Category Archives: General

It was the week that our electoral college elected a monster, even if almost two million more people (and counting) voted for Hillary Clinton, but we here at ALANILAGAN.com are moving ahead with trepidatious optimism and the vow to never stop fighting for what is right and just.

We started in quiet and stillness.

Some things will always hold true.

A delicious brunch at dp.

A glorious and unlikely pair that makes me smile.

A moment of peace.

My niece and my nephew.

Autumn scene.

Everything must end.

Feeling down? Get dressed up.

This Jedi isn’t going underground anytime soon.

A heartfelt set list.

Madonna was always late for the Rebel Heart Tour, and so was this review.

Throughout it all, we still have the Hunks of the Day: Jesse Wellens, Jay Ellis & Mark-Paul Vosselaar.

Bonus: a shirtless Ryan Gosling and equally-shirtless Liam Hemsworth.

And for anyone feeling down or frightened or simply dismayed with the state of affairs at the moment, there is always hope, and as long as I’m able I’ll do my best to provide a little sanctuary and escape from the rest of the insanity.

Somewhere along this thirteen-year-old website’s journey things became less about me and more about that which inspired and tickled and sometimes offended me. Granted, it’s still from my perspective, and as long as it’s mine I’ll post whatever the hell I want, but day after day of myself gets boring, and you may have noticed that I’m not as interested in posting my own photos as I am of other things, other people, other inspirations.

I’ve also tended to steer clear of going full-on political, even though I will step into the muck from time to time when it’s warranted. However, there’s enough of that on my FaceBook and Twitter feeds, and I want to get back to the basics of what this blog was originally intended to be: a sanctuary of stillness and calm, with accents of eye candy and humor, where beauty and strangeness and contemplation exist in a peaceful realm.

Here is a list of several posts that exemplify what I most want this little piece of the internet to be. They warm my heart, so I’m hoping they warm yours too.

A walk in the woods.

A night in the dorm.

A dinner for family.

The beauty of a scarf.

Smudge this.

Entering Cambridge.

The beginning of an obsession.

The grandness of neroli.

Sailing through the storm.

A family affair.

Drawn by the undertow, my life is out of control.

When in doubt, make this cocktail.

And when you’re at your wit’s end, pamper yourself.

Yesterday I did what I haven’t done in months: spent the entire day inside the house. It was chilly outside, but the sun was pouring in our living room, the couch was fluffy with pillows, and ‘The Perfume Lover’ was on the table waiting to be opened. A Norfolk Island Pine gracefully drooped its evergreen fronds to my right, and I could begin to make out the roots of several Narcissus bulbs being forced into growth by the window. I pulled a cozy robe around me and sank into the sofa. French music by Franck played in the background as I turned the pages, lost in this tale of fragrance and perfume by Denyse Beaulieu.

Outside the window, wind tore down the leaves from the maples and dogwoods, while a Japanese umbrella pine swayed in its wake. Branches scratched against the glass panes, but all I felt was the warmth of the sun, and all I heard was the beautiful tickling of a piano. Silk curtains, striped in shades of sky blue and buttercream, framed the bright windows, and I paused in my reading to simply enjoy the space and the moment. It was too pretty to leave and do some holiday shopping at the mall, so I stayed there, alternately reading and snoozing in the sun, basking in the lazy Saturday like a cat. Andy came out and made a cup of green tea, setting it on the table in front of me beside a pile of books on art, and my own Tour Book.

In a world that seems to grow ever dimmer by the day, this is what I need to do. Light a candle, settle into the quiet, and turn out the rest of the chaos. It will be a winter of meditation, of stillness and silence in as many places as I can find and conjure them. It will be a time to shut off the television and radio and computer and cel phone. It will be a time to remember what we can control, what we can fix, what we can do, and what we cannot. Mostly, I hope it will be a time to heal.

We’ve all been battered a bit.

Every warrior falls down now and then. It is inevitable.

It’s ok to fall if you get back up and engage again.

It takes many battles to wage and win a war.

In-between there are moments of peace and clarity.

Brave women and men have fought and died for the freedom this country affords.

That freedom will always prevail.

Justice, truth, and equality will win out in the end.

That’s the essence of America.

 

Be vigilant.  Be strong.  Be yourself.

When reeds are dead and a straw to thatch the marshes, 

Behind the gate of the world, we walk in the realm of beauty.

Before the light of the fall is extinguished, we spark the torch of hope.

Through the land of peace, quiet and calm reign in harmonious partnership.

Beauty will forever be a balm for the soul.

Walk with me in silence.

Trees burn, fiery leaves against a blue sky.

A cold wind cuts the colorful carriage to the ground.

Still, beauty is eternal. The memory of it remains.

Martha Stewart and Snoop Dogg.

You might not believe it, but these two go back for some time, and are genuinely friends – at least as friendly as celebrities can be with each other. But something about the pairing rings true and authentic, and with their current VH1 show ‘Martha & Snoop’s Potluck Dinner Party’, which puts them in a dual-kitchen, there’s an undeniable chemistry between them. (And some seriously whacky shit thanks to a parade of guest characters.) A slightly edgy sweetness is at work, one that reminds me of those unlikely friendships that the luckiest of us have known. They can’t be planned out on paper, they can’t be conjured with online match-ups – they’re the organic coupling of spirits that are by most accounts at odds with one another, but that work because humans sometimes find themselves in their perceived opposites.

My most enriching and enduring friendships have been with those who are least like me. Partly that’s because I can’t stand myself, and partly because it’s refreshing to be around people who can teach me what I don’t know, who see things differently, and who, for whatever reason, find something in me to be appreciated and enjoyed. There’s something to be said for the old adage of opposites attract, but there’s also something to be said for simply enjoying the company of certain people. It’s not something that can be explained, it can only be felt.

Today is the day this country decides whether a competent person becomes the first female President of our great nation, or if a bunch of idiots put a dangerously-incompetent imbecile/racist/homophobe/asshole in charge of our nuclear weapons. The choice is clear to anyone with half a clue, but not so clear to those clouded by ignorance, anger or hatred.

In these past few weeks, I’ve had to step away from the political scene because it’s simply too frightening to think of a nation where Donald Trump is the Commander-in-Chief. Mostly, I’ve been concerned for what it means to me and my family. My niece and nephew, at the impressionable young age of six, will have a world irrevocably ruined for them if Trump comes into power. That is not a world I want for them. Their world should be open and accepting of difference, a world that values love and compassion over greed and selfishness. Their future should be one in which they strive for intelligence and grace, dignity and honor, not divisiveness or bullying brutality.

Of course, I must also think of myself and my own marriage. That was my main worry when Trump chose the virulently anti-gay Mike Pence as his running mate, and when the whole notion of the basic (and official) Republican platform was revealed, in which they propose gay conversion therapy and the overturning of marriage equality. That’s terrifying in itself, and the closer we inch toward the possibility of such hatred worming its way into the White House, the more upsetting it was for me.

Then I realized something: even if Trump were to become President of the United States, I’m lucky enough to not have my life ruined by it. Even if they strip us of our marriage, that won’t change the love between Andy and myself. We managed just fine for ten years before we got married, so it won’t really change a thing. That’s always been the underlying fact about those who fight against marriage equality, and why they will never win: they cannot stop our love. They can take away a certificate, they can take away our rights, they can do everything to treat us as less than them, but they can’t take away our love.

I’m also in a lucky position where the “policies” and tax-everyone-but-the-rich plans of Trump won’t send me into ruin. The same can’t be said of most of his supporters. They will be the ultimate victims of a con perpetrated by a man who already cheated countless people with his Trumped-up university, whose corporations declared bankruptcy four times, and who proudly proclaimed he liked to grab women “by the pussy” without their consent.

I know some people have a hard time considering a vote for Hillary Clinton, but when you consider what’s at stake, when you think about who you want in control and command of the world’s most powerful nation and all its nuclear codes and secrets, that person is not Donald Trump.

It’s time. Make your choice.

Beauty breeds peace, and I think that’s part of the purpose of art in this world.

It’s also the reason for such natural wonders as fall, seen here.

Whatever your beliefs, the beauty of fall transcends our differences.

On a winding road beside which the dead rest, there is a peace that exists between two worlds.

Sometimes I think that beauty is the place between earth and heaven.

That’s basically the choice of this election, and it’s no secret whose side I’m on. You’ve probably already made up your mind as to who you are voting for, and if you haven’t you are just a complete idiot. (If you’ve decided to vote for Trump, you’re a complete idiot too – and I can supply countless examples of why if you really need them. Believe me.) But this is largely a politics-free place, so let’s focus on our established areas of interest. A recap of the previous week, as per usual on Monday morning.

Halloween is traditionally my day-off, and this year proved no exception.

Local Albany luminaries in disguise.

Encroaching on the ennui of middle-age.

Don’t ask me.

Have you started your holiday shopping?

Leaving off the corners.

Japon Noir: a November Private Blend by Tom Ford.

The mystery posed…

…and the mystery solved.

The waving of wood.

Autumnal glory in these leaves.

A fall day with the Ilagan twins.

The last bouquet of the season.

Did you remember?

Madonna is about to open her heart again.

The early crop of November Hunks included Griffin Barrows (in his well-deserved second crowning), J.J. Watt, Alexander Mecum, Cody Christian and Tony Ward.

Early this morning we got to do what Cher has been wanting to do for all her life: turn back time. Just an hour, but an hour can make a world of difference. What will you do with your extra hour? Most people will claim they slept through it. Fair enough, but I prefer to think of time as more fluid than that. I’m saving this extra hour for something more constructive than sleep. Addressing holiday cards, perhaps. Cleaning the bedroom. Plotting out Christmas gifts. Plotting out my Christmas wish list. Plotting out my Christmas wardrobe. Scheduling the remaining weekends of the year (they are booking up quickly).

Do I sound anal to you?

You have no idea.

Go make the most of your hour. In half a year you’re going to lose it all over again.

Behold the wondrous coral bark maple! Though it’s best-known for the red bark of its younger branches, clearly it has other colorful tricks up its coral-barked sleeves. Witness this brilliant show of bright gold, so gloriously enhanced by the autumn sunlight, so resplendent in an increasingly-dull landscape.

Soon only the branches will remain, and their coral hue will bleed beautifully against the snow, but damn if it doesn’t go out in a blaze of glory before the white stuff falls.