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

Good Evening, Kittens! Previously, on VUBOQ, I was wandering the streets causing random cars to burst into flames ... well, apparently, I have a new SuperPower. But, enough about that!  Things were superbusy crazypants up until I left for Greensboro, NC after work last Friday.  Luckily, my flight was on time, and I arrived on time, in one piece, and slightly tipsy (yay for airport barz). Friday night, I went to one of my brother's friend's birthday party.  I knew a couple people.  It was fun-ish.  The beer was cheap.  And, then, since I was starving, we left the party and grabbed some food.  Yay food! Saturday, I met some of my college friends for lunch at the Village Tavern.  $5 martinis all day on Saturday! WOO HOO!!! My BFF from college (24 years and going strong) gave me some fun Elon gear.  Go Fighting Christian Phoenixes! Saturday afternoon, the parental units arrived.  I took a nap. On Saturday night, the water ...

Good Sunday Afternoon, Kittens! I guess it's time to update everyone on my week and weekend.  It has been fabulous (mostly). After work on Monday, I busied myself by getting My Cocky & Rude Bloggy Gift Exchange packages ready to mail.  I hope that they (a) have arrived by now and (b) that they arrived in one piece. On Tuesday, my co-worker drove me to the Pottery Studio so I could pick up the last few pieces of my pottery.  I was mostly pleased with how things turned out.  Especially this bowl: Which I gave to my co-worker as a thank you for the ride And My Little Yellow Soup Tureen: Once I got home, I had to get ready for my building's monthly board meeting.  So much fun.  not really. On Wednesday, I did laundry and M (not the one in Las Vegas.  Obviously) came over for an Adult Sleepover.  We watched Men in Black 3 and ate pizza.  And maybe did a few other things ... On Thursday, I relaxed mostly.  And, made...

Good Sunday Evening, Kittens. Let's catch you up on the past week, shall we? Lessee ... I went to work every day ... and did not kill anyone.  Always a plus.  I am so unmotivated at work these days.  *sigh* On Monday, I recovered from the weekend of working at the Crappy National Fucking Harbor.  And, um, I may have had a "friend" come over for an Adult Sleepover. Tuesday, after work, I went to the pottery studio to do a little last minute glazing.  All of my work from this semester should be ready on Tuesday-ish.  Prepare yourself for an onslaught of pottery pix.  And try to contain your excitement. Wednesday, I did laundry. Thursday was the Day of the CSA Vegetables.  I am sort of tired of fresh vegetables.  Or, more accurately, I am tired of trying to figure out what to do with all the fresh vegetables I have. And, on Friday, I went bowling (with the same "friend" from Monday night).  I did badly.  Also, bowling wit...

Good morning, kittens! And, I'm back from my "wonderful" weekend at the National Harbor.  Well, parts of it were wonderful, but most of it Just. Sucked. The wonderful parts were being able to hang out with V from Philly and ... well, that's about it, really. Friday, after work, a co-worker drove me to the National Harbor, because there is really no good way to get there via public transportation.  I met V at the Aloft and he gave me a key to our room and then went back to work the Holiday Festival.  The Aloft sucked. The room had no heat.  We complained twice and each time they said they would send up an engineer to look at it.  They did not. V from Philly got back from the Festival around 7ish, and we met his co-worker for dinner. We first went to the Rosa Mexicano, but they had no available seating until 9:30PM.  So, we tried this Italian place (name of which I can never remember) where my co-workers and I sometimes go for lunch.  They we...

Good Evening, Kittens! Because there are some things I want to tell you about, but can't just yet, I am going to share with you some pottery pictures ... Mugs!  The inside is Michigan Brown.  And the outside is Lisa's Favorite Blue and Black (around the rim).  I think I will be giving one of these to V from Philly, who I will be seeing this weekend because I told him I would help him work some sort of Mulled Wine Booth at the National Harbor's Harbor Holiday Festival (or something like that). The company is putting us up in a hotel room there all weekend. And I get to talk about booze to strangers.  Good times! Bowl!  It is all in Lisa's Favorite Blue.  I am thinking I will give this to a family member.  Maybe my brother (and his girlfriend) for Xmas. I used my credit card points to get my family members gift cards to various and sundry stores.  So I feel like I should also give them something that I actually paid for ... Hm ... ...

Good Afternoon, Kittens!  I hope you had a delightful Thanksgiving and are using the rest of the weekend to relax and exercise off all those excess calories you consumed ... as for me, my Thanksgiving holiday has been possibly one of the Best EVER! On Wednesday afternoon, I got some VERY  GOOD news (which I will be sharing later once everything is signed and official). THEN, M in Las Vegas texted asking if I would be home on Thursday, because he wanted to pick up the car. Um.  WHAT?  "Are you in town," I asked.  He said he would be but was driving from DC to his family's in NC.  CRAZY PANTS! Later that evening, another M (this one local) called saying he and a friend were in the neighborhood and could they stop by.  "Sure," I said. When they got here, the friend stayed in the car.  Weird.  But, whatever.  So M and I chatted for a minute.  And then ended up having superhot buttsecks while his friend sat in the car waiting ......

Good Evening, Kittens. I have returned from a fun-filled and slightly exhausting weekend in the City of Brothers Who Love. After work on Friday, I headed to Union Station.  My train wasn't scheduled to depart until nearly 9PM, so I had arranged to meet a friend for drinks/food beforehand. Said friend never showed up.  Grrrrr.  And, then, made some lousy excuse.  This is a friend that I used to hang out with last year, but he met a boyfriend and ignored me.  Now, they have broken up, and he contacted me again.  I thought I would give him another shot.  Oh, well.  I am done with that guy. The train trip to Philadelphia was uneventful.  I was mostly drunk.  V from Philly picked me up at the train station and we drove back to his place.  Had a few drinks.  And went to bed (it was nearly midnight). The next morning, there may (or may not) have been some Morning Fun.  Then, we met Lora for brunch at the Green Eggs Ca...

Good Evening, Kittens! It's been a heckuvaweek (so far). Monday, I went to the Trader Joe's.  And, then, I ironed 10 shirts.  Later, K-Factor came down and we watched "True Grit" (the remake, not the original).  It was pretty damn awesome.  I also made a potato leek soup (plus carrots).  It was delicious. Later that evening, K-Factor and I went to pottery class.  I made three bowls, worked on my mini-soup tureen project, and glazed two mugs and a bowl.  Good times. Tuesday, after work, I went for a 3.5 mile run.  And, then, I attended my monthly co-op board meeting.  Joy. Wednesday, I did laundry and talked to my BFF from college.  AND, today, THURSDAY, I had the job interview.  I think it went well.  I hope it went well.  I need the significant increase in salary that it would bring.  And, this evening, another Board member and I had an orientation/interview with a prospective buyer of one of the vacant u...

Good Evening, Kittens!  And Happy Veterans' Day!  I hope you will all be able to celebrate and honor our veterans tomorrow by not going to work and hitting the mall for Big Big Sales. ANYWAY,  my parents visited this weekend.  They arrived Thursday late afternoon.  That evening, we just blobbed around and ate and talked. On Friday, I had a hair appointment.  While I was away, I tasked my parents with cleaning my place and putting away my Halloween decorations. When I got home, we piled into the car and I drove (eek!) to the Kennedy Center.  We had a tour of the building and, then, had dinner at the KC Cafe.  After dinner, we attended a performance of "Warhorse." It was pretty amazing.  BUT, I would like to say that the people who were all like, "The horses are PUPPETS! and, after awhile, you don't even notice the puppeteers" are either totally craycray or possibly mentally challenged.  Every time the horses appeared on stage, I...

KITTENS! As some of you may know, I have a brother ... We are practically twins He is involved in some sort of David and Goliath Battle (he would be the David in this scenario) to be named Tailgater of the Year (or something) for Appalachian State University (which is a minor university located in Western North Carolina, and vastly inferior (except maybe in sports) to Elon University). He has asked me to ask you to take some time out of your busy schedule and vote for his Humble Band of Tailgaters.  If you feel so inclined, here is the info: Please follow these simple instructions:  Go to http:// appstate.crowdcameo.com/ event/ Tailgate-of-the-Game-Year-C ontest/1077/ Register (you have to give your email…don’t worry, it’s just to keep voting honest) Click on the registration link they send you Log in (so remember your Name and Password) Click on "vote for favorites" Click on pic of 2012 Black Death Tailgate Team (Meat by YoChef) Click “Vote Up...

Good Evening, Kittens! This weekend, I was supposed to meet my friend, V from Philly, in Atlantic City; however, that trip did not happen.  Something about a Frankenstorm and most of Atlantic City being washed out to sea ... oh, well.  I was very disappointed. Luckily, V from Philly decided to come here.  Yay! He arrived Friday night.  I had been out to happy hour with a co-worker and former co-worker.  We basically blobbed on the sofa, drinking beer and watching DVDs.  Then, we went to bed. On Saturday morning, we took our time getting out of bed, but eventually made it up to Eggspectations for brunch.  Where I was reminded that I am not a huge fan of the hollandaise sauce. Then, we took the metro into the DeeCee. First stop was the Million Puppet March Rally .  It was kind of a bust.  There were definitely not a million puppets.  But, yay for support for public broadcasting. We, then, wandered over to the US Botanic Garde...

Sligo Creek before the Deluge Good Afternoon, Kittens! Well, Sandy has come and gone.  She tried to do her worst, but we persevered.  The power flickered once, but that was it.  Hurrah! So, how did I spend my day "working from home?" I'm so glad you asked ... I baked a pumpkin in my toaster oven. I sat on the sofa a lot ... except when a certain Ball o' Kitteh stole my spot. I ventured out into the wind and the rain to take a photo of the roaring torrent, Sligo Creek. I made Blue Hubbard Squash Risotto, using this recipe (minus the radicchio). Isabella and I celebrated when the radiators came on. Then, I headed up to K-Factor and the Canadian's apartment for an evening change of scenery. And, that was my day.  Good times for sure. Today, I am trying to be productive, but it's not happening.  Boo. *smooches*

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. Last night, at pottery, a couple of pieces had been glaze-fired ... Prepare yourself for some Unattractive Pottery Porn Too big to be mugs.  Too squat to be useful. Actually, this isn't half-bad.  I may gift it to a family member.  Or a family member's girlfriend. And, there you have it.  In other news,  work.  It is keeeeeeeeeeeeeelling me.  I just have to make it through Friday.  I can do it!  I know I can. Have a fabulous evening (or day.  whatever)! *smooches*

Good Morning, Kittens! Not much to catch up on from the week.  Work is work.  I missed pottery class last Monday (sore back.  bad rain.  lazy).  My date with the SuperHot Trainer Guy got postponed (again).  His other job keeps him very busy, and he has to work late a lot.  *sigh*  And, I did laundry. This weekend, however, quite a bit happened. I decorated for Halloween.  Meaning, I put up my Halloween lights, including the Cute New Mummy Lights I got using a Target gift card I found the other day. THEN, I got a package: Cute Nu Shoooooz!  They are an early Xmas present from my parents.  Yay for parents who support your bad habits! That evening, I met SCGB at Adega for wine and carb-loading.  I had (most of) a ginormous flatbread pizza.  YUM! And, on Sunday, I woke up SuperEarly.  My co-worker and her BF picked me up and we headed to the Army Ten Miler.  I had a pretty good run.  It w...

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. Well, we are on Day 3 of my 4-day weekend (*w00t*), so I thought I would bring you up-to-date on all the excitement in my life. So, on Friday, I mostly ran errands.  I also ran a few miles.  I went to the Giant and bought some necessary supplies, like kitty litter and paper towels.  Then, I did a little grocery shopping at the Whole Foods.  And, I may (or may not) have had a slightly boozy lunch at Adega. Once home, I took a long nap.  Then, I cleaned the bathroom. Yay clean bathroom!  As I was doing all this housework, I was reminded that my iron had died.  I also remembered that I had a Target giftcard.  SO, I went to target.com and did a little shopping.  I bought a new iron (yay!), a new rug for the bathroom, a shoe rack, and some Halloween novelty lights. YAY! And I spent the rest of the evening watching Downton Abbey, Season 2.  LOVE! On Saturday, I journeyed out to Wheaton to talk to the p...

Good Evening, Kittens! What a weekend!  It was definitely too short.  At least this coming week is only a four-day week for me!  and a four-day weekend!  BUT, enough looking ahead.  Let's look back and reflect ... My work week was pretty much the usual exercises in clusterfuckery.  I did have a phone interview.  We'll see how that goes.  I think the job would be interesting.  And I think it will pay more.  Not sure if I impressed them during the interview or not, though.  Oh, well.  We'll see ... I also got the bid for my kitchen remodeling project - $15,000.  Not including appliances.  My parents were supposed to be helping me pay for it.  But, after talking with my mother tonight, I'm not so sure I want their help.  Although I'm also not sure how I will pay for it otherwise.  Ugh.  There was too much "that's too expensive" and "you should find another contractor" and "you should get lower...

Good Evening, Kittens! And, suddenly, it is Monday again.  How the heck does that keep happening?  Oh, well ... I am back to fill you in on all the fun and excitement of my weekend ... On Friday, after work, I had a date.  With someone new.  Let's call him "T" ... We went to El Chucho in Columbia Heights.  They have delicious margaritas.  He doesn't drink.  I had two.  They also make tacos and other foods ... which were pretty good.  He is also vegetarian. That is nice.  Dating vegetarians is easier than dating Omnivores.  I'm sorry.  But, it is.  He drove me home.  We kissed good night.  Good times. On Saturday, I woke up (eventually) and went to the Whole Foods.  And, then, I went to the Likker Store.  But it wasn't open yet.  So, I stopped by Marshall's.  Where I found a pair of Lucky Jeans.  In my size.  For only $35.  I bought them. Then, I went back to the Likker...

Good Evening, Kittens! What a fun weekend had I!  On Friday, after attending a fun environmental/green building symposium, I met SCGB, Bobby, Tomokito, and Eric from Baltimore at Nellie's for happy hour.  and, then, we went to a really yummy (but, probably over-priced) Thai restaurant for dinner. And, then, I staggered home.  Yay! On Saturday, kind of overhung.  BUT, my co-worker, Dana, and I went to this local eco-design business (which we had learned about at the aforementioned symposium).  She was looking at backsplashes, and I am thinking of having them design/build my new kitchen.  Yay for new kitchens! Then, I walked up to the Whole Foods, shopped, and had lunch at Adega.  Yum.  Once home, I made a metric shit-ton of hot sauce (using chili peppers from our CSA). For dinner, I made corn on the cob and green bean in a walnut miso sauce.  YUM! Saturday night, I watched "The Bubble," an Israeli film about a Palestinian/Jew...