I'm lucky to live in the Northeast USA

 

Recently, I read a report (I can't find it right now) which lists 6 Northeastern states as being the most friendly to the LGBT community.  I am lucky to live in one of these states.  However, it saddens me that I can't risk visiting a state which is among the most LGBT unfriendly states in the union - Texas.  I'd love to take RQS with me and pay a visit to our 2 friends who live in the Dallas area.

As I've mentioned, I watch a lot of YouTube videos generated by people who have valuable things to say, most of which are well informed on the subjects they discuss.  (There's a lot of garbage out there.  So it takes time to separate the wheat from the chaff.)  One of the videographers I watch is a Floridian who discusses the problems with owning Florida real estate and how overvalued it is right now.  Recently, this gentleman came to New York City and did a video on our real estate market.  Instead of trashing it, he felt (based on objective measurements) that New York City real estate (especially Manhattan real estate) is undervalued.  New York, like major Northeastern cities, is a place where there are not enough places to live.  Yet, it is a place that has many opportunities for those who want to put up with the headaches of living here.

If I choose to take a land trip as Marian, I'll likely be in the Northeast - heading to Washington, DC may not be safe as long as the Orange Snowflake is in power, as its local laws can (and often are) overridden by congress.  This is not a problem for me, as I have yet to explore Northeast in the way the region deserves.  Specifically, I am interested in visiting Boston as Marian and getting to know the city in the way I've gotten to know DC.

For the most part, cities such as New York are cities where people "live and let live".  We are too busy with our own affairs to have the time to cause problems for others.  Since opportunities abound here, we have fewer temptations to retreat into attitudes of the past than if we lived in areas of fewer opportunities. I feel lucky to live in the Lower Hudson Valley, as I have access to New York City and to the rural beauty of the Upper Hudson Valley.  Within a "short" drive, I have access to much of New England.  Even though the Northeast has a highly dense population, there is a lot of rural beauty easily accessible to many who live here.

Could I live elsewhere? Likely not anymore.  Having a relationship with RQS who lives in New York City ties me to this region.  Any move I make would need to consider her needs as well.  Since she can't drive, we would need to be in a place with excellent mass transit.  This rules out much of the USA - especially rural areas of the nation.  I'm glad that I own my apartment, as well as half of a rental property.  At this stage of my life, I can afford to travel - and I expect to do more of this in the region in which I live and express my authentic self.

YouTube diversions

 

I have been bored by most broadcast TV for years now.  Most of the so-called comedy shows are quite boring, as the quality of script has gone down over the years. (Yes, I am biased here, as my late uncle was an Emmy-winning script writer.)  So-called news shows often consist of 99% opinion and 1% news.  One can quickly get bored by commentators on a network all saying the same basic thing, only with different faces saying those things.

For the past few years, I have found YouTube to be a refreshing diversion from broadcast TV, although the quality of the videos are not up to those on traditional TV networks. It seems that there is a little bit of something for everyone here, albeit with productions of random quality.  Often, I find that I am watching shows which were once shown on broadcast TV, as well as regularly scheduled podcasts I find interesting. Yet, I stumble at times into purely amateur videos that I may watch because the creator is interested in the same things in which I am interested.

Lately, I've been watching videos by restaurant reviewers (UA Eats), Cruise Industry Newscasters (La Lido Loca), and Auto Industry people (Car Questions Answered). Please note that I watch a lot more channels than these ones, I just didn't want to list them all.  If anything, these days I find that I could go all evening switching between YouTube videos without going back to the traditional broadcasters.

But this leads me to one question:

If I am finding traditional TV boring, what is happening with the rest of us?

I'm still having minor issues with the new car

 

Yes.  When one buys a new car, one has something akin to teething pains when one is learning about the quirks of the car.  And I am learning quick!

Yesterday, my car wasn't recognizing voice commands when I wanted to make a call to one of my friends. A call to the salesman gave me an idea of how to resolve this problem.  Now, I have lost some of the features of Android Auto and of Subaru's Starlink for another unknown reason.  I figure that I'll send another message to the salesman - only to let him know that what he suggested worked, and that I have another problem that I'm working on.  (No, I'm not asking him for help on this one.  But I figure that he will be able to help someone else with my Android phone issues using the info I give him, as his main phone experience is with iPhones.)

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In a previous post, I commented on the "secret" sharing of driver data between Auto Manufacturers, Lexis/Nexis, and Insurance Companies.  This practice disgusts me, and I might have called off my car purchase if I had known this before writing a check for the down payment on my new car.  Today, one of the worst offenders, General Motors, has announced that it will cease sharing this information with data brokers.  Hopefully, other automobile manufacturers will follow GM's lead and stop their data sharing as well.

As I'm writing this entry, I'm watching a video regarding the Infotainment Screen and its use on my new car.  I figure that this is a video I should save, as it's easier to watch this video than to read a 500+ page user manual.  Hopefully, I'll learn enough about my new car, that I can drive it like I had years of experience beforehand, instead of feeling like an idiot at the controls.

A pleasant addiction.

 

I am a YouTube addict.  But I am not one who goes for simple entertainment most of the time.  Instead, I look for videos that cover new facts, new ideas, and new experiences.  For example, many of the videos I've been viewing lately have been the topic of travel - specifically, travel on land and on water.  Air travel may be interesting, but there are fewer things that hold my interest involving that mode of transit.

RQS has introduced me to one of the videos she likes to view: Simon's Cat.  The creator of this video series has nailed the actions of a cat, and has brought out the humor of having a cat around the house.  (Did I mention that RQS owns two cats of her own?)   When I need a chuckle, I sometimes look for the latest episode of this cat.

FCP used to watch videos from Dr. Pimple Popper, Sandra Lee.  Sometimes, I've watched these videos out of some primitive brain area curiosity.  I find it amazing how bad these growths have become before they go to this famous dermatologist for help.  Thankfully, I have never needed her services.

It's hard to believe that this business has evolved from a money losing home for meaningless videos to a money making home for user provided content of varying value.  If you want to find out how to adjust the "hidden" settings on a CPAP machine, you'll find it there.  If you want to find out how to replace the control unit for an air conditioner, you'll find it there.  And I'll bet that you'll find videos of almost every surgical procedure if you look hard enough.  (That might be a stretch, but one never knows....)

The most interesting thing about YouTube is how democratic it tends to be.  Almost anybody can put up a video, and it will get promoted if the creator's videos: (1) Get a lot of hits on the video, (2) The viewers of the video watch it for a long time, and that the viewers tend to watch the ads that go along with the video.  Once you reach a certain number of viewers and you have monetized the video channel, you can get a cut of their ad revenue.  It's amazing how much money one can earn by having a popular video on a popular channel.

Given my interests in trains and cruising, I'm tempted to create a channel called "One if by land, Two if by sea."  But it will likely be a dud....

Lots to do, but doing little - another short entry.

 

Although the above picture has nothing to do with this entry, I like how the curtain looked in the theater in which it hangs, and wanted a chance to post this picture of the curtain....

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It may be the cold weather outside, it may be the work I do during the week, and it may be a need to recharge by doing nothing.  But by the time Saturday comes around, I feel drained and need to rest. So I'm glad that I didn't rush to hang out with FH for the day.

By the time I got out of bed, it was about 11 am.  And I had a choice to make.  Did I want to go out as Marian?  Or, did I want to switch over to Mario mode for the rest of the weekend?  Since I stalled by watching YouTube.videos on the Disney corporation, its theme parks, and Jim Henson productions, it took me a while to get showered, get dressed, go to the supermarket, and finally do some laundry. 

One thing that I know helps a lot is COFFEE.  Normally, when I get up in the morning, I try to drink at least 2 cups of coffee before starting work.  Today, I didn't start having any energy until I had my first cup - around 4 pm.  If it weren't for that, I never would have accomplished anything today AND I'd be in a rush to get home on Sunday, to be ready for work on Monday....

As I noted on top, I didn't have much to say today.   See you tomorrow.