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

Good Evening, Kittens.  As I sit here waiting for Sandy, I thought I'd take a few minutes to update you on my week and weekend. The week was SuperCrazyBusyInsane!  I had a major deadline on Friday plus an event for Energy Action Month on the same day.  I spent most of the week trying to get all of that done.  GAH!  Fortunately, the event was a success (yay!) and I managed to get all of my reports and databases turned in on time (double yay!). After work on Friday, I was in a celebratory mood, so I came home, put on my pajamas, and made a martini.  As I was settling in for a long night of sofa-blobbing.  My friend, V, texted, "are we still going out tonight?" ... D'oh!  I had totally forgotten about that.  Oops.  SO, I put on real clothes.  He picked me up.  We had a quick dinner in Downtown Silver Spring, and, then, we went to the Green Lantern.  We left around midnight.  It was boozy good times. I may (or m...

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 Afternoon, Kittens. The weekend update will be a bit short this afternoon, because (a) I already blogged about the 7th Annual BYOP Pumpkin Carving Party here and (2) David blogged about it here . And that's pretty much all I did this weekend ... Except for a quick trip to the pottery studio where I picked up some finished pieces: Additional photos here . My flickr pro account expires today. *sigh* Updated to Note : Many extra special hugs and smooches to the Wonderful Blog Reader who gave me the gift of another year of flickr pro. *HUGS* *SMOOCHES*

And I didn't get to bed 'til 4:30. I am tired, kittens. Here are a few pix: The Ice Ring: Famous Bloggers in an INTENSE Carving Debate: Pretty Ladies: SCGB and the German Roommate: Mike made CAKE: I cut the CAKE: Yet another Famous Blogger: And, the rest of the photos are here ! Enjoy!

Good Morning, Kittens. I had a bit of a late start this morning, because (at some point in the night) the power went out (and came back on). Thus, I awoke to the blinky alarm clock. "No wonder I feel so well-rested," I thought, before realizing, "OMG! 2 HOURS BEHIND SCHEDULE! MOVE, DAMMIT! MOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOVE!!!!" Welcome to my World. Anywayz........ Here is what needs to be accomplished today: 1. Finish making the SuperFantabulous Ice Ring for the Punch 2. Clean the Kitchen 3. Clean the Bedrooms 4. Clean the Bathroom 5. Clean the Living Room 6. Arrange Living Room in a manner which will maximize Pumpkin Carving Fun 7. Prepare and set out munchies and beverages in visually appealing manner 8. Have a SuperFun 7th Annual BYOP Pumpkin Carving Party!!! The photos in this post (which I just found) were from the FIRST Annual BYOP Pumpkin Carving Party. Crazy! Here are the pix from last year's BYOP . Tomorrow I will try to put up pix from this year's Social Eve...

Good Morning, Kittens! Except it's really still Thursday night, but I have realized that OMG! BYOP Pumpkin Carving Party is in less than 2 days! and GAH! Hostess Panic! So I am writing this post now. And "scheduling" it to publish tomorrow morning! Behold! The Wonders of Technology. It's an amazing thing. Soon, I'm pretty sure I won't even have to type. Blogger will just post things for me. Easy! Peasy! Anyway ... Thursdays exciting events were ... 1. Writing DC AIDS Walk donor thank you email (did you get yours? Hope so!) 2. Searching for jobs (because, like, I have to apply to 2 jobs per week for my unemployment benefits, and how many have I applied for so far this week? Hm ... the answer you are searching for would be NONE!). 3. An exciting shopping trip to Trader Joe's and Target with the wonderful (and car-owning) Clio Bluestocking ! in which we discussed the merits of the Entertainment Diet and solved the entire economic crisis in just a few hours. A...

Good Morning, Kittens. Yesterday seems like it was a bit of a bust. All I managed to do for the job hunt was to send a thank you email. Pottery class wasn't much better. As I was moving a vase to a table to check to see if it had dried enough to trim, I tripped on a chair leg. I now have a fun little bruise on my hand and my round vase is oval. *sigh* My large urn-like things were still not ready to trim, so instead I glazed 3 mugs and the final cannister from last session. I used mustard and Michigan brown. I am really liking that color combination. I hope they turn out well. I still had some time so I threw a small casserole dish. I didn't have time to throw the lid though. I will work on that sometime this week. Today I have some errands to run: bank, likker store, grocery store. I need to find some jobs to apply to. And I really need to start cleaning because ... It's almost time for the Social Event of the Season: The 7th Annual BYOP Pumpkin Carving Party! Huzzah! Ha...

And, I swear, this is the last you'll hear of the BYOP until 2008. Promise. I got home from work around 5:30, and, knowing that I had at least two hours before the guests starting arriving, I took my time getting ready. I warmed up a bowl of chili for myself. I made a cocktail. I casually arranged plates and cups and napkins and tableware. I checked the time - 6:15. "Excellent," I thought to myself, "I have plenty of time before I need to start putting out food." I pushed the swiffer lazily around the living room again. At 6:30, my phone rang. "Hi, it's Mike," Mike said. I thought to myself, "I wonder how late they're going to be?" "We're here," he continued. "You're joking ," I responded. *click* The phone cut off. He must be joking, and I waited for him to call back to tell me so. Then, I looked out my window, and there they were! ACK! An hour early! ACK! PANIC! I knew they'd be hungry so I cranked u...

I'm *still* too tired/overhung to give you a full accounting of the festivities, so here are couple of pictures: The Decorations The Beverages The Spread The Carving Stay tuned for more details (possibly Sunday evening or Monday afternoon).

[and not a post about my 6th Annual BYOP Pumpkin Carving Party and how I'm getting stressed out that no one will come because it's cold and rainy, either. *ahem*] I've come across two fun blogs recently. Check them out: Technically Lost's Lost in Thought and Java Jones's My Life, or Something Like It Go. Read them now. Ok, not right now, but, like, after you finish reading my blog. Eventually, I'll be adding these two lovely ladies to the List of Blogoliciousness . WaPo has a fun article about Pumpkin Carving today. You can check that out here . Who loves ya, baby? VUBOQ, that's who!

Are you sick of me rambling about the 6th Annual BYOP Pumpkin Carving Party yet? Too bad! I swear, this will be the next-to-last entry. Or the next-to-next-to-last entry. What's the word that means that? Penultimate? Excuse me, while I go consult with Merriam. It would seem that penultimate means "next to last." Is there a word that means the one before that? Anyone? Anyone? Bueller? So, last night I was Super Busy. I made syrup. I made chili. I cleaned. I organized. I arranged (and rearranged. and rearranged again.). I put together an iTunes Party Playlist. I vaccuumed the friggin' sofa, for Pete's Sake (the things I do for my friends with cat allergies)! I decided not to make the punch, because I didn't think there would be room in the fridge for it. I will make it this evening. Today, I'm going to pick up a 6-pack of beer, a bottle of white wine, and a bag of pretzels. Hopefully, there will be enough food. If not, the kittens wil...

OMG! I'm back from the Whole Foods (strike that off the list ... except I forgot to buy pretzels. I will have to pick those up tomorrow). And, can I just tell you how much I love the olive bar and the cheese section? I love it so much that I can't even remember what I bought. I know this: From the olive bar : kalamata olives(!), mexican olives(!), olives with cinnamon and cardamon(!), and baby gherkins/cocktail pickles/whatever they're called (!). From the cheese section : gorgonzola(!), applewood smoked gouda(!), something that begins with a W and has cranberries in it, and something else that I've completely forgotten, but I know I bought 4 different cheeses. And, I totally splurged on those yummy Spanish almond things. I can't remember what they're called either. I needed an olive bar/cheese section intervention. Do you think that's enough olives and cheese (and nuts! and pickles!) for a party of between 15-20 people? Or should I get more? [ Edited to not...

Today: Buy final items at Whole Foods . Make simple syrup . Make chili . Clean kitchen , bath , living room , and spare room . Determine final food/drink/carving set up. Arrange furniture . Again . Make punch (sans club soda). [No room in fridge. Will have to do tomorrow.] Take out compost and trash . Make special ice cubes . Make iTunes Party Playlist. Find tablecloth . Tomorrow: Buy "forgotten items" at Whole Foods. Buy "just in case" beer and wine? Top clean. Reheat chili. Set out food and drinks. Organize carving area. Have pre-party cocktail and bowl of chili. PANIC!!!! Relax. Have good time. In other news ... The SuperFantastic Cuzin's surgery went off without a hitch. Yay! Thanks for sending good thoughts. Also, over the weekend, the SuperFantastic Cuzin's little brother (also my cuzin) became a DADDY! And, I became a SuperFantastic First Cuzin Once Removed. Welcome to the world, Cooper [It's my grandmother's maiden name, btw]. I'm think...

As I put the cans And bottles And boxes In the cupboard, I feel his hands around my neck Like a lover Caressing, stroking. Soft. As I line up the liquor bottles By height And move the furniture one more time, I feel his grip around my heart. Bony fingers tightening With each passing hour. I make my lists And plan and organize And he's beside me Watching. I sweep and clean. And tidy and straighen. And he is there. Waiting. For his moment, For me to form his question: What if no one comes?

I braved the continuing rain (which, I suppose, is good for the drought and the slugs eating my chrysanthemums, but bad for my leaking shoes and wet socks) to visit the likker store, which, as luck would have it, is right next door to my office. It's practically the only thing I like about my job. Does proximity to a big likker store count as a perk? I picked up a couple of bottles of wine for the party. Then, I remembered I was out of sweet vermouth. Then, I thought, "I have sweet vermouth, what if people at the party want to make Manhattans? I don't want them drinking my good bourbon!" [Ha. I kid, People Who are Attending My Party. OK. I'm not kidding. Keep your clammy little hands off my good bourbon.] So, I purchased a still good, but not quite as good, bourbon for them (and me!) ... if they (and I!) want to drink Manhattans. If they (and I!) don't, there will be other booze options. I might have a Manhattan tonight though. Mmmm. Manhattan. Aft...

At the start of my break, the sun started peeping through the blanket of gray clouds, so I packed up my troubles and headed to Safeway. Halfway there, it started raining again. GAH! Umbrella-less, I continued on my journey ... where I found: Pumpkin Carving Kits - 60% OFF! suh-WEET! And, CANDY CORNS! OMGWTFBBQPONIEZ! I LOVE CANDY CORNS. I bought 3 bags. One for the party, and two for very special friends overseas. The BYOP is FAST APPROACHING!!! Can you feel the excitement? CAN YOU?!?! I had a funny story to relate next, but the yarn I ordered last week arrived and I've forgotten the story. Maybe it'll come back to me in a minute ... It did! Another reason to be excited about the BYOP, besides the aforementioned Carving Kits and Candy Corns, is this party will be the debut of the Made in NC blue pottery chip-and-dip bowl, which my parents bought for my birthday. After showing it to Y last week, along with the matching big plate/bowl thing and relish tray (both previous gifts ...

Whatever shall we do? I know! Let's all be late to work. And, thus, I'm the only one here. *sigh* Has anything gone right this morning? Slugs are eating my chrysanthemums.* My shoes are leaking. My socks are wet. Every. single. one. of. my. coworkers. is. late. On the bright side , last night, I hung up some of the Mexican banners and they look FAN-forkin'-TASTIC! YAY! Also, it would seem that one of the chili pepper plants in the Chili Pepper Graveyard has survived and is bearing fruit. *woot* AND, on my way out this morning (before I discovered I am wearing leaky shoes), I met SCGB. SCGB : I'm looking forward to the party. ME : Have you bought your pumpkins? SCGB : Yeah, we have two small ones, but I think we should buy a big one. ME : Size does matter. SCGB : It's not the size of the pumpkin. It's how you carve it. ME : Only people with small pumpkins say that. hearty laughter ** Plans for today: Bank. Shopping at Safeway***. Laundry. Cleaning. Waiting for t...

The one good thing about having sleepovers at Y's after pottery class is that I get to see the sunrise. This morning, the sun painted the clouds flame red . It was stunning. I'll post photos this evening. Pottery class was good. I trimmed the two vases I made last week . Then, I made another slightly larger vase [Photo to be posted later]. What the hell am I going to do with all these vases? ( Christmas Presents !) Next week, we start glazing, which should be fun. After pottery class, I went over to Y's. I made a big salad for dinner. Then, we looked at the photos from our trip. I took a shower and went to bed. Fun times. One of my co-workers went to Mexico over the weekend. She brought me some really great Day of the Dead streamer/banner/things (kind of like this , but different) to decorate my house for the 6th Annual BYOP Pumpkin Carving Party . So Excited! I still have a LOT of party prep to do. Today, I'll go to the grocery store to buy the ingr...

I almost left my camera at home this morning, but at the last minute I shoved it into my bag. I was running a little late, so I almost took the bus to work ... except there was no bus in sight. I decided to walk. And, it's a good thing I did! Because, as I was walking past the athletic field near my house, there, on the sidewalk, crumpled up, looking sad and alone, was a single, black, sock. Photo will be posted tonight or tomorrow. Stay tuned. Meanwhile, last night was Super Fantastic Fun ! I strained the cranberries and apples out of the vodka. It's not overly flavorful, but I think it will add a nice *punch* to the punch. Then, I tried to make applesauce using those cranberries and apples (plus butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, and some water). Dismal. Failure. It's in my fridge and I'm trying to decide what I can do to rescue it. Then, I prepared the SuperSecret Suprise Infused Vodka ! So Excited! I hope it turns out yummy. Around 8, DUN came down for knitting and ...