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Dazzler of the Day: David Blue

Actor, writer, director, producer, vocalist, dancer, musician, podcaster, streamer, fitness trainer, coach, and consultant, David Blue wears more hats and performs more roles in a day than most of us do for any entire lifetime. That multi-faceted brilliance earns him this Dazzler of the Day crowning, because it’s further proof that we are always more than the one or two things that people want to think we are. Check out his website here for further evidence of his brilliance.
 
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Floral Miscellany

What is that bright blaring thing in the sky? 

It’s the sun! 

Where in fuck have you been?!?

{Excitedly checks the weather app after shutting the shit down on the 29th consecutive weekend of rain… and sees the upcoming weekend set for… more rain.}

Before that next weekend of rain arrives, let’s have our sun and eat it too.

A few miscellaneous flower shots from our recent trip to Maine, and now I’m heading into the light… for the moment…

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The Law of Blueberry Shit

You know how when you drop a blueberry on the floor, it takes up, what, maybe 1/10,000 of actual floor space? Like, it’s the smallest amount of floor space compared with the vast expanse of non-blueberry-covered floor. 

Why is it, then, that of all the fucking floor space available without a blueberry on it, that is the exact space where your bare foot decides to land? 

(There’s a real blueberry shit story from my childhood, but that one deserves its own post. This one comes to you from a rainy weekend of agitation brought on by all the rain.)

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A Proudly-Gay Recap

My friend Chris – straight, white, cis male friend Chris – wished me a Happy Pride yesterday, and without thinking I snapped/texted back, ‘Pride is dead.’ (In my defense it had also just started raining a-fucking-gain and my mood was decidedly homocidal in a fabulously homosexual way.) I followed it up with a more lengthy explanation of how, after 49 years of fighting (because when you’re gay every day can be a fight when you are being raised in a hetero-centric social world construction and always out of your element) I was simply worn out and exhausted. In the face of the regression that this country seems to be embracing, I am genuinely too disheartened to do any sort of pride stuff.

I realize this is exactly what oppression is, and what it wants, and why it works – I just don’t care at the moment. Someone else will have to take up that mantle – for my own mental health, and my own happiness and well-being, I can’t do much more than try to live this pretty little life with Andy and my friends and family, and hope that the bulk of America does something to make things better. (Voting for Republicans, or not voting at all, is clearly destroying this country.)

But as these pictures will attest, just because my pride isn’t blatantly apparent or on parade all the time doesn’t mean it’s not there. It’s in me always, in every single way I live my life – openly and unabashedly, defiantly or acceptingly, loudly or quietly. I don’t need a sanctioned month of token allyship or corporate posing to make me feel worthy or whole. That said, Pride month still matters, perhaps now more than ever, so keep celebrating, keep parading, keep doing what we’ve been doing for decades in the hope of something better happening. My denim-clad rainbow ass will always have your back. On with the weekly blog recap (and one more subtle pride pic below…)

In the name of comfort, a pink doughnut. 

Objects for every room.

For those who need a little pump and bump.

Scented by spiced tea.

Four male celebrities in white briefs.

Let’s go TACO!

Three decades ago I met my tribe.

Let’s get popping.

A brief pubic pause in the name of divinity.

This is Wicked Fabulous!

A scent on the verge of summer – this is Tilia.

A midnight post to share with you.

Our Ogunquit Adventures began in the rain

and ended quite happily in the sun.

Dazzlers of the Day included Chris Colfer, Vincent Chong, and Ricky A. Schroeder.

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Spring in Ogunquit: Rain and Shine – Part 2

Eventually the sky brightened – glimpses of blue and peeks of sun emerged – though storms and rain were encroaching and surrounding us at all times, occasionally rearing some rainy moments. One time we were at the beach, just skirting the entrance, when the skies turned dark so we had to hurry back to the inn – there’s a photo below of that, but before we got there we did manage to find some lilacs in full bloom – their scent evocative of childhood and happiness and springs that came before

Not only were the traditional lilac lilacs in bloom, but the more rare white lilac was putting on a show – an elegant and slightly softer-scented version of its ubiquitous cousin.

They held their heads up in the face of incoming stormy patches, when the sky started spitting rain and the wind picked up in slightly menacing fashion. It was just enough drama to keep things interesting – and as long as it wasn’t a steady downpour for hours at a time, we managed to be in and out and variously about to make the most of this precious part of Maine. 

Breaks of sun made for pockets of bloom time for some of the understory flowers and shrubs, who lit up the cloudy sections with their pastel prettiness. 

By Sunday, our last full day in town, the stormy patches had passed and the Marginal Way was sunny.

The waves were still being dramatic, which made for wonderful moments of wave-watching

Having made our way to Perkins Cove, we picked up a few gifts for Mom, including a fabulous scarf from Kiki’s (where I once found a glorious blue boa that will one day fill a blog post as promised).

The walk back was as beautiful as the way there, only it felt like it went by faster, as is usually the case with pleasant experiences. 

The whole long Memorial Day weekend went by that way… the way life should be. 

Our last morning dawned in sunny and fine fashion – the way every single departure day from Ogunquit has always gone – I’ve a mind to schedule an extra day in the future just to play with fate. As we checked out with Anthony at the Scotch Hill Inn, we booked our fall visit – a little bit of hope to ease the end of summer when it comes.

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Spring in Ogunquit: Rain and Shine – Part 1

How fitting that I am writing about our latest Ogunquit adventures on a very rainy Saturday morning. Rain is very clearly our spring theme – forget about dreaming – and to be frank, this rain is BULLSHIT. Anyway, even with the wet stuff, we can never have a bad time in Ogunquit, so let’s revisit our visit.

 

Our Thursday entry into town was – surprise! – a rain-soaked endeavor, reminding us of the first few years we started coming to the Beautiful Place By the Sea, where every trip was accompanied by steady rain. This marks our 25th year of visiting Maine together, and it’s always a treat. This was the very first trip that Andy and I took as a couple. It felt right 25 years ago, and it still feels right today.

While the drive through Massachusetts was a rainy one, once we arrived in Ogunquit the sky was only spitting a bit. Heavier rain would return for our dinner at Walker’s later that night, but for the first few minutes there was a little reprieve. We made a quick walk across the street for a lunch snack, while a wind, decidedly too cool for a spring visit, danced around us. The sky threatened rain again, so we hurried back to the Inn.

We settled into our favorite room at the Scotch Hill Inn, which is a sanctuary of comfort at every time of the year and in every sort of weather condition. Coupled with the amazing breakfasts by inn-keeper Anthony, we could be happy simply staying in, and for the rainy periods that’s largely what we did – it was heaven.

While the rain allowed for guilt-free lounging, it also afforded blooms and water-accented leaves of beauty for passers-by who happened upon them.

The town was largely in full bloom – apple blossoms and iris and azaleas were all putting on a splendid show, even through the rainy weather. 

I found my way to a favored woodland walk, where wake robins were in their charming bloom – usually by the time we arrive their show has already taken place. The weather worked in our favor this time, as they were at the pinnacle of their floral magnificence. 

What we gained from the trilium, we lost in the form of very few Rosa rugosa blooms, though we managed to captured this lone white version. It had to carry all the charm of the spring in a single blossom, and it did.

We don’t take many vacations, so it takes a while to get into a vacation groove. While I pretend to be hard-wired for lounging and ease, the truth is I’m a hard-working Virgo who rarely just relaxes. That takes a while to calibrate, and I remember a former co-worker many years ago telling me that she needed two weeks for a proper vacation – because the first week was simply learning how to decompress – and I totally get it. 

It’s a little easier to more quickly find vacation bearings in Maine, where the living and eating is so good. As Friday dawned, the sky looked a little lighter…

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A Midnight Post To Share With You

At the time of this writing – approximately 10:24 PM – it is still raining, and it’s been raining the entire day. This is reportedly the 29th consecutive weekend of precipitation being recorded in the Albany area. That just about broke me. Andy walked in during a tirade that included more f-words than I’ve uttered in a while because I’m so behind in the garden that I’m leaning into a jungle theme this summer because it’s already too late to prune the shit back. So much needed to be dug out several weeks ago. Oh well. 

Feels like a crappy way to begin June, so I’m finding a song of comfort to see us through the night. Give this one a whirl. It’s the emotional finale of ‘Maybe Happy Ending’, one of the most charming things on Broadway right now. 

“Those sunny afternoons you spent with me, they’ll still be happening, just somewhere in the past. Each simple moment was a luxury – they’re not less valuable just cause they didn’t last.”

Yes, sunny afternoons feel far away in such dreary times, but somewhere they’re still shining. A comforting thought. 

At the start of June…

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A Scent on the Verge of Summer: Tilia by Marc-Antoine Barrois

Oh sweet Linden tree, how you so deceptively hide your green flowers among your foliage, emitting your delicious perfume in disguise while we all seek out what exotic and colorful bloom is the cause of such sweetness in the air! For many years, I half-heartedly sought out a linden tree fragrance, as cloying as it could sometimes be when a grove of them scented the warm air, but I never came across anything worthy of note until a recent weekend in NY.

After perusing the Creed line for a summer fragrance at Bergdorf Goodman (and getting nowhere) the perfume rep off-handedly pulled a bottle of Tilia by Marc-Antoine Barrois. Before smelling it, I wondered if it was related to the scientific name for the Linden tree of these parts (Tilia cordata or Tilia americana) and once the rep sprayed a little on a sample card, the scent of summer immediately filled the air. The universe sometimes has a way of rewarding those who are patient, and often when it’s least expected.

This is not entirely a natural linden fragrance – it carries a few synthetic aspects that may not fool some people into thinking it’s the real thing, but it’s certainly close enough, and has enough charm to kindle the elusive aura of almost-summer. A most tender perfume for this most tender time.

Layers of honeyed florals – linden, heliotrope, jasmine and broom ñ somehow don’t combine into something atrociously cloying, though this is a sweet floral, fit mostly for those who love the linden. It also tends to go quiet rather quickly, shyly retreating after its initial burst of summery sweetness – which is part of early summer’s charm, and welcome when the height of mid-day heat would render it a burden. 

Still, there is a sparkling richness to this perfume, a creamy confection that shimmers in the summer sun, and shines in the summer rain. 

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Dazzler of the Day: Ricky A. Schroeder (For the Very Third Time)

A multi-talented multi-hyphenate Renaissance man in the truest sense of the term, Ricky A. Schroeder is currently at the top of his game, starring in a Broadway show (Boop! The Musical), releasing new music, and making his annual daring splash in Broadway Bares. Schroeder has a number of theatrical credits under his dance belt, having performed in ‘Kinky Boots’,  ‘Footloose’, and ‘Becoming Nancy’. His television and film work includes memorable turns on ‘Pose’, ‘Hairspray Live!’, ‘The Last Five Years’, ‘Tales of the City’ and ‘The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel‘. As his singing/song-writing alter-ego Ricky Asch, he’s given us ‘He’s A Ghost’, ‘Don’t Try to Find Me’, and ‘town of eternal snow’ – with new single ‘Come With Me’ due June 13. For Broadway Bares, he’s single-handedly raised over $100,00 in the years he’s been part of the enterprise. Taken together, it’s a life and a career that merits the first-ever third crowning as Dazzler of the Day.  (See his most recent honor in this post.)

Check out Ricky’s website here, pre-order his new single ‘Come With Me’ here, and donate to his Broadway Bares page here.

 

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Wicked Fabulous!

Pride season is upon us, and with it comes the need for entertaining t-shirts, sweatshirts, jewelry and LGBTQ+ flair. Producing all of that and more is the Wicked Fabulous! company. Founded by David and Marc, a Massachusetts-based couple who have been together for 24 years, this small business managed to take hold during the COVID epidemic in 2020. Offering a wide array of witty apparel and an extensive jewelry selection that is perfect for Pride season and beyond, they also just revamped their website here – same great spirit, with even more sparkle and pizzazz, and a super-easy shopping experience.

There is an extensive selection of shirts and slogans that gets updated regularly, and an equally-impressive line of jewelry that incorporates gemstones and crystals for a Zen-centered bonus.

Best of all, this is a small homegrown company that courageously supports inclusivity and equality at a time when the current administration is dead-set against our basic rights. I will always give my support (and money) to a business that stands behind decency no matter the cost (we still see you, Target). It matters, and it makes a difference. It helps that I also happen to love so much of what they have on offer.

If you’re looking for some Pride gear, a fun and witty statement shirt, or a few pieces of exquisite jewelry, consider everything at Wicked Fabulous!

(I found the ‘Openly Gray’ t-shirt I’m wearing in the bottom of this post at Wicked Fabulous! It remains a favorite.)

You can find the new website for Wicked Fabulous! here.

See also their social media links:

Instagram

FaceBook

Twitter/X

YouTube

BlueSky

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A Brief Pause in the Name of Divinity

The current weekend posting schedule for 2005’s Divine Diva Tour project, subtitled ‘A Fairy’s Tale’, is being given a brief hiatus for this weekend, as all this looking back has me getting lost in the past. Given that the past has already happened and is set in stone, there’s no reason for it to be so murky, yet here we are.

Approaching the age of 50 (yes, I am working on my birthday registry, stop pestering me – there will be more than enough choices for the world to make and send my way – focus on how you’re going to afford it because 50 comes but once in a lifetime!) I find myself indulging in nostalgia more than I usually do. That dovetails neatly with our revisiting (and virgin online posting) of The Divine Diva Tour: A Fairy’s Tale. Lest anyone forget where we left off, here’s a list of all that’s come before:

~ The Divine Diva Tour: A Fairy’s Tale ~

  1. Pink Frilly Fairy: Part OnePart Two, and Part Three
  2. Homage to Herb: Part One, Part Two and Part Three
  3. A Purple-Hued Interlude
  4. Style & Panache: Part One, Part Two, Part Three and Part Four.
  5. Purple Puff Confection: Part OnePart Two, Part Three and Part Four.
  6. A Blue-Hued Interlude
  7. Fuchsia Fabulousness: Part One. Part Two and Part Three.
  8. Bad Boy Bangs: Part OnePart Two. and Part Three.
  9. Vanity Under Where: Part One, Part Two. and Part Three.
  10. Sugar Plum Ballerina: Part OnePart Two, and Part Three.
  11. A Pool Frolic: Part OnePart Two. and Part Three.
  12. A Cemetery Interlude: Part One and Part Two.
  13. Powder Blue Fur Doll: Part One, Part Two, and Part Three.
  14. A Milky Interlude 
  15. Rock Out, Cock Out/ Hang Out, Wang Out: Part OnePart Two, and Part Three.
  16. Cocktail Cocktale: Part One and Part Two.
  17. A Fairy’s Interlude: Part One and Part Two.
  18. Willy Wonkers: Part One, Part Two, and Part Three.
  19. A Peacock In Everything But Beauty: Part One, Part Two, and Part Three.
  20. Swan Lake Fantasia: Part One, Part Two, Part Three, and Part Four.
  21. Black & White in Briefs: Part One, Part Two. and Part Three.
  22. Weave of Basket, Weave of Rope: Part One, Part Two, Part Three, Part Four, and Part Five.
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Let’s Get Popping

Peony season is at last upon us – and thanks to an early Memorial Day weekend, and a bit of a delay in lovely weather, our peonies will be opening when we are fully in residence. (We usually miss out on a few days of blooms when we’re in Ogunquit.) I haven’t been able to work out in the garden much this year, and I feel a bit out of the loop right now. It will take some discipline to get back into the gardening way of life, but it will be good for my head to do so. The larger problems of the world get pulverized into proper perspective when I’ve spent a day working in the garden. That’s where the important lessons happen. That’s where beauty resides. That’s where I long to be…

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Three Decades Ago I Met My Tribe

The spring of 1995 was a tumultuous time in my life.

There had been suicide attempts, reckonings with self-destruction, and the typical growing pains of a young gay man coming of age in the 90’s. Remember, it was a very different world before the internet could act as a salve for solitude, or bring together those who felt different or strange. While I never much minded being alone – and actually preferred it most of the time – the universe was nudging me toward the people who would become my tribe. 

Fittingly, it was my very best friend/sister-figure Suzie, the person I felt safest and most comfortable around, who would introduce me to the happy circle of people I would soon count as friends. I couldn’t foresee how lucky those introductions would be, or that we were setting up something that would last a lifetime; I didn’t even realize how badly I needed a few friends at that moment. All I knew was that I was visiting Suzie as part of my Friendship Tour: Chameleon in Motion and she had roommates. 

The steep incline of College Avenue in Ithaca, NY afforded a few parking spaces near their rented house, and in the last days of that winter of 1995 the weather had decided to be relatively kind. As I pulled out a bunch of glittering clothing from the hanging rack in the back of my parents’ Blazer, I eyed the address and wondered what would greet me on the other side of the door. (Some people rode with skis or bikes on their vehicle – I rode with a removable clothing rack.) 

Suzie brought me into the fold of roommates, most of whom were busy going about their college lives – studying, working, and doing what college kids do late into the night. They welcomed me without hesitation or condition, and the nonchalance of acceptance, and the happy realization that this is the way life could be, and maybe should be, instantly melted my heart and set me at ease. They each had a striking and powerful personality, and getting to see them at home and behind closed doors gave me a glimpse into their complexities as well. None of us was perfect in every way, or any way if we’re being brutally honest, but we were entirely perfect for each other. 

So much of determining who gets dropped into our lives to stick depends on who the universe was pushing into our path at the times we were open to it. For most of us, that’s during our college years, as we cross into our twenties and really enter into adulthood. Those are the friends who see us through that final stretch of childhood, as we shake the last vestiges of innocence and ignorance off and move into the people we will soon become. 

That it is largely dependent on school and work locations – a mere combination of logistics – seems to remove a bit of destiny and kismet from the equation – and with age comes the somewhat sad realization that perhaps anyone who happened into our circle at such a time might have fulfilled the same need. 

The romantic side of me, however, isn’t quite ready to give up the sense of charm, or the spark, that comes when two compatible people enter each others’ orbits. There was something more than circumstance at work – and that’s the magic of friendship, of love. 

Whatever the case, and however the magic and science might marry, I was damn lucky to find all of you at a time in life when I so badly needed to find you. And it couldn’t have just been anyone. It had to be you. Each one of you. I think we were all lucky that way, perhaps me most of all, and no matter what happens, no matter how far apart we live, or how much time passes between visits, you will always be the people in my life who enter my heart when the world turns cold, when loss and grief come, whenever I need a happy thought of someone I love. 

(This may very well my favorite photo of my friends. I took it just before we were all set to see ‘Evita’, at my insistence. They were as excited as they appear to be, but they never questioned going; they knew what it meant to me, they sat through the whole thing, and since that moment they’ve been my tribe. This summer we are scheduled to come together again, in honor of us reaching the age of fifty, and thirty years of friendship… and fun.)

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TACO (Bagock!)

Trump

Always

Chickens

Out.

{See also FAFO.}

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Four Men in White Briefs

Technically this first pic is a white swimsuit, but the cut and the appearance is the same, so we’ll include Theo James in this post, and as the featured pic, due to how popular his other Speedo pics have been. Lest anyone forget, he was also a Dazzler of the Day, in which he wore even less. For more of him preening and posing in his skimpy swimsuit, see this recap.

Bad Bunny reveals very VPL here, leaving less to the imagination than his Calvin Klein photos did here.

It’s been a hot minute since we featured Zac Efron here, so let’s take his tighty-whiteys for a spin now. Or click here if you want a more comprehensive linky look at his stuff. 

Last but not least, here’s a bonus GIF of Joe Jonas giving white brief disco glory

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