Another Day, Another Return to Amazon

 

Yesterday, I boxed up a dress that had to be returned because it was too big.  Today, I have to return a drill I bought from Amazon because it wouldn't charge.

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Buying off-brand items of Chinese provenance is like buying pigs in a poke.  One doesn't really know what one is getting until one opens the box and inspects the merchandise inside.  Sometimes, the product is quite good, and is a bargain.  Other times, the product is garbage, and has to be returned.  In the case of the drill above, it has a solid feel, but ts construction leaves a little to be desired.  For example, this drill is charged using a USB-C cable.  But it doesn't come with a charger block that can be plugged into a wall socket.  So I connected it to two charger blocks of my own, and it didn't charge.  So, back it goes to Amazon for a refund.

Over the past few months, Temu has been spending a fortune on a media campaign to get people to use its shopping app.  From having a woman dancing on screen showing off her latest purchases to "authority figures" showing products on Temu whose prices are too good to be true, this firm's business model is built on getting customers used to low prices and cutting Amazon out of the shopping equation.  But Amazon has an advantage that Temu doesn't - One and Two day deliveries.  If I need a product NOW, I can get it quickly.  With Temu, the product has to be shipped by air from overseas, and then delivered to the end customer.  They don't have Amazon's economies of scale.

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Even Amazon has its weak points.  If I need to inspect an item, try on an item, etc., then Amazon doesn't do much for me.  For example, I'd prefer to look at a pair of shoes and try them on before buying them.  I'd have saved from many mistakes, had I been able to do this more often.  If I need something "yesterday", then even Amazon isn't the right place to buy something.  That is why "Category Killer" stores are so useful.  I'd never know what products are available (and at specific price and quality levels) without being able to see them in the stores.  The blinds in my windows are examples of items I needed to see in person before buying them.  And I wouldn't have wanted to have them shipped to me, then have to ship them back if they weren't what I really wanted.

There are some products that Amazon realizes require a hands-on purchasing experience.  Their purchase of Whole Foods was a good way for them to see how people buy perishable goods, and apply what they learned to in-store shopping experiences.  When I was in LAX (Los Angeles Airport), I saw a store which used Amazon's shopping technology to offer a "Grab and Go" shopping experience.  Yes, it may be convenient.  But it lacks a human touch.  If a product is defective (let's say some foreign product if found in a bag of chips), one has no one to complain to.  

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In the end, no shopping experience will ever be perfect.  As a TG who straddles both masculine and feminine worlds, I like the ability to find products online that I can buy - all in one place.  But I miss being able to chat with store personnel to find out what looks best on me.  

But for now, I have to shower, get dressed, and return my drill before my next delivery comes....

I forgot it was a holiday, but the post office didn't.

 

I decided to return a dress I bought through Amazon.  It looked "just OK", but not good enough to keep right now.  So I boxed it up, printed a return label, and got set to bring the dress to the post office to be returned for credit.  One problem - today was a Federal Holiday, and I can't bring a package to a post office that's closed.  AARGH!  That's one more task I'll have to take care of tomorrow before my new sofa arrives.

After that, I figured that I should make a quick run to Walmart to pick up a couple of pairs of leggings.  Unfortunately, I misplaced those I used to wear to work under my tunics, and needed a couple to wear on my upcoming trip.  Again, a problem - the local Walmart didn't carry in my size.  So, I decided to drive up to Fishkill, where I found 2 pairs in my size in a color I could wear under tunic length dresses.

Do I intend to wear dresses without leggings if I can?  Yes!  I prefer wearing dresses whenever I can.  As a TG who lives on both sides of the gender coin, I prefer to wear dress like garments that reaffirm my feminine nature.  However, I'll have my leggings, so that I can be practical in the cooler autumn weather.

The awkwardness in my plan is that I'll be with RQS at her place the day before our trip, and there the night we return.  Why is this an issue?  No counter space in her bathroom.  I'll have to get made up in a hurry, and can't afford to skip anything, or to leave anything behind.

Keep your fingers crossed....

I can't believe I made such a dumb mistake

 

I just received a dress today, and I can't believe that I made such a dumb mistake as I made.  As most women know, women's sizes are all across the chart.  Depending on the vendor, I run from being a woman's size 1X to 5X.  Usually, I order size 3X when ordering from Catherine's, and 2X when I'm ordering from Woman Within.  Because I wanted to avoid the BOGO 50% off deal, and get the above dress at 75% of list price, I ordered it through Amazon.  But I made one BIG mistake.  Being a size 28, many of the places I shop at put me into a 3X dress, as consistent with the sizing on the Catherine's site. But this dress has a Woman Within label, and a size 3X is a size 30-32.  I'll have to return it before I travel. (As if I didn't need any more things do I?)

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Getting home after a weekend with RQS is a little sad.  Yet, there's a part of me that still enjoys being by myself, and not having to answer to anyone.  Today was one of those days.  I always enjoy it when we're together.  But sometimes, I like being alone.  I guess many widows and widowers get this way in our old age.  But I had the chance to see my neighbors, and inform them of my travel plans.  They will look for any deliveries that come after mid week,  and hold them for me until I get back from my trip.  It pays to have good relationships with one's neighbors.

 

 

 

Once inside my apartment, I proceeded to take care of installing a 6 outlet adapter that I had just received from Amazon.  Although one can get these at Home Deport, Lowe's Target, Walmart or any decent hardware store, I decided to bundle this with the above order for ease of bookkeeping.  As usual, I did things the hard way, and didn't wait until the morning to start this task.  Instead, I had to look for a flashlight to see things, and then screw this in for security.  I don't want to think of this again when I have my reclining sofa delivered in a couple of days.

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As you can guess, I have lots left to do before my trip, and not enough time to do them....

Powerball. It's a hope and a dream for many.

 

As I write this, the Powerball Jackpot is at the $1.4b payout level (if taken as an annuity).  Given that the odds of winning are roughly 250M to 1, it is almost always a sucker bet, and an easy way for states to pick peoples' pockets instead of levying taxes.  But once taxes and the current value of money are factored in, any jackpot in the $900M+ range is a rational bet, as the after-tax payout in present value dollars is commensurate with the risk taken to win that money.  So, I will likely spend a tenner to buy 5 quick picks and indulge in a poor person's dream.

When my dad was alive and living at home, he would give both my brother and I several scratch-off tickets on our birthdays.  Yes, it was a waste of his money.  But it was cheap entertainment for us.  Once, we had the pleasure of taking him to the Connecticut casinos and spending a day together.  No, it's not how I'd normally spend a day.  But it made my dad happy, and that's all that counts.

Do I think of what I'd do if I won the lottery?  Sometimes.  But it would simply allow me to own a small home where I had a two-car garage, two cars in the garage, one of them electric and the other gas powered, and convenient to mass transit for my long term needs.  If I won it today, I'd probably travel more than I do now.  My life wouldn't change much.  But I wouldn't advertise that I got lucky, as all the "distant relatives and lost friends" would come out of the woodwork for a handout.  

What would you do if you won a big jackpot?

In a couple of months, I'll be on a solo cruise.

 

Soon, I'll be taking the above cruise.  It is highly likely that I won't bother to get off the ship at any of these stops, two of them because I am in a gender non-conforming presentation.  Strangely enough, I feel almost as at risk getting off at Port Canaveral as I would getting off in Nassau. This is a time where I wish I lived on the West Coast, as  I'd feel safe disembarking at all US and Canadian ports there.  But this was a cheap cruise booked out of New York.

It's going to be strange traveling without RQS.  But it'll be a good thing I do this.  I need reasons to get up in the morning, and enjoying a cruise will provide a week's worth of reasons.

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The last time time I took a solo cruise similar to this was shortly after the pandemic cruise stop was ended.  On that trip, I got off at Charleston, SC to see Fort Sumter. Before that, it was a cruise with XGFJ, where we got off in both Port Canaveral and in Nassau.  (She decided to go snorkeling at the cruise line's private island and was underwhelmed.)  My impression of all 3 ports was lackluster at best. Port Canaveral is a refueling stop disguised as a place worth visiting.  There is no 'there' there. The only things to do are to visit the nearby Space Center or taking a 90 minute shuttle to the Orlando theme parks for a half day of overpriced rides.  Nassau isn't worth stopping at, as there is little that found worth doing or seeing there.  And that leaves the cruise line's private island.  It's a great way to separate  people from their money, as all the special attractions generate money for the cruise line and not independent vendors (as is the case in Nassau).

So, why am I taking this trip?

Simply, I need to get away.  I want to see whether the cruise line is worth it for future cruises with RQS, especially for last minute getaways.  

Wish me luck.

I'm preparing to travel, and I'm missing things

 

Since I started to clean out the clutter in my apartment, I kept stumbling into the compression bags that I use for travel.  Today, I looked for these bags and couldn't find them.  AARGH!  I knew where things were in the old clutter.  But I don't know where things are in the new mess.

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Right now, my apartment has a vacant space where a sofa used to be.  Things which would normally be near the sofa have been pushed away, so that the new sofa can be put in place.  But this gets in the way of me accessing those compression bags.  In the game of Jenga, I'm caught between a rock place.  No matter what I move, I lose.  In the case of my apartment, if I move something, I will lose track of where it is.  And I am already upset that I can't find the costume jewelry I had in the bedroom that I moved as part of the electrical work done over a month ago.

Luckily, I sorted much of what I need for travel into two easy to find bags, and much of the stuff I will need for the trip is already in my "Go Bag".  But I think I will repack things when I get back from RQS's place, as I know that my backpack should be treated as a personal item.  This way, I can stash my pocketbook in the backpack (or in my carry-on) and retrieve it when I land in Chicago (or when I return to New York).  

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My upcoming trip will be the first one I take with RQS as Marian.  This will be a very interesting trip, as the women we're meeting in Chicago only know me as Marian, but know of Mario's existence.  Let's hope it all goes well.

Only two things to do today, and it was easier to do as Mario

 

Today will be a very short entry.  I had two things to do today, and I ended up doing one of them in Mario Mode, as I had to be able to identify myself to a bank where the co-op has an account....

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Normally, the co-op president takes care of things when we need to move money between accounts at the bank, or to get a check drawn on one of these accounts.  However, the co-op president was otherwise occupied, and I decided to take care of things today.  So I got dressed as Mario, preparing to go out later as Marian, and proceeded to the bank.  Once done there, I delivered the check to its recipient, and went out to eat.

When I got back, I dealt with my laundry, only putting one load in the washer today.  Once the washing and drying was done, I brought the clothes back upstairs and decided not to go out anymore.  I figure that later on, I'll fold the laundry and start packing things for my upcoming trip as Marian.

As I said - not much to say....