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

(And, no, this doesn't have anything to do with the Pope) Today, BOSSY wrote a fun little post about evidence that the polar ice caps are melting. The comments have been quite interesting. I suggested, in the comments, that, if people were interested in learning more about the science of climate change, they might want to read The Weather Makers: How Man is Changing the Climate and What It Means for Life on Earth by (respected scientist) Tim Flannery. In the very next comment, someone countered by saying that people should read State of Fear, the well-researched (*cough*) and fictional story about the Global Climate Change Conspiracy by (respected science fiction author and creator of ER ) Michael Crichton. Seriously, people, if you are basing your entire thought process about a significant global event on a work of fiction (and I'm looking at you Sen. Inhofe), then you may want to .. um ... I dunno, broaden your horizons a bit? I'd like to think that having a Master...

In case you missed the lunar eclipse last night, here's a photo taken with my digicam ... It's towards the end of the eclipse, which, btw, was pretty cool. I hope you caught it. The PR4 Reunion Show was a lot of fun. Big laughs. Good times. No one got drunk and sloppy though. Darn. In other news, after much consideration, I have decided that, in addition to the 10 % Refund Challenge , I will have a separate contest for you poor schlubs who have to pay the Tax Man. I mean, after writing a big ol' check to the guvmint, you should have something to show for it, right? Well, you'll get to show everybody your name ... over there --> AND, you'll be entered into a drawing for a FABULOUS (tbd) PRIZE! woo hoo! Good luck, Refundless Masses. Sucks to be you. I guess that's it for now ... more later. *smooches*

I watched Hairspray (the musical) last night. Loved it. It was too much fun. Although, I do have to say that I don't quite understand all the John Travolta love. He was *meh* at best. Everyone else was amazing though. John Travolta, you are the weakest link. Good-bye. I also started reading The Botany of Desire , and, while my initial impressions are good, one thing is driving me crazy: There are no footnotes. Maybe I'm reading the book too critically, but when I get to a sentence that states something like there were no honeybees in the United States prior to the 1800s (or whenever), I really want to know the author's source. He could have included endnotes (I admit I didn't look), but I hate endnotes. All that flipping back and forth is annoying. Is it asking too much for authors of mainstream/popular science writing to include footnotes? Gah. Now, it's time to get political (gack!). Maryland's primary is coming up next Tuesday, and I have been semi-seriousl...

Some of you may remember the Summer VUBOQ-Gazing Chart . Now, submitted for your Autumn VUBOQ-Gazing Pleasure: Scary, huh?

Submitted for your VUBOQ-gazing pleasure: Purple dots indicate zits which can be seen with the unaided eye. White dots are unseen, but astro-dermatological science indicates their presence. Don't even ask about the Crabby Nebula .

It's kind of funny that I should read this article today: Spider Web Engulfs Texas Park Trail . Yesterday, I started thinking about my current career trajectory [straight into the toilet*]. My contract ends in March [the Best Month of the Year]. More than likely it will be renewed, or the company which wins the new contract will transition our staff. The thing is I don't want to be renewed or transitioned. I am tired of my job. It is not leading me down a path I like ... or want. As one of my co-workers said the other day, "What kind of career is this? I mean, you have doctors and lawyers and public health workers, but what are we?" I have been casually looking for other jobs. However, most of the jobs in which I'm interested or feel qualified offer salary ranges $10-12K less than what I'm making now. I can't afford that kind of pay cut. [Note to parents: Talk your socially responsible kids out of a "career" in environmental policy/activi...

Mount St. Helens VolcanoCam is now in HIGH DEFINITION. Check. It. Out. So excited I could vomit! (or is that the exceedingly yucky Whole Foods 365 Brand Cheese Curls which I can't stop eating even though I don't like them all that much?)

Last night was an adventure in martini-drinking, leftover Chinese and comedy DVDs. Woo hoo! I feel better and that I have appropriately mourned the Passing of the Pup. Meanwhile, in more hopeful news, I haves the "date" tonight. Actually, it is more like the "getting to know you" than the "date." Sort of a "you were witty and fun in electronic format let's see if it translates to real life in an easily accessible way" kind of thing. We'll see how it goes. He suggested we strike while the iron is hot, while I, personally, prefer to iron while the iron is hot, because striking doesn't get rid of all the wrinkles quite as effectively. We are meeting after work. Should be fun. During my break today, I'm heading over to the Borders. I have $30 in "Reward Certificates" to spend. Woo hoo! Free Books Rock My Socks! Also, Tornwordo had a post about how the loss of bees would cause the downfall of civilization ... whic...

As I walked to work this morning, J-Pop blaring from my iShuffle, I thought, "I feel extra-cute today." I'm not sure why. I'm not wearing new clothes. I didn't bother doing anything special with my hair. The weather is all gray and dreary. Nevertheless, it's a Cute Day . And you know how we love those :-) It's all about the attitude, kittens. I hope you are feeling extra-cute today, too! Because you are. *smooch* I made ice last night. And, as some of you may recall, sometimes my ice cubes form these weird ice spikes. It happened again last night. In one tray, two cubes have over an inch long frozen spikes sprouting from them. I haven't figured out how to take a decent picture of the phenomenon, but will work on it this evening. Stay tuned! Meat-Free Monday Report : I made a simple Chinese stir-fry like thing with assorted mushrooms, green squash, and tofu in a soy /Chinese chili and garlic paste sauce like thing. Served with rice. It was y...

Here is a valuable lesson, learned recently by yours truly: If you do not water your plants, they will die. Unless, of course, they are cacti. But, I think, they will still die if you neglect them for a long, long time. Tiny little Chia Herb Gardens do not need a long, long time of neglect. They only require 3 days to expire -specifically March 18-20. And, watering the tiny little Chia Herb Garden a lot when you return from your fantastic birthday holiday in Ann Arbor will not cause them to miraculously revive. Facts of life, kittens. Birth. Death. It's all there. On my window sill. Still. Actually, the sweet basil is mostly ok. And I have one or two surviving sprigs of dill and cilantro. However, let's have a moment of silence for sweet Sweet Marjoram. Dry, crispy sweet marjoram. *sigh* Something less heavy later on. *smooches*

This afternoon, I made ice. Later, when I opened the freezer, several of the ice cubes looked like the one pictured. Can anyone explain how that happened? [and if the picture makes no sense, the ice cubes had these little frozen peaks. totally weird]

It's snowing. The weird thing about watching snow fall is this: If you focus far away, it looks like it is casually slowly drifting downwards. However, if you focus closer to you, it looks like it is pouring down in sleety sheets. Anyone care to explain that? This is the view from my cubicle window:

So, I was at the Upstairs Neighbor's apartment last night (Hi, Upstairs Neighbor *waves*). She invited me to join her and some friends for knitting and conversation. It was fun. I worked on my knitten. I'm almost finished with the thumb gusset. *heh* "gusset" is a weird word. I left around 10. pab said he would call last night, but didn't. I called once I got back to my apartment. He didn't answer. I left a message saying I'd be heading to bed around 10:30. Maybe he wasn't free until after that point. It's not like him to 1) not do what he says and b) not call at all. Weird. I hope everything is ok. I might give him a bell during my lunch break today. And -amazingly- I have no plans for tonight (yet). I might email Jerry to see if he is free for happy hour. Or, I might go home straight after work and watch Season 1 of Extras . It is cold outside. And windy. So not conducive to me wanting to venture forth into the big city. I wi...