IMPEACH

Atlanta celebrates the onset of warm weather with a message to the lovers of summer and hand-cranked ice cream:

WE ARE ALL PEACHES, kittens.

Read the article here. (Courtesy Wonkette)

Headed. Zoo'ed. Did.

in which VUBOQ is a little sore

Dixie: Well... well... my co-pilot... lovely young boy but terrified, half out of his wits. You know, nervous. Terrified. I said to him, "This one's going to take a long... hard... pull." So I did! For two hours!
Eddie: Two hours alone with you? That boy deserves a purple heart.
Dixie: Well, it was purple, alright, but I don't think it was his heart!

[For the Boys (1991)]

VUBOQ hasn't blogged about teh sex in a long, long time.

And there is a very good reason for that: VUBOQ hasn't had teh sex for a very long time. (Well, not counting the oral-sex-only adventures with PAB.)

VUBOQ met CB online earlier this week. We chatted. He seemed like a good guy, funny, interesting, employed. We agreed to meet on Sunday. After hanging out with Robert and Steveandbobby in the afternoon, VUBOQ met CB in the Circle. We walked around and then had Chinese. Then, he asked if VUBOQ would like to come back to his "rat-hole."

Completely, out of character, VUBOQ agreed. [Cuz, y'know, VUBOQ is not really a slut. VUBOQ just plays one on His blog.] CB runs a small desktop publishing business on the side from his home. He showed VUBOQ some of the things he makes - cards, note pads, gift baskets, that sort of thing. Then, he made a Mother's Day card for VUBOQ to mail. [When is Mother's Day? This coming Sunday?]

CB's apartment is an efficiency, very little furniture ... so, no suprise we ended up on his bed, naked and rolling around. [OK, maybe that last bit was a surprise]. But, yeah, teh butt sex was very good. He is ... um ... huge. So, a great time was had by all.

When we finished, VUBOQ checked the time - 12:45. [Did VUBOQ fuck for like 4 hours? VUBOQ thinks He might have.] Metro closes around midnight. Staying over wouldn't have been a problem other than maybe VUBOQ being a little late for work. In the end (*heh*), CB drove VUBOQ home. (yay) VUBOQ got home around 2AM. CB called so that he wouldn't fall asleep on the drive back. And, VUBOQ fell asleep around 2:30.

Waking up this morning? Very. difficult. When VUBOQ stood up to turn off the alarm at 6:20, VUBOQ saw little flashing spots all over the place. Snooze. Snooze. Snooze. Finally, up at 6:41. Out the door at 7:45. Stopped by Chik-fil-a for a giganto cup of coffee and an egg and cheese biscuit (which they put chicken on. WHY?). And, at work, about to collapse, but having to motivate to finish ... ok, start ... VUBOQ's employee self-evaluation, which is due by noon. *urgh* How many ways can one say, "VUBOQ is SuperFantastic" without being repetitively redundant?

So, that's what happened ... sans most of the gory details. VUBOQ likes him, yet as with most men that VUBOQ has met recently, there is a minor quibble (besides that he lives in Virginia): There is no kissing. Vuboq likes the kissing. So, we will see.

Oh, and VUBOQ thinks this might be the same guy Mike went out with a couple of times a few months ago. DC. Small pond, yo.

Forever and a Day

Felting. Day One.

Two unfelted belts...

10 Minutes later ...

8000 Hours later ...The felting adventure continues tomorrow...

In other news, I am overhung. And, here're pictures of the artwork I bought in England and recently had framed:

Can you spot the pussy?

Sit on My Face and Tell Me That You Love Me*

Query: If one were to buy enough booze to fully stock a bar, what should one buy? Please leave your suggestions in the comments below. *love love smooch*

By the pricking of my thumbs, something wicked this way comes ...

As some of you may know, I am a stats whore. I use both statcounter and sitemeter, and I check them frequently throughout the day (and night). Last night, I had a bit of a shock ... someone from DC found my blog by googling my supersecret identity. This mystery person then proceeded to read every entry I wrote during the Hell Week that ended with my breakup with John. This mystery person also uses the same internet provider as John. Was it John? I don't know.

And the not-knowing has freaked me out a little.

*[For full comedic effect, sing the title of this post as Denyce Graves would]
[For full understanding of the title, you would have had to have been a counselor at NC Summer Ventures in Science and Mathematics at Appalachian State University in the Summer of 1992 ... or was it 1993?]

"would have had to have been" ... *whew* anybody know what verb tense that is?

Brr. It's Cold.

My evening was fairly uneventful. Mike called from San Antonio. My cousin called. I spoke with Robert. I drank wine. I ate leftover pasta salad. I drank more wine. I knitted. I chatted with a few friends.

Blah blah blah.

The combination of rain, thunder, and residual red wine fogginess made it very difficult to get out of bed this morning.

I have a concern pricking the back of my brain. I'm not sure if I want to share it here. I'll think about it.

This weekend will be relatively uneventful. Happy hour tonight. Tomorrow, I'm planning to stay home - cleaning, knitting, lots of blobbing around. No plans for Sunday yet either. It will all come together eventually though.

More interesting later. Promise.
*smooch*

Felting Math

Since Mush has kindly explained to me that one can felt wool stuff in the sink, I now have another question:

Do wool items felt at the same ratio?

For example ... the pattern I am making (felted military belts) says to knit 62" and the final felted product should measure 48".

So ... (and here is where Vuboq shows why -in some circles*- he is considered to be a MATHEMATICAL GENIUS), I have knitted a belt which measures, pre-felting, 54".

Thus, the final felted product would be ...

X/54 = 48/62

62X = 2592

X = 41.8"

Is that right?

Let's look at another example ... I have an incomplete belt which is currently measuring 33". I am out of yarn, so if I bind it off and felt it, I would need to find a friend with what inch waste?

X/33 = 48/62

62X = 1584

X = 25.5"

25.5" - 3" (for attaching the belt buckles) = 22.5"

Hm ... do I even know anyone that thin?

*some circles meaning groups of children, ages 3 or younger

Parsley, Sage, Rosemary, and Thyme

When I got home from work yesterday, I took an old aluminum pan and filled it with potting soil. I made about 16 holes and placed 2 or 3 chili pepper seeds in each one. I covered them with more soil, sprinkled them with water, and covered the pan with plastic wrap.

Voila! Instant mini-Greenhouse.

I placed the pan on a table under the window. Hopefully, in about a week, the seeds will sprout.

I am farmer. Hear me roar!

My sweet basil and parsley are also looking good. The few surviving sprigs of cilantro and dill are also hardy and strong.

I am wondering if I should transfer them to outside or leave them in my kitchen window sill - which, admittedly, would be more convenient for cooking.

This weekend, I will scatter the marigold seeds in the mulched area under my window in hopes that they will be growing by the time I plant tomatoes there next month.

Mmm... tomatoes. Very excited about having home-grown tomatoes.

In other news, I did laundry. I knitted. And, I watched Tsotsi, which was an absolutely amazing, beautiful film. Loved it.

I am supposed to go to a Johnnie Walker tasting tonight, but I think I am going to cancel. So tired. Not sleeping well. I want to go to bed now.

Plus, I have a big weekend ahead - planting marigolds, experimental felting in the kitchen sink, knitting, cleaning the bathroom, hanging pictures. I need to rest up.

*smooches*

VUBOQ Applies Pressure

The following people have received 5 Fun and Exciting Questions from Yours Truly:

Chelsea
Only Me [meme est finis]
Goblinbox [meme est finis]
Marve [meme est finis]
Cooper

So ... where are your answers? WHERE?

I'm supposed to be off having fun enjoying the sunshine, but I'm at WORK.
WHY AREN'T YOU ENTERTAINING ME?!?!?! WHY?!?!?!

Not that I'm needy or anything ...

Anyway, it's been a fun-filled day at the office. Not only have I referred as many callers as possible to their EPA regional offices (because I'm too cranky to answer their questions), but I have also scored my ALL-TIME High Score on 3D Pinball: 4, 285, 750. Eat that, Kittens.

Only an hour to go. And, I can go home. Sort laundry. Do the washing up. Plant chilies and marigolds. And have a nice relaxing glass bottle of wine.

Yay.

[PS. And extra special *smooches* to Mush, who answered my felting questions]

Coffee and Meds Have Kicked In

See? I'm happy. Damn it. I'm not upset about not being able to take the fucking day off. SEE?

HAPPY!

And, since I am in a better mood, here's a rundown of yesterday evening:

Haircut! I *heart* my stylist. I look even supercuter than usual.

Then, I met Robert at Dupont and we went to dinner at Luna Cafe.

1/2 Price Bottles of Wine!

Mmmm ... Bargain!

I also had the Fresh Mozzarella, Tomato and Basil sandwich on 7-grain bread. YUM.

Then, I went home and blobbed around the house. Chatted online with a friend. Stayed up way too late, because ... well ... I thought I was going to have the DAY OFF and maybe be able to TAKE A NAP. Dammit.

Happy. Happy thoughts.

I'm treating myself to Chipotle today for lunch. I deserve it!

Vuboq. Not. Happy.

So, I was supposed to have today off.

Well, come in for an hour. Go to my eye appointment. Then, take the rest of the day.

Except, one of my coworkers is "sick."
Mm-hm.

So, now, it's come in for an hour. Go to my eye appointment. Come back to work.it's reschedule the appointment for Tuesday and work the whole fucking fuckday. I'm not working Tuesday. So, the weather better be fucking fanfuckingtabulous.

Fuck. So not happy. I didn't bring my lunch.

I had all sorts of things to do at home ... like pick out my paint and start painting, planting marigolds and chili peppers, laundry, random anonymous sex ...

I think I'm going to be cranky today.
Stay tuned.

My Million Dollar Money Making Idea

You know what would be really cool and convenient?

Hair styling products with sunscreen.

Nothing like stepping into the shower and feeling instantaneous STINGING PAIN from the hot water pounding your sunburned bald spot.

Coming soon to stores near you:

My Gay Best Friend Super Hold Styling Creme with SPF15 and Monoxodil

You know you want some!

Meat-Free Monday: Productivity Edition

I was a busy busy beaver last night ...

Pictured to the left is my Meat-Free Monday pasta salad. I know, I make pasta salad all the time and it's nothing special. Whatever. Sue me. It even has the same stuff I always put in it: grape tomatoes, cucumber, olives, and feta. The dressing? The same as always: olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, salt, basil, pepper, and balsamic vinegar. The bread? What else, but Whole Foods' kalamata olive bread. The wine? 2005 Rojo Mojo Shiraz.

Perhaps, I am in a food rut.

No matter. It was yummy.

Plus, I made extra dressing and used it to marinate sliced roma tomatoes and cucumbers, which I will use for sandwiches for lunch the rest of this week.

And, I did all the dishes, except a few I dirtied later on in the evening.

And, I remembered to not put all the food waste in the trash, but take it out to the compost bins.

And, I finally answered GayProf's 5 Questions Meme (see previous entry).

And, I entered all my weekend expenses into my budget.

And, I'm living off instant cup noodles for the rest of the month. [Ha. I kid. I actually think I'll be ok this month.]

And, I cleaned off all of my ceiling fan blades. They were GROSS.

And, I even had time to watch a movie and knit.

SWEET.

My plans for today ... I need to pay bills (mortgage, co-op fee, phone bill). I need to work on my annual performance review (how to make "I do nothing all day long" sound like "maintaining superior performance levels"). And, after work, I'm heading into the District for an overdue haircut. *woot*

*smooches*

5 Little Questions Sitting on a Fence

Last week, I agreed to participate in GayProf's 5 Questions meme. He asked me 5 questions. I typed up 5 answers. Hated them. Erased them. Edited them. Deleted entire paragraphs.

GayProf asks the hard questions. Anyway, I'm still not happy with most of my answers; however, I'm pretty sure, if I don't post something soon, the Meme Gods will come down to smote me.

I really don't want to be smoted ... er ... smitten?

Here are my answers thus far. I am maintain the right to update and edit:

1. What are the events in your life that resulted in your concern forthe environment? Was this a sudden epiphany or part of a long process?

I typed up a long answer, which I hated. So, in a nutshell, it was a long process, wrapped up in my love for the biological sciences, growing up in the NC mountains, my college ecology course, and teaching students about ecological and environmental issues here and abroad.

2. A number of your entries focus on the foibles of dating. They also include an interesting cast of characters (Cheating Cheaters, PAB, and others). What do you hope for in an ideal relationship? Do you imagine wanting something long term? If so, how long? Monogamous? With one man or multiple? Living together? Do you want somebody who is your opposite or the same as you?

This is more than one question, Mister.

I would like to be in a long-term, monogamous relationship with one man. I don’t think polyamory is for me. I would eventually like to live with that man. As for who that man is … that’s more complicated. I want neither a VUBOQ-clone nor my polar opposite. I need someone who is intellectually curious. I want a man who will respect me for who I am, who will be honest with me, and who I can trust completely. And who is really good in bed. And out of bed. And if he can cook, that would be good too. And, although not necessary, independently wealthy wouldn’t hurt.

3. If your life was a sit-com, which song would play during the opening credits? Explain.

What do you mean “if?”

I think I deserve an original song; however, if I have to choose one already out there, right now, I’m leaning towards the Japanese song by The Boom, Tsuri ni Ikou [Let’s Go Fishing]. I love the line: Ame ga yandara, tsuri ni ikou [When the rain stops, let’s go fishing]. I’m not sure why. I’m going to upload the song when I get a chance, so maybe someone can translate it.

When I lived in Japan I would sing it in karaoke with my friend, Anne-Marie, singing the female part. That and some of my friends often use “fishing” in the Brokeback Mountain sense of the word.

4. Tell us a story from your childhood or adolescence where your sexual identity seems clear in retrospect, but wasn't at the time.

Ha. That’s like my entire childhood and adolescence. I’m having a difficult time putting my finger on a specific incident. I’ve been thinking about this all weekend. If something comes to mind, I will update later.

5. Why do you worship and/or adore GayProf?

I think I’ve answered this one before. I’ll have to dig around in my archives ... found it!

AND, there you have it! I believe as part of the meme if anyone wants me to ask them 5 questions, they have to leave a comment.

Dream Lover

On Friday night, I had a weird dream.

I dreamed about the Cheating Cheater who Cheated. He was teaching at a local college, and I met him one day after work. I had not seen him since we broke up. He was limping, because he had been wounded in Iraq. We went out to a bar, a straight bar and one in which he was a regular. And this is the weird part ... as we were sitting there on the bar stools, enjoying our drinks and chatting, he put his arm around me.

Back when we were dating, one of the little things about John that irked me was that he was not one for public displays of affection ... even in the "safe" context of a gay area of town or a gay bar, he was never demonstrative.

I guess I missed that.

Weekend Update: Not Everyone Loves Your Dogs Edition

*whew* What a weekend, Kittens! Vuboq is ex-hausted.

But, first, a note to dog-owners in Dupont Circle:

Not everyone loves your dogs. And, yes, I'm talking to you unattractive straight man with the two huge, poorly trained dogs which managed to chase everyone away from the prime shady location you and your rather cute girlfriend with the well-behaved dog -on his leash- chose to sit.

If you have to keep saying things like, "Zeus, come back" and "Zeus, bad dog," someone needs to put Zeus back on his lead. And, that someone isn't me. Me, I don't like Zeus and his friend sniffing all up in my stuff when I'm trying read, knit, and scope out hot shirtless mens.

I hate to break it to you, sweetie, but Dupont Circle is *not* a dog park. You need to keep your beasts on their leashes until they are trained to stay by your side. Because, and I think this bears repeating: Not. Everyone. Loves. Your. Dogs.

Thank you.

OK. Back to the Weekend Update.

Friday night out with Robert was fun. We went to Halo. Then, Alero. Then, swung by Fab Lounge. It was full of lesbians, so we left. I got home rather early which was nice, and I wasn't *too* hungover on Saturday morning.

Saturday, I decided to do some yard work. I cleaned out the little strip of land in front of my building - weeding, cutting back dead plants, raking away leaf litter. Then, a neighbor and I drove up to the hardware store to buy mulch. And, now there is Full Frontal Mulching. Life is good. And the yard looks 100 times better too (IMHO).

We finished around 2/2:30, and that's when I realized: Fuck. I've missed my opportunity to stalk Tim Gunn. Damn. I showered, ate some lunch, and head to the Circle to meet Robert. We blobbed around for a few hours and then ate dinner at Straits of Malaya on the roof deck. Very nice.

The word for Sunday was "OW." My hamstrings and lower back were (and still are) sore sore sore. I guess I haven't done much bending over and kneeling down recently. At least, in the "doing yardwork" context. So, like the clever person I am, I decided to rearrange my living room. It is coming together quite nicely, and i like how it looks. I need to tidy it up and do a little more cleaning tonight and it will be quite the liveable living room. Yay.

After rearranging most of the furniture, I called this guy I have been chatting with recently. We had talked about going rollerblading, but I was too sore/tired. I left a message, saying I might head to Dupont later and maybe we could meet up there. He text messaged back, so about an hour (or so) later, when I got to Dupont, I sent him a text message telling him I was there.

The response: "Who is this?"

Meanwhile, I had been dealing with the previously mentioned doggy disaster and I thought "Figure it out, Einstein" seemed a little harsh, so I didn't respond. I moved away from the dogs and waited for Robert. We hung out for a bit, then headed to Alero for margaritas, liquid cheese, and spinach enchiladas. YUM.

And, that was my weekend. In a nutshell. It was quite lovely.

In other news, don't forget today is Meat-Free Monday. Do your part for the environment by enjoying a meat-free meal today :-)

Also, on the environmental front, Scott-o-Rama is sponsoring a contest. Buy some CFL bulbs for your home and be entered in a chance to win fabulous prizes. Check it out on his website.

*smooches*

These Dreams

Mush made me do this:

Field of [Unrealized] Dreams

Yesterday, I agreed to participate in GayProf's little 5 Questions meme. I think this type of meme is particularly interesting not because my answers are so fascinating, but rather I like to see what people want to ask.

I'm still working on my answers. GayProf asks hard questions, but I hope to post them at some point this weekend. While working on one of his questions, I began to realize how my life has not turned out exactly how I had planned. Not that my life is bad (at least it's not horrible or anything), but my dreams have definitely taken a detour ... and it's usually been for financial reasons. I suppose it's about time to re-evaluate what exactly I want out of life ... where I want to be ... who I want to be ...

Self-reflection tends to get me down.

So in a typical avoidance reaction response, I stopped thinking/writing, opened up a bottle of wine [2005 Rojo Mojo Shiraz, a WaPo "Big Bottle that Won't Break Your Budget"], popped in a movie [The Unfabulous Social Life of Ethan Green, which was kind of sucky], and knitted.

Knitting. I think it could solve all the world's problems.

No real exciting plans this weekend, thus far. All the ki'ens, except Robert, are out of town. Tomoko is off on a business trip to NYC, Darryl is going to his parents' house, and Mike is flying out to Santa Fe/San Antonio. So, it will be a lonely happy hour tonight. Saturday, I think I'll clean and do some yardwork, maybe see a movie, and maybe stalk Tim Gunn. Sunday, I'm meeting pab.

Fun times. Fun times.
*smooch*

Hugs

Hug o' War

I will not play at tug o'war.
I'd rather play at hug o'war,
Where everyone hugs
Instead of tugs,
Where everyone giggles
And rolls on the rug,
Where everyone kisses,
And everyone grins,
And everyone cuddles,
And everyone wins.

--Shel Silverstein, Where the Sidewalk Ends

I could use a hug right about now ...

THANK YOU SASSY!!!

For my birthday, the wonderful Sassy gave me a gift certificate to Amazon.com with instructions to buy something frivolous. And so I have!



A new messenger bag! Spring Hibiscus! What's not to love?

Thank you so much, Sassy! *smooches*

Chances

In high school, I had a crush on the one of the bad boys, the leather jacket wearing, smoking in the boys' room, skipping class bad boy. Billy was rarely in school, but, when he was, everyone knew it. You couldn't miss the 12-inch mohawk coming down the hall. He was tall, dark-haired, with stunning eyes which were usually clouded over in some sort of narcotic haze. I admired him from afar. Same school, two different worlds.

Then, those worlds collided. The summer before our Senior year, Billy found God and cleaned up his life. The hot mohawk-sporting bad boy was gone. In his place, stood a typical Dockers-wearing Young Republican with a dream to become a minister. *shudder*

He was still attractive in a clean-cut way, but the crush was gone. We became more than acquaintances, but not quite friends.

Last night, I dreamed about him.

As I sat at my desk this morning, reading the WaPo articles about the events at VA Tech, I began to wonder if that's what triggered my dream. That summer, someone offered Billy a helping hand ... and he took it. And that made all the difference.

"You had a hundred billion chances and ways to have avoided today," said Cho Seung Hui.

Stalking Tim Gunn

If no one has anything better to do on Saturday and is up for a little Tim Gunn stalking:

He'll be making an "appearance" [not an "official signing"] at Lambda Rising "sometime between 11AM and 1PM on Saturday, April 21.

Then, at 3PM he'll be at Politics and Prose for a talk [and I assume an "official signing"].

Tim! Gunn! *woot*
Care to join me?

VUBOQ Contemplates $1300 of Eyewear

I had fun at My Eye Doctor, trying on all sorts of interesting frames, which I've narrowed down to three. I will probably end up buying two (which with insurance and discounts will be considerably less than $1300 ... hopefully).

Unfortunately, I could only find 2 of the styles on line. The unpictured glasses are Bellagio - they have a shiny silver half-frame, are very narrow, and are fairly unnoticeable. Conservative, classy, not memorable.

Here is Frame 1:

Etnia Kiev in Yellow/Brown. I actually look good in these. My concern is the wide side thingies.

Here is Frame 2:

Scott Harris in "Brown," even though they are RED. I look good in these too. This pair would be my "work" pair, as they are slightly more conservative than the Etnia. Unless I buy the Bellagio frames. Then, these would become my "fun" pair.

I need to call and make an appointment soon. And also consult again with how much my insurance will cover.

Any thoughts?

How to Get One MEEEEELLLION Hits

All you need is a little mention from the Inventor of the Blogosphere, and the readers will beat a path to your blog. At least for one day ...

Blog it, and they will come.

Either that or catch your boyfriend of over a year sleeping around on you and dump the Cheating Cheater who Cheated Cheatfully. People like to read about that too.

Meanwhile,

I ate vegetarian corndogs for dinner last night. And green beans! It's all Mr. Sticky Crows' fault. His blog post started a craving. GayProf said there were vegetarian corndogs, which reminded me that Robert had also mentioned that to me awhile ago. So, after asking Robert the brand, off I went to Whole Foods where I purchased:

Mmm. Corndogs.

Not much going on today. I am going to go by the eye doctor's this morning (or afternoon) to check out their selection of eyewear. I received a Buy 1 Get 1 Free coupon in the mail, so, if I can find two pair I like, I will make an appointment. I'm thinking of maybe pale yellow frames? Or dark green?

I also want to swing by the Borders to see if they have Tim Gunn's new book yet.

AND, once home, it is Laundry Day. *woot*

My life. It is filled with the fun and excitement.

Current Events Got You Down?

Tax Deadline?
Massacre?
Iraq?

Ben and Jerry's to the rescue:

You can thank me later.

Hell. Thank me now. Preferably with cash.

Things That Are Fluffy

Rather than type out the rant that's been floating around in my head and verbalizing my hope that our current President, doofus though he may be, will take this opportunity to rise above party and politics and powerful NRA lobbyists to pass some friggin' decent gun control legislation, I present to you a post inspired by Grover and the Everything in the Whole Wide World Museum:

Things that are fluffy ...

Bunnies

Kittens

Baby Penguins

Porn Stars

Oh, wait. That's fluffer.

Eh. Close enough.

*smooches* and *hugs*

and *extra special smooches of joy* to Scott-o-Rama and any people who wandered over here from there.

April is the Cruelest Month

It would seem that my building's management company was not expecting mid-April to be FUCKING FREEZING!

Exhibit A:

There is no heat in our office.

I am so tired of wearing sweaters.

I'm so tired of being cold.

I want to be HOT!

I mean, hotter than I already am of course.

Much Ado About Nothing

My hands are cold.
It is windy.
Thus far, I am no liking Spring 2007.

On the plus side, I am in possession of a piece of pie from the Upstairs Neighbor, and that makes me happy. It is rhubarb. At least, I think it is rhubarb, I didn't actually look at it before I put it in my refridgerator. Usually, I no like the rhubarb pie either. However, the Upstairs Neighbor, hallowed be her name, makes a kick-ass rockin' rhubarb pie.

In other news:

The pab is back on the scene, at least temporarily [meaning: Until I get my presents from China and grind his heart into the pavement with the delicate open toe of my patent leather stilettos].

I wonder if he has deluded himself into thinking that we are still dating. I mean, really, I haven't seen him since at least a week before my birthday. Yet, last night on the phone, he was talking about applying for jobs in California. And, then, I must assume jokingly, said, "So, you'd better start packing. Ha. Ha."

But, it sounded to me like one of those statements which people make "as a joke," when they are thinking, "Maybe it's an actual possibility." And the laugh is only there to cover up the deafening, uncomfortable silence.

We will be getting together at some point this week ...

Hm. What else?

It's Meat-Free Monday. Do your part for the environment by enjoying a delicious meat-free meal today! I will be having Meat-Free Monday: Leftovers Edition, so there won't be any photos.

Was It Something I Said?

The neighbor's birthday party was fun last night ... once I got there.

I left my apartment on time(ish). Txt'ed Robert to tell him I was on my way. I got to the metro station and realized I had 1) forgotten my wallet and 2) forgotten the address of the party. Oops.

I walked back home, and the rain started. Gah. Fortunately, I had my umbrella. Unfortunately, about a block from my house, there was a *snap* and the umbrella collapsed. Gah.

I found my wallet. Isabella had been using it as a cat toy. It was under the sofa. I took the bus to the station. I was only about 45 minutes late to meet Robert at Jandara in Woodley Park for yummy Thai food - crispy green beans, green curry, Singha. Yum.

After dinner, we walked a few blocks to the party. It was fun. The people were friendly. At one point, someone across the room said, "Excuses are like assholes."

I thought, "Everyone wants to fuck them?"
Only after a guy turned around to stare did I realize ... I must have said that outloud. Oops.

We left the party around 11. I called Darryl and Mike, but both of those ki'ens were headed home. Dang. So Robert and I parted ways - he to his apartment, I to the metro station.

I got home around midnight:30-ish, I think. Not tired, I logged on to gay.com. Had a nice conversation with this guy with whom I've chatted previously. The other thing I noticed - Sunday Date guy was online, until I logged in. Then, he disappeared. Same thing with John.

It could be chance. They were planning to log off when I logged in. Or did they see me and log off? Makes me wonder. What kind of impression am I giving? Do I seem like the kind of person who is going to accost someone in a chat room? Puh-leeze. I have better things to do with my time. More than likely, they happened to log off soon after I logged in. At least, that's what I like to think. Better than it being something I said/did.

Rainy Sunday Blues. I'm going to veg on the sofa all day, watching movies and knitting.

Could my life be anymore exciting?

*smooches*

mmm... greasy leftovers

*whew*

Last night was fun.
I met Robert at around 5PM and we went to Gazuza on Connecticut Avenue. Happy Specials: $6 Apple Martinis and $4 sushi rolls. I think I had 3 martinis. *oof* Darryl joined us about an hour later. And, then, Tomoko arrived at a little after 7. Unfortunately, happy hour ended at 7, so we closed out our bill and wandered over to Cobalt.

Half price cocktails! *woot*
I had two Absolut Ruby Red and cranberry highballs.

After that, we walked up to Straits of Malaya for dinner. I had the nasi goreng (fried rice). And two Tiger beers.

Then, Darryl had to go to another party. Robert walked home, and Tomoko and I went to the Metro station. I think I got home around 12:30? I stayed up goofing around online. Mike called around 1:30, saying he was going to Apex. I decided not to join ... and crashed soon after.

This morning. Not pleasant. Overhung. Fortunately, lots of coffee and lots of leftover greasy nasi goreng are helping! YAY!

Tonight, I am going to the neighbor's party. Robert said he'd come with me, and Upstairs Neighbor and Her Cute Boyfriend will be there, too. Should be fun. I have no idea what to take as a gift. I'm thinking a nice bottle of likker. You can't go wrong with a nice bottle of likker, right?

We're going to try to meet up with Darryl and Mike after we leave the party. Maybe go to the Bachelor's Mill in SE. Or somewhere else different from my regular haunts.

Sunday will be all about rest and recovery, and I may meet up with pab to hear about his recent trip to China. Fun times, kittens, fun times.

Speaking of kittens, since Bala Wala Shi asked, Isabella is fine. I haven't taken any photos recently because my camera's batteries died. *sigh* And, no, I'm not thinking about getting a puppy. Dogs are too much work.

*smooches*

Puppies, Kittens!

Last night, I went over to Mike's house to watch Episode 1 of America's Cutest Puppies. And, they. were. CUTE. OMG. The show was only 30 minutes. It was a lot of fun. I would recommend it as a fun Saturday evening diversion (It's on at 9PM on WE). I even think it would spawn a few fun drinking games, as well.

The funniest thing is the response I got when I tried to get my friends to watch the show. Most looked at me with revulsion. Seriously, I practically had to beat Mike up to get him to TiVo the show.

I don't get it. Something wrong with being cute? Something wrong with admitting you like to look at cute things? Is it, perhaps, that a show about cute puppies somehow threatens your masculinity? Which is kind of funny, since the majority of the friends I told are big flaming homos ...

Oh, well. I made Mike watch the show with me last night, and he enjoyed it. AND, our favorite puppy WON! Yay! However, they haven't posted the winning pup on the website ... kinda sucky. He's a cutie though.

As a thank you to Mike for letting me watch his TeeVee, I cooked dinner - vegetarian chili. Whole Foods didn't have the Boca crumbles I sometimes use, so I bought this other stuff. I can't remember the brand, but let's just say it hasn't quite agreed with me.

Remember Oscar's noxious doggie farts?

Worse.

Or is that TMI?

At least the chili was good :-)

Finally, here's a link a neighbor sent me yesterday: The Daily Puppy!

DeFunkify

I am ready for Spring. Where is it?

I have a sneaking suspicion that this is going to be one of those years for which DC is famous: It's cold. It's cold. It's cold. We have 3 days of nice weather. And, then, it's 100 degrees for 3 months. *ugh*

Granted, I'd much rather be hot (I am!) than cold. Still ... some relatively mild, sunny weather would be nice too.

I think the crap weather is affecting my mood. So my goal this weekend is to defunkify. I need to make plans. I tried to make a date with one guy, but, although he seems interested in meeting, he never seems interested in actually setting a time/day/place. So weird.

Making plans is iin my nature. I hate not having something to do over the weekend. I hate waiting around for spur-of-the-moment activities, because sometimes they never *spur* and I'm stuck at home alone. Other people can be as spontaneous as they want, I want to have things written on my calendar.

I like having something to look forward to :-)
Don't other people?

Anyway, I need to get on the stick and work on my weekend plans. So far, I'll be happy houring tonight (more than likely). Tomorrow, I've been invited to a neighbor's 30th birthday party. I'm still waivering about going, because I will not know anyone there (except the neighbor and his wife). Unless some other neighbors show. I need to check the evite to see who's responded.

I will probably end up going, if only as an opportunity to meet new people.

More later. *smooches*

The Door

Vuboq wanted to write about Rejection Avoidance Response Reactions and the Path of Least Resistance; however, his brain is no longer switch to thinky. Sorry.

Instead, I will treat you to an excerpt from the story I'm working on. It takes place about midway through.

Enjoy. Or don't. See if I care.

August was almost over. Since Pride, my romantic adventures had been few and far between. Come to think of it, since Pride, my romantic adventures had been hovering somewhere between zero and zilch.
“You are practically Victorian,” Will said to me one night at the bar.
“I prefer that to your Clintonian standards,” I replied. Nothing interesting ever happened behind my green baize door.

A Little Help Here ...

As some of you may know, I dabble in short story writing. I am working on an almost final revision of the second story I wrote for my class this past term.

I have this vague memory of reading or hearing a quote many, many years ago, which I thought was attributed to Virginia Woolf; however, I can not find any reference to it. I've asked a few friends, who are more literary than I, and searched Google to no avail. The quote is along the lines of: "Who knows what goes on behind the green velvet curtains?" and is, I think, pertaining to the idea that Victorians were complete prudes in public, but their private lives remained secretive and, possibly even, scandalous.

If anyone has any idea what I'm talking about, please please please please please let me know either by commenting below or emailing. I will be most appreciative. I may even knit you something.

Other than that, last night, I emailed The Date last a -hopefully- more mature version of the Grade School "I Like You. Do You Like Me? Check One" note. He has not responded, even though I did see him briefly online. I will take that as a "no" and move on. The nice thing about only having one date is that one isn't overly invested in the whole process. This, of course, is going to segue into a post for later concerning yesterday's #5: Dislike of rejection and how it influences people's life path.

I also did laundry. Clean sheets! Clean towels! *woot*

Tomorrow. Tomorrow. The Someone Better Will Come Along Tomorrow.

It's always a day away.

The people have spoken. Or at least some of them. So here's my exposition on:

#4 Big city life and the creation of the societal expectation of "Someone Better Will Come Along Tomorrow"

A few months ago, I sucked it up and stuck my toe back into the Dating Pool.

Dating is hard. It should be fun, but I'm too busy thinking things like "stop babbling" and "make eye contact" and "ask questions" and "be interested" to truly enjoy a first date. I hit my stride (I think) with the second date. However, since I started dating again, I've only had one second date out of 4 [or was it 5?] dates.

I didn't date a lot until I moved to DC, so I do not have a strong frame of reference. However, I wonder if Big City Culture has created a society in which people are never quite satisfied with what they have, because something new (and possibly better) may be right around the corner: Men are like buses. There's always another one coming.*

Bala Wala Shi provided a link to an interesting NYT article, Romantic Revulsion in the New Century: Flaw-O-Matic 2.0, the premise being that we find fault, no matter how tiny, with our dates. GayProf also touched on this with his inspired Deal Breaker post.

My general thinking is that the root cause of the Flaw-o-Matic and the Deal Breaker are the same: Someone better will come along. Men are passing up on Practically Perfect in Every Way People because Mr. Perfect in Every Way is moving here soon!

Small towns don't have that problem (as much). They don't have a constant influx of people moving there. They don't foster the same quest for Someone Better. Quoth my cuzin: "That’s why you should move to a smaller town. Like Ann Arbor. It’s more laid back and friendly and it’s easy to meet people. Plus, everyone knows there are a limited number of fish in this pond and if you find a good one, you shouldn’t throw it back."

Not that I'm moving to the Frozen Tundra anytime soon. Nor do I want to appear like I am shifting my lack of [second] dates on everyone else.**

What I am doing is learning from my experiences, becoming more comfortable with myself, and -hopefully- someone better will come along. But, if not, I'll be OK.***

*Unless you miss the last S2/S4 to Silver Spring, then another one *is* coming ... but not for another 6 hours or so.

**Even though I am. I'm fantastic! Everyone should want me!

***Just don't get me started on the whole Job-Hunting/A Better Resume Will Get Here Tomorrow culture

Bo(red)

Here are a few topics that have been floating around Vuboq's brain the past few hours:

1. Evolution of Species as illustrated through the Tale of Happy Bunny Land
2. Salman Rushdie's Haroun and the Sea of Stories
3. Job-hunting/ Teaching
4. Big city life and the creation of the societal expectation of "Someone Better Will Come Along Tomorrow"
5. Dislike of rejection and how it influences people's life paths

Vuboq would be willing to expand on any of these topics if Vuboq's minions express a particular interest in the comments section.

Otherwise, Vuboq will be forced to write about topics as exciting as "My Trip to the Bookstore" and "I Bought a New Shirt" and "Bo(red)."

My Brain is Fuzzy

Normally, at some point during the night, I wake up, take a drink of water, and fall back asleep. Last night, I was having very intense dreams, which I don't really remember. I popped awake, reached for my water, and ... my alarm went off.

How could it already be 6:21?

How?

And, no, my alarm is not set for 6:21. It's set for 6:20. But, my clock must be wrong, because the NPR guy is always saying "It's 6:21" when the alarm goes off.

I also thought of a funny story to blog about, but couldn't remember it ... until this very moment. Of course, now I'm trying to remember what inspired it.

Cool! I just remembered that too: COMPOST.

My co-op has a compost bin, and I was thinking that I need to buy a little sealed container to put all my compostable rubbish in, because last week I threw out some rotten and/or sprouting potatoes, but did not put them in the compost bin, because I thought they would grow, rather than decompose.

No, that's not the funny story.

The year was 1977. My family lived in the far away land of Murphy, NC. One winter, a friend of the family gave my mom some frozen fruits and vegetables from her garden. The only problem? These fruits and vegetables were not labelled.

My mom decided to use some of the frozen apples to make one of our favorite desserts: Baked Apple Crisp. After dinner, she brought the dessert out of the oven and spooned servings onto our plate. She sat down and we all took a bite of the yummy cinnamony crispy concoction.

Except ... BLEAH! ... Those weren't frozen apples.

They were potatoes.

Moral of the Story: If you are going to give away your frozen fruits and vegetables, please make sure you label them. Otherwise, people might make their favorite dessert: Baked Potato Crisp.

A Phew Phun Photos

Here are some pics from Saturday's Easter "BBQ" at Mike's, in which we ate pizza.
And drank too much.

KITTENS!

Look. I'm shy!
Look. We're a little intoximacated.

This one's for you, Mush!

*sigh* Good times. Good times.

*smooches*

If It's Even Possible

As I walked to work this morning, J-Pop blaring from my iShuffle, I thought, "I feel extra-cute today."

I'm not sure why. I'm not wearing new clothes. I didn't bother doing anything special with my hair. The weather is all gray and dreary. Nevertheless, it's a Cute Day.

And you know how we love those :-)
It's all about the attitude, kittens. I hope you are feeling extra-cute today, too!
Because you are.
*smooch*

I made ice last night. And, as some of you may recall, sometimes my ice cubes form these weird ice spikes. It happened again last night. In one tray, two cubes have over an inch long frozen spikes sprouting from them. I haven't figured out how to take a decent picture of the phenomenon, but will work on it this evening. Stay tuned!

Meat-Free Monday Report:
I made a simple Chinese stir-fry like thing with assorted mushrooms, green squash, and tofu in a soy /Chinese chili and garlic paste sauce like thing. Served with rice. It was yummy. It will be yummier today after the tofu has had a chance to absorb all the spicy chili goodness.

Here's the photo:


In other news, there has been no email reply. *sigh*

Yawny McYawnypants

Some might argue that the proper title of this entry should be Yawny McYawnerson; however, in a rather intense debate with the cuzin-in-law, Collin, he made it very clear that -well, at the time we were discussing Sweety McSweeterson of the Sweetyville Sweeties ... um ... where was I?

Oh. Right.

He made it very clear that Yawny McYawnerson (or at the time, Sweety McSweeterson) would be like saying Yawny Son of the Son of Yawner (or Sweety Son of the Son of Sweeter), which is a repetitive redundancy and, thus, annoying to his classically trained ear.

Therefore, the title of this post shall remain Yawny McYawnypants.

My day thus far has been busier than I expected, but still not busy enough to provide the entertainment I crave. Thus, I have begun analyzing my date from last night. [Did you know I had a date last night?] I will not share with you all of my insecurities, because no one wants to read that crap [I'm fairly certain no one wants to read this crap either ... that's not stopping me from posting it].

I think it can best be summarized thusly:

I sent an email at 8:16AM. WHY HASN'T HE RESPONDED?

It is obviously because I ordered gen mai cha instead of oolong.

Date Report - Expanded Edition

Before I left for my date, I called Mike. During the course of our conversation, and in what I assume was meant to be a pre-date confidence boost, he said that I should remember to make eye contact and not speak to the date's chin the whole time. "What if I tell him he has a really cute chin and that's why I can't take my eyes off of it?" I asked.

"That might work," he replied.

I arrived at Dupont Circle much earlier than expected, so I called the Date to tell him that I would wait for him at the bookstore rather than stand in the freezing cold for 20 minutes. He arrived on time.

He's very good looking. Tall. Amazing brown eyes. Beautiful smile. Nice hands. Very cute chin.

We walked to Teaism for drinks and sat and chatted for about an hour. Then, we decided to walk around, but after about 10 minutes decided it was way too cold. We ended up going to Luna Cafe for a quick bite for dinner.

Then, he had to go to yoga and I went home. We hugged good-bye.

I had a good time. I felt the conversation was interesting. He is a nice guy.

Now comes the Waiting Game. Will there be a second date? I hate this part. I emailed him this morning. We'll see what comes next ...

And this gives me the perfect opportunity to reflect on why I am a bad first date ...

1. I have difficulty making eye contact ... especially when I find the person attractive. Shyness, perhaps? Lack of confidence? Amazement that someone good-looking would actually go out with me? Who knows? I try to work on it, but after awhile, I begin feeling uncomfortable and I go back to talking to chins.

2. When I'm nervous, I babble. Which can make it seem I'm not interested in learning about the other person. I tell all sorts of stories about my life. I think they are entertaining. Not so sure about what the date thinks.

3. When I'm not babbling, my brain shuts down. I want to ask all sorts of questions to learn about the date. During the hours leading up to the date, I think of fun questions to ask to get conversation going. Yet, by the time the date starts, I have forgotten them. Durf.

So, there you have it. My date. Fun times.

In other news, don't forget it's Meat-Free Monday! Do your part for the environment by enjoying a meat-free meal today! Mmm. Tofu!

Report

The date. It was good.
I'm glad I took Bossy's advice. It is cold outside.
More tomorrow after I've processed.
*smooches*

Happy Easter!

To those of you who are of the Christian variety ...
To the rest of you, happy Sunday :-)

Last night at Mike's was fun. There will be photos posted at some point. Of us on the sofa, of course.

My date is tonight at 5. We're meeting at Dupont and then doing ... something. Coffee perhaps. I'm sure we'll figure it out. I'm looking forward to it. I can't decide what to wear though. *gah*

Look for a full report tomorrow.

*smooches*

Happy Crucifixion Day, Part II!

A fun activity for those of you who are stuck at work, like me:

Happy Crucifixion Day!

How does one properly celebrate the day in which teh Jews killed Our One True Lord and Saviour, the Lamb of God?

I figure one should go to happy hour and get hammered ...

... And maybe nailed.

*ha*

The kittens will be gathering at Halo, with Special Guest Star, Eric from Baltimore. *woot*

Much booze and fun will be had by all.

In other news ...

Last night, I had an *oops* moment. I emailed Sunday Date Guy, but forgot to erase my signature line, which includes a link to this blog. Gah. I like to keep the blog a bit of secret from the guys I date. I guess, if things progress past one date, I will have to ask him to not read it. Otherwise, where will I dish about him? We still haven't made plans for the date. However, I am confident it will happen.

After cooking dinner - pasta, I had a glass or two of wine and watched Bride and Prejudice, which, if you haven't seen, I highly recommend. Fun fun fun. Music. Dancing. Singing. How can one not love a Bollywood version of Pride and Prejudice?

The Cuzin Shares Her Wisdom

In an email to my most fantastic cuzin, I was bemoaning the fact that I have very few friends who like the gin. In fact, I can count my friends who like the gin on one finger.

The cuzin responded to my plaintive wail thusly,

"Listen – the less people who like the gin = more gin for you."

Suddenly, the clouds, they parted. The birds, they sang. The snow flurries, they stopped flurrying.

More. Gin. For. Me. *woot*

And, so I share with you, my non-gin drinking kittens, the recipe for a drink from Casino Royale:

3 parts gin
1 part vodka
1/2 part [or 1 part] lillet
Shake over ice.
Strain.
Garnish with a twist.

Artistic

Two nights ago, when I was chatting with Sunday Date Guy, he asked, "What do you do? You have an artistic flair."

I laughed ...

And flashed back to my freshman year of high school, when I learned a new vocabulary word during the rehearsals for our high school production of Hello, Dolly! And, before you ask, no, I wasn't Dolly Levi. I was in the pit orchestra. *woot*

Anyway, Dolly, played by the senior, Scarlet Morgan, who, in the early 90s rose to fame as Miss North Carolina, had a line describing Ernestina Money to Horace which is something like "She's very artistic."

Every time Dolly said that line the director and orchestra conductor would laugh. "You need to enunciate more clearly, Scarlett," the director would call out. "It sounds like you are saying 'She's very autistic.'"

Everyone would laugh, except the young 14-year-old Vuboq, who, in the days before Dustin Hoffman made autism a household word in Rain Man, had no idea what the director was talking about.

Until, of course, he got home and looked up the word in his parents' broken-spined and scraggeldy-paged Merriam-Webster Dictionary (pub circa 1960).

And that is the story of how Vuboq learned the meaning of autistic.

You're welcome.

Meanwhile, Arts & Crafts Night at Upstairs Neighbor's apartment was fun. Lots of wine was drunk. Lots of cheese and chocolate and olives were consumed. Lots of fun conversation was had. Very little crafts were made. I managed to knit about 15 rows. Yay.

And, now, a little multiple choice question:

One of the following is not dead:

a. Sweet Marjoram
b. Britney Spears' Career
c. John, the Cheating Cheater who Cheated Cheatfully

If you chose "c," you are correct.
Or, at least, I think you are correct.

Last night, I checked his gay.com profile. On everyone's profile you can see the last time they logged into their account. I have been checking his profile once a week or so, because I am doubting if he will email me to let me know he is still alive and back from Iraq.

Until last night, his last log in date was "November 25, 2006." Last night, his last log in date was "today," which indicates to me, that he is not dead.

Which makes me very relieved.

Self-Portrait

Vuboq is wishing everyone would stop talking for the rest of the work day. The very sound of your annoying voices is grating on my last frazzled nerve. "But, we have to answer the phones for the hotline," you say. Vuboq responds, "Can't you do that silently?"

Puppy Pandemic!

As some of you may remember, I was the loving gay uncle to John's dog, Oscar, who we picked out at the Washington Animal Rescue League. Somehow, I ended up on their email list and ocassionally get requests for donations.

If I have some spare pennies, I try to give. I mean, really, they provided a safe, loving space for Oscar, the Demondog Puppy from Hell. They can use all the help they can get.

This morning, they sent a request:

I’m writing you today with a real sense of urgency. There’s a disease outbreak plaguing dogs on the Eastern Seaboard, and our Medical Center has found itself right on the front lines of the battle.

The disease is called parvovirus. It’s truly frightening, especially for puppies, for whom the disease is always fatal without treatment. Since the beginning of the year, every single litter of puppies we have taken in has been suffering from parvovirus.

The good news is that, so far, we have managed to keep ahead of the disease. But we barely managed this, and it is taking a huge toll on our staff.The problem is that all puppies suffering with parvovirus need to be on continual IV medications. But we have only two IV pumps. That means that most of the parvo dogs — not to mention our other surgery patients, cats and dogs with renal failure, and animals in our hospital on pain medication — need to be on manual drips. At one point, we had 11 puppies with parvo, two surgery patients, and a dog who had been shot and needed pain meds. And that’s around the clock.

To make matters even more critical, the expansion of our shelter and Medical Center has greatly increased the number of animals who need veterinary care. We are still committed to treating sick and injured animals, such as dogs with parvovirus. At most shelters, parvovirus is an automatic death sentence. Our ShARE partners, however, contact WARL for puppies with the disease knowing that we have a 100% save rate. But this has become much more labor-intensive since the expansion.We cannot keep this up. Already we have to shuttle the two pumps back and forth between animals who need them. I fear that we may start losing animals – and that is absolutely unacceptable.

Dr. Gary Weitzman, our Medical Director, has asked me if I can find money in the budget for five additional IV pumps. They cost $1,380 each, so the total amount we need to raise is $6,900. I realize that is a lot of money, but I also know that, when precious lives are at stake, WARL’s friends always come through for the animals.

If you have a couple of dollars, take some time and donate to your local animal shelter. Or, donate to WARL by using this convenient form [You can select "IV Pumps," if you want].

I thank you. Oscar thanks you. Isabella thanks you. And all the puppies on America's Cutest Puppy thank you.

*smooches*

Set Your TiVos, Kittens ...

... for PUPPIES!

I could just die. And, yes, I will be watching. Mike is hosting a bbq that night. I'm making everyone watch it. FUN! Someone needs to come up with a drinking game.

A few bits and bobs:

-Upstairs Neighbor returned my corkscrew. Yummy wine was drunk! *woot*
-Tonight is Laundry Night AND Upstairs Neighbor is hosting a little knitting/arts and crafts night.
- It would seem I have a date on Sunday.
- It's not with the Resurrected Lamb of God.
- Did I spell "resurrect" correctly?
- The thunderstorms woke me up at 3:29AM.
- I had a very weird dream in which Pesky Mac and Goblinbox complimented my knitting.
- I do have to admit: It was a lovely scarf.

Hm. More later.
*smooches*

Baby Needs a New Pair of Shoes ...

... and a free tote!

Shopping excursion at DSW. Done. New shoes. Purchased. Kenneth Cole. Row Boat. Like those pictured, but brown.

Free Tote in the Process. Hurrah for DSW Member Rewards!

Guess what mom is getting for her birthday?

Lessons Learned

Here is a valuable lesson, learned recently by yours truly:

If you do not water your plants, they will die.

Unless, of course, they are cacti. But, I think, they will still die if you neglect them for a long, long time.

Tiny little Chia Herb Gardens do not need a long, long time of neglect. They only require 3 days to expire -specifically March 18-20.

And, watering the tiny little Chia Herb Garden a lot when you return from your fantastic birthday holiday in Ann Arbor will not cause them to miraculously revive.

Facts of life, kittens. Birth. Death. It's all there. On my window sill. Still.

Actually, the sweet basil is mostly ok. And I have one or two surviving sprigs of dill and cilantro.

However, let's have a moment of silence for sweet Sweet Marjoram. Dry, crispy sweet marjoram. *sigh*

Something less heavy later on.
*smooches*

Meat-Free Monday: For Want of a Screw Edition

Happy Meat-Free Monday!

For today's experimental concoction, while a cup of basmati rice was cooking, I quickly fried a spoonful of Thai red curry paste in some vegetable oil. Then, I added one thinly sliced shallot. After letting that cook for a quick minute, I splashed in some soy sauce and a bit of water. And added four sliced portabello mushroom caps.

After that had all cooked, I added a green squash which I had sliced very very thinly using my vegetable peeler.

I let all that cook/steam for a bit, while I searched for my corkscrew.

That's when I remembered that I had left my corkscrew in my Upstairs Neighbor's apartment after her birthday party.

I have a lovely bottle of riesling, sitting in my fridge. Unopened. *sigh*

It would have been perfect, because *cough* the food was spi.cy. *hwha*
Next time, I will measure the Thai red curry paste a bit more carefully.

The final result:


Mmm. Ice cream later on tonight. *woot*

*meat-free smooches*

Visual DNA

via Scott-o-Rama:

Read my VisualDNA™ Get your own VisualDNA™

It's Amazing I Turned Out As Well As I Did

which, come to think of it, isn't really saying much ...

Date: April 1, 2007
Place: My apartment
Time: 12:30PM

The phone rings.

Vuboq: Hello?
Vuboq's Mother: Hi! Your father and I are about 30 minutes away. What have you fixed for lunch?
Vuboq: Filet mignon wrapped in bacon. I've given up being vegetarian.
Vuboq's Mother: ...
Vuboq: ...
Vuboq's Mother: I guess you know what day it is then?
Vuboq: Yes.

Weekend Update: Cough Hack Edition

Morning, Kittens.

So, let's run down the excitement of the weekend:
I caught a cold and spent the entire weekend indoors, napping, knitting, and surfing the web. *woot*

I am blaming the boss [No, not Bruce Springsteen, *my* boss]. He was sick on Thursday and out on Friday. It is all his fault. I hates him.

Needless to say, the potential date on Saturday did not happen. We chatted on Sunday morning. The reason he did not return my call was that my phone message was garbled and staticky. Stupid cell phones. Why do they always crap out at the last moment?

It's probably a good thing, though. I needed to stay in.

So, Saturday night, I watched In the Mood for Love, which I thought was amazingly beautiful. Tony Leung is super HOT. *rowr* And, can I just say I totally*heart*ed Maggie Cheung's 1960s dresses. They inspired an idea for once I get my sewing machine and learn how to use it! I'm so excited. And, I know it will be the Next Big Thing. *heh*

Sunday, I did nothing but nap and knit. I finished my wavy scarf and started on a long overdue present for someone [who reads this blog and I want to keep it a surprise]. Hopefully, I will finish that in the next two weeks.

pab leaves for China today, so I called him last night to wish him safe travels. I'm nice. What can I say? If he brings me back a crap souvenir, it's definitely over. Even more over that it already is!

No plans for today. It is Meat-Free Monday, so do your part for the environment by enjoying a delicious Meat-Free Meal! I haven't decided what I'm going to make yet. Perhaps something with squash ...

*smooches*

Taking a Ride on the Shortbus

This evening I watched, Shortbus, a movie which was highly recommended by a few friends. Unfortunately, if you strip away the sex, I found it to be formulaic and predictable. The final few scenes were so highly telegraphed that I wasn't surprised. And, I definitely wasn't impressed.

I can see how this movie could have resonated with some people (Mike), but I don't think I can really go into that without giving away a large part of the film. How do film critics do that?

The acting was fine. The actors, especially "James," were good [and hot]. But, still ... I was left thinking, if it weren't for the sex, no one would have even noticed this film. Pretty blah.

If a film has to rely on sex scenes to be impressionable, it might as well try not to aim any higher than porn.