It was a good weekend to go to RQS's place. (a short post)

 

The above picture was taken this spring.  Except for the change of seasons, I could wear the same clothes to RQS's place that I wore before our last cruise.  However, I was bringing my luggage to RQS's place for our upcoming cruise and I decided to present as Marian the whole weekend.

- - - - - -

We expected the weather to be in the Mid 70's-Low 80's, and on Saturday we'd be seeing her former coworker in Manhattan.  As a result, my decision was made for me - dress as Marian, and deal with the subway's heat.  So I packed a change of clothes even though I have 4 dresses at RQS's place, with enough underwear to last the weekend.

Since it was Friday, I expected the usual traffic jams on the way to RQS's place.  And the traffic was as expected - terrible on the approach to the Whitestone Bridge, bumper to bumper on the Van Wyck "Expressway", and lethargic on the side roads between Rego Park and Ridgewood Queens.  What bothered me most of all about the drive down was the erratic drivers on the road.  People are driving more aggressively these days,and it bothers me much more than it used to.  (I was once one of those erratic drivers.  As they say, it takes one to know one.) Luckily, I had a choice of spots within a couple of blocks of RQS's place, and took the closest one I could find, just a block away.

Although my large bag weighed under 50 pounds, it felt like much more when I carted it up the stairs to RQS's apartment. There are things I may still need to pack.  But I figure that I'll stuff any remaining things I need into my backpack, and bring them down with me the day before the cruise.

At this point, we were in for the day.  Tomorrow, I'll meet RQS's former coworker on a visit to the Poster Museum.  And I wanted to be presenting as Marian. 

All I planned on today was a lobster roll, and I didn't get that.

 
RQS and I have a passion for lobster rolls.  They are a moderately expensive splurge, but not something that will break the bank.  And, today, it was my turn to get some lobster.  As it turned out, I was 4 hours too early.

But first.... 

The weather looked a little bit better than it has been of late.  So I figured that I could go one of two directions to get my lobster fix - north or south.  If I went south, I'd have to go as far as The Bronx to get my lobster.  If I went north, I'd be able to go to Wappingers Falls and then make a stop at Lane Bryant to pick up some sexy panties and maybe a necklace I could wear.  Given that I felt more comfortable browsing the store in Poughkeepsie than I did the one in the Bronx, I decided to go north and avoid the late afternoon traffic jam at the Bronx/Westchester border.

I started driving north along Route 9, and encountered a car driving 10 MPH below speed limit, slowing down traffic for the rest of us.  Unfortunately, this person was very inconsiderate, and when I had the chance to pass him, I'd annoy him a little by slowing him down in the same way he did to others.  Once I did so, I floored the gas pedal and got on my way to the lobster truck.

The address on the website has the lobster truck on the site of a sporting club (think of guns and fishing) in an isolated area of Dutchess county.  When I got there, I found no lobster truck.  All I found was an empty parking lot.  When I looked at the website again, I noticed that I had gotten the hours wrong.  The truck wasn't going to be there for another 4 hours.  AARGH!  I should have gone south.  So, instead of the lobster roll and clam chowder I wanted, I found myself in a dark pizza parlor munching on a couple of slices. 

Once I was done with my slices, I drove to the mall and entered Lane Bryant.  There seemed to be only one woman in charge of the store, as one of its two entrances were blocked by a set of mannequins. Entering the store, I first looked at a nightie I was interested in buying, but it wasn't in my size.  So I went through the panty drawer to find some sexy undies to go with some nighties already in my lingerie drawers.  While there, I also picked up a nice necklace, and a pair of feminine reading glasses. Then, I was on my way back home.

Somewhere near Fishkill, Route 9 came to a standstill.  I could see no reason for the backup.  So, after a few minutes of going nowhere, I decided to take side roads to get around the jam.  Even if I wasted time, I felt better than I had stayed stuck in the jam.  I eventually ended back in Fishkill, a half mile from where I think everything got backed up.  This allowed me to speed home in time for a Zoom meeting to take place around 6:00, arriving home with time to spare.

I'm not feeling as well as I would like. (a short post)

 

For the past 2 days, I have been feeling achy, with my jaw,neck,elbows, knees and knuckles wanting to crick much more than usual.  I figure that this is related to the after effects of a bug that struck me on Friday night and the air pressure change caused by a storm coming up from the south. Now, I understand what my parents felt at my age when they said they could forecast the weather based on what their bones were telling them.

There is a part of me that wishes RQS could go home, so that I could prevent her from being infected with my cold.  Unfortunately, she's been with me long enough to have caught this bug on her own.  I will miss having her around when she goes home, so there's no way to win when one partner is sick.

- - - - - -

Being ill and not being able to sleep has got me thinking - what do I want to see happen to my property when I pass?  I have no children, so I will need to deal with a will, a health care proxy, power of attorney, and other paperwork needed to make things happen the way I want if I'm incapacitated or dead.

There's a lot to think about as I get older, and I want to get things right before I need these documents in order.

A trip to lower manhattan that achieved nothing

The Oculus.  It's a beautiful work of architectural art.  But it was an enormous waste of money to many people, costing over $4,000,000,000 to build.  Supposedly, it is a transit hub.  Yes, you can reach many of New York City's subway lines here, as well as the PATH tubes.  But it is more of a shopping mall than it is anything else.

If you look closely at the above picture, the Oculus is more of an upscale shopping mall than anything else.  When one enters the building from one of the subway stations that reach its corners,  one can't help but notice the beauty of the place.  It is attractive.  But then one notices how many stores are located in this building.

But why did I end up going here today?

To start, I've wanted to go to the 9/11 memorial and museum for a long while.  But I refuse to pay full rate to go there, when I could go there for free after 5:30 pm on Mondays. So I tried to get tickets for today (I'm writing this on a Monday) and found that I was locked out.  Thinking that it was first come, first serve (such as MoMA was on Friday Evenings before the pandemic), I decided to try to go to the museum.  

 

To start, the Northern half of Metro North's Hudson line was impassable due to damage from abnormally heavy rains.  Although I could take the train from Croton-Harmon station, I had no idea of the operational confusion that would exist when I returned to Grand Central Terminal.  All I knew was that I was on a train which would make all local stops on the way to Grand Central - I'd make it to the memorial by 5:30 pm.

Arriving in Manhattan, I couldn't help but notice the heat.  And it felt worse as soon as I entered the subway.  As planned, I made it to the memorial shortly after 5:30, and found out that I had to get my tickets in advance.  They went "on sale" at 7:30 am, and were "sold out" shortly afterward.  This explains why I couldn't  get tickets via the online portal.

My next stop was the Oculus.  It looked sterile compared to the rest of the city's infrastructure.  Did I mind being there?  No.  But I wouldn't go out of my way to see this place or to shop there.  There was nothing there that I would buy, and most of the people I saw there were on their way to go to other places.

 
Finally, it was time for me to go home.  When I reached Grand Central, I found out that trains running on both the Hudson and Harlem lines were affected by washouts. And again, I ended up on a train making all local stops.  Arriving at Croton-Harmon, I considered myself lucky.  All I had to do was walk to my car.  Others had to get on buses like this to go to stations in Cortlandt, Peekskill, Beacon, and Poughkeepsie.  No one knows when the tracks will be restored enough to support daily commuter travel to/from New York City.

Reaching my car, I noticed that the weather was now perfect for being outside.  This was a perfect time to be wearing a nice flowing dress (which I was) and wish the daylight could have lasted a bit longer, so that I could finally enjoy some time outdoors.  No one can control when the sun sets - and that is a good thing for us.

Getting dressed can be such a pain

 

When I get dressed as Mario, my decisions are extremely simple.  I choose a short or long sleeved shirt from my closet, and a dark pair of trousers.  Weather conditions rarely matter, but I will add a sweater in a solid dark color when it is cold outside.  Rarely do I need to wear a suit, but when I do, it's always a classic dark blue or grey suit, a white or blue shirt, and a tie around my neck.  Simple as pie!  But when I get dressed as Marian, things are very different.

Getting dressed as Marian requires me to make many more decisions.  For example, my choice of bottoms (trousers or skirt like garment) is dependent on the weather outside  If the weather is warm or hot, I'll always be wearing a nice top with a skirt, or a nice dress.  If the weather is cool, I might wear the dress with a pair of tights.  But if the weather is cold, I'll wear a tunic like dress with a pair of warm leggings.  Before I put anything on, I must choose my intimates.  I need to make sure that the bra I'll wear won't be exposed by the top I'll be wearing.  Once everything is on, I finally choose my shoes (or boots).  Again, the weather can be a factor in this choice.  And finally, I choose my jewelry.  What kind of necklace will I wear?  So many decisions to make.  (And I haven't even talked about makeup!)  No wonder why so many women complain of having a full closet, but nothing to wear.

Now, I hate wearing trouser like garments as they force me to be extra careful when tucking.  I like having as flat a front as possible, so that my legacy genitalia do not create a visible bulge.  Dresses and skirts give me much more room for error.  But most cisgender women tend to wear trouser like garments such as jeans these days.  So I've had to treat some dresses as tunic tops (for coverage) and wear leggings (with compression undergarments which give me a flat front) to look more like a cisgender female.

When I went to Hawaii this December, I wore dresses every day.  It felt nice to have a breeze on my legs while on vacation. The one time I went into the hot tub, I wore a swim dress with pockets for my prosthetic breasts. I've never been happy when wearing that swimsuit, as the skirt always floats up with the jets from the hot tub. I wish I had real breasts to fill out the swimsuit cups.  Like many women, I am not happy with how I look in a swimsuit.  But I know that it's because it's a form fitting garment which tends to show off what I haven't got.

On the whole, I know that being transgender means that I have to accept the imperfections in my female appearance.  And I know that getting dressed will always be a pain, as I will always need to adjust my wardrobe to fit a body for which women's clothing isn't designed.

Hawaii Vacation - Day 06: Haleakala Crater

Today, I could have gotten out of bed an hour later than I did.  Most of the excursions I'm scheduled to take occur sometime between 7:00 am and 7:30 am.  Today's excursion was scheduled for 8:15 am.  At least, I had the time to relax after breakfast and get things done.

- - - - - -

Around 8:00, I went down to the gangway and it started to drizzle.  I waited a while before heading towards the queuing area for the Kaleakala Crater excursion.  When the tour guide arrived, he told us that the weather at the top of Kaleakala crater is unpredictable and that we might not be able to see anything due to the clouds. 

We then started our trek from sea level to 9727 feet above sea level on a road with many switchbacks.  It was hard to remain seated through those switchbacks with no arm rest, and it was a miracle that I didn't get sick.  Rising from sea level, we encountered a cloud bank around 6000 feet above sea level, and it got worse as we continued up to the top.  At the bottom of the mountain, the temperature was in the 80's.  At the top, it was in the low 30's, and I was glad that I brought my winter coat that I knew I'd need when I returned to New York.  This coat almost got left in my car, in order to lessen the weight of the luggage that was going to Honolulu.

 

None of the pictures I took today are much worth posting, so I put an image from the Park Service at the top of this entry to provide an idea of what I was hoping to see.  The image above is what I did see.  Hardly worth the effort to go to the crater, isn't it?  Maybe next time, assuming there is one, I'll get a good picture.  Since we had time to kill before the driver's next tour from the ship, we stopped by a souvenir shop and at the local Safeway.  If I had been thinking, I would have picked up another roll of clear adhesive tape.  But I can't think of everything when on vacation....

The calm before the storm

 

Winter is known for interesting weather.  One day, the weather could be in the 50's, and later that same week, we could have a blizzard.  This is one of those weeks.

Earlier this week, the weather was in the 50's, and it was a nice day to go out wearing a lightweight coat and a sweater underneath.  Today, the weather was in the high 30's, and people were at the supermarkets stocking up in preparation for the coming blizzard.  

This morning, I got up early, so that I could return a book to the local library, and then decided to take a long ride just to get some free air for one of my tires. (I have a slow leak in one tire, and wanted to make sure that I didn't need to inflate it in bad weather.)  While out, I noticed how busy the supermarkets were, and was glad that I stocked up on things a few days ago. I was also glad that I postponed a zoom meeting with my ex boss until tomorrow - neither of us would be going out, and it made sense to use forced downtime for our virtual get together than a day which I expected might be busy preparing for the coming snow.

By the time I got home, I was very tired.  But I had no time to take a good nap.  Instead, I had to get proof that I had health insurance lined up for 2021, and no extra time to take care of this.  New York's Obamacare exchange was closing up shop earlier than last year, so I had only the 6 week window to have paperwork in hand saying that I had purchased a plan for the coming year.  After a phone call and logging into the exchange site, I had that paperwork in hand, and had what I needed to fight "city hall" if needed.

Next, it was a co-op board meeting.  Things ran better than expected, and the meeting was quicker than usual.  However, I had to bug out early - I had a Tuesday night meeting of my Texas Zoom Meetup group to attend.  (I'll have to talk with the president of the co-op in the morning about me bailing out.)  Around 8:30, I made it to the meetup group, and only one of the group was left online.  We chatted for 30 minutes, and then I was free for the evening.

Hopefully, tomorrow's weather won't be as bad as expected. At least, I have my snow shovel upstairs just to be safe....