Category Archives: General

A Southern-born ginger is a much-appreciated sight for the sore-eyes who have been visiting this site since its inception. For all those newcomers, we welcome their eyes as well, as I’m sure the Hunk of the Day, Aaron Lee Smith, does too. Mr. Smith puts sexiness on the map for West Virginia, from where he hails. Congrats to him on this honor, his second after his initial crowning. PS – Bonus points for all the fabulous freckles!

The first of April came and went with its customary full-frontal male nudity moment. This time Zac Efron leaked his cock-shot, such as it was. Mostly though, the turn of the calendar page meant a look back at my time in the desert. Let’s stay in that zone for one more post.

It started in subtle style, with a damp beard and wet spike.

Hummingbirds were everywhere.

Citrus dangling in the sun.

Never overlook the light.

Raptors in flight, afternoon delight.

The desert in bloom.

A desert mystery unraveled.

The march of the saguaro.

Following a desert trail.

The fall of a saguaro.

Another desert mystery begins.

A sunset away from the boulevard.

A final desert recap with a recap.

The Hunk of the Day feature returned with Joseph Boyd and Alistair Brammer.

The Madonna Timeline feature returned with a track from her epic ‘Ray of Light’ album.

Finally, sexy came back in the form of a naked Trevor Donovan.

“I have always loved the desert. One sits down on a desert sand dune, sees nothing, hears nothing.  Yet through the silence something throbs, and gleams.”  ~ Antoine de Saint Exupery

While the desert works its wonders in recent posts, we pause for the usual Monday morning recap, in which we look back briefly on the week the clock moved into spring. A very happy week indeed…

It began with the start of spring, a glorious beginning indeed, even if it still resembled winter in sight and sound.

Winner winner, Italian dinner.

Smells like red rhubarb.

Not just the August place to be.

A breathless moon fit for a dance.

A naked Ashley Parker-Angel.

The Delusional Grandeur Tour, in full-effect.

That Zac Efron Freedom Speedo.

A desert journey that began decades ago came to fruition at last. I waited for the sun, but the rain is something special in the desert. It carried its own special perfume. Spikes and spines made for excellent architecture. There was beauty in the botany too. Angels and art soared through the air.

Hunks of the Day included Preston Truman Boyd, Will Taylor, Fred Johanson and Connor Franta.

The Delusional Grandeur Tour hits New York City this weekend with a much-heralded return to ‘Sunset Boulevard’, but as is often the case with this blog, we are time-traveling back to a dramatically different tour stop: Tucson, Arizona. This weekend begins the series of desert delusions, and it’s a story that originates way back in the dim days of my childhood. That’s getting ahead of myself, and we’ll be shifting timeframes enough without adding to the confusion. Besides, we need to get back into touring mode, which is a much a state of mind as it is an actual journey. A comprehensive look at where we’ve been:

THE DELUSIONAL GRANDEUR TOUR: LAST STAND OF A ROCK STAR

01)  Intro/Curtain – Part One, Part Two, Part Three

02)  Sunset Pool – Part One, Part Two, Part Three, Part Four, Part Five

03)  On The Road Hotel – Part One, Part Two, Part Three

04)  Rock Star Addict – Part One, Part Two, Part Three

05)  Animal Demons – Part One, Part Two, Part Three, Part Four, Part Five

06)  Steam Punk Birdcage – Part One, Part Two, Part Three, Part Four

07) Red Riding Wood - Part One, Part Two, Part Three, Part Four, Part Five

08) Winter Top Hat - Part One, Part Two

09) Warrior Retribution - Part One, Part Two, Part Three, Part Four, Part Five, Part Six, Part Seven, Part Eight

10) Cologne Glamour Fashion - Part 1, Part 2, Part 3

11) Samsara Healing Water - Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5

12) Spring Thaw Salvation - Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5

13) Flower Bomb Balm - Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, Part 8

Josie joined us last weekend, and we made a trip to Saratoga on a Saturday morning. We’d done this once before, and it’s always a good time. A little shopping on Broadway followed by a lunch at Cantina, all in the service of finding Josie some jewelry for a very special event coming up next month. If it was to be found in this area, it would be found in Saratoga, which has the most unique shops, as evidenced by a few photos I got during our excursion.

The shops along Broadway offered all sorts of whimsy and enchantment – crystals and incense and silk capes, jewelry and coffeehouses and ornate boxes for trinkets – a little of everything precious and beautiful. Not a bad way to spend the last Saturday of winter, and the company was stellar. We returned home to this previously-heralded dinner by Andy and ended the day in fine, and full, form.

I always forget how, at certain times of the day and particular portions of the year, the snow reflects the blue in the sky more than its own inherent white hue. It usually happens as the afternoon turns to evening, and in the shadow of direct sunlight. There’s a magical transformation then, something that both softens and cools the way it glows.

The light lasts longer now, staying a couple more minutes each day. We’ve broken the back of winter, but I’m sure it will throw some tail-whip lashes in before the snow goes completely. For now, I’m enjoying the way it’s been melting, and how the light so majestically moves over the afternoon. What spring wishes ride on the wind as it rises over the snow? Which ones follow the sun only to get caught on the hook of a crescent moon?

Hip hip hooray!!! The season of hope is at hand at last! We wait all year for this to arrive, and we’ve got a few weeks of cold weather to get things in shape for warmer weather. (Hopefully that means my stomach too.) As for the arrival of the season, let’s celebrate with a quick look back at this day in years past.

2016 was as wintry as ever, despite some red witch hazel.

In 2015, I was cuffed on the first day of spring.

Shirtless furry guys warmed the first day of spring in 2014.

In 2013, the music for the day was ‘Appalachian Spring’.

As always, it’s a mixed bag.

Sick of the winter yet? Well, this is your week, as we officially begin the spring season today. The weather usually doesn’t follow until a few weeks later, but I’ll hold out hope. Considering we just got two feet of snow in one fell swoop, I’m not banking on an easy ride just yet. On with this recap of the last week of winter 2017. Bye Felicia.

It began with a basketball memory. (Yes, I have one.)

Harry Judd is furry, fit and fine.

Biggest snow job of the year.

Tempest in a teacup.

Semi.

Uplifting.

Sexy shirtless gingers for St. Patrick’s Day.

The day I turned into Woman Woman.

Fry it on me.

My upcoming reunion with, and at, ‘Sunset Boulevard’.

Like a muse to me…

Simon Dunn got naked… and sizzled.

Hunks of the Day included Sam Asghari, Luke Evans, Anatoly Goncharov, Kevin Sessums, Asger Skovgaard and in honor of my upcoming ‘Sunset Boulevard’ return, Michael Xavier.

As is often the case, it was the costume that called to me first: red, white and blue, with fabulous accents of sparkling gold. Stars played a big part in the pattern, including red ones on a golden crown and bullet-proof cuffs. Red boots and a gold lasso rounded out the wonder of the whole thing. This was Wonder Woman, as portrayed by Lynda Carter in the 70’s television series, and she was my idol.

In the first of many diva homages, I set about to become this wonderful creature. I wanted her power, her charisma, and her intelligence. I also wanted to emulate her way of getting out of every difficult situation using truth and smarts, in addition to physical prowess. At the time, I didn’t see that – all I saw, and all I wanted, was the costume. That was also the only thing I could really approximate, so I set about to see if I could come up with something to recreate her magic.

It began with the star-spangled satin extra-short shorts. With a background of blue, and stars of white, I contemplated the Underoos they made for girls, but was disappointed that the pattern was only on the front – the back was plain white. Luckily for me, a pair of Batman Underoos that I already owned were blue on the front and back, AND they had a waistband of yellow that could double as her golden belt. The lack of stars was the only problem, but it was easily solved by using a sheet of golden star stickers, the kind that some teachers put on their students’ tests if they were done well. The eagle-emblazoned halter/bustier was more difficult to conjure, and I had to settle on drawing an abstract bird on a red t-shirt and calling it close enough. For the bulletproof cuffs and that headband, I drew red stars on yellow construction paper, cutting out the shapes that would result in those power-generating talismans.

If it sounds utterly ridiculous, I’m sure it looked just as silly. But back then, and through to this very day, it wasn’t about perfectly recreating a look. It was about the journey to get there, and the obstacles that required strategy and cleverness to conquer. I couldn’t go online and buy a costume already assembled – I needed to conjure the wonder of this woman through imaginative facsimile. When I finally did, and when I looked at myself in the mirror, I saw a superhero. I felt the power coursing through me, and it came from the inside out. The neighbors may have laughed, and my family may have looked the other way, but I felt empowered and proud. From construction paper and stickers and underwear, I made myself into Wonder Woman. All I needed was a cause and a purpose.

All this reminiscing was brought on by the new ‘Wonder Woman’ movie trailer that premiered a couple of days ago. It’s a marvelous tease, filled with gorgeous island scenes and dramatic war passages. My friend Skip says it’s all about that musical motif, the one that shows up so chillingly in electric guitar form at the end of the clip. I agree. Well, that and a shirtless Chris Pine. Definitely a step-up from Lyle Waggoner.

That where seems a far way off, and a long time away.

Everything out of my window is white with snow, or gray with dirt and salt.

Green feels like a memory, one that I wish would return to present reality.

And so I conjure the past with a picture.

They appear on the cover of Madonna’s ‘Like A Prayer’ album – a string of beads to go with the hippie vibe she was recreating with the patchouli-scented midriff-baring denim invitation to ‘take you there.’ I searched high and low for a piece of jewelry that came close to the vision she so delicately teased. I could replicate the rings and the open pair of jeans, but the tassels of beads were not to be found anywhere.

Taking matters into my own hands, I decided I’d have to make my own version, and set about collecting the beads and chains and tiny pliers to make it all happen. A self-taught crash-course in jewelry-making resulted in a piece of which I could be proud, and it remains a favorite to this day.

It’s a bit too delicate for real use outside of photos, so I may return to the work and fortify the flimsier chain sections with something stronger. I like a statement piece, and an open-ended necklace always has a lot to say.