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

Good (Very Nearly) Afternoon, Kittens! I had to venture forth into the Great Unknown (Downtown Silver Spring) this morning because (a) I was out of gin, (b) I needed quarters for laundry, and (c) I wanted to see if my attack had been included in the Police Report/Crime Blotter Section of the MoCo Weekly Paper, The Gazette . I got totally sidetracked by grocery shopping at the Whole Foods and forgot to pick up the paper. Bah. Oh, well. At least I have gin, quarters, and food. Gin being the most important of the three. Natch. I need to call Y at some point today, because, well, I don't want to go over there today either. And I don't really want him to come over here. I guess we're going to have to do the talking over the phone. *ugh* Maybe after I finish laundry this afternoon (procrastination, yay!). And, it's not like this is going to be a Break-Up Talk, although it could be. It's more of a "I felt totally abandoned by you this weekend, like you didn...

He finally called at 7:30. I didn't answer. I called back half an hour later. "I'm not coming over tonight," I said. "We need to have a conversation. And I'm not ready." "I know," he said. "Maybe tomorrow." Things that need to be said in person. Things that need to wait until tomorrow. I'm upset And disappointed. And don't really know where this is going next. Sometimes I'm OK. Sometimes I'm scared. Like tonight, looking out my kitchen window into the dark night. My heart beating fast and my breath refusing to come Except in short raspy gasps Until I told myself to remember to breathe. And concentrated on the air coming in My chest expanding Contracting And the air going out. I never thought I'd have to think about breathing. But, there, in my kitchen, Water dripping from the tap That's what I was doing. And maybe we'll talk about this tomorrow.

Good morning, kittens. What a weekend, huh? Drama. Intrigue. Crisis. Pain. Tears. Laughter. I don't think I can take another weekend like this one ... (for details, you'll just have to scroll down to previous posts, because I'm too lazy to provide links right now). Yesterday, I met Steveandbobby for lunch in DC. We went to Luna Cafe. I had a breakfast burrito. It was yummy. Then, they drove me home. (yay!) Later, we had a co-op Ice Cream Social to thank all the people who helped with yardwork this summer. Fun. Good turn out. Total Sugar Overload. During the Social, Y called. He left NYC later than planned (big. surprise) and wouldn't be getting back until after 9. Did I want him to stop by or should he go home? "What do you want to do," I asked. "Whatever you want," he said. "Just go home," I replied. "Maybe I'll see you tomorrow." But, now, it's tomorrow, and I really don't want to see him. Anyway, after the...

And upset and hurt and irritated and frustrated and is focusing all of this anger, upset, hurt, irritation, frustration on his absentee boyfriend. I understand that some people don't react well in crisis situations. They don't know what to say. They don't know what to do. But, even I, who I consider to be one of those people who doesn't always know what to say/do, even I know that asking "what do you want me to do?" or "what do you need?" is a million times better than doing nothing or trying to turn it into a big joke. Save the jokes for next month, when I'm feeling a little more secure. I mean, it took several phone calls just to get Y to understand that at one point I thought I might be killed. I almost blacked out. I was (and sometimes still am) frightened. And, on Saturday, he calls, we talk for a bit. Then, he says that he needs to fill out a form or something and he'll call me back. This was around 11AM. No call. About 12 hours...

As I'm sure you are tired of reading about, y'know, the accident, here's a post which should brighten (at least) 6 peoples' day ... And, the winners are: The tall, blue/white spiral-ish vase ... ... goes to the lovely Ms. Clio Bluestocking ! The beige/blue curvy vase (on the right)... ... goes to the funny and talented Ms. Eight Lives Left ! The mustard/brown squaretop vase ... ... goes to the Hot Tranny Mess and Current Blogcrush, Ms. ShallowGal ! The small curvy blue/white vase (on the right)... ... goes to SuperIntellectual, Ms. Bala Wala Shi ! The mustard/brown vase ... ... goes to the UltraCrafty, Ms. Marve ! and, finally, the hotly contested pencil holder ... ... goes to the King of All Word Games, Mr. Sticky Crows ! Marve and Torn, could you please email your mailing addresses to environy(at)gmail(dot)com? kthx. Have a great day! *smooches* [ps. i'm feeling better. still a bit sore. and it hurts to swallow solids. but otherwise, a-ok.]

You should see the other guy ... Actually, if you have seen the other guy, you need to call the MoCo Police Department. I think the forehead wound is self-inflicted. Apparently, I'm not the most coordinated wielder of umbrellas. But, I figure if I hit him as hard as I hit myself, he's feeling a little pain this morning, too. I also have some bumps on the top of my head, a few bruises, a stiff neck, and I still sound like Faye, the 65-year-old chain-smoking Time-Life operator. And, if you'd like to contribute to my New Umbrella Fund, please send a check ... Now, that that's out of the way ... here are some of the fun pix I took yesterday on my Mall/Museum DC Walkabout: SE Asian Vases in the Sackler Gallery An Old Friend Garden in the Rain Puddle Reflection I have such a crush on this statue. The rest of the photos are in the Rainy DC Photo Set . Happy Saturday. *smooches* And, thank you so much for your kind thoughts and comments. *hugs*

This is not the post I was intending to write this evening, but ... I need to write things down to sort them out in my head as best as possible. At approximately 2:50PM on my walk home from the metro station, I was attacked from behind. I have walked down Wayne Avenue at least twice a day for 5 years, at all hours of the day and night. I have always felt perfectly safe doing so. Even today didn't seem out of the ordinary. As I approached the intersection of Dale and Wayne, I passed a young black man in his early 20s. I made eye contact and nodded. I crossed Dale and heard a noise. I turned and saw someone running up Dale. That's when I noticed someone following me. I turned off my iPod and reached for my phone. And he jumped me, putting me in a chokehold and trying to pull me to the ground. I began hitting him over my shoulder with my large umbrella (which, sadly, is now in pieces). I hit myself in the head a couple times, too, and have a few lumps. He pulled me to the ...

Good morning, kittens! Just a quick bite this morning before I head out. I'm meeting a friend for lunch. Then, I'm thinking of crusing around the Freer/Sackler Galleries. I'll fill you in on all the fun details when I get back. Plus, my exciting plans for the Holiday Weekend (as soon as I make some exciting plans, that is). For now, why don't you scroll down and enter the Great End of August Pottery Giveaway? Or leave a comment full of Obamay luv? Or speculate on McCain's running mate (here's a hint: It is not VUBOQ)? *smooches*

Good Afternoon, Kittens. Very uneventful morning. It was raining, and I thought, "What a great day to not have to go to work!" I hit snooze twice. Yay. Then, I blobbed around the house. I'm still trying to figure out what to do with the recycled sari yarn. I may have hit upon a plan (with thanks to BustersDad). We'll see how it goes. So far I'm mildly pleased (after ripping out about 4 other attempts last night and this morning). Photos eventually, I'm sure... Around noonish, I went to lunch with SCGB (with side trips to the bank and Whole Foods). We ate at Panera. Yummy chainy goodness, fer sure. Now, I'm home. I think I'm going to spend the rest of the afternoon knitting and blobbing and knitting and watching TV. Tonight, I'm heading over to a neighbor's to watch Obama's acceptance speech. I will try not to cry ... but, srsly, just listening to excerpts of Bill's speech on NPR this morning made me a little misty and wistf...

Alternate Title : Why teh Fork Am I Still Awake? Atlernate Answer : Because There's Still Some Vodka in teh House Not Entirely Random Thought #1 : Little Princesses should not be allowed to stay up until after 11PM ... even if they are on vacation ... and, especially, when it prevents VUBOQ from talking to his BF. Note: When VUBOQ was a Little Princess, his parents made him go promptly to bed at 8PM (possibly earlier). Which reminds VUBOQ of this Childhood Summer Memory... VUBOQ: *whines* But it's still light out ... VUBOQ's Mom: *pulls shade* Now it isn't. *sounds of VUBOQ's friends still playing outside* ~End Scene~ Random Thought #2 : I should get back into the habit of flossing daily. Random Thought #3 : I started knitting a scarf out of the recycled sari yarn. I'm not so sure I like it. and ... Random Thought #4 : My living room seems lonely when it is not cluttered with junk. G'nite, Kittens. *smooches*

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 !

Good Morning, Kittens! How's work? Just think, it's almost the Holiday Weekend! Hallelujah! Labor Day! The day when we honor our mothers for going into labor! Send her flowers or something. Srsly. My goals for today are: 1. Shower. 2. Shave. 3. Apply for at least one job. 4. Clean off the kitchen table. 5. Revel in the joy of a clean living room. 6. Encourage more people to enter the Great End of August Pottery Giveaway ! 7. Sort laundry. 8. Do laundry. 9. Venture forth to Mike's to watch Project Runway tonight (because a certain cable-owning neighbor, who shall remain nameless (but it starts with a T and rhymes with " Romokito ") is off covering the convention in Denver. Let's all hate on her, shall we?). 10. Drink. 11. Go to bed. Seems very doable, no? Have a sunshiny day! Now, go enter the contest (if you haven't already). *smooches*

Well, kittens, this is it. I have six pieces of pottery which need new, loving homes ... But, first, some random pictures from my day (see how I am? making you wait?) ... My storage area in the boiler room: Scary, no? Oooh. Marigolds. Pretty ... I'm a Buff Bride! And, now, the moment you've all been scrolling down for ... the Giveway! Huz.Zah. The following objects need new homes: We're Homeless. Wah. In order to receive a piece of pottery, please leave a comment detailing which one you would like (pencil holder, big blue and white vase, small curvy blue/white vase, small curvy blue/beige vase, mustard/MI brown vase, mustard, MI brown square-topped vase). In the event that more than one person wants a particular item, a random drawing will be held (people who live in the DC/Metro area may receive special consideration ... b/c, srsly, postage can get expensive). Also, people who beg shamelessly and/or slather me with huge amounts of praise may also receive special consider...

Good (Almost) Afternoon, Kittens! How's work? Making the most of your Tuesday? Pounding out those ever-so important technical reports full of fun charts and graphs that no one ever really reads? Don't worry, though. I appreciate your effort, so it's not completely wasted. Really. Last night, I made a delicious pasta salad, which was a riff on a recipe idea my SuperFantastic Cousin told me once. I took the basic ingredients of a Caprese salad and tossed them all with macaroni (I wanted to use orzo, but the store didn't have any). I used: 1/2 pint of golden pear tomatoes 1/2 pint of grape tomatoes Container of marinated mini-mozzarella balls 1/2 pkg of macaroni (cooked, drained, rinsed in cool water) Olive oil Red wine vinegar (just a splash) Lemon juice (just a splash) Basil from the garden Salt/pepper to taste. And that's pretty much it. Super fast and easy. And YUMMY. Not much on my agenda for today. I've applied for one job. I need to spend some time looking ...

A few projects are nearing completion. Huzzah. First, the Dark Mark Illusion Scarf. All I have left to do is add the fringe and block it (and blocking doesn't always happen in Vutopia). Here's the From the Top view (with flash): Here's from an angle: Oooh. Scary, no? AND, I finished up a batch of limoncello for Peter's Birthday Party (which was ... um ... Saturday). So, it's a little late. Big deal: It came out a bit darker than usual. I believe this is because I used some sort of unprocessed cane sugar instead of regular old bleached out white sugar. The syrup was a bit brownish when I added it to the booze. It also tastes a bit boozier than I remember, but -over ice- it is quite nice. *hic* *smooches*

Good Morning, Kittens. My tired knitting fingers are having a hard time typing this morning ... I am *almost* finished with the Dark Mark Illusion Scarf. I should be binding it off later this morning. I didn't finish it by the Closing Ceremony (wah), but I also started it a day late ... so finishing it a day late is OK, too. Right? Anyway, totally fun weekend. On Friday night, we went to a wine tasting party. Everyone brought a bottle of wine, which was masked and numbered. Then, you tasted each wine and rated it 1 (low) to 10 (high). Let me tell you, kittens, there were 23 bottles of wine. After about 14, vuboq was a little loopy and all "woo hoo this is the best wine ever!" The host had bought loads of really yummy cheese, too. Mmm Mmm. Good times. And, to top it off, Y won the prize for the Worst Wine! He brought a sweet Israeli dessert wine, which, in retrospect, wasn't bad, just an inappropriate choice with all the other dryish dinner wines. I'm...

I'm pretty sure I've used that title before. Oh, well. Some mornings, I get out of the shower and think "Damn. I look goooooood." Other mornings, I'm all, "What gutter did *that* crawl out of?" This, unfortunately, was a Gutter Morning. And, gawd help me, I decided to document the disaster. Normally, I apply several photo-taking tricks to appear younger. The secret for looking young on a blog? Smoke and mirrors, kittens. Smoke* . And mirrors** . The photos you are about to see are unaltered in any way. Prepare to be horrified! I hate to shave. Fortunately, I come from a long line of people who were Beard-Challenged. This is about 3 (or 4?) days growth: Do you see what I see? OMFG! I have some gray facial hair! How did that happen? GAH! And, a view of my (almost) natural hair color: More gray hair! ACK! TEH EYEWRINKLEZ!!!! And, finally, the most horrific photo of all (you may want to avert your eyes): Teh GIGANTIC (and growing) BALD SPOT!!! Life. It is so...

Good Morning, Kittens! How's work? Just a few more hours 'til Go Home Time and the warm comforting embrace of your evening martini! Yay for Gin! Yay for weekends! Give yourself a big pat on the back for surviving another week of office drama. As for me, I have loads of running around to do today. I have to buy my lottery ticket ($95 million, $58.4 million cash option). I must deposit a couple of checks. Then, I have to buy an interesting bottle of wine for a wine-tasting challenge party tonight. The friend of a neighbor is hosting. It should be fun. Wine! Cheese! Wine and cheese! I suppose I should also buy some groceries too. Apparently, vuboq can not live on gin alone. He must also have olives! Saturday is SCGB's Backyard BBQ 30th Birthday Celebration Extravaganza! That should also be a good time. Then, the Closing Ceremony on Sunday. Hopefully, I can coerce someone into inviting me over to watch it. I'm not sure if the Olympic Knitting Project will be finished on tim...

VUBOQ finished painting! Yayz! I can already see places I missed though. Second coat tomorrow! Huzzah!

Good morning, kittens! How's work? Are you working hard for the money? So hard for the money? Are you working hard for the money but they still don't treat you right? So right? The weeks almost over. You can make it. I bleev in you. Yesterday, I had a bit of an upset tummy, so I didn't do much of anything. wah. poor me. And, then, a certain cable-having neighbor was at a party until LATE, so we didn't get to watch the Drag Queen episode of Project Runway . wah. On the plus side, I did get to spray defoliant on all the poison ivy in our yard and have pizza with another fabulous neighbor. My plans for today? Even Isabella is wondering ... Yep. I'm going to paint the railing on our stoop. What up with that spongebrush thing though? I've never used one before. I guess it's like a regular brush... we'll see ... Have a great day! *smooches*