A last minute dinner with a friend

 

I found the above Garfield comic on the internet today, and felt it captured the spirit of today's dinner with a friend.  But first....

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Last night, I found that the scanner on my "all-in-one" scanner/printer stopped working when I tried to scan documents needed to be given a $100 cruise credit by the cruise line's shareholder relations department. Today, I started tearing apart boxes of stuff I stashed behind my loveseat to find the single purpose scanner I used to use.  After making a total mess in my living room, I found the scanner and tried to install it on my computer.  Unfortunately, there were no Windows 10 drivers for the scanner, and I ended up tossing the scanner in the trash.  

Once I was done with scanning futility, I decided to get showered and dressed to have dinner with my friend from the meetup group, MAR.  This woman is young enough to be my daughter, and works in a services field.  (I don't want to say too much more about what she does for a living here.)  We discussed many a thing, including my upcoming cruises.  And she surprised me by asking if she could come along with me on one of my less expensive trips.  (This woman has never traveled.)  There is no way I'd do this while seeing RQS, and I wouldn't ruin my relationship with RQS to do so.  (I wonder if my cruising with FCP negatively affected my relationship with XGFJ.  If so, I don't want to make that mistake again.)  I told MAR that if we were to do so, she'd find out much more about me than I think she'd like. (I've never mentioned that I am transgender to her, and I think that she believes that I am a cisgender female. Why ruin that image?)

So why did I mention Garfield and lasagna?  Like the cartoon cat, I love lasagna, and polished off a large portion at dinner.  Yum!  We may have lost a good pizza shop in town, where one could get a quick slice.  But we have a good Italian joint in its place, where I have never had a bad sit down dinner.

Thinking of a street in Portland, ME.

 

About a week and a half ago, we were exploring the shore front in Portland, ME, and we came across the above sign.  Unlike my past trips to Portland with my former cruise partner (FCP), I was able to take the lead with RQS and found a street which time left alone enough to have a pleasant, unique character.

You'll note that the street is unevenly paved with cobblestones, and that there are old buildings with an excess of character on both sides of the street.  I'd never have gotten to explore this street had I been with FCP.  But, with RQS, we had a great time exploring this street on our way back to the ship.

 

 

One can easily tell that the above is an old building left from the days when Portland was a major seafaring town.  This street is way too short.  But for its length, it has more character than many old streets in NYC.

 
I didn't bother taking too many pictures here, as I'd have needed more time to plan my shots, and we wanted to get off of our feet.  There was a "coffee shop" on this street near the above establishment that RQS captured on her camera.  (The "coffee shop" is a hybrid of a coffee shop and a "medicinal" cannabis dispensary.)  I didn't think the place was too interesting, and I didn't want to disturb the privacy of people wanting to enjoy their time at the shop.

Hopefully, we'll be able to go back to this street soon.  There were several places where we could get a good lobster at a reasonable price.  Who knows, maybe we'll get a prescription at the coffee shop the next time we visit.

Game night

 

I didn't feel like looking for a picture of people playing games today.  Instead, I picked a vacation photo to appear with this entry...

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It's been a while since I've gone to game night with the folk in Yonkers.  So I was glad to have the excuse to leave the house in Marian Mode and get together with people again.

Before I left, I found that a recent Microsoft Windows update trashed the scanner functions on my all-in-one printer.  This was very annoying, as I needed to scan 3 documents needed to be filed by Friday to allow me to claim a $100 cruise credit for being an owner of 100 shares in the cruise line holding company.  Luckily, Google, in my phone's Android OS, provided the ability to scan pages into a file.  So, by the use of my cell phone and of Google Drive, I was able to get these documents scanned and sent out before the 15 day advance window came to a close.

Driving to Yonkers was not a pleasure due to the rain.  As I have gotten older, I have found that I enjoy driving less than I once did - my eyes are not what they used to be, and I no longer have the reflexes I had when I was a young adult.  Once there, I had a good time, and left when everyone else was leaving for a change.

An internet meme with some of my thoughts.

 

The other day, I saw this meme on my Facebook feed.  Having friends who own cats, and having had cats myself, I figured that it would be the perfect post to share.

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I've said before that my life does not revolve around being transgender.  Instead, this is only one aspect to who I am.  As I've gotten older, I have broadened my interests to include photography, painting, travel, and performing arts such as music and the theater.  However, I have no developed much of an interest in things that are typically masculine in nature, such as sports.  I couldn't give much of a hoot about who wins the World Series or Super Bowl unless one of my home teams is playing in the event.  Although I understand much about what makes a car tick, I don't have to suffer through someone "Mansplaining" things to me, as I am always in male mode when I bring my car in for service.

Today, I had two events which necessitated my appearance as Mario.  First, I went for my third booster shot for Covid, and had a flu shot at the same time. After a couple of hours, I then had to appear at a co-op board meeting where we discussed some issues (which I won't discuss here) with the owner of our managing agency. If it weren't for these two things, I would have gotten dressed as Marian and done some serious window shopping at a few stores.

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Returning to the cat at the top of this entry...

Anyone who has had cats will appreciate the above image.  Most cats have a habit of using their claws against furniture and other objects.  As much as I'm glad that my apartment no longer houses fur babies, I still miss the cat that attached itself to me for 17 years.  However, without someone who could take care of a cat when I'm away, I will avoid adopting new fur babies to keep me company.

Things seem to be conspiring against me.

No, don't think that I feel that I'm being paranoid.  It's simply the random rolls of the dice that are getting to me today.

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Lately, I've been reserving Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays to be with RQS.  Unfortunately, she was sick last weekend, and will likely be sick this coming weekend.  (She's playing it safe, keeping away from people for a minimum of five days, as per CDC recommendations.)  So, that leaves me with a Friday I can spend with others.  One problem - I'm already booked to see one person for lunch, and two other people want my time as well.

A week ago, FH suggested that we get together on a Friday for a leaf peeping trip in the Hudson Valley.  This is the type of trip I want to do with RQS before all the leaves are off the trees.  Another woman (from a meetup group) wants to change our dinner night from a Monday to a Friday, as her work schedule has changed.  If I were unattached, I'd have no problems seeing either of these women.  But I am attached, and do not want to risk what I have with RQS for a "distant" friendship.

I don't mind putting off Friday's lunch date for a week to see one of these two women, but I don't like making anyone unhappy.  So, I might have to let FH go, since she's the higher maintenance one of the two women.  (The other two know me, and see me as Marian.  FH only sees Mario.  This becomes a simple choice for me, but one that will sadden me a little.)

Baseball has been very, very good to me?

 

About 45 years ago, Saturday Night Live had a fictional ex-baseball player (Chico Escuela, played by Garrett Morris) who used a simple phrase as part of the gag: "Beisbol has been berry berry good to me."  Well, I can't say that the sport has been very very good in taking care of itself.

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The other day, I decided to watch some baseball on TV, and found it hard to find out who is playing and where the games are being played.  "Why?" you might ask.  Well, MLB has tinkered with the playoff format for 2022, and we now have 3 game wild card playoffs, followed by two more rounds of playoffs before reaching the World Series.  Gone are the days where the world series was determined simply by who is at the top of the AL and NL.  There is now a much greater element of chance that allows for a merely decent team to make it to the world series.  And this is part of what has disillusioned me about baseball as a sport.

Luckily, I am still interested in the history of the game.  Instead of putting an asterisk next to Roger Maris's name, as they once did for his 61 season home runs, they should put asterisks next to the names or McGuire, Sosa, and Bonds because they achieved their records in the "juicing" era.  No, I am not trying to deny these players their rightful places in the record books.  Instead, I want the asterisk to be used as an indictment of MLB as a whole, because they turned a blind eye to "juicing" to improve ratings for the sport.  One day, I hope, Aaron Judge and Hank Aaron will be considered the true record holders for MLB, as they played without juice.

Yet, I can still find humor in baseball.  Players such as Phil Niekro and Gaylord Perry were well known for their ways of doctoring a baseball before it was pitched.  It's too bad that I couldn't have gotten the two of them to do ads for Brylcream touting the advantages of this product, closing the ads with: "Oh, and it's good for your hair too."  They would have brought a smile to people with this type of ad once they were safely retired from the game.

All too soon, the baseball season will have to end.  I hope to hear Yankee Stadium's PA system take a break from playing Sinatra's rendition of "New York, New York", and again play a tune by Queen after the last game of the World Series - "We are the champions (of the world).".

 

Finally, a day back in Marian Mode

 

Since RQS was sick today, I decided to spend the day in Marian mode and do things I wouldn't likely be doing with her - such as going to church on a Sunday morning.  And it was a refreshing break from the routine weekend that I enjoyed, but won't say much about to her.  (I don't want to have her feel that I'd rather be doing things alone than to be with her.  XGFJ and I did too much alone for our own good, and I don't want to make the same mistakes in this relationship than I did in my past one.)

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My alarm was set for 8 am, and that gave me enough time to regain consciousness and make a simple decision - do I want to get dressed and go to church.  For me, going to church means getting dressed in my Sunday best.  So, it was on with my bra, etc., and I put on my stockings like a traditional woman would before going to church.  It was nice to see some familiar faces at the church, as I haven't been to any services since I dated XGFJ about 3 years ago.

Shortly after church (and coffee), I drove to a local diner for breakfast, and then went home for a nap.  Vicki was next on my schedule, and I knew I needed to rest before dinner.  (I was surprised to find that I fell out for a couple of hours before waking up again.)  Then, it was a chance to watch some videos before meeting Vicki for dinner.

I was on-time, while Vicki was late.  This is the opposite of what usually happens, and I was glad that our usual scenario didn't play out today.  We met at a hole in the wall place called Brothers Fish and Chips, and proceeded to order dinner.  I had a big bowl of soup, followed by salmon over a black bean sauce.  Vicki had the fish and chips.  Both of us felt the same way about the meal - the quality was very good, but the price was excessive for what one gets.  Next time, we'll try another place at the other end of Ossining.

After dinner, it was time for me to pick up some goods from Wegman's.  I was lucky to be driving through Briarcliff Manor when I did - it looked like some construction work would soon start on the overpass that connects Route 117 to Phelps Memorial Hospital.  Shopping at the supermarket was a non issue, and I had the chance to chat with RQS on the way home.  She said that she wouldn't be surprised to find out if what she has is a mild case of Covid.  If so, then I was luckier than her, as I felt better than I usually do when I have the flu and was only weak for 3 days or so.