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

Step 1: Assemble ingredients. Step 2: Oh. * Those * ingredients. Step 3: Cook* Step 4: Enjoy! *Detailed Step 3 Instructions: VUBOQ's Curried Tofu, Broccoli and Peppers with Cashews Ingredients: Approx. 1/2 can of masaman curry paste Approx. 1/2 can of coconut milk (and I'm begging you, please don't use "lite") 1 head of broccoli 1 green bell pepper 1 pkg extra firm tofu 1 tbsp peanut butter 2 tbsp (or so) roasted, unsalted cashews Rice Directions: 1. Put rice in rice cooker. 2. Heat about 2 tbsp of coconut milk in non-stick skillet (or wok) 3. Fry about 1/4 can of masaman curry paste until fragrant 4. Add chunkily sliced green bell pepper. 5. Add broccoli pieces. 6. Add more curry paste/coconut milk until it looks like a nice tasty sauce. 7. Add about 1 tbsp of peanut butter. 8. Remember you should have lowered the heat from high to medium about 4 steps ago. 9. Blame Chef's Little Helper . 10. Add tofu chunks and cashews. [Note: Save the cashews 'til the v...

Ready for a fun guessing game, kittenes? Here's what I bought for dinner tonight: Can you guess what I'm making?

Good Monday Morning, Kittens! It's a bright new day and I am feeling, like, extra cranky because I did not sleep well last night [Y was up late being all clickyclackytypysmacky on the keyboard and the light in the room was extrabright and when I did sleep I had weird dreams about missing the last train home]. So, when I got up this morning, and Y wanted to spend some cuddle time, like we normally do before I rush off to work and he remains in bed for another 2.5-3 hours, I ... lied . "I'm running late," I said, knowing full well that I was actually a little early, but also knowing full well that, if I got back in bed for some cuddle time with Y, it would be highly unlikely that I ever got back up. Thus, since I lied, you must be punished. Please stay after school to write this sentence 150 times: VUBOQ is a bad person who lies to his boyfriend ... while I tell you about the weekend. Friday, the EPA Public Meeting was a BLAST! Some guy from Environmental Defense tota...

A tale told in Pictures: The rest of the pix are here.

Happy Saturday, Kittens. Yesterday, after the EPA Public Meeting ended, I walked to the National Gallery of Art. Here are some pictures I took. Just for you! Can you guess which blogger I took this picture for? Here's a hint . I *heart* this painting. I want to hang it above my toilet. Christ and VUBOQ? VUBOQ and Christ? Which is which? Around 5, I met Tomokito at Nellie's [$1 vodka from 5-6!]. Y joined us for a bit. Ray, Joey and Peter all came too! We headed home around 11ish, I think ... Today, Tomokito, Y, and I are driving to Baltimore for SAM:BEIII! Stay tuned for fun photos! *smooches*

Good morning, kittens. Have I told you recently how happy I am that it's May? Well, I am. Happy it's May. M is for May. M is for Martini. M is for Mmm Mmm Mmm Mmm Mmmmmmmmmm. I invited the neighbors down to celebrate the beginning of May with me, but only Tomokito deemed me worthy. We ate cheese, watched movies, and drank delicious martinis made with Plymouth Gin. Y eventually arrived and drank the rest of my martini, which prompted the following funny exchange ... V: I can't believe you drank the last of my martini. Y: Well, I guess I know where I stand. V: Right. Martini is #1. Y is #2. T: And Tomokito is #3. V: Actually, Tomokito is probably #2. Well, I thought it was funny. Tomokito left around 10. Y and I went to bed. Which was odd, because normally he stays up 'til about 2 studying. I think he might be getting a little depressed. He seems to be sleeping more and working less ... and whinging about school more. I lit the candles on the thingy above my b...

There are days when I regret attempting the 70s Shaggy Look. Like today. And, practically every other day as well. Methinks it's time to put in a call to Leah, the Colornatrix. Is it Go Home Time yet?

Alternate Title: Why VUBOQ Should Always Take a Shopping List One cloudy gray morning, after walking to the Post Office to mail packages to some lucky readers in Vutopia, VUBOQ thought, "I need to buy lunch ... and something for dinner. I think I'll go to Whole Foods." On the way to Whole Foods, VUBOQ made a mental list: -Something for lunch -Pasta - Jalapeno-stuffed olives - Blue Cheese (to re-stuff the olives and then garnish the martini*) Upon entering Whole Foods, VUBOQ noticed that the entire fruits/vegetable department had been re-arranged. He promptly forgot his list and got lost in the "Locally Grown" Section. "Oh. One Local Summer is approaching. This will be handy ..." *looks at price of Locally Grown Cherry Tomatoes * "... And expensive!" GAH. " Avocados are on sale ($1.49 each)! Must buy one! I could put it in a salad tonight! Which means I'll need little grape tomatoes ! But, I won't use all of them in o...

Good morning, kittens! Happy May Day ! Happy No More Alcohol-Free April! Huzzah! Yesterday, I did laundry. I weeded a bit in the front garden. And I packed two more boxes to ship. I'll take them to the post office later this morning. I had to borrow a neighbor's paper shredder because I ran out of packing material. Oops. Hopefully, everything will be well-cushioned. Lessee ... what else ... oh. right. The photo guessing game... They are keys! To my apartment! I am going to give them to Y. But, we are NOT moving in together. Gah. Srsly, it's not even been a year including the several months long break-up. Moving in together could be something I see in the long run, but not for several more years (at least!). I like my place. He likes his. Mine is close to my job. His is close to his school. Moving in would prove to be inconvenient for one of us. So why is this event earth-shattering? Perhaps it's not quite as earth-shattering as my overly drama queeny nature first expe...

Can you guess what it is? Answer to be posted tomorrow ... [PS. Feel free to speculate wildly.]

First, I need to complain a bit about terminology. When did paper copy and electronic copy become hard copy and soft copy ? And which one is which? Paper is hard . Electronics are hard . Which one is soft ? And, why even change something that was perfectly ok? Have TPTB never heard "if it ain't broke, don't fix it?" Does not typing those extra 7 letters save time/money or something? BLEAH. It make-a no sense. *whew* I feel better. Now, if you're interested in when you will be getting your guvmint stimulus check , take a look at these fun tables . And, here's a fun little calculator to help you determine if you will be getting a check or not: Economic Stimulus Payment Calculator . I should be getting my check in the next couple of weeks, and I'm sure you are all wondering what I am going to do with mine ... (and, even if you're not, I'm going to tell you). It's all going into savings! YAY! Possibly half will go into my PaxWorld Fund ROTH I...

Good morning and good news, kittens! It's the last day of Alcohol-Free April ! YAY! AND, we made it with only one teensy little slip ... if only Steve had become a US Citizen in May. Bastard. It's all his fault. I hope the rest of you had a wonderful, wonderful month of no booze as well :-) On the bright side of being booze-free, I will be finishing April about $200 under budget . SUH-weet! I can't remember the last time that happened. I figure I saved so much money because (a) I wasn't drinking (and booze costs a lot) and (b) usually when we go out to happy hour, we end up eating dinner out as well. Dinners out can be 'spensive. So, YAY for me! YAY for being booze-free for (nearly) a month! and SUPERYAY for being under friggin' budget for the first time in (nearly) forever! *pats self on back* The beginning of Return to Booze Month looks like this: May 1 - Casual Martini Gathering at My Abode (tentative) May 2 - Happy Hour in DC (possibly Nellie'...

Last night, for Meat-Free Monday , I made a recipe I found on epicurious, Japanese Noodles with Bok Choy and Tofu . The recipe itself was SuperEasy and FAST! Dinner was ready in under 30 minutes. I meant to put some dried chili peppers in the sauce, but I forgot. My only quibble is that it was a bit too oily. I think next time I might cut some of the oil. Other than that, it was delicious. In addition to the noodle dish, I roasted a bunch of asparagus which Y had found somewhere on sale. I brushed them with a mixture of basalmic vinegar and sesame oil (from the above recipe) and roasted at about 450F until they looked done (maybe 10 minutes?). YUM. See: Now, behold the Power of Meat-Free Monday ! The good food turned my normally not so photogenic BF* into a total HOTTIE-PATOTTIE. Mmm. Mmm. It also inspired him to take photos (with my camera!) of his late night coffee: [One guess who made the mug] Did you have a Meat-Free Meal on Monday? If so, tell us about it in the comments. *s...

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

Good morning, kittens. It's been a bit busy at work this morning. I forgot my annual performance evaluation and updated resume were due today, so I had to crank those out*. Bleah. I have a buttload of email to answer today too. *ugh* Lessee ... Meat-Free Monday was a success (yay!). Photo will be uploaded and posted tonight. Stay tuned. And, here's a little reminder that small-minded bigots are still alive and well (unfortunately). It seems like we touched a nerve: [from The Daily Star (second item)] Homosexuals at greater risk Thanks, The Daily Star, for publishing my letter of Feb. 1 opposing homosexual behavior. Some opposed publishing my letter. They don't realize most Americans, including the local population, are against homosexuality. But perhaps only my detractors' letters should be published. Glad they aren't the editors. They want me to listen. And I do. But when I speak, many head for the door, afraid they will hear a discordant tone. Those left tell me ...

Except it hasn't. It's still here. I can tell. Lurking behind that big bush over there. Sneaky rain. In other news, it's Meat-Free Monday ! You can help out the environment by enjoying a Meat-Free Meal today! Won't that be fun? This is what I'm going to attempt to make: Japanese Noodles with Bok Choy and Tofu . Like, OMG, I'm going to follow a recipe (mostly). What the fork up with that? Hmm... Also, PeskyMac is organizing a One Local Summer Challenge hosted by her Farm to Philly blog. I'm thinking a One Local Summer Meat-Free Monday Challenge might be fun! Are you with me? Or against me? [Hopefully, if you're a SuperHot guy, you're against me . *rowr*] Either way, I strongly encourage you to participate [it doesn't have to be Meat-Free, but it would make me happy if it were :-)]. La la la. Now, go look at my pottery again ( almost an entire year's worth !). Tell me. What's your favorite piece and why? *smooches*

Happy Monday, Kittens! Are you like me and *so* not wanting to be at work today? I hope so! After quite a rocky start here at Harvard , my weekend improved significantly. Steve's Naturalization Party in Way-Out Suburubia was way fun. Perhaps, I'll be posting pictures later (assuming he sends some out). The brief hiatus from Alcohol-Free April was well worth it ... Except for the hangover Sunday morning. So. Painful. Fortunately, the Co-op Board had planned a Yard Work Day, which motivated me (and another slightly hungover co-op resident ) to get off our sofas and do a little yard work. We weeded. Raked. Spread mulch. A good time was had by all. Then, another neighbor (who took pottery this session) and I drove over to the pottery studio to pick up our final pieces for the term. Here's a photo: The rest are on flickr. Go look . In other news, Dad has returned home and seems to be recovering nicely. Thanks for your good thoughts. More later. *smooches* UPDATE: Party Photo St...

I came home. Y came over. I had a good cry. Things seem better today. Plus, Dad apparently made it through surgery ok. He was actually scheduled to have the back surgery this coming week, but the pain was so bad even the super-extra-strong pain pills (so strong the doctor couldn't call in the prescription. Mom had to pick them up at the hospital. And she refuses to share) were not working. The doctor decided to go ahead and operate ahead of schedule. I'm supposed to get a call today for an update ... So, that's that... And now for the continuing weekend saga of ... The Birth of VUBOQ as Re-Enacted by Gay Bears (and a Virus or Two) Previously, you met the Cast of Characters . Now, the story begins ... It was a sunny Saturday afternoon not too many years ago. At Dupont Circle, a snake lay waiting in the grass*. An unsuspecting VUBOQ got closer ... And closer ... To be continued ... *Well, in this case it was Syphillis in the Parsley , but whatever.

I didn't get the job. My dad is having emergency back surgery in about 2 hours. All I want to do is go home and crawl into bed, but I have to stay at work 'til 5. Trying not to cry in the office is making my head hurt.

... And it certainly was interesting to see/read what you had to think concerning my Alcohol-Free April. Meanwhile, I'm feeling cranky today. I haven't heard anything from the job recruiter, even though she said she would contact me Wednesday or Thursday. I'll probably shoot her an email after lunch. I'd rather not have to sit through the whole weekend without knowing any additional information. Also, people who don't read are driving me BATTY. There is going to be a public meeting at EPA next week, which was announced in the Federal Register. In the announcement it clearly states who to contact if you want to attend the meeting. It is not us. We are listed as a contact for general information (which, naturally, no one has provided us). However, guess who about 15 people in the past few days have contacted to request to attend the meeting? Here's a hint: US. GAH. I really want to reply to their emails much more snarkily than I am. Fortunately, there are l...