Lunch

Good Morning, Kittens.

My lunch date was so much fun. We went to Proof, and it "proof"-ed to be delicious! *groan*

I ordered a glass of yummy prosseco. And the wild mushroom quiche with a mixed greens salad (which tasted like it was tossed with sesame oil). Then, I had another glass of yummy prosseco, because it was yummy. Then, we ordered dessert: Honeyed Goat('s milk) Cheesecake [pictured]. The sauce was made from passion fruit, and -while delicious- it was a bit too tangy for me. The cheesecake, itself, however, was marvelous. Super creamy cheesy goodness.

Then, I walked Mark back to his office building and headed home ...

... stopping at the bank, likker store, and Whole Foods on the way home.

I bought kumquats. Completely forgetting that I don't really like kumquats. For some reason, I think that if I keep trying them, I will learn to like them. Hasn't happened (and, for the record, it hasn't happened with beets either).

Once home, I did a little prep work for my interview this afternoon. Did I mention that I have an interview this afternoon? I don't think I have. I'll let you know more about it later. Nothing like going to an interview with Totally Mad Hair and an Eye Which Looks Like It's Exploding Pus and Goo.

I'm sure I'll be a huge hit around the office. Watch my Twitter updates (over there -->)for a report on how it went.

My weekend has yet to be completely sorted, but I am going to a chamber music concert at the Renwick Gallery with Mark on Sunday. Not sure what I'm doing Friday night and Saturday. I'm sure something fun will come up.

Have a fab weekend! *smooches*

Brevity

Good Morning, Kittens!

I have to leave the house in about an hour for a lunch date with Mark. We're going to Proof. I'll update when I get home. Until then, enjoy the soup.

*smooches*

Swolled

Good Morning, Kittens!

We have snow! We have ice! The soup I made last night was Delicious! I'll share the recipe later, but first ... Here's what my eye looked like last night:

And here it is this morning:

WTF? Gross.

And, VUBOQ really needs to wash his hair.

In other "good" news, at our annual stockholders meeting, I was re-elected to the Board. Hurrah.

And here's the soup recipe:

Adapted from [a cookbook, the name/author of which I have forgotten] ...

Southwestern Corn and Cheese Chowder

Ingredients:

2 extra large sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch cubes

6 cups homemade vegetable broth

1 bottle of Mexican beer

2 tsps ground cumin

1 bay leaf

1 large onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

A Little Pat of Butter

1 can (16 oz) creamed corn

1 can (4 oz) diced green chilies

2 tsps chili powder

2 cups milk

1/2 cup heavy cream

1 lb Monterey Jack cheese

Salt to taste

1. Place the sweet potatoes, 3 cups of broth, the beer, cumin, and bay leaf in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil then simmer until the potatoes are crisp-tender, 12 to 15 minutes. Discard bay leaf.

2. Meanwhile, saute onion and garlic in large stockpot over medium-high heat until soft, about 10 minutes. Add the sweet potatoes with the cooking liquid to the onion and stir in the remaining broth as well.

3. Add the creamed corn and green chilies to the soup and season with the chili powder. Gradually stir in the milk and cream. Simmer the soup uncovered 10 minutes.

4. Shred the cheese. Reduce the head under the soup to low and add the shredded cheese, stirring until just melted. Season with salt. Serve. Eat. Enjoy.

Have a great day! *smooches*

Poor Man's Broth

Good Morning, Kittens!

Here is a photo of the broth I made last night for the Mexican Corn Chowder I'm going to make this evening:



Why is this Poor Man's Broth? And why should BOSSY's Poverty Party minions pay careful attention?

Because this broth is made (almost) entirely of vegetable scraps! I must credit SCGB for the idea. We were talking about making broth one day, and he said, "I've started throwing all my veggie scraps into a container in the freezer to make broth."

If you've read Mark Bittman's cookbooks, he's all about throwing the entire plant into the pot for broth. But, why buy and then boil perfectly good veggies (that could be used for other things ... like eating), when you can use the scraps you would normally throw away (or, hopefully, compost) for "free"?

So that's what I've done for this broth. There are some zucchini bits and mushroom stems. Onion peelings. And Bok Choy ends. I had been saving them in a container in the freezer. When it became full, I dumped it in a pot, covered it with water, and I threw in half a lime, some peppercorns, a couple of garlic cloves, and a few dried chilis. And boiled simmered the ever-living shit out of it.

Broth made from vegetable waste! What a great idea! I'll let you know how the chowder turns out tomorrow!

And, I'll also fill you in on the details of the 2nd Annual 10% Refund Challenge!

*smooches*

Weekend Update:

Good morning, Kittens!

Since you've already heard (and seen) the Big News, here's the Story of the Rest of My Weekend.

The house warming party on Saturday night was fun. Sarah and Mario's new house is gorgeous! And most of their friends are really nice; however, SCGB and I got trapped in the kitchen with this Crazy Older Guy, who is the husband of one of Sarah's co-workers. Awkward. Uncomfortable! Oh, look at the time! We have to go.

So we came home, drank limoncello, and watched Brideshead Revisited. The new movie? Not so good. The boys were cute, but that's about it. Read the book. Watch the 80s mini-series. Skip the movie. Srsly.

Sunday, I worked on my taxes for a bit ... which reminds me! It's almost time for the 2nd Annual 10% Refund Challenge! Pledge to donate 10% of your tax refund to charity and Win! Fabulous! Prizes! More on this later this week.

I realized halfway through doing my taxes that I still don't have all my information (namely my property taxes and my student loan interest statement). Hopefully, I'll get those soon. Also ... does anyone know if health insurance premiums are tax deductible? And where? Under "medical expenses" for itemized deductions? It seems like they should be. Anyway, so I sort of skipped some things and guesstimated others. My refund is going to be fairly nice. Not as big as last year's, but not bad.

Then, I cleaned a bit and got a few packages ready to put in the post. I would go to the post office today, but it's sort of snowy out. So I'm staying in. Hurray!

And, my date with Mark was nice :-) I found a recipe for Mexican Corn Chowder in one of his cookbooks. It looks like it will be fairly easy to convert to vegetarian-friendly. I want to try that tonight, I think. Which means I may have to venture forth unto the grocery store. Ugh.

Have a great day! *smooches*

Flower Child

Good Morning, Kittens.

I promise not to turn this into a Gay Uncle Blog, but -if you're dying to see photos of the Cutest! Baby! Ever!*- you can click here.

The hospital was good. I was surprised by the lack of security. Yes, we had to be buzzed in to the maternity ward, but there was no sign in, no ID check, no nothing. Of course, the nurse did check our bags when we left to make sure we had no babies stuffed in them. Having grown accustomed to Post-9/11 OverSecurityItis, it was a weird feeling to -almost- be trusted.

The Baby Daddy was out running errands, but his mother was there, as -of course- was Tomokito, looking radiant (I promised I wouldn't put up any pix of her though).

Mike and I took some photos and chatted. Later, Atul and my Ex-BFF came in. Apparently, Tomoko and the Ex-BFF had lunch plans, but she stood him up. I'm actually a little surprised that he still talked to her. I mean, being stood up for lunch is a much more grievous offense than being ignored on a crowded club's dance floor ... yet he completely cut off that person (and the friend who decided to date him). Oh, well.

The four of us left. Atul dropped me off at the metro station. I have a sneaking suspicion that the other three then went to dinner, which was fine by me. I prefer to not eat with a person who makes me sick. And, srsly, the Ex-BFF might want to think about skipping a few meals ... or at least laying off the cake for a bit.

As for the rest of my weekend, today, SCGB and I are going to a house-warming party out in the Wilds of Prince Georges County. And, tomorrow, Mark and I are going to a movie. I haven't decided what I want to see yet. Maybe that Benjamin Button movie ... or something else? Any recommendations?

Have a good weekend! *smooches*

*except for *your* babies ... and the Fabulously Cute First Cousin Once Removed.

I Went to the Abortion Parade and All I Got Was This Stupid T-Shirt

NOT QUITE BREAKING NEWS ANY MORE: It's a Girl! Tomokito and Baby are happy and healthy! Ok. It's not a stupid t-shirt. But, after watching way too many Anti-Choicers walk by, I felt I deserved a little something special.

And, Good Morning, Kittens!

My Abortion Afternoon was certainly an adventure! I left the house at 1:15 and walked to the Metro station. Upon arriving at said station, I realized I had forgotten my wallet and had to walk back home. Gah.

I took the bus back to the station. And, look!, I sat in the Rosa Parks Memorial Seat:

Btw, it wasn't in the back.

La la la. Metro. Union Station. Crazy Crowds. Busy busy. Totally bad light for taking pictures.

If this is a photo of a typical abortion, you can cut off my head with this knife and serve me for dinner.

More White People in One Place than I've seen in a long, long time.



Lots of SuperCute Priests (They are all gay, right? B/C ... YUM!). Lots of kids. More White People. My camera batteries died right when Team Sarah (Palin) walked by. God damn it!

Holler, Wisconsin!

Finally, I had had enough ...

Gravel is Pro-Life

So, I wandered up to the Obama Stores on 7th St.

I bought a friend of mine some buttons and myself the t-shirt pictured at the start of this entry. And I returned to Silver Spring ...



for some of this ...



and a whole lotta these ...



and that was my day. The entire photo set is here.

Oh, and here are my Very Offensive Tweets from the event:

• Thinks it's funny to see the obama fans and the nutjobs mingle at union station
• Hasn't seen this many white people in one place in a long time.
• Banner w/ image of MLKJr: the negro can't win if he sacrifices the lives of his children. Hmmm
• Forgot to charge his batteries. Camera died right when Team Sarah marched by. Damn!
• Feels sick to his stomach. Off to find a drink.
• http://ping.fm/p/hAPPv - Pro-life
  

*smooches*

PS. VUBOQ totally *hearts* his alcoholic blogfriends.

The Nokia 6650: It Sure Is Purty

Good Afternoon, Kittens!

I'm off observing all the Anti-Abortion Roe v. Wade Protesters march to the Supreme Court and burn Abortion Providers in effigy*. But, you can still experience the Joy That Is Reading a VUBOQ Post, because I decided to finally write a short little review of the phone I test-drove awhile back, the Nokia 6650. You can follow the Nokia Chronicles here (I'm Chapter 2). And, my Nokia-related blogposts are tagged nokia6650chronicles.

So, here are my thoughts on the phone ...

The Nokia 6650 is pretty, all brushed metal and shiny. It looks good, and it's not too heavy. I totally *heart* clamshell phones, because, when I use them, I feel like I'm actually using a phone and not some tiny little non-phone like thingy that is miles away from my mouth, "Can you hear me now? huh?" That was not a problem with the 6650.

It had some SuperFun and Totally Useful features, like the 2.0 MegaPixel Camera and a Yellow Pages thingy and a GPS thingy. And, probably some others which I am not technically sophisticated enough to figure out.

I used the Yellow Pages a couple of times to find stores in DC. I would know the general neighborhood, but couldn't find the exact location. Select the Yellow Pages Icon, type in the shop's name, and in a few moments -voila!- there it is! With a map! Sweet!

And, then, when driving to my brother's house for Christmas, I used the GPS feature once I got to Greensboro. Greensboro is a totally weird city. Streets randomly change names and directions. The 6650's GPS was helpful, but not perfect. Of course, it takes time to get used to any GPS system [think of the TV commercial "turn left ... (man drives car into store window) ... in 50 feet"] . I was expecting this GPS to talk. It didn't. I'm not sure why. Maybe it doesn't ever talk, or maybe I had my phone settings set incorrectly. Anyway, I had to hold the phone up to see the map as I drove. This was not fun, and probably the reason why -even with the GPS- I made a few wrong turns. Once I arrived at my brother's apartment (it took about 10 minutes), I noticed that the phone was very hot. That didn't seem like a good thing.

But, really, all I need a cellphone to be is a cellphone. I don't need a music player. I don't need a GPS System or Yellow Pages or any of the other extra features all cellphones seem to come with these days. I need a cellphone to talk to people, to send text messages, and to take pictures/video sometimes (especially when I forget my other camera). The Nokia 6650 meets my basic cellphone needs, and, if it had a full QWERTY keyboard, I would be even more enthusiastic about it.

Have a great day! *smooches*

*This probably won't happen, but one can hope, right?

Technical Difficulties

Good Morning, Kittens.

Apologies for the dearth of postings recently. Blogging is difficult when one is not able to write about the only good thing going on in his life right now. So, here's a picture of the Loudest Clock Ever:

I bought it at the Philadelphia Art Museum several years ago.

Yesterday, I applied for a job. I went to the Whole Foods. And I deposited my Unemployment Check. So. Exciting.

Today, I am blobbing on the sofa, and I am thinking about going to the Anti-Abortion March this afternoon. Anyone want to come watch the Crazies with me? I'd wear my Bedazzled Uterus shirt (Hurray for Medical Students for Choice! Why don't you send them a nice check?), but it's too cold out for a t-shirt. Srsly.



Perhaps I'll post photos later.
*smooches*

It's a Little Thing I Like to Call ...

8 Degree Wind Chill.

And, that would be why, Dear Kittens, yours truly did not venture forth unto the Mall to Witness History.

Instead, I watched it all in TechniColor with SCGB, and

I did celebrate President Obama's Inauguration in the my own special way ...


Apparently, "Yes We Can" tastes like crappy dry sugar cookies covered in barfy white chocolate.
Have a Great Day!
*smooches*

Weekend Update: Revelations Edition

Good Morning, Kittens. Happy MLK, Jr. Day!

I had a very good weekend, despite the frigid weather. Friday, SCGB and I hung out. We were supposed to meet Mike at a bar around 10, but decided it was too cold to leave the building. Instead, we ended up having dinner and playing Apples to Apples with the neighbors.

Saturday, I slept in and, later, had dinner with Mark. It went well. Thank you for asking. Mark mentioned that being blogged about in detail makes him uncomfortable (which, I suppose, is understandable) and requested that I not include him in these little updates. I agreed to that request. So, there you have it.

Sunday, I went to a birthday brunch at another neighbor's ... and ended up staying 'til nearly 5. We started watching football. I know! What up with that? Then, I had a light dinner of leftovers with SCGB, came home, and watched Mamma Mia! And, OMG, my Ears Are Bleeding. Pierce Brosnan? So. Very. Bad. It was painful. Simply painful. Meryl was, of course, fabulicious, though.

Finally, I've had a few ideas bouncing around in my head the past couple of days. One is that there are two things about people that I will probably never understand and am completely unable to relate to:

(1) Having grandparents. Both of my grandfathers died before I was born and my grandmothers both died when I was in junior high school (I think).

(2) Living the majority of one's life in the same town. Given the nature of my father's work, my family moved -on average- every 3 to 4 years ... until I moved out ... and, then, I moved nearly every year until I came to the DC Area (in 1999). Since then, I've only moved 3 times (but, at least, I've stayed in the area!).

This is related to the final revelation I had: My ability to form lasting friendships and what it means. Although the internet has somewhat changed this dynamic, I keep in touch with very few people from previous times in my life ... virtually no one from high school, two people from college, and one person from Japan. I'm not saying that I don't have friends or that I can't make friends. I do and I can. However, when I move to a new town or a new stage in my life, the majority of my friends slip out of my life.

I began to wonder if maybe my purpose (one of my purposes?) is not to make and maintain a large group of friends, but rather to be a conduit through which other people meet. I like to think that I'm pretty good at making connections. If a friend expresses a certain interest or need, I try to think of other friends who have the same interests or can help meet those needs. Once I introduce them, I'm no longer as necessary. And I fade away.

Not that this is a bad thing. It's just how it is.

And, I freely admit that I could be wrong ... maybe I'm simply a lazy ass who can't be bothered to maintain friendships over extended periods of time.

Or, maybe I should spend my time job-hunting, rather than trying to come up with semi-meaningful revelations about my life. That could work too.

*smooches*

Just in Time for Mid-Atlantic Leather

... and the Inauguration (wait? There's an Inauguration?), I present to you the poster to your left. Gay Bears 4 Hope! You can make your own poster here.*

Have at it, Kittens. And, Good Morning!

Speaking of the Upcoming Inaugural Festivities, I am -more than likely- not going to attend any. And here are my reasons:

1. It's too cold.

2. Large crowds give me the willies.

3. My GodDamn Fairy Godmother is late in helping me get ready for the Ball.

4. It's Mid-Atlantic Leather Weekend (and the Gay Bears want to go).

5. Did I mention that it will be cold and the crowd thing?

Btw, in the last post, I showed a picture of Mike. For clarification, Mike is not with whom I am currently "in like." Yes, he is cute. That would be why I had a Mad Mad Almost Entirely Sexual 3 Month Fling with Him after I broke up with the Cheating Cheater who Cheated Cheatfully. Mike is my personal Birthday Cake Baker/Decorator. Very good to have around. And a super nice guy. And did I mention he makes great cakes? And this one too:

The guy with whom I have had several fun dates (and make-out sessions) is Mark. I don't have a good picture of him (yet). Sorry. But, I do have a date with him tomorrow night. Huzzah!

Tonight, SCGB and I are going to grab some dinner and, then, later, meet Mike (not Mark) at bar somewhere so that Mike can scope out some guy that he's interested in. Fun times!

Happy Friday! I must now get busy and apply for some jobs!

*smooches*

*If you do make your own poster, please post them (or if you don't have a blog, send to me and I'll post them). I'd love to see them :-)

Wait. It's Thursday?

Good Early Evening, Kittens.

Did I mention that I have a New Phone? Well, I do. And it's camera has a Sepia function (as well as black and white, blue, green, full color, antique, negative, cool, warm, and something referred to as "sketch"). I believe that everyone looks better in Sepia.

I *heart* Sepia ... ever since I was a young biology student at Elon University (then, College) and had to single-handedly sort and sex fruit flies with sepia-colored eyes. Then, I had to smash them onto some special paper and run some sort of chemical chromatograph.

I'm not sure what the point was exactly, but after staying up 'til 3AM to insure that the newly hatched fruit flies remained virgins (I know!), smashing them with a pencil eraser was oddly therapeutic.

So, at lunch, between the salad course and the entree (green curry tofu - YUM!), I took a sepia picture of Mike:



And, here's a fun sepia picture of the PsychoKitty. With flash (which explains -I hope- the creepy glowing eyes):



And, la la la ... I guess that's about it for now. I haven't applied for any jobs yet this week, so tomorrow is going to be Biz-to-the-Ay!

And, my friend isn't coming up for the Inauguration ...which is a good thing in that I won't have to spend the day cleaning out the spare room (which only a few months ago was so clean and pretty, but is now a Total Disaster *sigh*).

Have I mentioned how much I hate entropy?

*smooches*

My Back Hurts

Good Morning, Kittens!

Yes, you read correctly, my back hurts. Unfortunately, it's not for any of the "fun reasons." I think I twisted it somehow during my Day of Sofa Surfing yesterday. Bah.

Anyway, the Date was fun (*wink* *wink* *nudge* *nudge*). I am beginning to Very Like him. I'm going to his house for dinner on Saturday. Yay.

I lovelovelovelovelovelovelove my New Phone. Full QWERTY keyboard Rocks My World. As does unlimited texting. Stay tuned for Even More Twitter/Plurk/Facebook updates now.

Now, I must away. I'm meeting Mike for lunch at 1230, and I just got up a few minutes ago (Don't judge. It's COLD and the bed was SO WARM!).

More later. Promise! *smooches*

My Inaugural Balls

Good Morning, Kittens.

Are you ready to take a trip? Because I'm about to take you on one, a trip into the past ... the Once Upon a Time and the Long, Long Ago ... back when VUBOQ was just a wee lad (or a college Freshman) and looked like this:

(and please, everyone give a big hand to my college friend, Ginger -beautiful Mother of 3-, who uploaded these photos to Facebook last night and inspired this post. *APPLAUSE*)

Some of you may know that I attended college on a (somewhat) prestigious fellowship, the North Carolina Teaching Fellowship, which is awarded to 400 NC Seniors per year [at least it *was* ... I don't know if it still is]. I was in the first class of NCTF recipients to attend Elon College (now university). Elon, in order to woo the program to their hallowed campus, set up all sorts of wonderful (and free!) programs for NC Teaching Fellows.

One of these Fabulous Programs was a three week stint in Washington, DC, in January 1989. We attended lectures. Toured embassies. Drank a whole-heckuva-lot (because, in 1989, DC had a fantastic Grandfather Clause to the No Drinking Under 21 Rule, which allowed us Minors to Drink Like Fishes).

AND, those of us who were not hungover attended the Inauguration of George Herbert Walker Bush. I was there, kittens. I had *tickets*. I Saw Brian Boitano! And Arnold Schwartzenager (from a distance).

AND, we -because we were Elite! North Carolina! Teaching Fellows!- were invited to the North Carolina Inaugural Ball! Where we drank A LOT! and danced to Beach Music! and, then, staggered home.

And, here's a picture:

And, that would be where I learned -exactly 20 years ago- that State Inaugural Balls kinda suck. So, don't be all sad and shit if you don't get tickets, because, really, you and your friends will make your own Inaugural Celebration and have a Much Better Time. Srsly.

Especially if you invite me.

*smooches*

Waiting

Good Morning, Kittens.

I'm waiting for FedEx this morning. They are coming to pick up the Nokia 6650, which I test-drove for a few weeks. I will be typing up a little review about my thoughts this week about the phone. Stay tuned. You can, of course, see pictures (I'm Chapter 2!) various bloggers took using the phone here.

Yesterday was fun. The symposium on tropical extinction was cool; however, we didn't stay for the reception. After 4 speakers, I was done ... so we left. There were still 2 speakers and a moderated panel discussion left. We probably should have skipped the first speakers by arriving later. That might have been better. On the plus side, there were several cute boys in attendance. On the minus side, why is every man in DC so short? Napolean complex?

After leaving the symposium, Dana and I goofed around the Natural History Museum for awhile. We headed back to Silver Spring, picking up some Obama cookies at the Safeway before heading to McGinty's for happy hour (1/2 price bar menu = $4.75 veggie burger. Sweet!).

During happy hour, I was lamenting the sorry state of my cell phone. I've had it for at least 4 years, I think. At one point, I dropped it and have had to tape in the battery. I told Dana that I'm too lazy to go the Verizon store to get a new one, and she was, all, "hello? Stupid much? You can do all that online." Duh. So I did.

I got a new phone for free! (after mail-in rebate). It will be delivered in 1-2 business days. I'm v. excited. Plus, since I'm always going over my plan's txt msg limit, I upgraded. Now, I'll have unlimited text, picture, and video messaging. Huzzah! If only I can figure out a way to pay for it all. Ha. Having no income, yet still spending money, is kind of sucky.

More later. *smooches*

Now, scroll down for my 12 of 12 from yesterday :-)

12 of 12: Obama Cookies Edition

Good Evening, Kittens. Here's my 12 of 12. Enjoy!

Dana and I are on the way to an all-day symposium at the Natural History Museum on tropical extinction.
Hello, Cute Boy Sitting Across the Way.

This would be part of the ceiling of the Baird Auditorium in the NHM.


This would be us. Waiting for the presentations to begin.


This would be one of the presenters.
I'm not quite sure how I made him glow. I was fucking with my camera settings.

This would not be one of the presenters.


It's the Beetles!


Help! I'm being attacked!
Not by a coelacanth though!

Nemo? Dory? How'd you get in there?
Oh, fishy, fishy, fishy, fish.

Obam-a-johns are Everywhere on the Mall!


Back in Silver Spring. We made a pitstop at McGinty's.
Boddington's. Mmmmmm...

I have owned this camera for nearly 5 years, and guess what I just discovered?
Sepia Setting! Suh-WEET!

Thanks to a HotTip from the gorgeous Clio Bluestocking, I now have my own OBAMA COOKIES.
$4.99 at Safeway.

The rest of the pics are here!
*smooches*

Weekend Update: How Did That Happen Edition

Good Morning, Kittens!

Happy Monday! Later this morning, I'm heading to a 6 hour symposium at the Natural History Museum on tropical extinction. Not sure how fascinating my 12 of 12 will turnout. We shall see.

So, my weekend ...

Friday night, Mark came over for dinner. We had martinis. Then, we ate Spicy Chinese Noodle Soup and rice ... which did not come out quite the way I wanted, but it was still good. At least, Mark said so. Then, we played Scrabble (I Kicked His Ass!) and watched Enchanted. And, somehow we ended up shirtless and making out. How did that happen?

Saturday, I met Dana (right) and the Skankified Ho (left) for lunch. We had many, many margaritas at Austin Grill. Yum. Some people have wondered why I would hang out with a Known Skankified Ho, and I can't explain other than to say that it's for the same reason women are attracted to gay men or moths to flames. VUBOQ is attracted to Hot Tranny Messes and Skankified Hos. I just can't look away. Besides that, they tend to be fun!

After lunch, I headed up to Mike's house for hot tea and movies. Fun. We haven't spent hardly anytime together recently, so it was nice to chill on his sofa and have some Grown-Up Girl Bonding Time.

And, on Sunday, I blobbed on the sofa. All day long. Then, around 7:45, I headed upstairs to watch the Golden Globes with Tomokito. Good times, kittens. Good times.

Finally, BOSSY posted a Thank You Video for her road trip last spring. Go. Take a look. Keep an eye out for VUBOQ and the Gay Bears! And, then, vote for her for Best Humor Blog.

Have a great day! *smooches*

Poke Me With a Fork. I'm Done.

Well, I'm done with my job-applying for the week! HUZZAH!

I am not done with the cleaning and organizing and straightening of the household. Why do I need to clean and organize and straighten, you ask? We'll get to that in a minute, but first ...

Time for a fun recap of the Paul Ehrlich Lecture at the World Wildlife Fund yesterday evening.

I arrived a bit late. Fortunately, nothing in DC *ever* starts on time. The conference room was packed. There were two seats left. After I sat down, I realized why those two seats were open. Hello, Big Pole Blocking My View of Dr. Ehrlich. I didn't take any photos, so here is a Dramatic Recreation in MS Paint:


The title of Dr. Ehrlich's Lecture was "The Dominant Animal of Biodiversity," and here are the highlights of my notes (yes, I took notes! It helps me to maintain focus):

-Humans are the Dominant Animal of Biodiversity. Let's drink!
-Cute boy keeps staring at me. Should I wave? Smile? Nod? Or ignore him.
-Not cute boy. Old guy. Woman. Woman. Another old guy. Ooooh. Very cute boy. I could look at the back of his head all day.
-Is there too much focus of preserving "hot spots"* and not enough on preserving populations?
-Is the conservation of charismatic megafauna (like pandas and tigers, oh my!) useful?
-Cuuuuuuuuuuuuute boy.
-US Consumption? It is outta control!
-Better cost beneit analysis of toxic chemicals (such as endocrine disruptors) is needed.
-The US has no population policy.
-The best thing for the US to work on for population policy is to improve the condition of women. Make sure they have the power and means to control their reproductive rights.
-Time for wine! Hurrah!
-Where did that cute boy go? Waaaah.

And, then, I came home. Fun.

My weekend plans are as follows:

Tonight, Mark is coming over for dinner and movies. I am making my World Famous, and oft Googled-Upon, Spicy Chinese Noodle Soup. Not sure what movie we will watch. Maybe Dr. Zhivago.

Saturday, I am meeting two former co-workers, Dana and the Skankified Ho** (reformed)(hopefully), for lunch at some Thai Place near Chinatown. After lunch, I'll be meeting up with Mike, the one who makes cakes, for some fun of some sort.

No plans for Sunday. I may just chill and watch DVDs.

Have a great weekend, Kittens. *smooches*

*Hot Spots are the most biologically rich and the most threatened ecosystems around the globe.
**The Skankified Ho is a Ho who has moved so far beyond Skanky that even Skanky Hos are embarassed by her behaviour. She is Skankified! (And, the funny thing is that my co-worker LOVED the Skankified Ho nickname). So. Very. Sad.

Quick Morning Update

Good Morning, Kittens!
It's Friday! Woo Hoo! Tell the Man to "shove it" on your way out the door this evening!

It's almost the weekend Booty Dance of Joy
(_\_)(_/_)(_\_)(_/_)(_\_)(_/_)

The Paul Ehrlich Seminar last night was (a) crowded, but (b) very good. More on this later, but I'm rushing out the door to go to the bank.

I'll be back soon to fill you in on all my exciting weekend plans!
*smooches*

ps. Unemployment is at 7.2% ... I have so many new Unemployment Friends! Group HUG!

Are You Happy, Scott? I De-Decorated.

There's this blogger, who I'm not sure if I'm allowed to link to his blog because he's shy (*cough*) and, when he started blogging, he sent a sweet little note to all his friends which read "please don't link to my blog because I am soooooo shy."*

Let's just call him, Scott (for that is his name). Scott apparently has a thing about Christmas Decorations being up past December 25th. I'm fairly certain that as soon as the clock struck midnight, signalling the beginning of the 26th, Scott was out ripping down his Christmas in a flurry of tinsel. I can only imagine the red and green carnage.

I, however, am a firm believer in leaving up decorations until Epiphany (12 days after Christmas). One must not forget the Wise Men, bearing gifts of gold, frankenberries, and myrrh. So, yesterday, being the Day After Epiphany, I unplugged my lights. I folded up the Purple Tinsel Tree. And, along with the Singing Snowmen, boxed them all away.

Let 2009: The Year of Despair officially begin. And, Scott, no need to send the Christmas Police (or your Killer Dogs) over here. Casa de VUBOQ has been de-Christmas'ed. I hope you are happy.

The other exciting event of my day was that the Co-op board bought a new coin sorter for our laundry quarters. I had the board over for a brief demonstration. It was fascinating. Really.

This evening, I will be attending a seminar at the World Wildlife Fund. Paul Erhlich, reknowned lepidopterist and author of The Population Bomb, will be giving a lecture of some sort on Science in Nature. And, there's a reception to follow (free food? *w00t*).

And, finally, please go vote for BOSSY in the Humor Blog Contest by clicking right here. Currently, she's getting spanked by the mindless minions of the Comics Curmudgeon.

Have a great day, kittens.
*smooches*

*It actually read "Link to my blog and I will send my dogs, which are registered weapons in the State of Arizona, to hunt you down and KILL you. Then, my partner will clean up the mess."

VUBOQ and the Most Fabulicious Day

Good Morning, Kittens!

Yesterday's weather was a veritable Crap-o-Rama; however, my day was So. Much. Friggin'. Fun it was well worth venturing forth into the cold rainy drippy frigid mess ...

On my way to downtown DC, I texted a few friends, and -lo and behold- the beautiful M&M, fresh from their 2 year sojourn in Glasgow were possibly available to "hang out later will call soon."

Bliss! I Can Haz Planz!

While I explored the glories of the Panza exhibit at the Hirshhorn (and, really, kittens, if you are in the DC area - go. It's totally Minimalist Fun!), they toiled in the DC Unemployment Office (and I was so happy to be me!).

Here are some fun pix from the Hirshhorn (Panza exhibit + others):











I had just finished exploring all the joys of the Hirshhorn, when M&M arrived. We decided to have lunch at Chipotle, and, then, explored the National Portrait Gallery/American Art Museum.

Look, Photos:











From the NPG, we went to the National Archives. *The* Constitution. The MotherForking Declaration of Independence! We saw it, kittens! Live and in person.

No photos, though. Sorry.

After that, M&M and I parted ways. I came home. Ate dinner. Had a few drinks with SCGB.

And that was my SuperFabulicious Day ... even though the weather was totally crapola! Additional photos available here.

I'm sure today will be equally as exciting: Laundry! De-Decorating! Teh Funz!

*smooches*