Weekend Update: Operatic Edition

Good Evening, Kittens!

What a weekend!  It was definitely too short.  At least this coming week is only a four-day week for me!  and a four-day weekend!  BUT, enough looking ahead.  Let's look back and reflect ...

My work week was pretty much the usual exercises in clusterfuckery.  I did have a phone interview.  We'll see how that goes.  I think the job would be interesting.  And I think it will pay more.  Not sure if I impressed them during the interview or not, though.  Oh, well.  We'll see ...

I also got the bid for my kitchen remodeling project - $15,000.  Not including appliances.  My parents were supposed to be helping me pay for it.  But, after talking with my mother tonight, I'm not so sure I want their help.  Although I'm also not sure how I will pay for it otherwise.  Ugh.  There was too much "that's too expensive" and "you should find another contractor" and "you should get lower quality materials."  Really?  Is that what I'm going to have to put up with if I take their money?  I'm thinking "no thank you."  I can sell a kidney.  Or cash in one of my retirement accounts.  Or something. That conversation made me cranky. 

ANYWAY,  Friday, after work, I got my hair cut.  And colored.  YAY!  Afterwards, I met Mike (Who Makes Cakes) for dinner.  We went to Pacci's in Silver Spring.  Mmmm.  Pizza.  Deliciousness.

On Saturday morning, I went for a 4 mile run.  The weather was a little chilly.  Then, I walked up to Whole Foods and Adega (where I had lunch).  Came home.  Took a nap.  And, then, left for Opera in the Outfield, an annual simulcast of an opera being performed at the Kennedy Center.  This year's opera was Don Giovanni.  Don Giovanni is a womanizing cad.

Three Blondes and a Bird

I met ShallowGal, her husband, and their three adorable spawn at National's Stadium.  We camped out on the Outfield.  Eventually more friends joined us. And the opera started.  It got dark.  AND COLD.  The ShallowGal Family left at intermission.  I stayed until the end.  It was a very fun time.

Sunday morning, I woke up, blobbed around, and then headed to SCGB's apartment for brunch with his bf, the German, his hot baby mama, and their baby.  SCGB made awesome food.  I had many mimosas.  I got home around 3.

Then, T (who I had a date with a week ago Friday) came over.  We chatted ... and may (or may not) have done a few other naughty things.

He left.  Tomokito and (Not a Baby) Baby Hana came down for a short visit.  They left.  I ate dinner.  Then, I ironed.

And, I think my iron died.  Total.  Sadness. Or maybe it's just resting ...

And, that was my weekend.  Good times, no?

*smooches*

Weekend Update: Exam Prep Edition

Good Evening, Kittens!

And, suddenly, it is Monday again.  How the heck does that keep happening?  Oh, well ... I am back to fill you in on all the fun and excitement of my weekend ...

On Friday, after work, I had a date.  With someone new.  Let's call him "T" ... We went to El Chucho in Columbia Heights.  They have delicious margaritas.  He doesn't drink.  I had two.  They also make tacos and other foods ... which were pretty good.  He is also vegetarian. That is nice.  Dating vegetarians is easier than dating Omnivores.  I'm sorry.  But, it is.  He drove me home.  We kissed good night.  Good times.

On Saturday, I woke up (eventually) and went to the Whole Foods.  And, then, I went to the Likker Store.  But it wasn't open yet.  So, I stopped by Marshall's.  Where I found a pair of Lucky Jeans.  In my size.  For only $35.  I bought them.

Then, I went back to the Likker Store.  And I bought beer, Shocktop Pumpkin Ale (or something like that).

And, then, I studied.  All morning and afternoon. Study Study Study Study Study.

Plus some studying.

That evening.  I made Oprah's Pumpkin Vegetarian Chili. Because, I had invited two of my vegetarian/vegan neighbors over for dinner (as a study break).  They brought spinach salad.  And vegan brownies (which we ate with Cookie Butter and Almond Milk Ice "Cream"). 

On Sunday, I ran 6.5 miles (or so).  And then I studied.  Study Study Study Study Study. Study.

With some more studying.

And maybe a cocktail.

Around 4:30, Tomokito and (No Longer a Baby) Baby Hana came down for a study break. With more cocktails (except for Hana.  No cocktails for her!).

They left.  I ate dinner.  And studied some more.  Study Study Study.

And, then, I got tired of studying.

So, I read a book.  Read Read Read. 

And, then, I went to bed.

TODAY, I got up and went to the Testing Center.

And, I took the LEED Green Associate Exam.

And, well, I totally kicked its ass and made it beg for mercy.  Oh, yeah.  The LEED GA is my bitch now.

HUZZAH!

So, now, I can forget everything I learned, have a cocktail, eat leftover pumpkin chili, and go to pottery class.

*smooches*

Weekend Update: Randomness Edition

Good Evening, Kittens!

What a fun weekend had I!  On Friday, after attending a fun environmental/green building symposium, I met SCGB, Bobby, Tomokito, and Eric from Baltimore at Nellie's for happy hour.  and, then, we went to a really yummy (but, probably over-priced) Thai restaurant for dinner.

And, then, I staggered home.  Yay!

On Saturday, kind of overhung.  BUT, my co-worker, Dana, and I went to this local eco-design business (which we had learned about at the aforementioned symposium).  She was looking at backsplashes, and I am thinking of having them design/build my new kitchen.  Yay for new kitchens!

Then, I walked up to the Whole Foods, shopped, and had lunch at Adega.  Yum.  Once home, I made a metric shit-ton of hot sauce (using chili peppers from our CSA).



For dinner, I made corn on the cob and green bean in a walnut miso sauce.  YUM!

Saturday night, I watched "The Bubble," an Israeli film about a Palestinian/Jewish gay couple.  Let's just say it ends badly.  Of course, most gay flicks end badly.  How come the only Happily Ever After for gay people in cinema is death?

On Sunday, I did a lot of cleaning type stuff.  After a full morning of work, my living room and coat closet are clean(ish) and organized.  That is a good thing.  That afternoon, Tomokito and I walked up to our local Pacers to buy new running shoes ... but it was closed!  GAH!  So, we went to Adega and drank a bottle of wine.  YAY!

And, today, which I also had off (yay!), I did lots of errandychore things.  I went to the Trader Joe's.  And I ironed.  And I -finally- bought my new running shoes.  And I took a nap.  And I washed dishes.  And I put a cute little plant on our front stoop. And I started a vanilla bean vodka infusion.  And I did a little bit more tidying up.  And I am still not done tidying up ...



And, I guess that's about it.  Pottery class starts back tonight.  Yay!

Hope you had a fun weekend!  *smooches*

And I Could Walk 5000 Steps

Good Evening, Kittens!

This week at work, I've been participating in some sort of Walking contest sponsored by the Occupational Health and Safety Office.  I got a pedometer and have been wearing it from 9 to 5 as I go about my daily bidness.

The annoying thing is that I start work at 7:30.  BUT, I guess they want to make the contest fair-ish.

Fair or not, I am still losing.

On Monday, I walked 5,661 steps ... about 2.5 miles, maybe?  That night, I found out that K also has a pedometer.  So, we decided to have a little contest on our own (Tues-Thurs, b/c he's going out of town for the weekend).  The loser would become the Personal Sex Slave of the winner for ALL TIME!*

On Tuesday, I walked 7,740 steps.  K did not walk that many.

On Wednesday, I walked 13,401 steps. K did not walk that many either.

I also did laundry.  And, then, when I went to cook dinner, I sliced open a delicata squash from our CSA.  and the seeds were all rotted and gross.  I spent the next 15 minutes calling people I know to see if they knew if the flesh was still edible.  No one answered their phones. WTF?  Srsly.  It was a crisis!  And, no one answered their phones.  Eventually, a friend of mine -who is a chef- did answer.  and, he said, "Throw that bitch out."**

So I did.

I also learned who to call in a Crisis Situation.  Thank gawd I didn't need to be driven to the hospital or anything.

And, today, I walked 10,406 steps.  K did not. I AM THE WINNER***!!!  YAY ME!!! 

Tomorrow, I am going to a symposium on DC green buildings.  SCGB will be there.  We are going to have lunch.  And, in the evening, I am having Happy Hour at the Nellie's with Eric from Baltimore, Tomokito, and many, many others.

And, I have no plans for the rest of the weekend.  I am going to clean my house.  And run.  And grocery shop.  And -maybe- work on my (stalled) kitchen remodeling project.

Good times, Sweet Kittens.  Good.  Times.

*smooches*

*OK.  This may not be entirely true.
**OK.  He may not have said those exact words.
***The actual prize is dinner.

Weekend Update: Ann Arbor Edition

Good Evening, Kittens!

First off, my horrible week at work filled with much stress and dread turned out to be not so horrible after all.  I am still proceeding with caution, but I think the worst might be over.  YAY!  Still.  I need new jerbz.  Must get out of the craziness soon.

On Friday, I left work after lunch to head to Ann Arbor, MI.  My co-worker drove me to Greenbelt Metro, so I could catch the express bus to BWI.  I got to the airport super early.  I had time for a couple of glasses of wine before boarding.  Yay!

Once I arrived in Detroit, my superfantastic cuzin had arranged for a car service to drive me to her house.  Yay!  Easy!  Convenient!  Comfortable!

We quickly ate some Chinese take-out.  I freshened up.  And, then, we all worked our way over to GayProf's BF's house for GP's Tenure Party!  Yay for Tenure!  The party was full of boozy good times!  And lots of delicious food!  And -OMG!- SuperBoozy, yet Extremely Delicious, Bourbon Champagne Punch.  After three cups, I was three sheets to the wind.  I'm not 100% sure what time we left, but I don't think I got to bed until around 2:30AM.  Ughz.

Saturday morning?  Very.  Over.  Hung. Brain was soooooo fuzzy.  We were all pretty useless on Saturday, but we did manage to drag ourselves out of the house for brunch/lunch and a little shopping in Downtown A2.  SFC's Hubby bought a game, which we played.   I can't remember what it was called.  Something Haunted House Something?  Maybe?  It was pretty fun.  Except the part where SFC killed her Hubby and the Poltergeist killed me.  That sucked.

AND, then, we went over to GayProf's house for dinner.  His BF was too overhung to attend (boo!).  But, we had Manhattans.  and then dinner (salad, brussels sprouts, and spicy mac 'n' cheese).  And, then, there was SuperTasty Pecan Pie for dessert.  Followed by After Dinner Drinks and fun conversation with the GP!

This morning, there was much blobbing around the house and conversation with the Cuzin.  And, then, we had lunch and a drive to the airport.

So sad to leave the SuperFantasic Cuzin.  *sigh*

On the plus side, I was able to arrange a ride from BWI to home.  This guy who I met on the Grindr and with whom I have been playing Words With Friends agreed to pick me up.  He was very nice (and also cute).  6'4".  PhD in Civil Engineering. Originally from Sierra Leone.  Once home, he came in for a little while.  Which was also fun *wink wink* ...

And, then, I ironed shirts for the week, made dinner, and -soon- I will be heading to bed.

Hope your weekend was also SuperFun!
*smooches*

Week Update: There and Back Again Edition

Good Evening, Kittens. 

It's been awhile since my last post, so we have quite a lot of ground to cover.  I'm going to skip the Giant Cesspool of Crap which is my job and focus on the Fun Stuff.

On Wednesday, after work, I headed over to K's condo for an Adult Sleepover.  He made caipirinhas (I am not sure I spelled that correctly ...).  I brought over most of my CSA vegetables, because I would have no opportunity to use them.  And, then, to use one of Mush's favorite phrases, he fucked me through the bed.  It was quite lovely.  And, luckily, my back seemed to hold up ok.  It was a little twingy the next day, but not too bad.

Thursday evening, I did laundry and packed for my trip to New York City!  The Very Large Apple!  Yay!

My train was super early (6:30AM).  On the plus side, it meant I got to Uni-Qlo right when it opened.  No lines!  No crowds!  It was a beautiful shopping experience, except I had trouble finding somethings in my size.  That was a minor problem, because I still came away with all this:

Cute Short Sleeve Light Purple Polo not shown (b/c I wore it Friday night)

After shopping 'til I dropped, I headed over to Jake's.  On the way, I stopped at Enid's for lunch - fried green tomato BLT (hold the B) and cocktails!



Jake and I blobbed around until we left to meet David at this cute little vegetarian restaurant, Soy and Sake.  Very tasty.  We had the "chicken" satay and "ham" and collards spring rolls for appetizers.  And, then, I had the "lamb" curry.  Nomz.

After dinner, we walked over to the river.  And, then, had gelato.

Please note the cute polo

The next morning, Jake and I got up at 7 and went for a run.  Well, I went for a run.  Jake rode his bike. 4.5 miles.  Not too shabby.  We got back.  Got cleaned up.  Lounged a bit.  And then had brunch at Lokal.

Honestly, I had solid food, too.

Then, I blobbed on Jake's sofa and watched a Dr. Who Marathon.  For, like, ALL DAY.  We eventually went to dinner at this really yummy Mexican place that had delicious infused tequila margaritas.  I had cucumber marg with jalapeno-infused tequila.  And a grapefruit marg with habenero infused tequila.  The food was also good.

Once home, we watched the Dr. Who season premiere.  How very exciting.

On Sunday, we slept in a bit later.  No running!  And, then, had brunch at a little Korean-y place in Greenpoint.  Their house bloody mary had kimchi in it.  Yum.  And the food was tasty too.

That afternoon, Jake went out to hang out with his mom.  I blobbed on the sofa, and then headed to Queens (!) to hang out with my friend, Minn, and his hubby.  Minn is heading to Luxembourg in a few weeks for a year (possibly longer) grad school program.



And this is the view from the roof of their apartment building ...

This might be Manhattan?

We had drinks and food at some Eurotrash restaurant in Astoria.  And then more drinks back at their place.  Good times!

On Monday, we slept in.  Yay!  And, then, went out for bagels and coffee.  Then, I headed into Manhattan.  I needed to pick up my pants from Uni-Qlo (free hemming!).  And, then, I met SuperCute Enrico at a bar in Penn Station for a quick minute as he caught a train and I was waiting for mine.  And, then, David joined us.  Yay!

And, suddenly, it was time to board my train back to the DeeCee.  I love taking the train!  BUT, passing through Philly always makes me sad.  I want to disembark, eat Capagiro gelato, and have boozy good times with Bossy and Lora.  And I want to eventually meet (Soon to Be Famous Author) Nicole.  And to hang out with V.



But, sometimes, when GAWD shuts a door, s/he opens a motherfucking window ...

This was my view for a good portion of the trip

And, I finally arrived in DC.  Metro'ed home.  Ate dinner.  Went to bed.  The End.

(A few more pix on the flickr.  I haven't had time to title/tag/whatever them yet, though).

Hope you had an enjoyable Labor Day Weekend! 
*smooches*