If her impressive body of Broadway work wasn’t enough to merit this honor, her turn on last night’s Tony Awards certainly cements the deal. This is Joaquina Kalukango, who also won a Tony Award last night for her soul-seering work in ‘Paradise Road’. Today she earns this Dazzler of the Day, and is no doubt on her way to more compelling accolades.
Having worked in Human Resources for the better part of 17 years, I’ve learned a few tips and tricks for how to get noticed and hired, and more importantly a couple of big warning flags on how not to get hired. One of the main things that most employers DO NOT look for is a criminal record based on a potential candidate’s crossing state borders with riot gear and masks with the alleged intent to intimidate, harass, and terrorize innocent attendees at a Pride event. The other thing I’ve read about is that some employers do research on their potential employees to see if they were, say, involved in some white supremacy bullshit, because that’s rarely a good look for any company. Hate just doesn’t sell like it used to. Finally, one last word – the internet is pretty much forever, and once someone’s name is out there, even in the smallest most insignificant blog, it can be connected to a heinous act of hatred far into the future.
With that said, here are the names of the 31 individuals, some of whom are purportedly part of a white supremacist group called the Patriot Front, who packed themselves into a U-haul to attend and allegedly wreak havoc on a Pride event in Idaho. They came from all over the country, and now their names will be forever tied to hatred and the specter of possible violence. Hire accordingly, America.
And for further info, here are a few links to the background. One doesn’t plan something like this without wanting a bit of notice, so let’s shine a light on who they are.
Jared Michael Boyce, Nathan David Brenner, Colton Michael Brown, Josiah Daniel Buster, Mishael Joshua Buster, Devin Wayne Center, Dylan Carter Corio, Winston North Durham, Joseph Garret Garland, Branden Mitchel Haney, Richard Jacob Jessop, James Michael Johnson, James Julius Johnson, Connor Patrick Moran, Kieran Padraig Morris, Lawrence Alexander Norman, Justin Michael Oleary, Cameron Kathan Pruitt, Forrest Clark Rankin, Thomas Ryan Rousseau, Conor James Ryan, Spencer Thomas Simpson, Derek Joseph Smith, Alexander Nicholai Sisenstein, Dakota Ray Tabler, Steven Derrick Tucker, Wesley Evan Van Horn, Mitchell Frederick Wagner, Nathaniel Taylor Whitfield, Robert Benjamin Whitted, Graham Jones Whitsom
My childhood hero Lee Bailey once described June as the month in which the roses were practically tumbling off the trellises. Bailey’s book ‘Country Flowers’ turned me into a gardener at the ripe old age of twelve, and it’s been a comforting passion of mine ever since. In much of that time, however, roses were not something I grew very often. Andy had a rose garden when I met him, back when he had a yard of good air circulation, and summers seemed less hot and humid. We’ve tried a few roses in our current backyard – a Peace rose that came back but never quite produced what it had promised, a couple of Knockouts that did produce, but inexplicably refused to come back after one difficult winter, and a Rosa rugosa which is doing a little too well and must not be reined in. In gardening there is often no happy medium, but still we try… and a rose is worth the effort.
While the workplace has been kicking my ass, and the world around us ignites further divisive explosions, summer is creeping up on me. I need to slow things down and refocus on what’s truly important. That means pausing to appreciate the Chinese dogwood trees in full bloom now, as the peonies finish their spectacular show, and the hydrangeas just begin their longer run of pastel pink to see us into the official summer season. We are almost there, and it’s time to take it easy.
A scent for the crux of spring and summer is anything but imaginary.
A simple guide on how to speak my language.
It’s such a fine line between a scrotal sac and Kim Kardashian’s butthole.
Our long-awaited return to Ogunquit began in beautiful form.
A walk along the Marginal Way worked to restore the soul.
A good-night to Ogunquit… until next time.
Dazzlers of the Day included Ariana Grande, David Hogg, Bowen Yang, James Scully, and Miles Davis Moody.
One of my favorite spots at the Scotch Hill Inn was the front porch, which wrapped around the front and side of the house, and offered a vantage point that looked over the street and town below. It was where the inn’s magnificent breakfasts were served each morning, and provided a place to rest and relax. On our last afternoon I found it happily vacant, and I set up shop reading a book and watching the day go by. From behind the shade of a viburnum about to reveal its blooms, I looked out at the steady stream of dedicated beach goers returning from their day at the shore. They simultaneously amused and impressed me – their backs strapped with packs and beach chairs and rolled towels, some with tents and surfboards and other paraphernalia that looked as ridiculous to me as it must have seemed natural to them. It reminded me of eating crab legs, which I never do – so much work and effort for such little results.
That said, I adored the beach – though never to the extent that you would see a chair on my back as I made my way very publicly through town. I’ll make a fool of myself in many other ways. Andy and I had already made our pilgrimage to Ogunquit Beach, walking there with some towels earlier in the day before the rush of the crowds, and setting up in a relatively secluded space where we could lie about in peace, listening to the ocean waves, and occasionally approach its frigid water. (There were warnings in the weather reports about how cold it was, despite the heat and sun right above its surface.)
We don’t often get to enjoy a warm beach day this early in the season, but this year we had a whole Sunday of sun to enjoy its seductive charms. Andy loves the beach even more than I do, and I was just happy to join him there, letting the sand warm our bare feet, letting the ocean work its magic and ease any tension or worry that might have remained with us.
We took a new route back, exploring a stretch of beautiful homes we’d never passed before, new delights that proved no matter how well you think you may know a place, there is always more to see and discover, proof that we still have more to seek and more to find.
Back on the porch, I eased into the last afternoon of this little trip, intent on inhabiting the moment, being fully present and drinking in all of the joy and peace around me.
After dinner, Andy suggested we walk into town one last time, and without words or plans, we both instinctively made our way to the start of the Marginal Way, back to where our first journey in Ogunquit had begun so many years ago. The gardens there were once again in full bloom, the blues and purples echoing the azure descent of dusk. We walked along for a bit, finding a place that looked back over the sunset and the water. Andy seemed to want to hold onto the moment as much as I did, and an overwhelming sense of gratitude washed over me as we slowly started back.
The next morning we had our final delicious breakfast – Eggs Benedict for me and a pecan waffle for Andy – then set about to finish packing. It’s strange the way sadness personifies the success of a vacation, but strange or not, there was that familiar tinge of sorrow as we loaded up the car from our first vacation in Ogunquit in five years. We didn’t want it to end, but were happy to have found our way back.
Until we return again…
It took about one full day before we found our footing again. Returning to a favored place after some time away is often slightly disconcerting. Things are never quite as one remembers them, in ways good and bad. Certain places felt smaller and less impressive, others revealed a beauty I never noticed before. One thing that remained as gorgeous and powerful as ever was the Marginal Way, and we took our time walking along its meandering seaside route.
I still remember the first time we made this journey, on our first vacation together almost twenty-two years ago. The same rocks, and many of the same trees, remain intact. Thinking of all the waves that had broken over this space since then felt dizzying, and ruminating about all those years was equally daunting, in a good way.
We’d seen this sea in all manners of moods: wild and thrashing about, calm and placidly gentle, violent and fiery, happy and sparkling, gray and somber, bright and invigorating – and always beautiful, always life-affirming. How something so changeable could simultaneously be so stalwart and stable remains an exquisite mystery to me.
We’ve changed too over these last two decades, and like the gnarled and tough junipers that formed a little protected cove in our favorite part of the trail, we’ve been worn down and aged in ways that reveal our travails and our worth.
We looked out into the Atlantic and watched a boat in the distance, wondering at the other souls on their own journeys…
After almost two decades of visiting Ogunquit, Andy and I took a break of a few years while our usual bed and breakfast was sold and a worldwide pandemic prevented travel. When I mentioned returning to a different inn, Andy was initially hesitant. He does not always deal well with change, especially if he finds something he enjoys, such as our usual guesthouse and his friendship and comfort with the innkeepers. Personally, I was ready to try something new, and I very much needed a vacation given my lack of one for about five years, so it was this or some other dramatic act of self-preservation, and luckily this one worked.
Ogunquit had been calling to us for a while, a missing piece in our annual traditions, and it was the site of our very first vacation together back in 2000. We made about two trips a year there, starting the summer season on Memorial Day weekend and then closing things out either over Columbus Day or Halloween weekends. The last few years, that’s been missing, and I think both Andy and I realized it was time to get back to such beautiful basics.
Given the crazed way everyone seems to be taking trips, we did our best to avoid traffic by arriving in town on Thursday, and a thankfully uneventful ride saw us checking quietly into the Scotch Hill Inn, and a gracious and friendly woman named Rita for us situated with a brief tour of the inn and the schedule for breakfast the next few days. We made our way to our room, and I instantly felt at home.
A four-post bed, high off the floor, welcomed us into this new era, and light filled the space. The sunny weather was precisely the sort of welcome that set us at ease. The entire town seemed to be in full bloom.
While Andy settled into the newness, I did a quick walk about town, peering into old spaces and seeing how much had changed (quite a bit). Along with Covid, there had been five years of life that had run through this Beautiful Place By The Sea, changing and shifting things, like the shore itself.
We watched a Judy Garland film on that first night – ‘In the Old Summertime’ – and she sang this pretty little song. It was a perfect re-entry to our favorite vacation location, and the world, so rocked and wearied since we’d been here last, felt like it was righting itself, if just a little bit.
We entered our own little dreamland, with visions of sea roses and salty sea spray and the invigorating draw of the ocean tugging at the edge of sleep…
Fox News has been a blight on America for as long as I can remember, and it’s only getting worse. They played an integral part in the degradation of truth and honest reporting that has now gravely imperiled our country, feeding lies to their viewers and building a base of hateful rhetoric that is only just beginning to come to violent fruition. Now there’s a way we each might be able to do a small part in dismantling the hold they have over a certain segment of America, and find our way back to truth and patriotism. America is worth that work. Check out the plan in the video below, and visit this site to take part.
Having already garnered the online attention of Mariah Carey herself, Miles Davis Moody cements his status as Dazzler of the Day thanks solely to his smoldering stare. A member of the adored and idolized Pit Crew of RuPaul’s Drag Race, Moody has made a splash on television and all his social media outlets.
One of the things that I have retained since childhood is my imagination. I live and breathe through my imagination, which is why I’ve never had a problem being alone for magnificent stretches at a time. It’s not always helpful, and in my younger years my imagination may have gotten away from me and stolen some focus that might have been helpful at opportune times, but overall it’s been a benefit.
The best part of it means that I’m rarely if ever bored. I can find something of interest in the most mundane and drab of circumstances. The this section of a rug in our living room. While doing some minor calisthenics the other day, I paused to observe the design of it. Most people just walk over it, possibly noting its color or shade, or the comfort of it after a walk on the hardwood. I see several other things in its design: a cute puppy, a regal lion, a wizened wizard, a scrotal sac, a vase filled with tulips, a boring butterfly, and Kim Kardashian’s butthole.
The imagination at work: passing the time with flights of fancy not requiring a boarding pass or a mask.
Joining his ‘Fire Island’ co-stars Margaret Cho and Bowen Yang, this marks the first Dazzler of the Day feature for James Scully. He’s appeared in the series of ‘Heathers’ and ‘You’, but it’s his turn in ‘Fire Island’ that has heads swiveling.
It’s somebody’s birthday – I wonder who?
It’s somebody’s birthday – oh could it be you?
No, it’s not you, it’s Suzie’s!
Yes, Suzie – who remains an elder sister figure in my life (she will always be two months older than me) as well as a bestie, because not being technically related makes it much easier to get along with each other. All the perks of sisterhood, minus the fighting. We are well within the range of not revealing our exact ages out of courtesy, so let’s just say we have crossed the midpoint of our forties, give or take a year, and the next milestone is 50, up in a few.
What can I say about Suzie at this point? It seems like so many stories that comprised our formative years involved her in some way, and sustaining such a friendship through the ensuing lifetime has only recently been appreciated as something rare and wonderful. Being so self-focused, I always just assumed everyone had a Suzie in their lives, and that was a comfort to me, but in fact not everyone is that lucky. A lot of people don’t have someone they have gone through life with since birth and remained close. Realizing that makes me appreciate our friendship a little more, and that makes the world so much better.
On this day, I wish a very Happy Birthday to my bestie, and if you see her today, please do the same, and call her Hambone. (She loves that!)
Bowen Yang is riding high on a couple of years of pop-culture crowning achievements, from that spectacular turn as an iceberg (and consistently strong and dependable hilarity) on ‘Saturday Night Live’ to his current starring role in the gay rom-com ‘Fire Island’ (with fellow Dazzler alum Margaret Cho). Now he earns his long overdue honor as Dazzler of the Day for all his ongoing fabulousness.
You don’t have to be fluent in mind-reading to understand what I’m saying, and I’ll boil it all down in this simple translation guide. (Print this out and keep it on your person for when we correspond.)
Sounds good = Sounds good
No worries = No worries
It’s fine = It’s not fine
I’m fine = Get the fuck away from me. Yesterday.
Any questions?
With our ever-growing tally of mass shootings, America is broken. No other country on earth has such an astounding number of fatalities due to guns, and I’m not sure we as Americans collectively have the will to stop it. Until we do, more people, and more children, will die. One person who gives me hope in all of this is David Hogg, who has fought tirelessly for gun reform since being involved in a school shooting himself. He and his sister wrote the book “#NeverAgain: A New Generation Draws the Line” and he continue to work tirelessly to save more kids from mass shootings. It seems a little silly to name such a powerful and important figure at this moment in history as a Dazzler of the Day, but it’s all I’ve got to give, and if it helps spread his message for gun reform, so much the better.
