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

Good Morning, Kittens! It's a busy day in Vutopia. At 8PM, thousands hundreds dozens a couple of people will descend upon Casa de VUBOQ for a New Year's Eve Party to end all New Year's Eve Parties. There will be champagne! There will be food! There will be GAMES! There will be PRIZES! AND, there will be Fabulous Parting Gifts (if VUBOQ can pull himself up off the sofa and go to the store)! Before that happens, though, I have to ... (a) clean, (b) clean some more, (c) do some cleaning, (d) think about cleaning some other things, and (e) do Mountains of Laundry. Oh, and did I mention that I need to clean? So, yesterday, I went to the Whole Foods (Gift Cards Rock!) to buy some party foods! Cheese! Olives! MOTHERFORKING (gotta keep it clean for the kiddies) SALSA! Then, I made dinner. See: Please note the New Dining Nook Table! And, um, Hello, Chef's Little Helper! I had intended to make a recipe I printed out awhile back off of Epicurious, Sweet Potato Salad with Chili...

Good Morning, Kittens! Lots of good things happened yesterday. I received a Xmas gift in the mail: King Kong 2-disc special edition DVD. I have two words for you: Adrien Brody. YUM. Eric drove down from Baltimore, and, along with Tomokito and SCGB, we met Ray at Nellie's for happy hour. $2 vodka cocktails. *w00t!* On the way home, we stopped at Austin Grill for food and margaritas. I need to do some major cleaning and organizing today. Plus, I have to do some shopping for my New Year's Eve party. I think about 10-12 people are coming, but I'm not entirely sure. I need to figure that out. And I need to figure out what kind of punch I'm going to make. Fun times. More later. *smooches*

Good Afternoon, Kittens. I am back from returning the rental car. And can now report on my weekend and trip to NC. Lessee ... Friday, after the brother returned from work, we met a friend of his at some bar somewhere in Greensboro and drank many martinis. Then, we returned to his apartment and drank more martinis and a bottle of wine while we watched Transformers (which I must say kind of sucked ass). Saturday morning? V. hungover. Somehow, I managed to get up and in the car and drive. I drove home via Staunton, VA, where I stopped off to visit my uncle and aunt. We had a lovely lunch together. I finally arrived home at around 4:30. Kristi, the upstairs neighbor, got home about the same time, so we made a date for dinner. We went to Adega for their Weekend Date Night Special (one appetizer, two entrees, one bottle of wine = $35). Bargain. After dinner, we ate leftover Xmas cookies and watched Love Actually . Sunday, I drove to Target. Kitty litter! Cat food! New socks! Once home, I re...

Happy Boxing Day, Kittens! Like, OMG, wireless internet is a beautiful thing. I'm at a Panera Bread somewhere in Greensboro. And, ooooh, I can access my computer ... and I *should* be completing and emailing some job applications, but, well, I am blogging. Sosume. Christmas with the family was good. As much as I totally *heart* my parents, good lord!, can they start to wear on my nerves after a couple of days. And there was No Alcohol to help! GAH! I could jes' die. Here's a funny little story about how to tell if you are in North Carolina ... My brother and I were watching the news on Tuesday evening, and the reporter was interviewing a man about his community's group dinner and, he said, and I kid you not!, "It provides a good opportunity to conversate against each other." Um. What? My brother actually hit rewind on the DVR so we could verify what we had just heard. Conversate. Against Each Other. W.T.F? And, then, my brother said, "And this wasn't...

Good morning, Kittens! Presents wrapped? Stockings hung by the chimney with care? Visions of sugar plums? I have arrived safely in NC. Driving is (a) a bitch and (b) OMG super boring and (c) I don't know how BOSSY manages to take photos while driving, b/c I suck at it . You will see examples when I am able to upload photos. A few things I learned whilst driving: 1. Apparently, in NC, the far left hand lane on an 8 lane highway is for people who drive exactly the speed limit.] 2. In NC, the roads are paved with diamonds. SuperSparkly! Srsly. I tried to take some pix. We'll see how they come out. 3. I hate driving. And drivers. And roads. And pretty much all things associated with cars, except "parking" (which I haven't done in ages ). Meanwhile, once safely in the G'boro, I lounged about my brother's apartment, and, then, went to meet several college friends for dinner at PF Changs. Yum. Pictures to come later, but my best friend from college...

Good morning, Kittens. By the time this publishes, I should *crosses fingers* be on the road, careening madly around the Beltway in my SuperCute PT Cruiser Rental towards that Valley of Humility , North Carolina. I figured I won't have time to blog in the morning, hence the scheduled post. Hurrah for Post-Scheduling! I'm all packed (ok, mostly packed). I'll load the car in the morning. There is already some drama . My brother called this evening. Apparently, my parents, who had originally told him that they would stay in a hotel, have decided that we need some Family Togetherness Time (please, shoot me now), and, thus, all four of us will be staying in his small one bedroom/one bathroom apartment. Now, I love my family ... in small doses ... in places where I have space . And, actually, when it's just the three of us anywhere it's usually good. Put the four of us in a tight quarters for any extended time and bad. things. happen. Hopefully, since it is only for 2 ni...

Good Morning, Kittens. I have a lot to do today. I'm heading to NC tomorrow ... so blogging may be a bit sporadic. My weekend was good. Saturday, I had dinner at Jerry's. Then, we went to Slumdog Millionaire , which was a really good movie. Go see it. After the movie, we met Ray and SCGB for a drink at Nellie's. SCGB drove us home. Hurrah! Sunday, I did some housework, wrapped some presents, and watched The Line of Beauty. I'm off to pick up the rental car at noon. Then, cleaning and packing and organizing and coordinating. Good times. Really. More later. *smooches* PS. The Str8 Guy has posted some gift-wrapping advice .

Good Morning, Kittens. Happy Winter Solstice! As I mentioned yesterday, the StickSteven 2008 Year in Review letter has gone out, and -as I could have predicted- the bitching and moaning has started. Usually, at least one person has an issue with it. I didn't put them in. Why didn't I draw this? Whatever. To those who complain, my standard reply is "you don't like my letter? Draw your own fucking letter." [Except, of course, when it's my parents. Then, I delete the "fucking."] Some of you astutely noticed that I did not include Y in the letter. As standard practice, I tend not to include the people I'm dating or were dating during the year. Yesterday, I had this little exchange with Y via IM: Y: me no like sticksteven 2008 V: why not? Y: ur almost as bad as the russians Y: tearing pages out of history books V: what? i included all major events of my life. Y: "fireworks in nyc" Y: i donno.. i thought something wa...

Ok, kittens, how did it get to be afternoon already? I spent the morning emailing my StickSteven 2008 Year in Review. Did you get yours? If so, YAY! If not, it's probably because I don't have your email address. And I can't access Facebook for some reason, which is what I was going to use to find email addresses that I don't have already. Also, as I was moving down my blogroll, I noticed that it needs to be tidied up a bit. And updated. There are several blogs I read regularly that aren't on there. And, some blogs that have been abandoned (apparently). So, please do me a favor. If you read this blog and you aren't a recipient of LinkyLuv, let me know. Have a great weekend. *smooches*

Good (no longer) Morning, Kittens. I am moving so slow today. This morning, I had this really upsetting dream in which I had some friends over. I had to leave the apartment for a minute, and, when I came back, one of the guests had broken several pieces of my Japanese pottery. And no one would admit to doing it. Frustrating and sad. Anyway, last night, I had a good time at Mark's. He has a gorgeous home. 3 cats. and a dog. We had cocktails and cheese and crackers. And, then, he made a pizza. We talked and drank and ate and talked and drank and around 11(ish?), he drove me home. Fun times. No real plans for the day ... or the weekend. I'll just be tidying up, packing, cleaning, and getting ready for my trip to NC. I'll also be sending out the StickSteven 2008 Year in Review email. Maybe tomorrow. Have a great day! *smooches*

Good Morning, Kittens. I have been bad and sleeping late every morning this week. Tomorrow, I promise to get up early and be productive. Not that I wasn't productive today (I've applied for a job!), but I want to be more productive. I'm leaving for NC in just. a. few. days. GAH! And, I'll be using the Nokia 6650 (haven't heard that bit of product placement in a while, eh?) to Guide My Way. It has an internal GPS thingy. And given my sense of direction (need I remind you of last year's aimless wanderings in the backwoods of NC's Appalachian Mountains?), a GPS is a very good thing. What would we do without cellphones? Srsly. Last night, I went to McGinty's with some of the neighbors. It was good. We drank lots of beer and then did a celebratory tequila shot for SCGB, who is finished with exams for the semester. I love celebratory tequila shots. They make me feel all warm and fuzzy. Then, I stayed up too late eating cookies with Kristi. On the plus side, I...

(And, no, this doesn't have anything to do with the Pope) Today, BOSSY wrote a fun little post about evidence that the polar ice caps are melting. The comments have been quite interesting. I suggested, in the comments, that, if people were interested in learning more about the science of climate change, they might want to read The Weather Makers: How Man is Changing the Climate and What It Means for Life on Earth by (respected scientist) Tim Flannery. In the very next comment, someone countered by saying that people should read State of Fear, the well-researched (*cough*) and fictional story about the Global Climate Change Conspiracy by (respected science fiction author and creator of ER ) Michael Crichton. Seriously, people, if you are basing your entire thought process about a significant global event on a work of fiction (and I'm looking at you Sen. Inhofe), then you may want to .. um ... I dunno, broaden your horizons a bit? I'd like to think that having a Master...

Good Morning Afternoon, Kittens. One of us couldn't get to sleep last night and, thus, is running a bit behind schedule today. I'm not sure what was the cause of the insomnia, other than my brain would not shut off. Not only was I thinking that I haven't applied to any jobs this week, but there was also an idea for a small part-time business floating in my head *and* I was thinking of the Nokia 6650 review that I need to write up *AND* I was on a Finally Completed the StickSteven 2008 Year in Review Holiday Letter High . Here's a preview: This year, I'm only sending it out electronically. I took a close look at my budget and decided that GIN was a better expense than STAMPS. Sorry. SCGB is taking it to school today for scanning (pdf vs. jpg? who knows?). I've been making lists and lists of Good Little Boys and Girls who will receive the letter. I'm sure you are on it. Today, must do laundry. And, then, the neighbors are gathering at McGinty's for bevera...

Last night, my neighbor, Kristi, stopped by. "I've been baking cookies all day with a friend. Please eat some." And, did we ever eat "some." If you define "some" as "so many cookies that it makes your head explode." And, I still have some more. Which I'm thinking of having for breakfast! Homemade peanut butter cookies + coffee = Breakfast of Champions The job search is not going well so far this week. Hopefully, by tomorrow, I'll have found 2 jobs to apply for. On the plus side, I've been determined to be "eligible" for a government job I applied to about a month ago. It's not a job I particularly want, nor is it with an agency I particularly like, but a job is a job. Hm. Other things I accomplished yesterday ... I'm almost finished with the right front pocket shaping on the Never-Ending Cardigan of Doom, Take 2. Once the raglan decreases start, the front knits super quick. After finishing the front, all I will h...

Good (still) Morning, Kittens. I'm having a totally lazy day after a fun-filled weekend. My Friday evening was rather uneventful. I was tired from tramping all over Georgetown, so I mixed a cocktail and watched DVDs. Saturday, I did a little bit of housework and wrapped some Xmas presents. At four(ish), after having a glass of wine at Kristi's, my friend, Robert, picked me up to go the DC Cowboys ' holiday party in Great Falls, VA. OMG. It was so much fun. The couple who hosted live in a GINORMOUS multi-million dollar home (with a covered, heated pool in the back). There were lots of cocktails and appetizers. Then, a covered dish dinner. Dessert. Fun. Food. Really nice guys (and a couple of cuties, to boot). It turns out that one of my graduate school classmates is now a DC Cowboy. Go figure. We had one class together, but he didn't remember me. Of course, it was 8 years ago and I had long red hair then. And, it took me a few moments to realize who he was as well. But, ...

Good Afternoon, Kittens. I'm back from my day traipsing around DC. I'm going ahead and posting my 12 of 12, because I don't have any other plans for the day. And, really, photos of me blobbing on the sofa are a dime a dozen. Mmm. Coffee. And Wonder Woman! Reading Brideshead Revisited on the metro to DC The Pompeii Exhibit at the National Gallery of Art. It was ... nice. Not quite what I expected. The new LED installation, though, was SuperCool. Ice skating in the NGA Sculpture Garden. $7 for adults + $3 skate rental for 2 hours. Wanna go? Me and the Washington Monument. Why, yes, I did knit the scarf. From the Mall, I metro'ed to Foggy Bottom and walked to Georgetown. Someone folded 1000 paper cranes for a sick friend. Chipotle Vegetarian Burrito. Teh YUM. I stopped by Stitch DC for some #7 dpns, but they didn't have any. The clerk told me how to get to the Exorcist Stairs. With annoying group who wouldn't move so I could get a clean photo. From there, I decide...

Good Morning, Kittens. Yesterday was a wash (literally and figuratively). Today, I'll be out and about in DC taking shots for my 12 of 12, using the Nokia 6650 I'm testing (I think today is the final day I get to use it). I'll be posting pics from today to the Nokia Chronicles (linked above) as well as Plurk and Twitter. Check back often. Have a great day, and I'll be posting again later this afternoon/evening. *smooches*

Good Morning, Kittens! Yesterday, I started my StickSteven 2008 Year in Review Holiday Letter ( You can see the previous years' letters here ). The odd thing is that the only drawing so far that is remotely cute/funny is the drawing for the month in which the worst things happened. I suppose it lends credence to the theory that humor helps us get over things. I also made BOSSY Broth. Here is the strained broth photo: I have lots of broth in the freezer now. I also took about a cup or so, brought it to a boil, cooked some udon noodles in it, and then added a squirt of chili sauce (the Vietnamese sauce that has the rooster on the bottle. I can't remember what it's called). Delicious! Then, I watched The Lost Language of Cranes . I may have a longer post about this in the future (but probably not). But, let's just say that watching this movie on PBS when it debuted in the US helped shape a lot of my ideas about being gay. After that, I headed over to my across-the-hall ne...

For three days, BOSSY has been all broth this and cleanse that, so much so that last night ... VUBOQ dreamed about making veggie broth. And then this morning, BOSSY posted her " recipe " (which is actually kind of the way VUBOQ posts recipes), which was obviously a sign from the Blogoverse that I must Make teh Broth in the Style of BOSSY. So I am. See: [pic taken with the Nokia 6650 ] Except, I forgot to buy spinach. And I added mushrooms. And a whole onion (with skin). And a piece of dried kelp. And what the fork is fennel anyway? Let's hope 3 sprigs of fresh rosemary are similar. Oh, and I was out of garlic. And, then, well, I had to add a little of Chef's Little Helper: a cup of dry vermouth. So, see? Just Like BOSSY*! I rock. *smooches* *Imitation is the Sincerest Form of Flattery, right

Good Morning, Kittens. Noticed that that SuperHandsome, Always Fashionably Dressed co-worker, who you ogled over your cubicle wall is absent today? Well, put your wedding fantasies on hold, dearie and have a Happy Day without a Gay ! I wonder what I would have done were I employed ... would I have called in gay? Hm ... It is a good day for it. Dreary and rainy and blah. I actually had made a few plans for today; however, the plans involved a lot of walking and picture taking and, well, the weather is not cooperating. Thus, I'm postponing until tomorrow (even though the weather is supposed to be crap tomorrow too, but I can plan and prepare for it. I'm working on a contingency plan now). I'm very excited about the possibilities. So, everyone hope for good weather tomorrow :-) Meanwhile, I'll still be posting a picture or two (or more) today to the Nokia Chronicles . Have you played around on the site any? What do you think? I'll be posting my review of the...

Good Morning, Kittens! Since I didn't really do anything of note yesterday (other than consume my weight in buttery popcorn dusted with grated fulvi romano), let's play a little game ... How many differences can you spot? First, the Purple Tinsel Tree photographed with my crappy cell phone camera: Now, the Purple Tinsel Tree photographed with the Nokia 6650 in night mode (whatever that means): I really need to find some (affordable) mirrored disco ball ornaments. Today, I might do a some raking and, possibly, head down to the National Gallery of Art for a bit. Co-Op Board Meeting is tonight. I'm hosting. Which means, I may need to clean. Fun! Have a great day! *smooches*

Harold, the cat's out of the bag ... Awhile back, I was asked to test-drive a phone for Nokia. They've put up a website, Nokia 6650 Chronicles . Go there, click on "Chapter 2" and you'll see some pix taken by lil ol' me. Click on any of the pix I took and you'll be taken to "my" page and you can see EVEN more pix. Assuming that the kind Nokia Powers-That-Be refill my go phone in the next few days, I'll be posting even more pix (and maybe some *bow-chikka-bow-bow* video) to that site, as well as to my Twitter , Plurk , and Facebook pages (via ping ) and Flickr, like this one: and this one: At the end of the week, I'll be posting a no-holds-barred review of the Nokia 6650. Stay tuned, kittens. Now, I'm off to dig my Xmas decorations out of storage. Joy! Rapture! *smooches*

Good Morning, Kittens! I had a superbusy weekend in which I barely moved from off my sofa. I *heart* my sofa. On Friday, I thought about going out to happy hour. But, it was cold. Everyone was busy. And my sofa was so comfortable. Saturday, I knitted. It snowed (just a dusting). And, later that evening, I headed over to a party hosted by some neighbors. Fun times. Sunday, very. hung. over. And, I became Officially Old. Two kids were skateboarding on our sidewalk. It was annoying. So, I went out and told them they couldn't skateboard here. They left. I might as well have been banging on the window screaming "Get Off My Lawn!" *sigh* And that was my weekend. Chock full of sofa-surfing. Today, I have to fax my transcript to EPA for a position which closes tomorrow. No other plans. It's cold. More later. *smooches*

Dear Whole Foods , I tried to understand when you took my two favorite 365 Brand Natural Italian Soda flavors, pink grapefruit and lemon, and packaged them into smaller bottles. You tried to fool savvy consumers by charging $0.20 less, even though -on a per ounce basis- the cost is actually a little bit more. I feared change was coming when my favorite 365 Brand Frozen Pizza with spinach, tomatoes, and feta disappeared from the shelves. And, lo and behold, change came: A slightly smaller, slightly more expensive 365 Brand Frozen Pizza with spinach, feta, and kalamata olives. I have sworn off the soda, because, really, I shouldn't drink so much sugary fizzy stuff. I am giving the pizza a chance tonight, but will probably never buy it again. But, Lord Help Me, if you fuck with my Pleasant Morning Buzz [24 oz. at $9.99], I will fly to Austin, Texas, and shank the fucker who made that decision. Then, I'll start shopping at Trader Joes. Do not doubt me. Love and *smooches*, vuboq vu...

Good morning, Kittens. This blogs is spiraling into the Depths of Lameness (I'm pretty sure I must've been #12 on * that * list). And, to try to crack the top 11, I am now going to share with you my Lame Fact of the Day : A neighbor sent me a link to aol's free full CD holiday listening party. And the Very First CD I chose to listen to was this .* AOL is also featuring some good albums. Go. Feel the Christmas Spirit. Yesterday ... lunch with Ray was fun. We went to Teaism. I had the veggie burger. Yum. Later that evening, I was presented with two conundrums (conundra? conundri?): (1) I briefly considered inviting Y over to "watch a movie" [I didn't]**, and (2) This superhot guy "in a committed relationship" kept hitting on me (online). and I was sorely tempted. [Nothing happened though ... meaning, I didn't metro over to his place like he wanted. Hey. A girl's got to have *some* standards.] Then, I watched La Dolce Vita . And, um, does anyone...

I'm back from the studio with my final three pots: Here's a hand-built mug in Michigan Brown: A hand-built vase in Lisa's Favorite Blue and Raspberry (which makes purple): The vase has a major flaw in the back. It came apart during the bisque firing, so it won't hold water. Bah. I guess I could put a liner in it or something though ... And, finally, another purple vase: And, that's all the pottery goodness you'll hear about from me 'til mid-February when the class starts up again. *smooches*

Good Morning, Kittens! Yesterday was full of fun and excitement. I finished the rough draft to the essay required for the government job. I knitted (see previous entry). I put on "real" clothes (as opposed to spending the day in pajamas). And, I met a friend, Robert (not *that* Robert), for dinner. We went to Austin Grill. Mmm. I ate too much, but it was soooooo good. Mmmm. Today, I'm meeting Ray for lunch at Teaism in Penn Quarter. Then, I'm metro'ing over to the pottery studio to pick up some finished work. Carolyn said she saw 2 of my final 3 items. Hopefully, the third will be done by the time I get there this afternoon. Stay tuned for pictures. *smooches*

Introducing the Never-Ending Cardigan of Doom, Take 2: The Back Panel *waits for applause*

Good Morning, Kittens! MSN "News" has made a glaring omission on their list of the 11 Lamest Blogs on the Intartubez . Let's just say I expected to be Number One. Simply because yesterday I did not get off the sofa all day (except to eat) and I didn't change out of my pajamas all day. Yes, my middle name is Pathetic Loser. How did you know? Today, I *must* finish an essay for an EPA job, and I will be doing laundry later on. I'm trying to decide if I should venture forth unto the pottery studio to see if my final 3 pieces are out of the kiln. I might wait to do that tomorrow. Gotta spread out the fun and excitement. How about a photo of my kitty (taken with the Nokia 6650 I am test-driving): More later. *smooches*

Although, I suppose it was more of a soup than a bisque . Good Morning, Kittens! Yesterday, I slept in (hurrah!) and, then, worked on a government essay question (ugh). Oh, and I took a nap. Naps Rock! Later, I managed to pull myself up off the sofa and walk to the bank (to deposit the money from the antiques show job) and the Whole Foods. I decided to make this: Curried Pumpkin Bisque with Cheddar Cheese ... with a few modifications: Ingredients: 3 tablespoons olive oil 2 cups finely chopped onions 1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper (I used an entire bell pepper and didn't bother seeing how many cups that was) 1 teaspoon curry powder (i just shook a whole bunch into the pot) 5 cups (or more) canned low-salt chicken broth vegetable broth 1 15-ounce can pure pumpkin 1 cup frozen corn kernels 1/2 cup one can crushed tomatoes with added purée 1/2 teaspoon dried rubbed sage one sprig fresh rosemary 1 cup (packed) grated extra-sharp cheddar cheese Preparation Heat oil in heavy large...

World AIDS Day and I was inspi(red). How about getting tested (if you haven't been in the past few months)? Or donating a few pennies to your favorite HIV/AIDS charity? Or helping VUBOQ figure out how he can set up an online auction of a couple of his pieces of pottery with proceeds going to VUBOQ's Favorite HIV/AIDS charity? *smooches*

Good morning, Kittens! Guess who slept in this morning? It was lovely. Most of my weekend was: Eat, Drink, Pie!, Sleep, Eat, Drink, Pie!, Sleep ... so not all that exciting. I didn't go out on Friday night. Saturday I was up early to spend the day working the admissions desk at SCGB's father's antiques show. 10:30-6. $20/hour. Not too shabby. But a bit on the boring side ... the highlight of the day was probably this conversation I had with an Elderly Gentleman: [after purchasing his tickets] EG: You sound smart. V: Thank you. I like to think I am. EG: What's your major? *heh* After leaving the antiques show, I met Mark for chinese food. Mmm. Chinese food. I felt a little high maintenance, because, when I learned they didn't have exactly what I wanted on the menu, I made them make it for me. See, it's like this ... I wanted something spicy, with tofu, and vegetables. They had non-spicy tofu with vegetables. And they had spicy tofu with peanuts (no vegetables). S...