Category Archives: General

My favorite show this season (and the only one I’m watching right now) is ‘American Horror Story: Coven’.

God knows I love a good witch – and a bad one is even better.

Apologies, but I’m still mentally on vacation and not quite ready to return to the daily upkeep of this blog. But some (many) of you are new here, so if I throw out a few links of where we were last year, it might be funky fresh like that. Starting with this Maine visit that got posted exactly a year ago yesterday. That and our recent trip to Mt. Agamenticus (post to come) are the inspiration for a possible hiking expedition. (Another post to come.)

Maine was also home to this little show-off, a creature after my own heart.

Last year I posted about my first retail job – a job that to this day I count as one of my favorites. It was at Structure, at their Faneuil Hall location, before it got downgraded to an Abercrombie & Retch Fitch.

Still, I miss Maine, or at least the state of mind that I seem to find only there.

Tomorrow I’ll be back on track… stay with me.

Having just returned from our annual holiday weekend in Ogunquit, Maine, I am in no mood to plunge right back into the work week, but there’s little choice when the clock already indicates it’s Tuesday. This is a big week, as we finalize kitchen plans, sign contracts, and place orders. There’s also Andy’s birthday coming up, but since he’s given no indication what he wants to do, it will likely be a small, casual affair. (And before you even think of giving me grief for not planning anything, tell me what part of any of my birthdays did he plan? Okay then.) On to the last week, before we get into the glory that was Ogunquit in the fall.

As the fall stole in through the nights, this was the sort of music to warm the cockles of the heart.

The last of our lemongrass crop was used for this variation on a Thai recipe.

Tom Ford and his Sahara Noir provided a smoky accent for fire-side nights.

A change in weather created this dramatic sky.

Keeping things hot as the weather turned cool was the usual parade of Hunks, which saw the shirtless (and sometimes naked) figures of Eric Winter, Michael Fassbender, Boris Kodjoe, Lucas Calvani, Justin Hartley and Adam Levine.

If you just want a quick gratuitously-shirtless beefcake fix, check out this pair of Hunky Hunk posts, Part 1 and Part 2.

The ’13’ Project continues its quiet and stealthy release with 10:13.

As if there were any lingering doubt, I’m a sinner and I like it that way.

Finally, the real-time pleasures were to be found in Maine, which I’ll bring up-to-date this week.

After a day of ferocious winds, pounding rain, and threats of tornadoes, a sign of forgiveness – the rainbow – appeared in a strange evening sky. The sun gave one final flash of brilliance, setting the tips of the fall-colored foliage aflame against a darkening sky, and igniting that magical band of color through the prismatic alchemy of water and light.

As a child, I remember reading a book about a rainbow and a unicorn and a frightening serpent. There was some sort of religious parable in it, I’m sure, but at the time I was only mesmerized by the purity and beauty of the unicorn, rushing past the pages of that treacherous, ugly serpent, but secretly peering at the thing, transfixed in a different way.

On the opposite end of the sky from the rainbow, was this color scheme – a rainbow unto itself, on a grander if more subtle scale.

At the moment this is scheduled to be posted, Andy and I should be en route to Ogunquit, Maine for our annual Columbus Day weekend vacation. My parents are joining us this time, which will be nice, since we seem to be seeing them less and less these days. While our fall trip is not as exciting as the opening season salvo of Memorial Day (when all is hope and the promise of summer stretches out before you)  it usually comes with its own enchantments, like colorful mosses and leaves, gnarled gourds and perfect pumpkins, and cozy cider to take the chill off.

Not be confused with a chocolate starfish, this is the starfruit. Aptly named from its appearance after being cut cross-wise, it’s a fun bit of fruit, slightly similar to an apple, but juicier and softer. The skin is edible as well, and it’s a good thing, as peeling such a geometric design would prove problematic for someone like me, who sometimes has trouble peeling an orange.

After a weekend in Boston, I find myself drinking a cup of green tea on a rainy Sunday night, and conjuring a quick recap. This week is a short one, work-wise, as we’ll be making our annual Columbus Day excursion to Ogunquit. Basically, that’s where my head will be at for the next few days, so things here may be even kookier than they usually are. But before that, a look back at the turn into October.

Rather than go back a month, I thought it was more interesting to go back a whole year and see where things were in September 2012.

I’m still addicted to Madonna.

FaceBook had its moments, and I had mine. (Yes, I will go full-frontal. Wait for it.)

Keeping things warm as we closed the book on September was the parade of Hunks, that continued with triple-threat Sam Harris, the naked backside of Chris Hemsworth, all three Jonas brothers, and Paco Leon.

Fall is a time for food – snacks, and full-fledged dinners of sea bass. And zucchini.

Two words that say hot and sexy: David Beckham.

Sometimes, even on a  Saturday night, one needs a little panda pick-me-up.

One of my supposed ‘friends’ on FaceBook reported this Instagram piss shot as ‘Nudity/Pornography‘. Miraculously, this has only happened a couple of times in all my years of posting racy shots.) Usually I’m not bothered by such an action, because I realize that some of my photos tend to push the envelope of what is acceptable on FaceBook. However, this shot? No. There’s no nudity, there’s no pornography. You may not like a picture of a stream of urine (if that’s even what you’re actually seeing…) but there is no way that this approaches porn or nudity (unless a glimpse of toes is now pornographic).

It turns out that FaceBook agreed, and they did not deem the shot inappropriate. Tasteless, perhaps, but nothing that could be characterized in the nudity/pornography category. As for the person who reported it, I have to wonder why they bother being ‘friends’ with me on FaceBook. Because if they’re bothered by this, they’re going to lose their shit over all the other crap that I will no doubt post over the coming years. (Oooh, shit… now there’s an idea…)

Let’s face it, this is not the last time I’m going to be vulgar, crass, and offensive. The only people getting worked up over it are the nameless stalkers who continue to visit my page, and that kind of tickles me. Besides, as soon as someone finds out that something I posted got flagged and removed, they go straight to ALANILAGAN.com to see what it was. You heard it here first.

Eww, I can’t even use that post title without cringing, and if you have a brother you know what I mean (and if you have a brother and don’t know what I mean, eww again). Here are the Jonas brothers, who recently gave a cover story interview to Out Magazine. I was surprised – mostly because I didn’t realize Out was still publishing. Less surprising was the fact that this previously-pious (and virginal) group was making the most of their muscles and kissing up to all those supposedly-expendable gay incomes (why can I not have one of those?)

Some of us are still reeling from that ridiculously-hot Instagram shot of Nick Jonas that went up earlier this year, or the way his backside fills out a pair of baseball pants. But let’s not give all the attention to the youngest, there’s also Kevin (the now-married oldest son) and middle heart-throb (in true Hanson tradition) Joe Jonas, who up until now had gotten much of the swooning-adoration.

Does it matter that I still can’t name one of their songs? Not to anyone here.

This is the kind of cheeky fare served up hot and spicy on my Instagram account, so follow accordingly. I’m about to hit 1000 posts on that new-to-me social media account (any requests on what the 1000^th photo should be? And don’t say full-frontal.) I also invite you to join in the social media cross-pollination that runs across FaceBook and Twitter too, even if this website remains the basic source for most of the original material these days. It’s a social media-mad world, and I feel like Spencer Tracy.

Originally this was to be a recap of the month of September – and it still will be – but having just recapped a week, I don’t feel like rehashing that again, so instead, let’s look at September 2012 – one year ago. I seem to have an easier time in even years. Back in 2012, I was up to my usual mischief, haunting my usual haunts, and dealing with my usual nocturnal madness. It had been a summer encapsulated by the Speedo, but by September I was ready to hang it up to dry.

It was time to get all Sporty Spice with the World Series and the start of football season. (Was that right?)

Reading remained fundamental.

It’s been over a year since I’ve had a massage. No wonder I’ve been such a bitch. Someone pony up a Mandarin gift certificate stat.

I was seeing Madonna again, and remembering my very first time.

But my heart also belonged to Shirley, especially in September.

Working hard.

It’s not easy for me to apologize, not even to Anderson Cooper. But I did. (Thank him for getting shirtless too.)

My current culinary fascination actually began a while back, and it may have started with this Filipino feast. Family has a way of becoming important again in the fall, in every sort of way.

Having neglected a proper write up of this wonderful plant this year, I’m glad I did it back then.

Oh yeah, I was still getting my kit off. Because in September the sun still lingers, and the pool is still open. Far deeper than that, though, was the real nakedness – the kind that strips the soul bare. It makes all the other nudity superfluous.

But it was better when other guys got naked too, save for a few strategically placed hands – like those of the lucky lady cupping Adam Levine’s otherwise naked body,  the lucky lady being straddled by a very naked Prince Harry, the lucky lady being mounted by Ryan Phillippe, the lucky Speedo covering Tom Daley’s bits, the lucky hands of Ryan Reynolds cupping his naked self, and a bunch of Ben Cohen in his briefs, his boxer briefs, and with his huge hose. Oh, we can’t forget The Gronk, this battle of the butts (and its epic GIF rematch), and Jake Gyllenhaal’s naked ass too.

A very dangerous quote.

 And an apple crisp.

This week, September comes to its glorious close, and it seems to be going out in a beautiful blaze. For all of our complaining and whining about the end of summer, the start of fall offers more than compensatory beauty as a balm for what will inevitably come.

One of my favorite cocktails for fall is the negroni (which I prefer straight-up).

Nothing beats a cozy fall night in Boston with a dear friend, unless it’s a cozy fall night in Boston with a book (and no clothes). (And speaking of no clothes…)

Keeping things hot as we slide into cooler weather were the ongoing collection of Hunks of the Day. Shirtlessly strutting their stuff were the chiseled physical forms of Filipino television star Piolo Pascual, American television star Julian Morris, super-plucked footballer Cristiano Ronaldo, and the bouncing buttocks of Jude Law.

A kitchen renovation is in the preliminary planning stages, and though I’ve already made a number of major compromises (big ones, too), I predict a stressful few months ahead. Thank God none of my favorite cocktails require running water.

Sometimes even the most fashionable among us need a little reassurance.

No matter how far you run, or how hard you try, you cannot escape your childhood. Be ready for the journey.

Finally, the new season of the Cohoes Music Hall just opened with this stellar production of ‘Les Miserables’, so be sure to check it out before it ends its run on October 13.

A little bit of ‘Autumn Leaves’ for your Sunday brunch background by the Bill Evans Trio. Fall is here, and will be for a while. Best to settle in and enjoy it, reconcile ourselves to the season, and to not looking back. The summer will be ahead of us again, but at the moment it’s the last Sunday in September, and soon it will be October, rushing in on the night wind, no other way around it.

The sun in September is sometimes the prettiest the sun ever gets to be. The brilliance of the sky backs it up, and the leaves mirror its glory. It will not go down without a fight – a gorgeous, flaming, beautiful fight. But for now, put down the September sword. Set your tea upon this coaster. Take up your New York Times, being careful of the ink. Listen to the music, and watch for the falling leaves. The morning is young, and the show has just begun…

Everybody wants to blame the goldenrod for their allergies this season. That’s because it’s the most visible supposed-offender, heralding its presence with those bright yellow blooms, crying out every time the sun reflects its golden light. But it’s not the goldenrod that’s making you sneeze, it’s most likely ragweed. Dispersing its sneeze-inducing pollen at the same time, only more unnoticeably, it gets away with the mischief and lets the goldenrod take the blame. The ragweed pollen flies on the slightest breeze – not so with the goldenrod. Yet it’s always the flashy ones that get the blame. I know what that’s like, and it’s never fair.