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

OMG, Kittens!  Remember me?  How are you?  Is anyone still out there? My Exciting New Job started on the January 28th and settling into that has been busy busy busy.  I don't even know where to begin to start catching up on my life. So here are just some of the random things that have happened in the past two weeks that I can remember ... At some point, I had a fun little Adult Sleepover (without actually sleeping over) with K (remember him?).  He is still as enthusiastic as ever.  *rowr* The Little Red Car's battery has died.  And, I need to give it a jump.  But, that seems scary. So, I have been procrastinating. M (not the one in Vegas) decided he didn't want to hang out with me anymore.  But, now he has changed his mind. And, we are getting together on Sunday for a little Super Bowl Part for two.  So, that should be fun. This SuperHot guy I hooked up with about two years ago contacted me out of the blue.  But, I have ...

Good Morning, Kittens. Since work sucks. And I have a HUGE presentation today (although, if I do say so myself, I look pretty darn cute). AND the rest of my life is dull as dishwater (although, I do have a possible date with the Cute Neighborhood Boy tonight) ... let's talk about something REALLY exciting ... My Kitchen Remodeling Project (which is still in the "Concept Phase"). First, I have found my Cherry Red Dream Refrigerator (pictured). It comes in "studio" size (14.4 cu. ft.). And, I WANT! And, who cares if it uses up 25-30% of my remodeling budget? NOT ME! I can make it work. I can. I know I can. My fabulous cuzin sent me the book, Small Spaces, Beautiful Kitchens for my birthday. I need to read it soon and formulate a plan. SCGB has agreed to help me take measurements and design what I want. FUN. Maybe I will have new kitchen by the end of the Spring or sometime mid-Summer. Wouldn't that be awesome? Good-bye, Asbestos Green Floor Tile. G...

Good Morning, Kittens! Yesterday, I snaked a drain! I know! So manly! So masculine! So totally not me. I am plumber. Hear me roar. *rowr* As you may remember, the day before I left to visit the cuz, my sink exploded (or became clogged. whatever). I haven't had the time or inclination to deal with it since then. Finally, tired of washing dishes in the bathtub, I decided to take matters into my own hands and fix the sink myself. Step 1: Unclog the drain. Which apparently requires a drain snake. I walked into the hardware store, headed towards the plumbing section, and looked flummoxed. "May I help you," asked the sweet young Hardware Girl. "Yes! I'm looking for a drain snake." "Oh. Um ... what does one look like?" "I don't know." Finally, she went to get help and there they were. Right in front of us. Hm. Doesn't look very snake-like. Where are the scales? and the beady eyes? I followed directions I found on the internet...

Good morning, Kittens! For the nearly four years I have lived in my apartment, my kitchen sink has given me fits. It clogs regularly. I usually end up having to buy some fancy "older pipes" safe clog remover. I pour it down the drain. Things gurgle and fume and the clog goes away ... temporarily. Yesterday, I noticed the drain was getting slow again. Unfortunately, I didn't have any expensive clog remover. BUT, then I remembered that the last time my parents visited, they bought a toothed flexible plastic thingy to for my bathroom sink's temperamental and unaccesible drain. "Why don't I try that first,"I thought. So, I stuck it down the kitchen sink and I heard this weird thunky sound. "Something's in there," I thought. It looked black. Maybe I had dropped a utensil at some point and didn't realize it. I skillfully maneuvered the toothed flexible plastic thingy and managed to bring to the surface ... a disgusting toothbrush, ...

My apartment has some plumbing issues: There's a leak in the kitchen sink. The hot water in the bathroom sink comes out of the tap at slightly greater force than a trickle. The bathroom sink drain is bordering on becoming clogged. The toilet sometimes runs and should be grouted to the floor. I know these are problems. And I haven't gotten them fixed for a number of, probably not very good, reasons. Namely, time and money combined with the effort of locating/contacting a decent plumber. Y has taken it upon himself to start nagging me about it. Daily. On the phone. On IM. When we're cuddling after sex. It is driving me crazy. And stressing me out. "When are you going to call a plumber?" "I don't know." He nags. I refuse to give in. I don't respond well to nagging. It makes me dig in my heels. I feel like if I give in to his nagging, it only means that the next time there will be more nagging. I know it's something that I need to ...

My very special after work time started as it normally does. I came home, changed into my pajamas, spent a few minutes doing some light cleaning, and checked my email. Then, since it was laundry day, I sorted my dirty clothes (by color not smell!). I rewarded myself with a negroni (garnished with a slice of blood orange! I *heart* blood oranges), because it is bitter and because it is my heart . My cable-possessing neighbor was at Manolo's annual sale in NYC, so we were unable to watch Project Runway . Instead, I had invited a few neighbors over to chill, drink wine, and knit (and maybe eat popcorn!). At 6:30ish, I trudged over to the laundry room to start a load or two. When I returned thirty minutes later to throw everything into the dryers, the laundry room was dark. *click* *click* *click* I flipped the light switches. Nothing. *click* I flipped them again. Still nothing. Something must be wrong. I propped open the door and checked the washing machine. It was full ...

Forget the dry skin, the chapped lips, the shivering, the chattering teeth, the oh-so-charmingly purple fingernails . All that is NOTHING, because I Got Da Sheets!!! The Winter Activity Polar Bears Flannel Sheets, no less. I went home for lunch and made my bed. I can't wait to go to sleep tonight!

New DESK, Kittens! Put it together meself, I did. Well, with a little help from our friend, Mr. Martini. Now, must make dinner. Mmm. Dinner.

Surprise! It's a (just a year or two late) house-heating present from one of my most favoritest Canadians (after Anne Murray , naturally)! Can you guess who sent this: Sadly, there were no hot muscly Mounties in the box. *sniff*

This is the view from the door. See the futon? You can't see the new mattress as it is covered with a sheet. And, yes, those are teddy bears. Mine is the one on the right (in the cute green shorts). His name is Buzzy. The one on the left is my brother's. His name (the bear, not my brother) is Buddy. They be old and well-loved. Perhaps, I should throw them in the garbage. This is with my back to the new bookshelf . Under the window is the antique (?) sewing machine I still don't know how to use. Look! More stuffed animals! I don't buy these. Really. They were gifts. And here's the new bookshelf (my back is to the sewing machine). Notice that the Shelf of Tacky Things from Around the World is now the Shelves of Tacky Things from Around the World.

... write this entry all in haiku, but it was just too hard. Sorry. Does anyone know the difference between non-rhyming poetry and prose? Because, seriously, when Garrison Keillor reads his poetry selection every morning at 6:34AM on NPR, I think, "Hm. Sounds to me like a story. Not a poem." Lessee ... my exciting evening consisted of: An RCN Salesman who wouldn't shut up ... until the Superfantastic Cuzin called. A long, fun call with the Superfantastic Cuzin. Fun chats with some online friends. Lots of bourbon and microwave popcorn (Dinner of Champions!). And the initiation of something that I will probably regret. My futon mattress should be delivered today. I have to call the delivery people to confirm the time this morning. Hopefully, the whole process will be quick and painless, but, somehow, I doubt it. My new rug arrived yesterday. I *heart* it. It looks cute and smells like pumpkin-innards. Once the mattress arrives, I'll take some photos of the nearly...

Put it together meself, I did! You must worship my mad furniture building skillz.

Here are some Before and After Photos of the spare room: Before Without and With Flash: After Without and With Flash: Look, Ma. I'm a Secon dary Triad : Finally, I bought a rug for the room. It was a spur of the moment purchase from Overstock.com (there were only 2 left). It was only $100, and shipping was $1. It had to be done. I like the color (at least the computer rendition of the color). It's a 5' x 8' Hand-woven Chindi Brown Leather rug. I hope I don't hate it. Photo:

Caught up in the giddy joy of having a newly painted spare room (soon to be study/guest room), I bought some new furniture. This (in oak): and this (in oak): They're from JC Penney and were on sale! Nearly 50% off! *woot* I think they will work well because (a) the room is tiny and (b) the room is tiny. Now, all I have to buy is a rug and a futon mattress. Yay!

Last night, as I re-entered my apartment carrying my laundry basket, Psychokitty Isabella caught a case of the crazies and went dashing all over the apartment and crashed full-speed into the table beside my sofa ... which knocked a nearly full glass of red wine all over my beautiful sofa! GAH! PANIC! I grab some towels and sopped up what I could. Then, because when I dropped the $1200 on this sofa I had the foresight to pay for a "stain protection plan," I called the Stain Protection Plan people to ask what to do. The woman on the phone took my information, emailed me a claims form, and started to hang up. "But, wait," said I. "What should I do to clean up the spill?" "We're not allowed to give stain removal advice over the phone." *click* Da'what? Do'huh? I thought that's what they did. I checked their website and to clean a red wine spill it suggested using a 30:1 solution of distilled water and non-bleach detergent. However, ...

I'm still a little cranky from the phone conversation from last night (see previous entry). Y came over around 9. We watched a DVD, Talledega Nights . Cute movie. Sometimes funny. I rented it on my brother's recommendation. I should have known better. After the movie, we had a little fun. Y needed to do some reading for school. I went to bed. This morning, more fun was had. Then, I rushed around trying to get ready for work. I might not see Y again until next week. Tonight, he has a condo board meeting. After the meeting, he is going out with one of his exes. [I admit this is causing a slight twinge or two of discomfort ... This is the ex prior to the ex before me. The ex who had his heart broken by Y, according to Ray, at least. It's been over a year (I think), so maybe all wounds have healed.] Tomorrow morning, he leaves for New York City to meet his dad, who is flying in from Israel. I'm thinking of finally getting internet at home. Has anyone used RCN...

Here is the list of the NY Time 's Top 10 Gins (for martinis): Plymouth English Gin ***1/2 Junipero Anchor Distillery *** Cadenhead's Old Raj Dry Gin *** Seagram's Extra Dry **1/2 Tanqueray London Dry Gin **1/2 Hendrick's **1/2 Gordon's London Dry **1/2 Bombay Sapphire London Dry ** Quintessential London Dry ** Martin Miller's London Dry ** Mmm. Gin. Who wants a martini? *raises hand* In other exciting news, my parents just sent me a new set of towels. So soft. So pea green. Yay parents! [but couldn't they have sprung for 2 sets? I know, I know, I always want more.]

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...

Felting. Day One. Two unfelted belts... 10 Minutes later ... 8000 Hours later ... The felting adventure continues tomorrow... In other news, I am overhung. And, here're pictures of the artwork I bought in England and recently had framed: Can you spot the pussy?

*whew* What a weekend, Kittens! Vuboq is ex-hausted. But, first, a note to dog-owners in Dupont Circle: Not everyone loves your dogs. And, yes, I'm talking to you unattractive straight man with the two huge, poorly trained dogs which managed to chase everyone away from the prime shady location you and your rather cute girlfriend with the well-behaved dog -on his leash- chose to sit. If you have to keep saying things like, "Zeus, come back" and "Zeus, bad dog," someone needs to put Zeus back on his lead. And, that someone isn't me. Me, I don't like Zeus and his friend sniffing all up in my stuff when I'm trying read, knit, and scope out hot shirtless mens. I hate to break it to you, sweetie, but Dupont Circle is *not* a dog park. You need to keep your beasts on their leashes until they are trained to stay by your side. Because, and I think this bears repeating: Not. Everyone. Loves. Your. Dogs . Thank you. OK. Back to the Weekend Update. Friday night ...