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The weathermen were warning people last night of heavy rain that would be coming this morning. Little did I know how true this would be.
Lately, I haven't had much energy to do much of anything. But when it comes to meeting people, I find the energy, as being with friendly folk is very important to me. Today was a day where I might have overdone things a little....
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Last night, I received a text from my friend SJM asking if I could change out lunch from Friday to today. And I said, "Yes," as I had nothing else planned for the daytime. But I did have a meetup scheduled for the evening, and I wasn't too sure if I wanted to go. So, I set my alarms to wake me up, and I got to the restaurant before her.
SJM and I discussed many things, my travels being one of them. And then she discussed the details of her life, with some good news - her husband's gradual recovery from a health ailment AND a therapy program that he wants to go to. He is finally optimistic about his life, and she will move heaven and earth to give him the chance to again live a normal life.
All too soon, lunch had to end, and I drove up to the Poughkeepsie Lane Bryant to see the costume jewelry they had in the store. Unfortunately, nothing interested me. So I drove home, with a quick stop at Walmart. Arriving at home, I took a quick nap. Then I realized that I'd be running late for the evening meetup at The Melting Pot in White Plains. I texted the organizer to say I was going to be late, and got in the car.
30 minutes later, I was in White Plains, and in the restaurant before 7:00. I didn't hold up dinner. We sat down at the table and chose a pair of fondue dips for our veggies, and then had a good conversation while waiting for our food to arrive. Not having fondue before, I was game to try it. But it is not something I'll go out of the way for again. I prefer to go to the meetup for human company, and not for novel food.
Just before 9:00, we left the place, and I drove home. It was a nice day out as Marian, and something I haven't been doing enough of lately.
Considering what many loyal Trump followers believe about what is being reported by the mainstream media, one wonders how the fictional Ted Baxter could be considered an idiot - when these people get their "news" from an outlet (Fox News) whose viewers test as knowing less than if they didn't watch any news at all.
Last night, as I write this, a New York judge ruled that the Trump Organization's finances were fraudulent, and that this fact need not be tested before a jury. So, what does this mean fr the rest of us? If one watches the "liberal" news outlets, this is painted as Trump finally getting his comeuppance in business. By distorting financial information, he has defrauded both the state, his banks, and the public. If one watches the right wing news outlets, this is painted as our ex-president being attacked by the "deep state." What I see is that a cult leader's corruption is being exposed to the public, and that its followers are fighting the cognitive dissonance that occurs when one truth competes with another in their minds.
Trump, simply, is a two-bit grifter who got lucky for a while. If it weren't for "The Apprentice" show, he would never have been portrayed as a successful businessman on TV. All of these shows followed a loose script, with Trump making judgements on whether someone succeeded or failed, usually ending one contestant's run with the phrase: "You're Fired!" If an uneducated person were to see this show, s/he might think that he is the model of a successful businessman, and someone who could run a country if given the chance.
Think of the phrase: "I, alone, can fix it." His loyal followers never will ask the simple question: "Did he do it, alone or not?" They see others getting in his way, and blame his (and their) failures on his opponents. The rest of us know he's unfit even to work as a carny. But the Dunning-Kruger effect has kicked in. Those who know the least about a subject will think they know much more than they do about that subject. They will follow people who shout loud and project confidence, not people who speak softly and know how much there is yet to know about things. This is simple, but a sad part of our human nature.
Why am I worried?
Right now, Trump is ahead of Biden in preliminary polling. If Trump regains the presidency, we will again see political chaos, and the erosion of human rights. As a transgender person, I fear what forces he will unleash to cement his hold on power. But what happens if Trump is convicted in one of his criminal cases, and is unable to serve? Virtually all other GOP candidates are likely to win against Biden. Bailing out for the good of the Democratic party's chance of winning the 2024 election may not be on Biden's radar right now.
I fear a competent GOP leader in the White House, as s/he would be beholding to many of the same people who supported Trump. But being competent, this person may do much worse than Trump ever could do. Unlike Trump, this person knows that s/he alone can't do it. But s/he with others can do it. And we already know that they want to do to us transgender people....
Patty is comfortable with this. And yet, I was thinking of warning her that I was going to be wearing a dress when I went to City Island to see her. Go figure.
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Before we got together, Patty texted me to let me know that there was an unexpected death in her family, so that she wouldn't have to talk about it in any detail. Yet, that was one of the first things we talked about, because she needed to tell me about it. And then, we started catching up on what's been going on in each other's lives.
Patty grew up in a close knit family, and anything that would unravel that fabric has to hurt a bit. This death, coupled with a family issue which I won't go into here may make things unable to be mended between Patty and a family member. I feel sorry for her, as I think she's already read the tea leaves and sees the last chance to heal some old wounds go away.
Dinner was a little bit more expensive than I had planned. But I had the cash ready and available tor a bill that was higher than expected. (Moral: Don't eat the broiled fisherman's platter when a simple piece of fish will do.) At least, I was filled to the gills, so to speak....
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All too soon, we had to leave. But I suggested that we try to arrange a foursome for dinner next month, with me presenting as Mario. Hopefully, that will happen....
Every time RQS comes up here, we spend a little time cleaning out the clutter in my apartment. This weekend was the first time we attacked my downstairs storage compartment, and we got a lot done in less than an hour. From not being able to make it in to the compartment, we made a path which allowed me to reach the back shelf of the compartment. This may not mean that much to some, but I have over 600 vinyl LPs in the compartment that I want to get rid of, and I have someone willing to buy them when I'm ready. All I have to do is make a path, so that I can get all of the vinyl out of the compartment and into the record dealer's truck.
To say that my record collection reflects a sometimes eclectic taste is putting it mildly. I have a CD of music which was played as the Titanic sank (not original, of course), Ernie Kovacs' music collection played on his TV show (including Solfeggio, or the theme for the Nairobi Trio), Orson Welles' recording of the Begatting of the President (about Nixon's election in 1968), Glenn Miller movie music, Gershwin's piano roll recording of Rhapsody in Blue, Carl Stalling's sound effects and music for Looney Tunes cartoons, and others too numerous to mention. For all I know, I might be sitting on a gold mine. But I doubt it very much. My vinyl collection is in very good condition, and I hope it beings me enough money to pay for a long weekend away from home.
There are some things I plan to transfer from vinyl to digital storage. For example, I have an alternate version of Jim Croce's "Age" which has never been released on CD. Other vinyl recordings may be treated the same way - transferred to digital first, then disposed of. But I intend to find out about a pressing of John Lennon's "Imagine" album that has two stampings of one side, and never should have gotten out of the factory.
So much cleanup to do, and so little energy at one time to do it....
Last night, I did two loads of laundry. What shouldn't surprise me anymore is that most of the clothing I was laundering was that of the female gender. Yet, it does at times, as I find myself doing more and more things in my female presentation.
With the above being said, I was surprised not about the contents of my laundry basket. Instead, it was the surprise that I found another two loads more to do, and may have a third in a short while. Given my age, I am fortunate that I can make it up and down the staircase to the laundry room three times (or more) when laundering my clothes.
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Unlike many cisgender males, this transgender woman prefers to do my own chores, albeit in a simplified masculine way. This means that I look for garments that are able to be washed in warm water, even though they may be dried on a hanger or rack. Yes, I have my delicates. But they are few, and washed more carefully than my other garments. I am the same way about dishes in the sink. I wait until I have enough to spend a few minutes with my hands in hot and soapy water. I am not in a rush to use my dishwasher, but when I do, everything is in its place.
In short, this transgender gal is a result of her masculine upbringing. The little tasks that cisgender women are trained to do from girlhood are not tasks which I am good at. Instead, I do "just enough" to keep things from falling apart. In that way, I am very much like my father. I could have done worse than to have had him for a role model.
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Many women of my age say that a good number of men that they meet are looking for "a nurse and a purse." One noted that a man she met was looking for another wife in the "June Cleaver" mold - someone you screw on the bed to get the housework done. Luckily, I am not that kind of person. All I ask for is a little bit of encouragement for me to get my needed things done, and I will do the same for her. Thankfully, I have that in RQS.
Do I believe that this will be the last Mystery Box sale by Universal Standard? Maybe. But I'm not as happy with what I've seen at Universal lately, and I'm not sure if I'm going to drop some coin on this sale. Both RQS and I have been disappointed by what we've seen in their sample sales, and I ended up buying something I could use - but not in a color scheme that I wanted.
I am not completely immune from temptation. Vicki gave me information on one of her favorite clothing outlets having a tent sale this weekend. Only one problem - I would have had to drive 3.5 hours to get there this weekend. If RQS and I were going to Howe Caverns, I'd have made this a side trip. But, without the caverns on our weekend calendar, it doesn't make sense to drive 200 miles to save a few dollars on a brand I have never worn before.
If Universal puts out more mystery boxes that capture my interest in this "final" sale, I may end up adding more dresses to my wardrobe. But it is more likely I will not do so.
When I selected this picture, it appeared as if it was a specialty coffee drink. Instead, it is a picture of a hot fudge sundae at Ben ...
