Monthly Archives:

August 2012

Last Friday…

That’s me, on the steps of our Boston condo, on the morning of my 37th birthday. As much as I love a good party, I’ve never been one to do it up on my birthday, preferring smaller and more intimate celebrations – and nothing is more intimate than me and Andy. So what did I do on the anniversary of my birth? I got a new shower curtain at Marshall’s, scrubbed the bathtub on my hands and knees, washed a new set of bed sheets, and made up the bed. When someone else does it the rest of the year, it’s almost a treat, and certainly a special event.

Andy got me the last bottle of Tom Ford’s ‘Amber Absolute’ at Saks – I was about to get a different fragrance, and actually had it bagged and purchased, but upon hearing that it was indeed discontinued we made the last-minute change. It will be the perfect choice for the Fall. We spent a little afternoon siesta at the condo, where I read a bit and lounged before heading out for a birthday dinner and show.

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A Birthday Weekend Begins

Andy and I arrived in Boston last Thursday to kick off my birthday weekend. The weather was glorious, and would stay that way until we returned to upstate New York. On that first day, we entered in easy fashion, starting with cocktails at Bond at the Langham Hotel.

Dinner was loosely planned for the North End, where we did some exploring on the day before the Feast of Santa Lucia.

The North End is where religion, history, beauty, faith, and good food come together in magical fashion. It seemed a good moment to say a little prayer.

We ventured off the main drag of Hanover Street and walked a bit further, settling on La Famiglia Giorgio’s, which provided  standard, if unremarkable, Italian fare. In the North End I was hoping for something a bit more flavorful, but the family-style format gave us leftovers for the next day or two.

Luckily, the night was still young, and we headed closer to home in the South End, in the form of our wedding hotel – the Taj.

At that late hour, we had the place mostly to ourselves, taking a table that overlooked the Public Garden.

The lights of the Prudential Building are different than I remember – and it’s only been a month since I was last here, but it’s possible I simply never noticed. Regardless, they added a bit of pizzazz to the night skyline (even with a Hood blimp floating about).

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Martini Glow

For the Monday blues.

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Shirtless Sunday: Thom Evans

Now here’s a Thom I can get on board with ~ Mr. Thom Evans. He certainly has greater physical attributes than Tom Cruise, and it can only be guessed that his mental status is equally superior. Nothing against Scientology, I swear.

I kid. Though to be honest, underwear is my only religion – and these pictures show why. Much more of Mr. Evans HERE.

All of the images by photographer Daniel Jaems, from F.Tape Fashion.

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Shirtless Sunday: Tom Cruise

Because some people still find him hot. Once again, I am not some people, but I don’t begrudge anyone a bit of nostalgia.

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Dusk or Dawn

There’s always such a fine line. (In this case it’s the dusk, posted at the dawn.)

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A Provincetown Dinner

Tonight we dine at The Mews Restaurant… and if it feels like I’ve been waiting a decade to eat here, it’s because I have.
 
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The Paradise of Provincetown

Today we are journeying to Provincetown – that special sea-surrounded tip of the Cape that has provided such a refuge for so many artists, fishermen, and lost folk. I haven’t been there in a few years, and I’ve missed it. This is actually the first time that Andy and I will be in the town together. As a wise animal once remarked, “It’s so much friendlier with two.”
 
For a certain stretch, I was going down once a summer, usually just one night (after a night in Boston). I’d depart at the crack of dawn, before the traffic, but also before the town was awake. It would be hours before some places even opened, so I’d park and walk around in the early morning light, unbothered by the throngs that would soon populate Commercial Street. That is my favorite hour, before the mayhem really begins. There’s something to be said for crowds and excitement and vacationing stupidity, but I prefer silence and solitude when you’re surrounded with so much natural beauty.
 
 
This time around we have a few lose plans – a whale watch (Andy’s done one, but I never have), perhaps a beach visit (if I can muster the energy for that journey of a hike), and a dinner at Mews (another first for me). The madness of Carnival is over, but the summer is still here…
 
 
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The Road to Provincetown

Tomorrow, we journey to the sea…

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Birthday Briefs

Sometimes, even on your birthday, the only kiss you can count on is your own. (The world’s tiniest violin is croaking out a ‘Happy Birthday’ song somewhere for this maudlin moment.) Now that that’s passed, let’s party. With dinner at one of my favorite restaurants (Sibling Rivalry) and an Oscar Wilde-themed play (‘Gross Indecency’) I am bound to enjoy this birthday in Boston.
 
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Thirty Fucking Seven

And I thank you for not believing it.

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The Birthday Boy (And Family)

From left to right is my cousin Martina, my brother Paul, my cousin Andrew, and me. (I forget the name of the small stuffed beaver I’m so happily holding and trying to protect from the prying hands of Andrew, but I know the big chicken behind it was christened ‘The Laying Hen’ – no lie). I figured this was a good photo to put up for my birthday (racier fare to come later, as we can’t remain children forever, but for now, this will do) – to remind everyone I wasn’t always a grown-ass man.

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