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

Good Morning, Kittens! Guess what I'm having for breakfast (and lunch ... and dinner ... for the next few days)? Spinach-ricotta pie Vegetarian shepherd's pie Sweet potato pie (2 kinds) Cranberry Apple Walnut Pie Apple Pie Pecan Pie and a buttery Apple Tart. And one other kind of pie, but not sure what kind it is. There was lots of pie! It was delicious. 13 people and lots of pie. Unfortunately, I forgot to take pictures. But we ate lots of pie. And had hot apple cider with spiced rum. And played games - Taboo and Catchphrase. Fun times. The last guests straggled home a little after midnight. I cleaned a bit and decompressed, finally heading to bed just before 3. Previously in the day, I went to a delicious brunch hosted by an upstairs neighbor. Great food. And mimosas! Who knew champagne and orange juice went so well together? And provided such a great complement to breakfasty foods? Around three, the neighbor, her friend, and I, blogged on my sofa watching Home for...

Happy Thanksgiving, kittens. I've been sitting here for a few minutes wondering what to write. I could write one of those generic "Things I'm Thankful For" and include the same things everyone is thankful for: family, friends, food, health, happiness. Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz. Then, I thought I could write the Anti-Thankful post and write about all those things I'm *not* thankful for: Winter Dry Skin, you'd be Number One. Constantly dripping toilet (but only in the Fall/Winter, which is *so* odd) would be Number 2. Ha. Get it? Toilet? Number 2? OMG. I kill me! Then, I noticed that my hands smell like Pine Sol (*gag*), which I suppose is a nice change from smelling like the onions I chopped last night. Then, I totally forgot the point I was going to make, if I was actually going to make a point. I'm not entirely sure, which is what happens when one is waiting until his neighbor's brunch (not for another HOUR!) to have his coffee. So, anyway, I'm thankful fo...

Good Morning and Happy Thanksgiving Eve, Kittens. To get you in the mood for the most important aspect of the holiday, watch this . Repeatedly. Yesterday was quite productive. There are two openings at a certain federal agency where I have always wanted to work. I finished one application yesterday and will work on the other one this week (with the goal of submitting it by COB Friday). I am qualified for both positions, and for one of them, I feel I am uniquely qualified. We shall see ... In the evening, I headed over to Mike's. He made quesadillas. I drank lots of wine (oops). Then, I came home. As for the scathing Y blogpost, let's just say I thought better of it. The gist was that I am annoyed that, even though we are broked-up, he still expects me to be some sort of emotional support system for every minor crisis he has. I do not want that role, tyvm. My plans for today are as follows: 1. Clean. 2. Clean. 3. Clean I must start prepping for the Late Night All-Pie T...

Good Morning, Kittens. Aah... you can tell Thanksgiving approacheth when a majority of search engine hits on ye olde bloggie are for "Chelsea Clinton's Sweet Potato Casserole" ... After much research last year, I learned that Chelsea Clinton doesn't have a Sweet Potato Casserole. I'm so sorry, Fans of Chelsea. Maybe this will tide you over (re-posted from last year): Not Chelsea Clinton's Sweet Potato Casserole (I think it's my mom's ... but it could be someone else's) (6-8 servings) Ingredients: 4 medium sweet potatoes 9 oz. can of crushed pineapple 1/4 cup butter 1 egg (slightly beaten) 2 tsp salt1 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 i...

Good Morning, Kittens! I have a busy day today, so ... well ... I wrote this last night. Hurrah for scheduling posts! Lessee. Saturday, I awoke a bit overhung. Shall we all curse the day we turned 30 and suddenly one or two glasses of red wine gives us a forkin' hangover? *sigh* Speaking of wine, did I totally miss Beaujolais Nouveau Day? I think I did. I'm so sad. I normally buy a bottle or two and have some friends around for brie and foie gras ... um ... more brie. Mmm. Brie. So, I am hungover and lounging on teh sofa (luv teh sofa! be teh sofa!) when my phone rings. It's Barbara, my SuperCool friend, the foreign service officer currently stationed in Marseille. I answer and she's all "HEY," in her Texan drawl, "I'm in DC. Let's do something." A few hours later, we were watching Daniel Craig. I mean, um, Quantum of Solace . Which, if you didn't know, stars Daniel Craig. Mmmm. Daniel Craig. I've loved him since Lara Croft: Tomb Rai...

Good (Almost) Afternoon, Kittens. I had a busy morning. No time to blog until just. now. I had to go to the bank with another Board Member to make a deposit. Then, I bought a lottery ticket. Then, I had to find and apply to a job (which I did ... even though I don't really want that job). Now, I can tell you about the soup I made last night. It was surprisingly delicious. In fact, I think I'll have some for lunch in a little while. For the soup, I heated up some olive oil in a large pot. Then, I added an array of spices (chili powder, cumin, pepper, cinnamon). Of course, the cinnamon was a bit clumpy so when I shook it LOTS of cinnamon poured out. I tried to scoop out as much as a could, but the soup was still a bit too cinnamony. Next, sauteed diced onion and carrot. And sliced mushrooms. And a couple of chipotles in adobo sauce. Once those were all cooked, I added a large can of diced tomato. Brought it to a boil, and pureed the hell out of it with my handheld mixer (which I ...

Good Afternoon, Kittens. It's been a rather unpleasant few days (rejection! poor job prospects! running. out. of. booze!), so I did what any Red-Blooded, Apple-Pie-Eatin', Mom-Lovin' American would do: I went shopping ... (and here's where the BOSSY's Poverty Party part kicks in) with other people's money! HUZ-ZAH! Yesterday, my parents sent me a Thanksgiving card and, inside, was a CHECK! Mom gets some sort of annual Life Insurance Dividend, which she graciously gives to my brother and me. So, I deposited the check (two deposits in two days! I rock!) and hit the local DSW! Where I bought these: CUTE, no? AND, I had a $10 off coupon. So I spent $10 less of Other People's Money! *w00t!* Then, I went next door to the Borders, where I bought these: Using my Borders Reward Certificates (from my Borders Visa). I have said this before and I will say it again, "If your credit card doesn't have any perks (miles/points/free things from Borders), you have th...

Last night, I was on the phone with one of my best friends from college and said, "It's so cold I only left the house once yesterday and that was to cash my unemployment check and go to the likker store." [pause] "OMG! I am White Trash." [pause] "At least I didn't spend it all on lottery tickets." *sigh* Have a good day, kittens. I'll be spending the afternoon moving my appliances to the front yard and putting a truck up on blocks. *smooches*

Good Afternoon, Kittens. VUBOQ is major cranky, yo. I had a volunteer gig lined up for this morning. Then, I was going to toodle around the District, running errands and, perhaps, going to the NGA to see the Pompeii exhibit. Last night, around 6, I get an email from the Volunteer Coordinator. And, guess what? They had *such* a successful turnout over the weekend that they don't need anyone to come in this week. So, let's see ... they had volunteers come in on Saturday, who completed all the work to be done, but it took until Tuesday at Close of Business to email the Wednesday volunteers that they weren't needed? WTF? Oh. The excuse was "we're so busy around here." Mmhm. Well, y'know, people who volunteer also have busy lives and like to make plans. And, when they've already turned down things so they can help out, a little more advanced notice and a lot more appreciation would be nice. How hard is it to send out an email first thing Monday morning? Not...

So here are some pix of my cat, kittens. Perhaps more later. *smooches*

Good Evening, Kittens. Everyone home from work and have martini in hand? Good. This morning, as I was taking my shower, I was thinking about the American Car Company Bailout. And, I thought, "What good is it to just throw money at the car companies? They need to adapt and improvise. They don't need a government handout." And, then it hit me like a ton of exfoliating soap (ow! scratchy!), there should be some sort of Car Company New Deal! For example, the current lame duck Congress or President Obama (after January), should launch a program which directs the Big Three to bid on replacing the entire Post Office Fleet with hybrids. Or something like that. Encourage green jobs! Award the contract to the car company with the best EnviroPlan! And do similar things with other government fleets. Ba-Da-Bing! Ba-Da-Boom! Detroit Car Crisis Solved ... eventually. Of course, I got out of the shower, got dressed, and booted up the computer. My homepage is the WashingtonPost.com. And w...

Good Morning, Kittens. My last pottery class was last night. *sniff* I trimmed a vase, and, then, using the last of Carolyn's clay, I made a handbuilt mug and another vase (which actually will look pretty cool if it comes out right). Even though class is over, I still will need to go in at least 2 more times (for glazing and for a final pottery pickup). The next session starts in February. Oh! Why so far away? WHY? And here is what I got back last night: Everything was glazed in Lisa's Favorite Blue and/or Michigan Brown ... Round Vase: Another Vase: Mug: Sake Cups (I guess): Inside View of the Taller Cup: And, there you have it. btw, is anyone else participating in Puntabulous's activity of creating yourself as an PuntabulousPerson ? I hope so. I'm pleased with how mine came out. More later. *smooches*

Good Early Evening, Kittens. So, last night, I was in the gay.com chat room (which, I must admit, I haven't visited in quite some time). I was in the middle of a conversation with this rather interesting gentleman, who I may be meeting later this week, when someone else initiated a conversation. Feeling friendly, I engaged him (even though he was short, old, and totally not my type). My benevolent nature sometimes gets the best of me, fer sure. Anyway, the conversation seemed normal enough. Until he asked, "What are you into?" and, sensing that this was going some place I didn't want it to go, I replied, "Um. I like chocolate and I really enjoy my pottery class." And, he was all "haha you're funny. I'd love to meet you at the door and drop to my knees to suck you off." Before I could respond, "You're so short you wouldn't need to drop to your knees," he wrote, "I'm naked and hard." I replied, "haha....

Good morning, Kittens. Most of my weekend focused on the Unborn. Friday, after realizing that the grocery shopping plans with Mike had been thrown into chaos, I met the Very Special HouseGuest, Nida, and her friend, Nami, for lunch. We went to a Japanese restaurant in Dupont Circle, Sakana. And then we went out for coffee. Once Mike finished work, I met him at the Giant near his house, and we shopped and shopped and shopped. Brunch for 30 people is *a lot* of groceries. We finished around 730 (earlier than I thought! Yay!). I went home. Nida and I ordered pizza and had wine. Tomokito stopped by on her way home from work. And SCGB came down. It was like a pre-party or something. I had the worst night of sleep EVER. At one point, I woke up after dreaming "All the food is STARCH! We need a salad!" Saturday morning, Nida and I metro'ed to Mike's house. When we arrived, he had already done most of the cooking (hurrah!). So we did some minor things and helped organize, whil...

Good morning, Kittens. Just a quick update to let you know that I survived the Baby Shower Brunch! And, actually, once the mimosas kicked in, it was loads of fun. Here is the Flickr set: Baby Shower Brunch And here is a picture in which I think my ass looks really cute: Exciting details of the party and the rest of the weekend to be posted tomorrow. *smooches*

Good Morning, Kittens. As you know, I went to the Tim Gunn lecture last night. And it totally solidified my uber-crush on him. He's so smart and articulate and stylish and funny and ... and ... and ... *swoon* Anyway, here's another piece of PR gossip: Tim Gunn's favorite look from all 5 seasons: [highlight to read] The Chris/Christian Avant-Garde dress from Season 4. Before Tim Gunn's lecture, I stopped by the pottery studio and glazed a few things. Today is SuperPanicPartyMode! I've got to make the shopping list. The guy I went to dinner with two nights ago (henceforth known as "Mark" (because that would be his name)) is bringing by a 30-cup coffee maker this morning. Very Special Out-of-Town Guest arrives and we have to arrange a time/place to have a Passing of the Keys. At some point this afternoon, I will be heading to Costco and Giant with Mike to do fun fun fun grocery shopping. Gah. Fun times, kittens. Let's hope my brain doesn't esp...

Hi, Kittens! I'm home from the UMD talk by Tim Gunn. And I have dish (oh, why didn't I think about live blogging it? or tweeting it? or something?) ... I have written the answers in white, so you'll need to highlight to read ... that way you can play along ... Tidbit #1: The Designer from each season Tim Gunn wouldn't mind if they were on a desert island ... Season 1 - Wendy Pepper Season 2 - Zulema Season 3 - Vincent Season 4 - Victorya Hong Season 5 - Kenley ("I would row her out there myself ... and then she'd tell me 'you're doing it wrong!'") Tidbit #2: Possible Season 6 Spoiler ... Here it is: There is a green neoprene (sp?) dress/outfit which one judge hated so much she tried to filibuster, but it WINS! There you have it! See what I do for you? *smooches*

Good Morning, Kittens. Someone forgot about 12 of 12 yesterday. Oops. Of course, my camera batteries were dead anyway, so I guess it didn't really matter. It's raining. And, since I don't *have* to go out into the rain, I'm not. Which means that Operation Politics of Visibility will not be starting today. Perhaps tomorrow. Or maybe Monday. Today, rather than start OPV, I suppose I will finish the house-cleaning (vacuum! clean bathroom! make guest bed!). Oh, and last night's dinner was fun. We went to Mandalay (Burmese food), which I LUV. Good conversation. AND, he has a 30 cup coffee maker that he's going to let me borrow for the Baby Shower Brunch! HURRAH! He drove me home. I'm still not sure if it was an actual Date Date or not though. Not that it matters. Things are still messy with his "divorce" ... Here's another thing: He's a phd candidate. Do I like have some sort of phd candidate magnet? I mean, really, it's almost ridiculous th...

Hello, Kittens! You've all been so patient with my rather *blah* past few posts, here's a little bit more fun tidbits from my life ... I received a surprise package today! A CD (Bridget Jones Diary 2) and a book (Brideshead Revisited). So fun! It's amazing how a little act of kindness like that brightened my dreary mood. OMG. I feel so HAPPY (and I'm *almost* 100% positive it's not just the gin). In other news, I have a kind-of-date tonight. At 7:30. I probably shouldn't be having this martini. I call it a "kind-of-date" because I am going to dinner with a friend of a friend, who recently (in August) ended a 13-year relationship. I think that kind of hurt takes longer to heal than a few months. We'll have food and drinks and laughs and superhotsteamybuttsecks call it a night, I think. Anyway, I need to get out and make new friends and have some fun. So that's what I'm doing. AND, I believe that Operation Politics of Visibility may be sta...

Good Morning, Kittens. Apologies for the brevity of the postings recently. I am a bit busy this week. Yesterday, I applied for a job, went to lunch with Tomoko, had a nap, prepped for the Board Meeting, and went to the Board Meeting (which lasted over 2 hours). Then, I went to bed. Dinner? Yep. Forgot to eat it. Today, I am still looking for a job to apply for. And, it's house cleaning day. Must get ready for Friday night's Very Special HouseGuest . And do laundry. And, hopefully, Mike is back from his holiday so we can start planning the Baby Shower Brunch. And I am meeting a friend for dinner tonight. Have a great day! *smooches*

Good Morning, Kittens. Not much going on. Pottery class was good. The course is almost over. WAH. Stella Lolita Beatrice the GINORMOUS Spider is gone. WAH. I didn't get the SuperCool job in Seattle. WAH. You can see how my day is going, eh? Hopefully it will get better. Lots to do. Lots to do. More thorough entry later. Promise. *smooches*

Good Morning, Kittens! What a weekend! I'm exhausted ... and I didn't do hardly anything. The BIG EVENT was on Saturday night. One of my neighbors celebrated her 35th birthday with a super fun potluck dinner party. I brought vodka (Cranberry-Orange infused vodka). You can check out the pictures here (and no, the cops didn't come to bust up the party ... they had pulled over someone into our parking lot). Sunday. Very. Hung. Over. Also this weekend, I ... (1) Guest-posted on Biddy's World , and (B) Posted a book review on my neglected blog, EnviroWonk . Actually, I've been reading quite a bit lately, so I may start using EnviroWonk for the book reviews (since most of what I'm reading is of an environmental nature). This week is also going to be a bit busy. I'm starting a new Job Search Goal, which I've dubbed "A Resume a Day 'til Thanksgiving." Pretty self-explanatory I think. So, today, I'll be sending a resume to a contact a f...

Good Morning, Kittens! In these troubled economic times, we are all looking for ways to save money ... especially those of us who are part of that wonderful 6.5%. So, here's a little mantra that I have learned to repeat often to myself: "Starbucks is Expensive" Yes, their grande caramelmochafrappalattaccinos are delicious, but they are (repeat after me) expensive. And not worth it. Srsly. I used to go to Starbucks daily. And would regularly drop $4-5. If I wasn't getting the grandenonfatnowhipcaramelmochafrappalattacinoextrahot, I was buying the grande drip coffee (cheaper!) and a piece of lemon poundcake (suddenly, not so cheap). Now, let's do the math (because you know how much I *heart* the Mathematics): $4-5/day x 5 = $20-25/week $20-25/week x 4 = $80-100/month $80-100/month x 12 = nearly $1200/year. Do you know what you can buy with $1200? MY MORTGAGE! or this: or 150 of these: or 4oo of these: So, what do you do??? I'll break it down for you ... You buy...

I uploaded my Xmas Playlist to my iShuffle today. Xmas Music = HAPPY!!! Pottery studio was good. I glazed a few things. Moved a couple of bowls to get ready for trimming. And made a handbuilt vase. Nanny G : I take pottery at UMD-College Park. Might be a bit far for you. But, if interested, I'll email you the details :-)

Good Morning, Kittens. Not much happened yesterday. I went to the pottery studio. After which, I met Y for coffee. It was all right. If you define "all right" as "awkward and uncomfortable." He seems to want to stay friends though. We shall see ... But enough about that. How about some pottery pix? 2 Mugs in Michigan Brown and Raspberry with handpainted Lisa's Favorite Blue stripe Small Tartpan Lidless Jug Handleless Jug The handle popped off during the bisque firing. Instructor-Assisted Jug I had a little help with the body-shaping and lid-making for this one. Have a great day! *smooches*

Good Morning, Kittens. So, has the news sunk in yet? Still hopeful? Still changing? Still employed? I hope so ... even though I am *still* waiting for Barack Obama to bring me my coffee. Yesterday was pretty much a waste. I was a tad overhung. I had to read the newspapers ... all of them. Eventually, I motivated myself to do two loads of laundry. Then, I decided to rake the yard. During which time, I either started to have a heart attack or pulled a muscle. Shooting! Pain! Down my left arm! Of course, I can never remember which arm is the one that experiences shooting pain during a heart attack. Fortunately, I was not experiencing any other symptoms (which I believe are the ABCDs of Heart Attacks: Assymetry, Border, Color, and Diameter), and my pulse seemed fine. So, I determined that I had suffered a rake-induced injury and gave up the leaf-raking for the day. In fact, my left shoulder is still a bit sore. Wah. Not sore enough to hinder me when I go to pottery class this afternoon. An...

Good Afternoon, Kittens. Has your Post-Election Euphoria worn off yet? No? Here ... Let me help: Thought #1: Gay is the New Black. California. Arizona. Florida. Mm. Hm. I'm looking at you. Thanks for affirming my second class citizenship status. Love you too. Srsly. Mean it. Thought #2: Even Lame Ducks Bite. Anyone remember the 462 GaBillion pardons President Clinton gave out as he was leaving office? (I got one. Didn't you?) What havoc do you think GW Bush is going to wreak during his final 76 days? Here's a hint of things to come: A Last Push to Deregulate . I'm sorry. Did I bring you down? What can I do to make it better? Oh. I know. Here's a Thing that Makes Me Happy : Tequila. 'Nuff said. *smooches*

Good Morning, Kittens! And what a sunshiny happy day it is! For the first time in a long time, I am proud of this country ... and, totally surprised by the electorate. Naturally, VUBOQ voted for the guy with whom he'd most like to have a beer (and maybe a little rumpy-pumpy). And, well, the possibility of electing someone who a scarily large percentage of people seem to think is the Anti-Christ was just too tempting to refuse. Of course, the big question is: NOW What? I shall tell you what: We find VUBOQ a job! Apparently my write-in candidacy as District 6 Circuit Court Judge was an absolute failure, netting only 2 votes. *sigh* Back to the Want Ads. Goals for today: Apply to at least one (hopefully, 2) job(s). If it dries out, rake the leaves to the curb. Laundry. Make teh COFFEE. Figure out to whom I'm going to give all this pottery. And, Finish my ShallowGal (Welcome Back!) Manny Application! More later. *smooches* PS. Is it too early for Rum Cake?

... or How I Celebrated SwankyMama's Birthday * Here's a little photo essay of my afternoon ... SCGB got home from school around 1. We decided to walk to our Polling Place. The trees are about the only things that are red in my district! Hurray for Liberal Values! Kittens, there was NO line. It took me longer to decide what to buy from the PTA Bake Sale (rum cake and cranberry/orange pound cake) than it did to vote. I could only choose one. Sorry, Cynthia. We talked to our neighbor, who is a better citizen that I'll ever be. She takes the day off work to be a volunteer poll worker/election judge/person. Isn't that awesome? Then, we walked up to hip and happenin' Downtown Silver Spring for our FREE Starbucks! Yayz! Life is good. Did you??? I think Barack Obama wants us to have a martini! *smooches* *Happy Birthday, Your Swankyness!

In 1988, I turned 18. The first time I voted was in the North Carolina Democratic Primary, and I cast my ballot for the senator from Tennessee, Al Gore. Even at such a young age, I had impeccable taste in politicians. 20 years later and I can honestly say that I have never been as excited about an election. I can not wait to go up the street to the elementary school, buy some PTA Baked Goods, stand in line, and vote*. It's been a long time since I've voted *for* someone rather than against his opponent. After casting my ballot for the only true Maverick** on the ballot, Ralph Nader***, SCGB and I are going to swing by Starbucks for Free! Coffee! Then, I'm going to the grocery store to buy the ingredients to make tomato soup. And grilled cheese sandwiches. YUM. No one has invited me to a Results Watching Party though. Wah. I guess I'll just follow along at home (NPR Rox!) ... and, hopefully, crack open a bottle of bubbly at the end of the night! Now, GO VOTE, KITTENS! Mo...

Good Morning, Kittens! Hope everyone had a SuperProductive weekend full of tricks (*heh*) and treats! My weekend did not get off to a great start, but improved muchly ... lessee ... Friday afternoon, I went to the pottery studio. I did some glazing, and I threw a mug and two vases. After that, things did not go in my favor and I began to get crankier and crankier, culminating in my leaving happy hour at Nellie's earlier than anticipated because I did not want to be around people any longer. So, I spent Halloween at home, alone, surfing on teh 'nets. Saturday, I organized a Leaf-Raking Party. About 6 neighbors showed up and we raked the yard. Many hands make light work, yo. We were done in just over an hour. *w00t!* Then, because the weather was so nice, I strapped on the rollerblades and went out for a bit. Saturday night, I watched DVDs. and remembered to turn my clocks back (except the coffee maker, which I can't remember how to set). Sunday, Carolyn and I went to ...