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

I should be cleaning my apartment.  Victor from Philly will be arriving around 2ish.  We're running the Army 10-Miler tomorrow.  ACK!  But, instead of cleaning, how about some pottery photos? This is a handbuilt bowl-thing: Here is a bowl: And here are two mugs that sort of are almost alike: And, now, I suppose I should get back to cleaning ... ugh.

Sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo ... It looks like M and I might be getting back together.  Recently, we've had amazing times together.  And, he seems to be open to us going to counseling.  I am hoping both individual and couple.  BUT, I haven't had the inclination to look into it because.  well.  I am stressed out about the whole stupid Government Shutdown. I AM GETTING SHUTDOWN ZITS!  WHAT THE HELL?!?!?!?! As for the other guy I was casually dating (remember: the hot bad kisser?), I let him down easy. WHICH, brings me to the title of my new book idea: How to Let Him Down Easy by Not Returning His Phone Calls. I KID!  I did return his phone calls.  well, his text messages.  And I was all "this just isn't working for me."  Because it wasn't.  I don't get it.  He was super-hot. Smart.  Good job.  Nice guy. BUT, I wasn't all that into him.  *sigh*  I should have been.  Oh, well. I hav...

Hello, Dear Kittens! As you may have heard, the Federal Government has been shutdown since October 1st.  What you may not know is that this affects VUBOQ most negatively.  I have been out of work since that time.  My company was able to carry me on overhead last week; however, starting on Monday, I will either have to use up my leave time (which is not very much) or go unpaid. I would like to take a few moments to clear up a few common misconceptions.  Congress is working very hard (LOL!) to make sure that furloughed Federal employees will receive backpay.  However,  furloughed government contractors are not the same as furloughed Federal employees.  We will not receive backpay.  Additionally, Maryland and Virginia have made it Very Easy for furloughed Federal employees to apply for unemployment benefits.  Furloughed government contractors have to wade through the usual bureaucratic unemployment redtape. I will be calling my company's...

Where to start to bring you up to date?  Hmmmm. Worklife:  Work is still good.  I still like my job.  We are very short-staffed at the moment, but should be bringing on a few new people in the very near future (assuming their security clearances go off without a hitch, which -considering recent events- may not be that likely).  I am keeping my fingers crossed that Congress can get their collective heads out of their collective asses and not shut down the government.  I needz mah paychex. Lovelife: This part is a mess.  I have resumed sexual relations with my most recent ex.  We both know that we are not good as a couple ... except when we are naked and having the superhot buttsecks.  I'm pretty sure that this is not going to be sustainable in the long-term.  But, I am enjoying the ride (so to speak).  I am also trying to date some.  We'll see how that goes.  Runninglife: The Parks Half Marathon was fun.  I ran...

Good lord, kittens.  It's been awhile since I've filled you in on all the strange and wonderful things going on in my life. So, let's see ... Tap class has ended.  It was only 5 weeks long, but it was fun.  Most of my classmates are signing up for "Next Steps."  However, because that class starts at 8:30PM, I have registered to repeat "Intro."  It's like I'm being held back.  I'm in Remedial Tap.  Oh, well ... The "real" reason I'm staying in Intro is because I want to get home at a semi-reasonable hour on a worknight.  If I took Next Steps, I wouldn't get home until around 11.  And that is way too late for someone who has to wake up at 5:45 the next morning.  Tap class starts again on September 9th.  The day after I run a half-marathon.  Joy.  Yes.  I'm running the Parks Half Marathon on September 8th.  If you're local, come out to cheer me on.  If you are hyper-local, give me a ride to the starting l...

This pottery session has been filled with more disasters than triumphs so far.  Here are the first two finished pieces: It's a mug.  The glaze on the outside is T(something) Gold.  I sort of like it. The inside is glazed with Nutmeg, which I also like.  There's just something about the mug that is kinda.  I don't know.  Blah. This is a bowlyvasething.  The glaze on the outside is Nutmeg, which I like.  The glaze on the rim and on the inside is T(something) Gold.  I don't really like it at all. Today, I glazed a mug and a bowl in Avocado.  And, then, I left, because I am sick and felt like crap.  Yay.

Yesterday ... I went to work. I had happy hour with friends. I drank too much (four tom collinses). I may (or may not) have made out with a guy who I used to date, who (later that evening) may (or may not) have made out with another guy in our group who I thought was rillyrilly cute. Except I left early. Because I was a little drunk. So, rillyrilly cute guy became Fair Game. I started texting guys in my phone who I haven't texted in a longlong time. Some of them texted back. I watched "Despicable Me." I went to bed. Today ... I woke up. I managed to get out of bed. I may (or may not) have been a little overhung. I walked to the Whole Foods. I baked cookies. 3 dozen peanut butter cookies. Almost 5 dozen snickerdoodles. I used my new kitchenaid standmixer. It's red.  My new shoes arrived. They are also red. One dozen of the snickerdoodles cooked for too long. They are like brickerdoodles.  I tried to take a nap. I couldn't sleep. I wat...

The moment my heart broke was when the bottle of sunscreen he threw in anger hit the wall above my head. And, that was my weekend. *smooches*

Good Evening, my kittens! Much has happened since my last posting.  I received a visit from a Famous Blogger, Professor and Author .  I have done many loads of laundry.  I have ironed many shirts.  I have drank (drunken?) many, many martinis.  I have started a new pottery session at a new studio.  But, all of these are stories for another time.  For, now, I must tell you the sad, sad Tale of the Platter of Trials and Tribulations ... Once upon a time, in a pottery studio far, far away, there was a pottery student who decided to make a fun platter. As he was throwing the fun platter, the walls became to thin.  And one of the walls developed a crack. His pottery teacher had a great idea.  By making diagonal cuts similar to the crack, he could create an interesting folded/braided edge to the platter. However, as he was doing this, the crack became worse, so the pottery student had to cut a half circle in the wall of the platter. He b...

In preparation for a visit by a World Renowned Author, Professor, Ex-Blogger, I have been cleaning out my spare room.  During which, I discovered a treasure trove of memories.  One of which being the above drawing of a 48-hour chick embryo.  Which I made during the most difficult class I ever took, Comparative Vertebrate Embryology. So, I posted the photo to the facebooks and a former classmate said she had also saved all her drawings and reminded me of the nickname we had given ourselves (ourselves being the 8 students in the class): The Pig Masters. This was because we spent way too many hours every week in the lab staring into a microscope making sketches of cross-sections of a 10mm pig embryo.  Oh, yeah.  Good times.  And, at 3AM, things could get a little punchy ... AND, then, tonight, I phoned my BFF from College (who was also in that class) and she was at her mom's house for the rest of the week.  Her mom is amazing (of course, everyone ...

Good Evening, Kittens. I can't even remember the last time I posted. I don't think it was *that* long ago.  So over Memorial Day weekend, the BF (yes, over the weekend, we DTR'ed*) and I went to Pittsburgh (of all places) and Fallingwater.  Pittsburgh was surprisingly not awful.  We had good food.  Our hotel was nice (but I seem to have left a pair of chinos there).  People were friendly, which -being from the decidedly not very friendly DC/Metro Area- was a little disconcerting.  We adapted. Here are some of my favorite pix (Have I mentioned how much I dislike Flickr's new interface?) ... There are more pix available on the Flickrz . After we returned from the trip, we got into a bit of a rather stupid spat.  It was all his fault, of course.  We didn't speak for several days (because he needed "time to think").  Finally, he admitted he was wrong.  And we spent most of this past weekend having very hot (and sweaty) but...

Who has two thumbs and totally got mad at someone for cooking him breakfast this morning? Oh, yeah ... THIS GUY I feel I was totally justified though.  The Certain Someone didn't start cooking until about 5 minutes before I usually leave for work. Plus, I was stressed out because today was a Very Important Day filled with Lots of Things I Had to Do.  And I could not be late.* Plus, all I could think was "I'm going to have to do all those dishes when I get home." Also, it's hot.  My back has been hurting.  And,5 thousand other reasons that make it perfectly OK to get mad at Someone for Cooking Me Breakfast. *sigh* And one wonders why I am not alone ... *smooches* *as it turns out I was 20 minutes early.  I don't know how that happened.

Good Saturday Afternoon, Kittens! Yesterday, I left work a few minutes early to pick up pottery from the studio.  Although, I have two pots which haven't been glazed yet and a missing pot, most of my pots have been fired.  The only thing that hasn't been fired is the Platter of Trials and Tribulations ... I may be able to pick that up later this summer.  We shall see ... Anyway, here are a few pics of the Pots of Spring 2013.  Enjoy. All of my photos from Pottery Spring 2013 can be viewed on Flickr . Enjoy the rest of your Saturday! *smooches*

Good Evening, Kittens! Pottery class has ended for the session ... the final Glaze Firing still hasn't happened.  I hope to have some Pottery Pictures (and possibly some Pottery to Give Away) for you by the end of this week.  We'll see ... I don't have much confidence in the speedy work ethics of the new pottery studio manager. ANYWAY, no class tonight means I have time to update you on my SuperFun, sex-filled weekend in the booming metropolis of Elon (and Burlington), NC. A couple of weeks ago, I received an invitation to a former professor's retirement celebration at my alma mater, Elon University.  I was surprised that she remembered me, and I needed a little get-away, so I rented a car, booked a hotel, took Friday off work, and drove down to North Carolina. I may (or may not) have had a certain someone come along with me ... Friday, we slept a little later than usual, and, then, headed out to pick up the rental. Driving is stressful, but, at least, I am...

Good evening, kittens! I have been bad blogger.  I am sure I will eventually have a few moments to fill you in on all the excitement (or lack thereof) in my life.  Until then, here is a photo (and they are worth a thousand words, I hear): And, now, to the purpose of this posting.  April is National Poetry Month.  I am going to attempt (no promises about success) to post an original poem every day this month (probably not on weekends though, but we'll see).  No promises as to the quality of the poems either.  We'll see how this goes.  So, to kick it off, here's something I wrote while I was in high school (circa 1986 or so). Limerick A witty little limerick I started out to write, but, it seems my wits have left and will not return tonight. *smooches*

Good Evening, Kittens! As you may know, yesterday (3/17) was the Best Day of the Year!  And, I spent the entire Best Day of the Year weekend in fabulous and exciting New York City!  *w00t* But, before I left, M came over on Thursday night for a little pre-birthday celebration (and a lot of hot buttsecks).  He gave me a watch as my present, which was very sweet ... but also shows that he doesn't listen very well.  I had suggested that he not buy me a present, but should cook dinner or something for me sometime in the near future.  Anyway, this is the watch: It is cute.  and green. Then, Friday morning, there may (or may not) have been more buttsecks and I may (or may not) have been a smidge late for work ... It was after work when the real fun began.  I metro'ed over to Union Station and had time to have 2 cocktails, a beer, and locate a likker store that sold little boxes of wine before boarding my train to NYC. I arrived in NYC aroun...

Good Evening, Kittens! Let's play catch-up!  Two weekends ago, I flew to North Carolina.  It was my Dad's 75th Birthday.  So, after work (and after a couple of martinis), I caught a plane to my brother's place in Greensboro.  Then, the next morning, we drove the 3.5 hours to my parents' town.  There we had a lovely lunch with about 10 of my parents' friends in the beautiful (if somewhat stinky) town of Canton.  Canton's Paper Mill  After lunch, we just chilled at the parents' house and eventually had dinner at a Thai restaurant.  It was not that great.  It started snowing.  "The snow's supposed to stop around 6PM," Dad said.  It snowed all night.  The View from My Parents' Deck Because it was (a) snowy and (2) 24 degrees F outside, I decided to wait to do my 11 mile run until I got to Greensboro.  Which is what I did ... And, then, I had an early dinner and several cocktails with my brother, his gf, and the...

Good Evening, Kittens!  Tornwordo sort of reminded me in his comment that, wow, I haven't blogged in awhile.  I guess with the kitchen project, the new job, the ennui of life I haven't really thought much about recording the exciting events of my life ... So, last I left off (not withstanding the kitchen post), V from Philly was coming for a visit and I was going to have a conversation with him. Well, he came for a visit.  But, I didn't have the conversation.  I know.  I am a wimp.  I do have a semi-explanation (which we will get to in a bit). He arrived late Friday night.  We went out for food.  And came home.  On Saturday, the kitchen guys were coming to do work.  So, we got up early and headed out for brunch.  And, then, some shopping and wandering around. We came back to my place for a minute, and, then, headed into DC.  We had an early-ish dinner at Jaleo.  It was yummy as always.  V had bought tick...

The Time Has Come, Kittens ... From this:  To this:  To this:  And, finally, to this: Months of planning.  A LOT of money. A week of STRESS.  And, I haz new kitchen. Envy me, bitches. *smooches*