Confessions of a New York State Worker ~ Part 2

“I don’t like work – no man does – but I like what is in the work: the chance to find yourself. Your own reality – for yourself not for others – what no other man can ever know. They can only see the mere show, and never can tell what it really means.” – Joseph Conrad

It was at another party – a clear indication of the value of social networking – where I spoke with our friend Paul about getting out of the Department of State into any other agency, and he said his friend at the Thruway Authority was looking for a Keyboard Specialist. I had an interview in a few weeks, and since my score was immediately reachable I was able to transfer before my first year at the Department of State was up.

It was April 2002 and the spring seemed a fitting time to begin another new position. I went from an office filled almost entirely with women to an office filled almost entirely with men. I was told that the differences between working with women versus men were severe, but I scoffed at such a notion, dismissing it as a piece of antiquated artificial social construction that at best was ignorant and, at worst, blatantly sexist. Here, the guys had their disagreements, but they had them out before quickly, and genuinely, moving on. There wasn’t a secret passive-aggressive agenda lurking beneath their every interaction, and when there was disagreement or drama it was dealt with head-on and finished. I fought against these stereotypical notions, as they mostly came from other people, but I did notice discernible differences, and not only because of gender.

This office was much more quiet. Eerily quiet, which for me was a beautiful thing. Ensconced across the street from the main Thruway Authority building, our little Office of Construction and Contracts was in a satellite station that had its own parking within thirty feet of the door.

That meant I could drive myself to work.

There was a new independence in that. I look back and think how young I was then – even if I already felt old – only twenty-six and on my second state job. Was that good or bad? Oprah once said when she started out that if she was making her age (in thousands of dollars) she felt she was doing ok. I was just about there, but I was still scared.

The same fear and trepidation and social anxiety that marked the first days at every job I’d held accompanied me here. I’d just made a few friends at the Department of State, just started to feel comfortable in my surroundings, and now I had to start all over again. I played the time calculation game I usually played, trying to figure out how many days and weeks it would take to feel comfortable again, how long it took the last time, and what the estimated time of ease in this job would arrive.

Luckily, I adored my new supervisor Clarice from our first moments working together. She was all business up front, but I learned if I could break through and make her laugh, she opened up into a warm and hilarious woman. We made a good team, keeping things organized and running smoothly, and it was a lesson in how the clerical support team really ran the basic functions of an office.

A few bad state workers have given the whole lot of us a bad name over the years, but in my growing experience with the state I was finding out that most of the people wanted to do good work, and make a difference in whatever office they were in. They took pride in their work and wanted to contribute. For someone that considered office work solely as a means to pay our mortgage, this was a revelation, and I began to develop a profound respect for all kinds of state work. When an opening for a support person opened up in the office next door in my same title, Clarice pushed me to make it my own. About a year had passed since I first took the job at the Thruway Authority. Another spring was at hand, and outside the land was shaking free of winter. It was planting season, and at our new house I sprinkled a handful of morning glory seeds into the ground. This was a serene and calm point in our lives, even with new work moves afoot. The morning glories would sprout and wind their way up and along a new wooden fence that lined the pool. Spring slipped into summer garb, and seasons passed.

There was a little wooded area near our office building, and at lunch I would walk and examine the plants that were once again coming to life. Summer bloomed into fall, and as the morning glories went to seed, the sky deepened and the goldenrod began its bloom. It was emblematic of the peaceful time I was enjoying at the job, made more-so by a move to a new desk and new director, Pete.

Pete was one of the best people I have ever worked for, and not only because he taught me how to properly decorate a Christmas tree with lights (from the trunk outward). His daughter Kristi worked for the Times Union and would often call, which is how I got to meet her. She and her Mom also attended the holiday lunch that Pete put on every year, carrying in crock pots and hot plates and all sorts of good stuff. Despite being different in many areas (he towered at least two feet above me and loved golf) Pete shared my life-view on a number of unlikely things. (We both preferred drumsticks to wings when it came to Buffalo chicken, for example.) He supervised with a light touch, and things in his office worked out with relative ease. Affable yet effective, he ran an office that respected him, and I learned that being genial could be as powerful as being stern when it came to supervising people.

As much as I loved it there, I was already on the eligible list for a promotion, and I had managed to squeak out another reachable score for the Keyboard Specialist 2 exam. Another spring arrived – the spring of 2004 – and my state career was about to land me right in the Capital District Psychiatric Center, but not as a patient as Andy always feared (hoped?)…

{See Part One.}

Continue reading ...

Maybe September

Andy is out running his evening errands. The night fell faster than expected, as it is wont to do at this time of the year. I turn on the lamps in the living room. It feels cozier that way. Less lonely. In the air, Shirley Horn sings a sweet lament in this gorgeous song. Maybe September… because it’s such a volatile time of the year. The days can be sweet or salty, depending on the sun, on the wind, on the rain… and the nights are even less predictable. On this one, I listen to the dearly departed Ms. Horn and pour myself an unexpectedly-short glass of whiskey, mostly because I’m not a whiskey guy, and a little of that will go a long way with me at this point. There’s nothing good or noble about holding my liquor anymore. But on this weekend night, it will warm the stomach and tease the soul. And maybe this is what gentlemen do.

MAYBE SEPTEMBER I WILL LOVE AGAIN
MAYBE A RAINBOW WILL CATCH ME THEN
THIS LITTLE GIRL’S EYES WILL FIND HER WAY ONCE MORE
JUST LIKE BEFORE, WHEN LOVE WAS TENDER…

Yes, September, you are a tricky sort. So willow-like. So mercurial. So slippery, seductive and silly. So perfect for the sounds of Shirley Horn. Accompanied by a glass of whiskey, and punctuated in the past with a clove cigarette, you are a spicy slice of life. I’ll raise a glass to that: here’s to life. The world seems to want more in September. I mean that in many ways. Love can come easy and hard when summer slips away. Easy to fall. Hard to pick yourself back up. 


THE SWAY OF A WILLOW WHEN LOVE WAS BORN
A FACE ON THE PILLOW WHEN EARLY MORN’
I STILL SEE THAT GOLDEN WORLD IN ALL ITS SPLENDOR
MAYBE SEPTEMBER
LOVE WILL COME AGAIN…

Once upon a time…

No, that’s quite wrong…

Because it can never be just once. At least, it wasn’t for me. 

I would fall repeatedly, over and over, and every September I would do it again. Failed fall romances were my unhappy history. I’d try for spring, and finally find some happiness in summer, but fall was always misery. And mystery. And it wasn’t all bad. 

There is still some sun to be had, even at the end of September. There is still some warmth and heat, when the earth soaks in the sunlight and holds onto it with terrible tenacity, when it might be better to just let it go. I love such struggle. I love people more when they try. When faced with the inevitable, which would you do? Fight against it or give in? I’ve always given in. Most of my friends – at least the ones I value most – would fight. That’s why they’re my friends. I’m not that strong. 

Yet I have a fondness for September. After all these years, when September stopped stinging so much, when it stopped hurting, I find a sense of solace and resignation in this moody month. We put the gardens to sleep. We put our shorts away. We store the pool towels in the attic and hope to remember where they are in the spring. 

Tonight, I step outside. Warmed by the whiskey, I find the coolness of the evening soothing. September and I make our peace. A cricket chirps in the darkness. The moon glows vaguely in the clouds. Andy will be home soon. I step inside.

A TALLER TREE, A SWEETER LOG
A BLUER MORNING SKY ABOVE
AND MAYBE COME SEPTEMBER
I WILL SHARE THESE WONDERS
WITH MY LOVE.

Continue reading ...

Confessions of a New York State Worker ~ Part 1

“Each man had only one genuine vocation – to find the way to himself… His task was to discover his own destiny – not an arbitrary one – and to live it out wholly and resolutely within himself. Everything else was only a would-be existence, an attempt at evasion, a flight back to the ideals of the masses, conformity and fear of one’s own inwardness.” – Herman Hesse

The year was 2001.

The season was summer – late summer.

The world as we once knew it was about to change forever.

The morning of August 30 dawned in slightly foggy form. The morning glories I had trained onto Andy’s house didn’t know whether to open or close, confused as to whether the day was ending or beginning. These morning glories would greet me faithfully for those first few weeks of work. They would also follow us – or rather we would bring them along – when we moved to our first home together. I loved their resilience, the way they bloomed even more the worse you treated them, the less you pampered them.

Andy pulled the car out and I paused in the driveway, taking a deep breath before my first day at a new job. In one hand I held a folder of various documents and a pen, in my other was a lunch that Andy had made. I didn’t even have a work bag then. But I’m getting ahead of myself. The start of a new job doesn’t usually happen on the first day at work. It begins weeks and months before that…

It actually started, as so many fortuitous things did in those days, at a party at Rob’s. New to Andy, new to Albany, and relatively new to the shark-accented social circles that the gay world at the turn of the millennium provided, I was a novice to most everything. Back then I thought all the gay couples we met would stay together, and I looked up to them as role models. Would Andy and I stay together for a year? Two? Little did I know then that the window I saw before me was a temporary and disappointingly minor slice of our lives. None of those other couples would last, which made me thankful to be in the realm of casual friendship with all involved.

It was New Year’s Eve. The vodka and cranberry was overflowing from my red solo cup, people wore paper hats and glasses shaped like ‘2001’, and the mood was celebratory and cozy near the fire. I was talking with Jim, who was one of the friendliest (and most drama-free) of the new people I met through Andy. Somehow we got to talking about employment and suddenly they were printing out the application for the New York State Civil Service Test for Keyboard Specialist. I filled it out right then and there, and stuffed it in an envelope. The seeds of my state career had been planted, and as we counted down to the exit of another year, 2001 dawned to cheers and kisses and hope on a chilly wind.

The exam was a piece of cake. I took it in Amsterdam since that was still technically my residence in upstate New York. Then there was one last summer of freedom, spent with Andy between Albany and Boston. The gears of the state moved then, as they often do now, at an infuriatingly-glacial-like pace. It would be months before the results were in, but once I received my score of 100, the canvass letters began to pour in. Foolishly, because I didn’t know any better, I took the first one that was offered – a Data Entry Machine Operator, even in the face of others that would have brought me up to a Grade 9 after a year. Such was my early ignorance of the Civil Service system. I took the Grade 5 position and moved forward without question. Those mis-steps and mistakes would ultimately serve me well, as I learned first-hand what it was like to be a state employee, and all the accompanying Civil Service laws that went with it. When I would eventually swerve into the Human Resources lane, I’d have invaluable experience and first-hand knowledge under my belt. I didn’t know that then, so I felt the same frustration and confusion that many people new to state service feel.

The Department of State, then located at the corner of State Street and Broadway in downtown Albany, did something with licenses as far as I could tell. (Hint to other would-be employees: research and look into wherever you may be interviewing – it impresses almost everyone and you end up looking less like an idiot than I did.) Andy thought I would like it downtown, where there were more things to do within walking distance during the day than in the sprawling suburbia of Guilderland. The history and older buildings did appeal to me, hinting at what I loved so much about Boston, albeit on a much smaller and less grand scale. They folded up the sidewalks after 5 PM, but we would be back on the road by that time.

My first supervisor was named Mary Beth. She was a quiet and kind woman, younger than the stereotypical state worker I had in my mind. With hair puffed up in front and feathered on the sides, her head was stuck in the 80’s but she knew her job and work. The woman who headed up our unit – something to do with licensing that I never quite could piece together, even after working there for a few months – was named Joan. She was, to put it politely, awful. These two extremes, Mary Beth and Joan, initiated me into the wildly-vacillating nature of state work.

Joan was wicked in almost every way. She had thick coke-bottle glasses, an equally thick frame, and dry patches on her arms that flaked off when she scratched them, which was often. She had a pillow on her chair, presumably to ease the pain of being such a pain in the ass, and everyone hated her. She was especially cruel to the guy who I sensed was disabled in some way. He was always kind and kept to himself, but she would go after him for the littlest things. He was one of the only other men in the office, which at first I loved, because I always seemed to get on better with women than men, but soon learned to loathe when it became apparent that this was not some dreamy Barbizon scene with people preening like decorative peacocks. Or maybe it was, given the nasty nature I’m told peacocks have.

Whether it was my maleness or naive ignorance that acted as a shield, I managed largely to avoid the drama and in-fighting that soon revealed themselves after a honeymoon of a few hours. Factions took up against factions, and friendliness was less an act of good-nature and more likely a planned alliance for a battle to come. It was stressful, even for someone who mostly steered clear of all the drama, but I befriended a couple of women who allowed me to join them on their smoke breaks (even if I didn’t smoke) – they found my use of big words entertaining, even if they didn’t know what I was saying half the time. They introduced me to more people, and within a couple of months I felt at home. It would be one of my strengths: endearing myself to an office and acting as a social lubricant. People seemed to get a kick out of me, and I proved myself a reliable worker who was on time, dependable, and did as he was told without question or challenge. (And some, I’m sure, found me annoying and obnoxious as hell. It takes all kinds.)

Despite my growing friendships with a few co-workers, there are toxic workplaces that can’t be easily fixed. Thanks to the agitated shadow that Joan threw over the place, and the gossipy groups that were constantly pitting people against each other, as well as a growing understanding of having to look at possible promotional opportunities, I knew it was time to seek out other options. The winding road of my state career was about to take its first major turn…

{To be continued.}

Continue reading ...

Once Upon A Summertime

ONCE UPON A SUMMERTIME, IF YOU RECALL,
WE STOPPED BESIDE A LITTLE FLOWER STALL
A BUNCH OF BRIGHT FORGET-ME-NOTS
WAS ALL I’D EVER LET YOU BUY ME 
ONCE UPON A SUMMERTIME JUST LIKE TODAY
WE LAUGHED THE HAPPY AFTERNOON AWAY
AND STOLE A KISS AT EVERY STREET CAFE 

The Virgo part of me (granted, that’s the main part) is happy and content to have clear lines of demarcation for everything. That includes the season. The exact date of each solstice is of the utmost importance. What else would separate us from the slippery slope leading to chaos and uncertainty? This world is close enough to such peril.

However, I find that with the seasons, such a line is arbitrary at best, and deceptive at worst. Seasons do not change in a single day. There is not a switch that goes on or off with each shift from summer to fall. Those changes are gradual. Some have already begun. The goldenrod is in bloom and has been for a while. Some of the maple leaves have lost their green and are shading toward yellow – the effect is a shade of chartreuse not dissimilar to the way they appear in the spring. Everything comes full circle. We all return to where we began.

Tonight we straddle the line between summer and fall. If it’s the former you favor, do visit our Summer Recap 2019: Part One, Part Two, Part Three and Part Four. It’s the first summer I’ve been regularly blogging in two years, and it was a sweaty, semi-naked labor of love. If you favor the fall over the heat and haze, stay tuned for a season filled with its heady harvest. Most labors bear fruit at some point… pluck away.

NOW ANOTHER WINTER TIME HAS COME AND GONE
THE PIGEONS FEEDING IN THE SQUARE HAVE FLOWN
BUT I REMEMBER WHEN THE VESPERS CHIMED
YOU LOVED ME ONCE UPON A SUMMERTIME.

Continue reading ...

The Summer of 2019 ~ Part Four: September

I’m in the sky where I oughta be at, I’ve been watching you
Rocket ship takin’ off in that, now I’m onto you
Mouth closed, I don’t want your opinion, who you talkin’ to?
Stand out, no, I don’t wanna blend in, why you want me to?

For our final summer recap entry, the soundtrack falls fittingly to Madonna, who informed the entire season with her magnificent ‘Madame X’ opus, and this lovingly sets the stage for her new tour and a fall full of giddy excitement. I am ready to put the garden, and the season of summer, to slumber. We’ll do it again next year. Until then, one last glimpse at all the summer that this September could contain…

I’ve been disrobing on this site since 2003, and it finally got a little tiresome for me. But after much clamoring by all of two or three people, I took the Speedo off for one more cheeky peek. (And made it interesting for myself by including quotes from a favorite read.)

Maluma and Ricky Martin made some beautiful music together.

Morning visitors sometimes come in threes and depart before things get stormy

When the category is Tom Daley, things get skimpy and steamy.

Ghosts left on the street in objects left behind. 

Try some! Eat one! This is the controversial hot dog with peanut butter, bacon, scallions and cheese combo

They say be all I can be
And all I want is peace, peace, peace, peace, peace, peace
See the world, haven’t seen it all
I wanna see it, see it, see it, see it, see its dreams

Sweet baby Jesus, I’ve wasted a dozen years on FaceBook… and counting.

The magnificent moodiness of Madonna’s ‘Music’ album from 2000, a very good year.

Hunks and studs and GIFs, oh my!

The new pope, as portrayed by Jude Law bulging out of his Speedo.

Now that summer is winding down, perhaps you need something to bookmark to remind you of all the love and beauty in the world. For when the days get colder…

My Dad’s 89th birthday.

Beautiful storm.

The happy euphoria that the Beekman Boys spread around the world, realized in a soapy shower moment. 

End of summer reflections featuring shades of male nudity.

I can’t react how you thought I’d react, I would never for you
Front line, I won’t stand in the back, ’cause you want me to
Mouth closed, I don’t want your opinion, who you talkin’ to?
Stand out, no, I don’t wanna blend in, why you want me to?

“No, I wasn’t lost. It was a different feeling… a mix of lucidity and craziness, but I wasn’t lost.” ~ Madonna

And now, the arrival of fall has been set, its tapestry of autumnal hues has been woven – all that’s left to do is greet it with a warm embrace. We will see each other through the wilderness. 

Closing out the summer heat (and a season of male dancers) were various Hunks of the Day, including Roberto Bolle, Mark Cirillo, Max Parker, Ryan Russell, Daniel Franzese, James Heatly, Theo James, Alec Smith, Curtis Stone, Jay RyanBrooks Koepka, and Kamil Nicalek.

Come alive, come alive
Come alive, come alive
Dream’s real, it’s alive
Come alive, come on
Come alive, come alive
Come alive, come alive…

“New York is strange in the summer. Life goes on as usual but it’s not, it’s like everyone is just pretending, as if everyone has been cast as the star in a movie about their life, so they’re one step removed from it. And then in September it all gets normal again.” ~ Peter Cameron

{See also Part OnePart Two, and Part Three.}

Continue reading ...

The Summer of 2019 ~ Part Three: August

“August rain: the best of the summer gone, and the new fall not yet born. The odd uneven time.” – Sylvia Plath

ONCE UPON A TIME
ONCE WHEN YOU WERE MINE
I REMEMBER SKIES
REFLECTED IN YOUR EYES
I WONDER WHERE YOU ARE
I WONDER IF YOU THINK ABOUT ME
ONCE UPON A TIME
IN YOUR WILDEST DREAMS…

Ahh, August…

Final full month of summer…

Renaissance of sun… but briefly.

Water and light and re-birth…

And in my case, first birth.

Or 44th in this particular year. Here we go…

Guy candy: Tom Daley and Niles Wilson pose for a hunky twofer.

This is only a Dad bod if you’re Nick Jonas

Taylor Swift swung back into our good graces.

Cristiano Ronaldo in his underwear.

Summer has its own moral dilemmas. (I did not do well with this particular test…)

Chris Evans presents America’s Ass.

Star of the summer garden: the voluptuous fig!

After the Sun healing by the Beekman Boys.

ONCE THE WORLD WAS NEW
OUR BODIES FELT THE MORNING DEW
THAT GREETS THE BRAND NEW DAY
WE COULDN’T TEAR OURSELVES AWAY
I WONDER IF YOU CARE
I WONDER IF YOU STILL REMEMBER
ONCE UPON A TIME
IN YOUR WILDEST DREAMS

When the sky switches

Summer Sunday cocktail fueled by Campari.

This summer visit by dear friends I’ve had for over three decades was a seasonal highlight. 

The summer of the Mac-Haydn Theater continued with their impressive production of ‘Ragtime’ – and we wined and dined in grand fashion to make a night of it

A summer lobster roll, Albany-style.

A pocket of paradise by the pool – a perfect place in which to read.

A Madonna birthday celebrated in link-filled fashion. 

Batuka!

Once upon a promise – posted.

Simon says sexy.

Such a little vase, such a little fern.

Betty Buckley is the best.

AND WHEN THE MUSIC PLAYS
AND WHEN THE WORDS ARE TOUCHED WITH SORROW
WHEN THE MUSIC PLAYS
I HEAR THE SOUND I HAD TO FOLLOW
ONCE UPON A TIME…

Clouds not in my coffee.

Lavender dreams.

A bulging hunkfest: #bulge #hunks #gratuitousnudity #malenudity #nakedmales.

For my birthday, a new kind of birthday suit.

And my old-fashioned birthday suit. #kissmyass

Sound the trumpets of angels.

A love letter to Betty Buckley, because she was so amazing in ‘Hello, Dolly!’ and whatever she decides to do.

When flowers race to beat the brisk fall.

Maybe I’m just a grumpy old man. [Shrugs.]

What the fig? A happy ending!

My work anniversary – and a hint of something to come.

We spent my birthday in Boston this year – a low-key weekend, but a very happy one. It started on this glorious note and ended on this one. Another trip around the sun began…

The lazy hazy Hunks of August included Daniel Matsunaga, Lionel Messi, BJ Gruber, John Lloyd Young, Joshua Benoit, Tyler Cameron, Jericho Rosales, Preston BrockTom HetheringtonErwan Heussaff, Danny Walters, William McLarnon, Rome Flynn, Craig RamsayGiovanni Bonamy, George Hill, Jay Ellis, Jax Taylor, Travis Wall, Blake McGrath, Chuando Tan, Richard Fleeshman

ONCE BENEATH THE STARS
THE UNIVERSE WAS OURS
LOVE WAS ALL WE KNEW
AND ALL I KNEW WAS YOU
I WONDER IF YOU KNOW
I WONDER IF YOU THINK ABOUT IT
ONCE UPON A TIME
IN YOUR WILDEST DREAMS

“Every year, the bright Scandinavian summer nights fade without anyone’s noticing. One evening in August you have an errand outdoors, and all of a sudden it’s pitch-black. It is still summer, but the summer is no longer alive.” ~ Tove Jansson

{See also Part One and Part Two.}

Continue reading ...

The Summer of 2019 ~ Part Two: July

“All in all, it was a never-to-be-forgotten summer – one of those summers which come seldom into any life, but leave a rich heritage of beautiful memories in their going – one of those summers which, in a fortunate combination of delightful weather, delightful friends and delightful doing, come as near to perfection as anything can come in this world.” ~ L.M. Montgomery

Though it happened in June, the story of this summer’s return to Connecticut takes place on the blog in July, with this post, and this post

Some shirtless July gentlemen.

A new set of visitors descended upon Braddock Park, with this turkey family in Boston.

P-town memories of Delta Dawn

A summer song by the Spice Girls. They always gave us Too Much. 

Rub-down. (Or, Beat the Meat.)

Mommie Dearest indeed. Who knew she would go this far?

The glory of my naked ass on Instagram. (Follow my butt.)

Mesh shorts leave little to the imagination. The law of Murphy.

The man sandwich: Jake Gyllenhaal & Tom Holland.

From the time of Pretty Woman: a summer song fit for a king.

A quiet project.

Once upon a f@cking tease.

A summer read.

The new project: ‘Once Upon A Watercolor.’

Once upon an interview.

Twice upon an interview.

Not everyone is learning from the past. Madonna has always been about the Future.

Summer scandal! The day Pier 1 Imports refused to sell me a pillow.

Our 19th anniversary.

This cup runneth over.

The floral lull.

Stretching like Roger.

Another summer song, this one by Sia.

Summer hunk collection.

The robe of falling flowers.

A bit of Balenciaga.

Rude neighbors are the worst.

Summer mornings.

Keeping things hot on the Hunk front were these gents of July: Tom HollandPaulo Avelino, Jake Owen, Dominic Thiem, Lil Nas X, Joe Wicks, Theo Ford, Kim David SmithDyllon BurnsideZanjoe Acuesta Marudo, Charlie Taylor, Jacob Elordi, Rylan Clark-NealDaniele Sibilli, Jack Derges, Rafael Losso, Matt BaumgartnerJuan Pablo di Pace, Ryan Bingham, and Nick Hounslow.

{See also Part One.}

Continue reading ...

The Summer of 2019 ~ Part One: June

Summer is not so much a set frame of time as it is a mood and a mode of existence.

If we can keep that in mind, if we can keep that in heart, then this summer need not end.

That said, this is technically the last weekend of Summer Proper, and so we begin our look back at the summer that was 2019. For the purposes of these posts, summer will constitute everything from early June through today, because there are some late spring days that are just too good not to reference and remember. It was a good summer, for the most part, and that can’t always be said. For this first entry in our adventures, a pair of songs in which Swae Lee plays the common denominator to set the musical scene: ‘Sunflower’ and ‘Crave’ – both of which evoke the occasionally-ambivalent mood of the beautiful lazy season.

Oh gorgeous June, with all your peonies and roses and perfumed blossoms, in so many ways you are the best bit of summer: the very beginning. All hope and promise and an entire season laid out beautifully before us. This one began in glorious form with a couple of trips to Boston, starting with this sunny jaunt with Kira. Resplendent in that yellow dress, she and I tore up the town and started the season off on a bright note. 

Next up was one of my favorite traditions: the BroSox Adventures with Skip. We set it off in fine fashion, changing things up a bit for a more casual and economical trip through Boston, and added a banner trip to the long winding path of our friendship.

Family fun with the Ilagans

Double the trouble

June is all about roses and connections. And a weekend visit that reminded us of the origins of love

Sowing the seeds of Madonna

…because June was all about Madame X

Madonna was back.

A beach full of Hunks

Sit down for a summer song

A Father’s Day post

Who is the star of your show?

The Mac-Haydn Theater provided a musical refuge for the hotter days and nights to come, with performances of ‘Curtains’ and ‘Sunset Boulevard‘ to whet the appetite for a full season. 

A Flower Party.

Super hunks.

A classic: doggy-style.

Before the parade goes by.

Another Madame X masterpiece.

Another summer song.

And another.

Andy and I made a summer trip to Boston to see the touring production of ‘Miss Saigon’ and we had a perfect summer evening

Notable Hunks of June, when the blush was still on the roses, included Anthony Festa, Mike Kimani, Leo Holden, Eric Dane, Tegan ZayneTony Dokoupil, Aaron LibbyNick Dompierre, Alan Bersten and Jay Harrington.

Continue reading ...

Sous Watta What?

This watermelon-jalapeño appetizer was part of our summer-ending brunch more fully depicted here. It gets its own post because it deserves it. When we were last in Boston for my birthday, we had lunch at the revamped restaurant of the Museum of Fine Arts. Amid such elegance and splendor, we ordered an appetizer of Sous Vide Watermelon. I didn’t know what it was, but the ingredients sounded good, if a little unorthodox, together. However, having fallen in love with a watermelon jalapeño margarita at Masa many years ago, I was game for the combo. It was a good call, as it was a delicious roller-coaster of taste and thrills. As we ended the summer, I looked for a refreshing appetizer to make for brunch and recalled this one. Here’s what I did to approximate it.

Since we don’t have a way to vacuum seal cubes of watermelon, they didn’t get such fancy treatment. I cut it up instead and topped it with a cucumber. Watermelon and cucumber are a delightful match – we’ve served both of them floating in water and on the hottest summer days that’s quite a delight. 

To this I added a dollop of whipped feta (equal parts of feta and cream cheese mixed in the food processor – the feta first, and the cream cheese at room temperature). The tanginess and creamy aspect is necessary to offset the final ingredient. 

A sweet pickled jalapeño slice is the topper, and provides the heat that gloriously contradicts the cool sweetness of the melon and cucumber. That whipped feta brings it all together, and the end result is a culinary version of Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride. Try it and see. 

 

Continue reading ...

Sunday Brunch, Family-Style

Closing out this summer with a Sunday brunch seemed the right thing to do, and when our family and extended family is involved, it was a labor of love and happiness. With the exception of a watermelon and jalapeno appetizer (which we’ll get into in more detail later) I went a more traditional route, foregoing such fanciness as those day-glo Dutch eggs we did last time

Elaine brought the deviled eggs – a dish I happen to love but always balk at the idea of making. It’s so much nicer when someone else cooks – and it tastes better too. 

Continuing on the savory side of things, I made a first attempt at corned beef hash with some roasted potatoes. Both look dismal in photos but for honest documentation of this meal they are here regardless. Trust me that the taste was more impressive than the appearance. 

Faring better in the looks and tasting department, these were Suzie’s delicious lemon and cardamom sweet rolls, with a cream cheese topping. By far the best thing I tasted that morning, Suzie is now required to bring this, or some variation thereof, to every event we hold from this day forward. That’s the problem with being really good at something: the world will demand you do it again. 

A Filipino frittata and more coffee-cake rounded out the meal, which left me stuffed and satiated from all the good food and good company. 

Speaking of company, that’s the secret ingredient of any brunch – and all of my brunches have been a blast because I know the best people. 

And they make the best unposed expressions. 

When the days turn cooler, and the nights arrive quicker, I’ll think back to this end-of-summer celebration and it will warm my heart. 

Continue reading ...

Tiny Threads: An Insignificant Series

The way a wasabi pea bites you back, so you keep eating more.

#TinyThreads

Continue reading ...

Catmint vs. Catnip

I love how our stand of catmint didn’t get the memo that summer is almost over, gracing us with this delightful late-hour show of blooms on a recent dewy morning. I’ve long since forgotten which variety of Nepeta this one is – I planted it as a whim a few years ago and it has since seeded itself everywhere. If we had a cat it would be in high heaven.

It’s a unique shade for catmint, veering more toward the reddish section of the color wheel than your typical catnip flowers. The foliage is also more green than gray. Its late, and extended, blooming season is a boon to those of us feeling seasonal fatigue. As much as I love summer, I understand that the gardens need a rest. Until such slumber, these little flowers will give us cheer. 

 

Continue reading ...

Tiny Threads: An Insignificant Series

Overanalyzing anything so often leads to unhappiness.

#TinyThreads

Continue reading ...

A Variation on Sunset Over Instanbul

This glorious cocktail comes from the glorious cocktail bar at Nahita. They call it the Sunset Over Instanbul, and it’s a perfectly balanced drink with a garnish that embodies its name. Anytime a cocktail gets into some precious liqueur, I get nervous that it will veer into sweet or medicinal territory, but this one steered clear of that. (That extra half part of gin helps out immensely.) The original called for orange bitters, but I substituted peach bitters because it was what we had on hand, and it worked well with the stone fruit theme.  Use some sort of bitters, as they also aid in tamping down any excess sweetness, in the event that you get a lemon that wants to swerve to the sweet side instead of staying in the tart lane.

The garnish is a cherry (the sun) flanked by an orange slice (the rays) to symbolize the sunset. A word of warning: based on recent reactions from various guests, this is a powerful and potent creation. Stop at one. And even then, I won’t be responsible for whatever might transpire. Enjoy the ride into the sunset, and hang onto your hat…

Sunset Over Istanbul Cocktail by Nahita: A Variation

1 ½ parts gin

1 part apricot liqueur

¾ part fresh lemon juice (strained)

Few drops peach bitters

Continue reading ...

Tiny Threads: An Insignificant Series

Yes, those of us who work on the 10thfloor judge those who take the elevator to the 2ndfloor.

#TinyThreads

Continue reading ...