myself.  It's my simple reluctance to have potentially stressful interactions with people coming to play.  By nature, I am not a dominant person.  Instead, I am a person who likes to head off in one direction with as little interference as possible.  And I have been lucky enough to have the resources to do just that in my adult life.

My lethargy gets in the way of me doing simple tasks such as doing laundry on a regular basis.  So, it piles up until I have no other alternative but to do several loads at once.  This can be a pain in the ass at times, but I've noticed it getting in the way of being social with others.  Yesterday, I had a meetup that I went to, but could have just as easily bailed out on it - I was tired enough to have stayed in bed a bit longer.

- - - - - -

With all that being said, I still find it energizing to go out in the world as Marian.  Being my true self provides me with the energy I need to go out and live life.  I wonder how many older transgender folks feel the same way as I do?