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

GayProf pointed out in the comment section of my previous entry that I have not provided many details about Y thus far in our narrative. So, I will now. But, first, can I just bitch and moan a bit about how annoying it is when people don't respond to invitations? I invited about 14 people over to my apartment for tomorrow night. I know that 2 will not be able to come and 6 people will definitely be there. Should I plan for 6 people ... or 12? Will the others just show up? Or should a non-response be taken as a no? It's manners, people. How much friggin' time does it take to respond "Yes, I can make it" or "No, I am busy?" What happened to common courtesy? Where were these people raised? A BARN? *bitch* *moan* *bitch* *moan* This is not about any of you, btw. I know all of you always RSVP in a timely manner, because the People Who Read Vuboq are all intelligent, thoughtful, courteous people. So ... the Story of Y. He's 39. Salt-and-pepper hair (whic...

It is teh suck. I pounded out about 15 email responses this morning. I need to proofread one of my colleagues' frequently grammatically incorrect email responses so that he can send them out. We are also having some sort of health insurance enrollment meeting at 11. AND, I need to meet with my boss about my (if I do say so myself) stellar performance review: You like me! You really, really like me. Meanwhile, I got an email from Y. He safely arrived in Israel (via Kiev). Yay. Y'know, I can't remember if I've given much background information on Y. If I haven't, let me know, and I'll try to do a little entry about [what I know about] him. Other than that, I'm busy planning my It Was a Dark & Stormy Night party ... which will take place on Friday night and feature a drink I only recently heard about: the Dark & Stormy. It's equal parts Goslings Dark Rum and ginger beer with lime. I think it sounds v. yum. PS. Can someone tell me why the bullet po...

Mike emailed me this photo earlier today. Tomokito already posted it on her blog ... I guess that makes me (*gasp*) unoriginal. *hangs head in shame* I need to buy some new shoes for summer. What do you think of these :

Because of the unexpected Going Away party, my plans for Meat-Free Monday were postponed until last night. I forgot to take a picture, but here's what I made ... 1 can black beans, drained. 1 can crushed tomatoes w/ rosemary Part of a bag of frozen corn Small can of sliced black olives 3 partially dehydrated scallions fresh rosemary from the front yard Part of a bag of baby spinach that was about to go off olive oil In pot, heat olive oil. Add sliced partially dehydrated scallions. Cook for a bit. Add bag of baby spinach that was about to go off. Cook until wilted. Add 1 can of crushed tomatoes w/ rosemary [Note that there didn't seem to be any rosemary in it so run out into yard to pluck about 5 rosemary leaves. Also note that "crushed" apparently means "pureed"]. Stir. Add drained and rinsed black beans. Add bag of frozen corn and drained small can of sliced black olives. Bring to boil or whatever. Cook until hot. Add random other spices - li...

Here's a picture of Kristen and me from her Going Away Dinner last night:

What a fun Memorial Day Weekend, Kittens! There was booze and fun and sex and booze and sex and food and fun and sex and booze and -Did I mention booze and sex?- and bittersweet good-byes ... Friday, I had planned to stay in and rest up, maybe watch a few movies and knit a bit. Well, Mike emailed to suggest happy hour ... I went home, made a martini, and waited for him to pick me up. We drove to his house, had some cocktails, and waited for his friend, Brian, to join us. Brian was late. So, we decided to skip happy hour and go out to dinner - Thai food. YUM. Mike drove me home around 10:30, I think. Saturday, I went to my 11AM hair appointment. I am blond again. YAY. I looks cute. YAY. I left the salon around Noon:30. I went to Best Buy to spend my $15 worth of Rewards Certificates. I bought 2 DVDS - Galaxy Quest (which I *heart*) and Monty Python and the Holy Grail Special Edition . Very excited. Then, I wasted time until meeting everyone for SAM at 3ish. SAM was awesom...

I grabbed this flyer off of Diagonally Upstairs Neighbor's car this morning [if you need it back, DUN, let me know]. I couldn't resist. I mean, really, what kind of person papers a neighborhood with advertisements without proofreading them first? Answer: Someone Who Will Never Be My Realtor! I won't point out the mistake ... see if you can find it! *smooches*

*whew* I was almost late to work this morning ... Y came over last night, and, well, we got a little frisky this morning. Somehow, I managed to get here on time, difficult though it was. I watched The Good Girl last night. Jennifer Aniston was surprisingly good, as was Jake G (although that wasn't much of a surprise). I liked it a lot more than I thought I would. *woot* No big plans for tonight. I am thinking about staying in, watching movies, knitting and having a chill Friday night alone. I could be convinced to do a Happy Hour somewhere though ;-) I'm shutting down the hotline at 3 to give everyone a headstart on their long weekend. Aren't I the nicest supervisor EVER? Tomorrow, I have a hair appointment in the morning. Then, we will be gathering for Saturday Afternoon Margaritas around 3 to start celebrating Mike and Tomoko's birthdays. Y wants me to come to his place this weekend, so I might go over there on Saturday night. Sunday, I'm trying to get...

Breaking News Stories: Yarn Chicks Terrorize Paris!!! [WaPo] Yarn Chicks Meet Devil Duck in Greece!! [NYT] Updated to note : A certain blogger, who shall remain nameless [Here's a hint: Her blog starts with a "G" and rhymes with "Boblinbox"], did not think that the above photos were created by VUBOQ. I offer photographic evidence in the form of a game: Spot the Yarn Chix

GAH. I've been trying to write a decent cover letter for two days now, and I can't. Everything I come up with is Crappy McCrapshispants. I have updated my resume. I have selected a few sample links. All I need is a cover letter. [Oh, this is in reference to this job .] G-forking-D cover letters. H8 them. Passionately. Also, I am trying to update EnviroWonk more regularly now. I need to get back in the Environmental Grooooooooove . I switched templates, which means all my linky goodness was lost. I'll work on rebuilding those at some point. Skip on over there to take a look. Tell me whachuthink. Tomokito came over last night to return my corkscrew. We had some wine and a nice chat. We will be having Saturday Afternoon Margaritas this weekend! *woot* I finished reading The Rug Merchant and wanted to type up a brief review today, but I left the book at home. I'll do that tomorrow (or tonight if I can get online). I suppose that's it for now. More la...

On Sunday, I spent lots of time on my sofa [I was sick!] ... quality time with the pussy, yo! Pussy in Repose Pussy All "Stop Taking My Picture Already" The Eye! The Eye! Teh Creepy!

So ... I'm feeling a little better. Which is as expected. My colds usually last a week, followed by *months* of a nagging cough. It is how it has been and how it always will be, I suppose. I started feeling bad on Thursday, so we're at the tail end of the phlegmyness. *woot* I don't even know where to begin to bring everyone up-to-date. Friday, I skipped Happy Hour. Saturday, I helped Tomoko move and went to a birthday dinner. I didn't make it to the Graduation BBQ. Sunday, I did not leave the sofa all day. Y came over. We watched movies. Monday, I worked for about 30 minutes then went home and slept all day. Tuesday, I worked for a few hours -getting a stupid weekly report finished- then went home and slept all day. Y came over. We watched Splendor in the Grass [young Warren Beaty = YUM]. It was long, so I renamed it Splinter in the Ass . I think I may be in like ... I got to work this morning and discovered a few mistakes in the report, so I correct...

*bitch* *moan* *bitch* stupid report for work. going home soon. *cough* *hack*

*cough* *hack* I went to work for about half an hour this morning to get some boring stuff set up and to make sure everyone showed up. Then, I came back home and went to bed. Just got up about an hour ago. *ugh* Being sick so sucks. Of course, that didn't stop me from allowing Y to come over last night for a little fun ;-) *heh* I'm all congested and icky. Yuck. Probably back to work tomorrow when I'll fill you in on all the fun of the weekend and the joys of tonight's Meat-Free Monday: Ochazuke Edition. *germy smooches*

*cough* *hack* Vuboq feels like crapola. Crapola that's been run over by a truck hauling hogs to the slaugherhouse. Crapola that's then been scrapped scraped [Happy now, Mush?] off the road with a Teflon spatula, shoved into a 1950s white and blue Corning Ware casserole dish and microwaved on high for 14 minutes. Throat sore. Head congested. Nose a little stuffy. WAH! Needless to say, I will not be attending happy hour this evening. Going to the Whole Foods. Buying provisions. Then, going home to self-medicate. Maybe I can work on updating my resume for the job ...

Yesterday, as I was about to leave for the day, I came across a job posting on the Environmental Working Group's website for a staff blogger . And, I thought, "Wow. This job would be perfect for me, if only ..." If only ... I had not semi-abandoned my environmental blog, EnviroWonk . If only ... I met more of the experience requirements [Drupal? Digg? Photoshop?]. If only ... I could afford to live on (what I expect is a rather low) environmental non-profit staff blogger's salary. If only ... If only ... I could refrain from talking myself out of something before I even try. In other news, I had a dream, a dream about you, kittens. It's gonna come true, kittens. I was in Las Vegas with friends. I was playing one of those slot machines which had a huge combined jackpot. After playing a few rounds, I put in more money and watched the images slowly align. Click. Click. Click. Stop. ALARM BELLS! SIRENS! I had won the jackpot. $7,063,472.35 [Weird that I remember the ...

I am making Chinese Tomato and Egg Soup tonight for dinner. Since I am a good, kind-hearted soul (*cough*), here's the recipe that I "follow" ... Ingredients: 250g/ 9oz tomatoes, skinned [although I have no idea how much that is. I bought 2 tomatoes] 1 egg 2 spring onions, finely chopped 1 tbsp oil 4 cups/ 1 L/ 1 3/4 pt water [I'm going to use veggie broth] 2 tbsp light soy sauce 1 tsp cornflour (cornstarch) mixed with 2 tsp water [I usually skip this bit] And, I think I might add: 1 dollop of chili and garlic paste salt and pepper Preparation: 1. Skin the tomatoes by dipping them in boiling water for a minute or so and then peel them. Cut into large slices. 2. Beat the egg [ouch!]. Finely chop the spring onions. Cooking: Heat a wok or pan over high heat. Add the oil and wait for it to smoke [ because smoking is so cool and trendy! Just say no to cigarettes, kids! -- Joe Camel ]. Add the spring onions to flavor the oil and then pour in the water. Drop in th...

Last night, I did laundry. [Clean sheets! *woot*] I made dinner. I called my friend, Isa. I went to bed. My life is filled with fun and excitment. I have tentative plans to go out with Y again tonight. Although, I'm feeling a little congested (cold? pine pollen?) and my funds for the month are starting to run a bit low. Maybe I can convince him to come over to watch a DVD and I can cook dinner. After reading Chelsea's blog , I have a craving for chinese food (it was the bok choy's fault).

for a very important announcement: Would the person from Norton Heath, Essex who stumbled across my blog using this search string , please visit your doctor or a health clinic*? VUBOQ says: Don't try this at home! *unless you're simply doing research for a homework assignment, but still ...

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A recent exchange in my comments section with Mush reminded me of a sermon my Dad used to preach. [For those of you new to the blog -and you know who you are- my Dad is a retired Methodist minister ... which explains some -but not all- of my fuckeduppedness]. Somewhere in the Bible -I'm not sure where*- there is a parable in which Jesus talks about a shepherd leaving his herd to search for one lost sheep. I'm sure there was some sort of point to the parable, otherwise it wouldn't have been a parable. Anyway, the title of Dad's sermon was "What About the Goats?" I'm not really sure what he meant. And I can't remember his point either. *eh* Sheeps. Goats. They both make good cheese. *OK. I found the story . The link is pretty funny. Apparently, one can not be Christian and write grammatically correct comments. I think that may be the 11th Commandment.

I'm a little discombobulated today. Y'know how you go through phases where it doesn't seem like anyone is attracted to you? And, then, *BAM!* out of nowhere, people start hittin' you up and stuff? Yeah, well, that's what's happening to me. I need to sit back to see where it goes ... Hopefully to Lots and Lots of teh Butt Sex Land. Anyway, on my walk to work this morning, I was totally checked out by this guy driving past. I don't normally notice that sort of thing (because, really, I never expect anyone to check me out so I don't look for it); however, this morning, a big ol' honkin' SUV-type thing was stopped at the light. I crossed in front of it and noticed that the guy inside was car-dancing. *heh* Funny. Then, the light changed, the big ol' honkin' SUV-type thing drove past, and -I swear- the guy was leaning out of his window to look back at me. Hard not to notice that. Behold the Power of teh Cute New Eyewear! In other news...

I did take a picture of my Meat-Free Monday meal; however, I didn't upload it to Eugene. So, oops. No photo this week. It was leftovers anyway, but I'm going to pretend like it wasn't. Here's what I had: Cucumber, Red Onion, and Grape Tomato Salad on Spinach with a BBQ Vinegrette and Twisty Pasta with a Spinach Pesto. The spinach pesto was the star. OMG. So yum. I followed a basic Joy of Cooking pesto recipe, but instead of basil, used spinach. It was like 2 cups loosely packed spinach, 1/2 cup parmesan cheese, 1/3 cup pine nuts, 2 cloves of garlic, and 1/2 cup of olive oil. Oh, and instead of parmesan cheese, I used fulvi pecorino romano, which looks like parmesan cheese but is made from sheep's milk. So, it's very strong and flavorful. Total yumminess. Of course, as I ate it, I couldn't help but think, "Mike would hate this." I smiled and ate more. Not much else exciting is going on. Perhaps, I'll think of something interesting ...

I offer you conclusive, undeniable proof that StickSteven and VUBOQ are the same person ! Prepare to be shocked ... Those glasses aren't fooling anyone, Clark! I mean, StickSteven.

My former co-worker in Japan, Patrick [through whom I am only 2 degrees of separation from both Courtney Love and Drew Barrymore], was a majorly major List Maker. We would have these meetings to prepare for big events, like the special Summer Course for Elementary Students, and Patrick would inevitably begin the meeting with "I made a list." Ooh. Congratulations. While you were spending three and a half days making your list, my other co-worker and I actually planned the entire event. Thanks. Anyway, in honor of Patrick, here is a short list of all sorts of randomness: 1. Research careers in environmental curriculum development. 2. Find a good beach music CD. 3. Try not to go over budget this month (which may involve not leaving the house for the next 2 weeks). 4. Make booze (am thinking "ginger-infused vodka"). 5. Read the sewing machine instruction manual. 5a. Figure out what-the-heck a bobbin is. 6. Finish knitting scarf. 7. Plan fun Summer Party. Perhaps with ...

What a weekend it was, kittenes. I may *never* recover. Friday, I left work a few minutes early (yay!) to meet Min and his boyfriend, Derek at my house. Unfortunately, they got stuck in beltway traffic and were a bit late (like FIVE HOURS!!! ... ok, maybe not *that* late, but, still ...). We metro'ed into DC to meet Tomoko and Robert at Halo for happy hour, and Min invited a friend of his, David, to join us. 3 gin and tonics later, I was well-lit and ready for food! So, we all walked over to Alero for MARGARITAS! Mmm. Needless to say, we were all feeling a bit happy. And some of us (David) were feeling a bit happier -and friendlier- than the rest of us. Very touchy-feely. Before he could pass out in a basket of chips and salsa, Min poured him into a cab and we continued with dinner. Saturday? vuboq v. hungover. Min and Derek? Clomping around at 8AM. EIGHT! A.M! *augh* Vuboq made lots of coffee and confined himself to the sofa for the day. Ah. Sofa. We like the sofa. Min and Derek l...

In a moment of temporary insanity and rushing out of the Whole Foods, I grabbed a bag of chips which a certain blogger loves. I have blogged previously about how these particular chips taste like feet (or, having not recently tasted feet, how I imagine feet would taste). However, people's tastes change. When I was a child, I did not like spinach. Now, I love it. I am still not a fan of beets though. "Tastes change," I thought, as I cut open the bag and reached in. *crunch* "Not in this instance." Ugh. Still icky. I can't figure out what it is exactly that I don't like, but it's possibly the "dried beer solids" or it could be the cheese. Or the combination. Whatever. Feet. Ew. Meanwhile, not enough of you are lavishing praise on my SuperCute New Glasses. Scroll down and lavish away, Kittens.

I picked up my new glasses. Here's the photo: You may all now commence commenting on: a) Vuboq's SuperCuteness, 2) Vuboq's SuperCute New Eyeglasses, III) Good Lord Vuboq has Big Lips, and/or d) Why Does Vuboq Still Have Zits at Age 37? *smooches*

You know I can't ... and I want to air a little family Dirty Laundry. Not that it's overly dirty, but it's not exactly Tide with Bleach Sparkling White, either. I suppose it's more like dingy. So, let's start over ... I want to air a little family Dingy Laundry. Hm. That doesn't sound nearly as interesting, does it? *eh* When my grandmother died in the mid-80s, the family divided up her belongings. I received her bedroom set. It's actually quite nice - light maple, full size bedframe, small dresser with mirror, and a cute little bedside table. My parents stored it in their various homes for a long time. When they retired to a smaller home, I had to move the set to my apartment in Silver Spring. Even though I haven't used that set since I was in high school, every time I considered getting rid of it I got a lecture from my mother. "It was your Grandmother's" "It should stay in the family." "You can't sell it to strangers....

Arts&Crafts Night was a total booze-filled martini success! OK, so it was only Upstairs Neighbor and myself, but that meant the totally coolest people EVER were in attendance! We knitted and chatted and gossiped and drank martinis with habenero-cured olives. Spicy! Upstairs Neighbor's Roommate was also there, but she was busy packing. Alas ... We also ate super-yummy Havarti with Dill and crackers. Mmmm ... Thanks for the suggestion, Mush ! I was a little tipsy. I stumbled down the stairs (fortunately, no ripped off toenails and bruised shoulders this time) around 11ish? I ended up chatting with a few friends online until well after midnight. Oof. After work today, I have to do some grocery shopping and then Mad Cleaning Like a Crazy Person for Min's visit. Fun times. *smooches*

Guess what? It's Arts&Crafts Night at the Upstairs Neighbor's tonight, kittenes! *woot* And guess what my "craft" is? MARTINI-MAKING!!!! Who knew I was so crafty? Let's just hope that teh butt sex is never elevated to an art/craft [ Mapplethorpe , notwithstanding], because I *really* don't want to teach that to the Neighbors. really. I don't.

If you are leaving me a voicemail message and you notice that you are becoming so long-winded and rambling that you even say " I'm sorry. I'm really tired and I'm being long-winded and rambling ," YET you continue to babble for another 5 minutes, this is what you need to do : Stop. Channel Miranda Priestly. Say, "That is all." Hang up. Thank you. That is all.

The date was ... interesting. But, first, I started reading The Rug Merchant on the metro and got so involved I almost missed my stop! It's quite engaging. Either that or it's been so long since I've read fiction that my mind has been story-starved. Actually, it's been quite awhile since I've read anything. I need to get back into reading. Anyway, we met at 6ish at Luna Cafe for half-price bottles of wine and food. That was all good, but I'm still not quite sure what to make of him. He was standoffish, then intensely personal. Talkative, then suddenly quiet. Introspective, then flippant. His body language would be inviting, then distant. I left feeling discombobulated, like he had some other hidden agenda for being there, some secret to which I wasn't quite privy. And, I had the impression that he's someone who is trying just-a-bit too hard to be, well, "gay." Which sounds strange, since he's obviously gay. More like, he's ...

Sometimes I get the feeling that I'm living my life like it's a book in porgress ... and not a particularly good one. I feel like I'm always reworking my life stories, accessorizing them with bits and bobs, coating them with sparkly sequins, attempting to make them less mundane. I combine, twist, and stitch my memories into thoughts that are more interesting. And, I think I want to strip all that away and reveal the non-fiction me, but who would be interested in that?

Last night, as I sat knitting and drinking and mourning and watching Legally Blonde , I started thinking about high school. Admittedly, I wasn't the most popular person in school. Hell, I wasn't even in the top 1000 of popular people (my school had about 1600 students). However, I had enough good friends to keep me happy. At the end of my sophomore year, I decided to try out for Drum Major. For you non-Band Geeks, this would be the person who leads the marching band on the field. My main reason for trying out: I had a major crush on the current Drum Major, and rumor had it that the band director wanted 2 Drum Majors for next year. *woot* So, I tried out. And, by some weird quirk of fate, I was chosen. Yay. During the summer, I practiced. I went to band camp . And, then, started rehearsals in August with our marching band. The director decided I should direct the final number, Whitney Houston's Greatest Love of All . *shriek* I loved me some pre-crack-addicted ...

During my morning break, I ventured over to Borders to rid myself of some of my Reward Certificates. I ended up buying 3 books, two of which are these: The Rug Merchant by Meg Mullins. Survival of the Sickest by Dr. Sharon Moalem. After I got back to my desk, I realized the store over-charged me for this book. They deducted 20% instead of 50%. I will have to go back tomorrow for a refund or something. The third is a present. And, last week I ordered my mother's Mother's Day present, which is this . It totally cracked me up. I wonder if Mom will appreciate it. *heh* Updated to Note : The Mother's Day present " this " link is not linking directly to what I wanted. Friggin' WWF site. GAH. So, I chose the Blue-Footed Booby . The stuffed animal is what made me laugh.

Last night was an adventure in martini-drinking, leftover Chinese and comedy DVDs. Woo hoo! I feel better and that I have appropriately mourned the Passing of the Pup. Meanwhile, in more hopeful news, I haves the "date" tonight. Actually, it is more like the "getting to know you" than the "date." Sort of a "you were witty and fun in electronic format let's see if it translates to real life in an easily accessible way" kind of thing. We'll see how it goes. He suggested we strike while the iron is hot, while I, personally, prefer to iron while the iron is hot, because striking doesn't get rid of all the wrinkles quite as effectively. We are meeting after work. Should be fun. During my break today, I'm heading over to the Borders. I have $30 in "Reward Certificates" to spend. Woo hoo! Free Books Rock My Socks! Also, Tornwordo had a post about how the loss of bees would cause the downfall of civilization ... whic...

I have been misty-eyed and mopey all day. I'm beginning to wonder if it's just about learning of Oscar's death. Hidden away, I held this hope that John and I would eventually be on friendly terms. When that happened, we would get together every few weeks chatting about life and eating take-out Chinese, and I could visit with Oscar. Now, there isn't anything that ties me to John other than memories. All I have left is this aching empty feeling. Hope is the thing with feathers ... I really need to stop reopening old wounds.

Saturday night, or perhaps it was early Sunday morning, in a margarita-induced drunken stupor, I was online in a chatroom, saw John was online as well, so I sent him a short email. It was not much of anything, merely a "hi and I'm glad you are back and OK" kind of thing. I then passed out on my sofa. Sunday morning, I was v. overhung. Urgh. John had responded to my email, so I replied, closing with "If Oscar is there, please give him a big hug and squeeze from me." This morning, John replied to tell me that while he was in Iraq, Oscar had to be put down. He said he'd tell me the details when/if we met. I am sad. And, stupidly, I am feeling a little guilty, plagued by the What Ifs ... and, if you know me, you probably know what those are. Here's a photo of him in October 2005 (about 6 months old): Good-bye, Oscar.

Awhile back, I did a meme for GayProf in which he asked what song would be the theme song to a television show about my life ... or something along those lines. I finally remembered to upload the song: Tsuri ni Ikou . Enjoy. I couldn't find a video on YouTube, but here are a couple of songs by The BOOM: Futari no Harmony (duet) Sore Dake de Ureshii (duet) Shima Uta

Here's a picture of my new sewing machine. I looked up the model number, and she was made in 1955 in Scotland. Aye, Lassie. The Singer website didn't have an instruction manual for my model, so I've emailed them for assistance. Hopefully, they will get back to me soon. When I got home from work last night, I made a martini using Plymouth English Dry, the New York Times best martini gin. With the first sip, I thought, "OMG, I'm never using Bombay Sapphire again!" I don't think it's as good as Leopold's Gin (from Ann Arbor), but it was quite lovely. Perhaps a bit too sweet (but that could have been my fault with too much vermouth), but a nice citrusy taste with lingering juniper flavors. Mmmm. Quite the martini experience. Then, I met some neighbors at Mandalay for dinner. So. Very. Yum. I tried a noodle dish I had never had before. It was totally awesome. After dinner, I waddled home, watched the end of Thank You for Smoking , and blobbed around th...

Probably not ... I bought the NYT's number one martini-making gin today, Plymouth London Dry, on sale at the local likker store for $16.99. *woot* Martinis tonight, kittens! The second most pressing question now is "What kind of olives to buy?" Regular? Garlic-stuffed? Citrus-stuffed? Oh, the complex and difficult decisions required for daily life!

Conversation in my cubicle a few minutes ago: Co-Worker (whispering): Did you pay $5 for sex? VUBOQ : ???? Co-Worker (still whispering): To Rodney? VUBOQ : What? [pause] Oh, SNACKS. Yes, I did.

Exciting news, kittens! The fabulicious Tomokito closes on her apartment today at 10AM [send "Good Closing Vibes"]! And that apartment just so happens to be right above mine ! One of my best friends (We met two days after I moved to DC in August '99) is going to be my New Directly Upstairs Neighbor! EX-CITE-MENT! Martinis, yo. It's all about Martini-Driven Happy Hours! ANYWAY, closing today means that Soon-to-be Former Directly Upstairs Neighbor is in town. I now am the proud owner of a 1958 Singer Sewing Machine! *woot* Curtains, kittens! I can make curtains! And supercute retro fabric ringer tees! Or, at least, I can make them after I figure out 1) how to work a 1958 Singer Sewing Machine and B) how to sew. Last night, after posting about the herbs and the BBQ chickpea salad served over bug-ridden rice (YUM), I got to hang out with Soon-to-be Former Directly Upstairs Neighbor, Upstairs Neighbor, and In Another Building Across the Way Neighbor. Neighborly Goodness! ...

Part 1: Mary, Mary, How Does Your Garden Grow? With sweet basil and parsley With cilantro and dill And with starting to sprout thai dragon chili peppers (circled for your viewing pleasure). Part 2: Mary, Mary, Why You Buggin'? Experimental cooking ... (since Meat-Free Monday didn't happen this week) ... Chickpea salad - chickpeas, cucumber, tomato, red onion, serrano chili Dressing - lemon juice, garlic, serrano chili, and Chipotle and Citrus BBQ Sauce Chilled, then Served over hot rice (which had a slight bug infestation, but I think they all floated to the top when I dumped the rice into the boiling water ... eh ... little extra protein). Spicy! Delicious!

I have been following the whole Ken Burns’s* WWII documentary controversy with the mild interested reserve of someone who doesn't watch TV and has no plans whatsoever to watch the documentary. According to the WaPo article, Latinos' Battle With Burns Taken to 'War' Sponsors , “the controversy began last fall when, after a screening of the film, Burns's team acknowledged that Latinos were not represented in the documentary.” The Post goes on to state: “PBS and Burns have said that they will add additional material to address the issue and that they have hired a Latino filmmaker to assist in producing it. But Burns and PBS have said repeatedly that the film itself is complete and that the new material will not be part of the stories detailed in the documentary. “The addition of new material hasn't quieted the protests; the organizations are concerned that such content will be a mere "add-on" that marginalizes the war service of Latinos.” I am still uns...

Yesterday evening was a fun exercise in futility and bad cooking. Woo hoo! I decided to throw my never-ever going to shrink felted belts in with my laundry. I did one load of colors. Following SuperKnitter Chelsea's advice, I put the belts in a pillowcase. I let the machine fill and agitate for about 10 minutes. Then, I had to dig around in the soapy water to find the stupid pillowcase. Here's the thing ... setting the washing machine to "colors" is supposed to mean that the clothes will be washed in "warm" water. Apparently, in my laundry room, "warm" means "ice-cold." Needless to say, the belts are fuzzy, but they are still too long. Why won't the damn things shrink up? WHY? WHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHYYYYYYYYYY?!?!?! For dinner last night, I decided to make veggie burgers. I had bought this veggie burger mix, Fantastic Foods Natures Burger , which I wanted to try. It was very easy. When it came time to fry them, I coated them with Whole Foo...

Or is it braindead ? No matter. I've been attempting to articulate my thoughts on kissing. I am not pleased with the result. Maybe tomorrow I will be better able to address this important issue. For now, I leave you with a completely stupid thought I had on the Metro ride into DC yesterday. I saw a bit of graffiti which read: Thanks for the rock bitchs . I wondered what happened to the missing E. I decided it must have been added to kittens , to create kittenes ... which would be like benzenes , only less carcinogenic. But maybe more toxic. Later, kittenes. Update : Especially for my gin-loving friends, this just in from the fabulous Cuz: No, Really, It Was Tough: 4 People, 80 Martinis (NYT, requires registration)

My eye appointment went very well yesterday. My prescription hasn't changed. In fact, it's been relatively stable for the past 3 years. Which is a good thing. I was experiencing an ophthalmic migraine, but the doctor didn't see any physical cause (like a detached retina). I don't get them very often - maybe once every two months. Since my prescription is the same, I decided to only get one pair of glasses. These: My blue glasses from SEE can be my "every day" glasses. Our insurance is pretty good, too. Without insurance the total cost would have been about $950. I only had to pay about $350. Not too shabby, eh? I went home. Cleaned the bathroom (yay). Took a nap. Spoke with Mike. Went to the Circle. Knitted. Met Robert. Had drinks at Halo (cucumber-ginger martini). Tomoko joined us for dinner at Logan. Came home. Was very drunk. Went to bed around midnight. Am very hungover. Want to take a nap. Tonight is laundry (*woot*) and Arts & Crafts at the wonde...

I'm not at work for long today. I have an eye appointment at 9:15. And I'm not coming back to work! *woot* One of the few good things about my company is that they don't allow salaried employees to take partial days off. So, if I work for 30 minutes today, I can bill a whole day. HA. So, that's what I'm doing. I haven't decided how I'm going to spend the rest of the day. Probably at home cleaning. Maybe I'll go rollerblading in the park after lunch. A free day to completely waste. How lovely. Meanwhile, it seems that a lot of my faithful readers (love you all *smooch*) seem to think that kissing is a VERY important part of a relationship. I'd like to ask you why. I have my own reasons, which I will expand in a later entry. For now, tell me in the comments why, for you, a partner who doesn't kiss is unacceptable. *many happy smooches*