Getting older is a pain

 

If life were only this simple.  An older couple looking forward to a simpler life of ease.  Sadly, this is not the case for most of us, as we (collectively) have poorly prepared ourselves for the problems of getting old.

Today, I received another bill from a lab company which I thought was taken care of by my doctor's office.  Twice, I've contacted my doctor's office to get a billing error fixed, and this has not taken place.  The lady behind the desk says everything is fixed, only for me to find out that it is not fixed.  Since I don't want the bill to go into collections, I will need to take some time off from work to make phone calls to see what is going on and get things fixed.  AARGH!  We need single payer health care, and we won't get it in my lifetime.

On other matters, I have a car that is over 180k miles old.  I should be thinking of buying a new car.  But in this market, I have to ask the question - does it make sense to replace the car now, or should I deal with it when the car finally breaks down for good?  This is a hard question, as I don't plan on turning on social security benefits for 18 months, and I hate the idea of draining more money from savings than I absolutely need to do.

These problems, and others like it are to be expected as we get older.  Trans people have a few more of them, as many have to deal with legal issues and medical issues specific to the trans community.  (Luckily, I have not reached the point where I have to deal with these issues.  They would only be in front of me if I went through with a legal and/or medical transition.)  Hopefully, I will not need to worry about too many of them for a long while....

Sometimes, the less said, the better.

Recently, I had a conversation with someone whom I rarely exchange messages.  I didn't say anything much about this conversation, as I didn't want to bother a third party.  Well, I got the other side of things today by simply saying nothing.

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If I could have learned one thing when younger, it would be better communication skills.  Who knows how far I could have gone, either as Marian or as Mario.  Yet, I feel that much of my recent growth has been because my Marian personality has strengthened Mario as well.

Right now, I feel that I have 20-30 years of life left in me, and I want to make the most out of the active years I have left to me.  To do that, I still need to improve my communication skills, so that what comes out of my mouth will make me more attractive instead of scaring people away.

I will not talk much about today's messages, save that they were very informative.  And I would have not received them if I had opened up my mouth.  Go figure....

Oh... Of course, dear! I'll lend you MY gun.

 

I always found this bit of dark humor funny.  What type of protection does this woman really need?

As I write this entry, congress has agreed on a framework for new firearms regulations.  It's not perfect, but it is movement which we've needed for a long while.  The American public is tired of a political system that is too calcified to get needed things done.  But that's not the focus of this entry.  It's a quick note to give you an idea of one of the issues that concern me.

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Today was my first day back at work after a weekend that seemed pleasantly longer than usual.  It was also the first day that I was able to put on a dress for a while.  And this felt natural to me, as if I was born to wear them.  

Last week, I received the first of my dresses from the Avenue.  I had ordered a Steel blue/gray dress and couldn't track it.  So, I mistakenly thought that I didn't order the dress and ordered two more.  Thday, the other two dresses came in, and I now have to think about how to return one, exchanging it for one in a different color.  There are two more dresses I want to buy, this time from Target.  Both are inexpensive, one of them being on clearance.  So I might just buy these two, and retire others I have in my wardrobe.  This way, I can have some "newish" dresses I can wear when I go to Hawaii later in the year.

While we're talking about Hawaii, the cruise line sent me an email directing me to send them my full LEGAL name.  Ever since 9/11, airport security has gotten tighter and tighter, and I've had to plan things for a mode of transport I haven't used in a decade and will need to use for my trip to Hawaii.  It's hard to believe that this trip will be coming up sooner than I feel it's coming, and that I soon will need to pay for this trip.

When I do take the Hawaii trip, I'll be sure to take a lot of pictures and post them here when I get home.  Hopefully, I'll feel comfortable taking this trip solely in Marian Mode.  (I'll have to ask Kim for advice on this....)

Closing out a weekend - a tiny post

 

RQS and I woke up early, so that I could drive her to the gym for her weekly meeting with her personal trainer.  Both of us were tired and didn't want the weekend to end, but....

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The last time I drove RQS home, it was hot and humid, and the car was in danger of over heating.  Today, it was cool and the drive was uneventful.  As much as I'd have liked to go car shopping on the way home, I didn't have the energy to do so.  So, I drove straight home to rest.

Now that I was home, I had a choice: change into Marian mode and go out food shopping, or stay as Mario and do the same.  Given that I had at least one load of laundry to do and prep for the next day at work, you can guess what I did.....

The start of a long weekend doing nothing much.

 

If you're expecting a lot of "Sturm und Drang" from me and RQS this weekend, you'd be mistaken.  We still keep getting along better than either of us would have expected.

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We were very tired when we got to bed Friday night and we got up late the next morning.  This wasn't a problem, as neither of us had much of anything to do, save a little bit of shopping.  RQS and I wanted to stop by Bed Bath and Beyond, Christmas Tree Shops, and Trader Joe's.  So, it was off to lower county.  Both of us did some serious damage to our credit cards before returning home.

RQS and I had an interesting conversation regarding transgenderism, intersex, and gender preference.  I find it very interesting that she is open to new ideas in this area, unlike many women I've dated in the past.  And so far, she has not run away.  Although I don't think she'll do that many things with me in Marian mode, I don't think she'll run away from me either.

When we got back home, RQS suggested that she stay another night, and have me drive her home in the morning  - and I said, "Yes!" without need for thought....

Another quick post - The public hearings have begun

The above illustrates what I think of Trump and his disaster of a presidency.  Although some good things came of it, the damage he did to public comity was akin to pouring gasoline onto a flame. Today was the first of the televised hearings of the January 6th committee. This started the process of demonstrating to the public that Trump was responsible for the Capitol Hill riots.

At this point, I have to note that I was not watching the public testimony on June 9th.  Instead, I read the online commentary, as I was at game night enjoying myself.  Given what happened that day, I can't see myself watching scenes from the riot without getting sick.  If one drinks the MAGA Kool-Aid, then what one sees will be what the former president wanted one to see - loyal Americans fighting to take back their government.  If doesn't drink the Kool-Aid, then one sees an insurrection in progress on January 6th.  Either way, this is not an event that can be allowed to happen again.

Hopefully, I'll be able to watch future presentations where the violence is downplayed.  It is important that we watch things like this, as our republic will die if our public ceases to be aware of what is going on in society from the viewpoint of an objective observer.

Cruising to new ports

 

One cruise destination I have done more than once is New England and the Canadian Maritime provinces.  Given that this route usually runs from New York to Halifax, NS, there is not much new to see on this route.  Yes, some cruises stop at one or more of these ports: Newport, RI; Boston, MA; Portland, ME; and Bar Harbor, ME.  But these are all places I have visited before as Marian and as Mario.  The basic New England/Canada 7 day cruise has become boring to me.  

When I saw a 16 day cruise with these ports, my eyes perked up (as did the rest of me):

• Halifax, NS (Canada)
• Sydney, NS (Canada)
• Nuuk, (Greenland)
• Nanortalik, (Greenland)
• Qaqortoq, (Greenland)
• St. John's, NL (Canada)

Not only were there 5 new ports for me, but the single port I wanted to visit again was on the list as well.  Although this cruise would not add any points to my NCL status (this cruise is on Princess), it would be unique.  The only way I'd have a chance of getting to the last 5 ports would be on a pair of (25 and 36 day) cruises being sailed by Holland America next year. 

Given that there is no single supplement at the time I write, I could take this cruise for under $2000.  If I were to take this cruise, should I go as Mario or Marian?  What do you think?