I'm starting to pack for my upcoming cruise

 

I miss being able to cruise as Marian.  The Orange Snowflake is out to erase transgenders from the earth, claiming "it is all in our heads."  One problem - it is easier to change the body than to rewire the brain.  And even if it could be done, should it be done?  When the person who holds the presidency has no morality, no sense of justice, and no respect for others, then how can anyone cis or trans feel safe?

Safety for us trans people is important.  For those like me, we can go stealth and not worry much - but we still have our worries.  When presenting as a male, my whiteness helps keep me safe from the ICE raids going on in neighboring towns.  So, if I have to make contact with anyone from the Federal Government, I've decided to do so as a white male and assert my "privilege". This is not real safety.  I've been hassled by a TSA Officer before flying to London, simply because he had a bug up his ass.  Could you imagine what he'd have been like if I were presenting as a female for an international flight?

I remind people that Cisgender people are not safe.  The husband of one of my friends is an immigrant from the Philippines. He is not white, but he is a male US Citizen who has communications issues.  He lives in a town which has suffered ICE raids, and my friend (his wife) fears what could happen if he goes out during one of these raids. He could not advocate effectively for himself.  Given that we have deported US citizens caught in one of these ICE roundups, do you think he'd be safe.

RQS is a fair skinned black, somewhere in the mocha shade of skin tone.  She'd likely be tolerably safe, as she has an "American" accent. And that relative safety would likely extend to many "American Blacks" who speak with an "American" accent familiar to many ICE agents.  But that doesn't extend to their initial treatment by these "authorities", as there has been a different standard of justice for whites and blacks in America. I must note that Asian Americans may have similar treatment to American Blacks, but would be subject to similar risk factors.  Yet, even if I were a second or third generation Chinese American, would I feel safe if ICE was raiding a Chinatown neighborhood as they recently did in New York City?

The promise of the Orange Snowflake was to round up the criminals who were in the US illegally and deport them first.  Instead, he is aiming for quantity over quality, scooping up law abiding people (here legally or illegally) to make artificial quotas.  So, a wise gender nonconforming person can not feel safe in a society where every touch point with the Federal Government puts her/him at risk.

So, I've started my packing, and I'm disappointed that I won't be able to wear my summer dresses again. But, I still wouldn't do so on this cruise, as many of the islands in the Caribbean have similar backwards attitudes as our president.  I'll still be relatively comfortable and safe, but I won't be as happy as if I could present as my true self. 

 

 

 

 

 

She's going home, bye, bye....

 

I always feel a little sad when RQS goes home.  I love having her near me, but I also feel a little freer when I have the time to  take care of my own affairs without worrying about her feelings.  We have a good thing going, where our periodic absences from each other's lives makes the fondness grow stronger.

Today, RQS had to go home.  She had things to take care of at home, and I had things to do here as well. So, after relaxing all day (and having some of our leftover lobster), we got showered and dressed (me in a $5.00 dress I picked up at Burlington a few years ago) and prepared to go to the station. So, around 3:15, we left for the train station, me without my wallet in my handbag.  Well, after dropping RQS off, I found out that I left my wallet at home while I was on the drive thru lane at McDonald's.  AARGH!  You can guess how careful I drove home - I'm glad nothing happened on my way home.

Next, I was off to Walmart with my wallet in hand.  It was time for me to replace my car's cell phone charger.  When I brought the charger and cable up to the cash register, the credit card reader had problems with my card.  Why, I do not know.  But I ended up having to swipe the card instead of inserting the card to charge this to my account.  Later, I'd find out that my credit card company's fraud detection system had texted me about this transaction, and I okayed it.  Luckily, I had a second charge card for another transaction I'd make in the same store.

- - - - - -

When I got home, I found that RQS had a problem with her taxes. (I won't go into details here.)  When our tax lady looked into it, she found that Fran (who RQS used for her taxes 2 years ago) made a mistake, and RQS got flagged for a problem with her 2022 taxes.  OUCH!  This makes me glad that I had to do a last minute shuffle and find our current tax preparer.  I just wonder what tax year 2025 will look for me....

 

 

PS: The tax problem was with a previous tax preparer's mistake - The State/Local forms were not filled in correctly.  The person who did the taxes did this two years in a row.  I'm glad that both of us have someone good on the case these days - I almost got stuck using this person, and dodged a bullet with my taxes.

Guess who was the birthday gal! (No, not me.)

 

I rarely drive to TCL's house these days, as she is uncomfortable with me when presenting as female. So, I save the times I plan to see her for when I'm presenting as male.  This means that I visit her much less than I visited a former cruise partner when we were still friends. Today was a day I was presenting as a male, and it was a perfect day to visit TCL.

But first...

RQS's friend was in town today, and we had made arrangements to meet her for lunch.  Of course, this dictated that this would be Mario's day out. So I made sure that we'd see TCL for a belated birthday dinner.  While I was at it, I also scheduled my Covid vaccination for today as well.

Waking up at 9 am, RQS and I went to CVS, so that I could get my arm stuck.  Then it was off to a small diner in Yonkers where we'd meet RQS's friend (and family) for lunch.  This diner was tiny, and not geared for 5 people (plus infant) to have a leisurely meal.  Yet, we were able to get a table quickly and we were able to have lunch together.

RQS's friend started off by telling us about her sister falling ill overseas.  I won't describe the symptoms here, but she has been stuck in a clinic in Fiji.  Travel insurance does not cover her evacuation to America.  Instead, it covers evacuation to the nearest place where appropriate care can be given - Australia.  AARGH!  Now, RQS's friend is trying to figure out a way to get her sister home and under the care of American doctors.  Although we talked about other things, this was the overriding focus of our get together, and something still being worked on as we left the diner.

Next, we were off to New Jersey.  RQS had to go to Land's End to return a coat, and came out with another at a lower price.  (Everything was on sale at 50% of the list price.)  Once done at Lands End, we killed 90 minutes before driving to TCL's place to pick her up for a belated birthday dinner.

The 3 of us made it to a nearby Italian restaurant just before the crowds came in.  We had a leisurely meal, TCL being greeted as a regular at the restaurant.  Around 6:45, I got a subtle hint from one of the wait staff that they'd like to seat new people  (Don't think this was an unreasonable hint - there was over 15 people waiting inside the doorway, and another 15 waiting outside in the chilly weather.)  So, I signaled TCL after she finished the last bite of dessert that it was time to leave.  When I pointed out how many people were waiting to get in, she understood why it was time to leave.

It was a long day.  And an expensive one, as I dropped $250 on two different meals.  Yet, it was a good day.  RQS got to see her friend, and I finally got the chance to see TCL

A nice way to end restaurant week.

 

RQS and I had only one thing on our docket today: A Restaurant Week dinner at Le Provençal Bistro,  I've eaten here before with Vicki, and loved the food.  This would be my first time here with RQS, and I knew she'd be impressed.

- - - - - -

We didn't get moving until late morning, and putzed around most of the day.  However, I had a phone call to make - I had to call the co-op board president and develop a game plan for our next meeting.  We have 4 applicants looking to buy apartments in our complex, and have to find the time to interview them all.  In addition, we have other issues that need discussion, and we have to fit everything into a 4 hour block.

Once done with the co-op business, my GI tract decided to act up.  Luckily, I still had enough time to get showered, made up, and dressed, so that we could make a 6 pm dining time.  Unlike RQS who decided to wear slacks, I decided to wear a nice casual sweater dress for dinner. We were able to get out the door by 5:15, leaving us enough time to fill the car up with gas, and still make it to Mamaroneck on time.  

Arriving at the restaurant at 6, it seemed to take forever to have our order taken. Service was slow and spotty, as I expect that one of the servers was not able to make it for the last day of Restaurant Week (an always busy time before Holiday Season).  However, this was balanced by the excellent food in front of us.  RQS had the Salmon Tartare, while I had the Garlic Sausage for appetizers, then both of us had Mussels for a main course, followed by chocolate mousse tarts for dessert.  Both of us would go back here again.  But the next time we do, it will be for a special dinner.

- - - - - -

When we got home, I behaved like a typical woman - I couldn't wait to take off my bra.  As I've mentioned before, I'm very comfortable in my female presentation, and have no problems going out in the NYC metropolitan area as a woman.  Hopefully, I'll be again able to travel the USA in the future as a woman, and go back to "Cruising Pretty" soon.

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....

You no foola me. There ain't no Santy Claws.

 

I love the Marx Brothers.  Almost 100 years ago, the Marxes exposed America for what it is in their first 5 films for Paramount.  In The Cocoanuts, they used the Florida land boom as a backdrop on which they hung their jokes; in Animal Crackers, they skewer that pomposity of high society; in Monkey Business, they have fun with the nature of the Transatlantic Crossing, being stowaways, and America's love for celebrity; in Horse Feathers, they have a field day with colleges, football, gambling, and speakeasies; and finally, with Duck Soup, they expose high level diplomacy and war for what it is - human foolishness. 

So, why did I start off with the Marxes today?  Well, RQS and I are gluttons for punishment.  I finally had a good excuse to buy a cruise for RQS as an Xmas gift, and we'll be going on the cruise sometime in the new year.  What does that say about us?  There is a feeling of absurdity I have about what we're doing, as I wonder whether RQS can keep up my pace.  Are we living like we're dancing in the ballroom while the Titanic heads into an iceberg?

With this new cruise, it will be the 3rd time that I've traveled this planned route (New York - Cape Canaveral - Nassau, Bahamas - Cruise Line Private Island, Bahamas - New York), albeit with different cruise line private islands. As of yet, I have little interest in leaving the ship in the Bahamas.  I might want to visit the Space Center when in Cape Canaveral. But, I've been there before and only want to see the area from which rockets take off into space, and not want to see the amusement park like areas of the center.  Luckily, RQS and I will be happy if we never get off the ship.

I am not a fan of cruise line private islands.  NCL has its Great Stirrup Cay (GSC).  MSC has its Ocean Cay Marine Preserve, Royal Caribbean has its Perfect Day at CocoCay.  It seems like every cruise line is getting into the private island business - and for good reason.  All money spent on these islands is captured by the cruise line with little going back into the local community.  Since I am not a beach bum (I spent too much time in the sun while I was young), I have little reason to get off the ship at these islands.  And now that NCL has decided to exclude GSC from a ship's drink packages, I feel that NCL has again reduced the value provided for money spent for a cruise, making its private Island even less attractive for me.

So, why did I choose a winter cruise with a less than optimal itinerary?  Well, I wanted to get away again, as well as finally give my gift to RQS.  In short, I wanted to show her in a concrete way that I care for her. This cruise does just that.  Hopefully, RQS will have a good time on this cruise.

    

Not Ready for Prime Time (Again)

 

This afternoon, I treated RQS to an afternoon performance of "Not Ready For Prime Time."  It was the second time I would be seeing this play, and it would be worth the effort I made to see it again.

But first...

Late last night, I saw that they opened up the rush tickets for this play a little early.  So I booked front row tickets for RQS and myself at rush ticket prices around midnight, and left a message for RQS that I had tickets in hand.

The next morning (today), I took my time in starting to move and missed both trains into the city that I wanted to catch.  Luckily, there was one more train that I could catch to get me to the theater on time. However, I ended up parking at the far end of the parking lot, as none of the "midday spots" (as I call spots that open up when people return from the city after the morning's commuter rush) had yet opened up near the parking pay station.  From the get-go, I knew that I'd get in my 2+ miles of walking today.

The train got into Grand Central at 1:45.  After taking the shuttle to Times Square, and then the local to 50th Street, I still had over 1/2 mile to walk before I got to the theater. I was lucky to get there by 2:15, and I found RQS waiting for me having arrived 10 minutes earlier.  (She took an Uber to get across town, avoiding a lot of the walking I had decided to do.)  Once seated, we both enjoyed the play.  At the end of the play, one of the actors prompted RQS to get out of her seat and dance - too bad I couldn't get a picture of that for her.  She felt that it was well worth the effort to get to see this play, and I felt it was well worth seeing it a second time.

When the play let out, we took a taxi back to Grand Central and caught the next train back to Croton. Exactly 7 hours after I parked the car, I was turning on the ignition so we could go home.  It was a good, but mildly expensive day out.

Happy Birthday! (A short post)

 

It seems as if a lot of people "Got it on" in February, given how many birthdays there are this month.  First, we celebrated the birthday of a Meetup sponsor, followed by TCL's birthday a week later, and FCP's birthday a week after that.  In a way, it's a good thing we get the chance to take another trip around the sun. But I'll bet there are some people who'd still say: "Been there, done that."

So, I won't dwell on birthdays.  Instead of that, I'll describe the meetup I went to tonight.... 

The focus of tonight's meetup dinner was to celebrate the birthday of the meetup group's organizer, albeit a little late.  Unusual for me, I started getting ready to go out around 5 pm, and had myself made up and in a dress before 6 pm, and made it to the restaurant by 7, parking right in front of the restaurant.  I was the first person there, and the rest of our group of 20 trickled in over the next 30 minutes.

Service was very slow, and it was getting close to 8:30 by the time our orders were taken.  (Most of us ordered from the Restaurant Week menu.)   While waiting, I chatted with the woman across from me, a friendly person I've had the pleasure to be with at other meetups.  She mentioned my blog, and asked for advice about going to Hawaii for a cruise.  I gave her some information, and sent her links to 2 Hawaii Cruise articles I posted in my other blog.  By the time our dinner came, and then dessert, it was pushing 10 pm.  By now, I was getting disturbed at the wait staff, as they handed out bills to half of us, and left my group waiting.  After 10 minutes, I went up to the station and complained a little - and then our bills were finally presented to us.  

I'm not going to say that the wait staff ruined dinner.  Far from it!  But they did detract from the experience, as some of us (like me) had to leave a little earlier than others.  But I was able to get out of there by 10:20, and was able to chat with RQS for the entire ride home.  By 11 pm, I was glad to be home, as I couldn't wait to strip off my dress, remove my bra, and get into something something comfortable - just like most cisgender women my age would do. 

 

Going into the city for a movie

 

Even though RQS went home yesterday, our plans were to meet today in Midtown, NYC to have dinner and see a preview of a movie that won't be in wide scale release for another 2 weeks.  So, while RQS took care of her tasks, I took care of clarifying the logon to a cruise line's site and paying off a cruise on a different line we'll take next year.

RQS doesn't know that I've been thinking of giving her a cruise for Christmas (to be taken later on), as well as some other gifts she can open after Santa goes back up the chimney.   It's not something I'd consider doing all the time, but she is a good woman and I want to show her that I appreciate her in my life.  I'll have to figure out a way for me to pay for the cruise AND have all of her information in the reservation without her knowing.

- - - - - -

Around 5:00, I drove to Croton-Harmon, paid for parking, then got on the train to NYC.  Although it was a local, I had more than enough time to both make a subway connection and then walk to the restaurant where RQS was meeting me.  Darbar is a cozy Indian restaurant on 55th Street between Lexington and 3rd Avenues.  Although the prices seemed a little steep by the standards of places I eat at (they had a $60 Prix-fixe dinner menu, as well as a good al-a-carte menu), it was well worth the money.  By the time we finished dinner, we had 45 minutes to make it to the theater for "Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery."  

Although the new Knives Out movie is a preview of what is being released at month-end, we figured that it would be a great thing to go into NYC on a weeknight for something special.  One problem - we got there at 9:00 for a 9:30 showing, and there was nowhere to sit and wait.  My back was killing me for the next 35 minutes or so, as they were running late.  (There was a Q&A session with the director after the film.) So, it wasn't until 10:00 until the film started, and it lasted until after midnight.  (Go see this film! It starts slowly, as it has to introduce all the main characters.  But once it gets moving, it is a fun comedy wrapped inside a mystery movie.)  I won't spoil the movie for you, but I was able to guess who did it based on the actor's performance.

We left the theater at midnight and hailed a cab - first to drop me off at Grand Central, and then to bring RQS home safely.  She was home much earlier than I was, but spent more on the ride that brought her home.  As for me, I didn't get home until after 2:00 am - and was still awake 2 hours later. 

 

 

Another weekend with RQS

 

We awoke on Saturday morning, and decided to relax for most of the day.  It was a nothing burger of a day, I don't have much to say about it.  So I'll skip it and move on to Sunday.  I had two things on the docket for the day: (1) Church for the first time in months, and (2) Dinner with Vicki at Benjamin Steakhouse.  And this had me get dressed up in the morning, stripping off my clothes for the better part of the day, and then getting dressed again for dinner.

- - - - - -

I awoke early and proceeded to rest a little before getting dressed.  Going back and forth into the bedroom, I tried not to make noise, so that RQS could continue to sleep.  Around 10 am, I went to Dunkin Donuts for some coffee and a donut, and I was off to church.  What can one say about going to church.  It is a communal feeling, where one feels more connected to people and one's better self.  It was nice to be there, but I left before after-mass coffee, so that I could get back to RQS.

Stopping at the supermarket at the bottom of the hill, I bought some cream cheese so that RQS would have something to smear on her bagel. When I got in the door, RQS was already in the living room watching YouTube videos.  But she got up to toast our bagels, and we both had something to eat before taking an afternoon break.

Around 5 pm, we both got ready for dinner.  I put on the same dress I was wearing for church, while RQS was in the shower, and then we both made ourselves up for dinner.  At 6 pm, we drove to Vicki's, and then proceeded to the steakhouse.  Arriving at the steakhouse, they tried seating us near a fireplace.  I asked the hostess to seat us somewhere else, as I didn't want the heat making me uncomfortable.  (RQS later agreed with me later on - it was way too warm in that corner of the room.)  So, we ended up being seated in a far corner of the room, but could barely hear each other speak over the noise of the room.  Shortly afterward, our orders were taken, and we proceeded to feast on our steaks.  YUM!  The $45 restaurant week dinner menu wasn't bad.  But Vicki ordered an $80 bottle of wine, not realizing that I've cut back on my drinking after my doctor asked me to stop to see if certain blood levels were affected by the medicines I've been taking or by my alcohol consumption. Although the meal was good, I could have easily skipped having a half glass of wine that added $55 or so to what I was paying for dinner for RQS and myself.  

Around 9 pm, we were on our way home with leftovers.  Vicki was coming to a home that just had power restored.  (Last week's storm killed her power lines for 2 days, and she was living in darkness since then.) We came home to a warm apartment, and were both glad to strip off our clothes and relax.

I finally got my nails done!

 

I finally had the chance to get my nails done.  It's something I've wanted to do for several weeks, but the need to go out as Mario has gotten in the way.  Seeing my brother, having a doctor's appointment, and having to go to the bank for the co-op has all made it impossible for me to have at least 7 days (or more) in female mode.  As a result, it didn't make sense to have polished nails.

RQS was scheduled to arrive in Croton at 5 pm.  So I had just enough time after I got dressed to get my nails done, have a little snack and get to the station.  When I arrived at the nail salon, they knew me enough to ask whether I was there for a mani-pedi or just a manicure.  Since I was there for just a manicure, I sat down at the manicure station and proceeded to have my nails done.  While there I struck up a conversation with a recently widowed woman, and got into talking about cruising and the lines we preferred.  (Later, I mentioned to RQS that I wish I could have befriended this woman as Marian.  But this was not likely, as this woman was visiting family in Croton, but lives on Long Island - a very inconvenient place for me to visit.)

Once my nails were done, I had time to kill.  So I filled up the car, then drove to the station to relax until RQS arrived.  She didn't see me at first, but after a few honks, she saw me and my car, and we were off to have dinner.  The first stop was at the new Thai restaurant in town.  They couldn't accommodate us until 8:30, so we drove to a Mexican restaurant nearby.  I had the paella, while RQS had some tacos.  Both were yummy.  But my dish had enough food in it to feed two people  So I had leftovers to eat sometime over the next day or two.

And then it was time to go home.... 

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.
 
 

And now back to my regularly scheduled ranting and raging

 

As much as I am an out and about transgender person, I can go back to stealth mode if I need to do so.  Yet, I am upset because the Orange Snowflake won't be happy until the last one of us is gone from "HIS" America.

I try to keep my calm, as to give into anger, as it will distract me from staying calm in the face of danger. For example, I could rage at the world and accomplish nothing.  Or, I can do things such as participating in protest marches, notifying people when I see ICE come into my neighborhood, and do other non-violent things to foul up the snowflake's evil plans.  I choose resistance in the same way as followers of Martin Luther King Jr. did.  His henchmen are most afraid of being seen for what they are: Malignant Bullies who want to turn America into Nazi Germany.  (When was the last time you saw the snowflake cast a good light on anyone not an Aryan male?  Never.)

Tonight, I had a conversation with TCL.  When I said that I'm going for second citizenship (and associated passport) as a way to have an exit route if things go sour in the USA.  I said that if I am forced to leave the USA, I'll marry RQS and take her with me.  I'd be poor, but I'd be free.  TCL thinks that I'd be able to take my money with me.  I reminded her of the early days of the Nazi regime: They allowed Jews to leave, but they didn't allow the Jews to take their money with them as they left.  It's amazing that a woman with a history degree didn't know about that.  I guess that our collective memory about the Nazi era has faded too much for most Americans to recognize the scope and severity of today's dangers.

It's amazing that the mainstream news media isn't covering the violence being used by the snowflake's henchmen to terrorize people.  But then, these are people who thrive on "access" and are afraid to cooperate with each other to take down a threat to their industry.  The Fourth Estate was neutered by the Nazis, why doesn't it see that the same tactics are being used against it in America 90 years later?  Luckily, we still have independent news reporting on the internet, something which they don't yet know how to control.  (Russia and China have developed effective controls on their independent reporters, yet there are still some leaks - all wrapped in metaphors and coded language.  For example, don't talk about "Winnie the Pooh" in China, as that will get you in trouble for its connection to Chairman Xi.)  

Why am I still in America?  I still have hope that the authoritarian tide can be held back.  Yet, it feels more and more like a losing task every day, as people are giving up hope.  When/if I do, I'll be gone.

A legal holiday, just when we need it.

 

Due to the Nor'easter that came to the NYC area, RQS stayed an extra night over the weekend with the idea of going home after the 3-day weekend was over.  This was another chance for us to cuddle and relax. But it was an excuse to do virtually nothing for the end of the weekend.

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On Saturday, we bulked up on refrigerator food to last us the weekend.  So, we were eating various tasty goodies each night, including Wagyu burgers one night.  I had foodstuffs in the cabinet just in case we lost power during the storm.  (Luckily, we didn't lose power, and the refrigerator stayed cold.)  Neither of us had much energy, and I surfed the internet a bit.  While surfing, I stumbled onto a message that concerned me - it appeared that an ex-girlfriend of 28 years ago had recently passed away.  I wasn't going to try and get more information - I've been out of this woman's life for years, and I think her husband would be upset if I did any more than just send my condolences.

Now, that got me to thinking of some of my other friends, and I've outlasted so many of them.  It's strange to see one's peers die (or otherwise drop out of contact for health reasons) while one is still tolerably healthy.  For example, WDS is no longer reachable in Florida, DCD is no longer contactable in Connecticut or New York, as he no longer has a cell phone and has stage 4 cancer, and Joanie (a former workmate) is unreachable.  

Years ago, someone set up a site called "if I die" which would contact a person on a regular basis, and email a selected contact if the first person did not respond.  Given how loosely people are connected these days, it would make sense for a person to pay a one-time fee for this kind of service.  Yes, there would likely be some false positives.  But it would be nice to know if someone has passed from the scene - even if one was unable to go to a funeral for that person.

- - - - - -

I spoke with my brother over the weekend, and his marriage is effectively over.  I can't help but feel sad for him.  But all of us have our crosses to bear.  It's just that some crosses weight more than others.  Let's hope his load is lightened soon.

A dreary day to get a dress hemmed and go furniture shopping

 

One of the errands we needed to take care of today was getting RQS's dresses hemmed for our next cruise  So, when we finally got dressed, our first stop was the local cleaners.  It's hard to believe that tailoring for the dresses cost much more than the dresses themselves. But that's the price one pays when one gets dresses from thrift shops (even upscale ones).

We got to talking, and RQS mentioned that we should go looking at furniture for her apartment.  Specifically, she wanted to replace her living room loveseat with a reclining loveseat.  I thought to visit Bob's Discount Furniture in Yonkers for this.  So we drove to Yonkers and we looked at the only loveseat that fit her needs.  Since we weren't buying, we thanked the salesman and proceeded home.

I thought of going to another furniture store one the way home, and made one mistake - it moved to the former location of another furniture store.  After entering the parking lot, we found out that the store had moved (I should have remembered this from other trips to lower county), and decided to do some food shopping at Whole Foods so that I could get "free parking" in the lot.  $54 later, I had a validated parking ticket that saved me $3.  A great way to "Save", huh"

On the way home from Whole Foods, I called my brother and he opened up about his life.  His marriage is over in all but name, and he wants to get on with his life.  I feel sorry for him, but given his wife's alcoholism, he needs to take proactive measures to save his own life.  Thankfully, my relationship with RQS is infinitely more nourishing.

A Bronx Tale (a great story, but a short post)

 

Last night, RQS came up a day early for the weekend, so that she could come to game night, and then go to see Chazz Palminteri in "A Bronx Tale" tonight.  It took a little bit of schedule coordination, so that we could get some chores done before getting together.

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I won't go into detail about game night, save to mention that hardly anyone came.  People who normally attend didn't, so bringing RQS made it possible to play a game or two.  We went home for the evening, and planned our schedule for the next day: getting a mani-pedi, doing some food shopping, and seeing Chazz's play.

The next morning, we got dressed and went out for a mani-pedi.  When the afternoon came around, we started to go to Fishkill to shop at Walmart.  Yes, this would mean that as soon as we got home that I'd have to put some lamb shoulder ribs in the oven and hope everything would be done by 6 pm.   But traffic got in the way.  So, we turned around and went to the local supermarket and picked up what I was planning on picking up in Fishkill.

Once done with food shopping, we went home, and I started cooking the lamb shoulder.  With a few mishaps, the lamb was ready around 6:15, and we were able to start out for the theater around 7:00.  Even then, we had to park 1/4 mile away from the theater due to the nature of parking in Peekskill.  (Not enough street parking, but lots of parking in nearby parking lots.)

The play started late, but it gradually got riveting.  For those who haven't seen it, this one man show documents a period in young Chazz's life where he is befriended by a local mobster for whom he did a solid when he was 9, to the time where that mobster was gunned down in front of Chazz 7 years later.  What was most impressive about this play was Chazz's appearance on stage, telling how he refused $1,000,000 to have Robert De Niro perform the lead in the film adaptation, and then having De Niro say that he was right - and partnered with De Niro to make the movie and jump start Chazz's career.

If you ever get the chance to see the play (or movie), do so!

HVRW - Dinner and Lunch reservations (a short post)

 

I look terrible in this old picture  But I was having a good time eating out at a meetup.  Now that Hudson Valley Restaurant Week is near, I'm looking at going to 3 restaurants to enjoy nice meals.  The first 2 will be with Vicki, both places which have been around as long as this country has been around.  The other will be at a bistro where RQS and I can get some French Vittles.  (Why make French food sound fancy?  French people simply consider it proper dining.)

It would be nice if I could afford to eat at these places after restaurant week.  But it is a special deal offered only twice each year.  So, Vicki and I try out new places when we can.  If I can afford it, I may add another dinner to my choices, but this will stretch the budget a bit.  Dining at nice places isn't always affordable in the New York region.

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Soon, I will need to pack for my next cruise.  It feels strange to have had so many cruises in one year.  And then, we will again be eating hearty for the better part of two weeks.  Hopefully, when I pass away, they will place a bucket of KFC, a sausage pizza from Frank Pepe's, a couple of Big Macs from McDonald's, and a few liters of Diet Coke to send me on my way to the afterlife.  😆😇💭 

 

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....

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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.

The end of a weekend with RQS (a short post)

 

Monday came, and it was time for me to leave RQS's place.  Both of us woke up early, as we had a task to take care of before I left for the day.  Instead of cooking something traditional for breakfast, RQS warmed up pizza left over from Friday night.  It was a filling breakfast, albeit something we wouldn't have normally considered.

Once done with breakfast, we took care of the most important task we had before us: Making a deposit on next year's British Isles cruise. So, we called our travel agent around 10:30, and made him a happy camper.  However, our delay may have caused us to lose a freebie: a cruise credit given to people who book a new cruise within 30 (?) days of completing a cruise booked through the travel agency.  We'll find out after we make our final payments next year, as we have 8 months to make our payments.

While I'm on the topic of cruise payments, I scheduled an email to be sent to Princess Cruises' "Move Over" area saying thanks for the cabin upgrade on the moved over cruise. In that email, I also asked when we would be receiving checks for our refundable onboard credits (the free cruise refund).  At noon, I received a reply.  Our checks would be coming in 6-8 weeks, and that's fine with me.

Around 2:30, I left for home.  Big mistake in timing - I forgot that school was letting out, and it took me 10 minutes to get get through an intersection due to problems from traffic light timing, children crossing the street, and commercial traffic on the street I was turning on to, all combined to screw up traffic flow. Once through the intersection, it was relatively clear sailing until I reached the "Lobster Truck" for lunch. $35 later, I was on the road again, and heading for home.  

Given that my refrigerator was empty of stuff for dinner, I decided to detour to Trader Joe's to pick up food stuffs.  If anyone believes the Orange Snowflake's claim that we don't have food inflation, I have a bridge in Brooklyn to sell.  I ended up getting home at 5:30, which I consider a good time for this time of day.

Now to wash my wig and (maybe) do some laundry....

The only time we went out on Sunday was to pick up veggies for dinner.

 

Yesterday (as I wrote this, RQS and I went out and disposed of some e-waste.  On our way, we passed by this building, where one tenant keeps up a campaign, calling his/her landlord a slumlord.  What I found interesting about this shot is that the downstairs apartment is supporting the landlord.  (You may want to enlarge the windows to see their signs.)  Given NYC's lack of affordable housing (and housing types), it's not hard to understand why this person may be staying in a substandard apartment.

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Today, neither of us were in the mood to go outside.  But we had to take care of two things: (1) Picking up vegetables for dinner from the local bodega, and (2) Making sure that my car is parked on the correct side of the street for alternate side of the street parking rules.  So, I got dressed in a frock I had stored at RQS's place, and we walked the block and a half to take care of things.  My car was parked in a place that would allow me to sleep late, so I walked back to the bodega to meet RQS and bring home veggies for dinner.

RQS was hurting - her knee was acting up, and it was a major effort for her to walk the block and a half to the bodega and back.  As for me, I carried the heavy stuff home (a 12-pack of soda), knowing that I'd have something cold to drink later on. I figured that the way RQS felt, we were going to be in for the night - and I was right.

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We took it easy for the rest of the evening, and watched a movie before going to bed.  On the whole, it was a quiet day.  But rest was something we both needed, as we are still recovering from our latest cruise.