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

and gets fewest hits in WEEKS. From now on, I am only going to blog about non-Thinky matters ... Earlier today, I dumped my lunch on the floor. It was an accident. I only dump other people's lunches on the floor on purpose. Instead of yummy avocado sushi rolls, I ate a bag of potato chips - Kettle Chips Buffalo Bleu [barbeque and blue cheese]. They were tres yummy. I almost bought the other new Kettle Chips flavor, Mediterranean Three Cheese, as well, but decided to save those for another day when I [accidentally] dump my lunch all over the floor again. Now, after consuming nearly the entire bag of chips, I feel I can not justifiably eat an entire bag of microwave popcorn for dinner, as I had planned. I feel like I must eat something *gasp* healthy, like salad. Or something. Maybe an omelet. Or maybe I'll buy egg nog. Egg nog is good. And I'll try not to dump it all over the floor. *sigh*

... to laughter. "That's why I don't want to have to deal with global warming, to tell you the truth." Court Hears Global Warming Case: Justices to Decide Challenge on Greenhouse Gas Emissions is an interesting article in this morning's WaPo . Basically, 12 states and the District of Columbia are asking the Supreme Court to ask the EPA to reevaluate its decision not to pursue stricter carbon dioxide emission limits on cars and trucks. The EPA argued that it does not have the statutory authority to regulate greenhouse gas emissions (um? hello? Clean Air Act?) and -even if it did (which it does) - it is not required to use it (which it should be). He [Justice Anthony M. Kennedy] noted Milkey's "perhaps reassuring statement" that the court does not have to make a judgment about global warming. "But," Kennedy asked, "don't we have to do that in order to decide the standing argument, because there's no injury if there's not ...

GayProf , aka the Most Desirable Man on the Blogosphere, was unhappy with my response to his previous comment, so, now, I am devoting an entire entry on how I make a martini. You're welcome. I only use Bombay Sapphire gin, which I store in the freezer. I keep my vermouth in the refridgerator. I tried keeping it in the freezer, too; however, I soon discovered an interesting fact: Vermouth freezes! Who knew? Prior to making a martini, I put the martini glass in the freezer as well. I measure out approximately 3.5 oz of gin in this cool cocktail measuring glass that I have and add a splash or so (0.5 oz) of vermouth. Next, I dump in some ice cubes and let it chill for a bit. While it's chillin', I take the martini glass out of the freezer. I place 2 or 3 olives in it and a one or two tablespoons of olive juice. I give the gin and vermouth a quick couple of stirs and strain into the glass. I like to add a few bits of ice too. And, there you have it. A VUBOQtini. As for drinking...

Last night, I got home, fixed myself a martini, put in a movie, and began knitting [I'm making myself a SUPERCUTE hat]. The movie was The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada [which if you haven't seen, see it! It was excellent!]. About halfway through the movie, I started to get hungry. I decided to make my Meat-Free Monday meal, which I didn't make yesterday because I had leftover pizza. Mmm. Pizza. On Monday, I had purchased a sweet potato, a bag of spinach, some goat cheese, and pine nuts. I couldn't wait! Goat cheese and sweet potato is one of my favorite combinations. I know it sounds a little gross, but, for some reason, the tangy goat cheese and sweetness of the potato really work! I planned on microwaving the sweet potato. Then, adding the sauteed spinach and pine nuts and covering it with melted goat cheese. However, when I pulled the sweet potato out, it was soft and covered in mold. How could it have gone bad in only one day??? I was so disappoin...

Every year, for my annual Xmas Letter, I draw a very simple StickSteven Year in Review. You can see the very first StickSteven letter here: 2003 , and the very second StickSteven letter here: 2004 . I'm not sure if I ever uploaded the very third StickSteven letter. **We interrupt this blog entry for a very important announcement** A caller asked me: "How do I clean up toxic pigeon feces?" I referred her to her EPA Regional Office. Silly Virginians. **We now return you to our regularly scheduled blog entry, already in progress** This year's StickSteven letter seems to be gravitating towards lots of toilet humor. And, I have discovered that I can't draw toilets worth crap. *heh* "crap" I'll either need to practice my toilet-drawing or think of some other non-toilet related items for my letter. Oh! The Dilemma!

*whew* I'm exhausted. So far this morning, I have: - rented a car [for my Xmas trip to NC] - made a hair appointment [Tuesday, 6PM] - typed up a brief issue for the weekly report - completed and distributed the weekly report for in-house approval - came to the sudden and shocking realization that if I don't transfer funds from savings into checking TODAY my mortgage check will bouncity bouncity bounce bounce - transferred funds I think I'm going to take the rest of the day off and devote it to blogging! *woot* Hm ... what do I want for lunch ...

I stopped by the Whole Foods on my way home last night to pick up ingredients for Meat-Free Monday. However, once I opened my fridge, I was reminded that I had leftover pizza from Saturday night which needed to be eaten. I will cook my planned Meat-Free Monday meal tonight. It will be Monday somewhere in the world, right? Right? Dykewife asked about liquid cheese ... which is also called "cheese dip." It's basically melted cheese with jalapenos and stuff in it. You dip tortilla chips in it. The easiest way to make liquid cheese is to cube about 8 oz of Velveeta (mmm ... Velveeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeta), add a can of diced tomatoes with chilies (or salsa, I suppose), and nuke that stuff until the cheese melts. Simple. Delicious. The stuff you get at Mexican restaurants tends to be a bit higher quality than Velveeta. Anyway ... after making a martini and eating leftover pizza, I paid bills (woo hoo! which reminds me I need to transfer some funds into my checking account)...

And, I really need to update before I get sucked in to reading everyone else's blogs ... Here's a brief rundown of what I did: Wednesday : Left work at 4:30. The weather was crappy, so I bought a giganto bottle of gin, some garlic-stuffed olives, and I drank martinis and knitted all night! See: Parental knittens! I am totally loving them! AND, now the fam's Xmas presents are DONE! Must start to work on the friends' presents now. A knitter's work is never done. *heh* Thursday : I got up around 10. Assembled the Not Chelsea Clinton's Sweet Potato Casserole and the Cranberry Apple Casserole. Mike picked me up at 1. I hung out at his house, baking and drinking until everyone arrived around 5ish. We ate. It was good. See: Mike yelled at me when I took this picture, because it "messed up the casserole." Little did he know that I come from a long line of "people who sample the cooking then make it look like no one has touched it." [W...

[and, technically, I am *NOT* stealing this idea from the Most Desirable Man on the Blogosphere , because I was thinking of doing an "I'm Thankful" entry last night, before I read his this morning. So there!] Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays, probably my second favorite after the GREATEST DAY OF THE YEAR, St. Patrick's Day. I like it for two main reasons: 1. It's all about cooking and eating and food and drinking and family and friends. And I love cooking and eating and food and drinking and family and friends. 2. There is none of that stupid gift-giving madness associated with it. Now, granted, I like to give gifts. And, god knows, I love to receive them. BUT, I hate the gift-giving obligation that accompanies some holidays (and, I'm looking at YOU, Christmas). Seriously, how many times has a friend given you a gift at Xmas and the first thing you thought of was "OMG. I didn't get him anything?" I'm sure that's not ...

When I was a sophomore in high school, my brother was a senior. He drove a 1979 metallic pine green AMC Spirit, which we dubbed "The Green Hornet." My brother was not the best of drivers. In fact, I frequently imagined myself being killed in horrible car wrecks with my brother at the wheel - flames, plummeting over bridges, smashed under trucks. Such was my existence with my brother at the wheel. But, it was either suffer that existence or suffer a far worse fate - riding the bus to and from school. *shudder* In the Spring of 1986, my brother was driving me and our friend, Brian, home from school. It was the day before Spring Break started and the day before we were going to Florida on a school trip (woot!). I had loads to do before leaving - pack, go to the bank to get traveler's cheques, etc. etc. etc. As my brother sped down the road towards home, the driver of the car in front of him suddenly decided to stop and turn left. *screech* went my brother's brak...

So back off, bitches. My blog has had a few hits in the past few days for people searching for Chelsea Clinton's sweet potato casserole . And, yes, I did post a recipe for a sweet potato casserole, but it's not Chelsea Clinton's. It's MINE!* And I expect FULL CREDIT!!! So, I've made a few changes to that post . I seem to be feeling a little me-me-me today ... which, come to think of it, isn't all that different from any other day. Nothing of note happened yesterday. The Storehouse where I bought my sofa is going out of business and is having a huge clearance sale. Unfortunately, most of the good stuff is already gone. And if I wanted to pay $400 for a table, I'd buy one that wasn't all beat up and scratched and shit. I'm thinking of applying for a part-time job at Borders. Not that I'm all that desperate for the money, but it would be nice to pad my savings account a bit. Well, that and EMPLOYEE DISCOUNTS! In a BOOKSTORE! GAH! I would ...

It's like a meme ... only it's not. The Washington Post has been running this weekly feature called "Date Lab," in which singles fill out a questionnaire, the WaPo editors read it, and match up couples. They then interview the couple about the date and publish it for all of us to read. Apparently, they only match up the Straights. [You can read past Date Labs here .] Anyway, I decided to type my answers to [most of] the questionnaire ... 1. In six words or less, tell us what you do for work: I answer the telephone. 2. Rarely is someone living in D.C. actually from D.C. So how long have you been here? 7 years [and I don't actually think being a D.C. native is all that "rare."] 3. Where are you from originally? North Carolina 4. Do you: Smoke? No 5. Drink? Yes 6. Work out? No 7. Attend religious services? No 8. Eat meat? No 9. Have pets? If so, what kind? Yes. A cat, named Isabella. 10. Quick-what's the first thing you do when you get up in...

I have some work I need to get done this morning, so here's quick rundown of my weekend with more coming laterz: Friday. Happy hour with Robert and Jerry. Fun. Dinner, too. Also fun. Saturday. Knitting all day. Finished Dad's mittens and half of one more mitten. [Photos eventually forthcoming] Saturday night. Pizza/Beer/Games Party at Mike's. Fun. Drank too much. Home at 2. Sunday. Slept until 10. Finished one more mitten. Went for a wander in DC. Ended up at Mike's watching movies and eating leftover pizza. And, no, there was no "watching movies." Must answer work email now. *smooches*

So ... in light of my job unhappiness, I started thinking about things I liked to do: 1. Knit 2. Make pottery 3. Study bugs 4. Drink I'm not so sure those can be combined into one "dream job." Something to think about over the weekend, I guess. I'm sure Silver Spring could use a Knitting/Pottery/Insect-infested Bar. Although maybe it could be something like Knit New York , except have booze instead of coffee ... and HOT GAY MEN instead of little old knitting ladies ;-) And there could be insects embedded in the bar, and printed on the napkins, and stenciled on the walls ... and the drinks could have BUG-LIKE names ... Like a Monarch Martini ... and the Grasshopper ... and ... and ... *heh* fun.

Our office Thanksgiving Potluck is today. I made an orzo salad. It's easy. And vegetarian (and probably one of the few things I'll be able to eat)! This is the recipe I used [my changes in red ]: Spinach and Orzo Salad INGREDIENTS 1 (16 ounce) package uncooked orzo pasta 1 (10 ounce) package baby spinach leaves, finely chopped 1/2 pound crumbled feta cheese 1/2 red onion, finely chopped 3/4 cup pine nuts 1/2 teaspoon dried basil 1/4 teaspoon ground white black pepper [Oh, and I didn't really measure the basil and pepper, I just kinda shook them over the bowl] 1/2 cup olive oil 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar DIRECTIONS Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add orzo and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente. After about 9 minutes, add the chopped spinach. Drain and rinse with cold water. Transfer to a large bowl and stir in spinach , feta, onion, pine nuts, basil and white black pepper. Toss with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Refrigerate and serve cold.

All I have left to do on my Dad's Xmas Knittens is the right thumb (and who really needs that anyway?)! I'm practically finished! Only 8 GABILLION more knittens to make before Xmas! WOOT! I'll snap a photo when I finish the thumb. You will be amazed at my knitting prowess. Seriously. I rock. Moving on ... Apparently, my resume is not all that impressive. I never heard from the job I applied for on the 6th. *sigh* Maybe I need to consider a new field ... like heating and air conditioning repair ... or maybe I'll start playing my alto sax again and join a jazz band ... or there is always Cirque du Soleil tryouts. I feel like my life is mostly "in place" ... except for having a job that I *love* ... hell, or even having a job that I *like* le sigh. btw, this year's Beaujolais nouveau didn't taste as yeasty as it did last year. It was quite nice, actually. more later. *smooch*

Signalite asked: What is your name? Sir Gawain of Camelot. What is your quest? To seek the holy grail. What is your favorite color? Blue ... No. Yellooooooooooooooooooooow ... And that Monty Python moment was brought to you by: the letters A, F, and G and the number 42. Cooper asked: How long have you been a vegetarian? I have been a vegetarian since January 16ish, 2000. I blogged about some of my reasons on my other (infrequently updated) blog, Envirowonk. Here . That was the beginning of my second semester of graduate school. I had decided to go veg during my first semester; however, I was planning a trip to Beijing during my winter break. I wanted to treat myself to some yummy meat-based Chinese cooking while there, so I postponed my switch to vegetarianism until after I returned. I do still eat eggs and dairy products. I do not eat fish (unlike some so-called "vegetarians"), but I have the "When I am in Japan I Allow Myself to Eat Sashimi/Sushi" Rule. I...

Yesterday, Gayprof asked me to tell a dirty story. As I searched my internal archives for such a story, I suddenly remembered one which made me smile: This was a dirty story which was circulating through my elementary school when I was in 2nd or 3rd grade: Kid 1: Want to hear a dirty story? Kid 2: YEAH! Kid 1: Two white horses fell in a mud puddle. Kid 1: Want to hear an even dirtier story? Kid 2: YEAH! Kid 1: Two white horses fell in a mud puddle ... and three came out! Kid 2: I don't get it. Can you guess which kid I was in the story? Is that a dirty enough story for you, Gayprof? Or do I need to try again? Meanwhile, today is Beaujolais Nouveau Day ! Woo hoo!!! I know, the wine tends to be crap, but I like to think of the global community all partaking of the same wine on the same day. I like the idea of that connection. It makes me feel part of something bigger than myself. And all from drinking a bottle of crap wine (which to my untrained palate usually tastes a little ...

OK. I'm bored. And feeling sort of blah and gray and dreary and bleary-eyed and not-so-bushy-tailed and damp and cold. SOOOOO... how about we open the blog up for questions? Do you have any burning questions about the glory that is VUBOQ? Now is your chance to ask them. New to the blog? Old to the blog? I don't care. Ask away ... All questions will be answered. Unless they aren't.

Last night, I made a simple pasta sauce. I drank wine. I watched movies. I knitted about 1/3 of the second knitten. Tonight, I must do laundry. Tomorrow, the 2006 beaujolais nouveau is released. I was planning on having a little party, but I am uninspired. I think I will buy a bottle for myself, some brie, and a baguette and have my own private party. I think getting that email from John has made me feel a little down ... or at least reflective about the "might have beens" and the "could have beens" and the "you're going to be alone for the rest of your life so you might as well get used to its." Luckily, like most things, this too shall pass ... more later. *smooches*

Apparently, the EPA doesn't have proofreaders. And, this entry will bore the pants off anyone not in my field ... In today's Federal Register , the EPA published a new final rule in regards to Section 12(b) of the Toxic Substances Control Act. Under Section 12(b), exporters of chemical substances are required (in some instances) to notify EPA that they are exporting those chemicals. The EPA then sends letters to the countries which are receiving those chemicals. Currently, there are no de minimis amounts for those exports, meaning no matter if you are exporting 1 gram or 1000 pounds of a chemical, you have to file an export notification. Which, if you think about it, is pretty stupid. So, the EPA published a new rule which sets de minimis amounts for certain chemicals. In the Federal Register , the EPA states in the preamble to the rule that "EPA is finalizing the requirement that export notification will not be required for chemical substances or mixtures if the chemica...

I started typing an entry, but was suddenly struck with the thought that I had already discussed in this forum my extreme dislike of the term homophobia . So, I deleted the entry and started this one, which I'm sure will be much less clever and interesting than the one which was deleted. I'm sorry. I did absolutely nothing of interest last night, other than finish my knitten (yay!) and start its mate. Thus, I'm stealing a meme from the Persian Guy : A is for age: 36 B is for beer of choice: Guinness? Maybe ... I also like dark microbrews. C is for career: GAH! D is for favorite Drink: Sapphire Martini, Straight Up and Dirty E is for essential item you use everyday: toothbrush F is for favorite song at the moment: Unfortunately, I don't have one ... before my CD player died (or was KILLED by JAKE), I was listening to a CD of medieval music I bought in England. G is for favorite games: Scrabble H is for hometown: er ... I was born in Morganton, NC I is for ins...

As I mentioned in my NYC recap post below, I received an email from John. I considered not posting it here. I considered not responding to it. I considered lots of things, but, in the end, I decided to respond to it and to post both email messages. His email was really sweet, and he obviously put some time and thought into writing it. It made me sad when I read it. I guess I still miss him. His email: Steven, Don't know how you will receive this or if you will even read it...but here goes: I got you message a few weeks ago and it was great to hear your voice. Oscar is doing fine. He is with my parents now as I finalize my plans to go to Iraq for 4 mos. If the mission isn't cancelled again, I will be in Baghdad doing counter insurgency operations with the military fast strike teams. But anyway, I felt the need to at least respond back to you in this forum because even though I don't feel that where I'm going is all that dangerous for the most part there is certainly some...

New York City was a total blast! YAY! Beatuiful weather! Good food! Lots of fun! The only drawback? I am so friggin' tired today. But, let's start from the beginning ... Friday, I arrived at Union Station in DC about 30 minutes prior to my trains departure ... except my train was delayed by about 30 minutes. GAH! I didn't arrive in NYC until nearly 3PM. I was supposed to meet Nida at 3:30 at this knitting/coffee shop in the East Village. So, I didn't stop by the hotel to drop off my bags, but instead went straight to Knit New York . I was a little early. I bought a Time Out New York to read while I waited. Nida and I had a nice chat and looked at yarn. I headed to the Park Central hotel around 5:30, I guess. Unloaded my bag. Watched Top Chef reruns. At 6:30, I met Jake in the lobby and we went to dinner. We ended up at Jane . It was yummy. For those of you familiar with the DC food scene, I would liken it to Logan Tavern, only more upscale and with ...

Think I'll go eat worms ... I. have. been. rejected. I sent an email to 6 friends this morning asking if they'd like to do happy hour tonight. EVERYONE said no. NO! How could they? How could they abandon me in my happy hour of need? How? This is why people ... ok, me ... end up drinking alone. So, I guess I'll go home, make a cocktail [*heh* "cock" *heh* "tail"], and pack and knit and maybe watch some TV ... if the miraculously working TV is still miraculously working [Praise, Saint Charo, the Patron Saint of Guest Spots, hallowed be her name].

Two debates are currently vying for prominence in my head this morning: 1. Will the Democratic takeover of both Houses of Congress result in progress or 2 years of gridlock? and 2. Should I take the new black Kenneth Cole shoes which hurt my feet to New York City [Did you know I was going to NYC this weekend?] or should I only take the cute brown boots? Dilemma! Meanwhile, I've bought my train tickets. I know, I should take the bus. It's A LOT cheaper, but it's the bus . It's cramped. It's crowded. It's a bus . Smelly. Dirty. Ick. Whereas, the train is more expensive, but it's the train - romantic, comfortable, smooth ... *sigh* I should be an ad for AmTrak. I have also located the hotel on a map! Yay! And, found a funky little knitting/ coffee shop in the East Village (I think) where I can hang out makin' mittens, knittin' knittens, until I can check into the hotel around 4ish. Thanks to Bala Wala Shi for the knitting shop info!!! ...

and read my blog dammit! I just uploaded 6 new photos from my holiday in London. [Did you know I went to London for vacation?] Here's one: Kurt and I at the shore. Which shore? I can't remember ... I'll need to check my journal tonight to figure it out.

North Carolina District 11 is my parents' district: Shuler, Heath (D) 53.85% Taylor, Charles (R)(i) 46.15% Pardon me while I do a little butt-shaking dance of joy: (_\_)(_/_)(_\_) (_/_)(_\_)(_/_) (_\_)(_/_)(_\_) (_/_)(_\_)(_/_) *whew* I'm tired now. Not that Representative-Elect Shuler is Mr. Liberal or anything, but Charles Taylor is GONE! GONE! GONE! YAY. [You may remember that he was the man who blocked funding for the 9/11 Memorial in Pennsylvania.] I can't count the ways I despise him. ANYWAY, in other news, Have I mentioned I'm going to New York City this weekend? I can't wait. I'm wearing my new shoes in order to break them in a bit. They hurt. Ow. They may not be going to NYC. I want to go to yarn shops. And fun bars. And maybe a dance club. And I want people to shower me with gifts and money. "Make it so, Number One." Seriously, if anyone has recommendations of things to do, places to go, let me know :-) [and quickly!] Tonight is laundry night...

1. Yay Democrats! Gimme a D! ... etc., etc., etc. 2. OK, crazy Democratic conspiracy theorist bloggers, hit me with your best "the Democratic takeover of [possibly] both houses of Congress was all part of Karl Rove's evil plan to hold on to the White House in 2008" entry. 3. Finally, and most importantly, LOOK: My first attempt at using double-pointed needles! Many thanks to Chelsea , Dharma , and Goblinbox for their advice on getting started. I'm attempting to make mittens for my dad for Christmas using Scottish wool I bought in Glasgow. So, my thoughts last night were as follows: "GAH! DPNs! GAH!" "Easy Striped Mittens, my ASS!" [Not that I'm doing stripes, but still ... ] "What up with the big loopy mess that would be my row of cast on stitches?" "I'm not sure these are going to be big enough, even though my gauge seemed correct." "HEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEELP!" "Ow." "Maybe wool mittens aren...

Jake 's Reign of Terror over the electronic devices in my apartment continues unabated. Some of you may remember that two weekends ago, Jake visited and destroyed my (practically) brand new CD player. His aura of destruction and devastation continues to run unchecked in my apartment. Last night, my television died. It does this weird thing now: Whenever I turn the TV on, the screen comes on. However, after a few minutes, the TV clicks off. And clicks repeatedly, like it is trying to turn on by itself, but it keeps turning itself off before it can. The clicking doesn't stop until I unplug and replug the TV. I don't remember how old my TV is. It's quite possible that it is over 10 years old. So, I guess its time had come. *sigh* So sad. I will have to get a new TV, as soon as I pull all that money out of my ass. Maybe I can convince my parents [and my loyal readers! *heh*] to contribute to a Christmas TV Fund (but early! I need my TV!). I don't need anything huge or ...

I showed up at the polls this morning around 7:45. The line wasn't too long. I saw my company's former receptionist voting. I guess I waited about 15 minutes (or 3 Madonna songs). The electronic voting machine was easy enough to use. I only wish that the ones we used printed out a paper receipt of some sort. Oh, I also ran into one of my neighbors who was working the polls. She tried to convince me to vote for the Green Party candidate for senate. As if! Seriously, if the race weren't so close I probably would throw that vote away on the Green candidate. But only about 3 percentage points separated Cardin and Steele (with a 4 point margin of error). On my walk to the polling site, I started to think about my foreign language ability. I used to be semi-fluent in Japanese and I could speak a smattering of Mandarin (enough to order in a restaurant and get on and off the bus in the right spots). I haven't used either language in AGES and the fact that I'm rapidly forget...

So, last night, after the caramel apple martini (which, even though it had butterscotch schnapps -gag- in it, I actually liked) and a regular apple martini, Mike and I left Halo and parted ways. I walked down P Street and, as I headed around the Circle to the south Dupont Metro entrance, I saw a car stopped at the Massachusetts Avenue intersection that was a similar color and make as John's. I looked at the driver. He was a similar color and make as John. I looked closer. OK. I was a little tipsy, and I was staring. HARD. And, then, it happened: The driver met my eye, smiled and nodded. GAH. BUSTED. I nodded back and hurried to the metro station.

So, I sent off my job application this morning. Cross your fingers that I at least get an interview. If you're interested, here's the writing sample I submitted. It's kinda crap, and even though several friends suggested I make edits, I didn't edit it. I'm lazy. What can I say? Excerpt from China’s Dilemma: Population, Politics, and Environmental Degradation China is an enigma, a young country with an ancient history. The policies of past leaders have greatly and, perhaps detrimentally, influenced China’s present. Population growth has soared from the late 1940s and will continue to rise unless carefully considered measures are taken. The pressures this growing population places on the environment are enormous, causing desertification and soil erosion, deforestation and loss of biological diversity, air pollution, and water pollution and shortages. However, human rights and the reproductive rights of women are what make finding an effective population policy most di...

I had such a good weekend. Friday, after work, I met Robert and Margot for drinks at Halo. I had 2 sidecars, which, in retrospect, was not a good idea. Margot left to meet friends, and Robert and I had dinner at Luna Cafe. I had a glass of wine with dinner, which, in retrospect, was not a good idea. I don't really remember how I got home. I have a vague recollection of taking the metro. And, I have a vague recollection of resisting the urge to call the Cheating Cheater. It seems like every time I'm drunk and passing his metro stop I want to call him. At least I didn't do it. Yay me. Saturday, I was very over hung. I did lots of blobbing around the house. Around 2PM, I decided that I really needed to motivate and try to do something ... So, I walked up to beautiful downtown Silver Spring, where I: 1) Bought a new pair of shoes at DSW 2) Bought a book at Borders , using my Borders Rewards certificates (so actually Borders paid me $0.30 for the book. HA!) 3) Ate e...

I. Friday A. Happy Hour at Halo with Robert and Margot B. Possibly dinner afterwards C. Stagger home II. Saturday A. Wake Up B. Knit C. Watch DVDs D. Figure out something to do. 1. Perhaps venture out by myself? 2. Perhaps stay home and be boring III. Sunday A. Wake Up B. The Nightmare Before Christmas in 3-D (so excited) C. Dinner afterwards? D. Stagger home Details to come on Monday ... *smooches*

Cooper and Eight Lives Left requested my sweet potato casserole recipe. I think this is the one I use (but I probably tweak it when I actually make it): Not Chelsea Clinton's Sweet Potato Casserole (6-8 servings) IT'S MINE, BITCHES!!! Ingredients: 4 medium sweet potatoes 9 oz. can of crushed pineapple 1/4 cup butter 1 egg (slightly beaten) 2 tsp salt 1 tsp nutmeg 2 tbsp brown sugar mini marshmallows Cook and mash potatoes. Add pinapple, butter, egg, salt and nutmeg. Beat until creamy. Spoon into baking dish. Sprinkle with brown sugar. Top with marshmallows. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes until marshmallows are golden brown. [Note: You may want to add sugar to potato mixture, especially if the pineapple is in its own juice and not in heavy syrup. Taste to check.] AND, as a bonus ... here's my mom's Cranberry Apple Casserole Recipe: Ingredients: 3 cups unpeeled, cubed apples [I usually use Granny Smith] 2 cups fresh cranberries 3/4 cup sugar 1 stick margarine (or butter) 1 c...

R: i just ate a butterfinger R: stress eating V: mmm. i *heart* butterfinger R: i devoured it and now i want more V: and you shall have it! V: World's Seafood Stock Depleting, Study Says R: oh no R: then what R: we'll have to eat each other V: yes R: the return of cannibalism V: and no one like skinny people V: not delicious. R: true, tough and dry R: too many bones R: not plump juicy and moist V: nope V: not at all V: have another butterfinger. R: haha R: fortunately you can be chopped up and used for stock R: mmmm, soup V: yum. V: i would be ok with that. R: you're more like veal actually R: only really really old V: haha. V: i h8 u

At the heart of the chlorophyll molecule lies the element magnesium (Mg). As the days get shorter, chlorophyll breaks down, the magnesium is reabsorbed, and the brilliant oranges, yellows, and reds of the carotenoids shine through. At least for a few weeks, until the leaves die and flutter to the ground. This is the time of year I love ... and hate. The bright colors of the trees make me happy. But, they also remind me of death and the long, dark cold that is right around the corner. It's almost been a year since my uncle died from a massive heart attack while harvesting cranberries in a Massachusetts bog. I was in Las Vegas with John and had to change my ticket to fly to Boston (actually, I think I flew into Providence). The night after the funeral I had the worst food poisoning (or something) ever. Somehow, I made it onto the plane and home. There is death. There is no promise of rebirth, but I know it will come. It will come as surely as the crocus pokes through the sno...

Last night, Mike, Tomoko, and Robert came over to help finish off party food and booze. They hardly ate and drank ANYTHING! I can't believe it. I *still* have loads of food. At least a good time was had by all. Mike mentioned that he wants to do the weekend trip to West Virginia on the weekend before Thanksgiving. I told him I would be unable to go. It's mostly financial - London was expensive. Glasgow was expensive. And, I'm going to NYC next weekend. So, it *is* mostly financial, but it's also partly that I'm still carrying a match for him and a weekend away with him and his friends would not be a whole lot of fun. He's also hosting a Thanksgiving potluck dinner. He wants it to be traditional. I can't remember the last time I had a "traditional" Thanksgiving. Last year, I think John and I had take out Chinese. The year before, I was in Thailand for Thanksgiving. 2003 was the All-Pie Thanksgiving. And for several years before that,...

Magnolia [June 7, 2004] We both boarded the train at Dupont Circle. He was holding the magnolia blossom with indifference. Yet, almost unconsciously, he wouldn’t let the delicate petals touch any surface lest they bruise. I assumed it must have been from a date or a boyfriend. The sweet, slightly citrus-y scent filled the car, bringing with it memories of childhood, memories that I’ve treated with indifference, memories that could bruise, memories of the first boy I loved. My family moved to a county seat in the western North Carolina mountains, in the summer of 1976. I was six years old. Our house, the Methodist parsonage, was directly across the street from the elementary school. The backyard sloped steeply downward, leveled out briefly, then dropped off into a creek. Many a wild winter sled ride down that hill ended with a cold dunking. The front yard was tamer, a small flat lawn, dotted with a few trees – redbud, pin oak, tulip poplar. In the corner stood a tall magnolia ...

OMG! OMG! So excited! I was going through all the disks piled on my desk looking for the most current version of my resume. I stumbled upon a disk with copies of some of my journal entries from Diary-X before it crashed and burned! AND, it just so happens that some of them are my FAVORITE entries!!! GAH! I thought they were lost forever! I've decided to post a few of them throughout the day today ... so keep checking back. This is the tale of my worst date ever ... Date Report [April 16, 2004] I was looking forward to my date last night with nervous excitement. I had been emailing and chatting with Ron for several days. He seemed like a good guy, and we had similar interests. I posted the link to his profile in the previous entry and almost all of the comments were positive. Isn’t it amazing how so many people can be so wrong about a person? Isn’t it amazing how someone who seems so great on paper and in electronic communications can be such a total fuckwad in person? I ...

In honor of All Saints Day, here's one of my favorite "I'm bored at work" links: Patron Saint Index - you can search by Saint's name or by topic. It's fun! It's exciting! Who's the patron saint of cats? Gertrude of Nivelles Open sores ? Venereal disease ? Have at it people! In other news, I finished knitting my brother's Christmas present! YAY! It's a "Harry Potter scarf" in his university colors (black and gold). Now, all I have to do is wash it, block it, and attach the fringe. I cast on another Christmas present as well, and got my crap together to try to figure out how to use double-pointed needles (dpns) to make mittens for my parents. I bought some really nice Scottish wool to use. Very excited about that. Wish me luck. Today is laundry day! Plus, a few friends are coming over after work to finish off the leftover party booze and food. Fun times. Fun times.