Food for thought

 

The above picture of me was taken at Washington, DC's Kennedy Center.  It seems such a long while ago that I felt safe in visiting DC as Marian, and I don't plan on visiting there until the present regime is gone. But I'm wondering whether it is still safe t stay in "Civilized" areas of this country anymore, now that the Orange Snowflake is calling out the National Guard to suppress anti ICE ("La Migra") protests in Los Angeles, CA.

Our "Chief Executive"  believes that universal cruelty in oppressing his enemies, and that a disregard for law and order to feather the nests of him and his friends is OK.  He has no respect for women, people of color, as well as the LGBTIQ community.  He is a narcissist who has decided to imitate his authoritarian friends by holding a military parade in our nation's capital on his birthday.  

In a previous entry, I mentioned that the Catholic Church may be sending a message that it is time to send a message that people like the Snowflake are evil and must be resisted. But how?  As much as my heart wants to see violence used against the violent, this might not be the right approach when dealing with the Snowflake, as he will likely use even more violence against us.  So, what can be used against him?  Malicious compliance may be the best answer.  Bureaucracies exist for good reason. In addition to administrating public services provided by the government, they serve to subconsciously remember "lessons learned" from prior systemic failures, and help prevent them from happening again.  As the church provides for spiritual welfare, government bureaucracies provide for economic and social welfare.  Without some of the protections provided by today's governments' social programs, we would have likely seen our republic fall during the great depression of the 1930's.  Sadly, we are in a position where our nation will soon need to choose one of two paths to preserve a social order: (1) Authoritarianism, where a dominant group oppresses all others to maintain its power, or (2) Democratic Socialism, where the social leadership uses its economic power to deal with the needs of the less powerful, reducing the chance for a revolution like France had in the 1700's.

In short, our society has a simple choice: (1) Use violence to maintain an increasingly corrupt social and economic order, or (2) Use economic power to deal with the needs of the underprivileged to maintain the stability of society.  Citizens can help make it easier for our leaders to make the right choice by making our voices heard, and getting in the way of people who would choose wrongly. Demand accountability whenever possible.  Attend public forums.  Scream and shout, as squeaky wheels get the most grease. 

Years ago, Gandhi used non-violent methods to make it untenable for the United Kingdom to remain in India.  It is unlikely that America will ever develop something like the "Great Internet Firewall of China" to prevent Americans (and the world) from having access to the truth, and not just what the Snowflake wants us to hear.  We must use this tool as a weapon against authoritarianism while we can....

I decided to spend another day in NYC

 

Do you think I really need to take this class?  Probably not.  Yet, there are some things about building sites using WordPress that may be of use to me.  Specifically, I want to leave something NOT connected to Google's blogger for my co-op's long term use. Given that this is a free class, I don't expect too much from it.  But it will be an opportunity for me to visit NYC, take the class, have a light dinner, and then see a (Off ?) Broadway play at half price.

The first question I have is: Do I attend as Mario or as Marian?  Given that I will likely be one of many people here, I will likely blend into the woodwork either way.  Since it will likely be in the low 80's, I will likely go as Marian and wear a summery dress to be comfortable in the expected weather for the day of the class.  After this, I have to determine which play to see.  This is the harder question for me to answer, as I don't want to spend a lot of money right now. So far, I lean towards seeing "Operation Mincemeat", 

Todaytix.com describes Operation Mincemeat as follows:

How did a dead body, a fake love letter, and — of all people — Ian Fleming turn the tide of World War II? Winner of the 2024 Olivier Award for Best New Musical and the most acclaimed West End show ever with 77 five-star reviews (and now four Tony Award nominations), Operation Mincemeat tells the chaotic true story you couldn’t make up if you tried. It’s 1943, the Allies are losing, and there’s only one thing left to do: risk it all on a stolen corpse. Singin’ in the Rain meets Strangers on a Train in this fast-paced, hilarious musical retelling of a twisted secret mission. 

Yes, this story is derived from a real life story which has been made into a movie.  I figure that it may be a fitting thing to see given that this play, like my last, is inspired by a gruesome reality.

Big question: How do I fit in a bite to eat between the time the class ends and the time the play begins?

A return to Savor

This is one side of Savor in Mahopac, NY.  There is a restaurant on the other side of the building that RQS and I went to over the weekend - and we'd both want to go back there soon.

But first....

As usual, I have yet to make a major dent in the clutter in my apartment before RQS arrived for the weekend.  So, before she arrived, I started to fold/store the laundry I had in the baskets from yesterday, then hang up much of the clothes hanging on my closet's  sliding  door guides. Even so, the apartment remained in its usual state of disorganization when I went to pick RQS up at the station.

It's a matter of fact, that I will usually be wearing a nice dress when I pick RQS up at the station.  Today, I was wearing a short, sleeveless, denim dress, as I was expecting warm and humid weather outside - and I was right.  One of the first things that RQS mentioned was that it was warmer than expected.  I responded, noting that it was 90° outside. Then, she realized why she was feeling warm, as 4 pm is often the warmest part of the day in summer weather.

Since both of us were hungry, I asked RQS if she wanted to try the restaurant I went to at a recent meetup. So, I drover to Mahopac, and pulled into the last parking spot in front of the restaurant.  Walking in, I was greeted by the same waitress who served our meetup group, and she remembered me from earlier in the week.  We were seated inside, and told that we should be done by 6 pm, as a large party was expected then.  This was not going to be a problem for us, as it was only 4:30 pm, and I knew we'd be out before 5:30 pm.  Once we sat down, I looked for the menu items I had on my last visit - and I was not disappointed.  RQS chose a half-size portion of her pasta dish, and still had leftovers to bring home.

It was a nice start to a weekend....

 

What do you do when you've bought way too many clothes?

 

I love how I looked when this picture was taken years ago.  It was a period where I was exploring my feminine side, as well as making many clothing mistakes which enabled people to "clock" me.  Now, I have developed a reasonable self-confidence, but have an overflowing closet to show for it.

Going through my closets tends to be a disruptive experience.  Tossing things I never wear into donation bags isn't the problem.  Instead, it'd the feeling that I might just wear these garments again (or for the first time) in the future.  There are dresses in my closet that I haven't worn yet thanks to Universal Standard's mystery boxes, as well as dresses in the closet which no longer excite me.  So, pruning my closet is the only logical thing I can do.

A similar thing has to be done with my undies and my bras.  The difference is that whatever I no longer want to wear has to go into the trash bin.  Yet, this isn't as hard as it could be.  Whenever I find something on the verge of wearing out, I toss it.  Given that I've been buying a better grade of undies than I originally bought in the stores, my old drawer of "unmentionables" is getting a refreshment as well.

Years ago, I complained that my late wife was a clothes horse.  Well, the only difference between us in this area is that I can afford to keep myself in a refreshed wardrobe at will....   

A trip to Daryl's House with Vicki

 

Daryl Hall (of Hall and Oates) owns a music venue in Pawling, NY that was once occupied by the Towne Crier Cafe (now in Beacon, NY).  Tonight, one of Vicki's favorite performers, Martin Sexton, performed there, and we went up for dinner and a show.

- - - - - -

My day started with me starting to write an entry for my cruise related blog.  Although experienced travelers would have packing for a cruise down to a science, inexperienced travelers might need guidance.  This entry is meant to give those people some of the guidance they need.  While writing this entry, I decided to catch up on laundry, and put 3 loads through the washer and dryer.  By the time the laundry was done, I turned off the computer, brought the laundry upstairs, and then proceeded to get ready to meet Vicki at her place.

Given how warm it was today, I decided to wear the dress above.  I figured that the less I wore, the less oppressive this weather would be for me.  Even this would make me feel like I was wearing too much due to the heat and humidity outside.  But I digress.  Leaving my apartment at 4:45 pm, I knew that I'd make it to Vicki's place by 5:00 pm.  Yet, Vicki was expecting me to be a little late, and we didn't start our journey to Pawling for another 10 minutes.

Now, driving to Pawling during rush hour is rarely a pleasant drive.  If one takes the most commonly used routes from Vicki's house, one would drive to Route 684, then follow Route 22 North to Pawling.  One problem - traffic along this stretch of road moves very slow during rush hour.  So, Vicki consulted Google for directions (I feel that she depends on Google too much for my taste), and it took us through back roads to get near Pawling.  Given how remote this area is, I would not consider returning via this road at night.

On our way there, we discussed many things - with Vicki trying to take control of the conversation when I was discussing will making.  I didn't need any advice on how to make a will.  Instead, I simply needed to figure out what I want to have done with my assets when I pass away.  I wasn't venting. All I was doing was to state where my mind was at, and she went into problem solving mode.  Thankfully, I have her as a friend and not as a spouse. 

We reached Pawling at 6:00 pm, and were seated 1 table away from the stage.  I ordered the fried calamari appetizer and a huge pork chop for dinner - and I'd order both again the next time we are there.  Dinner was over for us around 7:00 pm, and we killed an hour before Martin Sexton came on stage.  Both of us enjoyed his performance of Beatle songs (his latest album covered the entire Abbey Road album), and I found it interesting that Vicki enjoyed some Beatle music.  (Long story here, which I'm not in the mood to cover now.)  After a break, he performed a set of his own music, and the show was over by 10:00 pm.

For our return, Vicki knew that the easiest way home was the most direct way home.  I was home by 11:00 pm and ready to call it a night.
 

 

The Outlaw Is Dead!

 

With an entry title like this, one might think we'd be celebrating another person's death.  But in this case, I am talking about a visit to NYC to see the play "Dead Outlaw" on Broadway.  As much as I should have gone into NYC yesterday when the weather was cooler, or earlier today, when more tickets were available, I have no complaints.  The play was well worth what I paid to see it.

But first....

I keep adding more clothes to the "Dirty Laundry" baskets, and I have enough to fill two washers.  Since RQS is coming up on Friday, I figured that I could either do the wash today, or put it off until tomorrow.  Guess what I chose?  If you thought I'd stop putting this task off, you'd be wrong.  If anything, I started putting winter clothes into storage containers, and figured that I have to start on a third donation bag with excess clothing that's currently in the closet.

Around 3:30 pm, I decided that I was finally going to go into into NYC to see a Broadway play.  Only one problem.  By the time I would get to Croton-Harmon station, I would be on the margin of being able to get tickets to one of the plays I want to see before those plays started.  As I got to the station, the 4:46 pm train was leaving the platform.  So I took my time walking to the elevator to the ticketing area.  At the elevator, there was a mob of friends packed inside and the doors weren't closing.  Taking the stairs, I got to the ticketing area at the same time as this group.  Luckily, I was able to get to one of the ticket vending machines without having to wait for this group to be done,  And then, I had to wait 20 minutes for the train.

Once on the train, it took me 45 minutes to cool down from the heat outside.  Thankfully, I was wearing one of my favorite dresses, as I would have died if I were wearing much else.  (Too bad that I have to wear wigs, as they don't allow my head to radiate heat the way natural hair would allow.)  When I got to Grand Central Terminal, I skipped the chance to take a bio-break, and this would be a concern later on  I took the crosstown subway, then walked to the TKTS office in Times Square to buy a ticket for a Broadway play.

For those readers not familiar with NYC, Times Square has been a place that true New Yorkers avoid as much as possible.  It is a place fit only for tourists and for people in transit to Broadway plays.  Assuming one has taken the subway to Times Square / 42nd street, even a native New Yorker can get confused where uptown and downtown is due to the buildings with scaffolding on them - it's hard to see the street signs and traffic lights which give clues as to which way to walk.  So it took me a couple of minutes to find my way to Duffy Square (at the Northern end of the Times Square area) and the TKTS office.

Of the plays I wanted to see, only Dead Outlaw was on sale.  $95 later, with ticket in hand, I went to the theater and went to my seat.  (Or, I thought it was my seat.)  A few minutes later, the usher came by and directed me to another seat - he mistakenly told me to sit in the wrong seat.  Now, I was dead center, 7 rows out, with no way to sneak out for a bio-break.  Throughout the next 1 hour, 40 minutes, I was hoping that the play would end soon, so that I could go to the loo.  Yet, even with this annoyance, I enjoyed the play.  Would I have paid $190 to see it at full price?  No.  But for $95, it was worth it to me.

Before I go on too far, Dead Outlaw is a musical based on a real person's life and afterlife.  Elmer McCurdy was a person who lived a complicated life, wanting to become a bandit from childhood.  His life took him in many directions, and he ended up becoming an incompetent bandit before being shot to death in 1911. And that's the beginning of his afterlife story.  The coroner who embalmed his body mummified him, and charged money for people to see his corpse.  The body ended up being an exhibit in several traveling shows, a prop for movies, and a display for a scary amusement park ride before being forgotten about for decades. It was only in the 1970's did the body show up again, and finally put in its final resting place.  Hopefully, they will find a way to make this person's life and afterlife into a movie.

But back to the play....

I first heard a clip of the musical's opening number being sung in front of the Coney Island Sideshow Museum - and it was a perfect fit to be performed there.  (Sadly, I can't find that clip now.)  So, it became one of several musicals I wanted to see.  The music was a blend of rock and Broadway styles, and had an energy that I like in my musicals.  The story was wonderfully macabre, without being gruesome.  Once one gets used to the main character being a corpse for 45 minutes, it's fun.

Luckily for me, the play ended with enough time left to make it to the ladies' room without incident.  As I left the theater, I fought the usual Times Square crowds to make it to the shuttle, and grabbed a bite to eat when I got to Grand Central.  Sadly, the train I took home stopped at Yankee Stadium, and got crowded with fans who saw the home team lose.  At least, the play had a happy ending - the corpse is finally buried, encased in 6 inches of concrete (to prevent further use of the corpse).

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.

- - - - - -

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.

- - - - - -

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....