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

Good Morning, Kittens. As some of you may know, in a former life, I was a high school biology teacher in a rural North Carolina town. The students were, how should I put this, not the brightest or the best behaved. Some days, my supervising teacher, after watching my students leave the class, would come across the hall and say, "you've earned another star for your crown in Heaven today." On Saturday, Ms. Bluestockingtales and I met my friend, Carolyn, for the Breathe DC Clean Air Walk, a 5K walk around the Tidal Basin. The weather was beautiful and, afterwards, we walked up to Dupont Circle for margaritas at Alero. Yay. Once home, I took a nice, long nap. Then, SCGB came down for drinks. Yay. Drinks. I spent the rest of the evening getting the house ready for Crazy Neighbor's Going Away Party. To give you an idea of what I had to deal with for this party, here are a few pictures of things she had been dropping by my door "for the party": But, the fo...

Good Afternoon, Kittens. I have almost fully rehydrated (huzzah!), so here's a little bit more on my day yesterday ... Anne-Marie from Philly came to visit for the day. We met around 10:30 in the morning, and I forced her to run some errands with me (bank and likker store). Then, we wandered over to Adega for wine ... and lunch. The lovely Ms. Bluestockingtales joined us there. The food was yummy. Mmm. Mmm. Then, we drove back to my place for knitting and Xanadu and Mad Men, Season 1 and martinis and more knitting. Anne-Marie gave Isabella a hand-knit catnip-filled toy (which Isabella LOVES) and she brought me a bottle of Philadelphia-made gin (which I *know* I am going to LOVE ... once I open it). Which may be this weekend. Time flew by and Anne-Marie had to catch the bus back to Silver Spring. *wah* Ms. Bluestockingtales and I continued to watch Mad Men . Then, K-Factor and SCGB came down around 8 and we all had ice cream with whipped cream and chocolate sauce. YUM!...

1. He never had the Iconic Poster of Farrah on his wall. 2. He saw Michael Jackson in concert in Honolulu (HIStory Tour, 1996ish?). JER-MAAAAINE! 3. He had a SuperFunTabulous time with Anne-Marie in Philly and Clio Bluestockingtales. Details later ... perhaps after the hangover subsides ... *smooches*

Good Morning, Kittens! We have a special treat for you today! Oh, yes, we do. It's how I do laundry ... just in case any of you ever want to come over and do it for me. Step 1: Survey the Damage Step 2: Sort. I make two piles: Colors and Whites. If there are enough Whites for a mostly full load, I do two loads. If not, I take out the essentials (socks, some t-shirts) and throw them in with the Colors, saving all the other Whites for Another Time. Step 3: Re-load up the laundry basket and carry it over to the Laundry Room. Step 4: Sprinkle detergent into the machine. Step 5: Carefully and loosely load to ensure Proper Machine Balance. Step 6: Set the Temperature (Colors or Whites). Step 7: Put in the quarters. And wait. Step 8: Unload. Separate items to be line dried vs. machine dried. My rule is Expensive Jeans and T-Shirts Which Cost More Than $20 = Line Dried Step 9: Throw everything else into one dryer (and, to save money, cut your dryer sheets in half). Step 10. When t...

Good morning, Kittens. This is a picture of the PsychoKitty, after she uncurled from her kittehball to give the Evil Eye to the loud construction noise outside which awakened her. Do not anger the PsychoKitty. Srsly. Yesterday was uneventful. I am trying to make my daily routine a more scheduled one, rather than what has recently become my habit: (1) coffee, (2) sofa, (3) Martini Time, and (4) Go to Bed Time. I was not entirely successful, but I did manage to apply for a job (!) and get out of the house for a little while ( Hello, mini mixed green salad at Adega and glass of pinot grigio (not pictured) ). I had planned to do some writing ... and, if you define "writing" to mean "staring at a blank document for 45 minutes," I was 100% Successful in that endeavor. Other activities from yesterday included helping K-Factor mow the yarn*, hot steamy buttsecks, and watching Kung Fu Panda ... again. Last night, I had this total nightmare. And, it was one of those dr...

Good morning, Kittens. As I was preparing to leave my house yesterday afternoon, I received a text message from Tomokito about a train malfunction on the red line. I delayed my departure for a few minutes to see if I needed to find an alternate route to Mike's house. I did. I'm very glad that Mike suggesting meeting after 6, rather than *at* six. Meeting at 6 would have required me to be on a Shady Grove-bound red line train around 5. Funny how a preposition can make all the difference, huh? Instead, I took the 70 down Georgia Avenue. Mike made vegetarian pizza. It was delicious. And we watched Star Trek: The Next Generation . Then, I hopped back on the 70 for a fun-filled ride home. All the Crazy Bus Lady had to do was yell, "Don't touch me, bitch!" once and the rest of the passengers on the Standing Room Only Bus let her have the seat by herself ... On a totally unrelated note, Scott received his pottery ! And it's not in a gabillion pieces. Wow. M...

Good Morning, Kittens. And, now, the days are getting shorter. Gradually the amount of light in our lives is decreasing. *sigh* It'll be OK though. VUBOQ will be here to brighten your lives (and there was much rejoicing. *yayz*) . Anyway, I had a pretty rockin' weekend. Friday, I met Mike und friends for dinner at the Commissary (near P and 14th). Saturday, my friend, Alison, and her boyfriend, Peter, came down from NYC and we went to Busboys and Poets for dinner and Nellie's for after dinner drinkages. Totally! Hot! Boys! Sunday, I relaxed and enjoyed the sunshine. And made a pretty awesome salad. And watched The Eyes of Tammy Faye and Kung Fu Panda . Oh, and I know you are totally wanting to know about the salad: Fresh corn cut off the cob. Tomatoes. Red Onion. Black Beans. Feta. Lime/Mint Dressing. Pita. Chock full of deliciousness. Mmmmm Mmmmm Mmmmm. Don't you wish I were your houseboy and I made fantastic vegetarian foods for you all the time???? ...

Good Morning, Kittens! Last night, I made a super yummy dinner, Greek-style Orzo Salad, adapted from the recipe in How to Cook Everything Vegetarian by Mark Bittman. It was super easy, too. First, I made the dressing: In a food processor, I combined 1/4 cup olive oil, juice of one lemon, a clove of garlic, salt, pepper, and a cup of fresh lemon mint and oregano (both of which I got from the garden). OMG. The dressing was so good! Then, in a large bowl, I gently tossed sliced grape tomatoes (maybe 1.5 cups?), a can of sliced black olives, half a thinly diced red onion, and some feta with the dressing. The feta was not hard and crumbly though (it was really soft), so it sort of blended with the dressing rather than staying in distinct little crumbles. Finally, I mixed it all with half a package of cooked and rinsed orzo. Served on spinach. And a big glass of Chef's Little Helper (Greek Retsina). Delicious! Omg. So Good. SCGB came down for a taste too. No big weekend plans...

Good Morning, Kittens. Another cloudy rainy gray day here in Vutopia. However, things are looking up! Last night, I purchased my plane tickets to Detroit! Which is just a hop, skip and a jump from a funky, Midwestern town which just so happens to be the home of my SuperFantastic Cuzin (and Cuzin-in-Law)! And guess who lives just a hop, skip and a jump from the SuperFantastic Cuzin? (the photo is a clue) The last time I visited Michigan it was in the Dead of Winter. I wonder what it looks like without a blanket of snow ... I'll be visiting the weekend of the 7th of August (and I'm assuming there is no snow in Michigan in August). So excited! In totally unrelated news ... today is the birthday of the woman after whom I named my kitteh, Isabella Rossellini! Go watch some Green Porno in her honor. Grrl is looking pretty damn good for 57. *smooches*

Good Morning, Kittens. Hope all is well in your world on this gloomy Wednesday. Hard to believe that we're two weeks into June and (a) I'm still unemployed and (b) it's in the 70s. Not that I'm complaining about either (especially the cool temperatures). The Board meeting last night was not entirely awful. Other than, the Crazy Neighbor was crazy. And, two of the Board Members hate each other and are on opposite sides of an issue we are having. Joy. Fortunately, the Crazy Neighbor is moving at the end of the month. Although there will still be a major disagreement about the issue, at least the discussions won't be as uncomfortable. On the bright side, we should be getting a new fence in the next few months. Hurrah. The old one is collapsing in places. Meanwhile, Operation Get a Job in New City is in high gear! If you define "high gear" to mean "I haven't really done anything yet." I did stumble across two rather interesting positi...

Good Afternoon, Kittens! Busy day at Casa de VUBOQ ... OK, not really. I'm just being uber lazy. Lessee. Monday was full of fun and excitement. Somehow, my Crazy Neighbor has convinced me to host her Going Away Party in a couple of weeks. Which means she keeps coming by with plans and wanting me to do things and on and on and on ... She is providing all food, drinks, and utensils. So, really, all I have to do is Grin, Bear It, and Clean My Apartment. Anyway, yesterday she brought over a box full of cheap wine to serve. Today, she stopped by because she wants me to come pick up some things from her apartment. I told her to leave them in the hall and I'd get them at some point. Oh, and last night, SCGB and I went to Adega for dinner. Grilled Tofu Wrap. Eggplant Fries. Wine. Major YUMMITUDE. Here's a photo of SCGB at the restaurant: Super Cute, No? Once home, we went up to K-Factor's apartment for a couple of glasses of wine and conversation. Today, I've ...

Good Morning, Kittens. What an odd experience this Pride was. I mean, I was mostly sober for the whole thing. Weird. But, it was still fun. Saturday, after an intense (and frustrating) morning of yard work, I spent the afternoon planning my outfit for the parade. It's so important to look cute(r) for these kind of things. Balloons and furry Uggs? Not my look. I opted for skinny jeans from UniQlo and an awesome Secretworm T-shirt (You, too, can be Just as Cool as VUBOQ by clicking here ). Before the parade, Jerry had a small gathering at his home to show off his newly remodeled kitchen. Fun times! Free booze! Hurrah! I left with Mike, Brian, Gerardo, and Kerry (a woman we met at the party who was v. cool) to stake out a fun spot along the parade route. We ended up at JRs "Beer Garden". And, then, it got really crowded and unpleasant, so Mike and I walked down the street a bit to a less populated part of the route. Much. Nicer. The parade was awesome ... but...

Good Morning, Kittens! Here are a few photos from the parade. No one should be allowed to look this cute. New friends. Men dancing in their underwear. What more does one need? The rest of the pix are here . And I'm off to the street festival this afternoon. *smooches*

Happy June 12 of 12, Kittens. Good morning, kitteh. Shower time! Running errands in hip, happenin' Downtown Silver Spring Magnolias are in bloom. K-Factor has a hot new sofa! Sangria at the National Gallery of Art Summer Jazz Concert Cute Jeans and Shoes! Jazz Lovers Jazz Lovers' Bikes Construction at the National Archives Pizza! Home again. Home again. The rest of the photos are here . *smooches*

Good Morning, Kittens. It's a Bright Sunny Day here in Vutopia, which is kind of odd considering the weather forecast was for Rain Rain Rain and More Rain. And then a little bit of Rain. I was supposed to go hiking with a friend in Great Falls (MD side) today, but we abandoned those plans because of the forecast. Of course, had we decided to go it would be pissing it down right now. And, my guess is if we still go, it will start storming as soon as we get there. That would be how my luck goes. My plans for the weekend are chock full of fun and excitement. It's Pride! Yay! Time to put on extra supercute clothes and sashay around DC frightening tourists and attracting teh menz. Saturday (after a fun-filled morning of Co-Op Yard Work Day), I will be going to a Pre-Parade Happy Hour at Jerry's. Then, we'll walk down to the parade. I don't feel like going out after the parade. I know, I'm boring. And slightly broke (although that didn't stop me from dr...

(1) VUBOQ was not all that impressed with Glee . and (2) VUBOQ thought WALL-E was ok, but didn't get all orgasmic over it ... like everyone else did. Srsly. It was cute and all, but the whole No Dialogue Thing prevented VUBOQ from multi-tasking. And, well, replace the Cute Little Robots with Cute Little Princes/Princesses and it's like practically every other animated flick out there ... And there you have it. Undeniable proof that Long-term Unemployment = Cynicaller VUBOQ. How many more movies/tv shows is this going to ruin for me? *sigh* Martini Time?

Good Morning, Kittens! Gray. Cloudy. Not much to see here. The tea-infused vodka is finished. And delicious. To make it, I combined about 3 tablespoons (maybe more, I didn't really measure) of orange pekoe tea leaves and 750 mL of vodka in a glass jar. Then, I put the jar in a cool, dark place and waited until it (the vodka, not the jar) became tea colored. Which didn't take nearly as long as I thought - less than 2 days. Actually, it may have been about 24 hours, but I can't remember when I started the infusion. I tried two different cocktails. First, I mixed about 2 oz of tea vodka with a couple of spoonfuls of simple syrup over lots and lots of ice. It tasted just like sweet tea. Yum. Second, I mixed 2 oz of tea vodka with about 4 oz of lemonade. Over ice. Also teh Yumz. I'm sure using orange pekoe tea isn't necessary. It's what I had in the cupboard. For dinner, I made one of my typical summertime meals: Couscous Salad = (Couscous + black beans ...

Good Morning, Kittens! It seems like summer may have arrived. Yesterday, around 6:30AM, I awoke to the crash and flash of a line of thunderstorms rolling through, creating havoc and setting off car alarms. I thought about the poor saps who had to go to work in that mess and fell back asleep. Ha! The rest of the day was not productive. Can I blame the heat? I think I will. Then, just after Martini Time, another line of thunderstorms passed by. Take a look at the Fabulous Ms. Bluestocking's photos of the storms here . The storms passed, and in the rain, SCGB and I headed over to our friends' house for dinner. We had a yummy mixed greens salad with strawberries, portabello mushrooms caps, and quinoa with black beans. Tasty tasty. After dinner, we played darts in the basement. Good times! SCGB and I got home a little before 11, and I decided to watch Gypsy (with Rosalind Russell and Natalie Wood) on DVD. It was slightly different from what I remembered. It's possibl...

Good Morning, Kittens! I can't remember where I saw the original link to this article , but, like, wow, hello my life ... just without the 'fun' part. Yesterday, I didn't do much of anything until a friend called and wanted to meet in DC for dinner. I demurred, as I have been spending too much money recently. But, then, the friend said those three magic words: I will pay. Woo hoo! It's amazing his call came through because I think my nearest cell phone tower is totally forked up. I can barely get a signal. And calls are being dropped. It's v. frustrating. Anyway, I invited SCGB to join us for dinner. We went to Alero in Dupont Circle. I had the Alero Salad and SCGB and I split a pitcher of margs. Mmmm. I love Margs and Mexican Food. After dinner, SCGB thought about checking out another bar or two, but places were pretty dead on this Monday evening. We ended up taking a casual stroll around the Gayborhood and, then, heading back home. Tonight, we are ...