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

Somewhere among the sunshine, the margaritas, and the book I'm reading, I recovered a memory from my college days: the only time I've ever lined up overnight for tickets to an event. Who was this event for? Who was I so desperate to see that I would wait for hours to get tickets? Madonna? Whitney Houston? The New Kids on the Block? Ha. Amateurs! All of them. The person I absolutely had to see: [wait for it] Jimmy Carter. Yep. He came to Elon as a part of Habitat for Humanity event. The college was having a special question and answer session that was by ticket only. My friend, Isa, and I decided we *had* to go. So we headed to the auditorium and spent the night by the ticket booth. Surprisingly, we weren't the only ones who had the idea. In the end, we received our tickets. Slept for a bit. Then, later that afternoon, were able to speak with Jimmy Carter. And have our picture taken with him. I still have the photo lying about in a box somewhere. Very cool. My parents are ta...

Weekend Highlights: Smashmouse Edition

So many wild and wonderful things happened this weekend, I hardly know where to begin. I shall, therefore, begin where most people begin things: [Everyone! Sing along!] When reading we begin with a-b-c [a-b-c!]. In singing we begin with do-re-me [do-re-me!]. In blogging we begin with ... the middle [ in media res !]. Yesterday, I met Jake . He's very cool. We went to Halo for drinks (2-for1!). Robert joined us. Then, we ran into Ray and Joey and went to Logan Tavern for dinner. Surprisingly, I found Joey to be quite entertaining this time. Maybe I was more drunk than usual. Or maybe he was... The only other exciting Saturday events were 1) my haircut [It looks fabulicious] and 2) a cop got shot in the leg about 2 blocks from John's house and about 1 hour before I walked by on my way to the Metro station. Fun! Friday's bowling happy hour was too much fun! I scored 120 the second game! I would have a picture to prove it, but in my rather intoximacated state, I f...

Where Did You Go to School?

Shigeki participated in a meme. I found one of the questions interesting: How many schools did you go to? My list is fairly long too ... I went to kindergarten in Belmont, NC . I can't remember the name of the school though. 1st - 4th grade , I went to Murphy Elementary in Murphy, NC. Then, my family moved to Stallings, NC. I went to Indian Trail Elementary for 5th grade and Sun Valley Middle School for 6th Grade . We moved again to Rural Hall, NC. I went to Mineral Springs Junior High for 7th and 8th grade and North Forsyth High School for 9th - 12th grade . I earned my BA in Science Education at Elon College (now University). While there, I spent a semester at Birkbeck College, University of London . I also took summer courses at Gaston County Community College (in NC) and Appalachian State University (in Boone, NC). If teaching counts, I taught biology for 2 years at West Montgomery High School in Mt. Gilead, NC. Then, I taught conversational English at the California La...

Out of the Mouths of Babes

an "i really should be going to bed rather than typing up a blog entry" entry ... The other day I had a phone conversation with a former coworker, the Skankified Ho (reformed) (temporarily, I think). During the course of this conversation, she asked, "When is the appropriate time to say 'I love you.'" I said something along the lines of "when it feels right, you'll know blah blah blah stock advice columnist answer." "True," she said, "but, when did you say it to John." "I haven't." "WHAT?!?! How long have you been dating?" "Nearly 9 months." Yeah ... we've had a relationship baby, and I still haven't said those three little word which carry so much weight. He hasn't said it to me either ... well, besides those post-coital moments two months (or less) into our dating which completely freaked me out. We've jokingly said things like "I love you and all, but ... blah bla...

That Which I Despise

April 22, 2006

Disco Turtle. *bleah*

Marvelous Mush

April 21, 2006

Mush has explained to me how to get the photos off of my camera phone. She so rocks. Here's the test pic: It's from my Annual Halloween Pumpkin Carving Party (way back last Fall). I am the pumpkin carver extraordinaire. This is so hot!

Weekend Plans: Re-Blonding Edition

April 21, 2006

Tonight, my co-workers and I are going to Strike Bethesda for Happy Hour. The thing about Happy Hour with my co-workers is that it usually turns into Happy Hours ... beginning with a round of tequila shots and ending with drunken staggering home. Usually this is not a problem, except tomorrow I have to be up very early for my 10:30 hair appointment. I'm going to be re- blonded ! YAY! Just in time for my next weekend stint as a bridesmaid. Hair made all purdy, I will head back to John's for a nap or two. I also will need to go feed and play with my pussy and check on Christal's abode. Later, I'm meeting Jake in Dupont Circle for drinks (at Halo!) and dinner (at somewhere!) and maybe a night of crazy partying (or not!). Sunday, I will go to the grocery store and recharge my batteries by blobbing around the house a lot. AND, don't forget, Monday, is the first Meat-free Monday ! It would be *so* cool if a couple people participated along with me.

I'm Much More Offended By "Disco Turtle"

April 21, 2006

This was one of the lead stories on Channel 9's 11 o'clock news last night: Racy Display Riles Silver Spring Perhaps a more accurate title should be "Racy Display Riles One Silver Spring Resident." Only one man, Michael Gurwitz, was quoted as finding the display distasteful, describing the teenaged-looking models as "having Lolita written all over them." To that, I say, "What the fuck ever, dude." It's nothing worse than the images we are bombarded with everyday on the TV, in the movies, and by what people are wearing on the street. The only thing offensive I find with the ads (which I walk by nearly everyday on my way to work) is that the models need a bath. They look kinda grungy. I want to take them all home and throw them in the shower. OK, I *may* want to do a little more than that with the shirtless guy in his underwear, but still ... a little shampoo, conditioner, and body wash goes a long way. Besides, if you're going to protest so...

How Are You Feeling?

Right now, I'm sad and lonely. Leave your feelings in the comments section. Go on. I dare you. I double dog dare you. I'm going to bed. Good night.

Hot In Here

OMG. It's, like, a gabillion degrees outside! A Gabillion Degrees Fahrenheit! [None of that wussy Celsius shit over here.] One of the advantages to being a deputy program manager is that I make the schedule. And, sometimes, when I make the schedule, it just so happens that I give myself a three-hour lunch break. Hey. I deserve it. I work hard. *heh* "hard" This afternoon, I bought cucumber and avocado sushi rolls and inari sushi from Whole Foods. I walked home, ate my yummy lunch, and played with my pussy. I brushed my pussy a lot. It's pussy shedding season, y'know ... as evidenced by a) the massive hairball puke pile on my hardwood floor and 2) the 8 thousand lint brush roller sheets it took to almost completely dehair my sofa . On the walk back to the office [via Starbucks. Mmm. Coffee], I noticed it had become a lot warmer. So warm, in fact, that the asphalt roads began to boil and evaporate. Fortunately, the concrete sidewalks seemed fine, if ...

Enough Already!

I blame Chicago and their Cows on Parade for the horror that is "Disco Turtle" on the corner of Georgia Avenue and Colesville Road. At the time, the Cows were different and fun, but now would someone please stop torturing us with badly-designed, no longer unique [Yes, Amanda, the disco-thing - It's been done] plaster animal statues as "art?" GAH! Since I've lived in the DC area, I have been subjected to: elephants and donkeys, pandas , piggy banks, and -of all things- crabs (Baltimore has crabs. *heh*). Now, we are going to be overrun by turtles , or I suppose I should say, terrapins . It makes me want to gouge my eyeballs out.

Does Oral Sex Count?

Yesterday, after work, I met my friend, Jerry, for happy hour at Halo (2-for-1 drinks! woo hoo!). Well into my second Maker's Mark Manhattan (YUM!), our conversation turned to how many sexual partners we've had. As Jerry was tabulating his total, I said, "4." "Only 4," Jerry asked, seemingly surprised. "Yes. But I'm not counting oral sex." To me, oral sex doesn't count. It's not like I'm going around giving (or receiving, for that matter) random blowjobs to guys on the street. Even including oral sex, my numbers still aren't *that* high. Oral sex isn't as intimate and lacks the emotional connection of butt sex. So, when I'm asked to number my sexual partners, I don't include it. Do you?

Gimme the Cookies!

April 19, 2006

Adam over at the Krebs Cycle is sponsoring some sort of contest in which people have to explain why it's important to vote. Here's what I came up with: (click to enlarge. *heh* "enlarge") Now that I think about it, it doesn't really answer the question, but *hey* maybe it'll still get me some cookies! And, hopefully, "by April 19th" means "by COB April 19th." PS. Clicking doesn't seem to make it "enlarge" *heh*. So, I've uploaded it to Flickr. HERE!

A Woman in Los Angeles Has the Bubonic Plague

April 19, 2006

I, on the other hand, do not. So, I guess it's not *all* bad. Did anyone else start singing songs from Oklahoma! after reading the name of the little Cruise-ling? Or was that just me?

Pity, Party of 1! Self Pity, Party of 1!

April 19, 2006

I feel myself getting into a bit of a funk. And, no, it's not because someone from Ohio, and not me, won the $265 million MegaMillions jackpot. I hate them. Last night, too many negative things converged at once ... things I don't really like about myself and need to work on fixing. Not worrying about going to movies by myself, for example. Or, being able to speak up for myself when the boyfriend fusses at me about completely stupid things, like his dog getting muddy paw prints on his shirt. gah. While he's fussing, I'm thinking of things I can say; however, when it comes time to say my piece, I don't say them. They fester inside me. And it's frustrating. I need a smoothie. Off to Whole foods.

I Don't Care

April 18, 2006

I'm a little disappointed. I wanted to go see a screening of the Japanese film Repast , directed by Naruse Mikio tonight at the AFI. However, when I sent out an email to several of my friends, no one responded in the affirmative. I could have gone by myself, but ... I don't know ... it wouldn't be the same. *sigh* Then, I get home and the dog jumps all over me with his muddy paws. John calls and I tell him. "You were wearing my shirt, weren't you," he said. "Yes." blah blah blah lecture lecture lecture. "When I come home, I change first. I don't wear an $80 shirt to play with the dog." What-the-fucking-ever. I wasn't playing with the dog. I was letting him in and cleaning up his shit and he jumped up on me. The friggin' mud will come out in the wash. GAH! Reasons why I have a cat: 1. Litter boxes are easier to clean than scooping up shovels full of dogshit. 2. Cats don't jump up on you with muddy paws. 3. Cats are aren'...

On Vegetarianism

April 18, 2006

Anonymous asked in the comments section of my previous post: I've been a vegetarian for 13 years or so, and I've noticed it pisses a lot of people off . I don't know why people take my eating habits so seriously, but it really gets to them. Or people tell me, "I could never be a vegetarian! I love meat too much!" It's like they feel threatened or something, like they think I'm criticizing their choices, so their going to criticize me first. Ever been treated that way, Vuboq? I've been a vegetarian since 2000. I have had people, including my parents, question my decision to quit eating meat. Unfortunately, some people do seem threatened by vegetarians. I'm not entirely sure why, but here's what I think: Some meat-eaters feel threatened because, as moral people , they know that eating animals raised in cruel ways and killed in cruel ways is morally unacceptable . They have to create arguments, more for themselves than vegetarians, to justify...

There Are No New Ideas

April 18, 2006

This morning, VUBOQ ran head-on into postmodernism (possibly), and, *ow*, I think I bruised something, maybe my femur or my scapula. Even after reading the long, long entry on postmodernism in Wikipedia, I'm still not sure I get it. Someone once explained Postmodern Thought (PoMoTho?) as stating that there are no original ideas. Everything is a rehash of something that has already been done. That may not be correct, but that's how I'm going to define it. So there. *nyah* Anyway, this morning, while I was in the shower, my two separate blog personalities began a discussion. We were brainstorming ideas on what we could do, as blogs, to help improve the environment. More specifically, what we could do to mitigate the onset of climate change. Naturally, with gas prices rapidly increasing to over $3/gallon ($3.05 at the cheap Texaco station near my apartment), we first considered encouraging people to give up driving their cars, or carpooling, once a week. However, after some d...

Busted! I Feel Better.

April 17, 2006

Funny how someone else's misfortune can brighten your day, eh? Take, fr'instance, the gentleman in the black sports car who ran the red light, making the turn onto Colesville Road (from Georgia Avenue) only to be stopped immediately by the motorcycle cop sitting in the Panera parking lot. *giggle* *guffaw* I smiled all the way to the metro station.

Move Along. Nothing to See Here.

April 17, 2006

I've tried to not inundate my journal with mope-y, depressing entries about how I miss John ... blah blah blah. But, sometimes, when it's gray and dreary outside, I can't help thinking about it. And I get all mope-y and depressed. Like now. It sucks. We're at the halfway point now. Two weeks to go. Other than the lonely sexless nights (and mornings!) and not sleeping well, one of the worst things is the responsiblity. I feel overwhelmed by it. I have to make sure the dog is fed. And, the mail is picked up. And my cat is fine. And I'm running here and running there and, at the end of it all, I'm exhausted. Plus, to keep my mind off missing John, I've scheduled lots of fun things to do with friends, which is equally exhausting. I think, once John is back, I can go home and sleep. All the time.

Was It Worth Getting My Shoes Wet?

April 17, 2006

Yesterday, I noticed the gas prices at the cheap Texaco near my place. The lowest grade gas was $2.91/gallon. It's probably clicked over to at least $3 by now. $3/gallon! GAH! I remember [way back when] driving around until I could find gas for under $1 ... similar to those heady college days where we would drive around trying to find bottles of Boone's Farm for under $1.05. $3/gallon has caused me to reevaluate my commuting situation. This month, with John gone, I have been driving to work every day. According to Google Maps, it's a 4 mile trip . GMC Envoys get about 15 mpg. Doing the math ... I use about 0.5 gallons per day for my commute. That would be $1.50. Not too bad, I guess. Except it also costs me between $4.50-$5 to park per day. $6.50 each day. Just to get to work. So, today I decided to metro. One way from Fort Totten Station to Silver Spring Station during rush hour is $1.40. For a total commuting savings of [$6.50 - $2.80 = ] $3.70 ! Woo Hoo! T...

T[ISBOP]4C

April 16, 2006

... Thank [Insert Supreme Being of Preference] 4 Coffee ... I took this pic a few minutes ago, and I love how it turned out with the flowers and the coffee and Oscar looking on in the distance. The mug in the photo is one I bought for John. We had been dating a month or two, when I went home to visit the folks. They live a short distance from downtown Waynesville, which is filled with cute little mountain crafty stores. Although purchased in Waynesville, this mug was made in Seagrove, NC, a potter's community, located about 1.5 hours from where I used to teach. The glaze on the mug is called "blueberry and chocolate." Delicious. Anyway, I think John liked the gift, and -using it while he's away- reminds me of him. With the assistance of the Sweet and Creamy Elixir of Life, aka Coffee, my hangover is beginning to fade. Yay. Yesterday's Saturday Afternoon Margaritas: Hot Tub Edition! (SAM:HTE!) was great fun. Even though only 3 people showed up, they were the prefer...

Happy Easter!

April 16, 2006

Thanks to Tomoko for the flowers. More on SAM:HTE! after this head-splitting hangover dissipates. PS. Happy Nice Sunny Day to the Non-Christians out there :-) *smooches*

I Am Drunk and Excruciatingly Horny

April 15, 2006

That is all.

Old Boyfriends Revisited.

April 15, 2006

Yesterday, because it was so slow, I let my staff leave at 4. Bored, I decided to see if one of my exes was still around. So, I entered in his AIM ID and sent him an IM. He answered. When I was diary-x'ing, I referred to this guy as TGIBS. He dumped me after about 6 weeks, because of "three reasons." They were: 1. I lived too far away; 2. I am a morning person. He isn't; and, 3. I don't have a car. IMHO, completely frivolous reasons, but ... whatever. Anyway, he sent me some pics of his recent trip to London and his boyfriend's (partner?) 30th birthday party. They've been together for 2 years now, and I am so much cuter than the boyfriend . Life is good.

A Special Message Just for You

April 14, 2006

for you chemistry geeks, that is ...

Like Crack, Only More Fattening

April 14, 2006

In my former life, as Enviroboi, I know I waxed philosphic about my one, true love. Now, in this "new" forum, I get to do it again! YAY. I am so addicted to Starbucks Apple Raisin Fritters, which is saying a lot, considering I don't really like raisins all that much. The Fritters are (relatively) cheap and (super) delicious. Venti brewed coffee - $1.80. Apple Raisin Fritter - $1.75. Complete sugar high - Priceless. As some of you may know, Starbucks is doing some sort of Akeelah and the Bee movie tie-in. The word on my little Starbucks cardboard "don't burn your hand" holder-thingy today is antediluvian . It was one of my vocabulary words from my High School Junior English Class. I think it's the first "Starbucks" word I a) knew the definition of and 2) could spell correctly if asked. Although, "Steven, how do you spell antediluvian " doesn't enter into conversation too often. Last night, Christal and I went to dinner...

On Dishwashers and Such ...

April 13, 2006

JJD has reminded me to tell everyone about my "rather entertaining" dishwasher story. The more I've thought about it, it's not all that entertaining, but here goes ... As I've written before, I used to teach high school biology in a rural county in North Carolina. This story happened during that time. After a summer of frantically searching for a job, I was offered the position at West Montgomery High School one week before school was to start. Frantically searching for a job morphed into frantically searching for a place to live and frantically packing for a move. Luckily, a former member of the county Board of Education liked to supplement her income by renting out her family's log cabin in a gated community in the Uwharrie National Forest. The house was nice: 2 bedroom, 2 bath, nice porch, beautiful view of the river at sunset, etc. etc. etc. The main drawback was that this house was for sale. The deal was that the real estate agent had to give me at least...

Phones and Psychology

April 13, 2006

According to my boss, our phones were fixed at about 3AM today. Yay. Now we can "work." Last night, due to oogly stomach, I crashed early - around 9ish, maybe 9:30. I slept well. Oscar is so weird. Does anyone remember that experiment on superstitions, in which scientists fed pigeons at completely random intervals? As it turned out, the pigeons all began doing really weird things, like hopping on one foot or walking with one wing in the air. Apparently, they started associating these behaviors with receiving food. [Hah! God Bless Google! I found it! ] Anyway, the point of this is that Oscar does some really weird shit. And, I'm wondering if that's the reason. For example, last night, as I was getting us ready for bed. He started to go batshit crazy. He would shake his collar a couple of times. Look at me. Crouch down. Spin in a circle and crouch again. He did this three times. Finally, I let him out of the bedroom. He ran downstairs to finish eating his food and have ...

VUBOQ Queries the Nation

April 12, 2006

*heh* "queries" Who wants to come load the dishwasher? *heh* "come" My boss let us leave at 4PM today because the phones were still gang aft a-gley -ed. Hm. Methinks, I need to come up with a new acronym, along the lines of SNAFU (situation normal: all fucked up)... GAAG: gang aft a gley -ed! Anyway, because of our early departure, I fed and watered the kitty and made it back to John's before 5. Woo hoo. I thought about taking a nap ... that didn't happen. I am really tired though. Really . Now, before I fix myself and my dog (augh! Not *My* Dog! Not *My* Dog!) some dinner, I must shove bunches of dishes which are littering the counter into the gaping maw that is the dishwasher. Which reminds me of a rather entertaining story from my youth. Perhaps, I shall share it with you tomorrow ... if someone reminds me. I am old and tend towards forgetfulness. *smooches* PS. JJD friggin' finally updated. Check it out !

The Happiest of Hours

April 12, 2006

Ah. Happy hour. I had planned to meet my friend, Kristen, at Tapatinis after work today to celebrate our birthdays. But, as that Scottish poet wrote, "the best-laid plans o' mice an' men/ Gang aft a-gley." And gang aft a-gley 'ed have my plans. I'm feeling a bit oogly today ... stomach issues => lack of sleep => cranky VUBOQ. I can't think of much worse than a cranky vicious, unrepentant, bitter, old queen. Except maybe one with an oogly stomach to boot. So we'll get together some other time. Maybe next week. In other exciting gang aft a-gley news, my hotlines phone system is down. We discovered it at 10:30 this morning, when we suddenly realized, "Hey. We're not getting any calls." This is slightly humorous because the hotline had supposedly been up for 2 hours already. It's now nearly 1:30. It's still down. Slow day. On the plus side, my friend, Christal, is coming back to DC for the weekend. We're goin...

Immigration Nation - revised

April 12, 2006

I wrote this semi-diatribe about immigration, an issue about which I don't know enough, and I felt like I was simply stringing together a series of cliches and soundbites I've heard from other people. I considered deleting the entry. Instead, I'm typing up this short introduction and hoping that my readers will take the opportunity to educate and enlighten me. Here it goes ... Although I know next-to-nothing about my family's history/ancestry, I am practically positive that we are from immigrant stock. I would guess that a very large percentage of Americans are as well. So what is all this fuss now about immigration? We got here first and we want to keep it to ourselves? We worry about our tax dollars being spent on immigrant health care. They're here illegally but they still get a free education, we say. Well, fuck that, our spoiled brats don't give a damn about their education. Let some people who are trying to better their lives take advantage. Judge a ...

Waiting.

Twenty minutes until 10. I'm waiting for my phone to ring. "We have night training. I should be done my 9:30. If it's not too late, I'll call." It's never too late. Sure, I might be a bit cranky if, say, you call at 2AM and wake me up from a sound sleep and a hot dream. I might even curse you out and then hang up. I've been known to do that - not remembering the call the next day and wondering why my friend seems so distant. So, I feed the dog. I cooked dinner. I ate dinner [spinach, onion, tomato, and blue cheese omelet]. I watched CSI. I made a brandy alexander. I knitted a row or two. I went into the basement to watch a movie, Water Drops on something something , but I turned it off after about half an hour. I let the dog out. I let the dog in. I turned on the hot tub. I soaked until I got bored [15 minutes]. I showered. And, now, I wait. For the phone to ring. Twelve minutes until 10.

Luke 2:10-11 KJV

... with some modifications. Y el ángel dijo a ellos, miedo no: para, behold, le traigo los buenos tidings de la gran alegría, que estarán a toda la gente.* And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. Para a usted se lleva este día en la ciudad del resorte de plata un salvador, que es almacén del zapato del diseñador. For unto you is born this day in the city of Silver Spring a Saviour, which is Designer Shoe Warehouse. Yes, the biblical prophesy has come to pass! A DSW is opening up a mere two blocks (TWO BLOCKS!) from my office! I can't wait for it to open. Why isn't it open yet? Why? I may vomit. *Spanish translation courtesy of Google Translation tools.

Big Money Dreaming

The lottery grand prizes have almost reached an amount worth playing. MegaMillions is around $189 million and PowerBall is at $200+ million. If no one wins this week, I may have to go out and buy a ticket. This is my lottery buying ticket philosophy: I never buy more than 2 chances at a time. I pick the numbers for one, and I let the computer pick for the other one. I don't understand people who spend hundreds of dollars on lottery tickets. My math skills are not all that great, but my understanding of probability is that if you buy no tickets, you have zero chance of winning the grand prize. If you buy one ticket, you have a one in [let's say] 200 million chance of winning the prize. Pretty long odds, but better than zero . If you buy 50 tickets, you don't reduce the odds to 1 in 4 million (4 million x 50 = 200 million). Instead, you have a 1 in 199,999,950 chance of winning. You haven't really improved your odds all that much, AND you are out $50 rather than ...

A Visit from Santa Julia

As some of you may have ascertained from my last entry, I stopped off at Adega, the cute little wine shop in Silver Spring yesterday afternoon. I decided to buy a nice bottle of wine to compliment the masaman curry I planned to make. I bought a yummy white wine from Argentina, Santa Julia. During the curry cooking and eating process, I somehow managed to drink the entire bottle. I think they are making wine bottles smaller than they used to. The curry, itself, wasn't too bad. Not great. It wasn't as spicy as I thought it was going to be. Plus, I pre-cooked the potatoes for a bit too long, so they were a little on the soft side. And, the color didn't look right. I thought it would be redder than it was. I still ate it. I'd I will be eating on it for several days. Curry for lunch! Curry for dinner! Curry for breakfast! Curry and rice! Curry spaghetti! Curry omelet! Good thing I *heart* curry. The rest of the evening was fairly uneventful. John called. I...

Bad Pun Afternoon

April 10, 2006

Conversation with the wine cellar and cafe shop owner: Owner: I wish we could have windows that would open onto the sidewalk. Me: That would be nice, like some of the restaurants in DC. Owner: Yeah, but how do they keep the flies away? Me: Haven't you heard? DC is a " No Fly Zone ." *groan*

Thoughts on Curry

April 10, 2006

While I was uploading my pictures from Thailand (see previous entry ), I began to think about curry. I love me some Thai curry - green curry, red curry, penang curry, country-style curry, yellow curry ... mmm ... As for John, well, he no like curry. He no like curry. He no like coconut. Ergo, while the John is away, the VUBOQ will make curry! Yay! Tonight, I am going to make Gaijin Girl/Token Asian 's favorite (if I remember correctly), Masaman Curry ! This morning at Whole Foods, I bought an onion, potatoes, mushrooms, and Thai jasmine rice. S**t! I forgot to buy coconut milk. AUGH. Anyway, I found a package of Masaman curry paste in my cabinet yesterday. I thought about looking for a "fake meat" to add to it, but eventually decided to use mushrooms. I wonder how that will work. I. am. very. excited. Thai curry. Yum. peanut butter. I think I need to buy peanut butter for the curry, too.

My Left Knee.

April 10, 2006

It hurts. For the Spring Semester of my sophomore year at Elon College (now University), I participated in a study abroad program in London. I, and about 35 other students, lived in a run-down building about 8 blocks north of Hyde Park. I can't remember the name of the street (it was over 15 years ago), but it was near Edgware Road and a Safeway. Every week, we received a food allowance. Every Monday was a happy evening spent at our local. By Thursday, we were eating "McDonald's Ketchup Packet Soup." One weekend, some of the girls decided to have a party in their flat. "Come on over," they said. "We're making jell-o shots. Bring some booze!" We came. We brought booze. We had a good time. The alcohol flowed copiously. The jell-o shots were shot with gay abandon. The music started, and we danced. Suddenly, *our* song came on: Love Shack by the B-52s. Michelle pulled me up on a chair to dance with her. We danced. My knee twisted and I fell off th...

Late Night Self Portrait 1

April 09, 2006

GAH.

April 09, 2006

So there are certain aspects of my personality that I find a little annoying ... [and, I realize I am opening myself up for all sorts of comments]. The most annoying of these though is that at inopportune moments I start to concentrate on things that make me sad. And, then, unsurprisingly, I become sad. I am sad. I am missing John. I am going to try to ignore this annoying little aspect of my personality by watching The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy on Starz! Why do I doubt that it will work?

Better Late Than Never

April 09, 2006

In November 2004, I met my friend, GaijinGirl (aka Token Asian ) in Thailand. She and her family were kind enough to host me and allow me to be a bumbling, jet-lagged tourist. I have finally downloaded the pictures off of my digicam. And, I'm in the process of uploading them to my Flickr account. I have a little Thailand 2004 set going ... check it out ! And, GG, I still can't thank you enough for such a fabulous trip! *smooch*

Back from Philly

April 08, 2006

whew. I'm tired. Long day. Up at 7. left the house at 8. Met everyone at 9. Robert drove us to Philly. Bad rainy weather so the trip took longer than normal. Got to the Franklin Institute. Walked through the Body Worlds exhibit - which was quite interesting. Met some of Robert's friends for a late lunch at a crepe restaurant (fantastic!). rode back. got to Fort Totten around 8. dog was super-hyper. i'm eating dinner. am very tired. more later. for now, a photo: Bobby, Steve, Me, and Tomoko outside the crepe restaurant.

La Garganta del Diablo

I've added Diablo's blog to my list o' blogiliciousness. Everyone must now go over there to say "hi." I think it's some sort of blogville rule or something. He recently added some pictures from his trip to Buenos Aires [OK, you queens, stop singing "Hello! Buenos Aires!" from Evita ] What? I'm the only one singing? Fine. Let me finish ... just a little bit of ... just a little bit of ... star quality ... All right, I'm done. So. What happens now? You'll get by. You always have before ... Fine. I'm really done. No more Madonna or Evita references from me. Just, go! Go visit La Garganta del Diablo and tell him a vicious, unrepentant, bitter, old queen sent you. And another thing: Did I alphabetize that correctly in my bloglist? I treated the "la" as a "the" and ignored it. Is that the correct thing to do? Any grammarian help out there?

Starbucks Pointers

To the lovely young couple who ordered 8 drinks at the Starbucks this afternoon, I have a suggestion: It was very nice of you take all of your co-workers' orders and make a run to the Starbucks. However, after you have placed your order, step back and wait for awhile. Don't huddle around the tiny little serving shelf with your list of drinks, turning and examining each one to see if it's yours. And, then, saying things like "Wait. What did she say? What is this? Maybe that *is* ours." Because it's not. It's mine. And, if you would have moved your fat asses out of the way, I would have been able to get my grande caramel macchiato a lot easier. Honest. And, to the manager of the Starbucks ... maybe if you had a policy on how to handle large orders [like, I don't know, maybe telling the cute little barista that all those drinks were for one order and to keep put them aside?], things would have run a bit smoother and all those caffeine-craving coffeeheads ...

Bookery Goodness!

The Weather Makers: How Man is Changing the Climate and What It Means for the Earth , by Tim Flannery arrived a few minutes ago! YAY! As it turns out, I own another book by this author, A Gap in Nature . I didn't know it until I looked at the inside cover. Pleasant surprise. It's a fun coffee table book with interesting pictures of extinct species.

Prima Donna. First Lady of the Stage

Your devotees are on their knees To Adore You. I forgot to mention that ever since seeing the opera last night, I've been stifling a burning to desire to sing all of my conversations. In Italian. Of course, not knowing Italian makes that very difficult. As does not being able to carry a tune in a bucket, with an ergonomic handle. Naturally, since I am unable to sing all of my conversations in Italian, I am instead [in my head] singing an interesting mix of musical numbers from The Phantom of the Opera and Fiddler on the Roof . My brain is so weird. I suppose that's slightly better than singing the proper way to comply with the Toxic Substances Control Act Section 13 Import Regulations to a caller from the United Kingdom.

L'elisir d'Amore

Opera virgin no more. Yep, my opera cherry has been taken. And, unlike butt sex, it may take a little convincing to get me to go again. Ha. Seriously, the opera was pretty good. The principles were adequate. The chorus was ... a little weak. But, the music was fun. Our seats were on the very last row of the orchestra level (far away, but I can't complain about free tickets). Fortunately, Robert brought some binoculars, so we could still see some of the action up close and personal: Oooh, look! Heaving bosoms! And, it was Cute Gay Couple Central! Quoth Robert, "Who else would come to these things?" After it ended, Robert and I walked to the metro. I got to Fort Totten Station around 11:15. As I was getting ready to walk through Scary Park, I noticed something strange. Two young men walking about 50 yards in front of me started to dawdle. Then, one of them walked off the path. As I approached, I saw that he was crouched behind a tree. "Well, that's...

Barnes & Noble Gift Card Foolishness

April 06, 2006

For my birthday, my parents gave me two $25 gift cards for Barnes & Noble. Who knew that using them would turn into such a royal pain in the ass? Earlier this afternoon, I went to www.bn.com to look for a couple of titles I had in mind: The Weather Makers by Tim Flannery, and Field Notes from a Catastrophe , by Elizabeth Kolbert. Each book was about $16, so I qualified for free shipping! Woo hoo! I also had about $18 left to spend. I decided to get the third Harry Potter DVD. It was only $15. After taxes, the total came to $51.80-ish. Not bad, I thought $1.80 for 2 books and a DVD. Then, came the big surprise. As I was checking out, I clicked the "other payment" option to enter in my gift cards ... and what do my wondering eyes behold? A little note that says "Only one gift card/certificate may be used per order." Da fuuuuuuuuck! So, I cancelled my order, and decided to buy each book separately. Since I would not qualify for free shipping (about $4 per order),...

VUBOQ Becomes Like Yogurt

April 06, 2006

... Cultured. Steve invited Robert and myself to attend an opera at the Kennedy Center tonight. We're going to see L'Elisir d'Amore (pronounced Lel-ee-ZEER dah-MOH-ray or Laser Eye Surgery for Rebecca de Mornay ). The Baltimore Opera has published a handy little summary here . It would seem it's about a guy who loves a girl but is too shy to tell her. Hilarious hijinx ensue. Hm. A funny opera? I thought it wasn't opera unless someone died. Oh, well ... Anyway, I've never been to an opera before ... I can't wait until Richard Gere arrives, gives me a really expensive diamond necklace, and flies me to the Kennedy Center on his private jet. Then, after being moved to tears by the beautiful music, he'll fly me home, and we'll make mad, passionate love in his penthouse ... or in John's house ... whereever. He can make the call. Old Lady at Opera: Did you like the opera, dear? Vivian: It was so good, I almost peed my pants! Edward Lewis: She said ...

In Case You Were Wondering...

I remembered to bring home the frozen pizza. It's cooking now. YAY! Also ... my earlier "To Do" List: 1. Remember the frozen pizza that I left at work again. 2. Make reservations at the kennel for the last weekend in April. 3. Find the correct address for John's Hawaii tax payment. 4. Research the opera L'Elisir d'Amore. 5. Finish my birthday thank you notes. 6. Oh. And, maybe, do some work. Time for a little "Yay Me" Cheer. Yay Me. I rock.

New Career Move

OK. I've spent a portion of the day considering my job situtation. After much serious thought, I have decided I need to change career paths. I must go where the jobs are. Since there seems to be a need (and a recent opening), I'm going to move to my parents' house and open up my own S&M Slave Castration service in the garage. I can't wait for the money and customers to start pouring in...

Old News

courtesy the most marvelous Mush : NC Castration Suspects Given Lawyers (Yahoo! News) You may be wondering why this article is gracing the prestigious pages of VUBOQ ... well, besides the fact that it's about a) castration and b) 24/7 sex slaves [I'm getting the giggles just thinking about that] , the Castrators in Question live in my parents' town !!! HAHAHAHA! *tee hee* *giggle* *giggle* *snort*

Since You Asked

Here's Jaleo's sangria recipe ... 9 ltr red wine 24 oz orange juice 32 oz 7-Up 8 oz Rose's Lime Juice 24 oz sugar 8 oz vodka 8 oz brandy 2 cinnamon sticks Diced pears and granny smith apples Mix all items together except fruit. The sangria can be stored up to two weeks in a cooler. Add fruit approximately one hour prior to service. Makes 5 GALLONS

All Hail Jaleo