Vibrant.(Still) Unrepentant. Badass. Old. Queer

Start spreading the news! I'm leaving tomorrow! I want to be a part of it. New York! New York! My train departs at 11:30(?). I arrive at Penn Station sometime before 3. Try not to miss me. I'll be crying a little every night because I won't be blogging. Until I return on Friday, around noon. Then you will be treated to a New York Photo Extravaganza Special Edition! *woot* Unless I forget to take my camera ... Anyway, until Friday, kittens. *smooches*

I put heavy whipping cream in my coffee this morning and am dining on random snacks I find still littered about the apartment. The candy corns and their honeyed-sweetness called my name most loudly. Perhaps the sugary richness of both the candy and the cream will give me the energy to get this day started ... at 10:15! OMG! I love not having to work! No big plans for today. I need to finish cleaning from my weekend o' fun. I need to organize and pack for my trip to NYC tomorrow. And I need to finish my resume and cover letter for a job in a cold, cold city not so far, far away. The rest of my weekend was quite fun and relaxing. I spent most of Saturday in bed (ah!), alone :-( ... At 1:20PM, I awoke with a start and realized my hair appointment was at 3:30. Much rushing around ensued. I managed to make it on time, and my hair has been restored to its rightful color. Yay. I feel like me again. I forced myself to stay awake until 10PM Saturday night, and, then, I crashed. I didn't...

And, I swear, this is the last you'll hear of the BYOP until 2008. Promise. I got home from work around 5:30, and, knowing that I had at least two hours before the guests starting arriving, I took my time getting ready. I warmed up a bowl of chili for myself. I made a cocktail. I casually arranged plates and cups and napkins and tableware. I checked the time - 6:15. "Excellent," I thought to myself, "I have plenty of time before I need to start putting out food." I pushed the swiffer lazily around the living room again. At 6:30, my phone rang. "Hi, it's Mike," Mike said. I thought to myself, "I wonder how late they're going to be?" "We're here," he continued. "You're joking ," I responded. *click* The phone cut off. He must be joking, and I waited for him to call back to tell me so. Then, I looked out my window, and there they were! ACK! An hour early! ACK! PANIC! I knew they'd be hungry so I cranked u...

I'm *still* too tired/overhung to give you a full accounting of the festivities, so here are couple of pictures: The Decorations The Beverages The Spread The Carving Stay tuned for more details (possibly Sunday evening or Monday afternoon).

When planning what to pack for a 4 day trip to New York City, how many pairs of shoes should one take? 6 or 8?

[and not a post about my 6th Annual BYOP Pumpkin Carving Party and how I'm getting stressed out that no one will come because it's cold and rainy, either. *ahem*] I've come across two fun blogs recently. Check them out: Technically Lost's Lost in Thought and Java Jones's My Life, or Something Like It Go. Read them now. Ok, not right now, but, like, after you finish reading my blog. Eventually, I'll be adding these two lovely ladies to the List of Blogoliciousness . WaPo has a fun article about Pumpkin Carving today. You can check that out here . Who loves ya, baby? VUBOQ, that's who!

Are you sick of me rambling about the 6th Annual BYOP Pumpkin Carving Party yet? Too bad! I swear, this will be the next-to-last entry. Or the next-to-next-to-last entry. What's the word that means that? Penultimate? Excuse me, while I go consult with Merriam. It would seem that penultimate means "next to last." Is there a word that means the one before that? Anyone? Anyone? Bueller? So, last night I was Super Busy. I made syrup. I made chili. I cleaned. I organized. I arranged (and rearranged. and rearranged again.). I put together an iTunes Party Playlist. I vaccuumed the friggin' sofa, for Pete's Sake (the things I do for my friends with cat allergies)! I decided not to make the punch, because I didn't think there would be room in the fridge for it. I will make it this evening. Today, I'm going to pick up a 6-pack of beer, a bottle of white wine, and a bag of pretzels. Hopefully, there will be enough food. If not, the kittens wil...

OMG! I'm back from the Whole Foods (strike that off the list ... except I forgot to buy pretzels. I will have to pick those up tomorrow). And, can I just tell you how much I love the olive bar and the cheese section? I love it so much that I can't even remember what I bought. I know this: From the olive bar : kalamata olives(!), mexican olives(!), olives with cinnamon and cardamon(!), and baby gherkins/cocktail pickles/whatever they're called (!). From the cheese section : gorgonzola(!), applewood smoked gouda(!), something that begins with a W and has cranberries in it, and something else that I've completely forgotten, but I know I bought 4 different cheeses. And, I totally splurged on those yummy Spanish almond things. I can't remember what they're called either. I needed an olive bar/cheese section intervention. Do you think that's enough olives and cheese (and nuts! and pickles!) for a party of between 15-20 people? Or should I get more? [ Edited to not...

Today: Buy final items at Whole Foods . Make simple syrup . Make chili . Clean kitchen , bath , living room , and spare room . Determine final food/drink/carving set up. Arrange furniture . Again . Make punch (sans club soda). [No room in fridge. Will have to do tomorrow.] Take out compost and trash . Make special ice cubes . Make iTunes Party Playlist. Find tablecloth . Tomorrow: Buy "forgotten items" at Whole Foods. Buy "just in case" beer and wine? Top clean. Reheat chili. Set out food and drinks. Organize carving area. Have pre-party cocktail and bowl of chili. PANIC!!!! Relax. Have good time. In other news ... The SuperFantastic Cuzin's surgery went off without a hitch. Yay! Thanks for sending good thoughts. Also, over the weekend, the SuperFantastic Cuzin's little brother (also my cuzin) became a DADDY! And, I became a SuperFantastic First Cuzin Once Removed. Welcome to the world, Cooper [It's my grandmother's maiden name, btw]. I'm think...

As I put the cans And bottles And boxes In the cupboard, I feel his hands around my neck Like a lover Caressing, stroking. Soft. As I line up the liquor bottles By height And move the furniture one more time, I feel his grip around my heart. Bony fingers tightening With each passing hour. I make my lists And plan and organize And he's beside me Watching. I sweep and clean. And tidy and straighen. And he is there. Waiting. For his moment, For me to form his question: What if no one comes?

I braved the continuing rain (which, I suppose, is good for the drought and the slugs eating my chrysanthemums, but bad for my leaking shoes and wet socks) to visit the likker store, which, as luck would have it, is right next door to my office. It's practically the only thing I like about my job. Does proximity to a big likker store count as a perk? I picked up a couple of bottles of wine for the party. Then, I remembered I was out of sweet vermouth. Then, I thought, "I have sweet vermouth, what if people at the party want to make Manhattans? I don't want them drinking my good bourbon!" [Ha. I kid, People Who are Attending My Party. OK. I'm not kidding. Keep your clammy little hands off my good bourbon.] So, I purchased a still good, but not quite as good, bourbon for them (and me!) ... if they (and I!) want to drink Manhattans. If they (and I!) don't, there will be other booze options. I might have a Manhattan tonight though. Mmmm. Manhattan. Aft...

At the start of my break, the sun started peeping through the blanket of gray clouds, so I packed up my troubles and headed to Safeway. Halfway there, it started raining again. GAH! Umbrella-less, I continued on my journey ... where I found: Pumpkin Carving Kits - 60% OFF! suh-WEET! And, CANDY CORNS! OMGWTFBBQPONIEZ! I LOVE CANDY CORNS. I bought 3 bags. One for the party, and two for very special friends overseas. The BYOP is FAST APPROACHING!!! Can you feel the excitement? CAN YOU?!?! I had a funny story to relate next, but the yarn I ordered last week arrived and I've forgotten the story. Maybe it'll come back to me in a minute ... It did! Another reason to be excited about the BYOP, besides the aforementioned Carving Kits and Candy Corns, is this party will be the debut of the Made in NC blue pottery chip-and-dip bowl, which my parents bought for my birthday. After showing it to Y last week, along with the matching big plate/bowl thing and relish tray (both previous gifts ...

Whatever shall we do? I know! Let's all be late to work. And, thus, I'm the only one here. *sigh* Has anything gone right this morning? Slugs are eating my chrysanthemums.* My shoes are leaking. My socks are wet. Every. single. one. of. my. coworkers. is. late. On the bright side , last night, I hung up some of the Mexican banners and they look FAN-forkin'-TASTIC! YAY! Also, it would seem that one of the chili pepper plants in the Chili Pepper Graveyard has survived and is bearing fruit. *woot* AND, on my way out this morning (before I discovered I am wearing leaky shoes), I met SCGB. SCGB : I'm looking forward to the party. ME : Have you bought your pumpkins? SCGB : Yeah, we have two small ones, but I think we should buy a big one. ME : Size does matter. SCGB : It's not the size of the pumpkin. It's how you carve it. ME : Only people with small pumpkins say that. hearty laughter ** Plans for today: Bank. Shopping at Safeway***. Laundry. Cleaning. Waiting for t...

I am suddenly feeling strangely discombobulated and a little stressed out. Not sure what is going on ... Update [at 1:30PM] : I had to get out of the office, so I'm at home for the next hour or so. Lunch. Mmm. And here are the photos I promised in my previous post: Pottery Creation: Sunrise: And, to prove I actually took those sunrise photos, VUBOQ at the Ungodly Hour:

The one good thing about having sleepovers at Y's after pottery class is that I get to see the sunrise. This morning, the sun painted the clouds flame red . It was stunning. I'll post photos this evening. Pottery class was good. I trimmed the two vases I made last week . Then, I made another slightly larger vase [Photo to be posted later]. What the hell am I going to do with all these vases? ( Christmas Presents !) Next week, we start glazing, which should be fun. After pottery class, I went over to Y's. I made a big salad for dinner. Then, we looked at the photos from our trip. I took a shower and went to bed. Fun times. One of my co-workers went to Mexico over the weekend. She brought me some really great Day of the Dead streamer/banner/things (kind of like this , but different) to decorate my house for the 6th Annual BYOP Pumpkin Carving Party . So Excited! I still have a LOT of party prep to do. Today, I'll go to the grocery store to buy the ingr...

A few days ago, someone left a comment asking me to write about gay eating disorders. Once, after being asked one God Damn Time Too Many why I am, and I quote, "such a skinny bitch," I replied, "I vomit after every meal." Then, one of my friends, who overheard me, put me on Bathroom Watch. Which was kind of annoying. [Apparently, he didn't know that experienced bulimics can vomit silently.] For the record, I am not bulimic. I don't binge. I don't purge. Why am I such a skinny bitch? I eat (mostly) healthy food in moderation. I (try to) limit junk food. I come from a long line of genetically skinny bitches. And I also exercise regularly. It's really not a difficult concept to understand. That explains the skinny bit. I'd rather not delve into the bitchiness aspect. Read more about gay men and eating disorders here . And here . If you suspect someone of being a friend of Mia or Ana, read this . Or this .

Nothing like coming into work in the morning and having three crank calls on your voicemail, the last one being "I want you to choke on my load." Happy Monday ... which despite being a Monday and the start of the long, slow slog through the workweek, it is becoming my favorite day of the week because I have pottery class. I *heart* pottery class. Anyway, my weekend ... Friday, I went to happy hour at Nellie's, the gay sports bar on U and 9th with Mike, Tomoko and SCGB. Of course, Mike decided to drive and, because of traffic and then picking up Tomoko and more traffic and finding parking, we didn't get to the bar until after 7. A quick mathematics lesson: low blood sugar + low blood alcohol level = very cranky Vuboq . But, the booze was good. The food was adequate. The company was great. The waiter was sucky. The tab was expensive. The waiter "neglected" to inform us that the vodka, which has been part of their happy hour since we started going to...

You think Earl Cootie is the only blogger who can wander into dangerous homo-hating land and snap a few photos of Fall foliage? Do you? Well, you are wrong! VUBOQ can too! Behold, the foliage along Virginia's Skyline Drive in the Shenandoah Valley: But, wait! That's not all, my pretties, VUBOQ does Earl Cootie one better . Here are the pictures of More Than Plain Old Foliage. Photos of foliage and VUBOQ. How could your lives get any better? Behold! Teh CUTE: VUBOQ's World. You are Just Living in It: *smooches* Update : Bonus photo of my pussy!!!

And so am I! OMG! Maybe I'm a WIZARD too! OK. I have nothing else to say about that, so here are some photos from the Solar Decathlon from last weekend. This house here is Cornell University's entry. AND, we all know who is the biggest Cornell Booster around . I took that photo just for you (OK, and you too). I didn't go into any of the houses. I didn't have the patience to wait in the lines. Cornell's house was kinda blah on the outside, but not the most hideous one there. And, here's the house from Montreal University (or University of Montreal or something). It looks very French, no? Yeah, I don't think so either. My big concern was about the plants growing on the side. Like, what if it didn't rain? Would you have to water your house? I mean, really, I can't keep houseplants alive. I don't think people should have to keep a house alive too. Fortunately, DUN's SCGB told me last night that the houses are not only watered by rain, but also...

As seen on my walk to work Friday morning.

If the job sounds really good and has lots of advancement potential, should VUBOQ consider revoking (or amending) the Mason-Dixon Line rule (see #17)?

I almost left my camera at home this morning, but at the last minute I shoved it into my bag. I was running a little late, so I almost took the bus to work ... except there was no bus in sight. I decided to walk. And, it's a good thing I did! Because, as I was walking past the athletic field near my house, there, on the sidewalk, crumpled up, looking sad and alone, was a single, black, sock. Photo will be posted tonight or tomorrow. Stay tuned. Meanwhile, last night was Super Fantastic Fun ! I strained the cranberries and apples out of the vodka. It's not overly flavorful, but I think it will add a nice *punch* to the punch. Then, I tried to make applesauce using those cranberries and apples (plus butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, and some water). Dismal. Failure. It's in my fridge and I'm trying to decide what I can do to rescue it. Then, I prepared the SuperSecret Suprise Infused Vodka ! So Excited! I hope it turns out yummy. Around 8, DUN came down for knitting and ...

Purchased: 2 fifths of vanilla vodka 1 fifth of dry vermouth BIG HONKIN' JUG o' gin It's Thursday night Martini and Vodka-Infusing Night!! *woot*

A little bit of this. A little bit of that. A pot. A pan. A stove. A cat.* Someone should've thought of this idea years ago. Onion. Mushroom. Polenta. And spinach. People who pass through this blog don't even know they've been here. A dash of salt. Grated gouda. What do we eat? Nothing much. Only Macaroni. Macaroni. Macaroni. Underdone? Overcooked? Macaroni. How else could Monday (er ... Wednesday) be so sweet? Macaroni, Macaroni. Comforting, al dente, Macaroni, The food I truly love to eat. Soon I'll be cooking food in a strange new way, Making a yummy meal each Monday (er ... Wednesday) With macaroni. I will cook with macaroni. Tumble-down, work-a-day macaroni. Dear little noodle, little dish of mine.** *No cats were harmed in the making of this Meat-Free Monday ... er ... Wednesday dish. **Like, OMG, total apologies to Jerry Bock and Sheldon Harnick . L'chaim

Yes, I just dropped nearly $75 on yarn today. Apparently, I *do* think money grows on trees ... or something. Very excited though, because it's enough yarn to make 3 scarves (and finish The Oscar Project ), including this one . It'll be my first attempt at illusion knitting and chart-reading. *woot* Wish me some lucks.

This is the view from the door. See the futon? You can't see the new mattress as it is covered with a sheet. And, yes, those are teddy bears. Mine is the one on the right (in the cute green shorts). His name is Buzzy. The one on the left is my brother's. His name (the bear, not my brother) is Buddy. They be old and well-loved. Perhaps, I should throw them in the garbage. This is with my back to the new bookshelf . Under the window is the antique (?) sewing machine I still don't know how to use. Look! More stuffed animals! I don't buy these. Really. They were gifts. And here's the new bookshelf (my back is to the sewing machine). Notice that the Shelf of Tacky Things from Around the World is now the Shelves of Tacky Things from Around the World.

... write this entry all in haiku, but it was just too hard. Sorry. Does anyone know the difference between non-rhyming poetry and prose? Because, seriously, when Garrison Keillor reads his poetry selection every morning at 6:34AM on NPR, I think, "Hm. Sounds to me like a story. Not a poem." Lessee ... my exciting evening consisted of: An RCN Salesman who wouldn't shut up ... until the Superfantastic Cuzin called. A long, fun call with the Superfantastic Cuzin. Fun chats with some online friends. Lots of bourbon and microwave popcorn (Dinner of Champions!). And the initiation of something that I will probably regret. My futon mattress should be delivered today. I have to call the delivery people to confirm the time this morning. Hopefully, the whole process will be quick and painless, but, somehow, I doubt it. My new rug arrived yesterday. I *heart* it. It looks cute and smells like pumpkin-innards. Once the mattress arrives, I'll take some photos of the nearly...

Even the sky this morning was celebrating our Canadian friend's Special Day . And, I'm sure he would have something deeply profound and poetic to say about it. All I could muster was, "Oooh. Pretty." I'm sure those of you who weren't fortunate enough to be walking to the metro station at 7AM this morning are now seething with jealousy. Seethe away, kittens, because, normally, I, too, would have missed such splendor, but, yesterday, was my After Pottery Slumber Party with Y. So, I had to be up before dawn to get to work on time. Last night, we cooked dinner - pasta and salad. I made a fairly decent sauce. Y threw together a salad, the making of which seemed a lot more complicated than it should have been. After dinner, I showered off the remaining bits of clay and went to bed. He joined me around 2. There was no sex. It's nice sleeping next to his warm body with his arm draped over me. But, enough about that. How 'bout a picture of the pottery I made l...

Happy Birthday, Cooper! *smooches* Now, go over to Cooper's Corridor and give him some birthday LURVE . Cooper-inspired post coming later today. ps. It's really hard to draw a maple leaf in MS Paint.

Pottery tonight! *woot* I will be trimming the base of the vase from last week ( see photo here ). Maybe we will start glazing things tonight? If not, I think I would like to make something tall. Perhaps a pitcher. Ha. Actually, I kind of want to make some simple, large coffee mug-like thingies. That would be fun. Does anyone (besides me) miss the Meat-free Monday posts?

All the pictures I took yesterday are on my laptop. I will upload some photos either tonight or tomorrow. So, here's a boring, text-only update: Friday. I stayed home. And cleaned and unpacked some boxes. And made my spare room look sort of put-together. The rug and futon mattress should be arriving sometime this week. The desk is on back order and won't be here until the end of the month. Hopefully, everything will be set up and I can have the BIG UNVEILING on October 26th at my BYOP Pumpkin Carving Party (speaking of which, if any of my fun and wonderful readers are in the area and would like to come -It is the Party EVENT of the SEASON- please send an email to environy[at]gmail[dot]com , and I will forward you the evite). Yeah. My Friday night was thrilling. Saturday was even more so ... I picked chili peppers and cut off dead chrysanthemum blossoms in the morning. Then, I received a spur-of-the-moment brunch invitation. Brunch was lovely. That afternoon, the Ra...

Yeah. OK. I now understand the Ravelry* love about which other knitters had blogged. Must. pull. self. away. and go enjoy this beautiful Autumn day. I've packed up my troubles (and my cable scarf WIP and my camera and my phone) in my old kitbag and I'm heading into the District. Solar houses on the Mall! Art Museums! Dinner at Jaleo! Updates tomorrow, kittenes! *smooches* *P.S. Please be my Ravelry friend ... I'm lonely ...

For the very few of you who might care: You are #27841 on the list. 273 people are ahead of you in line. 15360 people are behind you in line. *w00t* Almost time to RAVEL ! 2:45 PM Update : I have RAVELLED! I'll be working on everything tonight, I suppose.

Al Gore, on whom I still have a big ol' boycrush even though his face is as wide as a glacier ( according to BOSSY ), and the UN's Intergovermental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) have won the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize . The Washington Post (I think I read it in the article linked above) raised the point that the Nobel Prize Committee is trending away from conflict resolution and towards people and organizations that promote and work to attain social stability. I would like to take it a step further and say that the Committee is not merely awarding the prize to those who promote social stability, but also to those who promote stability through environmentally sustainable/beneficial ways. The Nobel Prize Committee is turning over a new, greener leaf. Al Gore and, 2004 Laureate, Wangari Maathai 's green credentials are obvious. Al Gore has become the face of climate change, while Wangari Maathai founded the African Green Belt Movement . Perhaps, less obvious are the green contri...

Have you ever thought of a really funny idea for a post and then completely forgotten what you were going to write? Yeah, I haven't ever thought of a really funny post either. I did have an idea this morning that, for the life of me, I can't remember. Gah. So here are a few tasty tidbits to tide you over ... 1. I made very good food last night: I sauteed a huge clove of garlic (minced) and a small red bell pepper (diced). Then, I added some spinach and basil, picked fresh from the garden. Next, I tossed in the last of my feta (cubed). Once that all got heated through, I mixed in about 2 cups of rice and a couple of shakes of soy sauce. It was surprisingly good. Only later did I remember that I wanted to include a veggie bratwurst-like sausage thing that I have in my freezer. I will add that to the leftovers tonight, I suppose. 2. I'm thinking of participating in National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) this year. I tried it once before, but only managed to write about 3 p...

Put it together meself, I did! You must worship my mad furniture building skillz.

Sometimes, on my walk to and from work, I see articles of clothing -a shoe, a scarf, a pair of underwear- lying on the street, sidewalk, or in the grass. I find myself wondering how it got there ... especially the large pair of men's tighty-whities in the school athletic field parking lot. I always think I should take a photo, because who would believe me if I said I saw a complete scarf, hat, and glove set draped across some bushes? Yesterday, I actually had my camera with me (and the batteries weren't dead!). Thus, I can present to you the first photo of a series in the making, Cast Away Clothes [Feel free to suggest a more clever title]: ***We interrupt this post for a very important Public Service Announcement : Please make sure you turn your stove off before you leave your house. Thank you. Have a good afternoon. We now return to your regularly scheduled blog post already in progess ...*** ... and that's how I know it will never ever work. *smooches*

First, a few bits of bloggery business: - Steph , here's a link to the sort-of chili recipe i use. - Clio Bluestocking , I have a sneaking suspicion that you live in the area. If you're interested in coming to the 6th Annual BYOP Pumpkin Carving Party , send me an email ( environy[at]gmail[dot]com ) and I'll send you the evite. Now, on with the show ... I did laundry last night. Lots and lots of laundry. Prior to my parents' visit, I was looking for a sheet. I bought it in Japan to cover a crappy sofa I had in my tiny little apartment. The sheet was made in India (I think), it was red and blue and geometric design fun. Sometimes, in the summer, I would use it as a bedspread. The last time I used it was as a groundcover at Diagonally Upstairs' Neighbor's summer barbeque. I know I washed it after that use. I wonder if I left it in the community drying room and someone took it? Or did I give it away? I have no idea. I've searched my house and can't find it...

Here are some Before and After Photos of the spare room: Before Without and With Flash: After Without and With Flash: Look, Ma. I'm a Secon dary Triad : Finally, I bought a rug for the room. It was a spur of the moment purchase from Overstock.com (there were only 2 left). It was only $100, and shipping was $1. It had to be done. I like the color (at least the computer rendition of the color). It's a 5' x 8' Hand-woven Chindi Brown Leather rug. I hope I don't hate it. Photo:

This morning, I sent out the evite for my 6th Annual Bring Your Own Pumpkin (BYOP) Pumpkin Carving Party ! I left a few email addresses at home, so, if your invite hasn't arrived, that's probably why. I'm going to be making two (2!) infused vodkas for the occasion. And, I think I might make a big pot of veggie chili as well [Especially if I can get someone to volunteer to bring cornbread]. I've invited about 20 people. I hope my apartment won't collapse in on itself. That would be bad. I didn't do much of anything last night. So let's take another look at my Goals for September : How'd We Do Edition : 1. Start running [on a regular basis. in the morning. this will be difficult. I also need to buy new running shoes, so this isn't going to start until the new September budget goes into effect.] ACCOMPLISHED! (although I've sort of fallen off the Running Bandwagon. I need to remotivate myself) 2. Job Hunting [polish up the resume. devote a cer...