More work on the family homestead.

 

This was a day where I needed my car, and hated this need.  My plan was to drop RQS off at the hairdresser, and then drive to Long Island to work on the family homestead.  But traffic jams got in the way, and it took me over an hour for a 30 minute trip due to the fact that it was "Samuel L Jackson" day.  (It's better than me saying it's "Mother's" day in his eloquently vulgar way!)  Being serious, there were many more cars than usual on the highways today, all people looking to see their moms to celebrate the unofficial holiday.

When I eventually arrived at the family homestead, my brother wasn't there.  He was running late because he had to pick up a mop, bucket, and some other things needed for house cleaning.  When he arrived, we sat down for a bite of the Hamburgular's and Grimace's finest (McD's Quarter Pounder and Big Mac) before starting work for the day.  We swept out the main floor, then I got to work mopping that last layer of dust and dirt off the floor while my brother did lawn mowing and other landscaping tasks outside.  And then, after several days, my GI Tract said that it wouldn't cooperate with me any more.  This resulted in an emergency visit to the hardware store to get the things I needed to clean up the bathroom.  AARGH!

Once we were done with our tasks, we said goodbye to each other and went our own ways.  There was a lot of traffic on the roads, but I was able to find a route with minimal traffic to get home.  As for my brother, he decided to get a haircut, as he had an important appointment in the morning.  When I finally got home, my neighbor's Mother's Day party had broken up, and I had to wait a couple of minutes before I could climb the steps to my apartment.  I was finally home!  And I did nothing for the rest of the evening.

- - - - - -

Tomorrow, I'll have to take care of some banking business for the co-op.  This means I'll be in Mario mode for the morning, but will be able to switch into Marian mode for the afternoon and get my nails done.  I'm looking forward to this.

A trip into Manhattan to see a movie, but didn't. (a short post)

 

RQS and I planned to go to the movies today - but didn't.  

But first....

This would have been a perfect day for me to have been out and about as Marian.  The temperature was in the low 70's, and there was a nice breeze.  What a perfect day to have been wearing a nice dress!  But I had to be in Mario mode, as I do not yet have any of Marian's clothes or makeup at RQS's place.  At least, RQS had a nice dress she could wear, and she got to enjoy the nice weather.

We left RQS's place around 4:45 pm and went into Manhattan.  The first thing we did was to go and have dinner at an Italian joint on MacDougal Street.  I wish we had gone somewhere else, as it was both noisy and cramped.  It took a while for our food to come, and I was unimpressed by the lasagna I ordered.  Once done with dinner, we killed time at a local coffee shop.  Big mistake - we should have bought our movie tickets for the 7:25 pm show.  By the time we made it to buy tickets, everything was sold out.

So, it was back to the subway, and back to Queens.  After a stop at CVS for some tissues, we continued home on the subway (our bus was delayed much longer than we'd want to wait) and got off 2 blocks from RQS's place.

It was not a day that much was accomplished, but a good day anyway.

A quick thought about the new Pope and the Orange Snowflake

 

I watch several YouTube channels, as well as read assorted online media.  Today, I saw Michael Popok on Legal AF postulate - Did the Catholic Church send a message by electing an American pope? Given his reasoning, it makes sense to me.  But it made me wonder - what else are they trying to say?

In Benjamin Covey's blog, he wonders whether American Evangelicals could spot the Antichrist.  And I'm reminded about the bible passage about the camel going through the eye of the needle.  The Orange Snowflake and his minions preach selfishness when the Bible preaches selflessness.  Even though I am not religious, I find there are timeless lessons to be learned from religious texts that we should heed.

Recalling my early Bible lessons, followers of the Antichrist could be identified by the devil's number on their foreheads.  What if it wasn't a number, but a phrase such as "Make America Great Again"?  Could the Catholic church be trying to send us a warning?  Even if one doesn't believe in God, one can see that the Snowflake is pure evil.  Could they be trying (in their view) to put Christ's representative on earth out there to fight the devil?

Right now, even an Anti-LGBT person can be a temporary ally in our fight for our freedoms.  The papacy has great moral sway in much of the world, including in America.  Let's see how he stands up against the Snowflake before passing judgement.

You'll note that I've said nothing about the new Pope.

 

I am not religious.  But if I were a regular church goer, I'd either attend services at an Episcopalian or Lutheran church. The Roman church has a bug up its collective ass about the LGBT community and treats us as sinners for recognizing who we are.  When I read the part of the Bible they use to say that Homosexuality is a sin, I find that it actually means two things: Soldiers shouldn't be hiding as civilians, and (more importantly) that only male bisexuality is forbidden.

Why is this important?

What went on in Rome in the first 2 weeks of May took the Orange Snowflake off the front page of the news.  He became a mere afterthought when the election of a new pope took place.  This is a good thing.  But what about the pope?  Right now (as I write this) the media is basking in the afterglow of this man's election to the papal throne.  To me, this doesn't mean much, as the Roman church is incapable of systemic change due to its stability through the ages.  Even if everyone knows some part of dogma is wrong, they are unable to de-emphasize it simply because things get written in stone.

Two millennia ago, Middle Eastern society was run by men.  Women were little more than baby machines to be fucked at the pleasure of males.  Today's Roman church may talk a great deal about liberation of the poor, but they do little to empower women while many other Christian denominations have included women in the power structures of their denominations. 

From what has been reported so far, this pope is not as concerned about the welfare of the LGBT community as the former pope was.  Only time will tell if this stays true.  Right now, people know very little about this pope in America, save that he was born in America and lived in Chicago at one time. Americans mistakenly think that he will have a loyalty to the United States, when his loyalty will be to the world at large.

Until we know more and see more from the new pope, I won't have much to say about him.  He could evolve to be a friend, or be one of our worst enemies.  Only time will tell.  

The tide may be turning.

 

The more I watch the news, the more I get worried.  The other day, I spoke with one of the regular attendees of game nights and he has similar concerns to me - even though I am much more at risk than he is.  Even with my fears, I see signs that the GOP coalition that elected the snowflake may soon fall apart.

- - - - - -

Every time the Orange Snowflake makes a demand, it seems like he gets shown to be a paper tiger.  He has been shown to be a liar or an incompetent by the leaders of France, Ukraine, and now Canada.  As I write this, he is about to announce some kind of deal with the UK.  Dollars to Donuts the deal will not accomplish much more than allow the snowflake to claim some sort of success with his tariff threats.

The judicial branch of government is also putting a stop to the snowflake's excesses.  However, they have yet to force him to bring back the man who was wrongfully sent to a Salvadoran prison.  He has said that he doesn't want to make the phone call to bring this man back to the USA.  I wonder: Why?  To me, the answer is just as simple - he can't admit a defeat or that he makes mistakes.  Instead, he keeps doubling down on his bogus claims that "justify" his actions.

Look at his recent appointments, and how several nominations have been retracted in favor of someone even more loyal (and less competent) than the person s/he replaced.  Many of his appointments are only temporary, such as his "nominee" for Attorney General. Congress is feeling the heat, as the GOP members keep trying to support the snowflake's unpopular actions.  It's only a matter of time that they will turn on him, as they are creatures that depend on being reelected every so often.  The other day, my "Moderate" (yeah, right!) congress critter had a hard time controlling the people who attended a recent town hall.  (Finding out when they'd be held in advance is virtually impossible - he's afraid of the people in his district - NY-17.)  Like many people here, I can't wait to vote against him, as he supports the snowflake's anti-transgender actions.  Given that this is a swing district, I hope that the Democrats have a strong candidate to run against this example of human garbage.

On the subject of tariffs, I doubt that China will do much of anything to help the snowflake.  He overplayed his hand from the beginning, and they will not react warmly to being bullied as part of his "negotiation" process.  Soon, the first ships will come in with post-tariff goods.  Sites like Temu (which I hate for reasons unrelated to anything I've discussed in this post) will be showing how much tariffs add to the cost of each item.  As much as it will cost me, I can't wait to see how this all plays out.

Recently, Palmer Report discussed the price of Trumpism for the USA.  Sadly, after #47 is 86'd, there will be many cultural injuries which need to be dealt with. It is very easy for people to be turned against their neighbors and into shells of who they once were.  I can see that tendency in myself, and have to resist letting the anger the snowflake generates take over my soul.  Hopefully, I will be able to retain most of my humanity when this sorry state of affairs ends.

- - - - - -

Years ago, someone came up with what is called the "Chinese Curse":

May you live in interesting times.

Please start boring me to death soon.  I need a rest from all of this.

 

The Dentist, Some Rain, Overdue Laundry, Game Night, and Shareholder Complaints

 

Today wasn't the best day to go out.  For the most part, I wanted to stay inside.  But I had to go to the dentist's office for my periodic teeth cleaning, so I got dressed, made up, and rushed out the door for a 2 pm appointment.  And this was only the start of a busy day.

I still remember an old toothpaste ad which had a picture of a little child saying:

"Look Ma, No Cavities!" 

In a way, that's how I felt as well, because I didn't need to spend any more money on my teeth right now.  There are enough bills coming down the pike, that I'm glad that most of what came through lately have already been paid.

- - - - - -

Once done with the dentist, it was time to get lunch.  So, off to the pizzeria that I usually go to with friends from former jobs for lunch.  As I was finishing my meal, the heavens were about to open up. I rushed into my car - just in time!  For the next 30 minutes, I could barely see where I was driving.  But I made it home safely.  As I was preparing to do some laundry, a shareholder called me.  Seems like the anonymous complainer who previously spread half-truths and lies about the board had found a way to put another bunch of missives directly in our mailboxes.  Now, by doing this, a crime has technically been committed as nothing other than US Mail may be placed in a mailbox.  I figure that 119 counts of this crime have been committed even if wrongfully placed there by a postal employee, as none of these missives were in envelopes with cancelled stamps.

- - - - - -

When my laundry was complete, I went downstairs to bring it back to my apartment.  Then I got ready for game night, leaving the apartment around 7 pm.  It was nice to see the gang again, and as usual, I lost the game on the last play.  But it was fun.  Sadly, there will be no game nights in June or July, as the family will be very busy with preparations for their son to go to college, and for the family to take one last vacation together.

 

 

 

 

All I planned on today was a lobster roll, and I didn't get that.

 
RQS and I have a passion for lobster rolls.  They are a moderately expensive splurge, but not something that will break the bank.  And, today, it was my turn to get some lobster.  As it turned out, I was 4 hours too early.

But first.... 

The weather looked a little bit better than it has been of late.  So I figured that I could go one of two directions to get my lobster fix - north or south.  If I went south, I'd have to go as far as The Bronx to get my lobster.  If I went north, I'd be able to go to Wappingers Falls and then make a stop at Lane Bryant to pick up some sexy panties and maybe a necklace I could wear.  Given that I felt more comfortable browsing the store in Poughkeepsie than I did the one in the Bronx, I decided to go north and avoid the late afternoon traffic jam at the Bronx/Westchester border.

I started driving north along Route 9, and encountered a car driving 10 MPH below speed limit, slowing down traffic for the rest of us.  Unfortunately, this person was very inconsiderate, and when I had the chance to pass him, I'd annoy him a little by slowing him down in the same way he did to others.  Once I did so, I floored the gas pedal and got on my way to the lobster truck.

The address on the website has the lobster truck on the site of a sporting club (think of guns and fishing) in an isolated area of Dutchess county.  When I got there, I found no lobster truck.  All I found was an empty parking lot.  When I looked at the website again, I noticed that I had gotten the hours wrong.  The truck wasn't going to be there for another 4 hours.  AARGH!  I should have gone south.  So, instead of the lobster roll and clam chowder I wanted, I found myself in a dark pizza parlor munching on a couple of slices. 

Once I was done with my slices, I drove to the mall and entered Lane Bryant.  There seemed to be only one woman in charge of the store, as one of its two entrances were blocked by a set of mannequins. Entering the store, I first looked at a nightie I was interested in buying, but it wasn't in my size.  So I went through the panty drawer to find some sexy undies to go with some nighties already in my lingerie drawers.  While there, I also picked up a nice necklace, and a pair of feminine reading glasses. Then, I was on my way back home.

Somewhere near Fishkill, Route 9 came to a standstill.  I could see no reason for the backup.  So, after a few minutes of going nowhere, I decided to take side roads to get around the jam.  Even if I wasted time, I felt better than I had stayed stuck in the jam.  I eventually ended back in Fishkill, a half mile from where I think everything got backed up.  This allowed me to speed home in time for a Zoom meeting to take place around 6:00, arriving home with time to spare.