Although I took it easy today, I had things to do.

 

A while back, I met this woman and scheduled a lunch together.  I had a weird feeling about her, as she was asking me a lot of questions that one usually doesn't ask in the early stages of a friendship.  Although we said we'd meet again, this never happened.  And I think that this was good luck for me, as something didn't feel right about her, making me glad that I had already frozen my credit report a few months beforehand.

Why do I mention this today?

I've been getting weird feelings about what is happening in this country.  Last night, I watched a clip from a senate hearing, where a Democratic senator asked one of the Orange Snowflake's loyalists: Given the President's actions in regard to Ukraine (as well as other actions), do you think the man holding that office is a Russian Asset?  Of course, the loyalist ducked answering the question.  In a way, we have our answer, and us transgender folk should be planning our lives accordingly, given Russia's feelings about the LGBTIQ community  My big question is - why aren't more people talking about this?

But onto other things....

This was a day where I didn't get out of bed until 11 am, and even then, didn't get moving until 1 pm.  So, I started to clean out some more stuff from behind the loveseat, and filled up a donation bag which can go to Green Drop on Saturday.  It's amazing how many garments I had stored that I no longer wear. So, out the door it goes.

And then, it was time to get showered and dressed to go to a meetup. I arrived at 6:30, and only 4 people had arrived.  By 6:45, we had a total of 10 people, including DS from the Yonkers gaming meetup.  When DS arrived, she mentioned that she couldn't deal with political talk, and for the most part, we didn't do so.  But then, someone made a mistake, and DS left quicker than a speeding bullet.  I mentioned to the ladies who were left that DS is very unhappy with her present job, and probably has to hear a lot of BS coming from her idiot boss about the orange snowflake.  We got quiet for a minute, as everyone realized what happened, and then we got to venting about the latest atrocity the snowflake has thought up.

Right now, I'm not so sure of what I should say to DS, as I want to apologize for not reading her correctly, and not steering others away from this topic.  It's a sick thing, what the snowflake is doing to this country, and I fear that things will get much worse before things get better....

I apologize for ranting too much

 

Lately, it seems to me, that I've been complaining about things going on in the world too much.  Yes, Our rights as transgender people are under attack, and our president is "owned" by Russia, and is doing Russia's bidding.  Yet, I am grateful to live in a state where I can come and go as my authentic self, without worry that I will be hassled by any law enforcement authority.

Yet, I've noticed something.  For reasons other than fear, I haven't been getting outside of my place enough and living an authentic life.  Could it be the weather?  (As I write this, it is raining outside.)  Could it be commitments I have that requires me to present as Mario?   (I had to go out as Mario in order to buy a new Mattress and Bed Frame last night.) Could it be anything else? (I did spend part of the day sorting out some of the containers behind my loveseat.) There have been so many things that I needed to do, that I have felt a little overwhelmed and have retreated into my comfort space.

One has to keep one's focus on what's important, so that can take care of the most important things first.  I may not have been doing that.  Yesterday, I worked around the house, possibly to avoid spending the money I knew I'd have to spend on new bedding.  It could be much worse.  My brother is putting in 50-60 hours each week in a job for which should only need 40. He also has to deal with fire department financials, managing the project of bringing the family homestead into a shape where we can raise the rent on the place, and to prepare financials for the house, so that I can get my taxes done.  And, to top it all off, he is flying out west to see my nephew for the weekend.

As you can see, there are other people who are under more stress than I am.  But I expect that we all will start to suffer if the orange snowflake does half the damage to America that he could be doing.  If you find yourself starting to be overwhelmed by fear and worry about the future, just remember these words that are applicable in almost every situation:

 

"This too, shall pass." 

 

The trick will be to keep one's perspective while it passes....

Stop the world! I want to get off.

 

It's hard to believe that our president started a war against everything America stands for.  The worst part of this is that we have a congress that's afraid to do its job.  As I write this entry, the Orange Snowflake has given his 5th SOTU Address - and it was as disgusting as expected.

Canada, Mexico, and China are victims of a trade war being started by the snowflake.  And this will result in higher prices paid for common goods by the American public. No one will win.  All this to either stroke the ego of a demented, malignant, senile narcissist, or to obey the orders coming from his Russian overlord.  Given what we know about the snowflake, it's likely that it's a little bit of both.

Years ago, the snowflake started his association with questionable business partners when he sold condominiums without caring who he sold them to.  This provided an opportunity for the Russian mob to launder money via real estate.  Although he may have been obeying all applicable laws at the time, it may have made him a "Useful Idiot" in the eyes of the Kremlin.  Over the years, he stopped building new structures, and simply made his money by licensing his name to these developments.

This man's record in Atlantic City showed how he could extract money out of failing businesses, as the banks felt that keeping his trademark name valuable was more in their best interests than shutting down his bankrupt casinos.  (How a casino could go bankrupt, I'll never know.  This is one of the rare businesses that have an effective license to print money.  Or, at least, coin money by issuing chips (known as "checks" in the trade) and selling them to customers to gamble at their tables.

By the time he was done with Atlantic City, he likely was owned by Russia and its mob.  Personal bankruptcy means nothing to this cast of characters - if you owe then, you'd better pay up by whatever means possible.  Given his stupidity and his greed, he was the perfect tool to be used to advance Russia's aims in the US.  And his being elected to the presidency twice gave Russia what it needed to destroy America from within.

Right now, I have to figure out how to insulate my 401k from the destruction t be caused by his trade war. I have to find an investment which is NOT dollar denominated, and will hold its value while the stock market tanks.  Bonds are likely not the answer, as soon we will likely start to experience severe inflation caused by the debt he'll need to issue.  

By the time you read this, I expect the public will almost be ready to riot.  Will it happen in "Blue States?"  No.  It'll happen in the "Red States" when people start realizing they've been duped.  It'll be interesting to see how the clowns in DC will try to keep things under control....

Neither of us wanted to brave the cold.

 

Senator John Blutarsky.  The fictional character had more to say for him than the excuse for a man running this country now.  The current president reeks of corruption, ineptitude, narcissism, and treason; while the future Senator Blutarsky dealt a blow to corruption at his college before moving on to politics. 

But why do I reference a great bit of comedic fiction in today's post?

This weekend, I picked RQS up at the station, had dinner out, and then spent the rest of the weekend (for the most part) relaxing inside.  Although we took a drive on Saturday to pick up ingredients to cook some French Onion Soup (with a slight variant or two from Julia Child's recipe), we stayed comfortably warm inside my apartment.

What does one do when one stays inside?  For the most part, it was watch TV and read books.  I've learned that I have to avoid over-watching the news as of late, as I'm getting sick each time I see President Musk and his lackey, Trump, destroy my nation from within.  I've read the outline of what they're doing in history books, and I don't like how the story ends up.  So, I've had to remind RQS that we need to watch more videos of people clearing up the mess around abandoned houses.  (We tend to enjoy videos from Midlife Stockman, as they tend to be the most relaxing.)  

Sunday came, and I could have gone to church.  I was conscious early enough to have done so.  Instead, I decided to drift back to sleep for another 3 hours.  By the time noon came, we had a decision to make.  Do we go outside in the cold, or do I make the warm, filling and tasty onion soup.  The soup won out, of course.  So, I sliced up 6 onions, then cooked them in my new Dutch Oven.  (I bought a cheap one, just for the onion soup.  If I like cooking with one, I may buy one of a better quality later on.)  Although I burnt some of the onions while cooking and scraped out the residue before continuing with the preparation, the soup came out OK.  This was the highlight of the weekend - something which allowed us to relax, and not fall prey to the fear the snowflake wants us to feel.

Why do I mention fear?

Supposedly, the snowflake has been intimidating GOP congressmen and senators with death threats.  (This was reported in a YouTube video, where one Democratic congressperson mentioned this to their constituents.)  If this is true, and I have no evidence of this, it's another step towards authoritarianism.  We have to counter this by first remembering FDR's great words (from another context): "The only thing we have to fear is fear itself."  By refusing to surrender any of our rights, and having others do the same, we can defeat this monster.  If not, we might as well remember the fictional Rick Blaine's dilemma in regard to the "Letters of Transit", and make appropriate choices.

I gor my first mystery box of the year

 

This picture does not do the contents of my latest Universal Standard Mystery Box justice. Hanging these dresses on cheap coat hangers, and not put on a body makes all of them look lifeless.  However, they feel great.  And one of them I had planned to purchase the next time that their dresses go on sale.

- - - - - -

I stumbled onto the Universal Standard brand a few years ago, and I found that their goods were of higher quality than I was finding in the plus size stores I was shopping in at the time.  Two of the three plus size stores are now gone, with their brands absorbed into the "Full Beauty" group.  This leaves me with only the Lane Bryant stores and various online merchants such as Ulla Popken where I've made my online purchases over the years.  Universal Standard is one of these online stores.

Before Covid, Universal Standard had one store in lower Manhattan.  After Covid, they had both trunk sales and on-premises sample sales, from which I have bought many garments.  But my favorite deals tended to be the Mystery Boxes, where one garment could be worth the price of the box.  In this case, all 3 dresses look like they will be keepers.

With this being said, I am hoping that they will resume sample sales in their new DUMBO location.  Yes, getting to DUMBO is much less convenient than getting to the southern part of midtown.  But it's worth it to be able to try on clothes and get steep discounts at the same time.

Thoughts about a friend and her husband

 

I had lunch with a friend the other day, and noticed that she may be a little divorced from an objective reality.  A society needs objective rules to function, even if it means that some actions automatically give the wrong person the benefit of the doubt in legal issues.

My friend has been married for over 25 years.  She has been with this man through thick and thin.  One of the trouble spots in their relationship was when he was stopped by a cop and charged with a DWI (Driving While Intoxicated).  This caused him to lose his license for 3 years, and for my friend to drive him to and from work, all while going to work herself.  At that time, she told me that she'd divorce him if he ever was stopped for DWI again.  (Most of their property is in her name alone.)  She wasn't going to judge him - if he was out drinking and needed a ride, she'd pick him up - no questions asked.

Normally, when someone gets his/her license back and that person stays clean, there is no problem.  Things go back to a new normal, and the person has learned from his/her error.  (Or, that's the way things aught to be.)  Yet, there are some lingering consequences to a DWI that most Americans don't bump into until they travel to foreign lands....

Cruising has become my main way of recharging my batteries.  This friend would love to go on an Alaskan cruise with her husband.  But there is one problem - his DWI.  Canada considers a DWI to be a felony, and will not (in general) let Americans even travel through their country if they have a DWI. So, how does this affect my friend and her husband?  As I mentioned to her, her husband would have to apply for an exemption in advance of cruising through Canada,  For most people, this would not be a problem.  They recognize that laws are laws, and each nation has a right to set its own standards for how people are expected to behave and who is admitted to that country or not. . 

Most people consider that DWI and DUI (Driving Under the Influence) standards have to be objectively applied.  If a person drives while over the blood alcohol limit, he/she is considered to cause an accident if one occurs.  (The accident would not have occurred had the DWI driver not been on the road.)  My friend objects to this, as she claims that her husband drives safely - even after a few drinks. 

Unfortunately, my friend will not be able to take the Alaskan cruise that she and her husband would like to go on.  He would refuse to apply for an exemption to be able to travel through Canada.  She supports him, as she believes that the objective standard noted above shouldn't apply to someone like her husband.  Sadly, their pride gets in the way of reality - sometimes, one has to admit that one has been wrong, in order to overcome the penalties of doing wrong.

Attending a meetup

 

It's been years since I belonged to this meetup group.  The woman who sponsored it had gotten divorced, closed her restaurant, and moved out of state. However, I try to maintain membership in some meetup groups which have mid-week get togethers.

 

This past Thursday, I was able to attend a meetup with a group whose meetings are usually on weekends.  Like some of the meetups I've attended over the past year, this one was a trivia/dining get together at The Bayou in Mt. Vernon.  Prior to Covid, I would usually be at this restaurant several times each year.  But now, this was the first time I've been here since my former cruise partner and I had the spat that ended our friendship 5 1/2 years ago.

 

Parking in Mt. Vernon is always a headache.  Luckily, I was able to find a spot one block over from the restaurant. I was the first to arrive.  So, I killed time until another person came in and recognized me.  And then, we waited for the meetup's host to arrive.  The host arrived, and we got seated before the trivia contest started.  When asked for a name for our trivia team, one lady suggested the Bayou Babes.  It was nice to be considered one of the girls.

 

By 10 pm, trivia was over with, and I was on my way home.  I'm glad I didn't cancel this meeting.....