How in the fuck is it July already? Where the hell did June go? What a rip-off! Summer is moving too quickly. We need more fun and sun! Let’s rewind a bit and recap the previous week, then we’ll dip our toes back into July…
These #TinyThreads slowly unraveled.
Madonna doing what Madonna does best: #GodControl.
June nights are for lovers… and love.
Jazz in July for a good cause.
Summer music for summer days.
Shades of pink petunias.
An early summer night in Boston is often filled with the sweet fragrance of elderly linden trees, and on this late evening the perfume was prevalent as soon as we skirted Boston Common. Following the show, we walked over to the Four Seasons, where we each teetered on the edge of ordering that amazing multi-layer chocolate cake, but ultimately refrained. The server remembered us from last time, and insisted on a second pour of a sparkling rose. Who am I to say no? Across from the hotel the Boston Public Garden was shrouded in the shadows of more linden trees, while in the lobby the post-celebration vestiges of a wedding spilled out from the elevators. Everyone, it seemed, was having a happy night.
We took an Uber back to the condo, where I promptly crashed. We had brunch reservations back beside the Public Garden the next morning; it’s so much nicer in the sunlight. As the air conditioner hummed in the window, and the quiet Boston night settled around us, the next thing I knew Andy was waking me and asking what time it was. I looked at my phone and panicked: it was 10:30 and we had 11:00 reservations.
Luckily, in times of dire need and urgency, I can be ready in ten minutes, and with both of us rushing we walked into the restaurant a minute shy of 11 AM.
A Bellini and Croque Madame made for a lovely pairing while we looked over at the Boston Public Garden. The day was splendid 0 sunny with just a small smattering of clouds to add interest to the blue sky.
On almost every trip to Boston, I try to make a stop in the Public Garden. It holds a special place in my heart, and on this day it was doubly fun as Andy was along for the stroll. We passed the spot where we got married over nine years ago (our 10thwedding anniversary looms happily within the next year – yes, plans are already being made!) There were fleets of ducks landing in the pond, and the pair of white swans stood together on the island. Squirrels were about, dodging dogs and children, and the lingering bracts of the Chinese dogwood held their white starbursts brilliantly against the sky.
It was a beautiful day.
It’s been years since I first (and last) saw ‘Miss Saigon’ and unlike some of those British mega-musicals from the 80’s (‘Les Miserables‘, ‘Cats‘, ‘Phantom of the Opera‘) this one didn’t show much promise of aging well. Fortunately, thanks to some clever re-staging and earnest performances, the show was surprisingly effective. Most of that goes to the irresistible score, delivered by a company of pros. That helicopter scene is still a bit of a gimmick, but a genuinely powerful one. Andy was impressed, and that’s all that mattered on this quick little trip to Boston as summer officially got underway.
The sun welcomed us back in the early afternoon, and as Andy took a nap to restore himself from a sleepless night (and drive) I made a quick shopping expedition, more memorable for the walk through Boston in full summer bloom than any extravagant purchases. We are not quite to the searing heat that can cripple a city – the kind that comes with the first heatwave and then sticks around until October – but the sun was out and it was on the warm side of things. I stayed to the shady side of the street, where it was easier to notice the little enclaves of cool respite, gardens where hosta and ferns gently swayed in the slight breeze. There are many of these tiny squares, and more expansive vistas along the Southwest Corridor Park, where local denizens have been steadily improving the flora in every available space of dirt. It’s come a very long way from the barely-tended stretch of unkept landscaping standards that once populated that place. A long and beautiful way.
I picked up a few items at Eataly – some razor thin prosciutto and a trio of fresh apricots – then returned to the condo for a siesta and a snack. Andy put some Cole Porter on and we got ready for an early dinner in Chinatown. In keeping with the show, it was Vietnamese, and though I was not planning on a steaming bowl of pho, the air conditioning was blowing directly on my skin so I went for it.
With a little time left over, we stopped at the Avery Bar at the Ritz Carlton – a favorite haunt for a fancy cocktail, and right around the corner from the Boston Opera House.
In the cool splendor of such a venue, we found our seats and the show began…
If you look closely enough, and are as obsessed with color as I am, you may notice that each photo here makes it look like a slightly different shade of pink. Part of me abhors such inconsistency, and part of me lives for it. The part that loves it is winning out because I’m filling the space in between the picture with words.
It’s like the tricks you can play with your belt and shoes. The break of your legs is just enough to make shades that aren’t quite the same when viewed next to each other work perfectly together when far enough apart. There’s a metaphor for life somewhere in this. Find it, because I’m in no mood to explain.
As for these little petunias, they share one of my favorite color combinations: outer petals of hot pink and deep throats of chartreuse. They are so bright and cheery I defy you not to be made a little happier by seeing them. (If you’re successful, I don’t want to hear about it. The person that finds a way to shit on the happiness of others is the person who has no place in my life.)
Whoa, that went a little too deep a little too quickly. [Shrugs.]
Debating who is worse: people who use no caps or PEOPLE WHO USE ALL CAPS.
The big bad weather man, who has been such a total dick to us this year, has threatened the day and the weekend with summer storms. That’s ok – I’ll take a summer storm over a winter storm any day of the year. We are due to visit Missy and Joe and their sons Cameron and Julian this weekend, and nothing can dampen our spirits. We had such a lovely time last year, we’ve been looking forward to this for a while.
In honor of that, and the start of this summer season, another summer song to set the scene and theme. This is ‘Summer Sun’ by Koop.
This is a great song for lounging by the pool, or waking to a sun-drenched morning. Ideal for a summer brunch or an afternoon cocktail. Slightly fizzy, a little effervescent, and bubbly beyond belief. Summer haze, summer daze. The sun makes a lot of us just a wee bit giddy. Giddy is good. Giddy-up.
Sadness is a pile of fallen peony petals you never got to smell.
A good party has a good cause. One of the highlights of the Capital Region’s summer season is the ‘Jazz in July’ event as put on by In Our Own Voices. Taking place on Sunday, July 21 from 5 to 8 PM at the Rivers Casino & Resort, this is always an exhilarating afternoon and evening of fundraising, and a way to recognize the individuals and organizations and businesses who work to create a safer and more inclusive environment for LGBT People of Color. This year’s event aims to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall Uprising.
The mission of In Our Own Voices has been “to work for and ensure the physical, mental, spiritual, political, cultural and economic survival and growth of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender People of Color communities.†That’s a tall task, especially in today’s worrisome world, but they’ve managed to accomplish much of it thanks to the guiding force of a dedicated group of individuals.
Tandra Leone gave a powerful speech at a recent Pride Month Celebration presented by the New York State Office of Diversity & Inclusion Management – a testament to those New York State workers who have been steadfastly living our lives openly, bringing our diversity and strengths to the workforce. As the Executive Director of In Our Own Voices, Ms. Leone has been at the forefront of working towards a more inclusive and diverse community, one that values our individually-distinctive talents and backgrounds, and one that finds its greatest goals are only met when we work together, raising each other up.
Giving voice to a community that has been egregiously and systematically silenced and ignored is a noble cause, but it requires a great deal of resilience and persistence. The wounds of our country’s history run deep, and such fissures are not easily mended. As Ms. Leone extolled, if justice is the ultimate goal, we must begin on a much smaller plane – the simple demand for dignity and equality one step at a time. We must stand in solidarity with all of our brothers and sisters. We can only honor equality when we embrace our differences.
In Our Own Voices has consistently fostered the development of a diverse and inclusive community. Check out their website here and then get your tickets to the Jazz in July event. A party is always better when it’s for a good cause.
{Jazz in July will take place on Sunday, July 21, 2019 from 5 to 8 PM. Rivers Casino & Resort is located at 1 Rush Street, Schenectady, NY. Find tickets here.}
Despite what you may be wishing, I’m not going away this summer. ALANILAGAN.com will not be taking its summer break as I’ve done for the past two years. Don’t get me wrong, I loved those breaks. Love loved LOVED those breaks. But I have to admit, I’m a Virgo, and I like structure, and without this personal sounding board I felt a little lost at sea. This place has become, for better (for me) or worse (for you) a diary and calendar of sorts.
Because of that, I’ll be able to spread out some summer songs – and a summer song means something different for everyone. Mine are born from any reason such as the time they were released, the sentiment, the melody, or a couple of sunny references. We begin with ‘Magic Is The Moonlight’ and I’m partial to Julie London’s version of it. As the pool water glistened hazily in the background, and the night breeze gave us a little relief, I played this song to lure summer to stay as long as she would deign.
Will she stay with us a little longer, having arrived so late? She is welcome to linger, beyond September, beyond October… let her balmy embrace last. It’s been so long in coming, we don’t want to rush anything. Take your time… make it slow…
As for our summer schedule, we are also taking it slow and perhaps slowing things down. There will be daily posts, they will just be a little lighter in tone and length – the sort of thing that can be read on your phone while lounging by the pool or sea, or while riding in the car with the windows down, wind blowing through your hair as you adjust the stereo and someone brings you to some glorious summer destination.
This will be a place of respite for when the days get too hot and unbearable. At the moment, such heat would be a welcome novelty, but I know that by the end of next month some of us will be looking for cooler reprieves. Let this be such a sea of cool tranquility.
Honey syrup cures many an ailment: bland tea, bitter cocktails, and/or not-quite-ripe fruit. Try some, you’ll like it.
Madonna takes an important stance for gun control in her latest video masterpiece for the ‘Madame X’ opus. ‘God Control’ is probably the most amazing track on the album – a dark, dreamy disco diatribe against one of American society’s most tragic epidemics. Directed by Jonas Akerlund (see also ‘Ray of Light‘ and ‘American Life‘) it’s a powerful time-rewind piece of videography that rivals her best work – and as Madonna is one of the world’s most striking video-makers, that’s saying quite a lot. It’s like the tragic step-sister to ‘Deeper and Deeper‘ – or the long-lost bitter cousin of ‘Music‘ – or the darker baby brother of ‘Hung Up‘. Still, it stands on its own as a masterful piece of storytelling, and a chilling indictment of the gun-obsessed society into which our country has denigrated. Most of us remember the horrific mass shooting at Pulse nightclub. How long until it gets even closer?
This is your wake up call. Gun violence disproportionately affects children, teenagers and the marginalized in our communities. Honor the victims and demand GUN CONTROL. NOW. Volunteer, stand up, donate, reach out. Wake up and insist on common-sense gun safety legislation. Innocent lives depend on it. Join me in supporting the following organizations: https://everytownresearch.org/
https://www.gaysagainstguns.net/
https://www.sandyhookpromise.org/
Those days when you can’t decide if you have a real stomachache or if your pants are just squeezing your balls too tightly.
Once upon a time I breathed a sigh of relief. It was the night that New York State passed marriage equality. Only the year before, Andy and I had had to go to Boston to get legally married. We drove into Albany to celebrate, and as we neared Rocks, I felt a burden lift from my shoulders, a weight to which I’d grown unnoticeably accustomed. It had always been there, and I had never known
When you’ve spent your entire life being told, in explicit and furtive terms, to be silent, to be quiet, to be less, the first taste of true freedom, of genuine equality, is an enthralling relief. We exhaled that night – an exhalation decades in the making – and the state of New York suddenly galvanized something in some of us that we’d never even known was there. A sense of worth that I had long pretended I didn’t need.
The same thing happened when we watched from afar as the White House was lit in the colors of the rainbow and marriage equality was made the law of the land. The exhalation. The sudden lifting of a burden that was still somehow there.
With the current administration, I feel those burdens being placed on some of us again. With every murder of a transgender person, with every refusal to fly the rainbow flag, with every appointment of an anti-LGBTQ judge, I feel the burden get heavier. We have come too far and fought for too long to go back. And so I resist as best I can. In little ways and little words. In posts like this that maybe someone in need may read and recognize themselves, offering a resonance that might be the extra push someone needs to stop crying, or stop hurting themselves, or stop dying.
In our daily life, we must refuse to be anything less than who we are.
It is our right to become what we were meant to be.
It is our right to find happiness.
It is our right to live as we wish.
Such a simple concept, why it should be so fraught with enemies is incomprehensible to me.
This weekend, World Pride comes to New York City, and the parade looks to be one of the largest the world has ever seen. Until such time that we don’t have to fight, until that day when we have all achieved equality without question, reservation, or condition, then we need Pride. Perhaps now more than ever.
Albany is beautiful, when the light is right, when the water is still, when the wind is soft. It has moments of rage and raw power too – we all do – when the clouds are in a tumult, when the wind is in a riot or the air is dense and heavy with rain. The bane of the Northeast.
As much as I enjoy the sun and warm weather, I know that part of its appeal is the relative scarcity of it (at least that’s how it feels after the spring we had). A year of sun and heat in Florida or California would be stultifying to me – a lifetime of it feels like it would be deadly. My countenance requires change and seasonal shifts. A chance for a completely new wardrobe. All those wonderful coats… all those cozy scarves… all those glorious boots…
And at this time of the year, all that magnificent summer – even if it has to rain a little.
