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

Good Morning, Kittens. I'm heading up to New York City this morning. Hope to be Bus Blogging later. Stay tuned. Have a great day! *smooches*

Good (Way Too Early) Morning, Kittens! I'm off to the client site, my PermaHome Away from Home, today. On the plus side, it's not a 1.5 hour one-way commute like my trip to the Company HQ. On the minus side, more than likely I will have no internetz. Possibly for weeks. WtF? Anyway, this was my trip yesterday: It was *so* exciting. As I exited the metro station in the Very Far Away Franconia-Springfield, I stopped to check a map ... and a FORKING RACCOON jumped out of the trashcan right beside me. Hello! I can haz heart attack? Then, I did work for 8 hours. Fun. At least I am off tomorrow (and Monday ... I think). Have a great day! *smooches*

Good Morning, Kittens. So this is what 5:30AM looks like. I no like. Today, I am off to corporate HQ to do all sorts of paperwork and HR thingies. I have to be there between 7-9AM. It takes about 1.5 hours by metro. Fortunately, I will not be based there. My regular commute will take about half that time. I don't want to say too much about the job here ... y'know, being Dooce'd would suck ... especially since I'm just starting. I will be working for a government contractor, creating (then, managing) an energy efficiency/conservation program for a quasi-federal agency. It should be fun, frustrating, challenging, and educational. And, now, I must start getting ready. Mornings totally suck. Have a great day! *smooches*

Look over there --> *smooches*

Good Morning, Kittens! Rainy Rainy Rainy Rain this morning. And I have to lug two GINORMOUS packages to the post office today. One is a prize a donated to Dr. Mel's No on 1 Fund-Raising Contest . In case you want a sneak preview of the prize, this is it . The other package is a long-promised present for my friend, Dr. Liz . Then, I might go back to the pottery studio to finish up some things I started last night but didn't quite finish. As for yesterday, I didn't do much. Ran some errands. Had lunch with a neighbor. Went to pottery class. Fun and excitement. That's my life. Have a great day! *smooches*

Good Morning, Kittens! After two days of cleaning and organizing and cleaning some more and then a little grocery shopping, the 8th Annual BYOP Pumpkin Carving Party: BYOE Unfortunate Economic Situation Edition was Loads o' Fun. I forgot to make an official tally, but about 12-15 people came, several pumpkins were carved, copious amounts of boozy punch and margaritas were drunk, and Mike (Who Makes Cakes) made the fabulous jack-o-lantern cake pictured. Isn't he the cleverest? Here are a few of my favorite photos: A party at my house just isn't a party without the requisite Ice Ring: Mmm. Punch The punch was cranberry-apple cider. The Ice Ring was made of lemon sorbet and cranberry juice. Pumpkin Guts (and a World Famous Blogger ) Are you sensing a theme? Ray's Intricate (and OCD) Pumpkin Ray und Me The rest of the photos are on Flickr . The final guests left around 1:30 or so. I cleaned, uploaded photos, and finally crawled into bed around 3AM. Sunday? Very. Hung...

Good Morning, Kittens. Yesterday was certainly full of fun and adventure. I went to the pottery studio. I made these: It's a bowl. It's a vase. As I was cleaning up, I thought I dropped a sponge into the Slop Bucket (the ginourmous industrial size garbage bin in which everyone dumps their waste clay/water). I stuck my hand into the murky depths and felt something large ... and hard. Using both hands, I pulled it out. It was about 18 pounds (I weighed it) of brand new clay with a couple of "failed" projects stuck to it. My guess is that some student purchased the clay, tried to make a few things, became frustrated, and tossed hir entire bag of clay into the slop bucket. Too bad for them. Good for me. Free clay. It rocks. After pottery, I headed into the District to meet CJ for dinner. Sharing my car of the train from Fort Totten to Metro Center was a young gentleman who either had a very bad case of the Tourette's Syndrome or was mentally challenged in so...

Good Morning, Kittens. Of all the exciting events, yesterday. This was the Excitingest: I had happy hour with Lumpyheadsmom and Friends! *w00t!* See, what happened was ... A couple of days ago, she blogged that she was meeting friends for happy hour and that everyone should come. I commented that I would LUV to come, BUT I had a hot date. Ha ha! I had a date! Yay! *Had* a date. Yesterday afternoon, the Date called. He had to work late ... in Baltimore. We rescheduled the date for Sunday. I tweeted that my date was off and that I was going to drown myself in a vat of ice cream. THEN, Lumpyheadsmom (luv her!) replied, reminding me of happy hour. So I went. It was fun. We had margaritas (with no salt). And a yummy little pizza (with spinach, black olives, and goat cheese). And many, many laughs. Once home, I watched the Lifetime biopic, Coco Chanel (starring Shirley MacLaine). Enjoyable. Meanwhile, I am still waiting for two important calls. Gah. Will the phone to ri...

Good Morning, Kittens. Behold the (much belated) photo of my Seattle souvenir from K-Factor. I wonder, does one have to be from the Washington Metro Area to find it funny? Yesterday, I went for a run. I managed about 2 miles before collapsing into a heap by the side of the road, hoping that one of the Cute Jogger Boys would take pity on me. No such luck. Some of the neighbors are trying to convince me to run the Turkey Chase on Thanksgiving morning. It's a 10k ... which according to this handy online metric conversion tool is ... (insert dramatic pause) ... 0.00 Light Years! OMG! Why am I running if I don't even have to move? I think I'm going to start measuring all distance in Light Years. My house is 0.00 Light Years from my parents' home: "I *did* come home for Thanksgiving last year. I traveled all 0.00 Light Years to see you. I am such a good son." Meanwhile, there is some (mildly optimistic) news on the job front. So, keep sending good vibes ...

Good Morning, Kittens! Not much happened yesterday. I slept. A lot. And I ate. Then, I went to pottery class. I pulled handles and trimmed two mugs. I also moved several large-ish platter-bowl-things which should (maybe?) be ready to trim next week. I also picked up the rest of my glazed pottery from the last firing. It's a bit disappointing for 2 reasons. First, the Lisa's Favorite Blue glaze ran. A lot. And, second, they are full of tiny little pinprick flaws (possibly from cooling too quickly in the kiln) which render them unfit for food use. Bah. Nevertheless, they look pretty ... Approx. 5" tall, 7" across Approx. 6" tall Approx. 5" tall Approx. 4" tall, 4.5" wide at mouth Have a great day! *smooches*

Good Morning, Kittens! Happy Monday! The sun is shining. The birds are singing. What a difference from the Weekend of Rain and Mist and Overwhelming Dreariness. Friday evening, I met SCGB at the University of Maryland and we drove to Sarah and Mario's for dinner. After dinner, we piled back into the car and drove to the National Harbor for K-Factor's 30th birthday party at Cadillac Ranch (a western-themed restaurant bar ... with a mechanical bull! ... which VUBOQ did not ride, thank you very much). The party was fun. Booze. Dancing. Cake. Nom. Saturday, I spent the entire day on the sofa. Mmm. Sofa. AND, my FREE MOO Business Cards arrived: Aren't they Cute? If you are on Flickr, search around. MOO has this limited time offer. 50 free business cards. The picture side of the card has a small advertisement for MOO with a 15% off code. And, you have to pay for shipping ($5). Still. Bargain. $5 for 50 business cards? That's, like, um, $1 a card or somethi...

I read the above line in one of Carolyn Hax's chats on the Washington Post website. And, it's so true. Being unhappy means blobbing on the sofa all day, drinking copious amounts of gin (and vodka. and rum. and a little tequila too), knitting, and watching DVDs. What it does not mean is slogging through all the job ads (both of them), sending out resumes and writing cover letters. Being unhappy means eating chips and salsa for dinner (and lunch. and breakfast). What it does not mean is pulling oneself off the sofa to walk to the Whole Foods (in the pouring rain) to buy interesting vegetables to combine in fun and unique ways to make a delicious dinner (or lunch). Being unhappy certainly is easier, but it's not much fun. Have a great day, kittens. *smooches*

Good Morning, Kittens. Not much going on right now. So, enjoy the progress on the Never-Ending Baby Blanket of Doom (pictured). I've been working on it almost every night for nearly a week and am about 1/3 done. Yesterday, I did laundry. The washing machine threw itself out of balance and so I had to take a whole bunch of stuff out. If those sodden clothes *ever* dry in this weather, it will be a miracle. Later in the evening, I went upstairs to hangout with Tomokito and her family. Her parents are visiting from Japan and her father returns today. That was fun. I have forgotten *so* much Japanese. Of course, it's been well over ten years since I have spoken it/heard it on a regular basis. No real plans today. It's cold and dreary and gray and rainy. I may venture forth to the pottery studio this afternoon. We shall see. *smooches*

Good Morning, Kittens. So my exciting adventure started Monday afternoon, with Isabella running to the window and staring into the garden. Then, I heard it: the pathetic cry of a tired little animal. I looked out the window, following Isabella's gaze, and spotted a cute little black kitty being all loud and mewing. Quickly assessing the situation, I grabbed two plastic containers, filled one with water and the other with a little bit of dry cat food. The Kitty attacked the food. Poor hungry kitty. But, she was very friendly and not scared of me. So, I knew she wasn't feral. I figured she must have escaped from a nearby home. I went to pottery class. When I returned, the little kitty ran out of the bushes to meet me. I gave her some more food and checked Craigslist to see if anyone was reporting a little lost kitty. No such luck. Heather called to ask me if I had seen this stray cat. I said yes and asked her if the kitty were still around the next morning (and I could ...

Um. Yeah. My life is boring. And I only have eleven photos. I am a failure at 12 of 12. WAH. I also forgot to charge my camera batteries. Bah. Good Morning, Kitten. Lunch at Austin Grill with Dana. Margarita at Austin Grill. Little Lost Kitten. He showed up in our yard. I've fed him twice. Will try to capture tomorrow and take to the Washington Animal Rescue League. So, the (temporary) roommate is back (temporarily) and he gave me a present. Thanks so much. Fucker. What can I say? Grrl'z got needz. Sunset over Fenton Street. October makes itself known on Georgia Avenue. The View from the very very cold Silver Spring Metro platform. Waiting for the Green Line to College Park. My pottery bag. Upclose and Personal. Dirty Pottery Shoes on the way home. And, there you have it. 11 of 12. Have a good night. *smooches*

Good (still barely) Morning, Kittens! I can haz oog? Someone drank a little too much yesterday. I did nothing all weekend, except watch DVDs and knit. I'm working on a baby blanket for my neighbors. Here's a picture: Seed Stitch is tedious and painful . When finished it will look like this (only a different color). Y is back. I guess he's here to move the rest of his stuff? I have no idea how long he will stay this time. Guess that's it. It's 12 of 12 today. So, if I can get my camera batteries recharged, expect another (more interesting?) post later. *smooches*

Good Practically Afternoon, Kittens. I am having a totally lazy (and slightly hungover) morning. Yesterday, I sent out a couple of resumes. And, then, I went to the pottery studio where I glazed two vases, a pitcher, a mug, and three bowls. Hurrah. On the way home, I stopped off at the Whole Foods and spent too much on groceries. I wanted frozen pizza for dinner. It was yummy. I ate cooked frozen pizza and watched The Scorpion King , starring The Rock. He is so tasty. And, then, I watched The Nanny Diaries . Today, I was supposed to meet a friend for lunch, but that has been postponed until Monday. Tonight, I'm meeting SCGB (and I think, Maura, the German's Girlfriend) at Adega for dinner. Mmm. Adega. No other weekend plans. I might go for a run this afternoon. I need to get outside. I also need to decide about the Annual Pumpkin Carving Party. Have a great day. *smooches*

Good Morning, Kittens! The (temporary) roommate is gone (temporarily)! He drove to NYC late last night, but will be back -at some point- to pick up the rest of his belongings. Of course, he decided to cook himself dinner right before he left, so my going away present was a sink full of all his dirty dishes. And, then, he had a go at me for not volunteering to help him fill his car with his crap. Um. If he wanted help, why didn't he ask instead of expecting people to jump up and help. As excited as I was to see him go, I didn't feel like carrying out all his crap too. It's all about him. All the time. When it totally should be all about me. All the time. I'm glad he's moving on. In other exciting news, I bought my bus tickets to NYC for Halloween Weekend. I *heart* the cheap bus. $18.50 RT. I leave on the morning of Friday the 30th and return on Monday the 2nd. I will get to hang out with Mush ! And we are going to go see David in Brigadoo n (probably...

Good Morning, Kittens! Yesterday, as some of you probably already know, I decided on making a little change. With help from the Fabulous Colornatrix, I am once again a redhead. Yay. This color is actually pretty close to what my hair color was when I was a kid. As I got older, my hair became more and more auburn. And, then, all the red disappeared and it became a mousy blondy brown. *sigh* After my appointment, I met Mike (Who Makes Cakes) for lunch. We had the following, mildly amusing conversation. Mike: I love your hair. Me: Thanks. It's really close to my original color. Mike: I know. Me: No. Really. My original color is ... Mike: I know. Me: (pause). Oh. Right.* Lunch was fun. Then, we went back to his office, where I quickly finished his scarf. See: I was worried about finishing it, but, as luck would have it, there was a fire in one of the Metro stations, so my regular 45-50 minute trip to the salon took a little over 90 minutes. Lots of time to knit on the tra...

Good Morning, Kittens. Rushing around to get to the Colornatrix on time. More later. In the meantime, here's what I made in class yesterday: Have a great day! *smooches*

Good morning, Kittens. I am pleased to report that I am on the Road to Recovery (wait, wasn't that a Crosby and Hope movie?) from my bout with Hong Kong Chicken Fever Monkey Pox Bacon Influenza. And, I'd better fucking be since all I did this entire weekend was eat, sleep, and drink (a lot!). Booze is good for the soul cold. I didn't go to the movies. I didn't go out dancing. I didn't go to any bars or fun restaurants. I didn't go to the pottery studio (until Sunday). I did nothing. All weekend. Good for the wallet. Bad for the social life. Hello, DC/Metro Area Friends, do you remember who I am? I used to go out on weekends. Srsly. Lessee. In other exciting news, at pottery, I trimmed two bowls and a vase. I still have one bowl to trim, but it wasn't quite ready. I am almost finished knitting the orange scarf. I hope to finish it today, because I want to give it to Mike (Who Makes Cakes) tomorrow after my hair appointment. Speaking of the Hair Appoin...

Good morning, Kittens. Why is it when one is sick, he feels fine the moment before he gets out of bed. BUT, five minutes later, as he is making his coffee, his sinuses fill with gunk and he start hacking like a 2-pack-a-day smoker? WHY? Actually, I feel a lot better. I didn't get to the pottery studio yesterday. In fact, all I did was eat and sleep. And watch DVDs. And knit. The orange scarf is about half finished. Yay. Today, I am definitely going to the pottery studio. I also have to return a DVD and make a bank deposit. Oh, the joy and rapture of my life. No real weekend plans. If I feel better, I might make a day trip to the beach on Sunday with Mike (who Makes Cakes). Otherwise, rest and relaxation is on the agenda. Oh, and Super Happy Birthday Wishes and *extra-special smooches* to David : I think this was taken the first time we met. Not 100% sure though. Have a great day! *smooches*

Good Morning, Kittens. I iz sick. I coughez. I hackez. I snifflez. And, my kidneyz hurtz. On the plus side, I don't feel feverish anymore. Hurrah! I have until lunchtime to be miraculously cured, because I want to go to the pottery studio today. Yesterday, my parents closed on the house they bought my brother. Yes, they love him more. Actually, they bought a house into which they will probably move once they become too advanced in years to care for their current home and/or they require live in help/healthcare. The brother gets to stay in the house until that happens. I think he also has to pay part of the mortgage, but I'm not 100% clear on the financials. Dad wrote me a letter explaining all this (not that he needed to do that. They had explained it over the phone). My parents like to really drive the points home. The point in this case: We do love your brother more, but buying him a house doesn't prove it. Now, go get a job, you loser younger child. In oth...