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.) 

Lunch with "Short" Vicki and finally a Game Night

 

I really didn't want to get up today.  The weather was dreary, with intermittent showers punctuated by periods of drizzle.  But, it would be my one chance to have lunch with "Short" Vicki and see her before she goes on her cruise.  

- - - - - -

The other day, Vicki asked me if we could change our lunch date from Friday to Thursday (today), as one of the pregnant ladies she has been helping (Vicki is a Doula) was expecting to go into labor this evening. I had no problems saying "Yes", as this would give me more time on Friday to get things ready when RQS comes up for the weekend.

Just after I took my shower, I got a text message from Vicki.  Basically, it said: "WTFRU? in much more polite language.  I told her that she was an hour early, and I'd be there at 1 pm.  Although I was getting interrupted by messages, I was out the door and in Scarsdale a couple of minutes late.  One problem - the parking meter ate my quarters and wasn't showing that I had time on the meter.  To be safe, I ended up moving my car to a spot with a working meter, and ended up entering the restaurant at 1:15 pm.  AARGH!

We settled down and started chatting service at the restaurant wasn't rushed, and we both enjoyed a nice Italian meal.  Both of us had to go out and check the meter after we finished the main course, but that was only a minor interruption for us.  All too soon we had to go.  I'm not sure if Vicki was going to head straight out to the hospital where the baby would be delivered, or whether she'd go home to wait for the phone call.  Either way, I knew she would have a busy evening in front of her.  As for me, it was time to go home and relax before game night.

- - - - - -

This would be the first time I'd be going to game night (if I recall correctly) because of cruising and uncleared snow.  So I put this high on my priority list of things to do today. 

Around 600 pm, I got up and got ready to go to game night.  Arriving around 7:45, I was just in time for the first and only game of the night, and enjoyed playing it (although I lost as usual.)  It was nice to see familiar faces again.  But all too soon, I had to go home.  And that was just as well, as I had had enough of people for the day. 

Dinner with a Transgender friend

 

It's not every day that I can get together with another person from our transgender community.  It takes a while for our conversations to get going because we come from opposite sides of the spectrum.  But, in the end, we get to chatting like typical ladies - albeit, not in the way one would expect.

- - - - - -

We arranged to meet at the restaurant at dinner time, but we screwed up which dinner time that was.  So, I ended up being 1/2 hour early, yet 1/2 hour late according to SKB's initial impressions of our time frame.  (I take half of the blame here, as I could have chosen the earlier to get there and we both could have gotten there at the originally expected time.)  One thing I can say - I don't want to be walking out on a side street near Atlantic Terminal / Barclay's Center after rush hour.  But I digress.  SKB ended up being later than expected due to a hunt for a parking spot. (There are many good reasons that I use mass transit in congested parts of big cities.) 

In many ways, SKB is the opposite of me.  I identify as a person who is left of center by today's standards. (I'd likely be considered a Goldwater Republican, the way he was towards the end of his life.)  SKB identifies as a person who is right of center.  I have almost no interest in sports, save for an interest in the history of baseball.  SKB has an interest in the most American of sports, football.  We should be like oil and water, but we always seem to have good conversations.

All too soon, our conversation had to end.  SKB was able to reach her house in 30 minutes, while it took me 30 minutes to reach Grand Central Terminal.  Since it was after 9:00 pm when I got there, almost every place where I could get a bottle of fizzy water was closed (or was closing down).  Luckily, one place was still open at 9:30, and I was able to get my seltzer before hopping on the train.

Normally, I get on a train that has a stop or two before reaching Croton.  This time, I caught the express whose first stop is in Croton.  As a result, I had to fight to stay awake just enough not to miss my station, instead of being able to fall asleep until the last stop.  Yet, I made it home by 11:00 pm, and was ready to fall asleep by midnight.