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

Guess who has 4 tickets to see Barry Manilow on February 9th? That's right! ME! Not that they're great seats or anything (I think they are approximately 1.5 miles from the stage) , but they were only $20 each (after fees and taxes) . Still, how many opportunities does one get to see Barry Manilow in concert? I mean, he's, like, 100 years old. I need to find a couple more people who want to go. Tomokito is willing. I haven't asked Y yet. SCGB doesn't like Barry Manilow (* gasp *) . I think my secret love for SCGB died a little (but just a little) when I found out. If I can't find any friends who are interested, I guess I'll have to sell the extra tickets on the Black Market ... or I'll open it up to local blogreaders. *smooches*

And, so, it seems, does the Neighbors Will Hear . He got all the correct answers on the photo quiz yesterday. Congratulations! For the rest of you, here are the answers: 1. Pier 1, 2. Whole Foods (mmm. cheese) , 3. Whole Foods, 4. Borders (although "outhouse" was a good guess Clio Bluestocking ) , 5. Pier 1, and 6. DSW. Now, wasn't that fun? I was chatting with this guy last night, and he suggested that the Rudy Giuliani Countdown to Victory *giggle* calendar is a Collector's Item and that I should run back out there to buy it. What say you, Loyal Blogreaders? Perhaps I could make it a prize in my next Blog Contest? My evening was quite exciting. I surfed the web, watched a movie, and then went up to Tomokito's for margaritas ... which Across the Hall from DUN made. They were ... strong. Such boozy goodness. Mmmm. We watched two hours of PR4 reruns, ate chips and salsa, and drank. YUM. Tonight, I have a lot of paperworky things to do - pay a few bills, enter data ...

4 Stores! 6 Photos! All taken within hip, happenin' downtown Silver Spring. Can you guess which photos were taken where? Have fun! And, yes, the Rudy Giuliani Countdown to Victory Calendar (only $4) completely cracked me up.

VUBOQ is going on a Cell Phone Camera Photo Taking Adventure in 30 minutes. Same VUBOQtime. Same VUBOQspace. Same VUBOQchannel.

It has finally happened. That seasonal misery known as January has seeped into my bones. I thought I could fight it by keeping myself active and entertained. Yet, January emerges victorious with less than a week to go. If only I could go to bed to hibernate until March (the Best Month of the Year). Alas ... In slightly more exciting news, I'm doing laundry tonight. And I think we're gathering at Tomokito's for margaritas. I need to knit more so I can finish the scarf I've been working on for eons. I want to start a project for me this weekend. I also want to make a pair of mittens or two (well, at least start the mittens). We'll see ... AND, I need to step up my job hunting. I hate job hunting.

The soup was all right. Board meeting went well enough. I feel uninspired. *smooches*

This morning, waking up in the not-quite-heated-through apartment and walking to work in the dreary-misty-grayish rain made VUBOQ yearn for the soup, perhaps some sort of curried soup. Thanks to the wonders of epicurious . I have found exactly what I was craving: Curried Potato, Spinach and Garbanzo Bean Soup . YUM. I ventured forth unto the Whole Foods and have purchased every single ingredient I need. Do you know what this means? Can you feel the excitement? The sense of History? Yes, kittens, VUBOQ will, for the first time in ... eons, be following a recipe with no substitutions . I KNOW!!!! Once you have regained your composure, pulled yourself back into your chair, or ... um ... been given smelling salts, please continue on with your bright and cheery day. PS. To my brother/brother's friends, who might stumble across this blog by putting my flickr ID into a search engine (like, i dunno, earthlink ?), welcome ! Word to the wise though, you may want to skip over the parts about ...

As of about 5PM yesterday, we had heat AND hot water. VUBOQ is happier than a pig in mud ... because he knows he can shower afterwards. What? No, that wasn't some sort of crude sexual reference, and you are all Super Pervy Monkeys for thinking so. In other news, I'm going to be putting up some sort of Linky Luv List of people who will be attending the Global Blogger Meet-Up (March 15-18ish). If you are coming (and you know you want to), drop me a comment and/or email so that I can include you on the list. No pressure. I guess that's about it for now. More later, I'm sure ... *smooches* [If you missed it, there's a link to the Surprise Party Pix in the previous entry]

Hard to tell us apart, innit? Update 1: Here are the other photos from the party: Flickr set or slideshow ! Update 2: We have HEAT and HOT WATER!!! w00t!!!

When I got home from work on Friday, I stopped by the boiler room to see how things were going. The heating guys had some good news: One boiler was up and running, which meant heat, but no hot water for the weekend. YAY. Unfortunately, a few hours later, I received a call from another Board member. "I hope you have a stiff drink in your hand," she said. "Of course, I do," I replied. "Don't be ridiculous. What's up?" "There's a foot of sewage back in the boiler room, and the working boiler has stopped." When WSSC started replacing the broken pipe, they used a smaller pipe to bypass the work area. Unfortunately, the smaller pipe could not convey all the waste and it backed up into the boiler room again. *durf* So, after moving Isabella into DUN's apartment (because they have an electric heater), I high-tailed it out of there. I called Y to come pick me up (this was around 9:45PM), so I could have a hot shower at his apartme...

So why did I volunteer to be on the Board? Here's the story: Last night, around 11ish, Tomoko and I smelled something burning. We checked her kitchen. Nothing. Then, I felt her radiators. They were coolish to the touch. "That's weird," I thought. I went down to my apartment to see if anything was wrong there. My radiators were also coolish. Then, Tomoko called to see if I had any hot water. Nope. So, I thought I would check the boiler room beneath my building to see if maybe a circuit breaker had tripped or something. The picture in the previous post was what I saw. And, kittens, that isn't just plain old water. It's sewage. There was poo . And used condom s. I immediately called the other Board Members and we swung into action ... calling every emergency number we had on hand. I turned off the boiler emergency switch (because that seemed like the thing to do, since the boilers were mostly submerged in sewer water). The rest of the timeline invol...

This is what we've been dealing with since about 11PM last night.

Dear Teachers: While I appreciate the fact that you are not only trying to instill a sense of environmental awareness into your young charges, but also teaching them how to write and present an intelligent argument, I wish you would do a little research before providing them with a general address to the Environmental Protection Agency Headquarters in Washington, DC. Why is that? For one thing, the people who work in the EPA mailroom are duuuuuuuuumb ... and lazy. Rather than read your students' letters to determine where they should go, they will send them to me. It doesn't matter if you're writing about water pollution or air quality or dumptrucks from Canada unloading garbage in the state of Michigan (up to 350 per day! Dumptrucks, not letters). We are the catch-all, and I'm tired of catching it all. So, here's a brief tutorial of the EPA website: 1. Go to http://www.epa.gov/ 2. Select your issue (in this example, we'll use "wastes"): 3. Look for ...

My very special after work time started as it normally does. I came home, changed into my pajamas, spent a few minutes doing some light cleaning, and checked my email. Then, since it was laundry day, I sorted my dirty clothes (by color not smell!). I rewarded myself with a negroni (garnished with a slice of blood orange! I *heart* blood oranges), because it is bitter and because it is my heart . My cable-possessing neighbor was at Manolo's annual sale in NYC, so we were unable to watch Project Runway . Instead, I had invited a few neighbors over to chill, drink wine, and knit (and maybe eat popcorn!). At 6:30ish, I trudged over to the laundry room to start a load or two. When I returned thirty minutes later to throw everything into the dryers, the laundry room was dark. *click* *click* *click* I flipped the light switches. Nothing. *click* I flipped them again. Still nothing. Something must be wrong. I propped open the door and checked the washing machine. It was full ...

Update to follow in a minute ... He called around 5:30, and I said he could come over for dinner around 7. He called at 7:15 to say he would be there in 10 minutes. I was on the phone with Mike. "He said he's had a big revelation while in Puerto Rico. I'm hoping we're on the same page and that he has realized we're only using each other as place-holders until someone better comes along." A little after 8, my door buzzer rang. I opened the door and there he was ... with a rose. "I thought there was a flower shop in your neighborhood," he said, as he gave me a kiss. No one's every brought me flower before. "I did a lot of thinking," he said, standing in the kitchen while I stirred the soup. "You're like a boomerang. I keep throwing you away, but you keep coming back." "Um. It's more the other way around I think," I interjected. "Well, I know I have trouble saying this, but ... (pause)(deep breath)...

... If You Want to Date Me (long-term like) 1. When I am angry/upset about something (that is not you), I do not want your advice (no matter how lovingly given). I want sympathetic murmurings until I calm down (usually in 1 to 5 days). After that time (and only after that time) is it OK to offer advice.* 2. When I am angry/upset about something (that is you), I do not want you to defend yourself. I want you to apologize with little or no fuss until I calm down (usually in 7 to 12 days). After that time (and only after that time) is it ok to explain your weird rationale and why, even though you are still wrong, you think you are right. 3. After the first time I invite you to my home, you are no longer a guest. Please do not sit around expecting me to wait on you. You know where the friggin' water is. Get your own glass. And, while we're at it, helping out (like, y'know, cleaning up after yourself or making the bed) is also acceptable, if not highly desirable.** 4....

My office. It has no heat. Here is a dramatic representation of VUBOQ: I'm really quite underwhelmed about life right now. VUBOQ needs a new attitude. And a new job. Does anyone want to hire VUBOQ? Apparently not. VUBOQ bought a plane ticket today (because he is *rolling* in money and is not at all concerned about credit card debt) to go to his brother's surprise birthday party (shh. it's a surprise) this weekend. Fortunately, the parental units will be partially subsidizing the cost of the ticket. *whew* Y wants to get together tonight to talk. He's been in Puerto Rico on holiday. While there, he had time to think. Hm. Wonder what he wants? Should be interesting ... I think I'm going to make soup tonight. Total Randomness brought to you by ... Cheap Office Management Company, the letter K(brr), and the number 12 (degrees).

Happy MLK Day, Kittens! Although it is sunny and blue-skied here in the DC/Metro Area, it is also FORKIN' FREEZING. I don't think I will be venturing forth into the Great Outdoors today ... unless someone can convince me ... or bribe me with booze ... or a delicious combination of the two. Come to think of it, I haven't ventured out of doors much at all this weekend. It's been cold. And the Metro is seriously forked - 30 minute delays on the Red Line because of trackwork at Metro Center. So, Friday, instead of meeting Ray and Joey at teh GayBarz, I played Scrabble and Boggle and drank wine with SCGB. I was also in a bit of a funk for two (three) reasons, which I can't really remember but were very important at the time. Saturday ... hm ... what did I do on Saturday? When one stays inside doing the same things, all the days tend to blend together. Oh! I remember! I dug through the pile of things that needed to be filed (since 2005!) and either filed them or ...

So, it's time to snap a few photos and have a little vote. Which pic should be VUBOQ's new profile photo? One: EEK! Crazy Eyes! Crazy Eyes! Two: I'm eating healthy (note orange peels in the trash) and O!M!G! I need to get my ass to the salon. Three: Note the Blogger Dashboard and current profile pic in background. Four: Who is that mysterious man in black? Five: So bored. So dying. Vote early. Vote often. Leave comments.

I know, I know. I hate reading blog posts about people's dreams, too ... So, if you don't want to read about my dream last night, click away , click away ... I was in a non-descript town with non-descript people on a tour of a rather odd museum. It reminded me of a military museum, because the displays were recreations of various battles, made with tiny plastic army men. There was one odd display of a prison scene, in which the prisoners were represented by thumbs. Slowly, I realized they were the severed thumbs of the actual prisoners. *shudder* As I was leaving the museum, these shiny white structures, most were rectangular cubes, but some were cylinders, began appearing on the streets. As crowds of people gathered around the structures, the tour bus driver and I, sensing something very bad was about to happen, boarded the bus and backed slowly out of the city. The driver dropped me outside of my building and as I walked down the street, columns of Storm Trooper-like a...

Behold! It is Friday. So Sayeth the VUBOQ. Thanks be to VUBOQ. And, as is my custom, I shall give you a brief rundown of my weekend plans: Yep. Nothing. I have no plans. Yet. Fortunately, I shall be making plans today and, hopefully, my three-day holiday weekend will not be an expansive desert of dullness. I am already toying with the idea of a party on Sunday night ... I will probably be spending some time organizing the spare room, especially my filing. I need to find a paper shredder. I have lots and lots of things to shred. I wonder if I should buy one? And, since I took a few sick days off from my Cleanliness is Next to VUBOQliness Cleaning Regimen, I will be playing Cleaning Catch-Up. Fun ... Shopping would be nice too. If I had any spare moneys. Which I don't. So, I guess I will spend lots of time on the sofa with my kitty and my knitting. ANYWAY, the Mulled Wine and Movie Party last night was a bit of a bust. First, SCGB called to say he wasn't feeling wel...

Neither snow nor sleet nor slippery sidewalk nor ice nor slush nor ... um ... cold and near-deathly illness, shall keep the VUBOQ from his appointed rounds: I have invited the neighbors down (and over) for Mulled Wine and Movies tonight. It should be fun since I've never mulled wine. I mean, I've mulled over wine ... red or white? sweet or dry? cabernet or merlot? But, I've never actually mulled the wine. This should be fun. I scoured the intertubez for an interesting recipe and have combined one or two or fifty-seven into my own: 1/2 cup brown sugar 1 orange , sliced 5-6 cloves 3-4 cinnamon sticks a couple dashes of Angostura bitters 1 Honking Huge Bottle of Cheap Ass Merlot I'll let you know if it's gross or not.

The End of Scrabulous ?!?!?!? I may have to take the next few days off work to play as much as I can! Although I am not fully recovered from my deathly illness, thank you so much for your concern about my well-being. All the thousands Both of the comments wishing me a speedy recovery certainly helped! I spent most of yesterday in bed, eating, drinking fluids, and playing Scrabulous (with people who took way too long to move. It's like they were actually working or something. What up with that?). Then, I somehow managed to crawl upstairs to watch Project Runway at Tomoko's. Fun times were had by all. And, I actually agreed with the judging for once. How odd. No big plans for tonight other than catching up on my cleaning. We're not even out of the first month of the year and I'm already slacking on my 30-minute cleaning regimen. Can I blame the sickness? Can I? Please? I figure this weekend, I can catch up and become reinvigorated! Yay! Update : Yikes! I forgot the so...

'Cept I really have the ague. Last night, I did not do my 30 minutes of cleaning. Instead, I took a nap. Mmm. Nap. Then, I made a variation of Mel's Chickpea Soup: It was delicious. The only problem was I accidentally bought whole tomatoes instead of diced tomatoes, but ... whatever. Recipe to come later, maybe. Then, I went to our Co-op Stakeholder's Annual Meeting, which was a complete cockup. On the plus side, DUN and I were elected to the board. On the minus side, downstairs neighbor who annoys us was also elected to the board. Gah. The big minus was the discussion about the budget. It's too high. The increase is too much. The numbers are all wrong. They approved charging an annual parking fee as well as increasing the summertime A/C fee. Then, they whined about canceling the janitorial service. People won't help out. Blah blah blah. Negativity abounded. You can't have it both ways, folks. When the tally for the votes were counted, the budget with the bigges...

Only Me took me to task in the comments earlier for not talking up the great Global Blogger Meet-Up ... So, I've roused myself off of my deathbed** to make sure as many of you as possible descend upon the DC Metro Area like a plague of locusts and partake of the joy that is Vutopia. The dates are something like March 15 - 18, with a Very Special Episode on March 17th, cleverly titled, VUBOQ Turns 38 .*** Think of the fun times you'll have! You'll get to meet DUN (maybe, unless she has to go on a work trip), SCGB, Tomokito , Across the Way Neighbor, Across the Hall from DUN Neighbor, and other characters friends****! Meet fun bloggers, like Only Me and ... um ... MANY MANY MORE!!! There will be trips to museums! And bars! And monuments! And bars! And ... um ... bars!***** There will be a Chili and Vodka party with Special Vegetarian Chili and Infused Vodkas! GAMES! FUN! PRIZES! What more do you need? Come by plane, boat, train, and/or car! Stay one day or twelve (but no...

Ugh. Bugh. Fugh. I can only breathe out of my right nostril. My head hurts. My eyes are watering. Whine Whine Whine Bitch Bitch Moan I hope I have some durgs at home. I'm heading there for my lunch break in about 45 minutes.

Last night, I didn't make a variation on Mel's chickpea soup. Instead, I ate takeout Chinese leftover from lunch. Yum. Once I got home, I did my 30 minutes of cleaning (swept and vaccuumed the living/dining area, tidied up some papers, and dusted/polished the TV cabinet). Then, my friend, Christal called. We haven't talked since Xmas, so it was good to catch up. I played a kick-ass word in my Scrabulous game with SCGB and surged into the lead. Yay! Tomoko stopped by on her way home from work to drop off her proxy form. Our stakeholders annual meeting is tonight, and she (probably) won't make it in time to vote. We'll be voting on our new budget (which *may* become contentious) and electing a new Board of Directors. I am expecting to be elected to the Board ... we'll see ... There are two slots becoming available this year, so I'm hoping that DUN will also be elected to the Board. Later, SCGB and DUN came down for a chat und drink. That was fun. I a...

When a young man's fancy turns to his tax refund. I've been busy spending my tax refund ... or, to be more honest, thinking about how I'm going to spend my tax refund. Hopefully, it will be substantial-ish. I can't remember how much I got last year ... not as much as I was expecting. But, still, any refund is more than I used to get. I'm thinking I will take half of my refund and put it into my PAX World Fund Balanced Roth IRA. I'm also thinking of maybe opening up some sort of investment account somewhere. Something easy. Something basic. Something that will make my money grow like Magic Sea Monkeys! Anything leftover, I will sink into the house. New vinyl floor for the kitchen? Superduper closet organization system 3000? We shall see, kittens. We shall see. In the meantime, can anyone tell me why, after several months, the pair of shoes I'm wearing are killing my feet (still), even though they are the exact same brand/size/style/color of my (fo...

Because a co-worker's birthday was yesterday, my boss bought Chinese take-out for all of us. I chose Szechuan Fried Tofu with Vegetables. It's greasy delicious fun! I may have to eat all of it! My fortune was crap though: You display the wonderful traits of charm and courtesy. Whatever, boring fortune cookie fortune writer needs a new job.

Wah wah wah waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah ... So. My weekend. Hm. Where to begin? I guess with Friday evening? I was feeling a bit under the weather, so, rather than go out on the town, I ended up in my apartment having drinks and watching DVDs with Tomoko. Then, Y called and wanted to come over. Although I wasn't exactly feeling it, he needed to hang out with friendly faces. See ... what happened was this: He had a meeting with his advisors, and they told him (and I'm paraphrasing here) that there was no chance in hell that they were ever going to award him a PhD. This came as a bit of a shock since, in May, they admitted him to candidacy and he had been getting improved results with his experiments. Apparently, they had been giving him (nearly) impossible tasks with (nearly) impossible deadlines in the hopes that he would give up/fail. He didn't. Thus, the advisors had to come straight out and tell him. They've offered to award him a Master's degree (gee, thanks). And Y see...

Step One : Empty contents of the Linen Closet of My Discontent onto my bed and dresser [dresser not pictured]: GAH! DISASTER! Step Two : Convince Psychokitty Isabella to not set up residence in the newly emptied Linen Closet of My Discontent. "But it's so comfortable," she protested. Step Three : Neatly arrange cleaning products and personal care products on bottom shelf. Neatly fold towels on second shelf and sheet sets on third shelf. Randomly shove comforter and mattress pads on top shelf (not pictured). Voila! It is done!

And the morning starts as it should Isabella watches the birds On the way to lunch, we pass a sweater My one true love My other true love Refrigerator I never should have gone to Harvard SCGB gives his cheesiest grin Bring out the cake Happy Birthday to You Shy neighbor Blurry DUN Happy 12 of 12 everyone!

If today were moving any slower, time would be flowing backwards [a la Superman: The Movie when he starts flying around the Earth really fast in the opposite direction of its rotational spin to make time move backwards and thus save the life of the already dead Lois Lane (Margot Kidder, Best Lois Lane EVER. Discuss!] Would that really work? I mean, wouldn't the inertia caused by the Earth suddenly spinning backwards cause all sorts of havoc? And even if the Earth survived that, would time start moving backwards simply because the rotation switched directions? What does Stephen Hawking have to say about this? Allrightythen, that was a hell of sidetrack. Um. I'm bored. So I started counting the number of languages in which I could count to three. It's not very many: English (duh) Bahasar Indonesian French Japanese Latin Mandarin Chinese Spanish I can also say "Where is the bathroom" in Tagalog (or is it Cebuano? I can't remember). Not that I'll ever be abl...

VUBOQ is feeling a bit draggy/under the weather today, so here's a rather uninspired post: 1. Java asked, "Are you right handed or left handed?" VUBOQ is left-handed, as are my father and brother, which explains why we are all so handsome and clever. 2. I'm Steph asked, "Are those veggie chips?" They are Whole Foods 365 Brand Garlic Ranch Potato Chips, and they are totally YUM. 3. The Neighbors Will Hear asked, "No prom pics of you?" VUBOQ went to two high school proms. He went to his Junior prom (and looked very dashing - and very young - in his white dinner jacket with matching blue bowtie and cumberbund). VUBOQ skipped his Senior prom (and heard from friends that it was total crap). Then, VUBOQ's good friend couldn't find a date for her Senior prom, so he -being the ubergentleman he is- missed several fun parties at his college and took his friend to the prom. He wore tails that year. Very hot. There are pictures ... somewhere. ...

I went home for lunch today. While I was making my sandwich (vegan tunafish with spinach), I heard an odd crying noise. I looked out my peephole, but didn't see anything. I opened the door to see what was happening .... and in walks THIS: [Please ignore my icky slippers. kthx.] Isabella was FREAKING OUT! I quickly locked her in the bedroom while I figured out what to do. I called a few neighbors. No one was home. Eventually DUN called back, we talked. She offered her apartment to house the lost kitty. I went upstairs, protected DUN's belongings, set up a makeshift litterbox, put out some food and water, and made much use of DUN's handy phone list. No one seems to be home ... maybe the old Asian couple who live on the ground floor (but they eat cats , right*?). They don't speak English very well (if at all), and I didn't feel like miming "Is this gray tabby cat I found in the hallway yours?" SO ... I moved the cat into DUN's apartment. She looks...

During the judging ... What VUBOQ heard: Michael Kors : Ricky, that dress would look good with your ass . Ricky (laughing): I know, right? What everyone else heard: MK : Ricky, that dress would look good with your hat . R (laughing): I know, right? VUBOQ's version? Much. Better.

from the results of Project Runway last night... Beware, le spoilers (highlight to read): I mean, gah!, Victorya (hate her) winning? Sweet P was robbed ! Robbed, I tell you. Kevin auf'ed? NO! So very very sad. I shall miss his fanciful metrosexual sculpted facial hair and his constant affirmations of straightness. Although, hello?, did you see his high school prom picture? Anyway, I must move on. On the bright side, watching PR4 with my wonderful neighbors, Tomokito, DUN, SCGB, and Neighbor Who Lives Across the Hall from DUN was a blast. We had cheese! and crackers! and white bean dip! and chips! and wine! Fun times! And I went home to dream about felted belts which need buckles. Perhaps that will be one of my weekend projects (besides organizing 3 closets and straightening the spare room and putting all the Xmas stuff back into storage). I think this 30 minute daily cleaning routine (with time off on Fridays for good behavior) is really going to work. Keep your well-...

Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner of Champions! *belch*

I think SCGB just spanked me in Scrabulous. I must run home during my lunch break (in 14 minutes) to check. Speaking of Scrabulous, I am so totally addicted ... Right now, I have three games going. With really smart people. They are making me think. It makes my head hurt, but I guess it's good for me. The supersucky thing is that I can't play at work (stupid Evil Firewall of Doom). I can only play first thing in the morning, at night, and if I can sneak away during lunch (in 11 minutes). It's not fair. It's just not fair.

Actually, it's brown, but whatever ... When I got home last night, I began Day Two of Operation Cleanliness is Next to Vuboqliness . Day two is the kitchen. I *hates* my kitchen. It is gross. Even when it's clean, it still looks dirty. I basically top-cleaned everything, swept, mopped up some small spots, scrubbed the sink, and took out the recycling and compost bins. Then, I had a glass of wine. Yay wine! Today will be laundry and bedroom. Fun times. After relaxing for a bit checking email, playing Scrabulous, and chatting with friends, I made a simple tomato sauce using the ground quorn. I took a picture, but forgot to upload it. Sorry. I made the sauce a little too quorny. It was more like a very quorn chili on top of pasta. The taste was fine (did it even have a taste?). The texture was good too. The final verdict will be passed (*heh* "passed") later on today. Sometimes, with other meat-substitutes (like Boca Crumbles), I experience unpleasant side effects the fo...

It would seem I have a certain proclivity for damaging my left thumb. ow We now return you to your regularly scheduled blog reading.

I'm back from a fun-filled shopping excursion at Whole Paycheck Foods. I thought that tonight I would make a boring pasta dish, because I remembered that yesterday I saw their 365 Brand Pasta Sauces were on sale - $1.99. Bar.Gain. But, then, I noticed that a big ol' can of 365 Brand Diced Tomatoes is cheaper than 365 Brand Pasta Sauce at $1.19. Look at me saving $0.80! Such a power shopper. And, since I have onion and spices at home, I can make my own crappy pasta sauce. W00T. I also picked up a little bucket of mushrooms. Then, as I wandered aimlessly down the frozen food aisle, I saw that Quorn was on sale. I've never had Quorn, so I thought I'd give it a try in my crappy pasta sauce. Edible fungus! Mycoprotein ! Fun! Suddenly, boring pasta dish has become a Gen-U-Ine Eating Adventure.

The product of overzealous furniture polishing: See... what happened was, like, this weekend, I was, like, polishing my dresser, and like, wow, like, I totally jammed my thumb on one of the dresser drawer corners. Teh ow. Totally.

That's the last time I stay up until after midnight drinking wine, playing Scrabulous, and chatting with people on a school night. *oog* There was big excitement in little Sligo Creek Park last night. Around 11PM (or so) the Montgomery County Police pulled a minivan over right in front of our building. Apparently, it was a slow crime night in Silver Spring, because, at one point, there were 5 police cars involved. The three people in the van were ordered out of the van and made to sit on the curb while one police officer searched it. Eventually, the officers let two of the "suspects" leave in the minivan. The third young man was driven away in the police car. Very exciting. I had to go up to a neighbor's apartment for a better view. We were in our pjs peering through her blinds with my binoculars. Too funny, I'm sure. In other thrilling news, because the weather was so nice yesterday (low 60s?), I went for a run of about 20 minutes. My best guesstimate ...

And then it's Go Home Time. That makes me very happy. There is some sort of amateur model shoot going on on the parking deck roof across from my office. If I listen really hard, I can hear the photographer saying "pouty! pouty! now, strut, my kitten, strut!" I went to Whole Foods, and I bought coffee, soymilk, spinach, and spicy olives (for my Woo Hoo! I cleaned my living/dining area for 30 minutes martini)! I'm going running after work, because it's like 65 degrees right now. Winteriffic! *smooches*

One of the new people on another hotline in my office, consistently says, "Let me transfer you to the National Lead Center," even though he has been told by his supervisor many times that it is the National Lead Information Center. Drives me batty. And he doesn't even work with me. Maybe I'm just hormonal. Of course, his supervisor is the person who calls the forward slash (/) in web addresses a "backslash" (\). (^-^)/~~ I think I'm teetering on the edge of a Career/Life crisis. To prevent anything rash from happening (i.e. throwing my computer out the window and running out of the office), I am not thinking about it. Best not to dwell. However, I need to jumpstart my job hunt. Either that or land a handsome, wealthy SugarDaddy who can support me and my pottery-making/knitting/bad short story writing ways. If you know anyone who fits that description, please let me know. I'd be willing to put out. Srsly. I can has sugardaddee.

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"Have you spoken with him since you are no longer seeing Y," Steveandbobby asked. "No," I replied. "I have better things to do with my time." "And the claws come out," Steveandbobby said, making little cat scratching motions. I changed the subject. The past few nights I've had some disturbing dreams. Dreams in which I'm being vivisected. I watch the knife make an upward slice, starting at my navel and ending at my chest, working its way towards the classic y shape of a human autopsy. My skin is spread apart and my guts, red and glistening under the light, pulse and throb. Then, I startle awake to stare into the darkness for awhile. "What could it mean," I asked a friend in Canada. "Maybe it means you are anxious about being exposed to the core," she replied. Tonight, an idea hit me ... it's not about a fear of being exposed as much as a revelation that instead of sharing everything on my blog, like I promised...

A little weekend quiz. Can you name the city and country for each of these three photos? 1. 2. 3. Good luck! *smooches*

What kind of crop would it yield? From Carolyn Hax's chat on the WaPo: There was an article in The Post yesterday about cultivating empathy that had some really excellent suggestions. I was curious about something though. One of the exercises it mentioned was to help empathize with someone who you knew didn't like you. One of the aspects to this exercise suggested imagining that the reason this person didn't like you was completely correct and that you were in fact in the wrong -- and to do this without rationalizing your own perspective or making excuses. This sounds like a good exercise ... if only I could think of someone who didn't like me ... I mean, really, I'm so luvable. Anyway, my weekend is shaping up to be mostly uneventful with a few tidbits o' fun thrown in. Tonight, I'm headed over to Mike's house for happy hour/dinner/Project Runway watching. Then, tomorrow or Sunday, I'm meeting my imaginary friends, Steveandbobby, for lunch. For th...

Yesterday, when I got home from work, I mixed my martini and relaxed a bit on the couch. I started to feel a bit down. Not sure why. So, I picked up the book Only Me sent me for Xmas, Rule No. 5 : No Sex on the Bus (confessions of a tour leader) . It's very funny in an odd sort of way. I think if Only Me were a tour leader, this would be a book he could write as well :-) Then, I found out another blogger buddy was in Asheville, so I helped her find a decent (I hope) restaurant for dinner (by calling my parents and asking for some recommendations). Later, SCGB came down. We shared a bottle of wine and talked. It was nice. I'm very lucky to have the neighbors and friends that I have. By the end of the night, I wasn't feeling down any more ... which is a very good thing. More later. *smooches* OK. It's "later." I got an email from Scott-o-Rama last night saying that he was going to post the "Best of 2007" entries for everyone the cutest people on his...

... the chili was Delightful! BOSSY requested my chili recipe (which actually changes everytime I make it), so here's what I did this time: First, two points to consider: 1. Make sure you have lots of chili powder on hand, and 2. Make sure you have lots of Chef's Little Helper in hand. Essential Ingredients : Olive Oil Onion Garlic Chili Powder Salt und Pepper (Ah! Push it! Push it real good!) Jalapeno 2 Cans of Red and/or Black Beans 1 Can of Diced Tomatoes with Chilies Green Squash (aka Zucchini) Frozen Corn Mushrooms (I buy pre-sliced b/c I'm lazy like that.) Cheese (I also buy shredded cheese. See above.) Wine Essential Ingredients VUBOQ Forgot to Buy This Time Even Though They Were on His Grocery List : Garlic Jalapeno Instructions : 1. Open bottle of wine (do not start drinking yet. srsly). 2. Slice all veggies that need to be sliced. 3. Pour glass of wine. Commence drinking. 4. Heat a couple of splashes of olive oil in large pot. 5. Add garlic, if you ...

Last night was quite uneventful. I did laundry. I made chili. I knitted. I created a photo essay of me using one of my Christmas gifts, but forgot to upload the pictures, so you'll just have to wait. Instead, have I got a surprise for you! Guess what I'm wearing today??? Need a slightly better hint? That's right! It's the debut of the Never-Ending Sweater of Doom (finished sometime last Spring, but never worn -in public- until today!) Make me feel good. Tell me it's not crap. Oh, and the color is actually CRANBERRY , not the washed out brownyred in the photo. And, finally (for this post at least), a bad poem I wrote last night: A Weekend Memory Captured in Crappy Free Verse Drunk, We danced. His hand slithered down the front of my jeans. Wide-eyed, I started to speak. "He doesn't care," he said, Matter-of-fact. I turned to look at his partner, My ex, My friend, Chatting unaware across the bar. Another friend, Dancing rhythmless behind me Twisting Arms ...

Have you ever stumbled across a blog that you've thought was the most boring, insipid pile of dreck that you've ever read? Have you ever read that blog's archives in the hopes that it used to be better? Have you ever found yourself repeatedly visiting that blog in the hopes that it will (miraculously) get better? Have you suddenly thought, "Oh. Em. Gee. Someone could think that about *my* blog?" Have you ever come to your senses and realized that no one would ever think that about your most wonderfully fantastic and funny and insightful blog? Me too. Now, let me tell you about Laundry Day ...

Here's a pic of the current on-the-needles project: It's about half done. I hope to finish it by the end of this week. Then, I need to cast on another Harry Potter Scarf for another friend. Why do I have so many Harry Potter-loving friends? WHY? Hopefully, that one will be finished by February, because I want to start knitting some things for ME, namely the Dark Mark Illusion Scarf and the Saturday Afternoon Hoodie. AND, maybe, figure out what to make with the yarn I bought in North Carolina: I'm open to suggestions. I will probably make a scarf, I guess ... I wonder if I have enought to make this one: Chunky Braided Scarf Probably not.

Every. single. person. on my hotline called in sick today. Fuckers. Lessee ... one has a "family emergency" [mm.hm. I believe that about as much as I believe that he had a "headache" on Monday] ... another one is sick (sick of work? sick that her 2 week vacation ended?) ... another one has "leg problems" ... another one has transmission problems (but can come in at noon:30. oh joy). And, my boss? He also has car problems. Yeah. Thanks for leaving me here all by myself today. Bastards. It's not like I don't have things planned for the day (oh, I don't know, like, maybe getting a friggin' lunch break). I really don't need this crap. I think I may take a half-day on Friday now. In other news, I'm working on my New Year's Resolution of becoming More Like Martha. I'm developing a weekly 30 minute cleaning schedule. This week, my goal is to get my bedroom and closets sorted and organized. My 30-minute regimen will sta...

Or maybe it isn't. Whatever. One of us is a little overhung and doesn't really care ... My New Year's Eve Champagne Tasting was a total blast. 7 people came. We started with a delicious (if I do say so myself) Cranberry Champagne Punch, which I modified from a recipe I found on line. Here's how I made it (try it at home, kids!): 64 oz. cranberry juice 2 cans of ginger ale 1 pint raspberry sorbet 1 bag frozen raspberries 1/2 bag frozen cranberries 1 bottle dry champagne (I used Barefoot Bubbly Brut Chardonnay Champagne) Unfortunately, I forgot to take pictures, so you'll just have to imagine the good times which were had. I crawled into bed around 3AM ... *oog* Here's a list of the champagnes (and sparkling wines) we tasted: Sofia Blanc de Blanc (It comes in cans! Tres chic!) Finca La Linda Extra Brut Chardonnay (from Argentina. Too extra brut) Marwood Brut Sparkling Wine (from Italy. Sweet and fruity) Tenuta S. Anna Prosecco (also from Italy. Unanimously the gro...