Another weekend in Queens

 

Although the above picture was taken in Chinatown, RQS and I spent most of the weekend at her house.  Sadly, this was a weekend spent as Mario, as my brother was coming over to eat with us this past Sunday. 

But first....

The weekend started off with a drive to Queens.  There was a little more traffic than I expected, but in the places that are normally backed up, traffic was moving.  So, I made it to RQS's place a little faster than usual, getting to her place before the sun went down.

Saturday came, and we had originally planned to go to Midtown Manhattan to visit one of the venues opening their doors for Open House New York (OHNY) weekend.  However, this conflicted with "No Kings" protest weekend, and RQS didn't want to be anywhere near any of the protests.  So we decided to take the subway to Chinatown and have a bite to eat.

We got off the subway at the Chambers Street station (one of the ugliest and poorest maintained stations in the system) and walked upstairs and saw these policemen in a relaxed mood.  It seems like the "No Kings" demonstrations went off without any problems, as every policemen we encountered seemed to be enjoying themselves in the beautiful weather we had this Saturday.  On our walk to Chinatown, RQS and I spotted 20 policemen on bicycles casually riding back to Police Headquarters, looking like they had an easy day on duty. (Later, we found that there were no incidents related to the protests.  This was good, as I seriously considered that the Orange Snowflake might create some "False Flag" trouble.  If the protesters were Anti-American, as the corrupt administration in DC claims, then count me in as one.  But I digress.)

Eventually, we made it over to Mott Street and made it to one of the better "Noodle Joints" in town - Wo Hop.   It's not one of the restaurants I'd usually eat at, as I prefer Szechwan cuisine over Cantonese.  But both RQS and I wanted a change of pace on this visit.  That left us with a big question:  Do we go to the original Wo Hop, located in the basement, their upstairs dining room, or Wo Hop Next Door?  Well, we chose the upstairs dining room, as there were no lines.  (Later, we found out that both upstairs and downstairs dining rooms share the same kitchen.  So, while we had no wait to get a table, people had to wait to eat downstairs.)  Both RQS and I enjoyed the food.  Yet, I think that next time we are in town, we may try another noodle joint.

After our meal, we explored Chinatown a little, and took the subway back home for the night.  We got in our share of walking for the day, and we had another day of good food ahead of us on Sunday.

- - - - - -

Sunday came, and we took our time getting out of bed.  My brother was coming over in mid-afternoon, and we would be proceeding to Rockaway Beach for dinner at a "Red Sauce" joint.  (Note: Red Sauce Joints are old style Italian Restaurants.)  He arrived about an hour late, and we made the 45 minute drive to the Rockaways. Rocco's of Rockaway Beach is a Red Sauce joint that was well worth the effort to get to by car.  Just around the corner from the end of the subway line, it could have been a regular place for us to go - if we didn't have to make 2-3 subway transfers to get there.  But it was the perfect place to go with my brother to celebrate his birthday, as it gave him a chance to talk about his problems if he felt the need to do so.

We sat down to eat, and had a leisurely dinner.  About 2 hours later, we were finishing off our meals, and I was tasked with the drive back to RQS's place.  My brother's legs were hurting him, and he needed a break before driving back to his house.  So, I took the "long" way home, and we bid our farewells for the evening.  I feel sad for him, as he's in the early states of separating from his wife, and he doesn't know the half of what he's in for over the next few months.

- - - - - -

On Monday, I had a hard time in getting moving.  I had to go home and take care of editing the co-op's newsletter, as well as catch up on things at my place.  Although RQS will be up here this coming weekend, I will still miss having her next to me for the next few days.
 
 

A magnificent and glorious shutdown - may it last for a few more months.

 

As I write this, we are a little over two weeks into the federal government shutdown, and people are hurting. A food pantry has been set up just outside of West Point (the Army's service academy) to serve the needs of military families who are doing without pay.  Other "Essential Workers" such as Air Traffic Controllers are taking sick leave to work jobs in the "Gig Economy" to pay for necessities.  In short, the Democrats in the Senate are successfully using their only tool left in the political tool chest to protect Obamacare subsidies for the poor and middle class in America.

The GOP is wrongfully claiming that the Democrats are demanding healthcare (and other benefits) for people illegally in this country.  They are lying, as they do not want to anger the Orange Snowflake by making things right for the American public.  They only serve to benefit the "Billionaire Bandit class" (not to be confused with "Vanilla Billionaires") who see the average person as only a disposable tool to be used in increasing their wealth among their class.  The "Vanilla Billionaire" (and there are many of them) doesn't see the average person as a tool.  They see these people worthy of government services and want to make sure that these people have no reason to rebel against our capitalist system which allows the wealthy to enjoy their wealth. 

Are people hurting?  Yes!  Yet, many of us participated in the "No Kings" protests being held around the USA.  What is the GOP message about these protests?  It is that these protests are "Anti American."  Hmmm....  If we didn't protest against unjust laws 250 years ago, we'd still be flying the Union Jack over our land.  And the GOP is saying that all protest against their authoritarian ways is wrong.  As George Takei said about William Shatner in a celebrity roast (and as I'd say to the snowflake), "He can go F*** himself and the horse he came in on. (And in that roast, Shatner did ride in on a horse.)  Although I was unable to attend a "No Kings" march in October, I hope to do so the next time one is called.  Constant pressure from all sides is needed to make the GOP crack.

At this time, the Speaker of the House, Mike Johnson, is keeping the house out of session, so that he doesn't have to swear in a new Congresswoman from Arizona.  Why, you might ask?  Well, when she is officially in congress, she'll be the 218th vote to release the Epstein Files.  We know that the Snowflake's name is mentioned many times in those files, and we know that this is the one area that MAGA demands answers from the GOP - which are not being given.  Maybe the Democratic party should alter its message slightly and "officially" focus on the other names in these files, saying that they want to expose the names of the pedophiles in the "Donor Class".  Of course, the Snowflake would figure predominantly in what is revealed, but this would make it easier for GOP congressmen to abandon support for the snowflake.

Without the House being session, there is no hope for any compromise between Senate Democrats and the GOP.  So, I expect that this will be a very long (maybe record breaking) shutdown, as saying no to the GOP is the only leverage they have left, and would be foolish to give up before they had an iron clad commitment from the GOP that Democrats' needs will be met. And when the GOP cracks, watch the snowflake have a temper tantrum the likes you've never seen him have before.  I can't wait for this to happen!