An internet meme with some of my thoughts.

 

The other day, I saw this meme on my Facebook feed.  Having friends who own cats, and having had cats myself, I figured that it would be the perfect post to share.

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I've said before that my life does not revolve around being transgender.  Instead, this is only one aspect to who I am.  As I've gotten older, I have broadened my interests to include photography, painting, travel, and performing arts such as music and the theater.  However, I have no developed much of an interest in things that are typically masculine in nature, such as sports.  I couldn't give much of a hoot about who wins the World Series or Super Bowl unless one of my home teams is playing in the event.  Although I understand much about what makes a car tick, I don't have to suffer through someone "Mansplaining" things to me, as I am always in male mode when I bring my car in for service.

Today, I had two events which necessitated my appearance as Mario.  First, I went for my third booster shot for Covid, and had a flu shot at the same time. After a couple of hours, I then had to appear at a co-op board meeting where we discussed some issues (which I won't discuss here) with the owner of our managing agency. If it weren't for these two things, I would have gotten dressed as Marian and done some serious window shopping at a few stores.

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Returning to the cat at the top of this entry...

Anyone who has had cats will appreciate the above image.  Most cats have a habit of using their claws against furniture and other objects.  As much as I'm glad that my apartment no longer houses fur babies, I still miss the cat that attached itself to me for 17 years.  However, without someone who could take care of a cat when I'm away, I will avoid adopting new fur babies to keep me company.

Things seem to be conspiring against me.

No, don't think that I feel that I'm being paranoid.  It's simply the random rolls of the dice that are getting to me today.

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Lately, I've been reserving Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays to be with RQS.  Unfortunately, she was sick last weekend, and will likely be sick this coming weekend.  (She's playing it safe, keeping away from people for a minimum of five days, as per CDC recommendations.)  So, that leaves me with a Friday I can spend with others.  One problem - I'm already booked to see one person for lunch, and two other people want my time as well.

A week ago, FH suggested that we get together on a Friday for a leaf peeping trip in the Hudson Valley.  This is the type of trip I want to do with RQS before all the leaves are off the trees.  Another woman (from a meetup group) wants to change our dinner night from a Monday to a Friday, as her work schedule has changed.  If I were unattached, I'd have no problems seeing either of these women.  But I am attached, and do not want to risk what I have with RQS for a "distant" friendship.

I don't mind putting off Friday's lunch date for a week to see one of these two women, but I don't like making anyone unhappy.  So, I might have to let FH go, since she's the higher maintenance one of the two women.  (The other two know me, and see me as Marian.  FH only sees Mario.  This becomes a simple choice for me, but one that will sadden me a little.)

Baseball has been very, very good to me?

 

About 45 years ago, Saturday Night Live had a fictional ex-baseball player (Chico Escuela, played by Garrett Morris) who used a simple phrase as part of the gag: "Beisbol has been berry berry good to me."  Well, I can't say that the sport has been very very good in taking care of itself.

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The other day, I decided to watch some baseball on TV, and found it hard to find out who is playing and where the games are being played.  "Why?" you might ask.  Well, MLB has tinkered with the playoff format for 2022, and we now have 3 game wild card playoffs, followed by two more rounds of playoffs before reaching the World Series.  Gone are the days where the world series was determined simply by who is at the top of the AL and NL.  There is now a much greater element of chance that allows for a merely decent team to make it to the world series.  And this is part of what has disillusioned me about baseball as a sport.

Luckily, I am still interested in the history of the game.  Instead of putting an asterisk next to Roger Maris's name, as they once did for his 61 season home runs, they should put asterisks next to the names or McGuire, Sosa, and Bonds because they achieved their records in the "juicing" era.  No, I am not trying to deny these players their rightful places in the record books.  Instead, I want the asterisk to be used as an indictment of MLB as a whole, because they turned a blind eye to "juicing" to improve ratings for the sport.  One day, I hope, Aaron Judge and Hank Aaron will be considered the true record holders for MLB, as they played without juice.

Yet, I can still find humor in baseball.  Players such as Phil Niekro and Gaylord Perry were well known for their ways of doctoring a baseball before it was pitched.  It's too bad that I couldn't have gotten the two of them to do ads for Brylcream touting the advantages of this product, closing the ads with: "Oh, and it's good for your hair too."  They would have brought a smile to people with this type of ad once they were safely retired from the game.

All too soon, the baseball season will have to end.  I hope to hear Yankee Stadium's PA system take a break from playing Sinatra's rendition of "New York, New York", and again play a tune by Queen after the last game of the World Series - "We are the champions (of the world).".

 

Finally, a day back in Marian Mode

 

Since RQS was sick today, I decided to spend the day in Marian mode and do things I wouldn't likely be doing with her - such as going to church on a Sunday morning.  And it was a refreshing break from the routine weekend that I enjoyed, but won't say much about to her.  (I don't want to have her feel that I'd rather be doing things alone than to be with her.  XGFJ and I did too much alone for our own good, and I don't want to make the same mistakes in this relationship than I did in my past one.)

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My alarm was set for 8 am, and that gave me enough time to regain consciousness and make a simple decision - do I want to get dressed and go to church.  For me, going to church means getting dressed in my Sunday best.  So, it was on with my bra, etc., and I put on my stockings like a traditional woman would before going to church.  It was nice to see some familiar faces at the church, as I haven't been to any services since I dated XGFJ about 3 years ago.

Shortly after church (and coffee), I drove to a local diner for breakfast, and then went home for a nap.  Vicki was next on my schedule, and I knew I needed to rest before dinner.  (I was surprised to find that I fell out for a couple of hours before waking up again.)  Then, it was a chance to watch some videos before meeting Vicki for dinner.

I was on-time, while Vicki was late.  This is the opposite of what usually happens, and I was glad that our usual scenario didn't play out today.  We met at a hole in the wall place called Brothers Fish and Chips, and proceeded to order dinner.  I had a big bowl of soup, followed by salmon over a black bean sauce.  Vicki had the fish and chips.  Both of us felt the same way about the meal - the quality was very good, but the price was excessive for what one gets.  Next time, we'll try another place at the other end of Ossining.

After dinner, it was time for me to pick up some goods from Wegman's.  I was lucky to be driving through Briarcliff Manor when I did - it looked like some construction work would soon start on the overpass that connects Route 117 to Phelps Memorial Hospital.  Shopping at the supermarket was a non issue, and I had the chance to chat with RQS on the way home.  She said that she wouldn't be surprised to find out if what she has is a mild case of Covid.  If so, then I was luckier than her, as I felt better than I usually do when I have the flu and was only weak for 3 days or so.

Willie Nelson must be very happy...

 

I usually write this blog several days in advance, so this post will be relating to old news for most of us. President Biden has issued a blanket pardon for all those people convicted of the federal crime of possessing cannabis.  Our president has also urged congress to change the laws regarding cannabis, and has encouraged governors at the state level to do the same thing for their jurisdictions.  I can only imagine Willie Nelson lighting up a spliff to celebrate this event.

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When I was in college, I was one of the few people who didn't have a connection to buy my own weed. Therefore, I only smoked if a friend would pass me his or her joint.  For the most part, cannabis had little effect on me at the time, as it only made me sleepy.  I can still remember one of the few times that I did get high, and I was tasked to drive from Flushing to Fresh Meadows (Queens county, NY).  Instead of making a left turn onto the Long Island Expressway's service road, I continued South until I reached the outskirts of Jamaica.  Let's just say that my my then girlfriend was more affected than I was, and that the only way to see the movie Logan's Run is well under the influence.

Over the years, I have had some interesting experiences with weed, but not in the way you might expect.  For example, I was engaged once, and the woman who I was engaged to didn't think I would smoke.  She lit up a joint, shared it with her friend, and didn't even think I'd enjoy a smoke.  (You can easily guess that I didn't get married to that woman.) Another time, I was with a friend who was recovering from cancer, and he shared some of his stash.  While smoking, "The House of the Rising Sun" came on the radio, and I did an impromptu translation of the first verse into (my long forgotten) German. Lastly, I visited some friends (documented in my previous blog) to watch some old cartoons, and enjoyed some of their stash - and had to wait a while before I was safe to drive.  (People needed to be fully alert to drive to/from their home.)  There are more stories, but these are the ones that first come to mind.

Now that cannabis is legal in New York, I don't find that it will influence how I live my life.  Although recreational cannabis is not officially available in my state, it is available in at least one nearby state. I have no urge to go to a dispensary to buy any weed.  Yet, I will continue to advocate for complete legalization, as I consider cannabis to deliver a safer high than that from other legal substances.

Day 11 - Debarkation and a Possible Disaster

 

The cruise ship arrived in New York Harbor much earlier than expected. And today was a day where I made many mistakes due to being tired and exhausted from walking an average of 3 miles per day.

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Both of us woke up early, and became alert as the ship cruised under the Verrazzano Narrows Bridge.  This is where RQS spent the last bit of charge in her camera, trying to get shots of the New York Harbor at night.  Only one problem - it is hard to get a stable picture when the ship is moving and one is barely awake.  

Around 7:30, we went to the restaurant and had a leisurely breakfast.  And then, it was off to the terminal to claim our luggage before heading home.  As now being usual, the luggage handlers put my bag in the wrong area, and I had to look in a different area to find it.  Unlike past trips, there was no one at the customs desks - we could walk right out of the terminal without having our passports inspected again.  And then it was time to go home....

RQS summoned an Uber, and had a second rate driver take her home.  As for me, Cabbies only wanted to take people to the airport.  And after about an hour of waiting, I joined a couple from England walking East to hail a cab.  All 3 of us got in the cab, and we headed for the East Side.  And there my trouble began.  When I reached Grand Central, I forgot my big bag in the car.  I was going a little bit crazy until I received a call on my cell phone.  The English couple was only a block away, and I could pick up my bag.  Will miracles never cease?  So, after retrieving my bag, it was back to Grand Central where I could take the train home.

Day 10 - A Last Sea Day

 

This was the last day of our cruise. Not only were we sad because the cruise was almost over, but we also knew that we'd be dealing with the problems of the real world upon our arrival.

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We decided to wake up late, as it was the last full day of the cruise. Our first thing to do was to ask for a couple of “attaboy” cards from Guest Services, so that we could extend our thanks to the two crew members (our room steward and a waitress at a restaurant) who went above and beyond the call of duty. Then it was off to breakfast.

After breakfast, we went to the ship's theater for by a presentation from the ship’s captain on how the ship is run, coupled with a Q&A session.. It was nice to hear the audience applaud him for safely getting us to Corner Brook instead of assuming we could port at any of the Canadian ports we were scheduled to use. Afterwards, it was back to our cabin, where we were able to hand our steward his gratuity - and found another towel animal hanging in the room. That was a nice touch that we didn’t expect on the last day of our cruise.

Packing for debarkation is always a pain in the neck, as there are always some things that can easily be forgotten. I also now worry about my bag being misplaced by the baggage handlers, and RQS understood where I was coming from. (And yes, they did misplace this bag the next morning. But I digress.) We were able to get our bags out in the hallway by 11 pm, and then get a little rest before coming into New York Harbor.