I had lunch with "Short" Vicki today, and I'm glad we're friends who live in different worlds.

 

Last night, I didn't get a good night's sleep.  Although I went to bed earlier than usual, I passed out around 2 am, and woke up sometime around 5 am for a bio-break.  At this point, my body was awake enough to resist falling back to sleep, causing me to wish that I didn't have lunch scheduled with "Short" Vicki today.

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Vicki made a mistake in the choice of restaurant.  She thought it would be open at 11:30 am, and it didn't open until noon.  This didn't matter much, as I noted that I was feeling a little bit "Off" today.  Could it be the ennui I've been feeling as of late?  Or, could I be suffering with over stimulation to what's going on in the world as of late.  In short, I don't feel like I'm accomplishing much, and that I don't have the energy to participate in life.  Hopefully, Vicki will understand the mental malaise I've been dealing with lately.

We caught up on what's been going on in our lives, and I realized that she and I live in two very different worlds.  She's out and about regarding her sexuality, where I still keep part of myself in a closet - for practical reasons, given this administration.  Vicki said that I shouldn't fear US Customs upon returning to the US from a cruise, but I can't be sure of this given how border control has been hassling "certain people".  I don't want to get caught in their BS and be the person who has to fight to defend myself. But then, I'll admit that I could be over reacting to the news as of late.  Yet, I feel that my knowledge of history is telling me to be werry, werry careful - Elmer the snowflake may soon be hunting transgender wabbits.

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After lunch, I went home to rest.  And I know that I passed out on the couch watching TV.  This is what I needed, although I am likely to be up through the night.  I'll catch up on some of my chores tomorrow....

I'm lucky to live in the Northeast USA

 

Recently, I read a report (I can't find it right now) which lists 6 Northeastern states as being the most friendly to the LGBT community.  I am lucky to live in one of these states.  However, it saddens me that I can't risk visiting a state which is among the most LGBT unfriendly states in the union - Texas.  I'd love to take RQS with me and pay a visit to our 2 friends who live in the Dallas area.

As I've mentioned, I watch a lot of YouTube videos generated by people who have valuable things to say, most of which are well informed on the subjects they discuss.  (There's a lot of garbage out there.  So it takes time to separate the wheat from the chaff.)  One of the videographers I watch is a Floridian who discusses the problems with owning Florida real estate and how overvalued it is right now.  Recently, this gentleman came to New York City and did a video on our real estate market.  Instead of trashing it, he felt (based on objective measurements) that New York City real estate (especially Manhattan real estate) is undervalued.  New York, like major Northeastern cities, is a place where there are not enough places to live.  Yet, it is a place that has many opportunities for those who want to put up with the headaches of living here.

If I choose to take a land trip as Marian, I'll likely be in the Northeast - heading to Washington, DC may not be safe as long as the Orange Snowflake is in power, as its local laws can (and often are) overridden by congress.  This is not a problem for me, as I have yet to explore Northeast in the way the region deserves.  Specifically, I am interested in visiting Boston as Marian and getting to know the city in the way I've gotten to know DC.

For the most part, cities such as New York are cities where people "live and let live".  We are too busy with our own affairs to have the time to cause problems for others.  Since opportunities abound here, we have fewer temptations to retreat into attitudes of the past than if we lived in areas of fewer opportunities. I feel lucky to live in the Lower Hudson Valley, as I have access to New York City and to the rural beauty of the Upper Hudson Valley.  Within a "short" drive, I have access to much of New England.  Even though the Northeast has a highly dense population, there is a lot of rural beauty easily accessible to many who live here.

Could I live elsewhere? Likely not anymore.  Having a relationship with RQS who lives in New York City ties me to this region.  Any move I make would need to consider her needs as well.  Since she can't drive, we would need to be in a place with excellent mass transit.  This rules out much of the USA - especially rural areas of the nation.  I'm glad that I own my apartment, as well as half of a rental property.  At this stage of my life, I can afford to travel - and I expect to do more of this in the region in which I live and express my authentic self.

This past weekend was too short

 

Laffing Sal.  RQS and I will likely be visiting her when we next visit San Francisco.  Although she is a simple, decades old animatron, she is the best symbol of San Francisco's Musee Mechanique at Pier 45. For me, seeing her in person says I am really in "Fog City" and am ready for a great adventure.

Why do I mention his mechanical wonder?

RQS and I are counting down the days until our next two cruises (the first to Canada and the second to Alaska.) This limits the time I can help my brother with work that has to be done on the family homestead before we can rent it out.  This past weekend, I cut a weekend with RQS short, so I could help my brother with the house.

I knew I would have one problem.  Not doing any dirty work around the apartment, I don't have any clothes I can sacrifice for painting the basement.  And I'm glad my brother gave me an out, saying that I can keep him company while he finishes applying "mud" to the drywall, so that he can paint it during the week.  Hopefully, we can get the work finished before mid June, so that we may have someone renting the place by August.

After my brother was done with the work on the house, we drove to a buffet and enjoyed a good meal.  I rarely go to buffets, as I eat too much.  But here, the food was worth it - including the Asian Snails.  This visit, I skipped the sushi in favor of hot food.  Yet, I knew I'd pay for the indulgence later on.  

All too soon, the day ended, and it was time to go home.  Tomorrow, I'll go to my first meetup in a while.

Bringing some of my 2nd wardrobe to RQS's place.

 

As most of my readers know, my girlfriend/partner, RQS, is comfortable with me being in Marian mode when we're outside together. She's traveled with me in Marian mode, and will likely do it again when the Orange Snowflake is out of power. In the near future, I'll be bringing some of my feminine wardrobe to RQS's place (she's OK with this), as the weather will be perfect for both of us to be spending time in dresses on warn NYC summer days.  

Why is this important?

Most of us gender variant people (transgenders, bi-genders, cross-dressers, etc.) who don't fit into the traditional gender binary do not have spouses/partners who are comfortable with our non-traditional presentations. I am one of those lucky ones that do, something I wouldn't have dreamed of 6 years ago when I was dating XGFJ.  

I will take things slowly, bringing only a small subset of my wardrobe to RQS's place - 4 or 5 sets of undies, socks, dresses, and the makeup I'll need to go out with her.  (I'll also bring some shoes and other accoutrements.) I'll take care not to overwhelm her with my feminine things, as well as keeping the space they take up to be a minimum.  (She has very little storage space in her apartment.)  But this will be a milestone for us, as both sides of me will be present in her place.  We are blending households - but in two apartments we are keeping for the foreseeable future.

Hopefully, I will have more good news to write about over time, as I'd rather write about things like this than write about how MAGA is trying to persecute us.  Either way, I'll write about it.

 

This emperor wannabe has no clothes.

 

The Emperor has no Clothes!  I don't mean this in a literal sense,  But I do mean it in the sense that he only has power if we act is if he has any power.  However, he is losing most of his cases in court, and his administration is screwing up the rest of them due to DOJ attorneys being chosen for loyalty instead of competence.

The first example of his losing is NYC's congestion zone tolling that's been in place since January 2025.  One would think that he'd have a good case against NYC before ordering NYC to remove congestion zone tolls.  Recently retracted documents show that the Snowflake's lawyers have a very weak case.  Several months after the Snowflake's original removal deadline, these tolls are still in place and are doing their job better than NYC could have hoped.  Although the case is still in the legal system, it is doubtful that NYC will lose the case.  Simply put, the Snowflake made a threat that he had no power to cause harm to his intended victim, NYC.

Recently, the Snowflake suffered an even greater defeat- a little known federal court ruled that Congress had sole authority to levy tariffs, and could not unilaterally delegate this to the Executive branch of government. In short, even though the court's order is stayed on appeal, the Snowflake is again being checked by the courts.

Now, the "TACO" phrase is being applied to the Snowflake.  TACO - Trump Always Chickens Out.  People have gotten wise to him, and know that he will usually back down at the first sign of resistance. His so-called tariff deals are much ado about nothing.  Does one remember what happened to the Canada and Mexico tariffs?  What about the UK tariffs?  After a large amount of bluster, not much has changed, save that people no longer want to do business with America while the Snowflake is in office. Foreign governments know what TACO stands for, and are taking advantage of it.  Even better, Jimmy Kimmel has a new video for "Taco Man"!

So, how are transgenders being affected by the Snowflake's actions as of late?  Memorial Day weekend marks the graduation day for cadets in our service academies.  There were 3 transgender cadets who graduated, but weren't given their commissions because of the Snowflake.  They had until June 7th to resign or be involuntarily discharged. If they voluntarily resign, they will be responsible for the cost of their education.  If they are forced out, their education was for free.  I wonder how this saves money for the American taxpayer?

 

PS: West Point Cadets may have shown the Snowflake their disapproval of his actions by refusing to shake his hand at their graduation ceremony.  Although he may have shaken some hands, more of them didn't - officially because he left early. I'm not sure of what the objective truth is.  But I'm sure that many cadets were glad to be able to follow their honor code by not honoring a 34-count felon who is temporarily in charge of our executive branch of government.

 

 

 

 

 

Financial stuff by day, with an open afternoon and evening.

 

The above sign was posted through London (from what I recall from history books) throughout "The Blitz".  It is something that we should keep in mind today, as the implied message is: "You have no control of when your number is up. So focus on the here and now, instead of worrying about the future."  In an age where our media wants us to live in fear, so they can have more eyeballs and ears, it's hard to keep our focus on the present.  But that's what I had to do with issues facing the co-op, and with issues affecting me as a transgender person.

Today started out with a meeting with a representative from our lender, as we look to deal with issues resulting from problems which occurred last year.  We were prepared for the worst, but the meeting went better than expected.  There is a good way to deal with our issue, and I expect that we'll finally see some movement on things soon.

Next up was a phone call to the lab testing company.  Two weeks ago, my doctor ordered some blood tests, and I received a bill for them.  After making the call, I found out that the doctor's office keeps supplying incorrect information to the lab, and that they keep billing the wrong insurance carrier.  The billing problem has been fixed with the lab test company.  But now, I have to hector the doctor's office to get things straight when they send things off to the lab test company, as the doctor's office keeps overwriting information I have corrected each time they order a lab test.

After taking care of morning activities, put on a dress (with leggings) and went on a Costco and Stew Leonard's shopping run.  It was a good way to waste some time.  But it was not a good way to stay frugal.  At least, I got a year's supply of AA and AAA batteries out of the trip....

 

And now, a break from my usual rants for Flag Day

 

Rufus T. Firefly.  It's one of Groucho's characters that will always strike a chord with me. In art, it's because Groucho trashed pomposity, politics and war in a single film.  In only 69 minutes, the 3 Marxes do to society what we should be doing now - refusing to show any respect to our president and the corrupt people who keep him in power.  I can only imagine what Groucho would be saying if he could see the idiocy going on in Washington, DC right now.

Today's post is a break from my normal routine where the day's events in my life are posted roughly 2 weeks after they have occurred.  Normally, Flag Day would be a day where we celebrate the meaning of America's flag and all the symbolism around it.  On a typical Flag Day that falls on a weekend, we might hear strains of Sousa marches playing as fireworks are shot off nearby.  However, this year is different.  The Orange Snowflake wants a military parade in Washington, DC to celebrate his 80th (?) birthday.  This disgusts me to say the least.

I'm not a person who gives much of a damn about holidays, especially one for which the banks do not close.  But now, the "taste" of Flag Days because the snowflake tried to make the holiday all about him. If I want to watch a "Clown Show" about a country going off to war, I won't have to watch the news.  Instead, I can enjoy myself and watch "Duck Soup", an infinitely more enjoyable way to spend 69 minutes.  I know that Rufus T. Firefly wins his war against the very pomposity that the snowflake loves.  So, I'll close out today's post with....

Hail, Hail Freedonia, land of the free and brave!