And now, back to my everyday life

 

I dropped RQS off at the station today for her trip home.  She'll have 3 days to run her errands (and me the same) before she returns here this weekend.  

- - - - - -

There are only so many current events videos I can watch before getting sick thinking of the Orange Monster and what he's doing to this country.  So, I limit my consumption of political news.  I wish I could filter out the damage the monster is doing to this world, so that I could focus on everyday events that occur in the NYC region (fires, building collapses, murders, subway derailments and other disasters that affect a small number of people in my region.)   To contrast a NYC view of things vs. the rest of the world's views, I suggest looking at a case of suicide via subway train during rush hour.  To outsiders, we'd be mourning the tragic loss of a human life.  To New Yorkers, we're getting pissed off that some jerk has screwed up thousands of commutes at the worst possible time - if the person wanted to off himself, the least he could have done is to wait until after rush hour AND have the good taste do it where it wouldn't affect anyone's commute.  (One needs a certain sense of callousness to live in this city.)

I got up around 8 am, and let RQS sleep until 10:30 am.  Around noon, I started getting showered and dressed, so that RQS could make a 1:30 pm train.  Although I was thinking of doing a couple of loads of laundry today, I decided to make a run over to Target and pick up a few things I'd need over time.  Sadly, the route that I'd normally take home was closed off to me (and to all) as the failure of a bridge over the nearby railroad tracks prevented me from taking my usual route home.

Arriving home, I decided to contact a friend and schedule a lunch get-together.  Although her schedule was a little tight, we found a convenient lunch date, and scheduled something for this week.  And then, I decided to rest for the remainder of the day, giving up any plans to go out again.  So, off with the makeup and outside clothes, and on with my jammies, and I could go to bed any time I want. 

- - - - - - 

Tomorrow will be a "Fat Tuesday" meetup, and I hope all goes right.  I think I'll wear a nice dress for the evening, and get some use out of it this season. 

Getting dressed up for Valentine's Day (a short post)

 

When presenting as Marian, it's always nice to have an occasion to dress up.  Valentine's Day was it for us.  And I know I enjoyed doing so more than RQS today.

- - - - - - 

Both of us were glad to stay inside most of the day.  Saturdays are often a day of rest for us, and we do that well.  What can I say about two seniors who know how much energy they have to spend, and want to spend it wisely?

Around 5 pm, we both started getting ready to go out.  Both of us had red dresses at the ready, and we were ready to wear them.  Both of us did our makeup, put on our jewelry, and did everything we needed to look our best when we went to the restaurant.  If the weather had been colder, I'd have worn my flannel dress.  If the weather had been warmer, I'd have chosen a lighter dress.  However, the sweater dress I chose was perfect for the evening - and a few minutes later, we were going out the door.

We made it to the restaurant 20 minutes early, finding an almost perfect parking spot in front of the restaurant.  When we entered, the host remembered us from previous visits and made a table available to us before our reservation time.  Then, we got started with dining.  In front of us was a proper table setting, with the napkin folded like a red heart.  It was the perfect setting for a Valentine's Day meal.   And both the food and service was as good as we expected - perfect.

- - - - - -

After dinner, we went to the supermarket to refresh the soda supply in the refrigerator, then homeward for the evening.  It was a nice day, with the high point being our V-Day dinner.

Another Jammie Day (a short post)

 

This morning, I woke up around 10 am and had nothing on the docket.  Should I go out?  Should I clean my apartment?  What would be the best way to spend my time?  So many ways to spend the day, and I spent it watching videos on many subjects.  Even as I write this entry, I have a historical video on TV, covering the history of the A-Bomb and how our government managed its propaganda during WW2.

The clothes horse side of me wanted to see what dresses I could buy.  Did I need them?  No.  Yet, I can see how my late wife got addicted to buying clothes she didn't need.  So I always try to ask myself: Does the new garment add something useful to my wardrobe?  Usually, the answer is 'no.'  But, last week, the answer was 'yes' , when I placed an order for a pair of brown leggings that I'd be wearing with a light brown sweater dress.

I eventually got moving around noon, and moved into the living room.  6 hours later, I finally did something useful and deals with two suitcases.  The first, a 28" bag, contained most of what I carried with me on our January cruise.  The second, a 24" bag, contained some items from my female winter wardrobe that I planned on wearing last weekend when at RQS's house.  Even though nothing was removed from either bag (I actually added underwear and socks for my next cruise in the 28" bag), I placed both bags to the corner of the room where I previously stored empty suitcases, making space in the living room.

Was it a wasted day?  To a degree, yes.  But I will be busy over the next week or so, and I don't want to be overwhelmed before then.

Ragtime

Today, there was only one thing on the docket - going into NYC to meet with RQS and see Ragtime at Lincoln Center.  As much as I'm not a fan of musicals, I knew RQS would enjoy it, and we planned for this day long before Xmas.

- - - - - -

I set my alarms to wake me up around 8, so that I could make a 10:42 train.  This would bring me into Grand Central at 11:40, giving me 20 minutes to make it to Union Square for lunch.  So, I hopped into the shower at 9:15 (after I finished the co-op's meeting minutes for review), and was ready to go to the train station by 10:00.  This was a little chancy.  I'd be late if I couldn't find a parking spot (the station I go to is large, but often has no vacancies), but I wanted to pick up an egg sandwich before getting on the train. But luck was with me today, I got a decent parking spot.

Given this is winter, a sweater dress was my choice of the day.  Although most cisgender women were wearing trousers, some were wearing dresses.  So I didn't stand out too much.  I hoped that there wasn't too much of a snow melt, as I  didn't want to be stepping around puddles while wearing flats and tights.  I got lucky there as well.  So, when I made it to Grand Central, I chose the non obvious route.  Instead of taking the 4th avenue line direct to Union Square, I decided to save on walking by taking the shuttle to Times Square, and the Broadway line to Union Square, where I'd be leaving the system at 16th Street instead of at 14th Street. (2 street blocks = 0.10 mile, plus a 1 avenue block = 0.33 mile.)  The walk was long enough already than to add close to 1/2 mile of unneeded walking.  This was a smart move, as I ended up less than a block away from where we planned to eat lunch.

When RQS arrived, I said that she should go buy her lunch, and that I'd get up when she got back to the table.  All of a sudden 20 people walked in, and the store received a large door dash order at the same time.  It took her 20 minutes to get a sandwich which normally would be ready in 3 minutes.  So, we split her small sandwich, and headed up to Lincoln Center for the play instead of lingering in the sandwich shop.

It took us 15 minutes to make it from Union Square to Lincoln center.  Not being familiar with the complex, I had to ask for directions - and found the theater in the back of the complex.  It was nice to enter the theater from a mid level, as we didn't have to walk up too many flights of stairs to get to our seats. Although the seats were too narrow for me, my knees weren't hitting the back of the seat in front of me. So, I was able to be tolerably comfortable for the two acts of the play.

Rarely does a musical make me say "Wow!" But this was one of them.  Like a good Opera, the songs told the tale.  Unlike an opera, there was some spoken dialog that helps people understand the play.  So, when intermission came, there was the usual mad dash to the women's room.

I've never seen a sign like this before, but it made sense.  Where does the long line to the ladies' loo start?  In the case of this theater, the line was over 120 feet long.  Yet, that line moved, as there had to be 20 stalls available for use at any one time.  As for RQS and me, we were on a different line for only 2 stalls.  And it was just as well, as I liked having the extra room that a single stall facility has.

The play ended at 5:00, and both of us entered the subway around 5:15.  RQS was home by 6:15, while I was home by 7:00.  It was a long day, but well worth the effort I made to get to see RQS and the play.

Returning home in the cold

 

 

Given the weekend's cold weather, I was not in a hurry to go outside and go home.  But, I had a dentist appointment scheduled for Tuesday, and it had already been postponed once.  So, homeward I had to go, and that meant I'd be leaving RQS sometime in the afternoon.

- - - - - -

As usual, I woke up relatively early, allowing RQS to sleep for an extra hour or so.  It took us a while to get moving, as she had things to take care of as well.  Around 2 pm, I ended up leaving her house and walked to the bus stop, where I didn't have to wait long for the bus to arrive.

When I reached the subway station, I didn't go straight in.  Instead, I picked up a sandwich and ate it on the train.  (This is New York, after all - no one gives much of a damn on an uncrowded train, as long as one is far away from the people on the train.  I'd never do this in other cities, as it would be an unforgivable sin.)  It took a while to reach Manhattan, and then 20 more minutes to reach Grand Central.

So far, today's trip was much easier than Saturday's trip - it was 15° f warmer than Saturday, with much less wind. Also, I could use ADA Accessible stations to make my transfers between subway routes. In short, it was relatively comfortable trip  for a winter's day.  So, I felt comfortable going home, as I didn't have to deal with Saturday's travel issues. When I arrived at Grand Central, I took the time to get a buttered bagel at Starbucks, and still had time to spare when catching the train home.  Although I took a semi-express train home, I got home around 5 pm or so, and was able to rest. 

- - - - - -

With the afternoon having been spent in transit, I took the rest of the day to rest, and to work on my travel blog.  It's my way of keeping busy and doing something constructive. 


PS: It was nice being able to go to RQS's place as Marian - the cold weather made it easier, as I wouldn't overheat in what I was wearing.

Going to RQS's place for a change

 

 

 

It's been a while since I've been to RQS's place, and it was time for me to make an appearance.  But, alternate side of the street parking has been suspended for a while, and I was warned that I wouldn't find a parking spot.  So, I knew that I'd be taking a cab to the train station, then the subway to Queens, and possibly a bus to RQS's house.  It would be a pain - especially with the subways on a weekend schedule.  Yet, I didn't realize how much of a pain this would be.

 

- - - - - -

 

I didn't start to get moving until 10:30, and proceeded to get showered and dressed.  Around noon, I went out for my usual sausage and egg sandwich, then called the cab service around 1:00 for the ride to the station.  By 1:45, I was on the train and heading for Grand Central.  This would be the easy part of the trip.

 

Once at Grand Central, I had to make it from Manhattan to Queens.  I made the mistake and followed Google's directions for the subway:

• Take the #6 line to Canal Street.
• Transfer to the J line to Essex Street.
• Transfer to the M line to Myrtle/Wykoff
• And finally, take the bus to RQS's place.

Well, Google didn't take into account one thing - I was toting a suitcase.  The Canal street transfer is not accessible for those using wheelchairs.  Even though I am able bodied enough to walk, I would need elevators to make the transfer at this station tolerable.  Instead, I should have taken the #6 to Brooklyn Bridge (a known accessible station) and made the transfer there.  Sadly, Canal Street is a complex station with many confusing passages (with staircases) to navigate - and I must have walked up and down at least 5 flights of stairs with a heavy suitcase.  AARGH!

Now that I made it to the platform, I saw my train pull away.  It would be almost 10 minutes for the next train to come. At least, I was still sheltered from the sub-freezing wind outside.  I hopped on the train, and made it to the next transfer point, where the train had just pulled into the platform.  And now, I was on the train that could take me close to RQS's place.

Finally, I made it to Myrtle/Wykoff.  I had a decision to make.  Do I leave the subway system and take a bus to RQS's place?  Or, do I take the subway 2 more stops, and go down 4 flights of stairs to make it to street level, then walk to RQS's place?  The accessible station won out.  Leaving the station, I hoped that the MTA's bus schedule was correct - I'd only have a 5 minute wait for the bus.  This may have been the second big mistake of the day.  Once I was outside, I was hit with a blast of wind that almost knocked me to the ground.  If I didn't find shelter from the wind, I'd get frostbite - it was less than 10°f outside, and 5 minutes' exposure to the cold would be the maximum one should risk.

Luckily, I didn't have to wait long for the bus, and I was finally within 10 minutes of RQS's place.  But this trip would take longer than the expected 10 minutes.  First, there was the streets, narrowed by snowbound cars which hadn't moved since the big snowfall 2 weeks ago.  My bus was stuck waiting for an Uber to unload.  In normal times, the bus could squeeze between the Uber and cars parked on the other side of the street - but not with snowbound cars on both sides of the street.  Next, there was construction/demolition equipment at the end of the block, taking up more than their share of space.  (This is where a fire displaced 120+ people 2 weeks before, just around the corner from RQS's place.)  Finally, I was in walking distance of RQS's place - and by 4:15 I was inside her apartment, enjoying both the warmth of the place and the aroma of meatballs being cooked.

I'm not going to do everything all at once.

 

I'm not going to do everything all at once.  That's a lesson that can be overwhelming to most people, as they look at the big picture before breaking it up into little, more manageable tasks that need to be done.  In the case of my other blog, I have to rebuild and rewrite all text from scratch, including my impressions which were lost to a typo.  So, expect me to keep you informed of my progress over the next few days.

- - - - - -

Unlike yesterday, I was able to wake up around 6 am.  However, I did it on (maybe) 4 hours of sleep.  So, I knew that I'd be tired later in the day - and I was. For many people, if they have to go to the toilet in the middle of the night (or early in the morning), they usually fall back to sleep once they relieve themselves.  As for me, the movement needed to get to the toilet is just enough to bring myself to full consciousness, and knock my sleep/wake cycle out of whack.  So, when RQS got up, she saw me semi-conscious on the sofa.

Once I woke up again, I knew that I would need another nap.  Around 2 pm, I drove RQS to the station for her return home, and then I picked lunch at Mickey D's.  (Sadly, there were no places serving what would fit my food cravings, so I had to settle for a fish sandwich.)  Arriving home, it was time to nap - and I didn't get up again until 6 pm.

- - - - - -

Now that I was awake, it was time to sort out my mail, and start work on the travel blog again.  At least, all my photos were still safe on blogger, and I could use some of what I wrote for this blog as tools to refresh my memory of the cruise I took in November/December. 

Getting out and about when it's cold outside.

 

Provincetown, MA.  It looks beautiful after a snowstorm, but I wouldn't want to live there in the aftermath of one.  It's been a week since New York's last major snowstorm, and cars are still stuck in the snow on many New York City streets.  When I next visit RQS at her place, I'll need to take mass transit, as there will not be any available parking on the streets if I were to drive there.

- - - - - -

It's been a week of sub-freezing temperatures, and my stadium coats have gotten the most use they have gotten in years.  One advantage of this weather is that the snow won't melt and leave ice patches in dangerous places.  Given the mountain of snow that was plowed in front of my car (there was no other place to put it), I expect to see the remains of last week's storm hang around well into February.

RQS and I decided to go out today.  She wanted to get some coffee and try out the French Press I have in my kitchen.  As for me, I wanted an excuse to go out.  So, we bundled up, and out the door we went.  Off to Home Goods, and then to dinner.

Well, RQS found her coffee, and I decided to go to the same buffet that Vicki and I went to the other day.  This time, I overdid it.  Way too much food, but all of it was good.  On the way back, we took a route through back roads until we hit a roadblock.  Seems like a quarter mile section of road was out, and there was a 15 mile detour because of it.  As for me, the detour still brought us home without returning to the open section just past the detour.

A trip into NYC for a Sample Sale

 

As you can see, I've written this post about 2 weeks before you see it.  Today, I decided to take a trip into NYC to see what Universal Standard had for sale, and whether there was something I'd find worth buying.  But I wasn't sure if I'd bother to go into NYC today, as the temperature was 15 degrees Fahrenheit with a light breeze.  BRRRR! 

- - - - - -

When I got up this morning, I could feel the cold coming through the windows.  There is only so much that can be done to heat up an apartment when the weather is this cold.  Yet, around 10:30, I decided to get showered and dressed, and made it to the station with 20 minutes to spare.  

The train made it to Manhattan by 12:45, and I was at the pop-up store before 1:30.  One catch - there were 4 storefronts with the same numbered address, each with a different letter to identify their places in the building.  (e.g.: 262-A, 262-B, 262-C, and 262-D)  But once I found the place, it was easy for me to go through the racks.  Sadly, I only found one garment worth buying.  But that was OK.

Next, it was off to find something to eat.  I found a bagel shop on the corner, and ordered a sausage, egg and cheese sandwich on a poppy bagel. Add a can of soda to that, and guess what I spent - roughly $20.  I could have gotten the same in my neck of the woods for half the price.  But I was hungry, and wanted something to fill my stomach.

Finally, it was back to Grand Central and a wait for RQS.  She arrived around 3:30, and we were home by 5:00.

Now to try on my new dress.... 

The snow has mostly been cleared, RQS is home, and we finally Zoomed with our friends

 

As of this morning, the above car was still snowbound and will be blocked in even more when the next snowfall hits.  However, my spots are mostly clear (I didn't move my car until after the second visit of the snow removal people was over) and there were only a handful of spaces which evidenced people not moving their cars.  I just wonder what it will look like after this coming weekend's storm.

Shortly after 11 am, I drove RQS to the train station for the ride home.  For the most part, it was an uneventful drive for me, as the roads were mostly dry.  (That's what happens when the snow hasn't had a chance to thaw yet.)  It was also an uneventful trip home for RQS, save that she had to wait in the cold for a bus to take her home after getting out of the subway.   

I picked up my usual sausage and egg sandwich before going home, and made a trip to Target before going home for a much needed nap.  (I didn't sleep well last night.)  Around 6 pm, I realized that I had to start our Zoom meeting with our Texas friends.  So, I stayed at home, nuked some dinner, and got the Zoom going around 8 pm.  Our monthly Zoom went well, as we got one of our two Texas friends to talk more than she usually does.  

And then, the Zoom was over, and I had to catch up on things I've put off doing for a while - washing 2 of my 3 active wigs.  I figure that once they are clean and dry, I'll finish off wig cleaning by putting the 3rd wig in the sink.

Just another day in the life of a New York trans-gal.

.    

Shoveling snow the next day

 

This is the aftermath of this weekend's snowstorm.  One will notice what happens when someone leaves a car in the parking lot when the co-op board of directors and our managing company told our shareholders to vacate their spaces for the duration of the snowstorm.  Over a foot of snow fell on our cars, and took a lot of digging out for most of us who could do so.

My car was parked out on the street, where our town's DPW (Division of Public Works) plowed another foot of snow onto the driver's side of my car.  So, I had to clear out 2 feet of snow from one side of the car, plus the foot of snow on top of the car.  This meant that I likely cleared out 50+ cubic feet of snow.  But I had another 30-40 cubic feet to clear in front of my car to take care of, just to get my car free of the snow.  This took me about 45 minutes.  But there were others who couldn't do what I did.  One of our board members was in the hospital and couldn't move her car.  Another neighbor is disabled, and she had to hire out some help.  (I'm not sure how my body will be able to handle tasks like this in 10 years, so I'm starting to think of life without a car now.)  This meant that almost everyone would be busting their butts to get their cars free before the sun set.

Once I was done, I ended up chatting with my downstairs neighbors about the snow and things in general with the co-op.  When I went inside, I rested a bit before going out with RQS to take some photos at Croton Gorge Park.  Visiting the park today was a mistake - too many people were visiting the place, and there was not enough room for 2 cars to pass each other on their way to the parking lot or to the street.  We decided to get out of the park quickly and go to a hamburger joint for a bite to eat.

After we finished our burgers, we called TCL for a minute to see that she was OK, and then went home for the night.  Tomorrow will be the day RQS goes home for a couple of days.  But with another snowstorm coming up this coming weekend, we'll be ready for the next dump of the white stuff.

A day at home, a dinner with Vicki

 

Last night, I was playing around with ChatGPT and asked it to generate a picture of me (face previously altered to look more feminine) standing in San Francisco on a nice summer's day.  I wish I could have been that woman in the picture in real life.  The AI version of me exudes happiness in her smile, and she projects a form of confidence that can't be ignored.

- - - - - -

This morning, I got up at my usual time and decided to cook breakfast - eggs and corned beef hash.    It's one of my quick go-to meals, as all I do is open up a can of hash, heat it up, then scramble in a couple of eggs.  It's a one skillet meal that I can make with a minimum of fuss.

After breakfast, I decided to relax, as I was not in the mood to do any type of decluttering.  Instead, I waited for an Amazon delivery that put 2 packages by my door.  The first package contained a set of mouse pads - the thing I needed most for using my mouse while sitting on my sofa.  The other package contained a watch "repair" kit, with spring pins that could be used to connect a watch strap to the base of the watch.  (The kit didn't contain all I needed to make fixing the watch band I had an easy job.  But it had just enough stuff for me to reattach one end of the watch band to the other.)  At least I learned a little something new by doing this task myself.

Around 5 pm, I left for dinner at the local Japanese restaurant.  Vicki was there on time - I was 10 minutes late.  Today's conversation was not as intense as it could have been.  Instead, it was relaxed, in part because Vicki had just had a facial and was already relaxed.  We talked about my latest cruise, and her husband's truck.  But very little talk of a serious nature.  And that was a big relief.  Yet, the issue of how I dressed on the cruise came up.  I mentioned that I dressed as Mario, as I didn't want any possible contact with Federal Government employees while presenting as Marian, as I don't want to be hassled by the Orange Snowflake's Gestapo.

Once done with dinner, I found out that Game Night was cancelled.  So I drove to Walmart to pick up a few items, and then to the supermarket to pick up ingredients for another batch of onion soup.  By the time I got home, I wouldn't wait to take off my bra and falsies, my wig, and most of my clothes to get into something comfortable.  

Tomorrow, RQS comes here again, and I start work on another batch of onion soup....

It's hard not to get upset watching the news these days.

 

Lately, the Orange Snowflake has shown signs of declining mental facility.  In short, his senility is getting worse, and no one is willing to take the risk of removing him from power under the terms of the 25th amendment.

- - - - - -

Each time I watch the news, I have to be careful not to watch it too closely.  The snowflake and his actions seem to monopolize the news.  And I have to be careful not to watch too many YouTube videos, lest I get angry and "howl at the moon."  I have to turn away each time I hear his voice, as the mere sound of him sickens me.  (Thankfully, his niece distorts his voice whenever she plays a video clip of him speaking.)  

Today, reporters mentioned that he rambled on for 2 hours, repeating his old "hits", threatening both military and trading partners, and looking like a lunatic that should be in a padded room.  Unfortunately, he's free and many minorities aren't - they live in fear of his ICE Gestapo.  (My friend from the imaging company is married to someone who doesn't look "Aryan", and fears him being alone in his car and getting pulled over in an ICE raid.)  I try to think of these things as little as possible, as I know that I can only deal with so much crap that upsets me during any given day.

When I watch the news, I try to find a network affiliate's local news on YouTube.  In a half-hour, I am able to keep up with local events that concern me, and look for more information when I need it.  (I found this approach to be useful when a fire burned down 4 buildings a block away from RQS's place.)  The biggest benefit to this approach is that local news usually doesn't cover national events.

- - - - - -

I can'r wait for this national disaster to end.  Hopefully, it will be soon.

RQS had to go home today

 

It's been a long time since I went to the theater with the above ceiling fixture.  It felt like RQS was here for a long enough time for her to become a fixture here.  (And that made me feel good.  I wish she could be here even longer.)

- - - - - -

Unfortunately, RQS had to go home today.  She had a doctor's appointment in the city, and I had a lunch appointment with CCS up here.  We both got up early, and I got showered and dressed in my cold weather outfit - tunic dress, leggings, all covered by a stadium coat for warmth.  RQS was a little surprised that I owned a woman's stadium coat for cold weather, when she bought be a men's stadium coat for Christmes.  But I always make sure that I wear solely female clothes when presenting as Marian, and male clothes when presenting as Mario.

Around 11:30, I dropped RQS off at the station, and had 90 minutes to kill.  So I went to the bookstore to kill that time.  When I got there, the first thing I did was to fix a zipper malfunction with my coat.  And then, I went and read some magazines for an hour.  After that, I drove to Starbucks to get something to drink, as I was falling out due to lacking enough sleep.  Then, I killed some more time before meeting CCS at the restaurant where we had lunch.

Neither CCS nor I had a lot to say today, but we both enjoyed seeing each other. The food at this place was very good, and I was surprised about how good the hamburger I had tasted today.  We left the restaurant at 3 pm, and I went home for the day.  Arriving home, I sat on the sofa and fell asleep for a couple of hours.  And then I was awake, watching videos for the rest of the evening.

MLK jr. Day (it's starting to become a day for store sales)

 

Years ago, the United States made Martin Luther King Jr. day a national holiday.  There was a lot of resistance to this, given the racial history of this country.  Yet, the holiday has endured, and most people accept it as part of our yearly calendar.  Sadly, we have a president who would eliminate this holiday if he could, and return this country to the 1950's. Or worse, to Germany in the 1930's.

- - - - - -

RQS and I had two things on the docket for the day: (1) Getting her watch band resized, and (2) Going to Costco to get a second arm rest tray on which she could place her glasses and phone.  While at the jewelry store, I asked to get my watch band fixed, and found out that my watch was as good as dead.  (It didn't help that I hadn't used my automatic/self winding watch in ages.

It was nice to be out as Marian again.  And going to Costco required me to present as Marian, as my ID card has my feminine image.  So, once we left the jewelry store, it was off to the Zwilling factory outlet to shop for knives - where RQS bought some to add to her kitchen supply.  And finally, we were off to Costco.

It took a while for us to get to Yonkers, as I ended up taking the side roads to get there.  The parking lot was busy, and it took a while to find a good spot.  Well, we ended up walking all around the store, found the items we wanted, and left the store 45 minutes later.

On the way home, we chatted with TCL a bit, and came home to relax.  Before we retired for the evening, we watched the film, Operation Mincemeat - a serious take on the real life mission.

- - - - - -

Tomorrow, RQS goes home, and I go back to seeing friends for lunch and dinner.  At least, I should be able to do my nails again and keep the polish on for the better part of a week.

 

 

PS: After a few minutes of shaking the watch to recharge the internal battery, the watch started to keep time again, and I knew that all I needed was a fixed watch band. 

The only reason for getting dressed was a supermarket run.

 

After an exhausting evening in NYC last night, RQS and I didn't have much energy to spend doing things today.  We relaxed around the house until 1:30 pm, and we went out to the supermarket around 3:00 pm.  

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Going outside as Marian on a cold day can be a struggle.  A smart woman keeps her legs covered by something other than a pair of stockings.  Although I own a pair of women's jeans, I rarely wear them because any top I'd wear would my natural non-feminine figure.  So, I've developed a style where I wear tunic dresses with leggings underneath when the weather is cold.

Last night, I wore a dress I've worn before with and without leggings. Today, I wore a sweatshirt dress with leggings, and I was very warm with my wig on.  Being dressed as a female takes more thought and preparation than I ever needed dressing as a male.  But I don't mind it one bit.  Even if it is to make a quick run to the bank, and then to the supermarket.

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At the supermarket, RQS and I bought the ingredients for 2 different soups.  I'll cook the onion soup, and she will cook the lentil soup.  Both should be tasty and filling - especially with salad and leftover chicken to go with the soup.  But not tonight....

Once at home, it was laundry time for us, 2 baskets ready to go.  One problem - of the two dryers downstairs, one of them wasn't working. This meant an extra trip downstairs, and an interruption after dinner.  At least, my body isn't protesting too much about climbing the staircases.

Operation Mincemeat

 

The important thing on the docket was a trip to NYC to see Operation Mincemeat on Broadway.  The weather was so cold, that I wished we didn't have tickets.  But we did, so I made myself get out of bed, get showered, shaved, made up, and out the door by 2 pm for dinner and a play.

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Today was the beginning of a cold spell in the NYC region, and I couldn't justify wearing a dress with tights as I would have liked.  Instead, it was a dress over leggings, and a heavy coat on top of that - with both ear muffs and gloves covering areas most sensitive to cold.

When I got on the train to Grand Central, I knew I'd have time to kill because I'd arrive at 3:45 with dinner in Greenwich Village at 4:30.  So, I figured that I'd have time to rest at Grand Central before getting on the subway to head for dinner. Once I was done killing time, I got on the subway and was in "the village" 15 minutes later.  And then I experienced the bitter cold again, as I got out of the subway and headed a couple of blocks away in bitter cold winds.I arrived at the restaurant with time to spare, so I grabbed a seat and waited for RQS.  We slowly ate our meal, savoring every bite, killing time until we had to leave for the theater.  

Once done with dinner, we emerged into the bitter cold and made it to the subway.  We should have taken the 8th avenue line uptown.  Instead, we took the 7th avenue line, and that made us walk much more in passageways not designed for a person with arthritic legs to walk through - RQS was hurting by the time we reached 42nd Street and 8th avenue.  But we made it to the theater in time.  And yet, we had more problems - RQS couldn't pull up her online tickets on her phone.  It took the ticket clerk several minutes to help RQS pull up her tickets, and then we made it inside to see the play.

We made our way up to the "nose bleed" seats, and had a good view of the stage. By then, I could have easily fallen asleep for an hour. But I was going to try and stay semi-conscious as best I could.  The play started, and I was bored by the dialog. Its humor was not on target, although most of the audience loved it.  Its music was hard to understand, as the words were coming in too quickly to process the meaning of the lyrics.  (You can see why I hate most hip-hop "music".)  I finally started becoming more conscious for the second act, and found it only mildly amusing.  The best part of the play was when the mood suddenly turned serious when they paid tribute to the real life "man who never was," a man who served his country in death, saving a great many lives as a result of deceiving the Nazis.

After the play, we trekked home, and were at home by midnight.  Although we stayed up a little while, we passes out quickly once in bed.

Florida/Bahamas Cruise 2025 - Sea Day #3 (01/10/26)

 

Laundry!  I had enough laundry in my dirty laundry bag to take advantage of the free laundry bag service provided by NCL for Platinum level cruisers.  So, I put all the dirty underwear and socks into one bag (the free one) and then put my dirty shirts and trousers into another bag.  This way, I'll have burnt off $20 of my $50 non-refundable onboard credit.

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Both RQS and I got up early for two reasons - I had to put my laundry in the hall to be picked up, and we wanted to go for breakfast in the ship's pub restaurant.  While at breakfast, we met our "Birthday Boy" and his wife (from our dinner at the Hibachi restaurant), and she asked for the name of my cruise blog.  I figure that she plans to read it later on, and hopefully, she will like it.

Later on, we went to the main dining room for lunch.  This time, the food and the service were what we expected from this cruise line.  Again, RQS went out for a walk to get her blood sugar down, while I stayed in the cabin and worked on my blogs.  By the time she came back, I had taken care of a GI-Tract issue, and was ready to go to the buffet for something to drink.

Once at the buffet, we killed a couple of hours before going to the noodle bar.  If I had known how forgettable the food would be, I'd have said: "Let's take a chance on the main dining room for dinner."  But this was not to be.  Neither of were sated after this meal, so we went up to the buffet for something to drink and for something sweet

It wasn't much of a day, but it was pleasant for both of us. 

 

Florida/Bahamas Cruise 2025 - Nassau, Bahamas (01/09/26)

 

Nassau, Bahamas.  It's another of those "Almost No There, There" places which tend to be popular for beach related activities.  Unlike most islands in the Caribbean, this island has no fort.  Instead it has a shopping district near the piers, as well as beaches a short cab ride away.  Yet, it is one of the largest ports in the Western Hemisphere, being able to handle 7 cruise ships at the same time.  As long as there is a nice beach and good weather, people will love ports like Nassau.  And if I were a warm weather person, I might love this port as well.

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We both got up late, taking advantage of the port day by letting the mobs rush to eat and take their shore excursions.  Around 9:45 am, we went to the only open onboard restaurant to have breakfast, and it was there that I found that I forgot my room key.  Although breakfast was good, I couldn't help but think of the room key. So, we hoofed it back to the cabin after breakfast and found that my room key was not with my lanyard.  AARGH!  This meant another trek to guest services to get a new card key cut.

Eventually, both RQS and I made it back to the cabin, made sure that both of our cards worked and then RQS went out for her constitutional while I stayed inside and worked on this blog.  Sometimes, two people who care for each other need some alone time - and this was our time to be alone for the day.

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Lunchtime came, and we went back to the one restaurant open on the ship on port days, O'Sheehan's.  As we expected, lunch was forgettable.  Afterwards, we went back to the cabin so that RQS could pick up a few things for her alone time.  I stayed in the cabin to work on my blogs, and to experiment with multiple image displays on a single row in blogger.  Although I finally got things right, I still don't like what I'll have to do to make the blogs work right.

Once that was done, I started the check-in process for my next cruise.  Virgin Voyages doesn't make it easy for us geriatric old-timers - virtually everything has to be done via their mobile device app, and it's easy to screw up some of the data entry.  At least, I know what RQS will need to do when she starts her check-in process.

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Finally, it was time for dinner.  We went to the ship's Italian restaurant and were totally underwhelmed.  None of the dishes had any flavor.  The Calamari was forgettable, the Pork Scaloppini was missing something special, and the Italian Cheesecake tasted like it came from a boxed mix.  In the future, we will avoid this specialty restaurant on other NCL ships. 

 

Florida/Bahamas Cruise 2025 - Great Stirrup Cay, Bahamas (01/08/26)

 

Great Stirrup Cay - NCL's private island.  The last time I was here, I declined to set foot on the island because it was a tender port.  And I did the right thing, as choppy weather was getting in the way of tenders returning people to the ship.

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We arrived at the island early in the morning.  The ship emptied out while we went to breakfast on the ship. That meant the ship was quiet and peaceful for a change, and we enjoyed it.  Breakfast was pleasant, as we didn't have to wait to be seated, nor did we have to be worried about overworked wait staff giving shoddy breakfast service.  Normally, we might not have roused ourselves out of bed until noon.  But we were hungry, and the mechanical staff had to visit our room again for a third time to fix the problem with our toilet not flushing correctly.  So, after breakfast, we killed time in the main atrium and gave staff a chance to make up our cabin, and fix the problem with the toilet without us getting in the way.

We came back to a room with a working toilet (Thank God!) and relaxed for a while before going to the buffet for a late lunch.  Again, we killed a little time, as we had an early dinner at the Hibachi restaurant. There's not much to say about this place, save that the food was tasty and plentiful.  I've seen the Hibachi show way too many times to be impressed by it, and I'm glad that we didn't get stuck eating 3 specialty meals in this place.

After dinner, it was off to the ship's theater to see a show we saw on one of our trips on this ship - the Broadway Cabaret.  Unlike the last show we saw in this theater, we enjoyed it - even though we had seen it before.   The ship's singers and musicians were at the top of their game, and we stayed to the closing number.  (We left during the number, as we both needed bio-breaks.)  And then we were done for the night.