Monthly Archives:
September 2012
08
September
2012
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September
2012
08
September
2012
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September
2012
Prickly Poser
I’d apologize for another porny post to promote The Pictures page, but that’s not my style. Plus, it seems to be pissing some people off, so… Bonus! (Wait until you see tomorrow’s posts…) I’ve been feeling a little prickly of late, and not in the mood for confidences. In honor of that, a visual to prick your interest.
This was taken on one of our October excursions to Maine, when the seed pods of all those plants that flowered throughout the summer come into prominence. Vessels of future life, they hold the promise of another summer – a promise we will cling to when the winds of winter kick up and the snows of the season begin to arrive. Â
If that doesn’t work, there’s always the option of cracking open the world and the whiskey to get through the day. And a night like this.
“Whiskey, like a beautiful woman, demands appreciation. You gaze first, then it’s time to drink.†~ Haruki Murakami
“Some of us look for the way in opium and some in God, some of us in whisky and some of us in love. It is all the same way and it leads nowhither.†~ W. Somerset Maugham
08
September
2012
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September
2012
Saturday Storm
A sudden rush of wind. A startling drop in temperature. The darkening of sky.
I stand at the edge of the pool, gazing up at the top of a grand oak tree. The very first pulse of the storm travels through its boughs, the silver undersides of the leaves twisting and screaming in the wind. Then the delayed arrival of debris and bark, needles from the neighboring pines, falling through that great expanse of dim sky. And then the rain drops, light and few at first, then gathering into torrents ruthlessly thrust by the backing wind.
The deluge is swift, the amount of water the air has held is immense. It is no longer safe to be outside.
Back in the kitchen, the rain beats relentlessly against a skylight. I slide a tray of red potatoes and Brussels sprouts into the oven for roasting. Andy managed to grill the tuna in advance of the storm. I took down the patio awning a few hours ago, and just like that our summer has gone away. The lights are blinking now, the weather advisories are beeping across Andy’s television in the other room. The sky bleeds into night hours before it should.
I never thought it would come this quickly.
08
September
2012
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September
2012
A Massage for Your Saturday Afternoon
If you’re like me, you don’t like to be touched. I enjoy a hefty amount of personal space about me at all times, and if the rumors about Anna Wintour’s elevator preferences are true, well, I’m on board with her 100%. (We won’t get into the atrocities to which I’m subjected on the office elevator every day – but there are far too many crocs, pleated pants, and synthetic windbreakers for any one person to deal with, but I digress…) Back to touching me – I usually don’t like it. Particularly when I’m sober, which happens more than you’d think, especially during any given day. However, when I had my first massage a few months ago, I became an instant convert. It’s one of the only times when I don’t mind another person’s hands on me, especially if they’ve been well trained.
And someone must have trained the staff at étant quite well, because when I decided to indulge myself with a massage to celebrate the Madonna show in Boston, it was a divine moment. The magic hands of Mike eased out all the kinks of a hunched-over office posture and a sore, unaccustomed-to-working-out back that flares up at the first sign of stress. Â
It was transformative, and the whole experience, from the helpful receptionist to the soothing interior, left a tired and worn-out traveler rejuvenated and refreshed. If you’re looking to treat yourself, this is one great way to do it.
08
September
2012
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September
2012
What Are You Looking At?
Picture pages, picture pages, lots of fun with picture pages, lots of fun with crayons and pencils… As you hopefully will have noticed if you’ve been following the trajectory of construction on this website, we’ve finally gotten The Pictures portal up and active, so I invite you to have a look-see. It was a 1:30 AM night that involved some gin and some beer and some very dear friends which is why the time flew by. Many thanks to Sherri and Webmaster Skip for their hospitality and help.
 Speaking of Webmaster Skip, he’s got a new site for his services at iwonderhowmuch.com, so if you’re looking for someone to transform your mediocre site into something fabulous, something exciting,  something to set you apart from the crowd, give him a whirl. Not only does he have a knack for knocking out amazing stuff, he’s also hugely fun to work with. (How many midnight hot dog runs has your Webmaster made with you?) All joking aside, he’s the reason this site has come so far in such a short time. It’s sometimes risky working with friends, but Skip has always been professional in dealing with my demands. And God knows, I can be demanding.
There is still some work to be done on this site (so I ask you to stay tuned in the coming weeks and months while we get it into pristine shape for our tenth anniversary next year), but if you think back to the antiquated shambles this place was just a few short weeks ago, the progress is astounding. For all of it, I have to give the credit to Skip. When I was unsure about something, or doubted which way to turn, he always offered the most perfect and elegant solution, and when I needed someone to focus things and remind me of what was important, he was the sounding board to keep us on track. Sometimes it helps to have a straight guy for the queer eye. And regarding that queer eye, I offer the photos you see here, and many, many more now up at The Pictures.
08
September
2012
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September
2012
08
September
2012
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September
2012
A Very Bad Gay
It’s never been a secret in my small world that I’m not a big Barbra Streisand fan. I’m certainly no hater, and I have always appreciated her vocal gifts – it’s just not my style, and I’ve never connected with her like I have with other, less gifted singers. When friends started posted the above song from her new album of unreleased tracks, I sighed and begrudgingly gave it a listen. To my surprise, I was moved by the simple rendition of this quietly powerful song. I offer it here for the final stretch of summer. Fall is already in the air, having crept into the nights for some time now, and it’s a moment of reflection, ripe for a song like this.
07
September
2012
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September
2012
Magic Matt Bomer Shirtless
Fresh off his g-strung turn in ‘Magic Mike’, Matt Bomer shows off his hard-won muscles in a boxing themed episode of whatever television show he’s currently starring in. As one of the only gay men in the world who hasn’t seen ‘Magic Mike’, I will have to make do with this, and I am.
(PS – Hope this makes for the vagina shot earlier today. Yes, I heard your shrieks loud and clear.)
07
September
2012
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September
2012
Lounging in a Vagina
Come on, is there any other way to look at this chair and its accompanying ‘ball’? It’s one big lady with legs spread open, waiting to devour your ass. I want it for our basement.
07
September
2012
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September
2012
A Little Bird Told Me
I’d like to direct your attention to something that needs directing to… In addition to the new ‘Writing’ section here, you will find at the bottom of this page a nifty little Widget that posts my Twitter feed. So now, even if you don’t follow me on Twitter (and you totally should, because the pics don’t show up here, and you’ll want to see my pics) you can still read the crazy shenanigans I get up to on there. It’s part of our ongoing website revamp (another nod to Webmaster Skip for the widget).
07
September
2012
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September
2012
Do You Like My Shelf?
You can tell certain small things about a person by the books they have read.
But you can’t tell everything, in fact not nearly everything.
And sometimes the most telling information is not in what we have read, but what we haven’t.
07
September
2012
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September
2012
Sidewalk Chalk
Where on earth would kids get the idea that chalk is okay to be used on public walking ground?
Oh, right. Nevermind.
07
September
2012
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September
2012
Proud to be an American
This will hopefully remain a blog relatively free of politics, because there’s enough of that out there, and I’ve always wanted this space to be a respite for such polarizing issues. Yet as a gay man in this country at this time, I cannot be completely silent, especially when I see the differences between the Democratic and Republican platforms. It should be no secret whose side I’m on, but I think Michelle Obama puts it far more eloquently than I ever could. At the 7:00 mark, I started to get chills.
“If proud Americans can be who they are and boldly stand at the altar with who they love, then surely, surely, we can give everyone in this country a fair chance at that great American dream… because in the end, in the end, more than anything else, that is the story of this country – the story of unwavering hope grounded in unyielding struggle.”
06
September
2012
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September
2012
Blue Beard
Upon returning from Boston, we were first greeted with these blooms of the Caryopteris, a sure sign of the Fall season. It is one of the last plants to give good color, and usually starts a bit sooner (another whacky loop of this strange season, which up to now had been providing an earlier-than-usual blooming schedule). It’s a favorite of bees, who seem torn between these blossoms and the loftier Sweet Autumn Clematis.
06
September
2012
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September
2012
A Very Grand Finale
A slew of Boston posts begins with the happy ending – a few treats from Finale – our favorite dessert place in Boston. It really is the perfect way to conclude an evening, and they’re open a bit later than most places (11 or midnight on most nights). While the Madonna concert ended a bit too late to make it here on that night (hell, it practically began after Finale was closed, but more on Madonna later), we managed to snag a late-night treat the evening before.
Divine decadence indeed. Don’t you want one now?
