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

Hello, Dear Kittens! As you may have heard, the Federal Government has been shutdown since October 1st.  What you may not know is that this affects VUBOQ most negatively.  I have been out of work since that time.  My company was able to carry me on overhead last week; however, starting on Monday, I will either have to use up my leave time (which is not very much) or go unpaid. I would like to take a few moments to clear up a few common misconceptions.  Congress is working very hard (LOL!) to make sure that furloughed Federal employees will receive backpay.  However,  furloughed government contractors are not the same as furloughed Federal employees.  We will not receive backpay.  Additionally, Maryland and Virginia have made it Very Easy for furloughed Federal employees to apply for unemployment benefits.  Furloughed government contractors have to wade through the usual bureaucratic unemployment redtape. I will be calling my company's...

Good Morning, Kittens! So, yeah, BOSSY ? She's in Casa de VUBOQ right. this. minute. Asleep. Like a little angel (I assume, because the door to BOSSY's Guest Room is closed). BOSSY's No Book Tour DC Meet-up was so much fun. Shallowgal was there (and she really did go to Nicaragua for Spring Break. I saw photos!)! And Lumpyhead's Mom ! and some other bloggers whose links I haven't found yet ... like, Mary and Laura and Jill and Deeeeeeeeeee-ohn and Lauren (who drove all the way from Annapolis, yo!) and did I leave anyone out? Hmm .... I don't think so. And, guess who did not take a single picture? Yeah. That would be me. Oops. My bad. But everyone else did. Go to their blogs (which I haven't linked to, so good luck!) and look at all the fun times which were had! Srsly. Fun times! It totally made me forget my craptastic day of clusterfuckery at work. Yayz. Grrlpower and beer (and fried pickles), that's all you need to forget your woes....

Hello. Here are my two favorite pictures from my trip: New York City: Philadelphia: Which ones are your favorite? See them all here .

Good Evening, Kittens! Friday: Happy Hour with Hard Drinking Former Co-Workers Saturday: Xmas Party with Hard Drinking Strangers Sunday: Picking up final pottery from the studio. Mexican Food. Monday: Day-trip to Philly to Join Hard Drinking Blogger and Friend! Tuesday: 5:15AM More Pottery and Philly Photos to be uploaded to Flickr at some point in the semi-near future. Stay tuned for LinkyLuv. *smooches*

Good Morning, Kittens. I awoke this morning to discover that BOSSY (*waves to BOSSY*) has linked to me . Yay! BUT, GAH! VUBOQ wasn't really planning to have new content today. BUT, I would hate to disappoint my regular reader (*waves to Anne-Marie in Philly*) and the one or two people who will click over ... so ... um ... lessee ... The funnest thing that happened this weekend was on Saturday night. I went to the free simulcast of The Barber of Seville at the National Stadium (National's Stadium? Nationals' Stadium? AT&T UPS Pepsi Stadium?). It was totally awesome. And, not only because I got to hang-out with the Most Awesome ShallowGal and her Posse. It's also because every time I hear "Barber of Seville" I think of this . It was good to hear the real thing. The opera was fun. The company was fabulous. Good times, kittens. Good times. Sunday, I did a lot of blobbing and some knitting. After finishing two baby hats, I'm starting a hat for...

Good Morning, Kittens. Someone went to Gay Camp BOSSY, and all I got was this lousy hangover. On Saturday morning, BOSSY and Her Friend Martha picked my up at the Philadelphia train station and we went for a driving tour of some cute neighborhoods, Society Hill, south Philly, some other places … Then, we parked and had lunch at Cuba Libre … “Does this place have hamburgers or hot dogs,” asked the elderly gentleman who sat at the table next to us. I don't think they did, but they had some lovely sangria. We drank lots. Fizzy Wine-y goodness. Then, after stopping by the frame of Ben Franklin's house, we walked to Reading Terminal Market. (Yes. It is as fabulous as Pesky Mac always said). Lots of yummy cheese. And many many cute Geek Chic boys behind the various counters. And, I have it on good authority that Dustin Hoffman was eating lunch there. Shopping done, we headed to BOSSY's SuperCute and Cozy home. And, we drank blueberry gin and sparkling lemonade. And, B...

Good Evening, Kittens! Early Morning on the Porch Stella. More than Great. Pretty Cut Flowers on the porch: Sometimes 2 heads (and one dog butt) are better than one: The Irish Pub with BOSSY, David, and Anne-Marie Hair o' the Dog Antique Car Show on the streets of Media, PA Point to ME! A last glass of Lemon and Rosemary Water before leaving The train back to DC arrives at 30th Street Station Exciting Details and More Photos tomorrow! Good Night! *smooches*

Good Morning, Kittens! It has arrived! The day of all days! The moment of all moments! But, first, I had a date last night in which the guy *actually* showed up! Almost on time! This was a second date (although the first date was about 3 months ago. What can I say? I have a busy schedule). We went to Adega. And -for the first time EVER- I was disappointed in the food. I KNOW!! I ordered the portabello mushroom sandwich and I think the bread was old or something, because the insides were tasty but the bread was DRY and BAD. After dinner, we came back to my place. He wanted to see some of my pottery. We talked. And then we made out for awhile. If one defines "a while" to mean "over two hours." It was fun. He wants to see me again. And I probably will. But I don't see it being anything long term. I suppose I'll do what I always do: Use him for sex and then toss him aside. ANYWAY, today starts possibly the Most FUNtastic Weekend Ever (to date)!...

Good Morning, Kittens! Here is a photo of the broth I made last night for the Mexican Corn Chowder I'm going to make this evening: Why is this Poor Man's Broth? And why should BOSSY's Poverty Party minions pay careful attention? Because this broth is made (almost) entirely of vegetable scraps! I must credit SCGB for the idea. We were talking about making broth one day, and he said, "I've started throwing all my veggie scraps into a container in the freezer to make broth." If you've read Mark Bittman's cookbooks, he's all about throwing the entire plant into the pot for broth. But, why buy and then boil perfectly good veggies (that could be used for other things ... like eating), when you can use the scraps you would normally throw away (or, hopefully, compost) for "free"? So that's what I've done for this broth. There are some zucchini bits and mushroom stems. Onion peelings. And Bok Choy ends. I had been saving them in a containe...

Good Morning, Kittens! Happy Monday! Later this morning, I'm heading to a 6 hour symposium at the Natural History Museum on tropical extinction. Not sure how fascinating my 12 of 12 will turnout. We shall see. So, my weekend ... Friday night, Mark came over for dinner. We had martinis. Then, we ate Spicy Chinese Noodle Soup and rice ... which did not come out quite the way I wanted, but it was still good. At least, Mark said so. Then, we played Scrabble (I Kicked His Ass!) and watched Enchanted . And, somehow we ended up shirtless and making out. How did that happen? Saturday, I met Dana (right) and the Skankified Ho (left) for lunch. We had many, many margaritas at Austin Grill. Yum. Some people have wondered why I would hang out with a Known Skankified Ho, and I can't explain other than to say that it's for the same reason women are attracted to gay men or moths to flames. VUBOQ is attracted to Hot Tranny Messes and Skankified Hos. I just can't look away. Besides tha...

There's this blogger, who I'm not sure if I'm allowed to link to his blog because he's shy (*cough*) and, when he started blogging, he sent a sweet little note to all his friends which read "please don't link to my blog because I am soooooo shy."* Let's just call him, Scott (for that is his name). Scott apparently has a thing about Christmas Decorations being up past December 25th. I'm fairly certain that as soon as the clock struck midnight, signalling the beginning of the 26th, Scott was out ripping down his Christmas in a flurry of tinsel. I can only imagine the red and green carnage. I, however, am a firm believer in leaving up decorations until Epiphany (12 days after Christmas). One must not forget the Wise Men, bearing gifts of gold, frankenberries, and myrrh. So, yesterday, being the Day After Epiphany, I unplugged my lights. I folded up the Purple Tinsel Tree. And, along with the Singing Snowmen, boxed them all away. Let 2009: The Yea...

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 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...

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...

... and we're *all* invited ! AND, I'm bringing the Money-Infused Vodka! I am neither poor nor overwhelmed by staggering debt; however, my current income is not covering my outgo, which, if the situation continues, could lead to heart-stoppingly staggering debt. And, no one wants that. Prior to the beginning of the Unfortunate Unemployment, I kept a meticulous budget ... using a very basic spreadsheet. It looked like this: Notice (after you click to embiggen) that the unchanging payments (mortgage, co-op fee, student loan, etc.) are at the top, followed by variable expenses (groceries, entertainment) and I spend a heckuvalot of money at Whole Foods and the likker store. Also, notice that I put a constant -yet small- amount of money in savings every month. Pay yourself first, kittens. That needs to be said again: Pay. Yourself. First. Kittens. Srsly. You are worth it. Now, let's take a look at a During the Unfortunate Unemployment budget: Uh? What? "There's nothing ...

I had a lovely dinner with SuperHotBloggerChick . You can read all the gory details here . [Recently added info:] And since I'm most definitely not a straight guy (srsly), I can use this forum (HUZZAH) to completely queen out and be all, "OMG! We totally ordered the exact . same . thing ." It *must* be Blogger Luv (Bluv?). I have a picture to prove it (but I think I'm going to post it over there just to make you go read my other blog). [VUBOQ is such a meany!] As soon as I got back from lunch (and blogged about it. Priorities, people!), I called the salon to make an appointment with Leah, the Colornatrix (love her!). Thursday, 5/29, 5PM. Suh-WEET! I will be looking SuperFine for my Excellent Weekend in NYC. Yayz. Then, I scrolled through my bloglines to catch up on all the wonderful bloggers who had posted during my lunch break (not enough of you! C'mon people! I need to be entertained !). And, ACK!, BOSSY has linked to my other blog ! I just blogged about ...

Dear Gabillion People Clicking Over from BOSSY : Here are all my BOSSY-related posts (including her Excellent Road Trip ). Here is my BOSSY's Visit Flickr Set . And, here is a big hug for all the gabillion hits: *HUG* Of course, you are more than welcome to read about my boring life. All that is below ... *smooches* --VUBOQ PS. And, this is the BOSSY's Excellent Road Trip Flickr group I started but am not very successfully recruiting any new members/photos.

Good morning, Kittens! Yeah yeah yeah I know I know I know. I was supposed to blog all about BOSSY's Stopover in Vutopia last night ... but I was tired and opted for a martini and bed (not at the same time). You know how it is. Anyway, ShallowGal [She's a Hot Tranny Mess !] did a much better (and funnier) post about the gathering than I ever could. Go there. Read it, now . WAIT! Finish reading my post first, please. So, after leaving the bar, I forced BOSSY to ride the Metro (the horror!). Srsly, I love the Metro. I could ride it every day (and I might, if this job-thing happens). We had to change trains . So exciting this Big City Life. Then, we had to jog for the bus ! Exercise. It is good for us. Luckily, the bus stops directly in front of my building. We chatted. We had lots of water. Hydration, kittens. It is important. Y came over. I gave him his birthday present. We chatted. We went to bed. Well, BOSSY went to bed. I went to bed. Y stayed up until about 3AM grading pape...

Good morning, Kittens! The BOSSY Outing to the Wilds of Virginia was too much fun. It was totes excellent meeting everyone. More to come on this later ... for now, here's my flickr set: Bossy's Road Trip DC . A piece of advice for those of you who will be meeting BOSSY (and other bloggers) in the coming weeks: It would be helpful when you introduce yourself to new people (like me!) to say your blog name along with your name [and, then, repeat it again at some point in the conversation. Yes, I'm bad with names]. OR, even better , get someone to bring nametags . Cheesy, I know, but super helpful ... I met some SuperFuntastic people last night ... If only I could remember their names (and their blogs). [Maybe they will find me and comment here today? Pleeeeze?] But, enough about that (for now), let's talk about ME! Like, oh.em.gee., I am approaching FULL ON FREAK OUT PANIC MODE. *deep breaths* This interview could be a MAJOR step forward in my career and I have CRAP hair ...

... a Christmas Tree on March 25th. In other news, BOSSY has arrived, and she's even more beautifuler in person. *smooches* [OMG UPDATE: I can't find my Burt's Bees Lip Balm! ACK!!! Must. Go. to. Whole. Foods.]