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

Good afternoon, Kittens. Yesterday was bad. Got an email that I was -yet again- Qualified But Not Selected for a government job *and* the law firm job went to someone else, too. Bah. I is unhireablez. And I woke up this morning feeling like total poo. yay. *smooches*

Good Morning, Kittens. It's a sunshiny, sparklefied day here in Vutopia ... even though I didn't get up early to go running like I told myself I would. Maybe I'll go later this afternoon or evening or something. Or maybe I'll go back to bed. Actually, the other thing I promised myself was that today would be a "Writing Day." I need to whip out some of my short stories and try to polish those turds. Fun times. In knitting news, I'm taking a break from sock knitting, and I've started on a scarf (pictured) for Mike (who Makes Cakes). Why, yes, it does use the same yarn that I used to make Josh is Trashy 's hat (good eye! you are so observant!). Chelsea sent me the yarn years ago for my birthday and I'm finally putting it to good use. I kind of like this horizonal rib thing that I have going on. And, I totally love the color. In my previous post, Terri had some questions about sock-knitting. M. Nicodemus was kind enough to provide an an...

Good Morning, Kittens. My weekend was a bit of a bust ... The weather was (usually) crapola. AND, I started feeling like I was coming down with a cold. So, I stayed inside the entire time ... watching DVDs and knitting. On the plus side, I finished my first sock. Now, I have to decided if I want to (a) knit the other one or (b) amputate one foot. I'm seriously leaning towards amputation ... You wanna see it on? OK: Foot Model: vuboq Other exciting events of the weekend included having drinks with Tomokito one night and having drinks with SCGB another night. And having drinks by myself. And, then, having a few more drinks. Today, I have to go to the likker store. Ha! Seriously. I have a hair appointment coming up and I want to infuse some vodka for the Colornatrix. I'm thinking Blueberry Lemon. Mmmm. And, then, K-Factor and I are off to pottery class tonight. Yay. Have a great, sunshiny day! *smooches*

Good Morning, Kittens. Pretend this is yesterday's afternoon/evening updated post. Sooooo ... I was busy yesterday morning, because I had an interview scheduled in the afternoon. However, it turned out to be more of a "paperwork filling out" session, rather than an actual interview. It's through a recruiter for an environmental specialist position in a law firm. The recruiter said that my resume is the best qualified that he's seen, but it really depends on how particular the firm is going to be about the qualifications they requested (I don't have some of the skills required ... in fact, I would think that Very Few People have *all* of the skill sets/experience that this firm wants). After the interview, I met Carolyn for coffee. She works about a block away from where the intervew was. Then, I came home, made a martini, and knat. All evening. Later, Tomokito came down for cocktails (Gayprof's Tequila Gimlets!) and we watched some of Project Runway ...

Good Morning, Kittens. Lots of "things" going on today. Won't be posting anything substantive* until later this afternoon/evening. Stay tuned. *smooches* *Ha. As if I ever post anything substantive**. **Ha. As if I even know what "substantive" means***. ***"Substantive" is a word, right?

Good Morning, Kittens. Oh, yes, yesterday was chock full of fun and excitement. I did laundry. I knitted. I got overly frustrated with the (temporary, but not quite temporary enough) roommate. I decided to make a couscous salad last night for dinner. Before I started cooking, Y sat down on the sofa with a plate full of toast and hummus. I made the salad - couscous, corn, black beans, red onion. The dressing was olive oil, chiles, basil, lemon juice, garlic and spinach (pureed). When it was finished, I fixed myself a bowl and sat down on the couch to eat. Y: *loud sigh* V: What? Y: *sigh* V: Would you like some salad? It's in the refrigerator. Y: I just don't understand why you are like this. V: Like what? You just ate a big plate of bread and hummus. I said you could help yourself to the salad in the fridge. Y: Well, it seems like since I paid for the groceries ... V: (interrupting) Did you want me to serve you the salad? Is that it? You need me to get up from enjoy...

Good Morning, Kittens. You are looking at yesterday's Big Project: Turning a Heel. It was quite an Knitting Adventure, fer sure. I never want to have to go through that again! (except I will either have to or amputate one of my feet ... hmm). The Y Frustration of the Day involved our differing concepts of Time. I have a realistic one. His is entirely forked up. Around 11, Y asked if I needed anything from Whole Foods. I took a quick inventory and gave him a list. As he was leaving, he asked, "Do you need this for lunch?" No. Of course, I assumed that meant he would be returning with the groceries in time for dinner. And, he did! If you eat dinner at 10:30PM. Fortunately, I had some stuff lying around that I could fix for dinner. I picked some basil and whipped up a quick pesto. I suppose it was all right, but it tasted like disappointment. After my pesto + pasta dinner, I watched the first two episodes of Season 1 True Blood . It was OK. I don't qui...

Good Morning, Kittens. Over the weekend, I was chatting with Mike Who Makes Cakes about ... if you can believe it ... what our super powers would be if we had them. Mike's super power, I'm sure, would have something to do with Amazing Blowjobs. And, mine? I think I should have the power to *SPARKLEFY!* everything. Like Stormtroopers. On t-shirts. SPARKLEFICATION! It makes the happy! Anyway, so Very Early this morning, Y, the (temporary) roommate, returned. I don't even know what time, because I was already in bed - maybe 2 or 3. And, of course, he wanted to have teh (oral) secks. His very presence is annoying me now. I don't like it. I need to be more positive. But, how can one be positive, when he is so focused on His Needs Only. He didn't even bother to move his suitcase -which was blocking my front door- until 4PM. After lunch, I decided to walk downtown. He said, "Oh, well, I'll be leaving soon, too." I got back an hour or so later, af...

I started smoking my Junior year in college. When I was stressed out, usually during exams, I would take a smoke break. Once I graduated and started teaching, I continued to smoke, mostly because being a beginning teacher is stressful as fuck. I don't think I ever smoked more than a pack a week. Once I quit teaching and moved to Japan, I stopped smoking almost entirely. I would light up once in a blue moon while drinking with friends. Since I've been in the DC area (just over 10 years), I can count on one hand the number of times I've smoked. On Friday night, after a superfun day (and evening), I had an inexplicable craving for cigarettes. So, after disembarking the metro, I wandered around in search of a convenience store. On the walk home, I smoked two. On Saturday morning, I was reminded of one of the reasons I quit smoking: hangover + cigarette skank = no fun at all. I doubt I'll smoke any more of that pack even though the initial nicotine buzz was fun and th...

Good Morning, Kittens ... Behold! Baba ganouj (noush? noosh?) I made it! I am so clever. Actually, my friend, Nida, is so clever. I followed a slightly modified version of a recipe she gave me. I have pictures, but dead camera batteries. Sorry. Anyway, the (modified) recipe ... In pan, add some olive oil and saute three cloves garlic and a chili pepper. When soft, add peeled and diced eggplant. Cover. Cook until soft and mushy. (Stir occasionally) While cooking, decided to add juice from one lemon. Once soft, transfer to blender and puree the living shit out of it. Pour into bowl and cool in fridge. Then, add more lemon juice (if needed), salt, and a couple spoons of tahini and yogurt (to taste). It was delicious. Is delicious, actually ... I have baba ganouj galore. Yesterday, I also went to pottery. Here are pictures. What I made in class on Monday night: What I made in open studio yesterday afternoon: and There you have it. Plans for today include lunch followed by Museum Da...

And the lemon flower is sweet. But the fruit of the poor lemon Is impossible to eat. I grew up with Peter, Paul and Mary, listening to their albums on the first piece of furniture my parents bought as a married couple - an RCA stereo cabinet. That cabinet is in my living room now. When I lift the lid, I can smell the memories, and I'm back in our house in Murphy, flipping through albums ... Neil Diamond, Barbra Streisand, The Sound of Music , until I find Peter, Paul, and Mary . Green carpet. Plaster walls. Sooty fireplace. And the lemon tree. Peter, Paul sans Mary and the world is a little more empty. In other news, Boozy Lunch with Ms. Bluestocking was quite fun ... and boozy. I got to find out all about her hot new burning hunk of love. Plus, she read over my short story and gave some input on how to resolve the issue I have been having. I came home and took a nap. Wine at lunch time can do that to you. Before lunch, I mailed the two cute little baby hats I knitted re...

Good Morning, Kittens. How did it get to be Wednesday already? Where is this week going? Yesterday was SuperFun. I went to the bank. And, then, I went to the hardware store and had 40 gabillion keys made. I haven't been working on the short story. It is practically finished, except for one crucial scene. And, I don't know what happens in that one crucial scene. I tried to write through it but ended up writing around it, adding several paragraphs before and after whatever happens. *sigh* Then, we had our monthly board meeting. That was *so* much fun, because we discussed our budget for next year. Woo to the hoo. Lots of excitement today: Boozy Lunch at Adega with the Fab Clio Bluestocking . Laundry. Knitting. DVD watching. AND, maybe even Martini Time! Plus, hopefully finishing up my short story. Have a great day! *smooches*

Good Morning, Kittens! Yesterday was a Day of Running Crappy Errands. Nothing of interest, really. I went to the bank to make a deposit of quarters for the co-op. Then, Whole Foods. Then, home, where I made more 2 more flat freezer bags full of Thai Basil Pesto. I also sowed some more lettuce seeds. As has been the case all summer, the first batch of seedlings were Beat Down by torrential rain. *sigh* Around 730PM, K-Factor and I headed over to pottery class. Yay! Pottery class. AND, I had a happy surprise. I found a cup that I had glazed at the end of the Spring session and forgotten about (pictured above). Here's the other side of it: I like it. The glaze is black and then the rim was dipped in white. I may keep it. During class, I threw a vase and a (rather large) mug. I forgot to take pictures though. Oops. I think I will be going to open studio on Thursday. So, I'll take a picture or two then. Once home, K-Factor and I had chips and salsa and margaritas wh...

Good Morning, Kittens. I awoke this morning to discover that BOSSY (*waves to BOSSY*) has linked to me . Yay! BUT, GAH! VUBOQ wasn't really planning to have new content today. BUT, I would hate to disappoint my regular reader (*waves to Anne-Marie in Philly*) and the one or two people who will click over ... so ... um ... lessee ... The funnest thing that happened this weekend was on Saturday night. I went to the free simulcast of The Barber of Seville at the National Stadium (National's Stadium? Nationals' Stadium? AT&T UPS Pepsi Stadium?). It was totally awesome. And, not only because I got to hang-out with the Most Awesome ShallowGal and her Posse. It's also because every time I hear "Barber of Seville" I think of this . It was good to hear the real thing. The opera was fun. The company was fabulous. Good times, kittens. Good times. Sunday, I did a lot of blobbing and some knitting. After finishing two baby hats, I'm starting a hat for...

Hello, Kittens. It took forever to upload my pix tonight. But, here are my 12 of 12 for September. First. A cute little baby beret modeled by a watermelon. Second. The one eggplant produced by my eggplant plant. Third. A pretty cosmos flower in my garden. Fourth. What's a 12 of 12 without a photo of my pussy? Fifth. Will my (temporary) roommate ever clean out his coffee cup [N.B. he did by the time I got home tonight. *whew*]? Sixth. K-Factor and I metro into DC to watch The Barber of Seville , free simulcast at Nationals Stadium. Seventh. K-Factor had a hot date. I got to hang out with the ShallowPosse ! Eighth. The youngest of the ShallowPosse totes luvs opera (and Miss DC, but that's ShallowGal's story to tell). Ninth. The main event was not this version of opera ... but some people liked it better. Tenth. DCites *heart* free opera. Eleventh. And they lived happily ever after. Twelfth. The metro ride home was crowded. More photos from my day are on flickr . *smoo...

Good Morning, Kittens. Y defends his dissertation this morning. Send good vibes. Why? Because the better he does, the faster he is outta here! And that's good news for both of us. In other news, I worked a bit on my short story. I am liking the characters. I am liking the situation they are in. However, I have come to a point where I am unable to see how it is going to be resolved. Hm. Tricky. We'll see how it goes. It's rainy and gray today ... which is good writing weather, I think. Perhaps, I'll be able to write through it. Or knit and think for a bit. No big weekend plans, except for the free outdoor simulcast of The Barber of Seville tomorrow evening. If all goes as planned, there will be a Very Shallow Guest Star (+ Posse). And, it's 12 of 12 tomorrow. Look forward to fun photos, I'm sure ... especially since I have never been able to take a very good photo of said Very Shallow Guest Star. Exhibit A . Exhibit B . Exhibit C . (Srsly, she...

Good morning, kittens. According to my friend, Nida, mercury is in retrograde and that's why I (we?) feel like crapola. Great. It's only going to last another week or so. That's a good thing. I was planning to do lots of job-related searching type things yesterday; however, that didn't happen. Instead, I wrote the first 3 pages of a short story that's been clanging around in my head for about 6 months. How did that take all day? Here're the opening paragraphs: Clay "Wedging is so sexual," Tina said, as her muscular, hairy arms kneaded the lump of clay. She was using the ram's head style to force out air bubbles. "I don't know what you mean," I replied. I had chosen the more delicate spiral wedging, which created a chrysanthemum-like pattern in the wedged clay. Tina stopped wedging for a moment. It's true. I couldn't relate wedging clay to sex, since, at the ripe old age of 32, I had never had it. Unless you count the ...

Rain. Gray. Cold. Jobless. Loveless. Last night, I dreamed that this random guy in a cafe called me "faggot" as I walked by. I turned and confronted him, "What did you say?" "Faggot." "What?" He leaned closer in to me. "Faggot." "Really? Are you gay, too? Do you have gaydar?" He looked confused and I woke myself up. Drowning. I'm almost out of gin ... and vermouth. I have no bourbon. On the bright side, chili-infused tequila makes a kick-ass mouth-tingling margarita. *smooches*

Good Morning, Kittens. Everyone glad to be back at work? Good! I knew you would be. I made a baby hat yesterday. It is itty bitty and will be winging its way to a friend in Atlanta as soon as I find her address. I have 3 other packages to mail today as well. I guess I'll get to the post office eventually. Other than knitting all day long yesterday, I didn't do much. Tomokito and family and I went to lunch at El Golfo. Spinach enchiladas. YUM. And, last night, K-Factor and SCGB came down to watch Paris Je'taime ... which I had seen before, but SCGB hadn't. Fun times, for sure. And, that's all the exciting news from this end. Have a great day. *smooches*

Good Morning, Kittens! Guess who spent way too much money on Friday, so spent the rest of the weekend in Poverty Mode? Yes. That would be me. Friday was loads of fun though. Lunch with CNTBD at Sette (mmm. pizza). Using my Borders Reward Certificates to get Whitney's new album. Sitting in Dupont Circle. Meeting Ray for drinks at Bar Dupont. Then, catching up with Mike and Tomokito at Level One. Boozy boozy fun, for sure. Saturday, I did nothing but knit and watch DVDs (and make lots of pesto). Sunday, I did the same thing (minus the pesto-making). I also discovered that chili-infused tequila makes a mighty fine margarita. Nom nom nom nom nom nom nom. No plans for today. Other than knitting and watching DVDs. Might go to El Golfo (spinach! enchiladas!) for lunch though. Have a relaxing Labor Day! *smooches* PS. Baby Hana says hello .