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

Good Morning, Kittens! As you may recall the Marine Corps Marathon and 10K were on Sunday. I had to wake up VERY early (but not as early as Tomokito). I was out of the house at 6AM and at the starting line for the 10K a little after 7. Ray met me there. We huddled together with the frozen masses until it was time to start (at 8!). OMG. It was so cold. And there were several icy spots on the bridges. Yikes. Fortunately, neither of us fell and broke a hip. So here are my results: Time: 0:57:14 Overall Place: 1584 (out of 6867) Sex Place: My house. Haha. 1002 (out of 2708 Males) Pace: 9:13/mile Not too shabby, eh? After the race, Ray went home, and I crossed the bridge to cheer Tomokito on (as you may remember, she ran the actual marathon). I met my neighbor, K-Factor, at Mile 10 (just under the Kennedy Center). Tomokito saw us before we saw her. Crazy. Then, we went to have food (K-Factor and I. Tomokito was still running). And, we managed to catch he...

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 Morning, Kittens! I was actually busy at work yesterday (I know! WTF?), so I didn't have time to tell you all about my exciting Monday. Lessee ... I woke up. And then I went to the dermatologist for an Annual Mole Check. If you have never had one (I never had), be advised: The doctor is *very* thorough. Luckily, I have no mole-y melanomas. Yay! And he said that I don't really need an Annual Mole Check. More like an Every 3 to 4 Years Mole Check (Tri to Quadrennial Mole Check, I suppose). Oh! I forgot to mention that on the bus ride to the Silver Spring metro station, I ran into a cute neighborhood gay. We've hung out before. He's supercute, young, not very bright, and *ahem* rather well-endowed. SO I'VE HEARD! We were totally like "we have to hang out again." So maybe we will later this week. ANYWAYz ... After the appointment ended, I headed home and to Trader Joe's, where I spent a ridiculous amount of money. Then, I went to Whole F...

Good Morning, Kittens! What a wack-o-matic weekend. So much fun. So much booze. So much hangover. On Friday, after work, I met SCGB at 9 (the bar formerly known as Mova which was formerly known as Halo). Same great bar. Same great 2-for-1 Happy Hour. I had two delicious Makers Mark Manhattans (dry, with a twist). SCGB was drinking Dark and Stormies. Nomz. One of the bartenders was SuperCUTEZ! He reminded me both in looks and voice of the guy I was dating this summer who disappeared. Needless to say, I gave him a big tip. *wink* PERVY MONKEYS! SCGB and I left 9 and had dinner at Thai Tanic. Oh, the Thai restaurant puns. They keeeeeeeeell me. BUT, Thai Tanic is so delicious. I hadn't eaten there in ages and had forgotten how truly yummy it is. I had veggie drunken noodle. So spicy. So good. Mmmm. Then, SCGB and I parted ways. On the way home, I stopped by the Whole Foods and bought a pumpkin to carve. And, I had to carry the damn thing home because I missed the ...

Good morning, kittens!   Not much has happened the past few days, other than me trying (and failing) to catch up on my sleep.  Oh well.  at least I have a 3-day weekend to look forward to.  Yayz!   And what will I be doing this weekend?  Hm ....   Tonight, I am having happy hour with SCGB. Tomorrow, I have to run about 7 miles (the MCM 10K is NEXT WEEK!) *and* Tomokito and (no longer Baby) Hana are coming down to carve pumpkins and drink boozy beverages.  Well, Hana won't have any boozy beverages.  M will also be carving a pumpkin in Vegas.  So we are having a little contest to see who can carve the best one (me, obv.).  The winner gets XXX pix!  Yay for sexting! Sunday, I will be going to the pottery studio and probably doing other stuff, too. And, on Monday, I have an appointment with the dermatologist.  Mole check!  Sweet.  I also hope to be hanging out with the ShallowGal (remember her? She used to blog).   I have a tentative martini date which has yet to be schedul...

Good sleepy morning, kittens.   I am one tired VUBOQ.  After not sleeping well on Monday night, I was hoping Tuesday would provide some much needed relief.  And it did!   Just not in the form of sleep.   More like in the form of a hot 26-year-old ex-Marine ... oh, yeah.  It was like that.  We met online, maybe two years ago.  He was home for the holidays.  I sort of ignored his message (because, hello?  16 year age difference).  He was persistent.  We started chatting.  He went back to Arizona (where he was stationed).  We continued to chat.  He left the Marines and moved back to Maryland.  We met up and had a really fun time.  Then, he, as he put it, "fell off the map."  I was, like, well, that was weird. But, whatever. I moved on.   Recently we reconnected.  And, last night, we had a date.  We went to Mandalay, the Burmese restaurant in Silver Spring.  It was delicious.  Then, he drove us back to my place.  We talked.  Had tea.  And, well, y'know ... some Quali...

Good Morning, Kittens.   OMG.  I think I had the worst night's sleep EVER.  I am so groggy/tired/bleah.  Yuck.  Needless to say, I am slowly (very slowly) easing into the day.   Yesterday, I did a shit-ton of ironing - 15 shirts.  and a pair of pants! Then, I took a nap.  Yay for naps!   Then, I knitted for a bit. I am almost finished my friend's Panda Scarf .  All I have to do are the ears and the eyes.  It hink it's going to be supercute when finished.   I made dinner - stirfried onions, bell peppers, mushrooms, baby bokchoy, and tofu.  Tasty!   On my way to pottery class, I stopped by the Giant to buy saline solution and bleach.  Once at class, I trimmed a bowl .  And, then, I turned a rather lopsided vase into a pitcher .  I still have a large flat bowl to trim.  I would have trimmed it last night, but I had started to feel a little queasy.  I thought it would be best to call it a night.  So, I went home, got my stuff together for today, and went to bed.  ...

Good Morning, Kittens. I posted this link on the Facebooks over the weekend, but it is worth repeating here: It's Decorative Gourd Season, Motherfuckers . My weekend has been superubercrazybusyfun. Friday night, Eric from Baltimore came down. Along with Tomokito, we headed into the DeeCee for a night of dancing fun. We ended up at Cobalt, which has an $8 cover ... BUT, from 11 to midnight, they have free vodka cocktails. Oh, yeah. We definitely drank our $8 worth. Boozy dance-y good times. We got home around 3AM. *yawnz* Saturday morning, I went for a three-point-five mile run. I did a little grocery shopping at the Whole Foodz. I made a delicious potato salad for dinner (as well as sauteed red kale and a quorn "chicken" cutlet with gruyere). Totes nomz. Then, Mike (Who Makes Cakes) picked me up and we went to a party in Hyattsville. It was fun(ish). No cute boys ... except for one Kenyan guy (who was -unfortunately- very straight). We made s'mores. And ...

Good Morning, Kittens!   I have fallen a bit off the blogging bandwagon, so I have quite a few things to fill you in on.   Monday, I was one sore puppy.  I guess running 10 miles will do that to you.  After pulling myself out of bed and getting all cleaned up, I hobbled into DC, where I met my friend, CJ, for lunch at Sei in Penn Quarter.  The food was good (if a bit overpriced).  Then, we went shopping.  I didn't buy anything.  Yay me!   I went home.  Blobbed.  And, then, drove to pottery class.  I didn't do much.  I glazed several things.  I hope they turn out well.   For some reason (old age?), I can't remember what I did on Tuesday evening.  I'm sure it was SuperFun and you should all be jealous of me.   Wednesday, I hosted a guest speaker at work from DC Water.  She was awesome (and we got free water bottles!), but the turn-out was lower than I had hoped.  Oh, well.  I am having two more guest speakers come in later this month (it's Energy Awareness ...

Good morning, Kittens! Well, we did it! I finished the Army 10-Miler and didn't die (completely). My official results were: Net Time: 1:39:09 Pace: 9:54 Overall: 12321/21914 Gender: 8359/12245 Age Div (40-44): 1411/2103 Not too bad. My pre-surgery goal was to complete it in under 1:30. My post-surgery-i-couldn't-train-as-much goal was to complete it in under 2 hours. So, Yay me! I guess at some point there will be photos posted and I will be able to snag them. As for the rest of the weekend, on Friday, I slept in (yay!) and, then, went to pick-up my race packet. After that, I went to the pottery studio. I spent most of the time trimming and attaching handles ... Then, I had a boozy late lunch at Adega. Spent the rest of the afternoon/evening knitting and watching Mad Men. Saturday was such a beautiful day! I wandered around Downtown Silver Spring for quite some time. Then, I came home and blobbed and knitted and watched Mad Men. I also cooked pasta for dinner (carb-lo...

Good Morning, Kittens. Today is my Friday! AND, it's a four-day weekend. Halle-fucking-lujah! My weekend was looking like it would be pretty uneventful, until last night when, all of a sudden, plans started being made ... After work today, I have to go for a short run (maybe 2 miles). Friday morning, I may make another short run before going to my work site (ugh) to pick up my Army 10-Miler Race Packet! Then, I'm going to the pottery studio. After that, I *may* be meeting a friend for food/drinks (he still hasn't confirmed. bastard). Saturday, I am resting, relaxing, maybe cleaning, possibly grocery shopping, and carb-loading. Yay! Carbs! Because, Sunday is the Army 10-Miler! I am so unprepared I hope I don't die. I was on track to be SuperAwesome, but having surgery sort of threw me off. Durgh. I hope to finish in under 2 hours, but we'll see ... Later on Sunday Afternoon, some of my friends will be gathering somewhere for post-run booziness. And, final...

Good morning, Kittens! What a weekend of doing almost absolutely nothing ... Friday, I had a super fun happy hour at Bar Dupont. Then, I came home and blobbed. Saturday, I got up and (after waiting for the rain to abate and then getting caught in it) ran for 8(ish) miles. And, then, I ordered a pizza. Nom. Pizza. Later, Tomokito came down for martini time. Afterwards, I joined K-Factor and the Canadian (and two of their friends) for a delicious dinner. Nom nom nom. On Sunday, I went to the pottery studio ... I made the pitcher pictured above. I also did a little experimental bowl like thing. It started out like this: Then, I tossed it around on the table, and it ended up like this: I'm not sure if I like it. Then, I came home and watched Episodes 3-5 of "Downton Abbey" ... It is fabulous. And that was my weekend ... Or at least the highlights of it. Have a happy Monday! *smooches*

Good morning, Kittens! So, Monday at Pottery Class was good. I made a large, shallow fruit bowl like thing. I think it will be pretty stunning if it turns out (meaning, I don't screw it up at some point). I left class earl because I was sooooooo tired (after sleeping poorly Sunday night). Tuesday, I struggled through work. The day seemed to drag on and on and on and on and on. But, eventually, it was Go Home Time. And I arranged to meet M in Downtown Silver Spring. We walked back to my place, talked, caught up, had a good time. I made dinner - Red Curry Sweet Potato and Black Bean Stew over red and black rice. It was pretty tasty. Then, we watched the best worst movie (possibly) ever, Burlesque and ate Haagen-Daaz. After the movie, we went to bed ... and didn't get much sleep (if you know what I mean *wink wink nudge nudge*). It was great to see him again. And, I realized how good being with him makes me feel ... It helped me put my wacky dating life into perspective...

Good morning, Kittens!  Happy Monday!   Friday, after work, I was feeling kinda like box wine and frozen pizza.  So, I made pit stops at the likker store and the Whole Foods.  I spent the night drinking, knitting, and watching DVDs.  I started watching the PBS series "Downton Abbey" ... It is soooooo good.  OMG!  I only saw the first two episodes.  I can't wait to watch the rest.  My favorite line so far was when the Dowager Countess said, "Weekend?  What's that?"   Saturday, I went for a 7 mile run.  Then, I cleaned a bit before meeting SCGB, K-Factor, and the Canadian for brunch at Eggspectation.  After brunch, I bought a new pair of running shoes .  Went home. Cleaned more. Around 3PM, Tomokito and I headed into DC for "Mommy's Night Out."  We met SCGB and Mike (Who Makes Cakes) for many margaritas at Lauriol Plaza.  Then, SCGB left, and the three of us walked to 9 (the bar formerly known as Mova and Halo) for 2-for-1 one cocktails.  St...

Well, not really.  That phrase popped into my head a few minutes ago ... AND,   GOOD AFTERNOON, KITTENS!!!   I thought I would take a few moments to answer a few questions that have been asked in the comments (or on Facebook?  or Twitter?  Somewhere, I know someone asked me some of these questions at some point).  And, I can't remember the exact questions either, but they had to do with one of two things: (1) the new rug and/or (B) the soup I made.   So, first, the new rug. It is fabulous.  I bought it online from Hautelook (which is one of those daily bargain feeder things, like Gilt or Groupon or something).  I do not know the maker/brand because I threw out the label.  Sorry.  But, the rug was totes cheap, only $240 (or so), marked down from over a $1000.  Yayz.   As for the soup, it was also fabulous.  I did not follow a recipe (who follows recipes for soup?  I mean, really.  Soup is so easy).  I used, 1 butternut squash (peeled and cubed), 2 small apples (diced, not...

Good morning, my sweet sweet furry purry little kittens!  How are we doing this fine (if slightly drippy rainy dreary) day?   Last night was my first pottery class for the Fall session.  YAYz!  The bad news is that the class scheduler people made a mistake and the class is mixed beginners and intermediates.  UGH.  Which means I won't have much time with the instructor because she will be working mostly with the pathetic beginners.  The class is all women except for me and this Korean guy (who is cute) ... but who totally pushed my "Grrr.  Go By Your Real Name" Buttons, when the instructor asked him how to pronounce his name and -without even telling her- he said, "You can call me James."  Um.  Great.  But that wasn't the question.   Now, I get that some names are difficult to pronounce.  However, no one will ever say it correctly if you don't bother to teach them.  There is an Indian woman in the class with a rather long, complicated name, but she w...

Good morning, Kittens!   What a weekend!  On Friday, after work, I met C at Matchbox in Chainatown.  The booze and pizza were delicious.  Because my horrible tongue canker sores were still horrible at that point, I had a beer (followed later by a glass of wine).  Then, we headed back to C's place for a night (and morning) o' fun.  I still don't think much is going to happen with C over the long-term.  For the short-term, I am enjoying the now.    Saturday, after C drove me home, I went for a four-mile run.  Then, I blobbed.  And knitted.  Around 3, I left to meet Ray in DC for drinks and dinner.  We started at Bar Dupont, which has a pretty decent happy hour.  From 4 to 6, their specialty cocktails are $6.  Suh-WEET.  The crowd was rather eclectic - typical hotel business types, some families with kids, and barely above drinking age gay African-American boys.  After 3 cocktails (each), we walked up the street to Sette, where we had yummy pizza and a bottle of wine.  ...

Good morning, kittens!   TGIF, fer sure.  Right? It has been a long week (even though I was off on Monday), and I am glad it is coming to a close.   I should have gone for a run last night; however, a cold front was moving in.  It was rapidly cooling off and a bit drippy spitty rainy, so I opted to stay in and cook dinner.  Which I did.  Mushrooms, sugar peas, yellow bell pepper, and tofu stir-fried in a soy/mustard sauce over red & black rice.  It was tasty.   I also discovered that hot green tea makes my Horrible Tongue Canker Sores feel better.  I have been drinking LOTS of green tea since then.   While I was cooking, C texted to see if I wanted to come over.  His text was a little confusing, saying that it was a bad night for Happy Hour.  So, I assumed that he had happy hour plans which were cancelled.   After some internal dithering, I decided to go over for a couple of hours.  It turns out that his text was referring to me going to happy hour (which is odd, since...

Good morning, Kittens!   One of us is having a hard time waking up this morning ... and I think it is me!   I have these really painful canker sores on the bottom of my tongue.  I am almost positive they are from an allergic reaction to a toothpaste I started using a few days ago (and have since stopped using), Tom's of Maine Cinnamon & Clove something.  A friend suggested it might be a reaction to Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS), a foaming agent used by Tom's of Maine.  However, I use other flavors of their toothpaste, which also contain SLS, and have not had canker sores.  I'm wondering if I am reacting to the cinnamon or clove oil in the toothpaste.  That would be weird.   Anyway, it hurts to talk, to eat, and to drink.  So it hasn't been a fun few days.  Fingers crossed that these sores heal quickly!   In other news, my new rug arrived!  YAY!  Here is the old rug .   And this is the new one .  It's very bumpy, like getting a foot massage with every s...

Good morning, kittens!   This morning, as I munched on my delicious Asian pear ($0.89*  each at Trader Joe's), I read an article/blogpost/thing on the WaPoDotCom, " The Starvation of America's Middle Class ," which led me over to the USDA's Food Desert Locator . Fascinating.  I had no idea about the inaccessibility of food to a great number of people, even in the booming megalopolitan*** DC Metro Area. It made me want to eat.   So I gnawed on my Asian pear and thought about apples  ... because in a totally random early morning textual conversation w/ M, we were chatting about disco music.   And pancakes.   and he sent me this video .   I think I should go to the Farmer's Market this weekend.   And, that's pretty much been my morning.  Last night, I ate a veggie burger and watched "Red."  It was pretty cute (the movie, not the veggie burger ... although, I guess, as far as veggie burgers go on the attractiveness scale, this particul...