Seeing RO for a Bacon Cheeseburger

 

 

I looked nothing like this today. It would have been nice to go out in a nice dress, but the weather was too cool to wear anything other than a trouser like garment.  But I had to go out - I had to drop RQS off at the train station, then I had to drive to Parsippany, NJ to have lunch with RO.

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RQS and I got up early, and we were out the door in time for her to make a 10:42 am train.  From there, I drove out to Parsippany where I was running 30 minutes early.  So, I decided to run into Home Sense and do shopping.  20 minutes later, a new broom and dustpan found their way into the back of my car, and then I was off to see RO.

RO and I were meeting at one of the last Fuddruckers in the Northeast.  I miss this chain, as they always had great hamburgers.  However, due to corporate takeovers and mismanagement, the chain has shrunk to a fraction of its former size. Luckily, there is one near the halfway point between RO's place and mine  She was in the parking lot when I arrived, and we walked in together for lunch.

Although this outlet has seen its better days, it still serves up a good burger - but slowly.  RO ordered her burger and got it quickly,  As for me, it took a long while to cook my burger - and I ordered mine within 60 seconds of RO.  Eventually, we sat down to eat, and we caught up on each other's lives.  Both of us were scarred from the political polarization going on, and I feel I might have talked too much about things.  She's retreating from things that annoy her in a different way that I am doing.  So, I hope that I didn't say too much to upset her.

Eventually, we had to part.  But we didn't set a date for a next get together, as holiday season is coming up.  RO drove back to Pennsylvania, while I drove home with an unproductive stop at Lane Bryant in Paramus.  While driving home, I started getting sleepy.  So I ended up pulling off the road before getting home and napped for 30 minutes before making the last few miles home.

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A little later, I opened up my co-op's board meeting, and we conducted some important business.  First, we interviewed an applicant to purchase shares in the co-op.  And then we met with our soon to be former site representative.  None of us were really happy about the things being discussed, but they had to be discussed without delay.  Were we happy about things?  No.  But we did get what we wanted to do done before ending the meeting.

The weekend seemed way too short for us. (a short post)

 

Veterans Day.  Neither of us had any idea of what we wanted to do.  So, we ended up relaxing in the morning, then going shopping in the afternoon. To us, it was like having a second Sunday during the week, and we took advantage of it.

This was going to be a day spent as Marian, so I made sure to make myself look as nice as possible while looking comfortable. It was not a day to have one's legs exposed, so I decided to wear a pair of leggings under a dress I like using as a tunic top.  Is this what I would prefer to wear?  No.  But who likes having to wear fall/winter weather clothing?

Our first stop was the Mt. Kisco Target, where I bought a few items I would need for my makeup routine.  That's where we fond out that the CVS Pharmacy inside the store was so independent from Target, that the crew inside the pharmacy area didn't have a clue in which aisle RQS could find items she was looking for.  So, we trekked down to the CVS near the Mt. Kisco hospital, where remodeling got in the way of her finding the same items.  But she was in luck - those items were on the shelves, and made it into her shopping cart.

Then it was time for a rest before going out to the local Japanese restaurant to eat.  Both of us were full by the time we left the place, and both of us wanted sleep more than anything else. We were in for the evening, and felt good that we left the house when it wasn't needed.

Other than driving North, this was a do-nothing day. (a short post)

 

I had originally thought that RQS and I would have come up to Croton last night, and I'd be spending the rest of the weekend in Marian mode.  Plans got changed, as we ended up sleeping in Queens on Saturday, then running a couple of errands in Queens before driving North.

On the way back to my place, I called my brother's place and reached my sister in law.  Although she has her own issues, she gave me her interpretation of what is going on with her and my brother - and it's not good.  Hopefully, something will happen to bring them closer together instead of driving them apart.

Once done with my sister in law, we went to BJ's and put a major dent into each of our wallets.  And finally, we were back at my place.

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Seeing some of the TG blogs I often read, they are now running scared of the incoming administration.  I plan to be out and about as Marian as long as I feel safe.  But the minute I think it's not safe, I may shut down this blog - and pray for the best.  Until then, please don't despair.  Even when evil runs the world, it burns itself out over time.  We just have to be cautious in these troubled times, helping each other as needed when needed.

Now, I have to find a different gift for RQS.

 

Recently, I tested the waters with RQS about the cruise I was going to gift her.  She had a reaction similar to mine as if I were sailing solo - getting on a cruise that sails to 3 mediocre locations and not getting off the ship is not a cruise worth going on.  So, I'll have to figure out what I want to give her within the next two or three weeks or so.

The talk about the cruise we won't take got us talking about a cruise we might take - a 7 night Eastern Canada / New England cruise sometime next year.  The cruise we're interested in will sail out of Boston and make port in two places we've never been to before - Sydney, NS and Eastport, ME.  Eastport is the one place from which we'd take a shore excursion - to a US national park in Canada!  You might be asking, how could a US national park be in Canada?  The answer is simple, Campobello is a piece of Canada only accessible from the USA, and FDR's vacation home was on this island.  So, both nations have made the Roosevelt home and grounds a national park, and both nations maintain it.

So my big question is: What should I get RQS for Xmas?

I wish it were legal to kill rude neighbors, but we called the police instead.

 

When we first started to talk about what we were doing this weekend, I was originally planning to go to RQS's place as Marian.  However, I didn't have enough of my winter wardrobe ready for a cold weekend (cold by recent standards, that is) in NYC.  So, I surprised RQS by picking her up at the doctor's office as Mario and was lucky to find a spot near her house.

Why were we in NYC this weekend?

When one has an apartment in an older part of the city, one has to deal with vermin of all sorts (rodents, roaches, and other unwanted critters) on a regular basis.  This weekend, the exterminator was scheduled to come between 12 and 1 pm.  (In the past, he was scheduled to come between 10 am and noon, but things changed lately.)  So, both of us got showered and dressed, then waited - and waited for an exterminator who never came.  After a call to the super, we gave up and left for our next stop - RQS's storage compartment.

RQS has been cleaning out her storage compartment as long as I've known her.  Don't get me wrong.  She has a room sized compartment near her home which contains the detritus from her late parents' house which she has had to sort through over time.  So, we ended up spending time there, sorting through boxes, compacting empty cardboard boxes, and making it easier to get at things in the compartment.  After a couple of hours there, it was time to return to her apartment to rest a bit.

One of the movies we wanted to see is Conclave.  It is a story about what happens when a pope dies, and the political shenanigans which occur when some cardinals jockey to be elected pope.  Without giving away the final wrinkle in the film, there is bribery, there is a child born out of wedlock, and there is an incognito cardinal (with certification) who has been serving in Kabul, Afghanistan - all the things that would make a story about a papal Conclave interesting.  We highly recommend this movie for those who like intelligent drama.

Once the film was over, we ended up going back home.  And that's where things became sour.  One neighbor was having a party, playing music loud enough to make the glassware in RQS's curio cabinet rattle.  One could feel the floor thump a little due to the repetitive bass line from the loudness of the music being played.  It was 10:30 pm, and we wanted to sleep.  Our next door neighbor on the same floor was also being annoyed.  Since we couldn't be sure of whether it was the apartment below us causing the problem, or the noise was from the building next door, RQS called the police.  30 minutes later, it seemed as if things quieted down.  Just as well - I'd hate to see things continue like this because of an inconsiderate neighbor.

And now, on to happier things...

 

As much as I'd like to show my readers a picture of RQS smiling in this blog, I will not do so because of what once happened with someone who once was a close friend.  However, RQS would not have cruised with me in Marian Mode, had she not been comfortable with me in both gender presentations.

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Soon, we will be booking another cruise.  And again, we will be traveling as two women.  Assuming we take the cruise I'm planning to book, we will not even bother getting off the cruise ship.  My rights will not be protected in Florida, nor will they be protected in the Bahamas.  So, the safest place for me to be will be onboard. This is OK with the two of us.

We have booked a nice Thanksgiving dinner at a nice place.  It's not the place where we originally wanted to go.  But it is affordable, and it is a place we've wanted to try for a while.  I've already bought RQS one of her Xmas gifts, and will soon buy her another to be opened on the holiday.  However, it'll be the cruise that she'll remember most of all - my gift to her.

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RQS has become a member of my family for all practical purposes.  I feel very lucky that this has happened.  But who knew that 5 years after breaking up with XGFJ that I'd be with someone who accepts my transgender nature?  Yes, that period in my life hurt.  Yet, it forced me to become more independent, making myself ready to make the sacrifices needed to have a caring partner in life....

As I wrote this, I am still in mourning

 

Sadly, my worst fears have come true.  The most successful Snake Oil salesman has conned a large enough percentage of America to accept him as a "Strongman" leader.  This is likely the end of America as we know it.  Only time will tell if our institutions can hold out against this tsunami of evil.

Election day has come and gone.  We will likely see a return of the Orange Monster, if the grim reaper doesn't harvest him first.  What does this mean for us transgender folk?  Well, we are likely to see religious zealots get control of many levers of government.  We are likely to see this nation become a kleptocracy.  We are likely to see hyperinflation caused by reckless financial policies.  We are likely to see our taxes spike because someone has to pay the debt created by the plutocrats.  And we are likely to see a rise of anti-transgender hatred from religious zealots, as we are among the groups that are usually targeted for use as scapegoats.

What can we do about it?

For some, we can still go into stealth mode.  That might allow us to hide in plain sight.  But it will not remove the danger, as we've seen other nations perform purges against us with no provocation.  (I'm reminded of Kristallnacht (11/9/38), where Nazi violence against German Jews caused the streets to be covered by broken glass - Hence, the name "Crystal Night.")

How many of us have second passports?  This is the time to start paperwork to acquire them.  I've started mine.  What about liquid, transportable assets?  Many of us don't have the resources to leave this country in a hurry if needed.  This doesn't mean that it would be easy for us to leave, even if we had passports.  One had to surrender all of one's assets to the Nazis to leave Germany, even if one had the ability to do so.

So what do we do?

First, don't act out of fear.  Don't let fear get in the way of rational thought.  No matter what happens, it'll take time for any evil bureaucracy to get things running smoothly.  And that will be the time we need to make our preparations to leave - if leaving is called for.  Are you Jewish?  Israel is always an option.  What about Ireland, Italy, Germany, and the UK?  If you have the right ancestry, they can be havens for us?  There are also many nations which provide citizenship by investment - some nations offer sanctuary for only $50k.  If you can't get citizenship by birthright, one might want to explore this option.  A YouTube channel, the Nomad Capitalist can supply some of the information you need.  I like his most recent response to Trump's victory.

But in any case, start working on your exit plan now!  (You might need it soon.)