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 Evening, Kittens! This past week has been chock full of fun and excitement!  Especially if you define "fun and excitement" as "feeling like Death Warmed Over!"  YAY! I contend that V from Philly gave me some sort of Deadly Philadelphia Germ.  He refutes that claim, because he has not been sick. Whatever.  Carrier. ANYWAY, I spent most of the week feeling like El Crapola.  The cold has been mostly in my chest.  Lots of coughing and hacking.  Not much sinus pain (huzzah for small favors).  And, thus, I did not do much. I did go to pottery class, where I threw two (future) mugs and a bowl. I also made two very yummy soups: black lentil/tomato/vegetable and thai red curry butternut squash (pictured above). This weekend, I have been feeling a bit better.  Still, I cancelled my planned daytrip to Philly to hang out with the fabulous Lora and Bossy.  I will see them -fer sure- when I run the Philadelphia Half Marathon in Nove...

Good evening, Kittens!   And Happy Monday (Thank goodness it is almost over)! I had a superfun weekend, even though I spent most of it on my back (and not in the *bow chicka bow bow* kind of way).  During the times when I felt I could be vertical, I was very productive.  Yay me! On Friday evening, I watched the latest Muppet movie, The Muppets .  It was cute.  Funny.  Sentimental.  I say everyone should go out and watch it now! On Saturday, I did some major cooking ... even though I'm not sure if it is still "cooking" if you don't turn on the stove ... First, I pickled jalapenos (see photo).  I also made gazpacho.  And, then, I made vegan pesto, which I suppose could also justifiably be called "basil puree."  I was texting with M that day and was telling him about the jalapeno pickling process and he wrote back, "Mmmm.  jalapenis." Which I believe should now enter the World Lexicon and mean "a very HOT guy,"  a...

Good Morning, Kittens! As further proof that (if there is a God) S/He hates me, on Tuesday my back was almost entirely pain-free.  Not 100% better, mind you, but close ... maybe like 95%.  I was ecstatic.  I made all sorts of plans for the weekend ... like going for a short run.  And, well, that was it.  I was going to get back into running. And, then, Wednesday happened.  I awoke at my regular time (5:15AM) and tried to get out of bed.  "Tried" being the operative word.  WTF?  My back was in excruciating pain ... AGAIN!  SRSLY.  I am totally over this whole Bad Back Thing.  At least this time, I knew to get up and move around.  But, still, I have been in mucho pain the past couple of days.  I have left work early every day just because I can't stand it and I want to come home and be horizontal.  Hello, Heating Pad, my old friend.  I've come to lie on you again ... But enough about the sharp stabby...

Happy Friday, Kittens! And, seriously, what happened to this week?  It started, like, yesterday.  And, now, it is over.  Sheesh. So, Monday, was my regular day off.  Yay for flex-time!  I went to the Trader Joe's.  And, then, I went to the pottery studio.  I made this .  And this .  And this . On Tuesday, after work, it was my turn to pick up our CSA Farm Share Veggies.  See pictured chard (which I later cooked with olives and lemon.  So tasty!).  I also got some green squash, some sort of onion thing, broccoli, and some red-skinned potatoes.  Hail to the Redskins, bitches! And, I had to attend our monthly co-op board meeting.  Joy. On Wednesday, there was laundry. And, yesterday, I had to make a cole slaw for today's work barbeque.  I made a red cabbage, hot and sour slaw.  It looked like this: Also, during the week, I did some Major shopping.  I bought some Cute New Shoes (surprised...

Good Evening, Kittens.  I guess I need to fill you in on all the fun and excitement of my week. There was none. Ta-da!  Haha.  I kid.  There was some.  The best part was the celebrating Tomokito's Birthday with many, many margaritas on Monday afternoon, and then trekking into DC for an Adult Sleepover with K (although there wasn't a whole lot of sleeping ... *ahem*). While I was on my way to his place, he texted and said I should meet him at his friends' house in Columbia Heights.  So I did.  We had drinks there.  His friends are nice.  A showed up (if you remember, it was at A's birthday brunch way back in -like- March where I met K).  Another mutual friend showed up.  We left.  Went back to K's place and commenced Sleeping Over (in an Adult way). Tuesday morning = UGH.  Actually, most of Tuesday = UGH.  It was a rough day.  Wednesday, I did laundry. Thursday, OMG, that's today!  I had to sit...

Good Morning, Sweet, Sweet Kittens!  And Happy Memorial Day!  And, OMG, what a weekend I have been having.  *whew*  Boozy Good Times!  Plus, making out with hot boys!  Oh, yeah.  So, Thursday, after work, I met Bobby (of SteveandBobby) and Jerry for Happy Hour at 9.  Two-for-one drink special = 4 Gins and Tonic.  And a very intoxicated VUBOQ.  We parted early.  I needed food.  And, apparently, a bottle of wine (i didn't drink all of it), which I picked up on my walk home. Friday morning, someone was a little overhung.  BUT, I managed to survive and headed into the DeeCee to meet Eric (not from Baltimore) for lunch.  A couple of glasses of the hair of the dog and I was good as new.  Yay! After lunch, I bought new sunglasses (I left my sunglasses at K's house ... and I was tired of squinting.  Squinting causes teh eye wrinklez.  And we don't like those!) Once home, I did a little cleaning/orga...

Good Afternoon, Kittens! Look, I'm getting all 100 Days of October ! It would seem I haven't blogged since Wednesday morning. Hm. So, lessee ... Wednesday night I did Laundry. Thursday, I blobbed (and picked up my MCM 10K Bib). Friday, I had a long, unproductive meeting. Then, I picked up my MCM 10K T-shirt (a.k.a. the not nearly as cute as last years and quite possibly the ugliest t-shirt ever). For comparison's sake, here's last year's shirt . After work, I met a friend at the Ritz-Carlton for happy hour. That was fun. Then, I came home and froze. Apparently, our heat stopped working (some problem with the thermostat). It is working now (obv): I have been cleaning and running errands (in the "wintry mix") all day today. I am hosting a post-Marathon soirree for Tomokito and the rest of her Run for Japan team tomorrow evening. It should be fun (and it's making me get my house all cleanish. Tomorrow, I'll get up and run the 10K. Then, I...

Good Afternoon, my Sweet Sweet Kittens! I am trying to type with a kitten leaning on one arm and a cocktail in the other hand. Complicated, fer sure ... ANYWAYz, my weekend has been pretty durn fabulous. On Friday, after work, I had plans to meet this guy who I went out with last summer (E? maybe?) for happy hour at 5:45. I got there a little early, found a table, ordered a drink, and waited ... and waited ... and waited. At 6PM, I thought, "Am I being stood up?" I checked, but didn't have his cellphone number, so I sent him an email (hoping that he had a smartphone). It turns out he was in another part of the bar, not realizing that there were two sections. So, we had another few drinks and some food and good conversation. It was very nice. On Saturday, I did lots of blobbing. And some cleaning. And a little grocery shopping. And, possibly some napping. Later, I ventured forth into the DeeCee to attend a BBQ at SCGB's cute new apartment. It is cute! And ...

Good afternoon, Kittens! What a totally insane weekend! Unfortunately, you'll have to wait until David gets back to NYC to see more pictures (than the few I took with my cell phone). His camera's batteries died, so I loaned him my rechargeable ones. Anyway, David arrived Friday around 4:45. Which was near perfect timing, since I finished work at 4. Once he disembarked, we headed up to the Convention Center so I could pick up my (and a couple neighbor's) Marine Corps Marathon 10K Packets. After that, we headed back to the Spring, did a little grocery shopping, and then went to El Golfo with SCGB for dinner. Mmmm. Once home, Tomoko came down and the four of us watched a movie and drank wine. Yay! Wine! Saturday morning, we slept in a little and then, once Eric from Baltimore arrived, headed to the Rally to Restore Sanity. It was INSANE. Metro was crazy busy, so we ended up taking the bus (which was probably the thing to do). The crowd at the Mall was huge. See: A...

Good Evening, Kittens. I know! A Sunday Post. What up with that? Well ... other than the fact that I am in Ironing Avoidance Mode *and* that tomorrow is 12 of 12, I had a little time. So, I thought I'd type up a little update. You know how that goes. Friday night was my "alone night" ... I ate guacamole and chips. SCGB came down for a chat. It was fun. Saturday, I blobbed. Like, seriously, blobbed. It was AWESOME. Then, I got ready to go to my friend's Cherry Blossom Party. That was some boozy good times. The party was awesome. Jerry has some wonderful friends, like George the SuperCute, But Unfortunately Straight, Dentist. And, Mark (who as you may recall, I used to date) was there with his new beau. I will be kind (I know! SHOCKING!) and say that he seems like a very nice guy. Of course, because Mark was going to be there, I wore extra cute jeans. Behold! Jealousy Jeans: Haha. See what you're missing, mister? Anyway, I seem to have over-imbibed...

Good Morning, Kittens! What a weekend. I am exhausted ... and not quite ready to go back to work. On Friday, I met the brother for patio margaritas at Lauriol Plaza. Then, while he and his friends got settled in the hotel, I walked over to Mr. Fantastic's apartment for a quick nap. After the nap, I met the brother and friends at the Front Page for happy hour. I went home early (because someone needed to Look Good for Saturday's Party Event of the Decade). Saturday morning, I did some final cleaning and shopping. Around 1:30PM, the always fabulous BOSSY arrived. We metro'ed into DC, dropped our stuff off at Mr. Fantastic's and headed to a fun little watering hole in Columbia Heights for beers and fried olives. Yes. Fried olives. Delicious. Eventually, the wonderful David arrived and we rushed around getting ready for the party. I am still gathering pictures from the party (I didn't take any pix), but here are a few highlights ... The Cake (by Mike (Who Ma...

Good Morning, Kittens. Time to grab a cup of coffee and dish about the weekend. And, yes, I did make the mug pictured. It's one of the two final pieces I made in pottery class this summer. The glaze is firebrick and black matte. Me likey the combination. I kept one mug and gave the other to SCGB. Anyway, the weekend. On Friday evening, SCGB and I drove over to Mike's house laden with party foods and drinks. SCGB went out to dinner and I stayed to start making the Bellini Pops. There was a lot of this: And this: And some of this: And this: Popsicles safely ensconced in the freezer, I headed back to Silver Spring. Saturday, I spent most of the day knitting (and drinking chile-infused tequila with Tomokito, the Bad Mommy). Then, around 7, SCGB and I headed over to Mike's to finish setting up for the party. Mike had finished the cake. I looked absolutely amazing: (and it was delicious). The party was a blast. Even though the weather was kinda crappy, there was a good ...

Good Morning, Kittens! Happy Friday! Did everyone watch Project Runway 6 last night? Or should we withhold discussion until you watch the reruns over the weekend? I didn't get to watch the All-Star Special , nor did I stay up for Models of the Runway , but I was able to catch the actual show. And, all I can say is "Hallelujah! It's Back!" Besides the tv watching, yesterday was quite a busy day. First, I met the wonderful Ms. Clio Bluestocking for Boozy Lunch at Adega. It was fun. And Boozy! AND, I got to hear all about her New Man! I am not going to spill all the deets here though (sorry). It's her sordid and tawdry tale of luv to tell. After lunch, I metro'ed into DC to do some yarn shopping. I bought two skeins of beautiful yarn for a special (and secret) knitting project. I love the yarn and the colors! So pretty and soft. I was also looking ofr some gold or silver metallic thread, but the yarn shop didn't have any. I remembered there ...

Good Morning, Kittens. Yesterday, after remembering of a couple obligations, I postponed my trip to the yarn shop. I'll be heading down there this afternoon instead. Also, since Y was going to be out for most of the morning/afternoon, I had extra incentive to stay home and enjoy my place. I did laundry. And I met with some contractors a neighbor had hired to work in his apartment while he is on vacation. Then, I wandered up to the likker store and grocery store. The other day, I had a chat with GayProf and he inspired me to try chile-infused tequila (pictured). As luck would have it, El Jimador (the tequila the 'Prof recommended) was on sale - $17.99 for a fifth. Score! I only used 3 green chiles and one red one. I wonder if it will be spicy enough? I suppose we will know in about a week. At Whole Foods, I bought the fixin's for dinner: A Thai-esque stir-fry consisting of tofu, zucchini, red onion, heirloom tomatoes, cashews, chilies (from the garden!), and Thai an...

Good Morning, Kittens. As some of you may know, in a former life, I was a high school biology teacher in a rural North Carolina town. The students were, how should I put this, not the brightest or the best behaved. Some days, my supervising teacher, after watching my students leave the class, would come across the hall and say, "you've earned another star for your crown in Heaven today." On Saturday, Ms. Bluestockingtales and I met my friend, Carolyn, for the Breathe DC Clean Air Walk, a 5K walk around the Tidal Basin. The weather was beautiful and, afterwards, we walked up to Dupont Circle for margaritas at Alero. Yay. Once home, I took a nice, long nap. Then, SCGB came down for drinks. Yay. Drinks. I spent the rest of the evening getting the house ready for Crazy Neighbor's Going Away Party. To give you an idea of what I had to deal with for this party, here are a few pictures of things she had been dropping by my door "for the party": But, the fo...

Good Morning, Kittens. It's the Best Day of the Year Eve! How are you going to spend it? Getting all those Cards Stuffed with Cash to the overnight courier service, I hope! Last night, I was talking to K-Factor about the Best Day of the Year, when I realized that GAH! My passport will expire this year. For your viewing pleasure, I have photographed my very first passport (at age 19) and my second passport (at age 29). Enjoy the glory that is VUBOQ without a receding hairline and massive teh eye wrinklez. My weekend was chock full of fun and excitement. Friday night, I went to a dinner party at the Del Merei Grille in Alexandria, Virginia. We were celebrating Kristen's return to the area after leaving in Washington and Florida for about 2 years. Saturday morning, I had to clean. And, then, I cleaned a little more. And, then, I cleaned. And, then, I relaxed until the my Superfabulous Birthday Party. The party was a wine-tasting. Everyone brought a bottle of wine and ...

A few photos from my Pre-Birthday Party last night ... The rest of the pix are here . *smooches* ps. If you haven't put those Cards Stuffed with Cash in the mail, you still have time. The Best Day of the Year is on Tuesday!