Lunch with a friend, then dinner with a meetup - a quick post.

 

Yes, I had two meals out today, and I'm going to pay for it when I look at the scale tomorrow morning.  Being more serious, there were so many things I wanted to take care of today, but didn't have the energy to do much more than to go out for lunch and for dinner - both as Marian.

My alarms and reminders were set, and I was ready to go to meet SJM at the Capri pizzeria in Ossining at 12:30 pm.  For a change, I arrived on time - and SJM was late for a change.  I won't go into details, but she had resolved the issue she called me about last week, and she vented a little about all the issues she currently has on her plate.  Considering what's she's dealing with, she could use a vacation from her life for a while.  

After lunch, I went home and napped for a while before going to my meetup in Scarsdale.  For those unfamiliar with the neighborhood, parking is always at a premium in this town, and it is one of the most desirable places to own a home in the county.  (It often ranks among the top 5 most expensive neighborhoods in the USA - and for good reason.  I wish I could afford to live there.)   I found a spot directly across the street from the upscale Chinese restaurant, and arrived a minute or two late.  (This was not a problem, as no one had yet placed an order.)  As usual, I got into some nice conversations with the ladies, one of whom was asking me for recommendations for a long delayed honeymoon trip with her husband.  I recommended NCL's Hawaii Cruisetour, but noted that it is a shore excursion intense cruise which would keep them exhausted.  I then noted that they wouldn't have the energy for romance, and she responded - they had more than enough time for romance when they'd get home.

When dinner was over, a group of us walked over to the heart of town for ice cream.  Although we first headed to a small ice cream shop in town, it was too crowded for comfort.  So we walked over to the Haagen Dazs shop across the street.  A little bit later, it was time to go home.  And it felt real nice to finally take off my bra for the evening.

The only reason I got dressed was to go to the library.

 

Normally, I can wait until I've received a text from the local library that tells me that a book I want to read has arrived, and ready for me to pick up.  This week, the system broke down, and I was lucky to find out that two books I want to read were ready for me, and would be held for me until the end of the day.  So, it was at 4:00 pm that I finally got dressed (as Mario) to go to the library and pick up my books.

Now that I was moving, it was time for me to go to the library for my books.  Once done there, I was off to BJ's to check on some things.  First, I wanted to replace some reading glasses which had broken over the past few months.  Then, I wanted a large box of garbage bags, as my current supply will soon run out.  So $100 later, I escaped from BJ's, and back home to change into Marian mode for a Zoom meeting with RQS and my Texas friends.

Around 8:00 pm, I opened up the Zoom meeting and we chatted for almost 2 hours.  For a good part of the Zoom call, RQS and I were showing off our Norway photos and monopolizing the chat.  But our Texas friends got in their share of the chat as well.  I started to feel tired around 10:00 pm, so I signaled that it was time to end the chat for  this month, and to schedule something for early next month.

Hopefully, one day in the future, I'll feel safe enough to risk seeing my friends in their area.  However, as long as ultra conservatives are in power, I doubt that they will respect my rights as a TG person due to their current political stance.

It was a long, hot weekend - and we stayed inside as much as possible.

 

This past weekend, I decided to drive to RQS's place with my new car instead of taking mass transit and suffering with 100+ degree real-feel heat.  It was too hot to do anything, and we stayed inside as much as possible.

But first....

RQS was expecting a refrigerator delivery on Friday, and no one called to tell her that the delivery was going to be delayed.  She had a 8:00-11:30 am delivery window that kept slipping.  By the time she got around to talking to the store, I was already on my way down for a 4:00 pm arrival.  At that time, she found out that the delivery truck broke down, and no one claimed responsibility for notifying her that she wouldn't get the delivery on the scheduled date.  In short, she had taken food out of the old ice box using the store's expected time to facilitate receipt of the new ice box, and much of the food was likely unsafe to eat. 

At this point, we wrote off the food from the ice box, and decided to go to one of our favorite restaurants for some Mediterranean food.  This was a mistake, as they didn't have the AC on.  Although we enjoyed the food, it was too warm to feel comfortable.  (Luckily, the temperature had yet to spike, as it would later in the weekend.)

The refrigerator was rescheduled for delivery the next day, and again, things were running late.  This time, she was told to expect a delivery between 7:30 am and 10:30 am.  And then, the computer reported another delay - delivery was expected between 10:30 am and 1:00 pm.  Well, the delivery men came at 10:20 am, and were gone by 11:00 am.  That meant that we could finally get some breakfast (actually, lunch) and then go to the local Stop and Shop to fill the new ice box.

When we arrived at the supermarket, we found that a lot of the shelves were either empty or poorly stocked.  Both of us figured that the store had electrical problems, and several of the refrigerated compartments lost power.  This would cause the contents (mostly dairy and frozen foods) to go bad, and not be saleable.  So, we ended up NOT getting the ice cream we wanted, and not getting the vegetables we wanted.  But we did get a rack of ribs we would cook the next day.

After we were done shopping, we were in for the next two days.  Saturday evening's meal was a delivered pizza.  Sunday's dinner was the rack of ribs bought the day before.  YUM!   I was glad that I parked in a spot that I didn't have to vacate until Monday night, as I didn't want to go outside when the weather felt like it was over 100 degrees "real-feel". Luckily, by the time I had to go to my car, the temperature was still in the 70's, and I made it home before going outside was unbearable.

 

 

PS: Later on, I got dressed in Marian mode and went to see a movie.  It was nice to get back into a dress again.

PPS: One of my Facebook friends is a Transgal who still uses her male id for legal purposes.  She will be taking an international trip this fall, and I want to find out if she has any problems with her identification.

Game Night - first time in a while (a short post)

 

Today's post is not about Baseball.  Instead, it is about my first visit to Yonkers Game Night in almost 2 months.

- - - - - -

 

A little while back, Lane Bryant sent me a coupon which gave me a $20 discount on anything I purchased.  Well, the above photo shows me in a dress I bought with that coupon.  (I'm sorry it's a horrible picture, but I was using a selfie stick with a non-functional switch to click the shutter control on the phone's camera.)  Given that I liked how the dress looked and felt, I decided to wear it to game night.

I drove to Yonkers and decided to pick up some snacks to contribute to the bounty available for the guests.  So I went into the local CVS and picked up a bag of pretzels, and that's where the "fun" came in.  One of the two self-service checkout stations wasn't working, and a staff member was trying to get the one working machines to process a refund/return (I don't know which), causing the line to back up.  Although there was someone behind the counter that could open up a register, he didn't - until I opened up my big mouth and complained about him, the problem in front of the line, and the ten people behind me.  At that point, I may have made a few people upset (I was in front of the newly opened register, and out the door before anyone had a chance to think), but I was now able to go to game night.

When I got to their house, the hostess said that there were some "Birthday Donuts" for me, and wanted to hear about my trip to Norway.  I kept it reasonably short, and then we started to play some games - which I lost as usual.  But it was a good ending to my evening....

A visit to the doctor - aargh!

 

Today's post should  be a short one, as I have to run down to RQS's place in a few minutes....

I had an appointment with my doctor, and I knew he'd read me the riot act because I gained a few pounds over my vacation - and he did.  However, I mentioned my issues with the liver scan, his portal, and a couple of other things, and he said that the ultrasound lady doing the liver scan should have called her supervisor.  (Not much I could say - I am a "civilian" in these affairs, and he knew that I wouldn't know what to say to this woman in this circumstance.)

- - - - - -

By the time I get to RQS's place, her new refrigerator should be installed.  She is looking forward to having an appliance that works well.  Hopefully, she'll have fewer problems than I have had.  Mind you, some of my problems might have been of my own making, as the hidden magnets that help keep the door closed (yes, all refrigerators use them these days) are not strong enough to deal with a slightly overstuffed ice box.  (I can't prove my ice box is overstuffed, but I can see a difference after shifting something inside further back - long story.)  It's a shame that her landlord isn't paying for the replacement.  But, given NYC Rent Stabilization laws, it makes sense for her to keep her landlord happy receiving her below-market rent check at the beginning of each month.

Lunch with RO and a quick browse through a store.

 

It's been a very long time since Fuddruckers had a convenient franchise for me to visit.  I always loved their burgers, and it was so sad to see this chain virtually die off.  However, a few franchises still exist, and RO suggested that we meet at one halfway between our two residences.

Now, I can't say that a Fudd burger is worth going 60-90 minutes out of one's way to eat one.  But if it is a convenient place for two people to meet and chat, then this is a good place to do so.  Both RO and I lament the loss of nearby Fudd franchises.  But we are glad that we ate at one of the surviving franchises today.

RO and I have a long history.  We dated each other a few times, but it didn't work out.  However, I told her about Marian, and she has seen me as Marian many more times than she has seen me as Mario.  So, it was in one of my dresses from Flax that I ventured outside in the heat and drove to Parsippany, NJ. (Why did I mention Flax?  I felt that wearing Linen would be the best way to keep comfortable as possible in a 95+ degree day.)  Both of us arrived around 12:30, and RO treated me to lunch for my birthday.  (I'll have to return the favor this coming winter.)  We brought each other up to date on each other's lives.  We also noticed that Fudd's wasn't that busy - the franchise was understaffed, and dirty tables weren't bussed as quickly as they should have been.  (I'll bet that this franchise has seen its better days, and that it is hanging on by momentum and its proximity to the motel next door.)

All too soon, we had to part.  I stopped by a Lane Bryant store to browse and found nothing.  Then I returned home to find one delivery from Universal standard (the green dress mentioned in yesterday's post) and one delivery from Lane Bryant (the patterned dress mentioned in yesterday's post).  Too bad that RQS isn't coming up this weekend, or I'd greet her at the station in her birthday present to me.

If I could only get around to doing some laundry....

You can call me a clothes horse!

 

It all started out with RQS asking me what I'd like for my birthday, and she suggested a dress from Universal Standard.  As much as I fell in love with the above dress because of its color and shape, RQS prefers a similar dress that I already own with a little bit more detail to make it interesting.  Since she was going to buy me a dress, what is a T-Girl supposed to say, except "Thank You Very Much!"  

She preferred the above dress, and I fell in love with it in a shade of red (not pictured here).  Instead, she suggested that I get a green dress for a change of pace and I agreed.  So, she placed the order for the dress, and I'm hoping to get it before she's up here next.

 

What I didn't tell her is that I also splurged on an exercise dress in my size from the same online store. Although ordered separately, it should arrive at the same time as the dress she knows about.  I figure that I'll be able to wear this dress when doing an occasional weekday walk on the nearby rail trail.

 

 

   

 

Now, I decided to gamble on the above dress, even though it is made of a fabric I don't love that much.  However, I had a coupon from Lane Bryant which made the cost of the dress inclusive of shipping less than $20.  So I figured that it would be worth the gamble to buy it - even if it gets put into a donation bag sometime next year.

 

What good is a nice dress without the right foundation undergarments.  Although I will not be wearing the control briefs until the weather gets cooler, I figured that I'd construct a couple of matching bra and control panty sets from LB that I can wear when I get dressed up in something fancy.  (I'm not talking sexy.  I'm just talking with keeping my fat under control.)

The big question is: What will I be moving to a donation bag to make room for these garments?




PS: I should have bought the blue dress above.  I noticed a stain I have on a similar dress, and am not sure if it will come out.