We're now programmed to fail.

 

Years ago, when I started my career in technology, I had faith in a system that provided opportunity for all.  It didn't matter whether a person was black or white.  There was a relative meritocracy in this country, with an elite that cared somewhat for the conditions that the masses lived under.  I learned to analyze a situation, find the cause of a problem, and resolve it.  Over the years, I learned to look at larger systems and perform root cause analyses for problems in these systems.  Today, what I'm seeing frightens me.

We're seeing, in real time, the gradual destruction of American society.  A bandit class has gained control, a class which has no ability to care for the welfare of the masses.  The leader that we elected has exposed his toxic nature, and many of his followers are finally seeing the man for what he is - a man who only cares for himself, someone who has no ability to care for the little people who put him back in power.

People like me are under attack because we don't cleanly fit into the gender binary that his core supporters use to define their world. But we are not the only people under attack.  People who believe in science and the scientific method are under attack too.  We've seeing the destruction of the CDC, due to a crackpot in charge of the Department of Health and Human Services.  I can only wonder what epidemics will affect our nation, given the outflow of qualified, talented professionals from our government.  We're seeing a government ready to debase our currency, institute questionable tariffs, and do everything possible to create another great depression.  What's going to happen when people lose hope?

What is the root cause of society's current problems?  As I see it, it was a big mistake made by the elites 50-60 years ago.  America's business elites decided to globalize manufacturing without providing a safety net, a transition plan for those workers who would be displaced from their jobs as work migrated overseas.  Educated people in large metropolitan areas would still be able to find work.  But few jobs were being created in areas being hollowed out by globalization.  People in these areas lost hope in the system, and became ready to follow a populist leader who'd make idle promises.  They needed to show their anger towards the elites, and became more radicalized. 

Once people become marginalized and lose hope, they are willing to gamble on anything that would improve their lots in life.  They will often feel that restoring the oppressive social norms of the past will fix things.  But they only make things worse.  Instead of looking for ways to grow the economic pie, they look to keep others from getting their share the pie.  This only serves the bandit capitalist, as alienated people will blindly support leaders that make speeches that give lip service to the supposed needs of those people.

Right now, our president has set America on a course to fail.  As a result, he will likely collapse the world economy.  I shudder to think of what will happen if he succeeds in his plans.  What he will gain from this, I'm not sure.  I think he's a Nero who will fiddle while Rome burns - and enjoy the flames.  As for me, I want to be as far away from Rome as possible....
 

Seeing a friend, while Amazon has still not delivered.

 

When the above dog says "Woof!" he really means it - unlike Amazon's 2-day delivery pledge for Prime members.  But first, I'll talk about friendship....

- - - - - -

About a month ago, I last saw my friend CCS from the census.  Both of us were in good moods when we met at the local pizzeria, and had our choices of where to sit when we got there.  We were chatting so much, that I had no time to think of what I wanted to order.  (She is a vegetarian, so her limits made it easy for her to quickly know what she wanted.)  So, I ended up ordering an old standby, lasagna, even though I knew it was too heavy for a late summer's day.  We caught up on things such as our cruises, politics, and where we are vacationing next.  But all too soon, it was time to go, and we scheduled out next lunch for late September. 

Once I left the pizzeria, I dropped off my leftovers at home, then took a short drive just to see some sunlight. before going back home for a few hours to wait for game night.  Around 6 pm, I noticed a message: Our hostess was sick, and game night was cancelled for tonight.  In a way, this was just as well.  It gave me some time to straighten up the mess in my apartment.

- - - - - -

But back to Amazon....

The above items were originally ordered on August 25th, with delivery scheduled for August 26th. (I didn't care about next day delivery, but Amazon said they would deliver these items a day early.)  They didn't come on the 26th.  They didn't come on the 27th.  They were only noted as being late in transit, although they were reported as having reached the Hawthorne, NY carrier facility.  And this status remained well into the 28th.  

At the time I'm writing this entry, I don't think I will receive these items today, the 28th.  So, I prepared a new order, being ready to cancel the first order at 11 pm and issue a new order at that time.  I'll add a postscript to this entry if things change.... 




PS: I cancelled the order at 10 pm.   I'll reorder things over the weekend.

Amazon 2-Day delivery isn't so.... (a short post)

 

On Monday, August 25, I placed an order for 8 items, 6 of them were expected to be delivered the next day, August 26th.  However, Amazon sent me a "sorry message", saying that the above 6 items would be delivered on August 27th.  But these items were never delivered.  Now, Amazon reports that these items will arrive on August 28th.  If I desperately needed these items, I'd find another seller and buy similar things (if possible). One can understand why I am annoyed at Amazon, and may cancel this order if it doesn't come by the weekend.   Of these items, 3 are used to remove unwanted back hair, apply makeup, and help my wig stay on my head.  Luckily, I can get by for a while without these items.

A while back, RQS and I went to the Amazon fulfillment center to see how the firm processes goods.  It's a highly automated process, with people performing repetitive tasks all day.  (Not a job I'd want.)  The tour guise pointed out spots where items can get mishandled, or fell into the cracks of the process. I'll bet that my shipment fell into the latter category, as Amazon reported that the package had been received at the Hawthorne, NY distribution center.  (Sadly, that message can't be retrieved, and all I have is the status from the day before.)  But what could have happened?  Knowing how much they know about any package, whether it has been assembled, packed, shipped, or delivered, what could have gone wrong?  A 1-day delay is understandable, with a loose understanding of Amazon's processes. But a 2-day delay without a full explanation is not understandable, given Amazon's technology.  

Hopefully, this delivery will arrive tomorrow.  If not, well.... 

It's not just an attack on transgenders. It's an attack on everyone. (a short post)

 

As I write this, federal advice for the Covid-19 vaccines has made them virtually unavailable for most Americans without a prescription.  One problem. The Snowflake's administration has an Anti-Vax'er in charge of the health department.  He's firing people who know what they are doing to protect the health of Americans, and installing crackpots who will end up killing more people by bogus ideas than we lose in car accidents.

It seems like this administration is trying to destroy everything that is good about America.  And even in "Blood Red" states, GOP loyalists are starting to get pissed off at the Snowflake's mismanagement of this country.  He is trying to follow the 1930's Nazi handbook which normalizes abnormal behavior, divides people into the "us" and "other", scapegoats people who do not pledge allegiance to him, destroys the careers of competent people so they can be replaced by loyal and incompetent political hacks, all leading us into a country that looks more like the Germany of the 1930's than America of the 1930's.

Is he making America Great?  No.  He can't even answer why he thinks America is no longer great.  Sadly, we may not be able to wait out the end of his term.  For all transgender people who can go stealth or leave this country, now is the time to do so.  For those that can't, try to blend in.  But for all of us, it's time to read "In the Garden of Beasts" by Erik Larson.  It tells the story of the American ambassador to Germany during the early years of Hitler's reign.  In short, after reading this, one know the chapters of the Nazi playbook the snowflake will try next. 

Where did that denim jacket go?

 

The other day, I noticed that my denim jacket is missing.  For some reason, I think I left it at RQS's place, but she said it isn't there. With all the mess in my place that I haven't cleaned up yet, she may be right.  But the same jacket could have been left somewhere before our cruise, and it's lost to the ages.  So, that gave me a task for the day - buy a new jacket at Lane Bryant.

- - - - - -

For the past few days (with one short exception) I have been able to go out as Marian and enjoy this time presenting as a female.  (I wish I could do it all the time, but in this political climate, it doesn't make sense to tease the bear without cause.)  Originally, I had plans to have lunch with a former coworker, but we postponed that until next week.  So I had a day to rest and relax again.

Around  3 pm, I started getting ready to go out, showering, shaving, and taking care of all of my "morning" preparation to go out as Marian.  It was nice to be able to get into a summery dress again, as I know that I won't have this option for long.  (When I get back from my next cruise, I'll likely need to be wearing clothes suitable for autumn weather.)  Knowing that it might get cool later, I put a shrug on over my dress, and out the door I went.

Instead of taking the most direct (and slowest) ways to Paramus, I decided to take the Bear Mountain Bridge, and take more of an inland route to the Paramus areaboth on highways and local roads.  About 1¼ hours later, I was at the store buying the jacket in the photo above.  It will be nice to wear on a brisk autumn day.  Then, I headed back home on a more direct route, only slowing down when exiting traffic blocked the lane I was in for most of the rise home.

And then it was time to make dinner and to do the laundry.... 

A long day where I don't feel I accomplished much. (a short post)

 

Tonight, I'm too tired to say much.  Yet, I did have a long day in spite of things..

But first....

I had a doctor's visit scheduled for mid morning.  If I could have, I'd have skipped it.  But if I stop going, I know my health will get worse.  So I tolerate the bad news to keep myself functioning as best I can.

After this, I had a zoom meeting with my niece.  Neither of us had much to talk about other than current American events - and that gets tiring after a while.

Given that I had dinner with Vicki scheduled for the evening, I got things ready, so that I could go out as Marian.  And then, I tried to take a 2 hour nap, after which, I didn't feel rested.  So I put on my makeup and got dressed, then off I went to the Japanese restaurant to have dinner.

Dinner with Vicki wasn't bad.  Neither of us could finish what we ordered, so I let her take home the leftovers.  We chatted about personal relationships, my cruise, and her friend who may need her to visit.  Once done, it was off to the stores for more shopping.

Eventually, I made it home, stored what I bought, and finally got to relax.   Not really much to say, other than a list of things I did without much context.  One thing of note: RQS's complaint letter to JetBlue got the attention of a mucky muck in corporate, and I got the message on my voicemail.  So I forwarded it to her, so that she can call them back in the morning.

Soon, another cruise. But first, some shopping.

 

Soon, RQS and I will be going on another cruise that (hopefully) will reach all of the above ports.  This year's route differs from the above route we planned to take in 2022, as we don't expect that a hurricane will prevent us from reaching Sydney and Charlottetown on this trip.  The last thing I want from this cruise is to make another unplanned visit to Cornerbrook with nothing to do there.

- - - - - -

Today, I received some important materials we'll need before our trip. We're counting down the days to go, and taking care of things that need taking care of between our two cruises.  I have a co-op board meeting, lunch with two friends, and a dinner with Vicki scheduled.  RQS will be coming up here this coming weekend, so that she can buy a new printer and have me deliver it, and her back to her place at the end of the weekend.

So, what did with most of my day?  If you said "Relax", you'd be correct.  I didn't get showered and dressed until 4 pm (or so), and took a drive up to Poughkeepsie.  It was a nice day for a drive, and even the rush hour traffic wasn't too bad.  Ending up at Aldi, I looked for things that would not need refrigeration, such as bread.  But I noticed one item that interested me - a Bluetooth folding keyboard. For $10, it was worth a try.  The darned thing works, but is not practical due to its size.  It'll be nice to keep around when my main keyboard needs to be replaced, and the stores won't open for another few hours.  Sometimes, toys can still be useful.  Once done with Aldi, it was time to go food shopping at Trader Joe's. Today's food haul was a record expenditure for me at this store.  I can't complain about the prices, but I can see the effects of inflation and the Snowflake's tariffs starting to kick in.  $67 later, it was time to go home. 

Once home, I couldn't get the food into the refrigerator quick enough - my GI Tract was acting up again.  And soon enough, I was in for the night, and no longer in the mood to do laundry as I once planned.