A movie for a Sunday afternoon (a short post)

 

OK, most of us reasonably well educated people know of Homer's two classic works: The Illiad  and the Odyssey.  These are classic tales which lend themselves to retelling - either in the ancient Greek time frame, or in some other time frame.  One of my favorite retellings of the Odyssey is the movie "The Warriors".  Same story, just different settings.

- - - - - -

RQS and I awoke knowing that we'd be eating breakfast, showering, and speaking to my brother before leaving for the movie.  Why my brother?  He texted me with another complication for the sale of the family homestead - the title search is taking way too long, and he wants me to chat with the lawyer to see if some pressure can be applied on the title search company to speed things up.  (Their excuse is that we have a very common last name, and it's taking forever to do a proper title search.)

Around 2 pm, we drove to the movie theater, and arrived in time for a 3 pm show.  It was nice to be in a dress again, especially on a nice Summer's day.  For a big box office opening, there were hardly any people in the theater.  And we settled down for the next 3 hours to watch the movie.     

All too soon, the movie ended, and I had to drop RQS off at home.  Again, I hit some traffic and trekked back on some local roads before getting onto the highway.  It was nice to get back home and get into something more comfortable than the dress I wore this weekend. 

Trekking to RQS's place for a change

 

I never know what traffic (and parking) is going to be like when I start out towards RQS's place.  RQS is comfortable with me seeing her as Marian, and has become comfortable with me visiting her as Marian.  Since the weekend would be book ended with days perfect for me to be wearing dresses, I chose to wear a comfortable dress to RQS's place.

 

But first....

 

Right now, I have a basket of laundry waiting to be done.  Yet, I chose to get moving slowly, and start my trip to RQS's place around 2 pm.  Of course, I had to make the obligatory stops at the bank, and at the gas station before leaving town.  Although I expected heavy Friday afternoon traffic on the way to the bridge, I hit almost no traffic.  This looked like an exceptional day - until I hit traffic on the other side of the bridge.  And this caused my trip to take 15 minutes more than usual.

 

Normally, it's hard to find a decent parking space in RQS's neighborhood if I get there after 4 pm.  But this time, I parked only 1 block away.  So, instead of buzzing RQS to carry a 12-pack of soda upstairs. I stacked the soda on top of my suitcase, and wheeled it over to RQS's place.  Once  there, RQS carried the soda upstairs, and I took off my wig once I had a chance to rest.

 

RQS and I wanted to try out a new diner in town, so I put my wig back on, and we walked to the diner.  Neither of us knew what to expect.  The last Queens diner we went to, the Tasty Diner, wasn't tasty at all.  This diner, the Ridge, was the opposite.  We both had large portions of food that were quite tasty.  Yum! Finally, we walked back home and then we were in for the night.

 

- - - - - -

 

Saturday came, and we decided to make this a Jammie Day.  I can't say much about the day, save that we stayed in our Jammies most of the day (with RQS's exception to fetch the delivered pizza).  This was a day mostly spent watching movies on Netflix and Amazon Prime.  This was just as well, as there were flood alerts all across the NYC area.   

I hated going into the city as Mario. But the play was worth it.

 

I'm sorry that I couldn't get a picture of the understudy who played Bobby Darin in the play "Just In Time" tonight.  But, I did get a picture of the rest of the cast during the closing number.  (I got caught taking a picture, and I had to put my camera away.)  Thankfully, AI cleaned up the picture better than I could myself, and I can say that if used wisely, AI can be a great assistant to skilled humans. 

But I digress....

Today was going to be the worst day of the current heatwave, and I didn't want to take the risk of overheating if I were dressed as Marian.  (New York City is a heat island, and would be unbearable without Air Conditioning.)  So, I showered and dressed and went out the door as Mario again.

Arriving at the train station, I easily found a parking spot.  However, I was in such a rush, that I bought a round trip ticket at the full price, instead of at the senior discounted rate I usually pay.  And this would be typical of the way my finances would run for the rest of the day.  I reached Grand Central at 4:30, met RQS in the waiting room, then walked over to the Grand Brasserie for dinner.  (It was French Restaurant Week, and we got a better deal than we usually would get dining here.)  The place was noisy, most of the noise coming from the bar area where people were watching the FIFA semi finals.  (I couldn't give a hoot about that sport.  If I wanted to see men running around for 90 minutes without scoring, I'd go to a singles bar before closing.)  It quieted around after Argentina won.  But it also got warmer inside the restaurant.  So, we were glad to  leave the place around 6:15 to make a 7:00 show.

It's always a minor headache to reach the theater district in a heatwave.  Does one swelter underground and walk an undefined distance to the theater?  Or, does one ride in the air-conditioned comfort of a cab, but spend much more money to get to the theater?  We made the mistake of taking a cab.  Midtown Manhattan streets are usually jammed during rush hour.  But the police were making things worse by prohibiting left turns to reach the West Side of Manhattan - even when street signs are directing people to turn left.  We reached 51st Street and 6th Avenue and told the cabbie to drop us off here.  We could walk faster than the driver could get us there.  As we exited the car, the policeman started to give the driver a ticket for stopping.  But what was the driver to do?  I feel sorry for him.  The police managing street flow were making things worse, and we had to make our 7:00 show.

After a bit of huffing and puffing along city sidewalks, we made it to the theater just in time.  We took our seats, and for the next 2 hours, we enjoyed a great musical, albeit with an understudy playing Bobby Darin.  I got busted trying to take a still photo of the star.  But I was able to take a picture of the rest of the cast as we exited the place.

RQS and I look at the subway system very differently.  I was trying to tell her that we'd take the Broadway line, and she was only thinking of route ids ("W" Train, "N" Train and "R" Train) to reach her destination.  Once she understood how I thought about the system, it made sense to her.  So, we walked to 49th and 7th, and entered the subway system.  This station made me very glad that I was not wearing a wig - it must have been over 100 degrees in that station.  I got out at Times Square, while RQS proceeded to Union Square, where she got her usual train home.

It was a long day.  And I'll be glad to get back into a dress tomorrow for my dental appointment.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     

My schedule might collide with a house sale.

 

My brother and I have "owned" our family homestead for years.  Yet, we didn't have control of it for years, since my dad was living there.  After he went into the nursing home, we fixed up the place to rent the place out.  When our tenants moved out (into their new home), the house has sat vacant.  Recently, we've been paying taxes on a non-performing asset.That's part of why we decided to sell the house.

We went into contract in late May, and the clock has been ticking.  Our lawyer told us that the buyers have 2 months to close on the deal unless their bank refuses to give them the loan.  And now, my schedule conflicts with the last 2 weeks of this 2 month period.  So, I sent an email to my brother to let him know which days I can and cannot be available for the closing.  Hopefully, this won't cause the closing to be delayed any further.

I have a lot of memories of living in this house.  And I will miss having a connection to the house.  But for everything, there is a season.  Yet, that season is over.  

- - - - - -

My apartment has been my home for much longer than the family homestead.  Like the family homestead, I have held back on doing many of the renovations and modernization that most properties go through over the years.  My kitchen looks like any kitchen did in the 1970's, and my bathroom looks a little older than that due to the color scheme of the toilet and bathtub.  It'll need a hard core renovation when I eventually leave this place.  But that'll be someone else's concern.

If I had had children, I know how my property would need to be divided.  This is not my reality in this universe.  My niece and nephew will get most of everything, with the proceeds of the house sale going to RQS upon my demise. (And I hope that's not anytime soon.)   

- - - - - -

Memories are important things, as that's all any of us can take with us when we pass.  If there is something afterwards for us, no one knows.  But I want to be rich in happy memories when that time comes. 

 

As a lark, I contacted someone I once knew

 

The other day, I sent out texts to several people I hadn't heard from in months, if not years.  And I was surprised to hear from one of these people.

Maria #2 and I met via a dating app, but we already knew we were going to be friends and not lovers.  (She was out of my league in many ways.  But she did tell me some things about living near XGFJ.  But that's another story for another day.)  Maria got busy with her life and had no room in her life for a friendship at that time.

Two years later, I reach out to her to say hello, and found out that she and her boyfriend (now husband) had moved to Ireland.  When he lived here, he was the immigrant looking to become a citizen.  Now, she's the immigrant looking to become a citizen.  Amazing, huh?  Yet, with the political shit storm generated by the Orange Monster and the GOP, it makes perfect sense to leave the USA.

- - - - - -

Right now, I wonder if anyone is tracking all of the crimes being committed by the flunkies loyal to the monster.  The monster has given his Brown Shirts and Black Shirts effective immunity for the murders they have committed under the guise of enforcing immigration laws. We've seen them lie about their actions, with upper political echelons protecting these animals.  It is unsafe for virtually all immigrants to stay in this country now, and it is becoming unsafe for the native born as well.

RQS senses that I may have to leave the US if the monster if not checked soon.  But where can I go?  I'm too old to start a new career.  I'd have to worry about moving my money out of the US, so that I could have a comfortable retirement.  Yet, if I have to do so, I will.  At least, I know where to start finding resources to make this possible. 

Game Night - with a little celebration

 

 

OK - I'll explain about the celebration in a few....

But first, I'll describe the day.

Since I'll need to present as Mario on Monday and Tuesday, I held off on doing my own nails to prepare for the coming weekend.  Instead, I decided to sleep late, and then fold 2 loads of laundry from last night.  By the time I was done with things in the apartment, it was getting close to 5 pm, and I had to get ready to go to game night.

By now, I have my routine down pat to prepare myself to present as Marian.  First, I shower, making sure to shave as much of my body as possible.  Then, I prepare for my makeup routine and let my undercoat dry.  After I shave my face, it's time to put on my underwear, bra and falsies and start applying makeup.  I'm usually done in 15 minutes at this point, but sometimes I take more care to get everything right. Once done with my makeup, I spritz on some perfume, put on a dress, and am ready to put my wig on just before leaving the house.

I left the house around 6:50. and headed to Yonkers for game night.  There is a Mickey D's along the way that I'll often stop at.  But there's one problem I have to deal with - there is no left turn into Mickey D's driveway.  So, I usually make the left turn into a skating rink's parking lot so I can make a right turn into Mickey D's.  Well, there was some police activity at the skating rink, as there were 4 police cars in front of the door.  There was no way I was going to hang out here - even if I wanted to.  I drove through Mickey D's, picked up "dinner" and finished my drive to game night.

Game night was fun, even though I lost both games.  There were the 3 of us girls at our table (me the only TG), and we had a chance to chat.  One game selected the starting player by birth date - and this made me the starting player.  When the games wound down, we chatted loosely on current events, all of us having had fun watching Iran's Lego Block propaganda videos.  

Around 10, I left game night and drove home talking to RQS.  She has booked her trip to see her sister.  So, I can now book my cruise to Bermuda.  (Now to find some extra cash to pay for the cruise.)  My big question: Will I take the chance on traveling as Marian this time? 

Thankfully, it was cool - but warm enough for a nice dress

 

The next time the weather gets hot, I may finally again get to wear the dress in the above picture.  It's comfortable.  It's lightweight, and it is very prone to developing wrinkles after a few minutes of wear. But today, I wore something slightly more substantial - a dress I got from Kohl's this year.

- - - - - -

Last night, I didn't get much sleep.  So, when the alarm sounded, I shut it off and woke up an hour later.  Looking at my phone, I saw a message from Vicki #2 - she was available for lunch.  But I wouldn't be ready in time. So I messaged her to say I couldn't make it, and proceeded to take care of little things, such as dealing with my cable TV box.

When I sat down to deal with the cable TV box, I was pleasantly surprised - the cable company dealt with my problem overnight, and I hope it stays "dealt with".  So, I then relaxed for a while before deciding to get dressed and go to Costco for some retail therapy.  (Nothing I bought wouldn't be put to use.  So, it was money reasonably well spent.) While driving home, I chatted with my brother.  The bank has approved our buyers' mortgage, and we're waiting on a date from their bank for the closing.  I can't wait for the sale of the family homestead to go through, as it will be nice to have extra funds in my bank account.

At home, I sent out the link for next week's Co-Op board Zoom Meeting, then chatted with TCL and RQS before getting around to cooking dinner (a shrimp concoction from Trader Joe's which I will likely not buy again.).  And finally, I got down to writing this blog entry to close out the day. 

A day spent as Mario - AARGH!

 

I had several errands to do in Mario mode today, and I ended up putting on a pair of trousers for the first time in over a week.  AARGH!  

But first....

It started as Mondays usually do for us when RQS is at my place.  I woke up first, and let the alarm clock wake RQS up.  It was much cooler this morning than it was yesterday, so I was glad to have a clean long sleeved shirt to wear for the day.  Around 11:15, I dropped RQS off at the train station, and stopped for a bit to clean my wiper blades.  And then it was off to Ossining to take care of some errands.

First, I stopped by my bank to have a replacement credit card reissued.  (The old card expired, and I never received a new one.)  This was the first place where I needed to present as Mario.  After a few minutes at the bank, the teller ordered a new card for me, and updated an incorrect phone number on file.  (I was glad to have my drivers license on me.)

My next stop was the cable TV store where I exchanged my cable box for a working one.  (Unfortunately, I didn't decide to test it until late in the evening.)  I had decided not to stop by a second bank in the same strip mall to see if I could get an account type changed to one not charging service fees.  I was more in the mood to go home and relax.

Late in the evening, I called the cable company regarding the box.  It needed a technician ID to complete the setup process - and they couldn't help me because key staff had already gone home for the evening.  Now, I have to call back in the morning to get help.  AARGH!  (If they have 24 hour tech support, why couldn't they have someone on call for problems like this?)

At least, if I can get the cable box set up tomorrow without a technician's visit, I'll be back to presenting as Marian until the end of next weekend....  

The Heat Wave is breaking and we finally were able to see a movie!

 

Yesterday, we missed seeing this film because all seats were sold out.  Today, we did the smart thing and bought our tickets several hours before showtime.  

But first....

We woke up early, and made sure that the air conditioners were still running at full blast.  Although the weather wasn't going to be as bad as it has been for the past few days, it was still going to be hot.  So we took it easy until 2 pm, and were out the door for a 4 pm arrival time at the theater.  

This would be the last time I'd be wearing a dress for the next couple of days, as I had to schedule my presentation as Mario for tomorrow's errands.  So, I pulled out another Flax dress from my closet and made sure I'd be comfortable outside.  We arrived at the theater a little before 4, and we were among the first to be there.  Even though "Peter Asher - Everywhere Man" was not at the top of RQS's list of films to see, she was glad to see this film after seeing how this man had connections to so many people in the entertainment industry from childhood on.

When the movie let out, it was time to go home for the night.  I was glad to get back into my jammies and be comfortable for the rest of the evening.  It was just as well that we didn't go out again later on, as a storm came in which cooled things off - finally!

The second day of the heatwave - more brutal than the first.

I hate hot weather with a passion.  And when the thermometer reaches 104 degrees, not even my apartment's A/C couldn't keep up with the heat from outside.  At least, my car's A/C could keep up with the heat - even when doing a drive which averages 37+ mph.  But I digress.

- - - - - -

The day opened up slowly, and I didn't get moving until 1 pm.  RQS wouldn't be arriving until 7, so I had time to do some minimal cleanup in the apartment.  By the time I was ready to go out, it was 4 pm, and my task was to pick up lobsters.  ShopRite had them on sale, and we take advantage of these sales at least once every season.  So off to the nearby store for me, and they only had 1 lobster left.  That would not be enough for 2 people.  The man behind the counter suggested that I try the store in Mohegan Lake - which I did.  The lobster tank was full, and I came home with 5 lobsters and a newly emptied wallet.  (I went to the ATM on the way home to refresh my money supply.)  Once home, the lobsters went into the ice box, and I found the equipment needed to steam the critters to perfection.,

RQS arrived at 7:15, and she had forgotten her medicine at home.  Instead of doing without, I said we could make a drive to Queens much later in the evening.  So, we proceeded home and started to cook the lobsters.  In this heat, boiling or steaming lobsters would be a big mistake, as it adds way too much heat to my top floor apartment.  But the savings from eating in vs. eating out at a local restaurant made this splurge worthwhile.

- - - - - -

When the clock struck 10, we got moving and drove to Queens.  Normally, getting to RQS's place takes roughly 2 hours.  Tonight, with minimal traffic, it took just a little more than an hour.  Yet, it was a little scary, as I noticed that I was a little tired and not at the top of my driving game.  Couple this with an excessive number of people driving like they were in a NASCAR event, and it could have been a recipe for disaster. (There were unlicensed motorbikes weaving through traffic on the urban parkways, as well as souped up cars zig-zagging through narrow gaps between cars on the suburban roads.)  Even RQS was shocked about how crazy the roads were on the drive down and back.  After a 10 minute stop at RQS's place, we returned home without incident. And even though I was legally speeding on the full trip down and back, the car got 37 mpg.  

Arriving home before 1 am, we noticed that the A/C had finally cooled off the apartment.  We'll have to depend on foods that don't depend on stove top or oven cooking this weekend if we want to stay cool.  So, I'm hoping for this heatwave to break soon!    

The first of 5 days in Mother Nature's Sauna

 

As I write this, Independence Day is still a day or two away.  And yet, I have things to do to prepare for the long weekend that require that I leave the comfort of my apartment and brave the 100 degree heat outside.  Knowing that RQS is coming up makes things a little worse, as I don't want her to suffer heatstroke on her trip to see me, nor do I want the headaches of dealing with the heat.  But this "brave little girl" will do so, simply because it's the right thing to do.

- - - - - -

The day started off with me lying in bed when the A/C shut off.  No, there was no problem with the A/C.  Instead, the fan turned off because the desired temperature was reached.  At that point, there was no going back to sleep for me.  Yet, there was a great reluctance to do anything while the temperature outside was tolerable enough for light outside activities.  It would have been nice to put on one of my exercise dresses and take a walk today.  (Maybe I can do that tomorrow morning.)

After wasting much of the day time, I took a shower, did my makeup, got dressed, and took some garbage outside.  (I didn't want the cardboard box and packing materials from my new chair to get in the way any longer than needed.)  Then, I took a drive, not caring about the destination - I simply wanted to get out of the house. A half hour later, I found myself at Trader Joe's looking for some foodstuffs that would justify my drive.  

Once done at TJ's, it was back home for the night.  It was nice to get out again as Marian, and I wish I didn't have to change back to Mario as often as I've needed to lately.  At least, today's hot weather justified wearing one of my more comfortable summer dresses. 

According to the weatherman, when the temperature is hot....

Although I had only one thing on the docket for today, it almost got totally screwed up.  So let me start from the beginning, and explain why the temperature made a difference in things.

- - - - - -

Today, I was scheduled to see a friend I once dated, but both of agreed we'd make better friends than lovers.  Like RQS, this woman, VW, is an LCSW.  (Free therapy!  😇)  Being serious, I don't interact with any of my friends in their professional capacities with one exception - Maria, who will notarize paperwork for me.  Both of us had agreed on a place to eat, but we made one mistake - we didn't make sure that the restaurant was open on Tuesdays.  So, I suggested a fallback - a local buffet.  After doing some shopping at the "Dollar Store", I went and checked whether the buffet was open - it wasn't.  So, I called VW again, and we decided to meet at a nearby "Red Sauce" joint that I knew would likely be open.

I got to the "Red Sauce" joint before VW, and I decided to go indoors as it was starting to get too warm to eat out on the patio.  Yet, indoors wasn't as cool as I'd like, as the doors to the outside were opening and closing way too often for the A/C to catch up.  We had a nice chat, and we agreed to meet towards the end of July, when I'd introduce her to RQS.  The two of us had to leave around 3 pm, VW to ick up her dog at the vet, and me because I might need a bio-break in a hurry.

- - - - - -

Once home, I rested for a bit, then decided to tackle the assembly of my new chair.  It's a 1.25 person job, but I was able to do it alone.  Once done, I tried to get the chair inside my bedroom.  But the chair was too wide.  So, I had to get creative to get it in the bedroom and put it by my desk.

Tomorrow, I will need to get dressed, only to take the box the chair came in out to the dumpster, along with some garbage that I need out of the apartment.  Hopefully, I'll wake up early enough to do this before the temperature gets unbearably hot.  (They expect us to be in a 100+ degree heat bubble for the next 5 days.  And I don't intend to go out much until the bubble breaks.) 

Delivery of an unassembled chair (a short post.)

 

As I've often stated, directly and indirectly, I weigh too much.  And the chair by my computer desk is starting to be unsafe to sit in.  So, I broke down and ordered a new chair this past weekend for delivery today.

But first....

RQS was scheduled to go home today.  So, we both got up early and got out the door by 11:20 for a 11:42 train.  (I was running late, and it would have been much easier if I had chosen to go out as Mario.  But I wasn't in the mood to spend a hot summer's day NOT wearing a dress.)  Since I didn't know when my chair would be delivered, I stayed dressed while at home and fell back into semi-consciousness waiting for the chair to be delivered.  Well, I didn't need to stay home waiting for the chair - it was delivered to my door, no one even knocking to see if I was at home.

When I got the message that the chair was delivered, I moved it inside and told RQS that the chair was here and that I might not assemble it tonight.  Then, I decided to rest for a while, and later went out to the supermarket after things cooled off outside.  Now, I have enough food in the ice box to tide me over until RQS returns later in the week.

It was mostly a "nothing burger" of a day.  But I was able to stay in Marian Mode again, which always pleases me. 

Summer's here, and I'm sort of ready for it

 

Well, being ready for summer depends on what one means by being ready.  For me, I have all of my summer dresses on hand, and I'm ready to wear them throughout the Summer.  In my case, I have way too many dresses in my closet, and I have to prune them to have a more manageable collection.

- - - - - -

Years ago, my late wife was a compulsive buyer of clothes.  They were packed in the closet so tightly, that she didn't need a clothes rod to keep them off the floor.  As much as I'll always miss her, I don't miss much of what she brought into my life.  We had our problems, and I don't miss any of them.  Whether or not our marriage would have survived had she survived her cancer, I'll never know.  But I do know that my instinct to freshen my wardrobe causes me to be aware of how much I have in my closets, and how much I have to prune from them.

Now that I'm out and about as Marian, I occasionally wonder what my late wife would think of me.  Would we be sharing outfits?  (We were the same size before her cancer caused her extreme weight loss.)  There is no way to know this.  I hope she's be as accepting as RQS has been of me.

- - - - - -

Once the Orange Monster is gone from power, I wonder what the US government's policy will be towards transgender people.  Will the next government continue his crazy policies if the GOP is elected?  Or, will the Democrats be able to erase all of his transgressions against civil society as a whole?  Either way, I intend to go back to traveling as Marian again, and to live my life as my authentic self.

OK, I did plenty of nothing, and just a little bit more.

 

For the most part, I knew today was going to be a nothing burger of a day.  Yes, I had a Zoom scheduled with RQS and our Texas friends.  But I didn't have the energy to do anything else until the afternoon came.

- - - - - -

I awoke around 7, and fell back to sleep until 10.  Since the sun was out for a change, I knew that I'd eventually have the energy to get moving.  (Rainy days tend to drain my energy level, and not because the rain depresses me.  It may have something to do with the change in air pressure.)  By noon, I was up, and by 3, I was out the door thinking that I might go to Lane Bryant to buy a new slip.

On the way down to Lower Westchester, I stopped by a deli I used to go to when I was working at the imaging firm.  No one was there that I remembered, in part because of the time of day.  When I paid for the sandwich and a bottle of iced tea, I was $15 poorer.  Boy, prices have gone up in the past few years!

At this point, I changed my mind about going to Lane Bryant, as I'll be in lower county tomorrow for game night.  Instead, I went home for a while and relaxed before starting up the Zoom meeting.  Surprisingly enough, our Texas friends were more animated than usual in our chat.  Yet, they didn't bite when RQS mentioned that we could visit them close to home.  No big deal.

Once the Zoom meeting ended, I ran off to CVS to pick up some quick dry for my nails.  (I screwed up one finger's polish during the zoom.)  By the time I was back, it was 11 pm - and the only thing I had accomplished was a zoom meeting.  And that only involved me setting up the meeting.  Plenty of nothing, and just a tad more. 

A lazy day, coupled with my first visit to the Drafthouse in months.

 

With RQS seeing her cousin in Philly, I had no absolute demands on my time this weekend.  So, I thought I might go see an Off Broadway play in NYC, but didn't get out of the house on time.

- - - - - - 

When I have nothing scheduled that requires me to be on time, I often miss what I originally put on the docket to fill my time.  Today, it was the chance to see the play "Dirty Books" which is nearing the end of its run that I missed.

After a long day of travel yesterday, the last thing I wanted to do was move - even if someone else would be in charge of the movement.  So I stayed in bed way too long, and missed the train to NYC that would have gotten me to the city on time.  Instead, I decided to see the film "Disclosure Day", as it had received decent reviews.  

Disclosure Day can be described as 2 parallel chases (bad guys chasing 2 different people) leading to a TV Studio where the proven existence of Alien life would be revealed.  Although this film has Steven Spielberg behind the camera, it is not up to the standards of his other work.  One could have done much more with the idea of a conspiracy to hide the existence of Alien life from humanity, one could feel that a little bit more could have been done with the meat of this story, instead of having most of the movie revolve around the chasing of 2 individuals.  What surprised me most was not the film, but what had changed at the Yonkers Drafthouse cinema.  In the past, one would raise tickets with one's orders.  Now, one uses one's cell phone to place an order and to order refills.  And their app confused me. 

On an aside, I had to go to the loo twice while at the theater.  Years ago, I'd be a bit nervous when entering the female only area.  Now, I am comfortable standing on line with the other women waiting for a free stall.  So, when the credits started to roll, I was the first person to get to a stall.  By the time I was done, there was a line that was at least 12 women long, and stretched out the door.  (I still wonder how cisgender women manage to hold it in with their smaller bladders.  But that's another story for another day.)

At least, I was able to get back into bed at a reasonable time.... 

Hump Day!

 

Technically, as I write this, it's not summer yet.  And yet, we've already had a couple of heat spells.  I can only imagine how I'll be feeling when the dog days of summer arrive.  I know I'll be well prepared, with an over supply of summer dresses in my closet.

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Today started by me waking up 4 hours early and staying awake until noon.  I had a zoom call with my niece in London, and we caught up on things.  (As usual, I had much to say, and she listened.)  After an hour, both of us had to take care of other things, and we agreed to try for another zoom in July.

Once done with my niece, I took care of little things, then decided to cook an early dinner.  This way, I could get rid of the sausage I had in the ice box, and not have to go outside and spend money that didn't need to be spent.

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As you can see, I didn't do much today.  Yet, I needed a small break from a busy routine.  And for a change, I didn't end up browsing clothing stores' web sites today.  I own way too many dresses, and need to radically prune my closets of clothes that no longer look good on me, and no longer interest me.  This  task will be something I handle over the summer.

Unlike many M2F transgenders, I had it easy.  My wife died 30 years ago, so I wouldn't lose that much if a potential girlfriend were to leave me because of my feminine presentation.  No one has come close to living with me, save now for RQS.  And even then, we'd have to find a place that meets both our needs.  I need a place where I can park a car for days at a time.  RQS needs a place with good mass transit.  Until we find that place, we'll live in two residences and shuttle back and forth between the two.

With the above being said, I had little to stop me from buying too large a female wardrobe (especially dresses!)  Even now, I will likely be going with Vicki to the yearly Flax Barn Sale. Garments are drastically marked down to clear them from Flax's warehouse, and it's often worth the long drive to get to the sale.  Additionally, it gives me the opportunity to spend a day with my friend Vicki.

How many dresses does a woman need?  Certainly less than I have.  But I hate wearing trouser like garments, as they end up exposing the fact that I don't have a cisgender woman's hips.  If I had a typical female body, I'd likely be wearing jeans during colder weather  It would be nice for me to have the hourglass figure of a typical female, and not the rectangular figure typical for a male.  Dresses help me hide this little problem.

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There's a part of me that wants to go back to work as a female.  If I see a good weekday, part time job, I'll apply for it.  But I'll have to edit down my resume to let people know that I would willingly work in a position with lower responsibilities than I once had.  It would be nice to live part of the life I could have had if I were born with the right chromosomes.  

Someone is getting forgetful, and it's not me.

Today, RQS had to go home after a weekend at my place, and things started off relatively normally for a Monday.  Both RQS and I would get showered and dressed, and I would drive her to the train station to go home.  And our routine followed along this path until I got home.

For the next 2 days (as I write this), the one functional "Big Boy" locomotive UP#4014 would be available for viewing at the Steamtown National Historic Site.  And then, UP#4014 could be serviced by both Steamtown and Union Pacific personnel until the end of the month, when UP#4014 would make its way to Philadelphia for America's 250th anniversary.  If I had made my plan to drive to Scranton, PA immediately after dropping RQS off at the station, RQS would not be able to communicate with her family - she had left her cell phone charging in my bedroom, and the earliest I could get it to her would be Wednesday.  If I couldn't get it to her then, it would be another 11 days before she'd have her phone in her hands.  (You can imagine what it would be like if you couldn't return phone calls for 2 weeks!)  So, I decided to drive to her place before I'd be affected by rush hour traffic jams.

It was a perfect day for me to wear a summery dress with a denim jacket - the weather was warm enough for a nice dress, but cool enough to want something to keep me warm after the sun goes down.  So, I figured that I'd get to RQS's place by 3 pm, surprise her with her phone, and then have a couple of tacos with her before driving back home.  And the dress was the most comfortable thing I could wear when walking to the taco shop.

But back to RQS's place....

I used my keys to enter her building then knocked on her door.  It was the most pleasant surprise she could have gotten.  A couple of hours later, we were eating tacos, and I was ready to drive home.  And that's where the 2nd forgotten item was left in the wrong place.  She forgot to take her keys when she want to the pottery studio.  Luckily, she has a neighbor who has broken in to her apartment (with permission) in the past, so that she could get into her apartment.

I'm glad I could have been there for her today, and that her neighbor was available to help her as well.

RQS came up early this weekend (a short post)

Well, it's another weekend, and another visit from RQS.  It was hot again today, and it was the perfect day to wear a short dress.  But there was one wrinkle I had to deal with: I had to do some in-person banking as Mario.  So, I figured that I'd do what I best do: Schedule the errands I must do to take place at one time of the day, and my time as Marian for the other part of the day.

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I didn't get much sleep last night, and knew I'd need a nap later on in the day.  So, when I got up, I moved slowly for the first half of the morning, but was out to the bank for co-op business, then to another bank to do some business of my own.  I was finished with the need to present as Mario by noon, and was able to switch into Marian presentation.

Once home, I didn't rush into female mode.  Instead, I folded a basket of laundry before starting my makeup routine.  And then, I made it to the train station in time to pick RQS up.  But where was she?  What I was to find out, was that RQS was delayed due to equipment change at Grand Central.  RQS had a comfortable seat on a crowded train on one platform when the train was taken out of service.  RQS, like the rest of the passengers had to move to another train waiting on another platform that was scheduled to leave at the same time as the out of service equipment  And RQS barely made it to the train on the other platform on time.  So, RQS ended up arriving a few minutes late.

Instead of going out to eat, we went home and had a bite to eat before taking a nap.  We could have gone out again, but it was not in the cards to do so - we were in for the night, and needed some quiet time for ourselves.

I think I know why RQS and I click, while my brother and I don't....

 

OK - To help understand things, I care about my brother very much.  But he's not the tyoe of person I'd associate with if we weren't related.  He's impulsive, and doesn't like to explore ideas before taking action.  He gets stuck thinking inside the box, while I think from the outside in.  For example: I'd consider secretly giving nukes to Ukraine (only for use if Kyiv were to fall to Russian forces, or if Russia were to be the first to use nukes in their war), as well as doing the same for Taiwan (for use only if invaded by the mainland).  When I said this, my brother shifted and said - then what would happen if China then sent nukes to Iran?  Then shut off the exploration on the topic.  He may see danger, but he can't explore ideas which when explored might result in a realistic solution to a problem.  He is very fixed in his way of thinking, and I'd never trust him with knowing about my life as Marian.

Now that I have discussed my brother and his narrowness of thought, I can pleasantly turn to RQS.  She's a blessing, as I've said many times.  Well, the other day, she let something slip (probably as a joke) about an interest in females.  We were looking at a couple of VLoggers and I said that if I were 30 again, I wouldn't turn her out of bed - and she said something similar about the woman.  Maybe that's how she can accept me presenting as Marian.  Who knows?

There are many types of love, and some of them are very strange.  I may not have the passion I imagined having for a "next girlfriend" when I'm with RQS.  But I care for her very much.  She's a good fit for me, and I'm glad that I have the love appropriate for a senior citizen for her, instead of the short lived passion of youth.  Hopefully, we will have many good years together.