Monthly Archives:

November 2015

30
November
2015
Tags: General, Holiday
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Lucy or Charlie?

What do you do when the world thinks you’re a Lucy, but in your heart you know you’re really Charlie Brown? That’s the existential question that goes through my head every time ‘A Charlie Brown Christmas’ airs. Don’t get me wrong, I can well understand why some may think I’m a Lucy. The way she continually, and mercilessly, teases Chuck is a thing of inspiration. Not only the way she does it, but the way she takes such joy and glee in it. Giving a kid the hope that she’s not going to move that football again – sigh – my heart flutters at the unrelenting cruelty of it all.

But beneath that Lucy veneer, my heart secretly empathizes with Mr. Brown, with the under-dogs who fervently and earnestly believe in the good of the world, the hope that people will, eventually, do the right and just thing. The way he believed in the Great Pumpkin. The way he put his heart into his little Christmas tree. The way the world crushes him time and again. There’s something noble in that. Noble and heartbreaking.

Truth is, I’m not Lucy or Charlie. I’m not even that talented genius Schroeder.

I’m Snoopy.

Completely unconcerned, unmoved, and unimpressed by the world. Living a charmed, well-cared-for and carefree existence. (And often in the dog-house.) That’s closer to my lucky life than some mean girl or downtrodden boy.

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30
November
2015
Tags: General
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A Recap to Kick off the Holiday Season

Here we go! Let the holiday hijinks begin! Tis the season to be jolly! It’s also the season to be busy, so to that end, let’s get going with the traditional Monday morning recap. I’ve just returned from a weekend in Boston, so I need a day or two to regroup. On with the look-back…

It began with this miraculous Monday moon shot of Simon Dunn naked.

Even Justin Clynes had a tough time topping that, though he did his very best.

My Holiday Wish List 2015 was finally published, and all two people who will even remotely entertain buying anything off of it have been notified.

A new parade of Holiday memories has begun, with more on the way.

The old parade of Hunks of the Day continued with Aaron Diaz, Gregg Sulkin, Andrew Morrill, Dennis Nathanael van den Eijk, Aaron Lazar, and Sean Yeary.

Happy Thanksgiving!

One of my very favorite parts of the season.

The most important outfit of the season, in RED.

Sit on this!

You’re gonna hear me roar.

Do it until your hand hurts. (And then be prepared to do it some more.)

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29
November
2015
Tags: Food
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A Virgin Risotto Voyage

I’ve watched the preparation of risotto a couple of times, most recently by Lidia Bastianich, and everyone has always made it look very easy, provided you follow a few simple rules. I’m proud to say that for my virgin attempt at this Italian classic, I did pretty well. The constant stirring is a necessity, and yes, your arm will get tired. (Mine certainly did.) And when you get toward the end, it’s less about following the exact recipe and more about how much liquid you need to add to get it to the right consistency, which you can only gauge by repeated tastings.

For this initial try, I kept things relatively simple, utilizing an onion and a couple of fennel bulbs as the base. The best thing about risotto is its ability to take on any and all flavors and accents, but I wanted to taste the Arborio rice and see how things worked before getting all shellfish fancy and rainbow bright.

The slow and laborious ladle-by-ladle process of cooking to keep the rice intact works wonders, but it is a task. Repetitive and demanding, and without any corners to cut, it eventually becomes a peaceful endeavor once you give in to the rhythm, listen for the slight crackling, and keep things in motion. It’s also best done on a cold fall or winter’s night – you’re going to sweat.

Slowly but surely, the rice gains its classic soft-focus consistency – and I do mean slowly. This is one thing that cannot be rushed.

It’s a good lesson during these soon-to-be-hectic holiday times. We should all slow down a bit, savor the minutes, and pause for reflection. Making risotto is an opportunity for that, and like many instances of cooking, I find it peace-inducing and cathartic.

The end result was heavenly – rich and creamy and full-bodied, aided by the last-step addition of freshly-grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese and a few more dollops of butter. As you approach the last minutes of cooking, be sure to taste for consistency and flavor, and hold off on the addition of salt until after you’ve added the cheese. (Mine was a tad too salty by the end of the ordeal.) All in all, however, I was pleased with the final product. I’ll try it again as soon as my arm recovers from all the stirring.

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29
November
2015
Tags: Fashion, Holiday
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Poof! I’m a Bear!

In my heart of hearts, I’ve always felt a strong affinity to bears. Maybe it was Winnie-the-Pooh who started it all when I was a child, or the comfort of a few stuffed bears that remain with me to this day, but whatever the cause I love a cuddly bear. When I saw this fun onesie at Primark in Boston, I scooped it up for a fall day like the one captured here.

Originally, this was a photo shoot for a possible Holiday Card, but I opted for something even more spare and simple. (A guy needs a year to recover from all that blood and powder.) These shots, while fun, didn’t quite capture the simplicity of the season that I wanted for this go-round, so here they are for your browsing enjoyment and laughter. I mean, I look absolutely ridiculous, and I absolutely love it.

It was also immensely fun to prance around the backyard in this furry one-piece, which reminds me of those sleepers I used to wear as a kid, the kind that came with slightly-rubberized feet for a grip on ungainly slippery floors.

They embodied coziness during the holidays – and all winter for that matter. When zipped up to the top, they trapped and kept body heat, providing a portable little source of warmth for young boys who needed to be mobile while racing around the cool rooms of a drafty house.

For someone whom most assume to be fashionably against such items of clothing, I happened to love those sleepers as a kid. My brother and I wore them for some of my happiest holiday memories: watching Christmas cartoons, racing downstairs to a pile of gifts on Christmas morning, staring up at the twinkling Christmas tree before going to bed, or waiting around in the kitchen for Christmas cookies to come out of the oven.

No matter what kind of show I put on here and in the rest of my life, happiness will always trump fashion for me. Let that be our little secret.

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28
November
2015
Tags: Boston
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A Stool on Which To Sit

When we first moved into the Boston condo exactly 20 years ago, there was no furniture whatsoever. As a full-time college student and almost-full-time retail worker (35 hours per work, thank you) I didn’t have much time to worry about interior designer, or even the simple stocking of a few main pieces of furniture, so for the first few weeks I lived sparsely with a cot (well, the mattress portion of a cot, anyway), a single lamp, and, eventually, a pair of stools near the kitchen area. The kind on which I am precariously perched in these photos.

This was a quiet time in the condo, and in my life. Despite the business of my schedule, and the expanding social scene of a gay guy just entering his 20’s, my moments alone were still and silent. Part of this was a practical matter of not having a stereo system, or a clock radio that got any sort of decent reception in the bedroom, and part of it was an unconscious yet somehow deliberate act of seeking out quiet when the rest of my life was getting louder.

At the time, I don’t think I fully realized the gift that such quiet solitude would prove to be. In fact, I don’t think I understood that for many years thereafter. Only recently have I come to realize the great power and healing that comes from being alone in the quiet of that condo. I’ve always felt a pull there when I’ve felt troubled or unsure, and I think it’s because there is this sense of peace and calm that originated there all those years ago.

Today, there is a decidedly-full collection of furniture and accessories in the space, but the quiet remains, if you let it. As the day dims and the street lamps flicker on, that quiet is there. As night falls and the other brownstone windows wink awake, the quiet pervades. As another morning arrives, whether gray or sunny or stormy, the quiet remains.

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28
November
2015
Tags: Fashion
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Wings for a Festival, in RED

Sometimes an outfit just needs a pair of red wings to make it pop, as was the case with this year’s Beaujolais Nouveau Wine Festival ensemble. I knew I wanted something red, but also something simple. After last year’s extravagant, but difficult-to-walk-in, geisha ensemble, I decided to pare things down a bit. A pair of plaid pants, a red jacket, and some scarlet wings gave me all the lift I needed. 

In the days when this event was held in the Franklin Plaza, this outfit never would have taken flight, but now that there’s the open space of the Convention Center, it got its chance to soar.

I gave it fifteen minutes before someone inadvertently ripped it off, but somehow these wings were touched and protected by a higher power: they stayed on for the duration of the entire evening.

Now, they can be retired, having been captured on camera and displayed at the festival, joining the ranks of this cape, these green balls, and this kimono.

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27
November
2015
Tags: Holiday
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A Favorite Thing

This weekend marks the Holiday Stroll 2015, whereby my friend Kira and I make the Boston shopping rounds in celebration of the season. I’ve plotted out an itinerary and map of the route we’ll be taking, and I’ve selected a couple of movies we may watch at the end of our journey. (Hey, I’m a Virgo. I enjoy a carefully-thought-out plan. And there’s tons of wiggle room for last-minute changes.) We’ve made this trek for a few years now, and it’s a tradition that has quickly become my favorite.

We’ll do some shopping for our friends and family, but mostly the weekend is about spending holiday time with a good friend. It begins in the South End, traverses Copley, meanders through Beacon Hill, stops in Chinatown for lunch, crawls through the crowds of Downtown Crossing and Quincy Market, then heads into the seaport area for the first time. It’s a good spell of walking, but it’s a labor of love.

I’m also planning on making the condo a bit of a holiday haven. To that end, and for an upcoming holiday hour with some children, I’ll be decorating the space for the first time since 1999. Back then I was living there full-time, and we had a holiday party for which I decked those tiny halls. This year, I’m hoping to add some coziness and charm to the atmosphere of our stroll, to make it a little more special in honor of a belated birthday celebration for Kira, and our little tradition.

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26
November
2015
Tags: General
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Turkey Lurkey Time

It’s almost time… and even though this may be more apropos for Christmas, you’re getting it today. Cause, you know, Turkey.

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26
November
2015
Tags: General
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Happy Thanksgiving!

It’s not something I put up here often, but in my daily life I give thanks quite a bit, and I am very much aware of how lucky I am. Gratitude has been ever-present in my life, and when you live as charmed a life as I do, that’s how it should be. This particular post is my small way of showing how grateful I am for my online family (I’ll be with my real family all day).

Thanks to everyone who visits this site, even if it’s just to see the Hunk of the Day or what silliness I may have slapped on my back this week. Whatever your reason for taking a moment to stop by, thank you. Now go and give thanks to someone else who needs to hear it. We’ll rendezvous later with tales of holiday fun…

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25
November
2015
Tags: Holiday
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Hush-A-Bye Wink-A-Bye Doo: Holiday Memories

 Red is the color of Santa’s sleigh,

Green are the pine trees along the way,

Gold is the sunshine on Christmas Day…

Hush-a-bye, wink-a-bye, doo…

Thus began a Christmas song at what was my first or second grade concert at McNulty School. I had been nabbed to sing the opening solo line due to my stellar coloratura (to be fair, I think it was my shiny bangs that won me the hardly-coveted role, but whatever). At that moment in time, I wasn’t afraid of audiences or watchful eyes, so when we performed it to a gymnasium filled with grades 1-6, I sang my little heart out. There was no shame in my game yet, and the world had not yet enforced any on me. It was probably the last time I’d feel such wonderful freedom.

I forget who was tapped to sing the second pine trees verse (I’m pretty sure it was Lynn or Laura) but I distinctly remember that the sunshine line went rather ill-fittingly to a girl named Crystal, who had a perpetual snarl on her scowling face, and who was never very nice to me. Sunshine my ass. For Christmas, however, I did my best to suspend such evil thoughts, trying hard to put myself in Crystal’s shoes and seeking out some silver lining in her otherwise-awful countenance. Whenever I think ill of someone, I try to picture them at their happiest, with a grand smile betraying some hidden joy they find in the world, and it’s a little more difficult to think badly of them. A little. When she sang her sunshine line, wearing a skirt that was two sizes too big for her, I realized that she probably didn’t have as lucky a life as I did, and I started taking her snarl and her coldness not as a personal affront, but as the way she had to deal with an unfair world. It was the closest I could get to humane holiday behavior, and as we stood up before the entire school, I wanted to protect her – and to protect us – as a united front.

Those holiday concerts were the last time I felt comfortable in front of an audience. I had already started to “act” stereotypically gay (a lisp – cured by the application of peanut butter to the roof of my mouth by the linguistic teacher – didn’t help) and my over-the-top theatrics during these holiday shows must have been met with cringes by more than a few parents. I didn’t notice then, but I would see it soon enough.

On that day, I was just singing, ‘Red is the color of Santa’s sleigh’ and holding up a little wooden sled painted in red. I was trying to make my peace with a crabby girl named Crystal. Most of all, I was looking forward to the coziness and warmth that Christmas always brought.

This year’s holiday season is just getting underway, and I’m already feeling the excitement. No more Scrooge theatrics – I’m going to enjoy it from start to finish.

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24
November
2015
Tags: General
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Holiday Wish List 2015

In this period of relative ennui with worldly possessions, there’s not much that I’ve been hankering for of late, which makes a Christmas wish list, as requested by family, a bit of a dilemma. Not that I’ve ever been that hard-pressed to come up with things that I want. With that in mind, and for the ease of those wonderful people who are good enough to grant me gifts, here are a few items I wouldn’t kick out of bed.

I remain enraptured by the elusive  Jeremy Scott Adidas Wings 3.0 “Gold”, Size 10. This is one that would require an extensive eBay search, and since I’ve been asking for it for over a year it looks unlikely to happen now, but it will remain on the top of my list until it becomes available. (These are not to be mistaken for similar wing-tips that Mr. Scott has produced – these are the ADIDAS JEREMY SCOTT WINGS 3.0 GOLD SNEAKERS.)

Fragrance is always a welcome addition to my accessory roster, and while there is no new Tom Ford Private Blend available right now, there are several by Byredo Parfums that are worth a spritz. First up is the spicy Bal D’Afrique, which carries an incense-like accent that would keep things smoky and warm through the winter.

I also fell in love with Perfume 11 by BLK DNM the last time I was in New York. It’s a lighter, fresher scent than those I usually favor at this time of the year, but come January it will be a welcome change. It’s also proving difficult to find online, and may only be available in some New York City stores. (I found it in the gift shop at the Standard High Line.)

{Gift certificates to Barneys or Neiman Marcus would cover additional cologne desires.}

These Alexander McQueen floral loafers  – in Size 43 (US 10) – are dream-shoes that would take me to Oz and back.

Florals are big in my life right now, as evidenced by my infatuation with these floral sweatpants for lounging (and more) by Bonobos. Officially christened ‘Nomad French Terry Sweatpants’, their rose motif is a gorgeous twist for a pair of sweatpants. Size Medium, please.

When the rains come back in the spring, this beautiful blue Brooks Brothers Black Fleece raincoat would be ideal, in size BB1. (It’s on a big sale right now to boot.)

As for more practical concerns, the condo needs a new air conditioner,  a new set of bedding (Queen), and a new pillow or two (20 x 20 or 26 x 26).

{And if all else fails, there’s always Amazon.}

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23
November
2015
Tags: General
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A Recap on the Verge of Everything

A jam-packed weekend that included the Beaujolais Wine Celebration and an evening of ‘Queen of the Night’ in NYC will, if all goes according to schedule, have come to a close last night, and this post is being programmed while I’m in the midst of a killer cold that knocked me way behind in everything that was going so smoothly. This is how life checks you when you’re doing a little too much. On with the recap of the previous week…

It began, as it usually does, with a Hunk of the Day: Brent Van Sant.

My week-long bout with sickness left a number of silly posts, such as this purely GIF-fueled one and this no-brainer that consisted solely of a new Adele song, When We Were Young. Not to mention this brief snippet of holiday times to come.

Luckily, I often write in advance of posting times, so I got to enjoy the fruits of this labor-of-love post on poet (and future Hunk of the Day) Ben Kline.

David Beckham was named the Sexiest Man Alive for 2015, probably ten years after the fact, but better late than never.

One of the most special Hunks of the Day was re-crowned, and teased with this look at other important HODs.

Zakh Michael was the first Hunk of the Day whose story was big enough to merit two parts.

NYC – what is is about you?

Getting nude in a hotel room.

The Delusional Grandeur Tour: Last Stand of a Rock Star concludes its incendiary ‘Rock Star Addict’ section, right before they cart me off to rehab.

More Hunks rounded out the week, including Charles Melton, Canelo Alvarez and Austin Victoria.

And capping off Sunday with a bulge-tastic flourish was this Speedo post.

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22
November
2015
Tags: Shirtless Male Celebrities, Speedo
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Cold Speedo Sunday

The weather outside may be growing frightful, but this blog will hopefully keep things delightful as we serve up a Speedo Sunday post to warm the cockles of your budgie smuggler. Here is Chris Mears, who seems to be stealing some Tom Daley thunder of late, with photos shoots and calendar compilations that rival much of what Mr. Daley has done. It’s the sort of competition that can get fierce. Winner shows it all.

Previous Speedo shots have included this one of Luke Evans in bright blue, Tom Daley in burgundy, and Greg Louganis in black and white.

Also filling out their banana hammocks were James Magnussen, Jack Laugher, Ian Thorpe, and Ryan Lochte.

And for good measure, here is Michael Phelps completely without a Speedo, i.e. totally naked.

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21
November
2015
Tags: Delusional Grandeur Tour
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The DG Tour: Rock Star Addict ~ Pt. III

Some stories require a million words to get across the simplest point. Others require the merest wisp of a whispered few to achieve the same breadth and effect. Still others tell their narrative with a single image. The Delusional Grandeur Tour Book, chronicling the Last Stand of a Rock Star, aims to tell its tale through a little of both. In this particular entry, however, the emphasis is decidedly on economy of expression, allowing a few choice photographs, and the slightest prayer, to expound upon a very dark story.

It’s a story that I’ll one day tell in far more chilling detail (perhaps), a story that touches on issues that run deeper than anything I’ve written about here (thus far), and a story that informs the very essence of this final tour (yes, it’s the last).

It’s also a story that can be interpreted in myriad ways, which is why I love this portion of the Tour Book so much. At first glance, it says something, but if you analyze further it says something else. Each version carries its own set of truths, but each has hidden aspects, and realities that are missing even from the most seemingly-blatant photographic evidence. There’s a phrase that people throw around when they want to sound mysterious and intriguing: nothing is what it seems.

I’ve rarely found that to be true. Most things are indeed as they appear, and the simplest and most stress-free way to live is to take those things to be true. Otherwise, we’d be doubtful of anything, suspicious of everything, and wary of the entire world. I wouldn’t ever want to live that way.

Yet sometimes things aren’t what they at first glance appear to be. Sometimes they’re not what they seem to be upon eight or nine glances. There is always room for the individual to change and grow, evolve and improve – and to count anyone out, especially a proven chameleon and exception to the rule, is foolishness that will always be exposed as such.

“And now I find I’ve changed my mind. This is my religion.”

The Delusional Grandeur Tour: Last Stand of a Rock Star

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21
November
2015
Tags: General
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Touring Existence

A hotel in New York, the street sounds buffered and muted but always there. A comforting drone, white noise accented by horns and the occasional boom or crash. The messy bed, even when occupied by only one. A luxury when they have to change all the sheets for the next guest anyway. A life made up of hotel nights, a vagabond nomad existence. A world contained in a carry-all.

A tour transforms, much like a hotel, and in the same way it’s very temporary, fleeting. A tour exists on its own, as an entity. Like a hotel, it is a structure. A vehicle for transformation even if the concept itself is stationary, even if the blueprint never changes. It is the background and the atmosphere and the blank canvass for An Experience. The setting and the scenery for What Is About To Happen. The skeleton of The Show. And all the skin and sparkle we hang on it is no more than window-dressing and gauze.

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