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

Lookee what I got! It's yarn! Made from recycled saris! My friend in London sent it to me. So colorful! So pretty! The only question, now, is what to make? Any ideas? What would you make? Here's another picture: *smooches* PS. Don't forget to participate in the Great End of August Pottery Giveaway !

Well, kittens, the contest has ended. And the competition was FIERCE! VUBOQ has narrowed down the gigantic piles of entries to the Top 2 Posts* and, now, you get to decide the winner!** First, go read the Top 2 Posts: Ellen and Shallow Gal . Then, come back here and vote for your favorite! The poll will close tomorrow morning, so do it now. Don't delay! It's the Battle of the Beltway Babes! Who will be victorious? PS. If the poll isn't showing up. Cast your vote in the comments below. kthxbai. *OK. There were only 2 posts. Whatever. **Don't you feel special?

Once upon a time there lived a boy who loved taking pictures of himself. His name was Narcissus GayProf Vuboq. Sometimes he used these pictures for his blog profiles. One day, many months ago*, someone -who shall remain nameless**- commented on the frequent changing of said profile pictures***. Which has inspired the following Opinion Poll... What say you, kittens? *VUBOQ knows how to hold a grudge. **but it starts with a B and rhymes with " ROSSY " ***VUBOQ can't find the comment**** now, but he's certain it was funny (as almost everything ROSSY writes tends to be). ****FOUND IT: "PS who changes their About photo more than you?" on I am Cheap .

Another fun poll! [There are 5 choices. You may need to scroll to see all of them.] Meanwhile, I was going to blog about what people should do with their stimulus checks *. I may save that for another day ... Now, take the poll. And tell me why you chose what you chose in the comments. *Here's a suggestion: Send them to soon-to-be-unemployed VUBOQs

Hi, kittens. One of my good friends, Steve (of Steveandbobby fame), recently became a US Citizen. This coming Saturday, I will be attending a party to celebrate his Americanosity. I, of course, will be wearing my Star-Spangled Satin Tights. Anyway, it's a party. There will be booze. And, now, the poll:

Can you guess who? My Lunch Meanwhile, here's a fascinating scenario for everyone to discuss: You have this pair of jeans that are slightly out-of-fashion; however, they make your ass look GREAT! Do you continue to wear them? To work? This morning?

Happy MLK Day, Kittens! Although it is sunny and blue-skied here in the DC/Metro Area, it is also FORKIN' FREEZING. I don't think I will be venturing forth into the Great Outdoors today ... unless someone can convince me ... or bribe me with booze ... or a delicious combination of the two. Come to think of it, I haven't ventured out of doors much at all this weekend. It's been cold. And the Metro is seriously forked - 30 minute delays on the Red Line because of trackwork at Metro Center. So, Friday, instead of meeting Ray and Joey at teh GayBarz, I played Scrabble and Boggle and drank wine with SCGB. I was also in a bit of a funk for two (three) reasons, which I can't really remember but were very important at the time. Saturday ... hm ... what did I do on Saturday? When one stays inside doing the same things, all the days tend to blend together. Oh! I remember! I dug through the pile of things that needed to be filed (since 2005!) and either filed them or ...

So, it's time to snap a few photos and have a little vote. Which pic should be VUBOQ's new profile photo? One: EEK! Crazy Eyes! Crazy Eyes! Two: I'm eating healthy (note orange peels in the trash) and O!M!G! I need to get my ass to the salon. Three: Note the Blogger Dashboard and current profile pic in background. Four: Who is that mysterious man in black? Five: So bored. So dying. Vote early. Vote often. Leave comments.

My mom IM'ed yesterday evening to say this: "I hear Silver Spring is getting Snow Flurries." Now, I know living in the NC Mountains can sometimes skew people's definitions of snow ; however, I responded: "If you define flurries as over 4 inches and non-stop snow since early this morning, yes, we are getting snow flurries." Meanwhile, I was overcome by a burst of cooking creativity last night ... in between loads of laundry, I ... (1) Made Mush's cranberry cordial . The recipe says it takes 4 weeks, which means it won't be ready by Christmas. I am hoping to sneak a taste then anyway. (2) Made Sweet Potato and Red Bean Soup. Here's what I did: Bring approx. 4 cups of water to a boil. Add chopped onion, sliced garlic, veggie boullion cube, and lemon slices. After about 10 minutes, remove the lemon. Add one diced sweet potato and a tablespoon or so of red curry paste. Once the potato is nearly tender add a large can of red beans (no need to drain,...

Talk about foreshadowing, kittens! Yesterday, we had a taste of the snow flurries. Today, it's a BLIZZARD!!! Well, not exactly "blizzard" more like "light snow showers," but the Weather People are saying 1-3" of accumulation. I dunno, but December the 5th seems too early for snow. Forkin' Climate Change. In other news, I finally had an idea for StickSteven's 2007 Year in Review ! Yay! It should only take a couple of days to get those ideas sketched, drawn, and copied! YAY! I also got my first Christmas Holiday Card! Thanks, Sassy ! Oh, and a little note to people who want to choose "all of the above" on the Best Blog in the Entire Universe EVER. I'm sorry, but that's not an option. It's a cop-out. You have to make a choice! Also, you shouldn't have to enter your email, just hit "skip" and all should be well. So, vote now. Vote often: I guess that's about it. Today is laundry day. I want to mak...

I watched Elizabeth last night. Let us have a moment of silence to ponder the glory that is Cate Blanchett. *moment of silence* Ah. That was nice. I made Carribean Black Bean Soup last night. OMForkinG, are you ready for the super-complicated recipe? Are you? Do you think you can handle it? OK. Here goes: In sauce pan, heat one can of coconut milk and one can of diced tomatoes with chilies . Once hot, slowly add one package of Fantastic Foods Instant Black Beans . Add water if it's too thick. You can also add some corn (my people call it maize ) and/or cooked rice if you want. Serve. Eat. Enjoy. *whew* I hate it when cooking is so difficult. OH. I also put together my frames for the two paintings I bought several years ago. I ordered the frames from americanframe.com . Cheap! And Easy to Assemble! I highly recommend it. The two paintings I framed are 7 1/2" x 10" and 8 1/16" x 10". Total cost (including metal frames, mounting board, UV and a...

Should I toast my cheese sandwich or not? Lunch is in 5 minutes ... so HURRY!

Here's a question for you: Someone wants to make a NEW and EXCITING cocktail, using the following: creme de cacao and chili-infused vodka However, he does not want the magic third ingredient to be anything dairy-like . No cows were harmed in the making of this cocktail, kittens! moo. What should he use?

Yesterday, we got a performance bonus because our Project Officer gave our team a perfect rating. $500! *woot* Of course, after taxes it will be much less. Here is what I am thinking: 1. Buy these boots . 2. Buy these jeans . 3. Use the rest to help pay for my 6th Annual Bring Your Own Pumpkin ( BYOP ) Pumpkin Carving Party . [And before you ask , of course you're invited .] The problem is this: My company sometimes holds 3-day PMI (Program Management Something That Begins with "I") training programs. The next one is being held Oct. 26-28, which is not only the start of my vacation, but also the weekend I would hold the aforementioned BYOP Pumpkin Carving Party *AND* I have a hair appointment for that Saturday [cut AND color, kittens]. This PMI thingie would be very good for my resume [insert little doohickies over the appropriate vowels]. It also would cost me $500 (which would be reimbursed if I pass the PMI test). AND, it's in forkin' Tysons...

As I was walking to work this morning, fighting off the panic attack of "OMG! My contract ends in March! And I Really Shouldn't Have Listened to that NPR Story about Foreclosed Homes! And GAH! I Could Be Out of Work in 6 Months! But, I Still Want to Buy that Super Cute Pair of Shoes I Saw in DSW!," I began thinking of jobs I would like to do ... or at least skill sets I possess that I could apply to a new job. This is what I came up with during the 15 minute walk: -teaching ... not necessarily in a classroom setting (and, god forbid, never again in a public school) -explaining complex ideas in an understandable way -coming up with creative learning tools -writing [I think I'm purty good at it] -thorough understanding of international and domestic environmental issues -know the Toxic Substances Control Act like the back of my hand (which is *so* very very sad) Now, the questions are how to best package this and what kind of jobs I should look for. Any ideas? Anyone? An...

This is what I've been working on today: I can't decide if I like the color combination or not. It reminds me of bamboo. I'm not sure why. The stripeyness will continue for the remainder of the scarf. What do you think? Yea or nay?

In a recent email conversation with the SuperFantastic Cuzin, Vuboq was asked how to bring the romance back into a relationship. Ah. Such an important question. Vuboq, he *hearts* romance. He also stops to think that perhaps he is not dating the most romantic man around. Exhibit A: Vuboq's gifts from Y's month-long trip to Israel: 1) The biggest luffah Vuboq has ever seen (it's a good 2 feet long) and 2) a half-pound of granola (very good, organic, homemade granola). Vuboq needs to investigate this further. Anyway, Vuboq racked his tiny, little brain [remember, Vuboq is pretty, not thinky] and decided that a picnic would be ideal! In a park! Or in the backyard! On a cute red and white checkered blanket. With pita and hummus and olives! Lots of olives! And cheeses! And maybe baba ganouj! And dolmades! And a nice white wine! And, for dessert, watermelon and feta. Mmmm. And right at dusk, lighting some candles and watching the stars come out. *sigh* Vuboq thinks a ...

VUBOQ Polls the People ... [Poll inspired by IM Chat with Jake] Here's a little bonus. I simpsonized myself (cute, huh?):

First, thanks for all the comments yesterday. They made me laugh this morning. And laughs have not been coming frequently enough for me these past few weeks. It's been a weird summer so far - filled not only with some absolutely amazing times, but also with some times of frustration and angst and sadness and the feeling of not really knowing what to do to make it better. *bleah* Now, on with the show ... Here is a photo I took yesterday evening as I was settling down for a comfortable night of movie-watching. The glowing drink is my lemon ginger vodka cocktail (lgv, blob of honey, splash of seltzer, lime garnish). You can also see that I haven't killed my (indoor) chili pepper plant yet. *woot* The pottery calla lily oil lamp is from the town in NC where my parents live. I thought it was cute so I bought it. Of course, Mom, bless her, thinking I was attracted to the green glaze, began buying other pieces of pottery with that glaze. I explained I only liked the green glaze on t...