Setting up a new blog for the co-op

 

 

Years ago, I decided to set up a blog for my co-op.  I maintained it for a while, and then let it go fallow.  Covid had gotten in the way of things, and then we had no one interested in showing up for our annual meetings.  Realizing that no one cared that much about communications with our shareholders, so I dropped work on the bog.

Recently, my co-op got into a financial bind due to no fault of our own (I can't go into details here), and we've had a minor shareholder revolt caused by a maintenance increase and an assessment to pay for some bank imposed costs.  One shareholder (the apartment below me) is demanding to see all of our co-op's records to determine whether some fraud is occurring (it is not).  Another shareholder sent a letter to all residents - but did not pay postage, as s/he either paid off the postman to insert these letters into our mailboxes, or had an illegal copy of the postbox key.  But I digress....

One of the good things that has come of this is a recognition from our co-op president that we need better communications with our shareholders.  So, I dusted off the blog I let go fallow and brought it up to date.  I'll admit that I back filled some entries, but I made no effort to do a detailed back fill which would take a lot of effort.  I figured that I might need to delete most of the prior posts, so it wasn't worth it so say much other than to mention that shareholder meetings were held, quorums were not achieved, and the prior board remained in power, because not enough people were interested in participating in the election.

To safeguard things, I have decided to make the co-op blog an invite-only blog, so that only shareholders have access to it.  When the board gives its OK, I will begin the process of getting a domain name fr the co-op, and attaching the blog to it.  Eventually, I will flesh things out a little more and have something which will be useful to our co-op's shareholders.  Until then, I will work on convincing the board that we need to communicate better, and that this blog will be one of the tools we will use to do so.

A trip for lobster ended in Fettucine Alfredo (a short post)

 

RQS came up this past Thursday, and we knew we were going to do a few things over the long weekend. But, for the most part, we would relax and chill out.

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We woke up on Friday, and relaxed most of the day (as usual).  Around midday, we got showered and dressed, then went out for a couple of errands.  First, we drove down to Yonkers to return her old phone (she traded it in last week for her new phone) to the cell phone store.  My plan was to NOT pick up lobsters until the drive home, as we would not have refrigeration, and I didn't want them to go bad before getting home.  So, when we drove back home, we stopped into the local Shoprite - and....  NO LOBSTER! The crustaceans were sold out for the day.

What could we do?  I had some leftover rotisserie chicken in the refrigerator, and we decided to make some Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo. So, we changed our plans.  Today, we'd eat pasta. And tomorrow, we'd eat lobster. So, we picked up some pasta and some cheese for grating, then home we went.

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RQS has gotten used to seeing me in dresses, and this weekend would be no different - my nails were polished, and there was no way Mario would appear until the polish was removed.  If we woke up, got dressed, and got out early enough, we might take a long drive and go to a museum.  However, I knew we wouldn't be doing this.  When was the last time either of us woke up early?  And for this weekend, when would it be warm enough for me to enjoy wearing a dress (sans leggings) outside?

There's a hole in the bucket, Dear Liza, a hole....

 

In a little over a year, my co-op has gone from a place where I'd be glad to own an apartment to one where I wish I could sell the place and be done with it.  Being on the board of directors, I am not able to talk about any of the details why I feel this way.  But I can say that I (and other shareholders) have received letters from one outraged shareholder complaining about how things have been managed.

Why is this an issue?

Being on the board puts me at financial risk if we were held liable for the problems the co-op is facing.  Right now, I think we'd win our case if ever brought to court.  But I'm very concerned about my financial future, given that I'd have an extremely hard time recovering (if possible) from any judgements.  Luckily, our lawyer is on the case, and we are taking proactive steps to resolve our issues.

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Our problem is one that I can see us finding a way to resolve.  But there are many other condos and co-ops in this country which have problems worse than ours.  For example, the collapse of an apartment tower in Florida caused the state to enact legislation to deal with Home Owner Associations (HOAs) who have kicked the can down the road, deferring essential maintenance that would keep their buildings safe for residency.  Due to this law, many condos in Florida are effectively worthless, given the rise of HOA fees and assessments needed to bring their properties up to snuff.  (My co-op has continually maintained our property, and was in excellent shape until the beginning of 2024.)

Right now, I am very concerned that things will keep getting worse all over.  Last night (as I write this), one of the ladies in our zoom meeting mentioned that her firm just laid off a significant number of employees.  Given her skill set, she feels safe.  But in her shoes, I'd still keep my resume updated and my fingers tightly crossed.

We're starting to see the effects of the Orange Snowflake's trade war.  He's pissed off our friends, only to get an occasional "win" he can brag about in his propaganda.  Canada has sworn off US goods, and largely avoided the US for its "Snowbird" vacations.  I'm not sure that there's anything that can be done to win back Canadian business until the Snowflake is long gone from office - and that will take years, at best.

So what does this all mean?

I feel that on a macro level, America is heading towards a depression.  Both our short-term and long-term policies have been geared to dealing with today's issues instead of heading off those that will happen tomorrow.  In Florida, inadequate regulation has destroyed the value of a large sector of its real estate market.  In the US, ballooning federal debt will destroy the value of the US Dollar as well as our economy.  Hopefully, we will be able to ride out the troubles I expect to see and come out relatively whole 4 years from now.

 

A visit to the doctor and a zoom with the girls.

 

Although my doctor only sees me looking like the image on the left, my Texas friends have only seen me looking like the image on the right. Today was a half-and-half day for me, and I hated looking like the fellow on the left when I'd rather look like the "girl" on the left.  But then, Alfred, like Bugs Bunny was not afraid of putting on a dress when it is called for.

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Today started with me not getting enough sleep overnight.  I was running on 3-4 hours of sleep when I woke up, and it didn't make sense for me to go back to sleep before going to the doctor's office at 9:45 am.  As expected, the doctor was running a little late, and I could have arrived at 10 am without losing any time.  However, with this visit, I saw my doctor relatively quickly (for him) and had the chance to tell him about the problem I've been having with my leg and the problem I've been having with my GI-Tract.  

With the doctor's visit out of the way, I got a bite to eat and went home to take a nap.  Even though I woke up around 1:00 pm/1:30 pm or so, I didn't bother going out again before the zoom meeting with my Texas friends.  This was just as well, as I had some co-op business dropped on my lap, and I had to sign a document which would allow us to start negotiating the final cost for something previously required by our bank.

Around 7:00 pm, I got dressed as Marian and prepared to start the zoom around 8:00 pm.  Now, I wasn't in the mood to talk a lot, as I was still tired.  But I wasn't going to cancel things for tonight, as I don't want to get into that habit.  My Texas friends came on first, followed by RQS.  We caught up on what is going on in each others' lives, and the zoom lasted longer than usual.  Around 10:20 pm, we ended the meeting, and I went out to CVS to pick up some stuff.  While driving, I made my nightly call to RQS and we caught up on each other's day.  I mentioned to RQS that when I mentioned the possibility of our friends visiting NYC, that it wasn't shot down out of hand.  RQS noticed it too.  But I'd rather see them in a city like Chicago, Philadelphia or Boston, where all of us would have to travel to get there.

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All in all, this wasn't as bad a day as it could have been.  If a friend didn't cancel dinner for tonight, I'd have had no emotional energy left to enjoy the zoom with our friends.  So, things worked out for the best after all.

Someone too poor to even maintain friendships

 

A while ago, I met a young woman at a meetup and developed a friendship.  Well, not a close friendship, but more of someone I could meet for dinner on occasion, and not miss it we didn't meet for dinner.  

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As my readers know well, I am lucky enough to be able to buy the things I want to buy - as long as it is in moderation.  If I want to meet a friend for dinner, I schedule it - and worry about my diet (or lack of one) afterwards. My friend is far from being able to afford dinner, and cancels our get-togethers more often than not. 

MAR is a 40 y/o health care aide who is getting tired of her job.  She wants to find something else, but feels locked into her role.  (I feel that she's afraid to spread her wings, but who am I to say?)   Her vocal style does not project confidence and quick thinking, and that may be what's holding her back in life.

Her body is wearing out from the physical labor part of her job.  Given that she is not a salaried worker, she depends on the number of hours that she clocks in to maximize her pay.  Unfortunately, she has never been able to clear out her debt, and this means that she will cancel dinners at the last moment when there is too much week at the end of her money.

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Today, as I expected, MAR cancelled dinner at the local diner.  I suggested a get-together 4 weeks later, and she feels she won't have money until July.  Dollars to donuts, she'll look to schedule something and then cancel at the last moment. 

I'm glad I don't count on this woman for serious friendship....

Lunch with RQS and Vicki (a short post)

 

RQS and I were in the type of mood, where if we didn't have to go out for lunch with a friend, we would have stayed home and rested.  So, we were both relatively quiet and relaxed as we drove to Mt. Kisco to have lunch with Vicki.

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We met Vicki at our usual Greek restaurant, and sat down to eat.  Service was slow.  But, when one considers that we arrived at 2:30 pm, we had no complaints.  Catching up on things, Vicki mentioned that one of her dogs wasn't doing well and that she was going to take it to its breeder's vet - as s/he would have the full health background of the dog.  (There may be a genetic link to the dog's problems.  But that's another story.)

When RQS went for a bio-break, Vicki mentioned that going on 5 cruises in one year is nuts.  But, it's not her monkeys and not her circus.  I didn't take it as anything, but I noted this comment later when RQS and I got home.  For 2 people whose age averages 70 who are childless, what should one do with her money? RQS had never been able to travel much before meeting me, and Covid got in the way of my travel before I met her.  So why not spend our money on experiences while we are still healthy and able to do so?

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I wonder.  Is Vicki projecting her lack of travel into her comment? 

Resistance is Futile. (Yeah, right!)

 

Lately, the last thing the Orange Snowflake wants us to have is hope.  He wants us to feel that resistance is futile.  The reality is, resistance is not futile.  If one looks at the court cases he has been losing, and one can see that even a biased court system can hold him to account, or stop his attacks from a specific legal angle.

For some, staying off of his radar is the best thing to do.  For others, it makes sense to go out in the world without fear (but remaining cautious), as we need to show the world that we exist and are nothing to fear.  And still, for others, one has to take on a public fight.  If one can go stealth, one can still support the trans people who are unable to be stealth where they live,  If one can't go stealth, one can still try to live as normal a life as possible. And if one is already in the public eye, one can take on an open fight and force issues into the courts, where we have a better chance than with the snowflake's growing gestapo force.

 

I have scheduled 4 future cruises.  In normal times, 2 of them would have been taken as Marian.  Given that I don't know how US Customs is treating transgender people (pre-op, post-op, or non-op) with or without gender conforming id since the snowflake took office, I'm erring on the side of caution.  Yet, I am looking for ways that I can travel in a mode closer to my authentic self than I do now.  This will likely have me have photos of me in Mario mode wearing a toupee in an androgynous style, and use that when traveling as Marian.  (I'd be in full Marian mode, with wig and breast forms on a cruise ship, or when I reach my destination.)

 

My resistance is to live my life as openly as I can.  If someone challenges me, I will say that I am trans and see what happens, then act accordingly.  Hopefully, this age of lunacy will end soon, and we will see the light at the end of the tunnel.  Until then, I will resist the snowflake as best I can.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lunch with 2 friends (on different days)

 

The above picture is from the days when the old "Whine and Dine" meetup group still existed.  It's been a long time since then, and I still enjoy eating out whenever I can - especially with a friend or two.  Over the past two days, I've had two separate lunches with two separate friends and wish it could be more often.

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My first lunch was with my friend,CCS, from the census.  Each month, we try to get together and catch up on things.  This month, I got to talk about my trip to Bermuda with RQS and she got to talk about a family reunion for Passover.  Although we chatted about more things (current politics always seems to come up these days), our focus was mostly on our trips and not the BS going on in the outside world.

Next up was my friend, SJM, from the imaging firm.  Like me, she's glad to be out of the place, as it was a stifling place to spend 8 hours each day. I brought her up to date with my travels, and she talked about her job search, her son's performance in college, and other things a little too personal to cover here.  As expected, talk of the Orange Snowflake came up.  I said that I would love to see a revival of "Our American Cousin" take place at Ford's Theater, with the same Ad-Hoc ending.  

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A common feature with both friends is that I would likely have never developed a friendship with these two ladies had I been presenting as Mario instead of as Marian.  Over time, I'd like to be able to leave as much of Mario behind and live as much of my life as Marian as possible.  At my age, I can deal with males trying to talk down to me ("mansplaining", among other things).

And now for something completely different...

 

The history of Baseball can be used as a metaphor for the history of America.  Regional antagonism, Racism, Immigration, Sexism, and Internationalism are all a part of Baseball's history.  And something unexpected finally happened the other day which will make people think long and hard about how Gambling should relate to the sport.

As I write this entry, the Commissioner of Baseball has removed both the late Pete Rose and "Shoeless" Joe Jackson from the Ineligible List (Banned from Baseball), making them eligible to be voted into the Hall of Fame in Cooperstown.  Even though I think only "Shoeless" Joe should finally get his place in the hall of fame, it's simply because there is no convincing proof that he acted to throw the World Series.  Pete Rose once admitted that he gambled on Baseball while still involved in the sport, and I feel that this may be enough to keep him out, despite his record as a player.  (I would not be upset if Rose were to be voted into the hall of fame. It's a question of whether it can be proven whether he harmed the sport or not, given today's embrace of betting on baseball games.)  

What other Hall of Fame "worthy" players?  Two names, Roger Clemens and Barry Bonds come to mind.  They played part of their careers in the "Juicing" era.  Performance Enhancing Drugs (PEDs) were in common use by many baseball stars.  Even though these two players are known to have "Juiced", the big question is: Would they have excelled without PEDs?  Other players chose not to juice up, and no one says a word about them.  There are hall of fame worthy players in that era who are known to have never juiced.  Yet, there is a "generation" of ball players who have not been selected for the hall, simply because of when they played.  Might a simple way of dealing with the problems of great players known for having juiced be simply admitting them based on their records, but to mark those records with a big asterisk?

One can say that cheating has been a part of baseball since it's beginning.  The sport wants people to see it as being angelic, when everyone involved is subject to the same temptations as the rest of us.  None of us are angels.  So I hope that Shoeless Joe finally gets his rightful space in the hall, while players such as Barry Bonds are kept out because they have been caught cheating.  

What did Groucho say? (a short post)

 

"I wouldn't join a club that would have me for a member."

 
Before anyone thinks I'm talking about Sour Grapes here, I'm talking about the frustration of trying to submit my RSVP early enough to be able to dine with a small group of people.

Over the years, I have made a few friends by attending meetups.  Well, since things opened up again after Covid, I've been trying to attend dinner gatherings held by a certain group.  One time, I made it off the wait list, but too late to see the notification and change my plans.  The next time, I got in early enough, but the meetup was cancelled due to too few attendees.  (When one limits the gathering to 6 people max, but needs 4 to hold the gathering, there will be a lot of cancelled meetups.)  Today, I made it in early enough, but the meetup was cancelled.  I also found out that since I was not yet a paid member, that my reservation was deleted.

Now, there is no way I am going to gamble $12 to possibly attend gatherings when this group has had such a bad track record.  But if I knew I'd be able to attend weekday gatherings, then maybe I'd shell out the $12/year to join.  

 

It's amazing where one finds evidence of trans people

 

I love this computer generated image of me as an action figure.  It truly reflects the life I wish I could have lived.  I'd have felt good about myself, and it would have shown in my face and my smile.  However, I didn't live this life - all because of a tiny chromosome.

Why did I mention this?

Today, I went to the bank to get some CDs renewed for the Co-Op, and to get some papers notarized for claiming Unclaimed Funds from New York State.  When I sat down with one of the branch officers, our chit chat turned to second citizenship.  She is trying to get citizenship for herself and her child in one EU country by birthright, and I'm doing the same with another country. Since the uncertainty of American politics came up, she felt safe in mentioning that her son is transgender, going on hormones at the age of 18.  Luckily, his US passport expires in 8 years, and we hope this this hateful regime is gone by then.  If not, she and her son will go to Canada.  As for me, I will go to Europe, and settle in a country with a low cost of living.

There are more of us out there than most people know.  Now is the find each other before any pogroms start.  Once/if they do, we will need the help of others sympathetic to our needs to get out of Dodge before sundown.....

We've planned our 5th cruise for the year!

 

Sometimes, RQS is the person who finds a hidden bargain which benefits the two of us.  This weekend, she saw a cruise price of $982/pp for the above cruise, while I was seeing a price of $1399/pp for the same cruise.  As much as I'd say that $982/pp for a 12 day cruise, I had my reservations.  First, I'd be taking this trip as Mario, as most Caribbean islands have problems with the LGBT community.  Second, this trip would be on the Queen Mary 2, and there would be 3 formal nights onboard the ship, for which Cunard expects me to wear formal garb.

Before I left RQS this past weekend, we agreed that she would make the deposit on this cruise, and that we both would be getting a soda package and a streaming Wi-Fi package. This way, we'd be able to do what we want on our devices when onboard the ship, and yet be able to contact friends and family if needed.

A good thing about this cruise is that we'll be on the same ship I want to take for a transatlantic crossing.  Given that RQS saw two women ballroom dancing together on a cruise blogger's video, I don't think she will have any reservations against taking the crossing on this ship with me presenting as Marian.  But first, we have to take this cruise, and wait until the Orange Snowflake's war on Transgenders is over.

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In the old days, all transatlantic crossings would sail from Europe to the West Side of Manhattan.  The Hudson River was littered with ports, with one (or more) piers serving each line servicing the routes to New York.  However, there are only 2 active piers in Manhattan, 1 in Brooklyn, and 1 in Bayonne, NJ.  We could never return to the "good old days" of transatlantic crossings even if we wanted to - the capacity to service the ships is no longer there.

As I write this, the SS United States is on its way to be turned into an underwater tourist attraction - an artificial reef.  This is a damned shame, yet unavoidable.  There was no way to make it possible for this ship to be economically viable in today's environment.  It makes much more sense to spend more money to build larger ships overseas, and use them for tourist purposes.

Luckily, RQS and I will get the chance to sail on the last remaining ocean liner in the world.  Even if it disappoints, it will still be a rewarding experience.

More work on the family homestead.

 

This was a day where I needed my car, and hated this need.  My plan was to drop RQS off at the hairdresser, and then drive to Long Island to work on the family homestead.  But traffic jams got in the way, and it took me over an hour for a 30 minute trip due to the fact that it was "Samuel L Jackson" day.  (It's better than me saying it's "Mother's" day in his eloquently vulgar way!)  Being serious, there were many more cars than usual on the highways today, all people looking to see their moms to celebrate the unofficial holiday.

When I eventually arrived at the family homestead, my brother wasn't there.  He was running late because he had to pick up a mop, bucket, and some other things needed for house cleaning.  When he arrived, we sat down for a bite of the Hamburgular's and Grimace's finest (McD's Quarter Pounder and Big Mac) before starting work for the day.  We swept out the main floor, then I got to work mopping that last layer of dust and dirt off the floor while my brother did lawn mowing and other landscaping tasks outside.  And then, after several days, my GI Tract said that it wouldn't cooperate with me any more.  This resulted in an emergency visit to the hardware store to get the things I needed to clean up the bathroom.  AARGH!

Once we were done with our tasks, we said goodbye to each other and went our own ways.  There was a lot of traffic on the roads, but I was able to find a route with minimal traffic to get home.  As for my brother, he decided to get a haircut, as he had an important appointment in the morning.  When I finally got home, my neighbor's Mother's Day party had broken up, and I had to wait a couple of minutes before I could climb the steps to my apartment.  I was finally home!  And I did nothing for the rest of the evening.

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Tomorrow, I'll have to take care of some banking business for the co-op.  This means I'll be in Mario mode for the morning, but will be able to switch into Marian mode for the afternoon and get my nails done.  I'm looking forward to this.

A trip into Manhattan to see a movie, but didn't. (a short post)

 

RQS and I planned to go to the movies today - but didn't.  

But first....

This would have been a perfect day for me to have been out and about as Marian.  The temperature was in the low 70's, and there was a nice breeze.  What a perfect day to have been wearing a nice dress!  But I had to be in Mario mode, as I do not yet have any of Marian's clothes or makeup at RQS's place.  At least, RQS had a nice dress she could wear, and she got to enjoy the nice weather.

We left RQS's place around 4:45 pm and went into Manhattan.  The first thing we did was to go and have dinner at an Italian joint on MacDougal Street.  I wish we had gone somewhere else, as it was both noisy and cramped.  It took a while for our food to come, and I was unimpressed by the lasagna I ordered.  Once done with dinner, we killed time at a local coffee shop.  Big mistake - we should have bought our movie tickets for the 7:25 pm show.  By the time we made it to buy tickets, everything was sold out.

So, it was back to the subway, and back to Queens.  After a stop at CVS for some tissues, we continued home on the subway (our bus was delayed much longer than we'd want to wait) and got off 2 blocks from RQS's place.

It was not a day that much was accomplished, but a good day anyway.

A quick thought about the new Pope and the Orange Snowflake

 

I watch several YouTube channels, as well as read assorted online media.  Today, I saw Michael Popok on Legal AF postulate - Did the Catholic Church send a message by electing an American pope? Given his reasoning, it makes sense to me.  But it made me wonder - what else are they trying to say?

In Benjamin Covey's blog, he wonders whether American Evangelicals could spot the Antichrist.  And I'm reminded about the bible passage about the camel going through the eye of the needle.  The Orange Snowflake and his minions preach selfishness when the Bible preaches selflessness.  Even though I am not religious, I find there are timeless lessons to be learned from religious texts that we should heed.

Recalling my early Bible lessons, followers of the Antichrist could be identified by the devil's number on their foreheads.  What if it wasn't a number, but a phrase such as "Make America Great Again"?  Could the Catholic church be trying to send us a warning?  Even if one doesn't believe in God, one can see that the Snowflake is pure evil.  Could they be trying (in their view) to put Christ's representative on earth out there to fight the devil?

Right now, even an Anti-LGBT person can be a temporary ally in our fight for our freedoms.  The papacy has great moral sway in much of the world, including in America.  Let's see how he stands up against the Snowflake before passing judgement.

You'll note that I've said nothing about the new Pope.

 

I am not religious.  But if I were a regular church goer, I'd either attend services at an Episcopalian or Lutheran church. The Roman church has a bug up its collective ass about the LGBT community and treats us as sinners for recognizing who we are.  When I read the part of the Bible they use to say that Homosexuality is a sin, I find that it actually means two things: Soldiers shouldn't be hiding as civilians, and (more importantly) that only male bisexuality is forbidden.

Why is this important?

What went on in Rome in the first 2 weeks of May took the Orange Snowflake off the front page of the news.  He became a mere afterthought when the election of a new pope took place.  This is a good thing.  But what about the pope?  Right now (as I write this) the media is basking in the afterglow of this man's election to the papal throne.  To me, this doesn't mean much, as the Roman church is incapable of systemic change due to its stability through the ages.  Even if everyone knows some part of dogma is wrong, they are unable to de-emphasize it simply because things get written in stone.

Two millennia ago, Middle Eastern society was run by men.  Women were little more than baby machines to be fucked at the pleasure of males.  Today's Roman church may talk a great deal about liberation of the poor, but they do little to empower women while many other Christian denominations have included women in the power structures of their denominations. 

From what has been reported so far, this pope is not as concerned about the welfare of the LGBT community as the former pope was.  Only time will tell if this stays true.  Right now, people know very little about this pope in America, save that he was born in America and lived in Chicago at one time. Americans mistakenly think that he will have a loyalty to the United States, when his loyalty will be to the world at large.

Until we know more and see more from the new pope, I won't have much to say about him.  He could evolve to be a friend, or be one of our worst enemies.  Only time will tell.  

The tide may be turning.

 

The more I watch the news, the more I get worried.  The other day, I spoke with one of the regular attendees of game nights and he has similar concerns to me - even though I am much more at risk than he is.  Even with my fears, I see signs that the GOP coalition that elected the snowflake may soon fall apart.

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Every time the Orange Snowflake makes a demand, it seems like he gets shown to be a paper tiger.  He has been shown to be a liar or an incompetent by the leaders of France, Ukraine, and now Canada.  As I write this, he is about to announce some kind of deal with the UK.  Dollars to Donuts the deal will not accomplish much more than allow the snowflake to claim some sort of success with his tariff threats.

The judicial branch of government is also putting a stop to the snowflake's excesses.  However, they have yet to force him to bring back the man who was wrongfully sent to a Salvadoran prison.  He has said that he doesn't want to make the phone call to bring this man back to the USA.  I wonder: Why?  To me, the answer is just as simple - he can't admit a defeat or that he makes mistakes.  Instead, he keeps doubling down on his bogus claims that "justify" his actions.

Look at his recent appointments, and how several nominations have been retracted in favor of someone even more loyal (and less competent) than the person s/he replaced.  Many of his appointments are only temporary, such as his "nominee" for Attorney General. Congress is feeling the heat, as the GOP members keep trying to support the snowflake's unpopular actions.  It's only a matter of time that they will turn on him, as they are creatures that depend on being reelected every so often.  The other day, my "Moderate" (yeah, right!) congress critter had a hard time controlling the people who attended a recent town hall.  (Finding out when they'd be held in advance is virtually impossible - he's afraid of the people in his district - NY-17.)  Like many people here, I can't wait to vote against him, as he supports the snowflake's anti-transgender actions.  Given that this is a swing district, I hope that the Democrats have a strong candidate to run against this example of human garbage.

On the subject of tariffs, I doubt that China will do much of anything to help the snowflake.  He overplayed his hand from the beginning, and they will not react warmly to being bullied as part of his "negotiation" process.  Soon, the first ships will come in with post-tariff goods.  Sites like Temu (which I hate for reasons unrelated to anything I've discussed in this post) will be showing how much tariffs add to the cost of each item.  As much as it will cost me, I can't wait to see how this all plays out.

Recently, Palmer Report discussed the price of Trumpism for the USA.  Sadly, after #47 is 86'd, there will be many cultural injuries which need to be dealt with. It is very easy for people to be turned against their neighbors and into shells of who they once were.  I can see that tendency in myself, and have to resist letting the anger the snowflake generates take over my soul.  Hopefully, I will be able to retain most of my humanity when this sorry state of affairs ends.

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Years ago, someone came up with what is called the "Chinese Curse":

May you live in interesting times.

Please start boring me to death soon.  I need a rest from all of this.

 

The Dentist, Some Rain, Overdue Laundry, Game Night, and Shareholder Complaints

 

Today wasn't the best day to go out.  For the most part, I wanted to stay inside.  But I had to go to the dentist's office for my periodic teeth cleaning, so I got dressed, made up, and rushed out the door for a 2 pm appointment.  And this was only the start of a busy day.

I still remember an old toothpaste ad which had a picture of a little child saying:

"Look Ma, No Cavities!" 

In a way, that's how I felt as well, because I didn't need to spend any more money on my teeth right now.  There are enough bills coming down the pike, that I'm glad that most of what came through lately have already been paid.

- - - - - -

Once done with the dentist, it was time to get lunch.  So, off to the pizzeria that I usually go to with friends from former jobs for lunch.  As I was finishing my meal, the heavens were about to open up. I rushed into my car - just in time!  For the next 30 minutes, I could barely see where I was driving.  But I made it home safely.  As I was preparing to do some laundry, a shareholder called me.  Seems like the anonymous complainer who previously spread half-truths and lies about the board had found a way to put another bunch of missives directly in our mailboxes.  Now, by doing this, a crime has technically been committed as nothing other than US Mail may be placed in a mailbox.  I figure that 119 counts of this crime have been committed even if wrongfully placed there by a postal employee, as none of these missives were in envelopes with cancelled stamps.

- - - - - -

When my laundry was complete, I went downstairs to bring it back to my apartment.  Then I got ready for game night, leaving the apartment around 7 pm.  It was nice to see the gang again, and as usual, I lost the game on the last play.  But it was fun.  Sadly, there will be no game nights in June or July, as the family will be very busy with preparations for their son to go to college, and for the family to take one last vacation together.

 

 

 

 

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.

Paperwork - I'll probably need to get more official copies

 

As my readers know, I've been preparing to file the paperwork to get a second passport.  It's nice to know that because of my genealogical heritage, I qualify for a citizenship via birthright.  If I recall correctly, even the Nazis didn't stop Jews with foreign passports from returning to their homelands.  They simply wanted Nazi held territory "Judenfrei." 

Even though we haven't had any official pogroms yet, the USA has killed people simply because of their ethnicity.  (Just ask any African-American or Native American/Indian about how their ancestors were killed by "White" Americans.)  Given this administration in power, I don't trust that it will be stopped before they put transgender people in prison camps - we're already seeing people deported to Salvadoran prisons without due process.  

With these considerations before me, I will file my citizenship (overseas birth) registration, and hope to have my second citizenship before year end.  But this is not the only paperwork I have to take care of.  Right now, I must deal with unclaimed funds for both my parents' estates. Since I don't have originals of either death certificate, I'm planning on sending photocopies, as New York isn't asking for official copies of these documents.  (This is where I may need to take the time to get official copies of these documents.)  Unfortunately, I have no idea of how much my brother and I will receive, as New York doesn't list the amount to be claimed on their site.  And this is not the last bit of paperwork to be filed.  I have to find several savings bonds bought by my late wife and then file for their redemption.  Once this is done, the important paperwork that needs to be done will be done.

Thankfully, I have my friend Maria that I can ask to notarize documents for me.  If I can, I'll finally get to introduce RQS to Maria when RQS is next here.   But that will be on a busy weekend, as Vicki, RQS and I will be going to the Flax Barn Sale for some discount shopping.  I'll bet that by then, I'll have even more paperwork to deal with.