The Doctor, the car and the board

 

The last things I wanted to do today were to visit my doctor, to get my car serviced, and to be at my co-op's board meeting.  Yet, I scheduled all 3 things for today, as I'd avoid having to switch back and forth between male and female presentations.  

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The day started with a visit to my doctor.  Every month or two, he monitors my vitals and adjust my prescriptions as needed. My alarms were set for 60-90 minutes before the appointment, so that I could dash into the shower, shower and dress, then make it to the doctor's office by 10 am.  I did just that, and made it to the office by 10 am.  Just one hitch - my appointment was for 10:30 am.  At least, I was out of the office by 11 am, and had time to relax at home before my next appointment for the day - car service.

I was semi-conscious between 11:30 am and 1 pm, and didn't get out of the house until 1:15 pm.  Luckily, I wasn't kept waiting at the dealership for service.  However, I had to wait until 3 pm to get my car and make a stop at Walmart before going home for the day.  There was still some time to kill before the co-op board meeting, and I killed it well.

Around 5:30 pm, I fired up the co-op's zoom account, and started our zoom meeting.  The board's president brought us up to date on events, and then we interviewed an applicant to purchase an apartment.  After this, the general business part of the meeting started, and I made it a point to make sure that the rest of the board look at a document of mine and review it ASAP, as we need to send it to our managing agent. 

- - - - - -

Good news came to me today - I received an email from Fed-Ex telling me that the printer I sent in for servicing will arrive on my doorstep on two days.  YAY!  Although I expect to be having a late lunch with a friend, I will finally be able to be back to normal in things requiring the use of a computer.

Tomorrow, I'll be heading into NYC to have lunch with RQS at the French Restaurant in Grand Central Terminal, the Grand Brasserie. RQS and I first heard of this place while viewing a video on the YouTube UA Eats channel.  This reviewer does not enter restaurants looking for ultimate experiences. Instead, he is an "every man" reviewer, experiencing each restaurant from the point of view of someone who rarely dines at fancy restaurants, who wants to get a really enjoyable meal for money spent.  Like him or hate him, his appeal is his personality, and not a well educated taste palette. He's one of the rare content creators who I might pay to see his videos.  Let's hope that his review of this restaurant is on target....

 

RQS Had to go home today (a short post)

 

RQS and I have a nice routine.  One of us will go to the other's homes on weekends and return when the weekend ends.  We've found it to be a good routine for us.  We have our "We Time" and each of us has our "Me Time."  We enjoy being with each other, and miss each other when we're apart.

Today, RQS had a doctor's appointment at 1 pm, so I got dressed in a comfortable dress appropriate for the weather (it was expected to be hot and humid) and drove her to the station.  (These are the times I'm glad to be able to wear dresses instead of the trousers expected for me to wear in boy mode. When the weather is hot, humid, and sticky, the last thing I want is something clinging to my legs.)  By the time the train left for NYC, the heavens opened up in Croton, and took 20 minutes for the rain to ease off.  Strangely enough, she didn't hit any rain, and it was very uncomfortable for her to get to her doctor's office.  

I went home for a while to rest (I didn't get enough sleep last night), then got dressed again to go to Costco and Stew Leonard's in Yonkers.  Roughly $120 later, I was done with both stores, with dinner enough to last the week. Did I get everything I wanted?  No.  But I got everything I needed.

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On other matters.... 

Unfortunately, I still haven't been able to fix the co-op web site yet, and I think I'll have to buy a new domain for what I have built.  I'll deal with that in the afternoon, so I can have something to report before the co-op board meeting begins. 

The "repair" shop where I dropped off the printer last week contacted me in response to my email.  They asked whether I wanted Epson to ship my printer directly to me instead of me picking it up on Long Island - and I said YES!  Hopefully, it will be here before the end of the week. 

We're 6 months into this mess, with 42 more to go

 

None of us could have foreseen the damage the snowflake has done to America in just 6 months.  I had an idea that this would be his "Revenge" term.  He has no respect for America, its people or its ideals.  And all of the GOP is afraid of what he can do to them if they don't follow his lead.  When people abdicate responsibility for their own lives and others, they become worthless to all.

My congress critter claimed he was fighting for his constituents, yet he hasn't delivered anything of value for the people in his district.  The Social Security office is closed, and the SALT (State and Local Taxes) deduction of $40k will expire in 5 years, not made permanent like the big business tax giveaways.  He could have voted NO on the Big Ugly Bill, but he caved - as did virtually all of the GOP members in the House and Senate.  Unless things change, I will never vote for a GOP candidate again.

In my opinion, the worst thing that he has done has been to destroy the integrity of the data being collected by the US government.  For example, firing the majority of NOAA employees set back weather data collection and analysis by years.  We can no longer be assured where storms will his, the direction they will likely travel, and the severity of the storms.  Recently, 32 Texas girls at a camp died because they didn't have appropriate information in regard to a coming storm.  Employment data gathered by the Labor Department has been debased, making it look like we have had a net increase in employment when the opposite is happening.  

The sad thing about this mess is that the right wing propaganda keeps stirring up fear in people, and making them feel like this corrupt leader is the only person who can save them.  My brother believes that the snowflake's demands to shut the border has resulted in reduced illegal immigration, when this number was going down before the snowflake took office.  Additionally, he feels that the border with Canada should be closed as tight as many people want the border with Mexico sealed.  Not even 0.1% of the illegal drugs are coming in from Canada as from Mexico, yet he wants to make the same effort to seal that border just as tight There are no priorities in people who believe that the snowflake is doing his job.

Strangely enough, the Big Ugly Bill that the snowflake just signed may have given the Democratic Party an edge in the 2026 elections - only if they can convince the public that decisions made in 2025 will hurt them in 2027.  The ACA is being defunded, Medicaid is being defunded, and people are wondering what is next?  

I feel that if we can see a strong blue wave in the 2026 elections, we can stop the madness halfway through the snowflake's term.  Hopefully, this will happen - if we can make it to Election Day next year. 

 

 

 

I was dehydrated and didn't know it.

 

Last night, RQS and I went to dinner with my brother at an Oriental Buffet.  We ate enough food to feed an army, and my digestive system paid the price overnight.  I didn't notice that I had needed to drink some water when I woke up, and wasn't thinking of food or drink throughout the day.  This was my mistake, and I almost paid dearly for it when I went into the shower.

Around 3:00 pm, I stripped and went into the shower to freshen myself up to go outside.  In the middle of showering, I got a little dizzy and took extra care to keep my balance, finish my shower, and dry off before rushing to the kitchen to get a glass of orange juice.  While I was waiting for my metabolism to process the OJ, RQS got showered and dressed.  Then, I finished with my "morning" routine, got dressed, and prepared to go out to the supermarket for our evening meal. 

Today would be a day where I'd be going outside as Marian.  And the weather was perfect for wearing a casual summer dress.  It was nice to get out of my trousers and back into a dress again. I didn't choose any of my new dresses to wear.  I was in the mood to wear something plain and functional.  Maybe tomorrow, I'll break out one of my new dresses if the weather is right.   

Before going to the supermarket, we stopped for a burger at a local fast food joint, and that did the trick for me.  Within a half hour, I no longer was concerned about how I felt earlier in the day.  Both the liquids I consumed and the food I ate restored me to a state of normalcy.  After another 20 minute drive, we reached the supermarket and picked up some dinner. 

Did we eat the salmon we bought for dinner?  No.  We were still full from our lunch.  So, we had a little nibble, and decided to cook the salmon for tomorrow's dinner. 

Now, we're thinking of taking one of two cruises next year.

 

The above two cruises interest me for completely different reasons.  The first is a 12-day mostly British Isles cruise.  The second is a 14-day cruise which visits English, Scottish, and Icelandic ports.  Both cruises have a stop in a European Mainland port before returning to Southampton.  Given the choice, I'd rather take the cruise that stops in Iceland before they get tired of cruisers visiting its ports.

If we were to take the 12-day cruise which visits English, Scottish and Irish ports, I'd be able to allocate more time to visit my niece before the cruise.  As much as I'd like to see more of London, I'm not in the mood to take the tube during the Summer.  Instead, I'd rather be able to stay above ground in air conditioned comfort as much as possible.

I figure that each of these cruises will be expensive bucket list trips.  Excursions (especially in Iceland) will be very expensive.  I have to look at how much we will need to spend, then keep RQS's budget in mind - she now has the cruising bug in her.  She can't afford to cruise as much as I can, and we try to go 50/50 on trip spending.

Unfortunately, I doubt that I'll be able to take either of these two cruises as Marian, given the unchecked power given to America's Customs and Border Control administration.  The Orange Snowflake has no love for us transgenders, and I don't want to be hassled by people who hate us.  (Luckily, I can still travel in stealth mode.) Hopefully, at some future date, I will be able to travel as Marian again.  Until then, it'll be stealth mode for me. 

How many of you have been to any of these port cities?  Did you like them?  Which cruise would you take?  Please let me know.... 

I never realized how easy it was to get a Domain until I did it myself

 

Yesterday, I did some work for the co-op that I live in, and got a domain name for our website.  It was a lot easier done than I would have thought beforehand, and I am considering getting domain names for the other two blogs I write.

The first thing I had to do is register a domain name with a registrar such as namecheap, godaddy, and others.  I chose namecheap, and selected a yearly purchase.  Once I had my domain, I had to set up 2 "CNAME" records: The first to send domain references to a specific host, and the second to tell the host which site to access.  (That's as good as I can describe the process.  I'll have to look it up on a video the next time I do this.)

After setting things up, it took a few minutes for the change to become effective.  Now, my co-op shareholders can use www.co-op-name.com and access our website.  Yes, I'm still in the middle of things regarding the website.  But I'm in the same situation in regard to our co-op's Zoom account.

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Right now, I'm not too worried about the co-op.  There are a lot of things that can cause us grief.  But the expenditure of $15/year for a domain name and $160/year for a zoom account are not among them. When I'm ready to set up a domain for the travel oriented site I have set up, it'll cost me a lot more than $1.50/month to run the site.  I will need to do something more complex than using blogger.com for my site - I will need to learn how to use wordpress to make the site look much more professional than I can with blogger.  

Will I set up a domain for this site?  Maybe, but only if volume picks up. 

I started off the day slow, but gained momentum through the day.

 

Today was a day where I woke up late, and did almost nothing throughout the day.  Did I fold laundry?  No.  Did I straighten out the apartment?  No.  But I finally got around to getting a domain name for my co-op's website, and finally have something ready for the world to see.

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The day started with me laying in bed shouting at my digital assistant to shut her mouth.  It only tries to wake me up on weekdays, and I wanted to sleep.  Begrudgingly, I got out of bed only for a bio-break, and then I was awake for the day.

Now that I was awake, I took a few minutes to be brought up to date with the latest news and turned it off when I was getting sick of what I was hearing.  (The snowflake's "Big Beautiful Bill" became uglier before the Senate bucked it back to the House.)  So, I turned on some mindless, or entertaining, or historical videos, and spent a good part of the day watching TV.  Eventually, I did a little bit of cleanup (not much), before deciding to get showered and dressed.

Before I was done getting dressed, my new printer arrived.  (I bought a cheap, open box laser printer that I could use while my other one is in the shop for warranty service.)  One could easily tell that this is an older printer model, as its control "screen" display is an unlit 2"x1.25" black on gray panel.  (I had to tilt the printer so that I could read what was on the screen.)  Unfortunately, I couldn't set up a true wireless connection.  But I could connect it to my LAN, and I did get things working after 45 minutes.

I put on the above dress knowing that it'd be warm outside, and drove down to Costco to see if there was anything worth buying.  As usual, I found some things I could use, but limited myself to things I thought I will likely use.  On the way out, I made the mistake of trying a couple of slices of Costco pizza.  It took 15 minutes from the time I ordered my pizza to the time I got it.  And it was NOT worth my wait.  I would have rather spent the time driving to a good pizzeria and spend a little more for better slices.

On the way home, I called DCD.  He's sounding good, but I don't want to get too close to him anymore.  The only thing he can do is to lean on others, as he will never be capable of taking care of himself again.  Yes, he's lonely.  At least, he's recuperating somewhere other than his ex-girlfriend's house.  As I reached Croton, I noticed that two exits were closed due to repaving on Riverside Avenue..Luckily, I knew to avoid the heart of Croton on my way home, so I arrived without incident.

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Tomorrow, it'll be a day spent in Mario mode.  (AARGH!)  my brother, RQS and I are going out to eat on Long Island.  It's just as well.  I haven't seen him in a while.  My only concern is to make it across the bridge before holiday traffic clogs things up. 

 

I went out in the rain, only because I didn't want to cook.

 

Today, the weatherman predicted late afternoon rain, and boy, was he right!  After doing laundry (when it was dry outside), I decided to get showered and dressed.  By the time I was ready to go out, it was dark outside and the heavens had opened up.  There was no way that once I got into one of my dresses, that I would not go outside.  So I grabbed an umbrella, and out the door I went. After 30 minutes of driving, I decided to have some Fish & Chips at the diner in Pleasantville.  The food was plentiful, but they fried the fish for a bit too long.  At least it was filling....

- - - - - - 

Sadly, the Snowflake's Big UGLY Bill made it through the Senate, and it's back to the House for reconcilement.  I ration how much time I spend watching news these days, as a continued diet of unpleasant news is infectious, One can get the key elements of what one needs to know in 10 minutes of watching the news these days,  Why let the Snowflake have room in your head?

I'm still keeping my fingers crossed that the bill will die before it hits the Snowflake's desk.  But what I'm more worried about is the Snowflake's threat to revoke the naturalization of New York City's Democratic Mayoral Nominee.  He is using all the tools at his disposal to stifle any dissent.  I just wonder how long he can do so, given how unpopular he is in his own party. 

- - - - - -

With all the troubles going on these days, I try to remember this phrase:

This too, shall pass.

Too bad it feels like a kidney stone passing at times as of late.... 

 

 

 

PS:   Sadly, the bill did pass and was signed on Independence Day. 

My brother says it's time for another Lobster Dinner

 

Normally, RQS and I joke about not being able to get to the Lobster Truck for our crustacean fix.  It's been a running joke of ours for quite a while, as we have often been away when the truck is near one of us.  Tonight, my brother said that we should get together over the holiday weekend (which should have passed by the time you read this) and go out for dinner.  This fouled up my plans for the weekend, but it is a good opportunity to feast.

Due to expected holiday related traffic, I'd have to drive down to RQS's place the day before the holiday and find a parking spot before all of the available spots are taken up by residents of her area.  And then, we'd drive out to Long Island to meet my brother, then spend more time getting to the restaurant where we'd be feasting.

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My original plan for the week was to take care of Monday tasks (dropping RQS off at her place, bringing in a printer for factory service, and doing laundry), then apply polish to my fingernails.  Well, my brother's call shot the nail polish idea to hell until the weekend.  But it did give more time to share with RQS, even though it took away a day I'd spend in a dress. Is it worth it to wear trousers to enjoy lobster on someone else's dime?  Yes.  My sister in law will not be home for at least one month (long story, best not told here right now).  So my brother is all alone.  That means that I must make some time to be with him. 

Working in a job which will de-materialize in a month or two is very stressful.  The firm my brother works for misled him about the time he'd end up working.  He told them that he was taking the job to have more time with his wife.  (Not exactly true, but a good excuse for switching jobs.)  Yet, he was working 60 hour weeks at his peak.  He is burnt out.  Yet, unless he finds something, he is stuck in his hell hole until they execute a planned employee purge.

When I talked with RQS this evening, I said that I was very glad we are both retired.  Several years ago, a degree in Computer Science would guarantee that a graduate would land a high paying job.  Today, it's another almost worthless piece of paper due to the Artificial Intelligence (AI) revolution.  There is no way I could retool and compete in this world.  Yet, my brother has to rush to build up his nest egg so that he can retire.

At least, this upcoming weekend's lobster dinner will be expensed to the business we jointly own, and not come out of this retiree's wallet....

Now to go to Long Island to have my printer serviced.

 

One would think that I'd be having no problems with a printer which is only 3 1/2 months old.  Yet, I'm reminded of John Belushi going "But Nooooo!" on early episodes of Saturday Night Live.  Yesterday, from what I can tell, all of my printer nozzles got clogged, and I can't clean it myself.  So, off I will go to Long Island to have the printer serviced.

Going to Long Island from the Northern Suburbs of NYC is a pain in the ***.  Luckily, I already have an excuse to cross the bridge to get there: I have to bring RQS home and pick up the suitcase I had packed for our Eastern Canada / New England cruise.  So, after I drop RQS off (and retrieve my suitcase), off I go to Farmingville, NY for printer servicing.  Of course, I'll have to find the time to retrieve the printer once it is fixed.  But until then, I'll have to do without a color printer and scanner.

The question remains: In which gender do I want to present in the morning?

The way I feel, I will likely present as Marian, as I'm in the mood to wear a dress.  So, if I do, I hope I don't get any flack from the person who owns the place.  But then, I could change my mind before the morning comes.

- - - - - -

I am overdue for my car's oil change, but there's nothing I can do about it right now.  My appointment is scheduled for another 1 1/2 weeks from now, and I'm trying not to put on too much mileage before my appointment.  (I set the date for my 18k mile service to take place after I returned from the cruise that was postponed.  I'm hoping that I don't break 20k miles before then.  

 

I didn't have problems with the Clapper, just a Flapper.

 

Instead of talking about GI-Tract issues that cause toilet problems, today's focus is on the more mundane - a toilet flapper.  RQS and I were ready to go out and get a mani-pedi together, and then we had a problem.  The toilet wouldn't flush, and water was continually running.  This could only mean one thing: The toilet flapper was stuck in the up position and wouldn't close. 

I've been dealing with this problem for ages.  It was not because the flapper wouldn't make a good seal.  It was because the chain connecting the flapper to the flush handle kept getting stuck or disconnected. I jury rigged some solutions, but hoped I'd replace my ugly yellow toilet before having to deal with the flapper.  You may say that replacing a flapper is easy.  And so it usually is.  But I couldn't get the darned thing off of its mount, and I refused to call for expensive help. To make things a little worse, I couldn't turn off the water to the toilet (a problem which will require a plumber's help to deal with a frozen shut-off valve).  So I knew that whatever solution I chose would need to be done while water was flowing into the tank.

This was not a task I wanted to do on a Saturday when everything was going to be expensive.  I'd rather be getting my Mani-pedi.  So, I rushed to the hardware store and bought 2 flappers to be safe.  After 30 minutes of half-assed work, I got the new flapper installed and ready to use.  Yes, I expect a few problems with the chain.  Now, it's much better than it was a day ago, and that's what counts. And I did get a pedicure later in the day - a nice way to end the afternoon....

It's a bitch when the cable goes out for the day.

 

I had originally planned to sleep late with RQS and then go out for the day as Marian.  Those plans all went to blazes around 10 am when the internet went out.  Normally, an internet outage would be short, as a minor server glitch would be resolved without having to call the cable company.  Today's outage was worse, as the TV signal died around noon, and took over 6 hours to get back to normal.

When I called the cable company, they claimed that there was no outage, and had me go through the usual routine of doing hard reboots of both my cable boxes and cable modem.  At this point, I knew I'd have to untangle the spider web of cables behind my computer desk, as well as the wires leading to my land line. One problem - the computer desk is way too heavy to move while loaded, and I needed to get things done without moving the desk.  Now, I know how a "shade tree mechanic" feels when working under a car.

Once I was done untangling the mess of wires and disconnecting my extra computer to make space in the corner where my main computer sits, I had a mess of stuff piled on my bed.  This wasn't going to be dealt with in the afternoon.  I needed to get showered and dressed, and do something worthwhile.  This meant going out as Mario, and delivering another donation bag to Green Drop before their 5 pm closing time.

RQS and I had different reasons to go to Walmart, mine being a need to buy more storage containers.  While on the way there, I received a call from the cable company telling me that they were working on the problem that caused me to lose my internet, and asked me if they could cancel my service call.  Of course, I said YES.  Now, RQS and I could sleep late, and I wouldn't have to present as Mario for part of the day.

By the time we finally made it home, the cable company was still working on the problem.  An hour or two later, cable/internet service was restored.   Now, we cold catch up viewing what we missed earlier. 

New York City has nominated a Muslim Socialist for Mayor

Zohran Mamdani, a name you'll be hearing more of over the next few months.  He recently became the presumptive winner of the of the Democratic Primary nomination for the NYC Mayoral election taking place this fall.  Why is this important?

America's "Leftist" party has had to move to the center to capture voters who have been abandoned by the GOP and the MAGA cult that hijacked it.  Unfortunately, the Democrats do not excite many people due to the lies spewed by the GOP and their propaganda outlets.  Whenever people like AOC (Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez) and Bernie Sanders hold meetings in "Red States" friendly to the Orange Snowflake, they get a large vocal audience which supports Democracy and wants to fight our Oligarchy.  The question is: Is this a fringe movement?

I think the recent NYC election which made Zohran the likely winner of the NYC Mayoral election (rarely do people other than Democrats win the election here) also is a reflection of a sea change in American politics.  Gone are the people who would support Andrew Cuomo (NYS's former governor) because he is an experienced, but flawed leader.  Most NYC residents want real change.  If Zohran wins, he owes little to the traditional Democratic Party machine.  But he will have problems because no one owes him anything. 

How much of a liability is this?  Given that the city is too big to fail, I figure that it can survive 4 years with an incompetent mayor, as it has done in the past.  Yet, it signals a great opportunity for people on the left, as it means that there is a strong message that can be used to fight the GOP - if only more people could jump on the bandwagon.  As much as I am an economic conservative, I am a social liberal.  And I think that this primary election could signal a sea change in American attitudes taking place soon.

 

Keep your fingers crossed. 

We're still having problems with our rebooked cruise.

 

This will be a short post.  

Tonight I had to script a letter to the folks at Princess Cruises about how our reservation was screwed up after we accepted their Moveover offer to make room on an overbooked cruise.  

Last Friday, I received an offer to give up my cabin on an overbooked cruise, and in return, receive a free 7 to 10 day cruise (with our money returned to us as refundable onboard credits.) After some thought, RQS and I accepted the offer and booked a substitute cruise for later in the year.  On Saturday, we noticed that RQS couldn't access the new cruise booking, and we contacted Princess.  Their representative told us that the Captain's Circle number (Loyalty ID) was entered incorrectly, and that we should contact our travel agent to get this corrected.  We did this on Monday, and he did some work with Princess, saying that we should expect to see a correction in their app in a couple of days.  Today, RQS logged in, and saw different information coming from their website and from their app.  To make things worse, she still had no access to the replacement cruise AND had some information fouled up on our upcoming Alaska cruise.

So, I sent an email to the woman who made the Moveover offer AND copied our travel agent on the email.  If the problem is not fixed, I will continue to escalate things up the ladder until we reach someone who can get things done. 

We would have been leaving on our cruise today

 

If all had gone to our original plan, we'd be on a ship headed for Nova Scotia.  However, we took a "Move Over" offer, and got a free cruise out of the deal.  (How often does a cruise get overbooked?  I don't know, but I'm glad that an offer was made to me to take another cruise for free as our compensation for the change in plans.)

So what did we plan to do instead?

We figured that we would leave for Mystic, CT for 3 mid-week days, and take a trip with me in Marian mode.  However, the hot weather forecast for the rest of the week made this trip impractical.  So, I suggested we cancel our reservations, and put the trip off until it is "cooler" outside.  Now, we're hanging out in the apartment in the flimsiest of jammies we own.

- - - - - -

Co-op business keeps getting in the way.  We had a legal issue that required the use of an attorney, and several board members treat their responsibilities as something that will occupy their time 3 hours per month.  The president of the board is getting tired, and I won't take on her responsibilities.  When the president asked for approvals during the day, I had to text some of the board, so that a majority approved using the attorney.  This is a familiar pattern of behavior, and we're tired of people who don't take up their share of the burden of running this place.

Once I get the co-op's ATM card, I will apply for a domain name for the co-op's web site.  (I will not publish it here.)  Hopefully, we will have people interested enough to write newsletters to send out, and for the co-op site to be a repository for them.  I figure that once I've used the co-op's needs to learn the basics, then I can start working on my other blog's domain name.  

 - - - - - -

Keep as cool as you can this summer....

 

 

By now, I would have been reporting about a 10 day cruise

 

This is how I looked over 6 years ago.  I now have a better hair style, and I have a partner that I can count on.  But picture is a reminder that no swimsuit is going to make me look like something other than a transgender woman when presenting as a female.

Why do I mention this?

RQS and I will be spending a few days away from home, as our cruising has been postponed for a while.  Any short, inexpensive trip we take will have me presenting as a female, and will be in hotels which have a swimming pool.  So, I'll finally be able to break out and use this swimsuit again.

Right now, we're looking at places we can reach within a 3-4 hour drive, an inexpensive train ride, or by a cheap flight.  One of these places is Mystic, Connecticut.  A person can easily spend a day viewing the maritime museum at Mystic Seaport, and visiting the nearby Aquarium  But, what else is nearby?  Do we want to spend an evening at the casino?  I'm not so sure if that's the best way to spend an evening or two.  If we were in Mystic, we could do a day trip to Newport, RI.and view a couple of the Gilded Age mansions there.  This would force us to leave on a Monday, and return on a Friday.  Is this practical for us?

Where else could we go?   Philly?  Boston?  Toronto?  Looking at these options, I found that these options would be more costly, as we'd be buying tickets and reserving everything at the last minute. I know one thing - we will discuss this when we're next together.

Secret Mall Apartment (a short post)

 

Can you imagine having an unauthorized apartment in a shopping mall?  Well, 8 artists did, and occupied an "non-purposed" space in a shopping mall for roughly 4 years!

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I had nothing much to do today, and didn't want to start any tasks that would spend a lot of energy on a hot day.  So, I figured that I'd wait until almost dinner time and drive to the movies to see a documentary - Secret Mall Apartment.  This is the true story about how an artist (with 7 artist friends) found an unused space on a Providence, RI mall's property with an unguarded way to access that space.  Once in that space, the artist (and friends) gradually set up a living space in that 700+ sq.ft. area in which they made their own for almost 4 years.

How, you might ask, did he find his way into the place?  Well, he remembered that there were some strange nooks on the site which didn't have any logical reason for being used.  Yes, they could be accessed from the non-public areas of the mall.  But there was also one way to access this area from the outside without detection.

Over time, the artists found multiple ways to gain access to this space, found furnishings at the Salvation Army Store to make this place more like a private apartment, and found a way to build a new wall to separate this space from areas the average security guard would notice.  Before this apartment was found, if I recall correctly, they were looking for ways to have running water in this space.  

Sadly, 1 of these 8 people was caught, and he was banned from the mall forever.  In an ironic twist of fate, this man was invited back to the mall for the premiere of the film.  But then, the owners of the mall are considering turning part of the mall into residences.  Maybe the artist was simply ahead of his time after all? 

I just received an unexpected email from the cruise line about my upcoming cruise.

 

I just received an unexpected email from Princess Cruises today, and jumped at calling RQS as soon as we had the chance to digest it.  Seems like Princess Cruises has oversold the cruise we are about to go on, and is offering us a free cruise of up to 10 days on the same route, plus our money back from this cruise IF we move over to a sailing later in the year.

Nice deal if one has the flexibility to change things, wouldn't you think?  But this posed a new dilemma for us: Since we won't get our money back until Autumn, and we want to go away, where can we go where it's both cool and cheap at this time of year?  That's a big problem for us!  As one could say,  these are first world problems.  But it is a nice problem to have, as we will have approximately $2,000 each in our pockets, almost enough to complete payment the "Bermuda Triangle" cruise that we'll be taking next year.

We'll have to book shore excursions for the rescheduled trip.  But we have a chance of going to see Lunenburg, NS, an excursion for which we were on standby for the original cruise.  It would have been nice to get away from New York during a heat wave, but I can live with running the air conditioner for an extra few days this summer.

Now, if this is the worst thing I have to deal with this week, things can't be too bad....   

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Looking at this from a different perspective, it seems like cruise lines are trying to fine tune their reservation systems to leave as few "General Cruise Cabins" unoccupied as possible.  In the past, there were two times one could score a cabin at the lowest possible fare:

1. Upon initial offering of the cruise.
   
   This is when every cabin on the ship is available, and a person has their pick of available cabins at a low price.
    
2. After Final Payment Date (usually 3-4 months before the cruise).
   
   This is when the cruise line has unsold cabins they have yet to fill, and will offer them at low prices to fill the ship as much as possible.  One may not have many cabins to choose from, but the fares charged will be low. 

Selling discounted cabins following final payment date is not efficient.  Ideally, the cruise lines could match supply exactly to demand.  And it looks like several cruise lines (RCCL being the most noted of those using this practice) are overselling "Guaranteed Cabins", knowing that there will be cancellations prior to sailing, similar to the procedures used by airlines to fill up their seats.  It may be cheaper (and better for a cruise line's reputation) for a cruise line to give away free cruises later on for voluntary bumping, than to involuntary bump cruisers just before a cruise's sailing date.

Examining the offer email I received, it provided me with another reason to book air and pre/post cruise hotel stays through the cruise line - they would handle the rebooking if I accepted the offer.  Otherwise, in my case, the cruise line would only offer an (up to) $600 per person compensation for travel expenses not booked through the cruise line.  

Luckily, Princess Cruises has always treated me well.  It's nice to know that I will be going on a similar cruise to the one I originally chose later on in the year.  

 

Lunch with a friend, then some retail therapy

 

I had almost forgotten that my friend from the census, CCS, and I were scheduled for lunch today.  Luckily, she contacted me to confirm our get together.  And I was glad to have a clean and comfortable dress to get into for one of my last days as Marian until mid July.

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CCS and I have known each other for 5 years, and we try to see each other every month..  She chose a new restaurant in Briarcliff Manor serving a Mexican/Italian menu.  Surprizingly, she loved her Quesadilla, and I loved the Linguine Carbonara - and both of us will likely be going back there soon.  We talked about today's political situation, and why I'm hedging my bets on America by applying for a second passport.  She had a bit more to say, including supplying the name of the man who will be running against my congress critter next year.  (My congressman is a coward, and refuses to tell people where (or if) he plans to hold town halls, as he supports the Orange Snowflake's attempts to destroy America. But I digress.) 

Once we left the restaurant and went our separate ways, I stopped at home for a bit, and then drove to Poughkeepsie to see if the above garment was in stock at Lane Bryant.  Once I got there, I found it, bought it, and took it home with me.  Could I have spent more in the store?  Yes.  But I'm in the process of purging excess stuff from my closet and don't want to add any more dresses to my collection.

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One thing I can say - I'll likely be wearing this late one evening when RQS is next here....   

Sometimes, I feel that our world is being flushed down the drain.

 

A Golden Toilet - a perfect metaphor for what the Orange Snowflake is doing with America.  If one supports the snowflake, one might be reminded of the riches the man has achieved.  If one is among the opposition, one is reminded of the excess, cruelty and evil the man represents.  A recent google lookup provided the following result when queried about the Guggenheim, an art request by the snowflake, and the museum's response:

The Request:

In 2017, the White House requested to borrow a Vincent van Gogh painting, "Landscape with Snow," from the Guggenheim Museum for the private living quarters of President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump.

Museum curator Nancy Spector responded that the painting was unable to be loaned, citing that the painting was part of the museum's Thannhauser Collection, which has strict rules against travel. 

The Offer:

As a counter-offer, Spector suggested a long-term loan of Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan's work titled "America".

"America" is a fully functional toilet made of solid 18-karat gold.
This piece had been on display at the Guggenheim, where visitors were invited to use it.
The artist offered the toilet to the White House "for a long-term loan". 

Interpretation and Reaction:

The Guggenheim's offer was seen as a satirical commentary, poking fun at the excesses of affluence and the art market.
    
Some viewed the offer as a "sick burn" and a form of protest against the Trump administration.
The exchange became a widely reported news story and sparked debate about art, politics, and social commentary. 

I feel that this was a perfect response, and more appropriate today than it was several years ago, as the snowflake seems to be trying to flush America down the proverbial toilet.  Without his history of bad governance, he is known for vulgarity and bad taste.  Can anyone mention anything about him or his actions that is subtle?  I doubt it.

As I write this, the G7 summit has started, and he has been proven to be an embarrassment there as well. I feel that it is only time that the GOP will be forced (for its survival) to push him out of power. But it will take a larger than life gaffe for this to happen.  And the signs are there.  At the G7 conference opening, he pushed to have Russia readmitted to the former G8.  (Russia was kicked out of the group after its invasion of Ukraine in 2024.)  Would any sane political leader advocate that while Russia still occupies Ukrainian soil?  I doubt it.  Sooner or later, the snowflake's lunacy may force the GOP to confront its biggest problem - the Orange Snowflake. Right now, it will not survive without its cult leader.  And I can't wait for that day.

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But enough of that stuff.

Today, I woke up with absolutely no energy to do more than go to the bathroom, then back to bed.  It wasn't until I made myself some lunch and had a few drinks (non-alcoholic, of course) to quench my thirst did my energy level rise enough to stay out of bed for the rest of the day.

Through the course of the day, I received two packages - both delivered to the  entryway to my group of 6 apartments, and not to my door as in the delivery instructions.  This is a minor annoyance, as I had to get dressed to go to retrieve them, but not enough to complain about.  (Most people leave their residences at least once per day, so they'd see their packages upon returning home.) 

The package from Lands End contained an exercise dress that could double as a simple "Little Black Dress".  To me, it was worth the gamble to buy it, as I saw it on RQS looking more like something a woman would wear to a restaurant than on the tennis court - a truly "one and done" dress for more than one setting. 

 

The package from Target contained a Blazer Dress that I don't see me wearing until the cooler weather comes around.  And even then, I plan to pair it with black leggings, so that my legs aren't as exposed as they are on the woman in the photo above.  Who knows, once I get a lot of travel out of my system, I might want to return to the workforce again.

Now, I have to find ways to reenter the social world, so that I can make use of all of my wardrobe.