Seeing another friend for dinner

 

RQS knows that I have more female friends than male friends, and most of them know me as Marian, even though they know of Mario's existence. Today, I visited one of those friends.

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RO and I have known each other for several years.  We once dated each other, but things didn't work out. When we stumbled across each other a few years later, we developed a friendship and kept in loose touch with each other.  I had my relationship with XGFJ while RO got married to a nice gentleman.  

The last time I met RO in person was last September.  Neither of us realized how long it had been, as both of us had been busy living our lives since then.  RO has retired, while I have taken 3 cruises, as well as a trip to Washington, DC since then.  So we had a lot to catch up on over an early dinner at the same Italian restaurant we've eaten at before.  Both of us have the ailments that come with getting old, and I was reminded of why things didn't work out between us. (I didn't want to be with someone who would have similar health problems as Ex-GF-M was having, and Ex-GF-M's death proved me right.)  Yet, we could be good friends, especially given that RO is a warm and caring person.

All too soon, dinner had to end, and I had to drive home. We agreed to eat at Fuddruckers down the road a piece.  Neither of us like dropping $75 on dinner when we're living on a budget.  So next time, dinner will be much more affordable, and much more casual.  And for me, this will be the first time I will be eating at a Fuddruckers since the last of the New York State (New York City region) restaurants closed years ago.

Considering that I wanted to look at some clothes at Lane Bryant, I took the long way back home through Paramus.  While on the road, I told TCL about another dress store that RQS and I have visited: Karina Dresses. And she looked up the dress pattern that made me think of TCL when I saw it.  Sadly, the dresses were not available in her size for the fabric pattern she liked.  But she will keep an eye on the site for future dresses she might enjoy wearing.

When I got to Lane Bryant, I tried on a couple of dresses.  One was in a pattern and style I liked, and if I didn't have one being shipped to me soon, I would have bought it at the store.  The other left a lot to be desired.  So I left those dresses at the store, and went home for the evening.

This was the first weekend in a while that I spent fully as Marian

 

This weekend, RQS came up to my place, knowing that I'd be in Marian mode all weekend.  I was having lunch with a friend from the imaging/indexing firm I once worked with, and then would be spending Sunday evening with friends from my game night group to enjoy some comedy.  If I had still been with XGFJ, this would have been impossible. But I am with RQS, and am very grateful to be sharing much of my life with her....

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When I woke up on Friday, I knew that I had a 12:30 lunch appointment with my friend (noted in a prior post).  Since I didn't want to change back into Mario for the evening, I let RQS know who to expect at the train station.  She arrived on the 5:00 train, and we proceeded to Trader Joe's to do some shopping before going home for the evening.

Saturday came, and we started off the day very slowly. But we had a goal - stopping off at Home Goods and then Ikea in Paramus.  So we got on the road by 4:00, and took Jersey side roads to reach Route 17 North of the store.  Arriving at the store, RQS went a little nuts (an over exaggeration) buying things for her place, while I bought a small handful of things I know I'll be using in the near future - such as a 3 prong blind cleaner that I picked up for under $4.00.  Then, it was off to Ikea, where I found a small "baking" (?) pan I could use in my toaster oven.  I spent more in gas and tolls than I did at the 2 stores. It was a good excuse to get out of the house, and allowed the 2 of us to do something we don't get the chance to do at her place.

But Sunday was the big day of the weekend.  We were meeting friends from the Yonkers Game Night Group to go to dinner and watch some comedy.  Although the comedians weren't that great, we enjoyed a nice night out with friends who know me as Trans, but treat me as a "normal" person.  I think they are glad that RQS is in my life, and I hope that she can be with me occasionally on one of our bi-monthly game nights.

Shopping has changed since the beginning of the pandemic.

 

Before the pandemic hit, I was accustomed to local malls and standalone stores being open to 9-9:30 pm, and many Walmarts open 24x7.  The best times for shopping were often the hour just before a store closed, or late at night, in the case of a 24x7 Walmart.  This has changed quite a bit since the stores reopened to their "new normal" hours.

Today, I lost track of time, and left to visit the mall where RQS and I were last weekend.  I figured that I'd go back to Burlington and buy the 2 dresses I was looking at on that visit.  So off to Rockland county I went, and I found the two dresses in the store as I expected.  At this point, I noticed it was 6:30, and thought I had enough time to make it to Lane Bryant in Paramus. So, I again got in my car, and proceeded to my next destination.

On the way down, I encountered a driver who did not want to let me into the correct exit lane, leaving Route 17 for Route 4 Eastbound.  Although I was signaling my intent, this clown almost caused an accident, as I cut in front of him just before being forced to exit in the wrong direction.  Of course, this clown decided to play a game with his brights, and I ignored him.  Once on Route 4, I signaled to get into a traffic lane, and this clown again decided to play games.  I can only imagine being a passenger in his car!  (Imagine the road rage this person must have been displaying....)  Once he was gone, I breathed a sign of relief before doing the half clover leaf across Route 4 to get to Lane Bryant.

In the past, this store would be open until 9 pm every day except Sunday.  Now, the store has a 7:00 pm closing time.  I'm glad that I only planned to look at some of the merchandise in the store, as I was not in the mood yet to buy a women's blazer that I found online.  Since the store had just closed, I figured that I could come back another day, and proceeded back home for the evening.