A trip for lobster ended in Fettucine Alfredo (a short post)

 

RQS came up this past Thursday, and we knew we were going to do a few things over the long weekend. But, for the most part, we would relax and chill out.

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We woke up on Friday, and relaxed most of the day (as usual).  Around midday, we got showered and dressed, then went out for a couple of errands.  First, we drove down to Yonkers to return her old phone (she traded it in last week for her new phone) to the cell phone store.  My plan was to NOT pick up lobsters until the drive home, as we would not have refrigeration, and I didn't want them to go bad before getting home.  So, when we drove back home, we stopped into the local Shoprite - and....  NO LOBSTER! The crustaceans were sold out for the day.

What could we do?  I had some leftover rotisserie chicken in the refrigerator, and we decided to make some Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo. So, we changed our plans.  Today, we'd eat pasta. And tomorrow, we'd eat lobster. So, we picked up some pasta and some cheese for grating, then home we went.

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RQS has gotten used to seeing me in dresses, and this weekend would be no different - my nails were polished, and there was no way Mario would appear until the polish was removed.  If we woke up, got dressed, and got out early enough, we might take a long drive and go to a museum.  However, I knew we wouldn't be doing this.  When was the last time either of us woke up early?  And for this weekend, when would it be warm enough for me to enjoy wearing a dress (sans leggings) outside?

There's a hole in the bucket, Dear Liza, a hole....

 

In a little over a year, my co-op has gone from a place where I'd be glad to own an apartment to one where I wish I could sell the place and be done with it.  Being on the board of directors, I am not able to talk about any of the details why I feel this way.  But I can say that I (and other shareholders) have received letters from one outraged shareholder complaining about how things have been managed.

Why is this an issue?

Being on the board puts me at financial risk if we were held liable for the problems the co-op is facing.  Right now, I think we'd win our case if ever brought to court.  But I'm very concerned about my financial future, given that I'd have an extremely hard time recovering (if possible) from any judgements.  Luckily, our lawyer is on the case, and we are taking proactive steps to resolve our issues.

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Our problem is one that I can see us finding a way to resolve.  But there are many other condos and co-ops in this country which have problems worse than ours.  For example, the collapse of an apartment tower in Florida caused the state to enact legislation to deal with Home Owner Associations (HOAs) who have kicked the can down the road, deferring essential maintenance that would keep their buildings safe for residency.  Due to this law, many condos in Florida are effectively worthless, given the rise of HOA fees and assessments needed to bring their properties up to snuff.  (My co-op has continually maintained our property, and was in excellent shape until the beginning of 2024.)

Right now, I am very concerned that things will keep getting worse all over.  Last night (as I write this), one of the ladies in our zoom meeting mentioned that her firm just laid off a significant number of employees.  Given her skill set, she feels safe.  But in her shoes, I'd still keep my resume updated and my fingers tightly crossed.

We're starting to see the effects of the Orange Snowflake's trade war.  He's pissed off our friends, only to get an occasional "win" he can brag about in his propaganda.  Canada has sworn off US goods, and largely avoided the US for its "Snowbird" vacations.  I'm not sure that there's anything that can be done to win back Canadian business until the Snowflake is long gone from office - and that will take years, at best.

So what does this all mean?

I feel that on a macro level, America is heading towards a depression.  Both our short-term and long-term policies have been geared to dealing with today's issues instead of heading off those that will happen tomorrow.  In Florida, inadequate regulation has destroyed the value of a large sector of its real estate market.  In the US, ballooning federal debt will destroy the value of the US Dollar as well as our economy.  Hopefully, we will be able to ride out the troubles I expect to see and come out relatively whole 4 years from now.

 

A visit to the doctor and a zoom with the girls.

 

Although my doctor only sees me looking like the image on the left, my Texas friends have only seen me looking like the image on the right. Today was a half-and-half day for me, and I hated looking like the fellow on the left when I'd rather look like the "girl" on the left.  But then, Alfred, like Bugs Bunny was not afraid of putting on a dress when it is called for.

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Today started with me not getting enough sleep overnight.  I was running on 3-4 hours of sleep when I woke up, and it didn't make sense for me to go back to sleep before going to the doctor's office at 9:45 am.  As expected, the doctor was running a little late, and I could have arrived at 10 am without losing any time.  However, with this visit, I saw my doctor relatively quickly (for him) and had the chance to tell him about the problem I've been having with my leg and the problem I've been having with my GI-Tract.  

With the doctor's visit out of the way, I got a bite to eat and went home to take a nap.  Even though I woke up around 1:00 pm/1:30 pm or so, I didn't bother going out again before the zoom meeting with my Texas friends.  This was just as well, as I had some co-op business dropped on my lap, and I had to sign a document which would allow us to start negotiating the final cost for something previously required by our bank.

Around 7:00 pm, I got dressed as Marian and prepared to start the zoom around 8:00 pm.  Now, I wasn't in the mood to talk a lot, as I was still tired.  But I wasn't going to cancel things for tonight, as I don't want to get into that habit.  My Texas friends came on first, followed by RQS.  We caught up on what is going on in each others' lives, and the zoom lasted longer than usual.  Around 10:20 pm, we ended the meeting, and I went out to CVS to pick up some stuff.  While driving, I made my nightly call to RQS and we caught up on each other's day.  I mentioned to RQS that when I mentioned the possibility of our friends visiting NYC, that it wasn't shot down out of hand.  RQS noticed it too.  But I'd rather see them in a city like Chicago, Philadelphia or Boston, where all of us would have to travel to get there.

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All in all, this wasn't as bad a day as it could have been.  If a friend didn't cancel dinner for tonight, I'd have had no emotional energy left to enjoy the zoom with our friends.  So, things worked out for the best after all.

Someone too poor to even maintain friendships

 

A while ago, I met a young woman at a meetup and developed a friendship.  Well, not a close friendship, but more of someone I could meet for dinner on occasion, and not miss it we didn't meet for dinner.  

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As my readers know well, I am lucky enough to be able to buy the things I want to buy - as long as it is in moderation.  If I want to meet a friend for dinner, I schedule it - and worry about my diet (or lack of one) afterwards. My friend is far from being able to afford dinner, and cancels our get-togethers more often than not. 

MAR is a 40 y/o health care aide who is getting tired of her job.  She wants to find something else, but feels locked into her role.  (I feel that she's afraid to spread her wings, but who am I to say?)   Her vocal style does not project confidence and quick thinking, and that may be what's holding her back in life.

Her body is wearing out from the physical labor part of her job.  Given that she is not a salaried worker, she depends on the number of hours that she clocks in to maximize her pay.  Unfortunately, she has never been able to clear out her debt, and this means that she will cancel dinners at the last moment when there is too much week at the end of her money.

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Today, as I expected, MAR cancelled dinner at the local diner.  I suggested a get-together 4 weeks later, and she feels she won't have money until July.  Dollars to donuts, she'll look to schedule something and then cancel at the last moment. 

I'm glad I don't count on this woman for serious friendship....

Lunch with RQS and Vicki (a short post)

 

RQS and I were in the type of mood, where if we didn't have to go out for lunch with a friend, we would have stayed home and rested.  So, we were both relatively quiet and relaxed as we drove to Mt. Kisco to have lunch with Vicki.

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We met Vicki at our usual Greek restaurant, and sat down to eat.  Service was slow.  But, when one considers that we arrived at 2:30 pm, we had no complaints.  Catching up on things, Vicki mentioned that one of her dogs wasn't doing well and that she was going to take it to its breeder's vet - as s/he would have the full health background of the dog.  (There may be a genetic link to the dog's problems.  But that's another story.)

When RQS went for a bio-break, Vicki mentioned that going on 5 cruises in one year is nuts.  But, it's not her monkeys and not her circus.  I didn't take it as anything, but I noted this comment later when RQS and I got home.  For 2 people whose age averages 70 who are childless, what should one do with her money? RQS had never been able to travel much before meeting me, and Covid got in the way of my travel before I met her.  So why not spend our money on experiences while we are still healthy and able to do so?

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I wonder.  Is Vicki projecting her lack of travel into her comment? 

Resistance is Futile. (Yeah, right!)

 

Lately, the last thing the Orange Snowflake wants us to have is hope.  He wants us to feel that resistance is futile.  The reality is, resistance is not futile.  If one looks at the court cases he has been losing, and one can see that even a biased court system can hold him to account, or stop his attacks from a specific legal angle.

For some, staying off of his radar is the best thing to do.  For others, it makes sense to go out in the world without fear (but remaining cautious), as we need to show the world that we exist and are nothing to fear.  And still, for others, one has to take on a public fight.  If one can go stealth, one can still support the trans people who are unable to be stealth where they live,  If one can't go stealth, one can still try to live as normal a life as possible. And if one is already in the public eye, one can take on an open fight and force issues into the courts, where we have a better chance than with the snowflake's growing gestapo force.

 

I have scheduled 4 future cruises.  In normal times, 2 of them would have been taken as Marian.  Given that I don't know how US Customs is treating transgender people (pre-op, post-op, or non-op) with or without gender conforming id since the snowflake took office, I'm erring on the side of caution.  Yet, I am looking for ways that I can travel in a mode closer to my authentic self than I do now.  This will likely have me have photos of me in Mario mode wearing a toupee in an androgynous style, and use that when traveling as Marian.  (I'd be in full Marian mode, with wig and breast forms on a cruise ship, or when I reach my destination.)

 

My resistance is to live my life as openly as I can.  If someone challenges me, I will say that I am trans and see what happens, then act accordingly.  Hopefully, this age of lunacy will end soon, and we will see the light at the end of the tunnel.  Until then, I will resist the snowflake as best I can.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lunch with 2 friends (on different days)

 

The above picture is from the days when the old "Whine and Dine" meetup group still existed.  It's been a long time since then, and I still enjoy eating out whenever I can - especially with a friend or two.  Over the past two days, I've had two separate lunches with two separate friends and wish it could be more often.

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My first lunch was with my friend,CCS, from the census.  Each month, we try to get together and catch up on things.  This month, I got to talk about my trip to Bermuda with RQS and she got to talk about a family reunion for Passover.  Although we chatted about more things (current politics always seems to come up these days), our focus was mostly on our trips and not the BS going on in the outside world.

Next up was my friend, SJM, from the imaging firm.  Like me, she's glad to be out of the place, as it was a stifling place to spend 8 hours each day. I brought her up to date with my travels, and she talked about her job search, her son's performance in college, and other things a little too personal to cover here.  As expected, talk of the Orange Snowflake came up.  I said that I would love to see a revival of "Our American Cousin" take place at Ford's Theater, with the same Ad-Hoc ending.  

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A common feature with both friends is that I would likely have never developed a friendship with these two ladies had I been presenting as Mario instead of as Marian.  Over time, I'd like to be able to leave as much of Mario behind and live as much of my life as Marian as possible.  At my age, I can deal with males trying to talk down to me ("mansplaining", among other things).