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

OK. Here's the thing. I'm toying with this story idea in my head and I need to know if the words "poetry" and "poultry" sound similar enough to be confused.

One of my favorite Japanese pop songs is sung by Saito Kazuyoshi. I heard him sing it live in concert once. It nearly made me cry. His voice reminds me of Rufus Wainwright, only not nearly as whiney. You can listen to a sample of Enshou ni Nokoru Kisetsu on his website. Click here . Then, click on the 7th song down. [If that doesn't work, try clicking here . Then, click on his 5th album. Then, click on the 7th song.] Inshou ni nokoru kisetsu ha, Naze ga itsumo fuyu. Which is badly translated (by me) to mean "Even though the seasons change, why is it always Winter?" Which is kinda how I am feeling today. After finishing up my taxes last night, watching a movie, and knitting for awhile, I started reading some of my blog archives just to see what I was doing one year ago. Apparently, I was having a lot of sex with John. And reading about the fun times we had (and also some of my frustrations) made me a little sad. So, I went to bed. Where I dreamed of Kimura Takuya . *yum*

Yesterday and this morning, I painstakingly typed up this knitting pattern. You kittens owe me! EASY MITTENS (from Knit Simple) KNITTED MEASUREMENTS Length from wrist to fingertips 7 (10, 11)”/ 18 (25.5, 28)cm Wrist circumference 5.25 (6.5, 7.5)”/ 13.5 (16.5, 19)cm MATERIALS TLC Essentials by Coats & Clark, 5oz/140g skeins, each approx 326yd/ 298m (acrylic) [I used wool I bought in Glasgow – Jamieson’s Soft Shetland]. You need two skeins. Five size 6 (4mm) dp needles, or size to obtain gauge. Safety pin or small stitch holder GAUGE 20 sts and 28 rows to 4”/10cm over St st using size 6 (4mm) needles. LEFT MITTEN Cast on 8 (10, 12) sts on first dpn, 8 (10, 12) sts on 2nd dpn, 8 (10, 12) sts on 3rd dpn and 8 (10, 12) sts on 4th dpn – 32 (40, 48) sts. Pm to mark beg of rnd and join. Work in k1, p1 rib for 2 (3, 3)”/ 5 (75. 7.5)cm. Change to St st and work even for 3 rows. BASE OF THUMB SHAPING Rnd 1 k12 (16, 20), M1, k2, M1, k rem sts to end – 34 (42, 50) sts. Rnds 2 and 3 knit. Rn...

An important tax advisory, for you, my nearest and dearest kittens: Did you know that if you make less that $52K Adjusted Gross Income (AGI), you can e-file for FREE? YES! FREE, KITTENS! No, not free kittens : Follow the links on the IRS webpage . Do it. It's FREE. Be careful though, because the companies will try to get you to pay for something , like filing state taxes or loan shark-esque "rapid refund" programs. Don't do those. Do the FREE stuff. FREE. I am getting back a rather healthy refund. YAY. It will pay for my laptop, allow me to put a chunk into savings, and maybe even pay to get some art I bought framed. *woot* I have also answered all but one of my email responses and paid my co-op fee. I have been Mr. Productive! Love me! Worship me! Give me free booze. Oh. Get this. I was reviewing my budget for the month of February (which is one of the handy things about keeping a budget: I get to see where I am spending my money), and I only went to Halo once this m...

Yesterday was Meat-Free Monday . I made spinach and mushroom quesadillas. YUM. and, that was about all I accomplished last night. I did start knitting a new hat, but I think it is too small. I am too lazy to start over. Hopefully, the person who I am making it for has a small head. Today, I have a buttload of email to answer. I must pay bills. I must read a story for class. And, I must work a checkbook balancing miracle. Fun times. Oh. And I need to file my friggin' taxes. I *really* need to get my refund. *smooches*

As promised, here are my completed knittens: Behold my knitterly goodness! You may all worship me silently from afar. *smooches*

Before I get into my weekend adventures and insecurities, a few tidbits: It snowed. See photo. I finished my knittens. Photo forthcoming (hopefully). I have apparently been banned for life from Scott-o-Rama . *sniff* So, the weekend ... pab picked me up from Union Station a little after 10AM. He was late. This did not make me happy. He bought me coffee, so I became happier. We got to the hotel (Hilton Garden) in Williamsburg around 1PM. We checked in. We got settled. We had sex. It was ... ok. I mean, I suppose that I was expecting something a little more toe-curlingly amazing, considering that he only ever has oral sex. You would think that someone who "specialized," so to speak, would be, well, friggin' fantastic. Perhaps, my expectations were set too high. I mean, it wasn't bad. It just wasn't ... well, I guess it wasn't Mike, who as we know gives the best blowjobs ever. And, I was expecting something at or above the Level of Mike. *sigh* We cleaned up and...

Vote early. Vote often.

It's been a superbusy morning, kittens. As evidenced by the following: Knitten yesterday: Knitten today: Tonight, I will -possibly- complete the thumb and start on the next one. Fun times. Who says it's not Party Central when VUBOQ is around? WHO?

So, I was at the Upstairs Neighbor's apartment last night (Hi, Upstairs Neighbor *waves*). She invited me to join her and some friends for knitting and conversation. It was fun. I worked on my knitten. I'm almost finished with the thumb gusset. *heh* "gusset" is a weird word. I left around 10. pab said he would call last night, but didn't. I called once I got back to my apartment. He didn't answer. I left a message saying I'd be heading to bed around 10:30. Maybe he wasn't free until after that point. It's not like him to 1) not do what he says and b) not call at all. Weird. I hope everything is ok. I might give him a bell during my lunch break today. And -amazingly- I have no plans for tonight (yet). I might email Jerry to see if he is free for happy hour. Or, I might go home straight after work and watch Season 1 of Extras . It is cold outside. And windy. So not conducive to me wanting to venture forth into the big city. I wi...

Look! It's a knitten, kittens! Well, at least it's a knitten cuff, kittens! Yeah ... I've been busy at work today. Yessirree ... I've finished the cuff of knitten #1, using the wool I bought in Scotland. *woot* And, notice the weird way the fluorescent lights have reflected off my ghostly pale skin to make it seem like my hand has disappeared. Gotta love pale white boys, yes you do.

The Most Marvelicious Mush warholized me. Isn't she sweet? Yay for fun Flickr toys. And here's a shocker (and, no, not this kind ): The class liked my story! Yay! They liked me. They really, really liked me. Lots of nice things were said. And they also honed in on the areas in the story where I had concerns. Which could possibly mean I have good instincts as to when my writing truly does sucketh (kind of like now). The teacher/instructor/workshop leader made some good points, so I look forward to reading his written comments next week. YAY. I managed to catch the 10:04 bus to Silver Spring (*woot*), but forgot to request a transfer. The weather was mild, so I didn't mind walking home, slip-sliding on a few icy patches. I spoke briefly to Robert, who is heading to SF for the weekend (for his BIRTHDAY!), and, then, I called pab. I got home around 11, and the hopes that the long walk home would have helped to settle my brain were dashed. I still didn't fall asleep until a...

pab picked me up at Union Station around 6:15 last night. We had dinner at a little Mexican place, which -as a friend said to me- looked liked a Mexican flea market inside. The food was quite yummy. I had cheese enchiladas. Mmmm. I do so love enchiladas. After dinner, I was stuffed like a pig at Christmas, so we drove over to the Jefferson Memorial for a bit of a walk, and then pab drove me home. On the way home, it started to rain. We made out for a bit in the car, and I went inside. A few minutes later he called ... to ask if I wanted to go to Williamsburg this weekend with him. I said yes, with the qualifier that we must get back in time to see the Oscars. Good lord, I am so gay. He's running a half-marathon there on Sunday afternoon. We will leave on Saturday morning so that we can do some sight-seeing and stuff. Then, I guess soon after the half-marathon we will head back. It should be fun. I haven't been to Williamsburg since I was in college. I can already taste the home...

pab called earlier today. We're going out for dinner tonight. He'll meet me at Union Station around 6/6:15 and we'll go to some mediocre restaurant in or around Capitol Hill. I should be excited about this. And I am. I'm also apprehensive and uptight. The relationship has barely begun, and I am already thinking about the end. gah.

Ooooh! Guess what? Guess what? I saw grass on the walk to work this morning! GRASS! Like greenness. Too long had I walked in a valley of white. Very excited. I don't know how people up t'North can handle it ... not seeing green for MONTHS. And, on another bright and cheery note, today is going to be the warmest day in TWENTY-FIVE DAYS! *woot* Let's have a cheer for "above freezing!" YAY! OK. Have I blogged about the weather enough to make those people who hate people who blog about the weather irate? Let's hope so ... Meanwhile, I haven't done any writing or reading for my short story class. Hopefully, I will be able to motivate myself today to critique the two stories, finish polishing my story, and -perhaps- start thinking about another one. Maybe the tale of a (sort of) young gay man trapped in a job he hates who constantly dates the wrong people. And, all he really wants to do is remodel his kitchen. And maybe paint his spare room (once he ...

But, first ... OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! I have finished the Never-ending Left Sleeve of the Never-ending Sweater of Doom! Worship me, kittens! Now, all I have left to do is connect the shoulders, knit the neck, and sew the whole thing together! I should be done by AUGUST! *woot!* Ha. I kid. My goal is to be done by my birthday (March 17th, for those of you who want to send presents). Oh, and if anyone has any good links for seaming, please send them to me. I have no idea how to do the shoulders... or actually how to attach the sleeves to the torso. The rest will be mattress stitching, I guess, which is relatively easy. And, now, the confusion ... I didn't go out with pab tonight. He called around 6:30. I was too comfortable here to bother getting ready and leaving the warmth of my sofa. We may meet up tomorrow depending on his schedule. About an hour or so after we spoke, he called back. To tell me that he's thinking of moving to South Florida to be closer to his pare...

Yesterday afternoon, I met Tomoko, Robert and Darryl for margaritas! *woot* It was quite fun. While walking to the restaurant (Alero in Dupont Circle), I thought I saw a snowflake. "Impossible," I thought to myself. "It must be falling off a tree or something." Ha. I was soon proved to be mistaken. The snow fell quite furiously for awhile, accumulating about an inch or so while we ate and drank. and drank. and drank. After the snow stopped and the final pitcher was empty, we slid our way up to Fab Lounge. It was empty, but the beer was reasonably priced. Hmm ... Come to think of it, I believe I owe some people for the beverages. My walk home from the metro station was a little trickier than usual because of the recent dusting of snow. I'm glad I wore my snow boots! pab called as I slipped homewards. We will probably be meeting up later today. Meanwhile, I will be knitting, watching Pride and Prejudice , and lounging on the sofa. Happy President's Day! *smooc...

The date yesterday with pab was quite fun. He picked me up around noon and we drove to National Airport to return his rental. He has this weird philosophy about not putting mileage on his car, so, whenever he takes a roadtrip, he rents. To each their own, ne? After dropping off the car, we ended up at this little restaurant in Del Ray (augh. VA, again) for lunch. I had a sandwich with roasted eggplant tomato basil mozzarella. Quite yummy. Then, we drove back into Civilization to visit the National Portrait Gallery. It was all right. After awhile I began to feel "portrait overload." Seriously, how many paintings of people can you look at, thinking "Hm. Should I know who this person is?" before you go absolutely bonkers? The answer is apparently ten. I did enjoy the American Art sections of the museum. Were those Noguchi settees and tables in the Modern Art section? I believe they were. Placed there for the huddled masses to enjoy. Hot! The Joseph Cornell exhibit was ...

On days like this, I have to wonder if time is actually moving backwards. I am so bored. And, when bored, I blog entire entries revolving around absolute nothing. I was going to make a short video with my camera involving a pink Post-It note origami crane and a hi-liter, but the actors were not feeling all that improvisational, and I don't have the energy to script it. I'm sorry. And, I forgot to video a little ice skating number for you on my way to work this morning. Perhaps because it was SO cold, I didn't want to stop walking. Maybe this weekend, if it remains frigidly cold. That'll give you something to look forward to, right? RIGHT? I think I'm going to shut down the Hotline early (like 4:30), so I can go meet Kristen at Pentagon Row. We're going to eat at the Lebanese Taverna there. Mmmm. And then K will drive to the Kennedy Center. *woot* The rest of my long weekend will be spent: on a date with pab tomorrow, at Sunday Afternoon Margaritas wit...

I had loads of fun last night. I had to do laundry, but didn't have enough quarters. I had to scrounge around through buckets of change until I found enough to do one load of laundry. Ah. Clean undies for yet another week. Life. It is good. I also made soup. I would love to tell you it was delicious, but I burned my tongue with the first bite and lost all sense of taste. It smelled good though. The recipe is thus: Saute in olive oil 1/2 onion (diced) and clove of garlic (mashed). Add one apple (peeled, cubed) and 3 potatoes (peeled, cubed). Add one chipotle pepper and a couple of spoonfuls of adobo sauce. Cook for a bit. Meanwhile, slice in half an acorn squash and remove seeds. Place squash in 1/4 cup of water and microwave for 8-10 minutes. To the pot add one can of diced tomatoes and several cans of water. Bring to a boil. Scoop out squash bits and add to soup. Add salt and pepper to taste. When all the veggies are soft, blend the HELL out of those suckers. Gawd, I love my handb...

The snow looked glassy on the walk home. I hesitantly put one blue-booted foot on it. It was slick, smooth. I walked the rest of the way home on the plowed sludge, frozen, uneven, but easier to walk on. As I passed the middle school athletic field, I was suddenly smacked across the gob with an idea: I should try to ice skate on the track! I did. It was a brief moment of silliness. It made me laugh. I ran and then tried to slide as far as I could. Of course, only after I stopped did I think, "Hm. If I had fallen, my brittle nearly-37-year-old bones would have shattered ." While I was skating around the track, I missed a call from pab. Once home, and settled, I called him back. "What are you doing," he asked. "I'm sorting laundry, hunting for quarters, and making a manhattan." [As you know, I've been craving those lately ... mmm ... bourbony goodness] "A manhattan? What's in those? Can you make them without alcohol?" "Sure," I...

For four summers, I taught US Geography at a camp for Asian exchange students. My roommate, Don, was an Iowan dairy farmer, part-time college English professor, and a part-time high school Spanish teacher. One evening, after work, we were talking about low-performing students (in general, not at the camp), and Don said, "I call 'em pabs ." "Pabs," I asked. "What does that mean?" "Peaked At Birth. It's all down hill from there." And we both laughed. This morning, while attempting to create a moniker for "the Date," I realized his initials are P.A.B. And I laughed. PAB called last night. On Saturday, he's going to pick me up for brunch, and, then, we are going to the newly reopened National Portrait Gallery . Fun times, I'm sure.

The annoying flashing L-shaped lights are back, interrupting my vision and making it hard to blog. I wonder if they're work-related, these ophthalmic migraines. I only seem to get them here. I'm a little peeved because I forgot my lunch today. Grrr. I realized it about halfway to work. I rode the bus, rather than attempting to sledge through the crispy ice mounds covering most of the sidewalks, so there was no turning back for the hummus and spinach sandwich on sourdough bread still sitting on my counter. Alas. My Valentine's evening was good. My upstairs neighbor invited me to have dinner with her, her boyfriend, her roommate, and another neighbor. It was quite nice. Good food. Lots of wine. Interesting conversation. A fun time was had by all. Or at least me. And in the end, that's all that really matters. *heh* Hm. I can't really see anything out of my right eye now. Kind of sucky, that is. My only plans tonight are to do laundry and make experime...

Still no news about my class tonight. I am really not wanting to go, and not because I am supposed to be reading ... ALOUD ... my short story tonight. [OK, partly because of that.] My main reason for not wanting to go is that it will be slippery outside. Slip.Er. EEEEEEeeee... Usually, I go home for dinner first. Then, I walk to the Metro station and take the Red Line to Bethesda. Yes, this is the long way; however, rush hour Metro on the Red Line is chock full o' hot mancandy. Mmmm. I think they get a discount or something. What else would explain all that deliciousness in one place at one time? Since the sidewalks are gigantic alleys of slush, I do not want to walk home. I can either take the bus or stay in downtown Silver Spring, which means that I would need to eat dinner out. [Anyone in Silver Spring want to meet me for dinner?] It's an added expense I really don't want. And, of course, the trip home from class at 10PM will not be fun, since I catch the bus and the for...

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!!! *heart* *heart* *smooch* We have, like, 2 thousand inches of ice/sleet/snow wintry mix and I don't have to go into work until 10:30. *woot* I wonder if my class will meet tonight?

At 2:30, I shut down the Hotline. The roads were becoming dangerous, slicked with sleet and ice and snow. My co-workers were getting anxious. One of the Program Mangers told me, "I went ahead and shut down without permission. The world will go on even if we miss a couple of phone calls." It's true. If it's urgent, they can always call back tomorrow. I slipped and slid down the hill home. My overcoat, ice-encrusted. My face, frozen. Once home, I melted onto the sofa. I called Kristen about the ballet. Neither of us wanted to venture out into the frozen mess. I had the brilliant (if I do say so myself) idea that she should call (the tickets were in her name) to see if we could exchange them for another night. The Kennedy Center website only said "No refunds." It didn't mention exchanges. Kristen called, while we chatted on IM. When I told her that I didn't want to die for the ballet, she laughed and told the operator, who replied, "W...

VUBOQ was born . Well, at least VUBOQ: The Blog [merchandise available soon at a store near you!]. VUBOQ: The Person is a tad older. Diary-X had crashed and burned, and I needed a place to type in my thoughts ... and to keep me entertained during the long slow slog of the workday. And, y'know, like, people are reading it, Which is surprising. About 25000 hits in one year (half of which are probably mine). Anyway, thanks for stopping by and leaving comments and stuff. I'm going to the Edward Scissorhands ballet tonight. *woot* More later. I have a fairly busy morning ahead of me. Lots of email to answer. *smooches*

OK, in addition to Marve , a few other bloggers have posted their chili pics: Cooper , Hyphenated non-IDentity , and Goblinbox . Oh. And Diablo made chili earlier in the week, too. Visit their blogs. Comment on their wondrous chili creations! Mmm. Chili. And, since today is Meat-Free Monday* , here's how I made my chili on Saturday: VUBOQ's Easy Meat-Free Chili (adapted from Lorna Sass' Short Cuts Vegetarian cookbook): 1. In a large pot, add some olive oil. 2. Saute some garlic (to taste) and one onion (diced) until mostly cooked. 3. Add chili powder. Cook for a bit. 4. Add half of a green bell pepper (diced). 5. Add three cans black beans (drained and rinsed), one can kidney beans (drained and rinsed), and two cans of diced tomatoes with chilies (neither drained nor rinsed). 6. Add two carrots (minced in handy dandy food processor). 7. Add one chipotle pepper in adobo sauce (also minced) and a couple of spoonfuls of adobo sauce (depending on how spicy you like it). 8. Ad...

So ... I went on a date Sunday. We met at Union Station for coffee. I had to pay, because as we were ordering he couldn't find his wallet. He was getting a little panicky, so I had to remind him to remain calm and as soon as our coffee came up we would go check his car. I am very level-headed when the crisis doesn't involve myself (unlike last weekend, when I had to tear apart my house because I couldn't find my wallet). We talked and drank our coffee for quite sometime. He's a senior administrator for a local college, very interested in international education and preparing students for globalization. He'll be going to China in April (I think), so I told him about my experiences working there. After coffee, he drove us down to the Mall and we walked around the Lincoln Memorial for awhile. He's very big into fitness, has run a half-marathon or two. And has also run a duathalon. He's a fast walker. *whew* It started to get colder, so we went to Cafe A...

OK, everyone, I've been scouring the 'net for your First Annual Blogger Chili Blog Off posts, and so far, I've only found Marve's post about her Super-Delicious-looking "seitan-ic" chili ! C'mon, kittens, I need to SEE some CHILI Postings!!! props to Marve for going veg! *woot* Anyway, here's a fun little game for you that I call: SPOT THE PUSSY How many pussies can you find in this photo: Meanwhile, my date was very good . I will blog more about this tomorrow after I process. But, for a first date. VERY. GOOD. And he called on the way home to say he thought I was "cute, smart, and funny." Which is so very very true. *sigh*

Here's a short photo montage of the Night o' Chili! Mmm. Chili! More on the First Annual Blogger Chili Blog Off later. I must go to bed, because, one of us, meaning ME, has a date tomorrow. WOOT.

Should the purchase of bourbon and sweet vermouth be placed in the "entertainment" or the "groceries" portion of the budget? Mmmm. Manhattans.

Well, my first week of tightening the Budgetary Screws is about to end with some significant successes! First, I brought my lunch to work EVERY DAY this week! Which, if you think about, saved me at least $50. *woot* I also did not purchase any coffee shop coffee. No Starbucks. No Panera. No Borders. No overpriced coffee! I either brought it from home or drank office swill! Savings: probably about $20. *woot* So far this week, I am well within the confines of my budget boundaries. Of course, this is the first week of the month. Hopefully, I can maintain discipline. Go me! Last night, I did laundry. *woot* Excitement. Tonight, I have no plans. I think it's going to be too cold to venture into DC. I've been craving Manhattans lately, so maybe I'll buy the ingredients [bourbon, sweet vermouth, cherries] before heading home. I also have to go to Giant to buy groceries for ... The First Annual Blogger Chili Blog Off !!!! *woot* I can't wait to see everyone...

As some of you kittens may know, my friends, Mike and Matt recently relocated to Glasgow, Scotland. Matt has started a blog. Go visit. Say hi. I've linked him over there --> Or just clickity clickity click click here: Glasgow Patter *smooches und love*

*hums soft music* Thank you. Now you can all leave snarkibitchy comments. Thank you, again.

A few days ago, I bought a gerber daisy from Whole Foods. They were on sale, only $3.99. And, I felt the need for something pretty in my house. I placed it on the center of my table. It looked very nice there, a spot of vibrant red amongst the brown and white. PsychoKitty Isabella seemed to like it there too, because she began eating off the leaves. Yep. She eats plants. I had forgotten that. And then she vomits. More than usual. Oh. Joy. In an act of preventative maintenance, I have moved the gerber daisy to the top of my refridgerator, where it will live when I'm not at home. I don't think Isabella can jump on top of the fridge. At least, I haven't seen her do it yet. Maybe the deliciousness of Mr. G. Daisy will inspire her to leap to new heights. In other news, class was interesting-ish. We spent the entire time critiquing the three stories. Hearing everyone's input was good. Crazy lady from last week remains crazy. Quoth her, "I didn't find your first parag...

Or at least, therefore, I eat. Last night, I made a very yummy pasta dish. I sauteed some leftover butternut squash (maybe 1 cup's worth) in about 3 tbsp of butter. Once it was soft, I mashed it with some salt, pepper, and thyme. To make it a bit more liquidypasty, I also added a smidge of olive oil. To this, I added a whole lot of grated parmesan cheese. Then, I tossed it with penne pasta. I served it with a simple salad. It was surprisingly delicious. In the meantime, is everyone thinking about CHILI (not Chile ! and not Chilly !)?

Yes, it snowed last night. Not much, maybe about an inch. Because it's so cold here, the snow is powdery and sweepable, which is nice. And, you know snow means, don't you? PERFECT CHILI WEATHER!!! Just in time for Saturday's First Annual Blogger Chili Blogoff ! *woot* So far, the following fabulicious bloggers are participating: fullofhype , chelsea , marve , and only me I have conveniently eliminated some of the competition by inviting a few friends, including a fellow blogger or two , over for chili and games on Saturday night. *hah* I am so clever. My writing class is today. I need to read the three stories and type up my comments on them. I want to polish up the draft of my story ... or at least polish up the bit I've written so far. But, first, I must venture to the Safeway to buy detergent, Plax, and candy! Have a totally groovilicious day! And, think CHILI, kittens!

Kittens, it's cold outside! And what do we want to do in cold weather, besides snuggle with a cute cuddlebunny and/or drink loads of alcohol (it's insulating ... really)? EAT CHILI ! That's what! Thus, I propose the First Annual Blogger Chili Blog Off for this Saturday, February 10, 2007! Here's what we do: Step 1: Spread the word throughout Bloglandia! Step 2: On Saturday, make chili! Step 3: Take photos of the chili! Step 4: Post photos of your chili! Step 5: Post your chili recipe! Step 6: Accept wonderful chili-flavored praise from your friends and readers! There will be no judgement, only positive chili affirmation! You could even invite some friends over to partake of your delicious chili creations! Mmm. Spicy Meaty (or Beany) FUN! You know you want to do this ... [even those of you who say you can't cook]! * red hot chili smooches *

Yonder. *heh* If I hear or read one person saying/writing that the recent cold snap is proof that climate change is not occurring, I may have to pound their face into the dirt with my copy of The Weather-Makers . It's a hard cover. It would hurt. Not that anyone has ... yet. It is cold. I am cold. My face durn-near froze off on the walk to work. I briefly considered taking the bus, but it was crowded. And I really hate standing. Especially while loaded down with my laptop (I'm hoping to get some of my short story written today) and a travel mug filled to the rim with Brim (ha! Actually, it's filled to the rim with my favorite, Quartermaine's House Blend. YUM). I did an initial run through of my taxes last night, and I was ... um ... disappointed to say the least. My refund is not as big as I was lead to believe it should be. And, my federal refund was only a couple hundred dollars more than my state refund. I don't understand how that can be. Yo! George! Where is my...

I've been trying to make the most of my workday by knitting (some), reading (some), and brain-storming on my short story. I'm on the second reading of my classmate's story and she has a line about how the main character (female) has a hairy face and thinning hair, which the main character blames on being part Cherokee. Not that I know many people with Native American ancestry, but I always thought that Native Americans tended to be not-so-hairy. Maybe I'm wrong. Does anyone know? In other news, this guy on the phone was totally Mr. Flirty McFlirterson. I answered his questions. Then, every time I was about to end the call he'd ask another question. Me: Thank you for calling. Him: Uh. So how's the weather in DC? Me: It's chilly. Him: It's close to 80 here in LA. Me: It's around 20. Have a nice ... Him: I miss cold weather. Me: Anytime you want to switch places, let me know. And on and on and on ... until I could get him off the phone. *sheesh* I mean,...

Water Flea: Leeches: Sushi Bandage: My injury: Any questions?

I am experiencing the joys of an ophthalmic migraine this morning. *woot* And in how many places am I bleeding? 3. I cut myself shaving this morning. Ouch. Last night, while grating parmesan for the soup, my hand slipped and I grated my left knuckle. Ow. Yesterday afternoon, while taking out my recycling, I started to unscrew the lid on a bottle. It had a snag which caught my finger and sliced it as I twisted the lid. It's a little deeper than a paper cut. And very annoying. As is this migraine. The soup last night was amazing! So very, very yum. I'm surprised Mike liked it, because usually he turns his nose up at things which "smell bad." Not that the soup smelled bad, but it does smell differently from what one would expect a soup to smell like. He actually said it "smelled good." Hm... Then, we watched Over the Hedge . He went home. I cleaned a little. Chatted with a few friends and went to bed. Today, I must write some for class, read some stories for c...

My date yesterday was ... um ... well, it simpy was. There was no spark. No connection. Conversation was strained and awkward. And not helped by him losing is train of thought every time a hot waiter walked by. um. hello? i'm right here. focus on me. Is that asking too much? It's all so much work, this finding someone. And I grow weary. I sit here typing up a post and eating the bag of peanut butter M&Ms I bought to send to you-know-who . Looks like I'll be heading back to the Safeway tomorrow during my break. In other news, Mike is coming over for dinner. I'm making the Winter Vegetable Chowder which Pesky Apostrophe raved about. I doubt mine will be as good as hers, but I'll give it the old college try! Now, it's time to think about life and knit. *Happy Sunday smooches*

For some odd reason, I am tempted to take a photo of myself with a knitting needle up my nose and post it here. Fortunately for all of us, I am very able to resist temptation. Instead, here's a fun photo from my computer files: Look! It's me! Driving a car! Actually John's car! My friend, Mari, took this photo when she was visiting from Japan. Obviously, since I am driving, John must have been on one of his "work" trips, where he did "worky" things with cute 20-something boys. And I got to stay at his place, drive his car, and take care of the DemonDog Puppy from Hell. Aaah. The memories. Comments about how cute I looked back then (oh, so long ago, the Fall of 2005) gleefully accepted and appreciated. Today, I am wearing one of the sweaters I bought at H&M last weekend [Buy one get one free! *woot*]. For a fun game, I am going to guess how many gay boys I will see wearing this EXACT SAME sweater tonight. If I'm right, I win a prize. If...

[cross-posted at Envirowonk ] From today's Guardian : Scientists offered cash to dispute climate study Scientists and economists have been offered $10,000 each by a lobby group funded by one of the world's largest oil companies to undermine a major climate change report due to bepublished today. Letters sent by the American Enterprise Institute (AEI), an ExxonMobil-funded thinktank with close links to the Bush administration, offered the payments for articles that emphasise the shortcomings of a report from the UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). From today's WaPo : Higher Oil Prices Help Exxon Again Set Record Profit You do the math.

A friend of mine sent me this song, Taylor, the Latte Boy , which I am now totally in love with and listen to ALL the TIME. I've attempted it to upload it to savefile.com so all of you can share the love. Here's the link: Taylor, the Latte Boy Let me know if it works. The song? It's totally cute. Meanwhile. yesterday, was laundry day. Fortunately, I had enough detergent to do my one load of colors. I must get to the grocery store soon, not only to buy more laundry detergent, but also to buy certain somethings for a certain someone . Which need to go in the mail SOON. Gah. The pressure. Other than laundry, I typed on my short story for a bit (it's up to about 2 pages, oddly spaced). I knitted some. And that's about it. My life is thrill a minute. At least this weekend should be fun, happy hour tonight at Halo with my kittens. Game Night tomorrow at Kristen's. And, Winter Vegetable Chowder making on Sunday. Especially since no one has invited me to ...

My first writing class went swimmingly. I was articulate, funny, and engaging, especially if you consider my clever use of the word "thing" in almost every sentence and how I engagingly punctuated every other word with "um" or "er." I lack the critical vocabulary necessary for a workshop, methinks. Pacing? Interior dialogue? It had a good beat and I could dance to it? 14 people attended the first session - 10 women, 4 men, all white, all very, very straight (except lil ol' flaming gay me). I wonder if my first story should include explicit gay sex? Most of the people in the class are experienced writers. About half the class is made up of lawyers. Yawn! "I want to be the next John Grissom," they scream, as they launched into boring anecdotes during break about class action suits and tort laws. Mmm. Torts. Aren't those yummy little layered cakes? 3 people brought in completed short stories for us to read and comment on for nex...