Pull me off of my knees! On a Monday morning, my favorite thing to do is lament the passing of another weekend. I think back to those precious moments on Friday, when it all began, when it felt like we had all the time in the world to do all the things we wanted, and the possibility of excitement and merriment and fun was all we needed. I think of a key – the key to a car and the start of an adventure. The key to a hotel room, and the anticipation of seeing what’s on the other side. The key to our Boston condo, and the beginning of a few days away. The key to a heart…
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April
2016
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April
2016
25
April
2016
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April
2016
Back-Aching Recap
As of this writing, and a full three days of working outside in the yard, my body is about to give out, so forgive me if this recap is lazy as a clam. (Are clams even lazy?) Anyway, we began the week with a few changes. Nothing too major, just a couple of differences you may or may not have noticed, starting with a revamped posting schedule that goes back to a more energetic time. That’s right – the third post has returned.
That makes these recaps slightly more involved, so we may have to jumble the Hunks together, or in nifty little snatch batches, like this one: Tommy Didario, Tom Daley, Kevin Stea, Aaron Valenzuela & Adam Von Rothfelder.
We also have a semi-regular mid-week feature – the Wacky Wednesday post – in which some silliness relieves the drama and seriousness of most of the intent around here.
Attention has shifted to the garden, thanks to some decent weather at long last. It’s catch-up time now, but there’s always a moment for a good gardening lesson.
The birthday of a good friend is a good thing indeed.
Chris Pratt was already a Hunk of the Day, but he gets a special post for taking his shirt off. Same goes for these guys. And Daniel Macedo.
Adam Levine paid tribute to Prince in this amazing way.
I am now a proud member of the Beyhive.
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April
2016
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April
2016
Bend or Snap
Aside from patience, the other virtue that gardening has taught me is that of flexibility. I can be a rigid fucker, it’s true. My Virgo nature doesn’t embrace or enjoy change – at least not at first. It takes me time to get into a groove. A couple of moments to acclimate myself to something new. But the garden doesn’t pussy-foot around. If a storm is going to knock down a tree or fell a few perfect delphinium spikes, those things are going to go down no matter what. If a winter with nary enough snow cover heaves and rips the roots from the crown of a beloved specimen, get ready to bid it farewell.
Until recently, I was always looking for permanence and stability in the landscape. I wanted plants that would endure, trees and shrubs that would not require regular replanting or replacement. I wanted to plant something once and have it be there forever. But most plants won’t stay put. Even the most well-behaved and slow-growing ones will eventually require pruning or replacement. That changing face of the garden took some getting used to, but the lesson of change is an important one.
The flexible tree branches can sway and bend in the most violent storms. Those that remain rigid, refusing to yield, are the ones that get broken and torn asunder. I’m working on being more bendy.
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April
2016
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April
2016
Sipping Beyonce’s Lemonade
Up until last night, I wasn’t a Beyonce fan. I liked her, even if I only knew ‘Single Ladies’ and some of her Destiny’s Child work, but I was not a fan – certainly not a member of the Beyhive. Now, I’ve sipped the lemonade, and I’m a big damn buzzing bee. She debuted her visual album ‘Lemonade’ on HBO last night, and it was a marvel. I can’t believe I’m saying this, but it surpassed much of Madonna’s most recent work, and will hopefully be a little reminder of the possibilities of what an artist can accomplish these days.
Visually stunning, it tells the loosely plotted story of a relationship fractured and then put back together. While the ending is a happy one, it doesn’t feel entirely complete, and the issues that Ms. B raises are not simply or easily solved. I have no idea what it means to be a black woman in this country, and I certainly have no idea what it means to be Beyonce, but this work juxtaposes the two, with chilling references to the past, and a few terrifyingly personal moments of the present.
Most impressively, the hour-long work was a masterpiece in that it kept the viewer guessing as to how much of this was Beyonce’s life, and how much of it was artistic license and expression. That’s the sort of thing that always moved me most about Madonna, and it’s something I’ve tried to create in my own way right here on this blog. We each inhabit characters, playing up different versions of ourselves, all in an attempt to get closer to the truth. When we get comfortable, we tend to stay put and live in that comfort. The best artists don’t do that. They refuse. And they come up with some wonderful stuff to prove it.
Beyonce did that last night, and after tasting this ‘Lemonade’ I’m a proud member of the Beyhive.
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April
2016
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April
2016
Adam Levine Rocking Purple Rain
Perhaps the best tribute to Prince I’ve seen thus far – and delivered with a wish and prayer. Who knew Adam Levine could rock the guitar with such amazing skill and musical poetry? I think even Prince would blush with pride looking at this performance of ‘Purple Rain.’ This is just further proof that Adam Levine can do no wrong.
For more of Adam Levine (the skin-baring kind of more) check out this post.
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April
2016
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April
2016
Assorted Shirtlessness for Sat.
Attention has shifted to the gardens, which means this blog is going on autopilot for certain busy days. (I filled twelve large lawn bags  yesterday, dug the base out for a mini grill patio, and cleaned about a third of the yard – as of this writing my body is barely able to make these keystrokes.) No rest for the wicked, or for the strokers, so here you go: a Saturday collection of shirtless male celebrities.
For the feature photo, I give you none other than Jake Bass, because it’s always been about the bass (no treble). He’s bringing booty back in a bodacious and bad-ass way. Not unlike the guy seen below: Donnie Rust – the Naked Busker.
Double the dose of handsomeness, this pair of photos belongs to Chris Mears. Swim swim sugar.
Now for another threesome:Â Brandon Rubendall, Brock O’Hurn, and Nick Jonas.
Finally, another twofer, with this double punch of Harry Judd.
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April
2016
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April
2016
The Beauty of Pratt Pratt Pratt
Chris Pratt has been a Hunk of the Day here before, but rather than honoring him with a second (and largely redundant) honor, here is a post that simply celebrates his beauty, both for the outside, and what is within. But as Levar Burton in ‘Reading Rainbow’ once proclaimed, “You don’t have to take my word for it.” In fact, you don’t need to take any words at all ~ it’s all here, in the pictures.
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April
2016
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April
2016
Behold, The Pearls
Something about pearls never quite sat right with me.
I don’t know why.
Maybe it’s their overused ubiquity.
Or the fact that they’re all too easily faked.
Or maybe they’re just boring.
Classic, yes, but boring.
I own one real set, and they’re precious to me because they came from Andy.
I’m just never going to be a girl in pearls.
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April
2016
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April
2016
Happy Birthday, My Beautiful Friend
We partied like it was 1999, because it was, well, 1999.
Today is my dear friend JoAnn’s birthday, and when the world around us seems to crumble, she is a bright spot of hope and love. We have a grand history together. A friendship that has sustained itself for almost two decades is something rare and special, and I think we hold each other a little tighter as our journey twists and turns its way along its destined trajectory.
She was there for me when I had my first serious boyfriend.
She was there to help me pick out a basenji on a cold January day.
She was there to help me pick up the pieces when my first boyfriend and I broke up.
She shared wild and crazy nights (and days) in Boston, when we were young and foolish and just trying to find love and happiness. (And in a different way, we did.)
She made a welcoming home for everyone, no matter where she lived, and she brought us all together without expecting anything in return for it.
Most importantly for me, she opened her world to a guy who wasn’t always sure of himself, widening his circle of friends and enriching his life. For that, I am forever indebted and grateful for her presence in my life.
She continues to bring a passion to everything she does. She loves – and she loves hard. I can respect that. It hurts a little more to be in the world when you love like that, but she wouldn’t have it any other way, and neither would I.
Happy birthday to my dear friend.
21
April
2016
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April
2016
The Elusive Midday Post Returns
My recent FaceBook debacle has resolved itself, but left a very sour taste in my mouth for that whole site. If my account can simply be deactivated because someone says they’re me, then what is the point? The person who was actually using my photos for his profile has been reported by numerous friends of mine, and his accounts are still active, so there is seemingly no justice on FaceBook, but I’ve known that for some time. And speaking of time, that’s exactly what FaceBook has been taking from me for all these years, and only after being deactivated did I realize how much time I was actually giving up – time that could have been used for a third post each day.
In the last couple of years I’ve gotten into a lazy two-post-a-day schedule (except on weekends, when I usually muster three). I’d like to try to return to the three-post-a-day timetable, which means a midday addition that will be light on content and substance, but still substantial enough to merit existence. These may largely be photo posts with little writing, or whimsical videos or silly GIFs that I find entertaining or enlightening. It might be a simple link to something of interest to me, or a quote that I find inspiring. Nothing too strenuous, nothing too deep – just a break for breaking the hump of the day. Like this entry here. Consider this day’s hump broken, and carry on. Cheers for three.
PS – This is, as everything on this site is, subject to change. My focus has been shifting to non-online interests, and I’ve been happier with inhabiting the real world lately. I’ll do my best.
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April
2016
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April
2016
Lesson of the Garden
Gardening has taught me many vital things over the years, most often those things I never thought I needed to know. First and foremost is patience, and I fought against it every step of the way. From the eternal wait for seeds to germinate to the endless gestation of a flower bud, patience is a trait largely lacking in a growing boy, and I was no exception. In the realm of the garden, however, patience is a necessity, and it will be required no matter how much you find it infuriating.
I remember when I planted my first pair of Siberian iris in the backyard of my parents’ home. I’d purchased plants already in bud for the imminent explosion of indigo glory, and each day I anticipated the burst of violet-hued beauty. Each day I came from school, bounded into the backyard, and promptly felt the growing familiar feeling of disappointment as the buds stayed closed and silvery green, with nary a peek of purple lip. After what seemed an endless wait, the buds grew plump, and when I had almost given up on them a spot of color was revealed before a curtain of pines and evergreens. The wait was worth it, the color deeper and more rich than I imagined possible. Like some graceful exotic butterfly, it floated and waved in the slightest breeze. In many ways, I appreciated it all the more for the wait. It was an early lesson of the importance of anticipation. The reward of a drawn-out process.
Of course, that didn’t satisfy my desire for the instant gratification, but that’s not in ready supply in the garden. Rumor had it that there was even a certain bamboo you could actually see growing on prime sunny days. I couldn’t locate such a magical creature in the Northeast, but I’d heard similar quick-growth tales of papyrus, and when one was available at the local nursery, I snapped it up and immersed it in a bucket of water, with visions of a fountain of foliage. I didn’t take into account the heat and sun that such plants required to thrive, and the fact that our climate was a poor substitute. When it failed, I felt I had failed. The garden doesn’t sugarcoat its lessons.
Since that time, I had to learn that the process of gardening was one in which the satisfaction and allure is not based on immediate results. The best sort of garden takes years to plan and prepare, then years to maintain and edit, and then a few years of reshuffling and decline, until it all has to start over again. The main lesson of the garden has been that nothing is permanent. Even the oldest trees or shrubs need pruning at some point. The end will come in a storm or an animal or an accident. That’s all right. That’s ok. The garden will not be rushed or hurried. Everything unfolds as it was meant to unfold, like the petals of that Siberian iris.
20
April
2016
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April
2016
For Anyone’s Midday Munchies
On 4/20, some of you may be looking for some food ideas, so here’s a link-a-licious post pointing out some of the recipes that have brought my stomach satisfaction over the years. Most of these call for a decent amount of preparation and time to do well, but I’d still recommend any of these over that wretched Kraft Mac & Cheese anytime. Cheese was never meant to be powdered. [High-five.]
Let’s begin with this delicious Waldorf chicken salad, which carries the succulent bite of the spring and summer to come in each of its vibrant bites.
For those nights that still feel a bit cutting and cold, here’s an apple crisp to keep you warm and gooey.
If you want to act all piss elegant, try this traditional French snack.
One simply cannot go wrong with this classic kimchi fried rice with fried egg recipe.
The red pepper relish dip recipe contained in this post is a favorite of many guests.
Arugula is a mainstream lettuce.
The infamous Bitch Slap Brownies by Peaches.
Keeping things hot and spicy is this Tom Yum soup.
Check out the great crepe caper here.
You can’t beat the meat.
This recipe from Lidia Bastianich is just incredible. So is this one.
Bon appetit.
20
April
2016
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April
2016
Wacky Weed Wednesday: Toke ‘Em If You Got ‘Em
Happy 4/20!
I’ve never been big on the weed. I stayed clear of it completely during my high school and college years, and by the time I felt safe and secure enough to try it, the appeal was largely lost. That said, every few years I’ll take a toke and laugh my way into oblivion (or become so entirely paranoid that I think everyone is trying to kill me – especially bartenders).
One of the first times I tried pot was in a cemetery. I had finished a shift at Structure with my friend Matt and he drove us to a secluded plot for the dead in the middle of a dark summer night. Any fear I had of the space and circumstances was erased in our laughter – and that was before either of us had taken a single drag.
We talked in the way that some guys talk after feeling comfortable with each other – nothing forced, nothing fake, and nothing too extended. We could get deep, but not on that night. That night was just staving off some summer loneliness and replacing it with some summer fun surrounded by some skunky smoke.
DESTINATION UNKNOWN AS WE PULL IN FOR SOME GAS
A FRESHLY-PASTED POSTER REVEALS A SMILE FROM THE PAST
ELEPHANTS AND ACROBATS, LIONS, SNAKES, MONKEY
PELE SPEAKS RIGHTEOUS, SISTER SEENA SAYS ‘FUNKY’
HOW BIZARRE, HOW BIZARRE, HOW BIZARRE
OOH BABY, IT’S MAKING ME CRAZY
EVERY TIME I LOOK AROUND
EVERY TIME I LOOK AROUND, IT’S IN MY FACE’
‘How Bizarre’ by OMC played on the soundtrack to the store that summer. A ridiculous song – even more-so now – but for that night, and for that summer, it all seemed to work. In my silly 20’s, when I was way too serious for my own good, only occasional glimmers of what should have been a carefree time in my life managed to surface. That night was one of them. I laughed a little, then I laughed a lot. My head felt light, and my mood was mellow. Matt was good in that way, and I always had fun around him. One of my first straight-male friends, he helped me get over my fear of heterosexual guys. For the ensuing days of that summer we forged a friendship built on the doldrums of the Rotterdam Mall Structure store, where six-button polos ruled the wardrobe, and the greatest concern was who was going to do all the mopping on a Sunday morning.
RINGMASTER STEPS UP, SAYS, ‘THE ELEPHANTS LEFT TOWN.’
PEOPLE JUMP AND JIVE AND THE CLOWNS THEN STUCK AROUND
TV NEWS AND CAMERAS, THERE’S CHOPPERS IN THE SKY
MARINES, POLICE, REPORTERS ASK WHERE, FOR, AND WHY
PELE YELLS, “WE’RE OUTTA HERE!” SEENA SAYS, “RIGHT ON!”
MAKE YOUR MOVES AND STARTING GROOVES BEFORE THEY KNEW WE WERE GONE
JUMPED INTO THE CHEVY, HEADED FOR BIG LIGHTS
WANNA KNOW THE REST? HEY, BUY THE RIGHTS.
Eventually our laughter subsided, and the car grew quiet. Insects sang in the spooky air and summer squeezed itself around our heads. If I’d only known then how wonderful those moments were, if I’d only known how happy I was and how my worries were so trifling… But I didn’t know. And maybe that’s for the best. Maybe that’s what protected me and kept me safe. Maybe if I had a sense of security, I might have been too reckless, if that makes any sense.
We talked for a bit in our relaxed state, talk that was both silly and meaningful. It felt fraught with import, but for the life of me I can’t recall the details. I guess it doesn’t matter – the important part was that it bonded us in a way, strengthening our friendship and adding a chapter in our shared history. I didn’t know what it was like to have a straight guy friend, and Matt didn’t know what it was like to have a gay friend, so we found our footing together. Those tender steps mattered more to me than romance, even if I didn’t quite believe it then.
HOW BIZARRE, HOW BIZARRE, HOW BIZARRE
OOH BABY, IT’S MAKING ME CRAZY
EVERY TIME I LOOK AROUND
EVERY TIME I LOOK AROUND, IT’S IN MY FACE…
19
April
2016
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April
2016
Pink Skies Over Boston
Every once in a while the sky does something that transforms what you think you know into something other-worldly and wonderful. Such was the afternoon captured here. The bulk of the day had been dreary and gray, with a steady fall of rain for much of the morning. Only in the afternoon did the sky clear slightly, and just enough for the falling sun to light things up in this glorious pink hue, while the former John Hancock Tower shone a brilliant blue against the rosy backdrop.
Even after viewing this vista for two decades, I’m still amazed by its capacity to surprise and impress. The most jaded among us have not seen anywhere near to everything, no matter how far we may or may not have traveled. There is always something new under the sun.
19
April
2016
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April
2016
