Category Archives: General

Behind-the-scenes preparation for the summer season left my blog on auto-pilot, but hopefully you didn’t snooze through the whole week because there were some notable posts. See if you can find the gems among the wreckage before we head into the final week of May. It went by too quickly ~ the bane of spring and summer…

Let’s begin by tying up all these tiny threads.

That naked Channing Tatum shower photo. 

Looking forward to this return to the Abbey. 

Some super sexy Zac Efron GIFs.

A taste of your poison paradise.

Vibrant saturation. 

Late for Lent.

My version of the Mom selfie, according to Suzie. 

My take on Broadway’s ‘To Kill A Mockingbird.’

There were but two Hunks of the Day: Austin Wolf and Swae Lee. 

The shock of a very nude Aaron Schock. 

Happy Memorial Day, everybody. And hello summer…

One of the more somber holidays, which most of us seem to forget as we celebrate the unofficial start to the summer season, Memorial Day usually finds us departing Ogunquit after a nice long weekend by the sea. For the first time in almost 20 years, we skipped our pilgrimage there, and while we both missed it, we got to be home for the weekend, preparing the house for summer guests, and seeing the daily changes in the garden. In years past we always missed the first flush of peony blooms when we were away (of course this is the year they wait to open).

There are other things coming into their own at this time, such as the Chinese dogwood and Korean lilac. The ostrich ferns, almost fully unfurled, are also at the height of their glory – all freshness and chartreuse saturation. In myriad ways, this is the most beautiful the garden will get – when there are still glimpses of ground to set off the light green, and most of the plants still hold their flower buds tightly within, waiting for a longer stretch of heat and sunshine. It is the moment of hope for all that is to come.

Our pool is open, a breeze gently rustles the curtains of the patio, and in the beauty and the light of an American backyard, I offer gratitude and thanks to living in such a space of freedom. Let’s hope we can hang onto it.

Aaron Schock got shirtless for some fitness magazine a few years ago, but that’s nothing compared to what Kenneth in the [212] unearthed with just the slightest of digging. Check out Aaron Schock nude here, and then visit a more innocent post of him merely shirtless here. Sadly, the guy’s a total closeted prick who remains a Republican in the face of all sense. Still, a naked Aaron Schock is better than a suited (and congressionally-seated) one any day. 

There are several things going on in these photos that some people seem largely unaware that I do. First off, driving. Yes, I drive. Quite a bit, in fact. I think I have more mileage on my car than Andy, thanks mostly to frequent trips to Boston. And of course I wear a seatbelt. It’s the law. And common sense for those of us who grew up in the 80’s and afterward. (Andy remembers the lawless days of riding around without having to wear one.)

Second, running errands. Like a soccer mom. Maybe that’s why Suzie said this was a classic mom selfie. To be honest, I don’t know what a classic mom selfie is. If I were said mom, I’d probably be on the wine. Isn’t that a mom thing to do? On the morning these photos were taken, I was on a fern run. Found a couple of elephant ears too. The plant version. How ghastly to think of anything else.

Third, silliness. I am ridiculously silly when you catch me at the right moment. More-so than I probably convey on this website. I’m a goddamn hoot and a half.

This online world, of which my blog has been a part for the last sixteen years, has been rapidly devolving into toxicity. A recent sample of FaceBook and Twitter trends had me shutting it all off, as supposed fans tore apart the ‘Game of Thrones’ finale and Madonna’s Eurovision performance, indicative of a general trend of hating on anything and everything that comes across the online timeline.

Why is there so much hate? Why is there such a readiness to attack and destroy? I don’t know exactly, but I have my theories, none of which I’ll bother posting or positing as they would only contribute to the unhealthy atmosphere of negativity so prevalent today. I’ll do what I usually do when it comes to comments and anonymous critiques: ignore and avoid. Let them breed their chaos and toxicity, let them wallow in their self-dissatisfaction. We’ve got happiness and truth on our side. They only have deceit.

Moving on…

Coming to Boston in June, the ‘Downton Abbey’ exhibition will arrive to whet our appetites for the movie, due out later this year. I’m excited about both, and not just since I’ve been looking for a proper reason for us to return to Boston this summer. This one is coming in a formal British fashion, which is not a sartorial style that is feasible or particularly comfortable for a summer outing, but we’ll do our best. I’m thinking linens, wrinkles and all.

Like its predecessor ‘Gosford Park’ there is something tranquil and calming about this series, even with all the car crashes and drama. It’s the perfect antidote for a hot summer stretch, which might actually be welcome at this point of the rainy season. 

{Details on the exhibition here.}

May is wandering off much too quickly for my liking, even if the weather has been far from fine. We eked out a nice weekend, and I spent most of it in Boston (with an early morning run to Troy’s Landscaping, resulting in the selfie seen here that Suzie claimed is a total Mom selfie so we’re not speaking right now), but Boston is a story to tell in a later post. For now, our usual Monday look-back at the week that came before…

It started with the lilacs, which have made a wonderful showing the year, lingering a little longer than is customary thanks to the cool, wet weather. 

Some #TinyThreads were meant to be pulled. 

I love balls. 

Florals for spring, again. 

With all this rain, a fragrance to complement the wetness. 

Our annual Mother’s Day weekend on Broadway began…

Camp and cabs and Central Park…

And a special guest appearance or two…

Until the next Broadway rendezvous.

Hunks of the May Days included Thomas Bradfield, Devon Goda, John Gregory-Smith, and James Faulkner.

The nasty weather held off for as long as it could, but on our final morning in New York, as we were celebrating Mother’s Day with Suzie and Elaine, the rains and winds arrived, whipping the outside world into an unpleasant frenzy. Safely ensconced within the sky-high windows of the Park Room at our hotel, however, we watched from a cozy vantage point as Central Park was pelted by falling water. 

It had been a practically-perfect weekend, another banner Broadway weekend with Mom, and a bonus visit from Suzie and Elaine. I’ll be pressing for them to join us again next year. In the meantime, here’s a quick recap of what went down on Broadway:

• Part One
• Part Two
• Part Three

My cologne preferences are largely influenced by season and atmosphere. Of late, I’ve had to delve deeply into the rain fragrances. For the spring/summer season, on those days that get a little wet, I’ve always preferred the Hermes Jardin scent ‘Un Jardin apres la Mousson‘ – loosely translated as the garden after a monsoon. It’s sweet and light, when you need something brighter to cut through the humidity, but nothing too heavy and cloying that might linger and erupt beyond its intended effect.

With all the rain lately, these little olfactory accessories prove one way of injecting some brightness and happiness into the otherwise-drab days. If we’re going to be locked in a cycle of bad weather, we might as well smell good when dealing with it.

These droplets of water captured on the car window do have a certain prettiness to them. This water of life is also giving our gardens a good start. After the rainstorm is not an entirely-awful place to be.

Where is the guide to all things balls? Here’s all I’ve got:

Football ~ you kick it off with your foot.

Basketball ~ you try to get the ball in the basket.

Volleyball ~ you volley the ball back and forth.

Baseball ~ you try to get around the bases.

Kickball ~ you kick the ball.

Foozeball?

Freeball?

Teabagball?

One day I will throw a ball… and it will be Glamourball.

Or Glitzball.

Or Princessball.

Or Sassyball.

Or Assball.

In real life, this past weekend was spent in New York City with my Mom, for our annual Mother’s Day weekend Broadway excursion. Online it was spent recounting an anniversary weekend in Boston with Andy, so when we all meet up at times like Monday, I’m a bit of a confused mess. Don’t let that deter you from making the rounds of what went on here last week. In short, a recap of what happened online for the last week:

It started and ended with posts of the Hunk of the Day, featuring Farad Z and Rhys Kosakowski.

These #TinyThreads unraveled and rewound. 

Cole Porter sang our anniversary soundtrack. 

It all began in Boston…

Beside the harbor, with a derby or two…

Starting the day with European flair…

A museum visit graced with Frida Kahlo and Henri Toulouse-Lautrec…

Of tulips, squirrels and Eggs Florentine…

In the cocktail hour, some flashy fashion power…

Dinner tradition in a new restaurant…

When traditions get a surprise twist…

The tale of a lion’s tail…

Closing out our Boston anniversary with portals of prettiness.

Bonus: Shawn Mendes got into his Calvin Klein undies again. 

WHEN YOU’RE NEAR

THERE’S SUCH AN AIR OF SPRING ABOUT IT

I CAN HEAR A LARK SOMEWHERE

BEGIN TO SING ABOUT IT…

What a wonderful weekend we had celebrating our anniversary! This online world needs more happiness, love, and beauty- a little niche of giddy escapism, where the adventures of two not-so-young gents sharing a Boston weekend get recounted and added to my memory bank. When the winter rages and the snow returns, and when I need to be reminded of the comfort and warmth that is sometimes part of this world, I will revisit these posts and memories. The older we get, the more difficult it is to remember. This blog is the diary I keep so when such happy days start to fade and get fuzzy, I’ll bring them back with a click… and a smile. Though we are saying goodbye to Boston for the moment, we shall return again soon…

• Our 9^th Anniversary Begins in Boston…
• Beside the Harbor, a Derby or Two…
• European Flair, Boston Style…
• Kahlo & Toulouse-Lautrec: Day & Night…
• Tulips and Squirrels and Eggs Florentine…
• Cocktail Hour & Fancy Attire…
• A New Restaurant, An Old Routine…
• An Old Routine, A New Twist…
• Sunday Brunch & The Tail of a Lion…
• Portals of Prettiness, Promise of Return

“It’s so much friendlier with two.” ~ A.A. Milne

#TinyThreads