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

Good Afternoon, Kittens! As you may have heard, I am currently in contractual flux with my job. As of Monday, I am on Leave Without Pay until (possibly) April 16th. WFT? My company is going to try to throw me a couple hours here and there, but still. Leave. Without Pay. GAH! Fortunately, I have my tax refund and my end of year work bonus to tide me over during these Dark Times. So, I have been spending my days (well, day and a half, so far), blobbing on the sofa, taking naps, and drinking myself into a slobbering sobbing drunken mess. More productively, I have also planted lettuce and carrots (pictured) in my little garden plot. I went to pottery class ... and I plan to go to pottery studio a couple of times this week. I will also be updating my resume and doing a little job hunting. Good times. Yesterday, my college friend, Karalee, and I went to see "The Hunger Games." Both of us have read the book. And, while we enjoyed the movie, felt that it did not quite live ...

Good Morning, Kittens. If you're friends with me on facebook, you may have already seen this, but I'm going to share it again anyway. Yesterday, after working (nearly) a full day (!) and deciding to walk home from the metro station (mistake!), this is what I saw (or didn't see, actually): Where have all the sunflowers gone? Apparently, our yardguy got a little carried away and -in addition to trimming all our hedges (which look very nice now)- he mistook my over 6-foot tall just-starting-to-bud sunflower plants as some sort of vicious weed. A vicious weed that had been planted from seed in a very, neat (well, neat-ish) line and carefully tended to (well, sort of carefully tended to) all Summer long. Needless to say, I was very upset. I was really looking forward to seeing them bloom. I had almost given up hope that they would, but a few days ago, I noticed they were starting to bud. Well, as they say, no use crying over slaughtered sunflowers. At least I got a photo of o...

Good Afternoon, Kittens. It's been a wacky (and slightly unpleasant) day in Vutopia. So, rather than deal with all that (trust me, we will be dealing with it at some point on this blog), here are some photos of my "garden." This looks suspiciously like jalapenos, but I'm almost sure I didn't buy a jalapeno plant ... Maybe I did. OMG! Baby Habeneros! So CUTE! Lemon basil. It is going CRAY-ZEE! Regular basil. It is not going crazy. It is looking kind of sad. Cilantro. I don't even like cilantro all that much. Pretty Yellow Poppy Yellow Cosmos Orangey-Red Cosmos Cosmos. With sunflowers behind them, which *refuse* to bloom. WAAAAH! And, there you have it. Hope you had a fabulous day! *smooches*

Good Afternoon, Kittens. Whew! Busy day today! I've planted chrysanthemums and ironed 10 shirts. I still need to take out the recycling, iron a couple of pairs of pants, and clean clean clean ... and maybe go for a run (although I might put that off until tomorrow). Anyway, good weekend. Friday, I had happy hour at Molly Malones in Eastern Market/Barracks Row. Lots of beer. Maybe a tequila shot. Little food. VUBOQ was a little durnk. Saturday, very. hungover. Lots of blobbing. And a 3.5 mile run. Then, Carolyn came over and we went to dinner at 8407 Kitchen Bar, a new-ish restaurant near Silver Spring Metro Station. It was delicious ... but expensive ... especially when you add in cocktails, a couple of glasses of wine, and dessert. After dinner, I went to K-Factor's birthday party at Buddha Bar in DC. It was fun, but the drinks were pricey. And it started to get really crowded. And sometimes really crowded places make me uncomfortable. And the second drink I orde...

Good Sunday Afternoon, Kittens! Hope you are all having a fun holiday weekend. I thought I would take a few moments away from my knitting projects to do a quick little garden post. I have been making pesto like there is no tomorrow ... The sweet basil is on its last legs. The purple and Thai basil are not far behind. I think I'll be making a few more batches of Thai basil pesto tomorrow. The cinnamon basil is still looking great: I wish I could figure out how to use it. And the Thai Dragon Chilies look amazing: Some of these babies are being shipped out on Tuesday. And the Pride of the 2009 Gardening Adventure: Look! I grew an eggplant! Yayz! Finally, a very happy birthday and extra *smooches* to Anne-Marie in Philly! *smooch*

Good Morning, Kittens! VUBOQ's little Field of Basil is doing quite well ... even though it hasn't rained since late June. Cinnamon basil, Thai basil, Purple basil, Bush basil, and Sweet basil They are all looking tasty tasty: And there's also Thai Dragon Chili Peppers: And an Eggplant (which has yet to produce any eggs): And Cosmos for days and days and days ... In other news, pottery class was fun. I made two cylinders which will become mugs. Next week might be difficult because my regular ride is out of town. I'll need to figure something out. As a last resort, the instructor offered to pick me up at the metro station (She's so nice!). I'm off to DC today. Meeting Ray for lunch and, then, if the weather is not too hot/humid, I think I'll go to the zoo for a bit. Say hi to the flamingos. Wander about. Have a great day! *smooches*

Good Morning, Kittens! Happy Friday! A critter is eating my flower garden, chomping on cosmos seedlings like there is no tomorrow. I think it might be a bunneh. Or an elephant. Not sure which. As long as it stays away from the bush basil I transplanted yesterday, I will be happy. I have plenty of cosmos seeds, but only one bush basil. I have been unmotivated this week. I think the job hunt is getting me down. Dooby dooby down. Wah wah wah waaaaaah. It would be nice to hear *something* from at least one of the 6 (or was it 7) government jobs I've applied for this past Spring. Gah. It would also be nice to apply to some jobs this week, which I seem to be unable to do ... even though I've come across several interesting ads. Last night, I dreamed I was stranded in the Philadelphia airport (with my brother!) because a hurricane had closed all the airports in DC. And I was wondering what to do because I didn't know anyone in Philly. But, then, I realized I did! Thr...

Good morning, kittens. Guess who doesn't have to be at work 'til 12:30 today? That's right! ME! YAYZ! So, I be updating from home. Aren't you the luckiest EVAR? So, before I run down my SuperExciting weekend plans ... here are some flower and garden pix: Cosmos (I swore I bought the pink/red seeds. Oh, well): Mystery Flower (perhaps a poppy?): Mystery Flower 2 (purple!): Happy Thai Basil Seedlings (yay!): I am so looking forward to Thai Basil-Infused Vodka! Now that that's done ... my weekend is chock full o' fun and excitement. Tonight, Y returns! YAY! His flight arrives at BWI at 10:20PM. I must pick him up at the airport, which means no happy hour for me. *sigh* If we are not too tired, we are going to head to Baltimore to meet Eric from Baltimore for drinks. Tomorrow, I am hoping to do some work around the house. I also am cat-sitting Fuego. DUN will be racing in the triathlon in Philadelphia. I wanted to go, but the finances and time just weren't the...

Down came the rain and washed the heat and humidity out. Kittens, it is fantabulous today. OMG. When I got to my office building, I almost kept on walking ... but then I remembered the pending unemployment and that I will get reimbursed for any vacation days not taken ... so I came to work. *bleah* Pottery class last night was fun. I finished the two mugs. The slightly crappy vase was not quite ready to trim. And I threw a plate. It was hard. I may try it one more time and, if I don't like it, no more plate-throwing for me! Anyway, class was good messy fun. One of the positive aspects of pending unemployment is that I will be able to go to open studio more often. That will be good. I hate doing things like trimming and attaching handles during class time. In exciting garden news, the Thai Basil seedlings are looking LOVERLY. My wildflowers are blooming. The cosmos are starting to get little buds. The sad Thai Chili Plant still looks sad (and Thai!). The marigolds are starting to bl...

Here are a few photos from my sad attempts at growing things: Chocolate Mint: Thai Chili Peppers (so sad): Wildflowers:

(and, no, "plants" isn't "code" for "anything else") Chocolate Mint Hot and Spicy Oregano Two Types of Chili Peppers (Serrano and Thai) AND, the piece de resistance, the Parsley That Will Not Die That is all. Carry on.

Rather than dwell on my crankiness (I don't think I'll be feeling full strength until I hear from the recruiter, and, then, I'll either be ecstatic or doubly down dooby dooby down wah wah wah waaaaaaaaaaaah), here are the good things that happened this weekend: 1. I made green tea, using my hagiyaki, which, if you don't know, is one of the best pottery styles in Japan ... and my favorite. I own lots and lots of hagiyaki, including a v. expensive tea ceremony bowl. Love my hagiyaki :-) 2. I seamed one sleeve on the Never-Ending Cardigan of Doom. 3. I cast on and knit one band of the Prisoner of Azkaban Harry Potter Scarf, which I promised a friend last year. 4. I weeded and tidied the garden area (with some neighborly help) in front of our building. 5. I planted the chocolate mint in the planter on our porch. 6. I planted the marigold and thai basil seeds in some small containers. If they sprout, I will transplant them into the garden 7. I transplanted the serrano chili ...

Last night, I found myself in front of my refrigerator vermouth in one hand, chilled martini glass in the other, when I remembered, "Alcohol-Free April." D-man. It's going to be a long, long month. How did everyone else do ? Last night for dinner, I made a really weird salad, involving mushroom , onions , and chili peppers sauteed in raspberry vinagrette and then served over mixed greens with warm pita. It wasn't bad , but I won't be making it again. Then, DUN, DUN's bf, and SCGB came down for chocolate tofu pie . It tasted a lot better than it did at Y's party. I don't know exactly why. Perhaps because (1) I knew it wasn't going to be sweet and (b) I wasn't distracted by 60 gabillion other choco-choices. Delicious. My plans for today, beside suffering through work, include buying Sweeney Todd on DVD and attacking Mount Laundry. Srsly. Dirty laundry is overtaking my bedroom. Blame it on weeks of houseguests and only one working w...

Yesterday, Jimbo blogged briefly about buying castor bean and red sorghum seeds for his garden, which got me to thinking about what to do with the tiny strip of land in front of my building (aka. the Chili Pepper Graveyard ). I think the chili peppers did so poorly because they didn't get enough sun. The Graveyard gets strong morning sun, from sunrise until early afternoon. Then, it is plunged into shade. Several people I have spoken with, including the Super Gardener, DUN, suggested I plant flowers rather than veggies there. Thus, during my morning break, I strolled over to Strosnider's and purchased the pictured seeds: Shady Mixture Wildflowers , Bright Light Cosmos , and Petite Marigolds . My concerns now are that there might be too much strong sun for the shade-loving wildflowers and that the marigolds and cosmos like full sun. A portion of the Graveyar d does get mostly full sun (except for late afternoon), so I may plant the cosmos and some of the marigolds there. ...

I went home for lunch. Look flowers! In front of my house. Pretty pretty Spring-like flowers. Blooming. Now. In front of my house. It be Spring! It is warm! There is sunshine and light and happiness and *w00t!* I think these could be crocuses (croci?) or something. There are also tulips and daffodils coming up. Everything's coming up sunshine and daffodils! As a special treat, here is a picture of the Parsley That Will Not Die: If some of you remember, a long long time ago, my parents gave me a Chia Herb Garden (it might have been two Christmases ago?). I planted the parsley in the Fall. So far, it has survived 2 snowfalls and one ice storm. Does anyone know what kills parsley?

As most of you know, I planted chili peppers this year, approximately 16 plants. Only the 4 I put in a planter filled with compost actually produced anything ... and their chilies were (a) tiny and (2) spicy ... which I suppose is a good thing. Those 4 plants are *still* producing. I tired of picking and stringing and drying the damn things, so I haven't harvested anything recently. The other twelve plants, suffering from poor soil and irregular watering (oops. my bad), whithered away to nothing. Thus allowing me to christen my garden the Chili Pepper Graveyard. However, one plant in the graveyard has managed to not die. I'm not sure how. I stopped watering it months ago. It's actually looking quite healthy and has loads of tiny green chilies on it. I'm wondering now if they will redden before it gets too cold. Probably not. Maybe I should pick them green? AND, in other bright Graveyard news, some of the slug-infested chrysanthemums are starting to bloom again. I forgo...

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...

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...

This is a picture of the dishes in my sink. UGH. I hate doing the dishes. They just keep getting dirty . Wash. Dry. Use. Wash. Dry. Use. It's a horrible never-ending cycle und I hates it. Step One: Make room for most important Dish Washing Tool. Can you spot it? Hint: IT'S THE MARTINI!!!! (mmm. marteeeeeeeeeneeeeeeeeeee....) Step Two: Start to wash dishes, but, then, think "Hm. I should put all this food waste into the "compost cup." Then, remember the "compost cup" is full. Prepare to take the "compost cup" out to the compost bin. Step Three: Notice that I'm not wearing pants. Stop to take photo: *sound of camera shutting down* Yep. The camera batteries, even though they were charged this morning, died. So, these are the photos YOU missed: ~Pantsless VUBOQ ~Mr. VUBOQ's Neighborhood's Compost Bin (possibly a good thing there are no photos of this) ~VUBOQ watering his plants with the water used to clean out the "compost cup...

Morning, Rays of Sunshine! Everyone so happy to be back at work? *woot* I know I am!! *cough* *gag* *keels over* I blogged over the weekend ... so not much to add. I may think of some stuff later. Y's deadline is today. He's meeting with his advisor this afternoon. Cross your fingers that it goes well. And cross your fingers that VUBOQ will finally get some red hot luvin' . I can only be so patient. I think I'm going to go buy some new running shoes today. As you know, one of my Goals for September is to start running again. *geh* One goal has already been met! *woot* I planted 5 chrysanthemums over the weekend, three golden/bronze and 2 maroon. Only later did I realize that there's a little Gryffindor theme going on [Or Elon . Go Phighting Phoenixes!] ... I should take a photo. Maybe once they are all in full bloom. The Chili Pepper Plant Graveyard will soon look bright and cheery. If you've read the His Dark Materials trilogy, you'll know all about daem...