Was I really in the mood to do much of anything today?

I wish I were still this size.  There is an occasion coming up that I could wear this dress.  Sadly, I have gone up a size and a half in the 6 years since I've worn it last, and can't risk putting it on until I lose another 30 lbs.  So I'll have to make do with my collection of Little Black Dresses and pick out one that looks best on me.

- - - - -

Soon, Lili and I will be taking a cruise together.  It's the standard NYC to New England/Canada run. But it will be on a different cruise line than usual.  The main drawback is that the cruise leaves from Brooklyn, and not Manhattan.  So we'll have to drive there and park the car in the pier's nearby lot.  Hopefully, parking will be convenient and plentiful.  Otherwise, this will end up being an annoying, unpleasant, and expensive way to start the trip.

But enough of this....

I had only three things to think about today.  First, finish packing for the cruise.  Then, get some folding money for the cruise.  And lastly, to attend an arts event for Arts Westchester. If I had known that I'd be going on a cruise soon, I'd have skipped a dinner beforehand to save a few bucks.  Instead, my plans called for meeting up with the lady who introduced me to the group and having a nice dinner with her.

Around 3:30 pm, I started to get ready to go out. It took me a little longer than I planned, as I had to do my nails.  (I should have waited until I got back home, but I'm glad I did this while the sun was out and I had better light to work with.)   My friend from Arts Westchester had arrived a couple of minutes before me, and we went inside the Samurai restaurant together.  I switched to my reading glasses when I sat down, and we ordered dinner.  Once dinner was ordered, I switched back to my other glasses, but did not put the reading glasses away.  Instead, I forgot about them, and accidentally knocked them onto the floor where I couldn't see them.  When the place started getting crowded, we paid the bill and went to our concert venue - the Ossining Public Library.

The performers' selections were duets from the 17th & 18th centuries.  What I didn't know until they took a break from playing music was that the instruments they were playing on were authentic period pieces - true antique violins which are still being played 300 years after they were created.  My companion (who will be turning in a report to Arts Westchester) was falling asleep during the performance.  As for me, I could have easily fallen asleep, but I was able to stay awake until then end.  At that point, I rushed back to the restaurant to pick up my reading glasses - and was able to get the pair I lost when I dined with Vicki as well as the pair I lost tonight.

After this, I drove to another couple of stores to get some beauty supplies I'll need for my trip, as well as some supplies I can use when I return.  (I intend to fix my nail polish while away, and had to make sure I could remove my polish if needed.)  I now have the supplies I will likely need and the cash I expect to spend during the upcoming week....

No Game Night, No Book CLub, What's a T-Gal to do?

I wish I could go back and take this cruise again.  I was by myself for a week and a half.  No Lili, no WDJ, no GFJ, and no family to distract me from the most important business I had at hand - pure relaxation.  I knew no one on the cruise when I started from NYC, and I made a couple of friends while on the cruise.  If I had someone with me, I wouldn't have been forced to socialize with others on a daily basis.  This soft prodding is what I'll miss when I go on my next vacation with Lili....

- - - - - -

Last night, I bailed on tonight's book club.  So I had to figure out what I was going to do today in its place. Part of the day was spent sorting out stuff to bring on the cruise with me.  (Yes, we're taking another cruise.  Surprise, surprise, surprise...)  Around 1 pm, I remembered - I had to get ready for speech therapy,  So it was into the shower and then on with the makeup.  I was out the door with extra time to spare, and I needed that time and more.  There was a car crash at the intersection of Chappaqua Road and Route 9A.  And traffic was at a standstill.

One thing my friends know about me is that I hate getting caught in a traffic jam..I'll spend more time going around a traffic jam than if I stayed in the jam.  But it's a feeling of roadway claustrophobia (or agoraphobia) that I am trying to avoid.  And I tried doing so by taking side roads - which all were jammed.  By the time I made it to an exit point, the jam was cleared on the main road, but not on the side roads.  So I ended up being 10 minutes late for my weekly appointment.

Once I was done at Mercy, I drove back home - only to put on a pair of leggings (to be worn under my dress), so that I could feel comfortable in this evening's cool weather.  After a little while, I decided to go out again - and drove to Catherine's in Paramus.  As much as I wanted to buy a few things there, I couldn't justify buying anything other than a scarf. And then, I was on my way home.

- - - - - -

Arriving home, I chatted with GFJ, then removed some stains from one of my bras.  (I had cut myself by accident, and wanted to get rid of the blood stains as soon as I could.)  Hopefully, it'll be dry by tomorrow....

Meeting up at the Storm King Tavern

This is the view of the Storm King Tavern, looking in from the golf course.  The view from the inside, looking at the golf course and Storm King Mountain is even better. And that is where I was going to spend my evening.

- - - - - -

I realized when I got up this morning, that I was not going to complete reading "Lolita" before tomorrow's book club meeting.  So I abandoned the book club for the evening, and took myself off the list of attendees.  Next, I continued tearing my bedroom apart to find a bag of socks that mysteriously disappeared - with no luck.  So I put a visit to Walmart on my list of things to take care of today.

Considering that there was leftover lasagna in the fridge, I decided to nuke it for the first meal of my day.  Yum!   Although it was not as good as it was the night before, it was still something that would be a shame if I left it uneaten.  Eventually, I made it out of the house around 3:30, and decided to head over to Jefferson Valley to get a battery replacement for a cheap watch I own.  $15 later, I had a working watch again - about the same amount that I paid for the watch at the Avenue.  While at the mall, I checked on how much it would cost me to replace the battery on my iPad - and figured that I'd use this as a benchmark price for service. The store charges the same price that Apple charges for a battery replacement - $99.  So I might end up heading down to Apple to get the tablet fixed, only if I want to bring it with me on my next trip.  Otherwise, I'll leave it at home when I take my trip, then fix it when I get back.

Once done at Jefferson Valley, I started driving to the Storm King Tavern to meet my former student clinician, LK, for dinner.  Since I expected that I'd need to kill some time, I decided to take Route 218 around Storm King Mountain and enjoy some Hudson River views.  These views are even nicer than those from the Bear Mountain "Goat Path", but are on a road that is even less forgiving in bad weather.  Unlike the Goat Path, there are gates at West Point and at Cornwall which are closed when the road is considered too dangerous for use.  This detour was well worth the extra time I used to reach the restaurant, as there were many points where I wish I could have stopped, taken a camera out, and gotten a few great photographs of the river.

Arriving at 6 pm, I was pleasantly surprised to find my dinner companion there before me.  (She was able to leave her externship early, and took less time than she thought to reach the place.) Unfortunately, our third Musketeer couldn't make it due to her having an ear ache.  So us "two Musketeers" sat down and figured out what we wanted to eat.  She told me a little about how life has been going for her lately, including the exhaustion from 15 hour days at the externship.  I mentioned my upcoming vacation, my recent trip to the USS Intrepid, as well as the Off-Broadway plays I've seen lately. 

Sadly, dinner had to end way too soon - LK had a phone call she had to take at 8:30, and I had to make a run to Walmart.  Instead of going to the store near my house, I decided to go to Fishkill and come back down along Route 9.  There was no way I wanted to drive along Routes 9W or 218 when it's dark outside, and the option of taking Route 9 home was much more appealing than usual.

After picking up needed stuff at Walmart, I got back on Route 9 and went home.  Along the way, I chatted with GFJ and caught up with daily events.  It was a nice close to an evening, an evening where I had the chance to enjoy a great conversation or two and an excellent meal with a friend.

No, our dinner group didn't go to Mickey D's.

Today was a lot of "Should Haves" and not that many "Have Dones".   I should have gone to get my iPad's battery replaced - I did not do that.  I should have gone out in the sunshine and enjoyed a day with almost perfect weather - I did not do that.  I should have started packing for my trip - I did not do that.  But I did go to the dining meetup tonight - and that was the most important thing I did today.

I woke up without the alarm today, and had the pleasure of watching my usual courtroom drama.  Today's kids wouldn't appreciate it in the same way I do, as they live in a world very different from the era in which Perry Mason was filmed.  Seventy years ago, there were no such things as cell phones, personal computers, digital cameras or many of the electronic gizmos that we depend on today.  So they wouldn't understand some of the dependencies in these fictional cases that people of my generation understand without thought - we lived through the changes from that era to the present era.

After I got out of bed, I decided to cook something in the kitchen - something I haven't done in weeks.  I had some milk in the refrigerator, and figured that I'd make some chocolate pudding I could enjoy over the next few days.  (I hadn't had pudding in a long while that has the skin on top from when it cools exposed to the air - and I craved it.)  Once the pudding was ready, I put it into the fridge to set and then cooked a chicken pot pie for my morning meal. 

A few hours later, it was time to get ready for dinner.  So I pulled a few dresses out of the closet and decided that I'd wear the one in the above picture.  I hadn't worn it in ages, and it was a smidgen snug on me.  (Was it snug when I bought it?  I don't know.  But it is a good reason to try and lose weight.)    Since I like this dress a lot, I decided to look as pretty as I could and wear it to the meetup.

Arriving in Fishkill around 7, I was one of the last people to arrive for dinner.  And I ended up sitting with 3 other people that I've dined with before.  (I wanted to sit at the other table and get to know 2 new people, but there were no open seats at the table.)  Considering that I didn't eat much all day, I made up for it with starches at dinner.  Although the food was good at this place, the menu didn't have enough variety for me.  I was glad that the company made up for it.

When dinner ended, WDJ and I went to Mickey D's for a cup of coffee.  We chatted for about 30 minutes, and then she had to leave.  I tried reaching GFJ on the way home, but she was asleep.  I guess I'll catch her in the morning....

Interviewing for a REAL job as Marian.

Although I previously interviewed for my receptionist position at the nursing home, it was more of a formality - they needed a body to fill the seat after one of their regular people quit.  Once things stabilized at the nursing home, they had little need to call in an "on-call" receptionist.  Today was a first - a real interview for a real position which could end up becoming a full time job (with benefits) if I were to do well.

I woke up a little before 9 am, and I made sure to change the channel so that I could watch Perry Mason.  And this time, I was able to stay awake through the whole episode, in part, because it had one of the better setups - a child came to the lawyer wanting to find out who she is.  (All of her expenses were being paid through an anonymous Swiss bank account to keep her in a US based boarding school.) Of course, the episode had the obligatory murder.  But it was fun to watch.

Around 1 pm, I started to get ready for my interview.  Since it was after labor day, this woman chose to be conservative in her wardrobe and wear stockings on a hot day. Thankfully, I didn't notice the heat much, and virtually every place I landed had adequate air conditioning.  When I arrived at the office building, I grabbed a quick drink from the vending machine downstairs.  Unfortunately, I didn't have the washroom code, so I had no way to make last minute makeup fixes, etc. before the interview.

At a smidgen before 3 pm, I took the elevator upstairs and walked into the office.  Within 5 minutes, I was sitting down with the lady who would be my boss.  And we ended up talking for almost an hour - no forms to fill out yet, just a pleasant, informal chat that covered all the bases on her checklist and mine.  If I am selected for a second interview (something I think will happen), I will likely have to fill out paperwork to apply for the job.  Only then do I think that the subject of me being transgender will come up.  But I think I did well on this interview, and I'm keeping my fingers crossed....

- - - - - -

Even though I didn't yet feel uncomfortable because of the 90 degree heat, I drove home to get more comfortable.  No longer needing to look professional, I did what any cisgender woman would do - ditch the pantihose and dress shoes, and replace them with comfortable sneakers.  (My dress can be worn both casually and professionally.)  Then I went out to see Lili.

You may recall that Lili bought three dresses for me.  One of them is best worn as a long tunic with a pair of leggings for a bottom piece.  Today, she gave me the other two and wanted me to inspect them while in the restaurant.  This I was not in the mood to do, as I was not in the mood to think of more clothes to go in my closet.  So I made nice comments on the fabric prints and said that I'd try the dresses on for size when I get home. 

Lili didn't like how her dinner tasted.  I enjoyed eating the same food, even though it was a little bit salty.  However, Lili wasn't feeling 100% well, so this may have affected her taste buds more than she might have thought.  Hopefully, this won't be a factor when we're on the cruise.

Quickie: Nothing much today

Nothing much transpired today.  Although I was awake early enough to finally go to church after a couple of years, I decided not to do it - if only because I want to put as little as possible to get in the way of my relationship with GFJ, and that she would get upset at me getting up on Sunday mornings and going out as Marian.

Instead of getting up, I stayed in bed much of the morning, and took advantage of the quiet day.  WDJ called, and we spoke of things I'll not mention here, save to mention a dinner she had with a couple of friends.  I'm glad she had built new friendships since she came back from the South, as I'd have hated for her to return to the Hudson Valley and not have a network of friends to be with.

Later on, I talked with GFJ, and her voice didn't sound too great.  Given what it sounded like, I know that Lili would be glad that she didn't come over last night.  I'll have to find an open evening to get together with her after I get back from my upcoming trip and before she goes on her upcoming trip.

To get out of the house, I decided to make a shopping run to Target.  After getting showered and shaved, I put on the dress that Lili gave me last week.  It was a little too short for me to wear alone, as a 62 y/o lady usually won't show as much leg as this dress displays. So I coupled it with a pair of leggings to make the outfit work for me.  (Next time I wear it, I'll get a picture of it for this blog.)  And then, it was off to Target.

I picked up a few items I might need soon, and then went to Panera Bread for dinner.  There was a free "you pick two" reward waiting for me, so I used it instead of spending any cash.  (Yesterday's trip took more cash than I had planned to spend.)  And then, I took the long way home, only stopping to get a cup of ice cream before the "Blue Pig" closed.

Once home, it was laundry night, and downstairs I went.  My neighbor was finishing off his laundry, and I was about to do the last loads of the night.  Now, I'll have clean linens for the next time the cleaning lady bothers to show up....

A day in NYC and a night without GFJ.

The Intrepid has been docked in NYC for years, and I never had the chance or the inclination to see this ship.  However, I was searching for "free museum days" in New York and came up with Smithsonian Magazine's museum promotion which listed museums across the country, and gave the reader a free ticket for 2 to see any 1 of the museums on their list.  Since I'm always interested in a free museum day, I took advantage of a Saturday without GFJ to visit this ship, saving $33 in the process.


Ideally, I would have gotten up before 8 am and rushed into NYC to see the Intrepid, then see an afternoon matinee of an Off Broadway play covered by the 20@20 special.  This would have allowed me to get back in time to spend an evening with GFJ, and a full day with her on Sunday.  That wasn't in the cards for today.  Nor did I wake up early enough to call GFJ before she met her mom and her sister for a drive to Long Island to attend a bridal shower.  That wasn't in the cards either.  Instead, I didn't get out of the house until roughly noon, and didn't get to Pelham to catch a train until 1 pm.

I made one mistake in going to Pelham - I didn't think to double check that I locked my car until I was on the other side of the railroad tracks.  And the train had just come in.  Not being able to check on my car, I decided to wait about 30 minutes for the next train, make sure the car doors were locked, and then walk around Pelham for a few minutes.  Unfortunately, even this wasn't as much fun as I'd have liked.  There is a flower shop in town which used to be owned by the boyfriend of my late wife's best friend, and they now close early these days. Today, they weren't even open due to a special event.  So I couldn't even check to see if the man or my wife's friend were still associated with the business. But this is just as well.  I'd rather have the excuse of buying some flowers there and asking about this lady....

Walking back to the NYC bound platform, I double checked that my car doors were locked and waited for the train.  I began to wish that I hadn't brought my denim jacket along, as it was starting to get warm outside.  (It peaked in the mid 80's, and I was expecting only 80 degree weather.  So I was mildly uncomfortable waiting for the train.)  Fortunately, the train came on time, and I could cool off in air conditioned comfort.  Unfortunately, my stomach indicated that I'd need to go to the bathroom soon, and my eyes were diverted to my phone and a NY Times article about women pooping at work.  How appropriate a topic.  The other day, RO and I had a conversation about our difficulties when having to go to the bathroom in a "public" toilet.  Let's say that I was very glad that I was traveling to NYC in Marian Mode, and that I knew where at least 1 relatively clean bathroom was if needed.

Arriving at Grand Central, I decided to use the crosstown bus to reach the USS Intrepid. I might have gotten there faster if I had taken the subway, then walked.  The bus driver kept imploring people to move to the back of the bus, and people weren't doing so.  As a result, the bus wasn't going anywhere.  By the time I made it to the Intrepid, it was close to 3:15. This meant that I'd only have 90 minutes or so to spend at the ship.  While on line to get to the ticket office, I noticed quite a few people having printed the complimentary ticket form for free admission for 2 people.  There was a couple on the line, a pair of Eastern European tourists, who hadn't heard of this deal.  So I offered to use my ticket to bring 1 of these people in, and saving them $33.  And then I noticed something that made me wish I'd pay more attention to this ship's free days - some organization had sponsored free Fridays for this Summer, and it would end on September 27th.  I could have taken GFJ there early in the Summer.  Hopefully, we'll get the chance to do this next year - I'd like to see the insides of both the Concorde and a Submarine on a future visit.

When I got inside the Intrepid, I realized that I would need to use the facilities - and Pronto! So I found a restroom, and was very glad that it was kept very clean.  (Next time, I'll use Charmin's "Sit or Squat" app to be sure of a clean restroom - I hate taking chances when out as Marian.)  After that, I toured the ship, taking pictures of every exhibit I could.  The place was way too crowded to linger and read the blurbs about each exhibit. So a lot of the conservation efforts couldn't be appreciated the way they should be.  

Towards the end of my stay, I decided to kill time and send a few messages to a few of my friends.  Knowing where JS works and her ethnic background, I sent her a picture of this plane.  She noticed something about the plane that I confirmed for her - it is an Israeli jet.  But she didn't know much about the Intrepid as a museum.  (She lives a sheltered life in Connecticut, as she isn't exposed to many of the things I casually assume are common knowledge.)  Then, I sent the picture at the top of this entry to a California friend from my Widows/Widowers group.  This lady loved seeing the picture, as her husband served on the ship.  Hopefully, she'll make it to NYC one day, so that I can show her around.

Leaving the Intrepid around 5:45, I took the bus over to 9th avenue to find something to eat. I ended settling for a Chinese restaurant where I had some shrimp and eggplant in garlic sauce.  Although it was yummy, it wasn't exactly what I was craving.  But the restaurant was close, the food was affordable, and the theater was nearby.  Once I was done there, I walked over to the theater and killed time before the $20 ticket office opened.

Around 7:30, I bought my ticket for "L.O.V.E.R.", and settled into my seat.  A woman came in when I did, and I chatted her up for a while until one of her friends arrived.  (They got free tickets from the USO, as they were ex-service women.  It's a small, but nice perk for those folk who served our country, and I'm glad they get it.)  And then the play started.  The performer had a 75 minute monologue about her sex life, from childhood masturbation to late middle age adulthood.  It was interesting, but not captivating.  It was worth $20, but I don't think I'd have wanted to spend more on the play.  I'd rather go back and see "The Play That Goes Wrong" again.

When the play was over, I found that GFJ wasn't going to my place as planned.  She said she had a sore throat, and didn't want to give this to me.  (My regular readers should easily guess why, but I won't note it here for now.)  I was disappointed, as I looked forward to seeing her tonight.  But I looked at the bright side - I didn't have to take off my nail polish, and I will now have almost 3 uninterrupted weeks in Marian Mode.  YAY!