Gratuitous eye candy that sums up exactly how I feel today.
Enjoy the weekend.

Flashback Friday: Jimmy's Harborside

According to an article in The Boston Globe, Jimmy's Harborside, one of Boston's most endurng restaurants, will not be rebuilt and will be replaced by a 3-story, 20,000 square foot Legal Sea Foods restaurant. You can read the Globe's article here.

The Boston Globe has a cool pictoral history of the restaurant which concludes with an artist rendering of the new building - see photo below (courtesy of The Boston Globe). The dramatic change and investment made by the city and private developers over the past 10 years has turned this desolate parcel of land into a significant opportunity for the city to reclaim and rebuild.

Just scored tix to tonight's game

I'm off to the Red Sox game tonight. Hopefully the rain will stay away and some of the humidity will subside. Regardless (or irregardless as I'm likely to hear someone say at Fenway tonight), it should be fun. These are sweet tickets just 5 rows from the visiting team's batting circle and practically next to Jack Welch's personal seats.

About one month ago, I enjoyed watching the Red Sox beat the Atlanta Braves from these choice seats. I included a couple pictures in my blog entry, An evening at Fenway. Perhaps I should have entitled this "An evening at Fenway II".

Let's hope that the Sox rally and can win tonight.

Charlie bit me

I've been laughing about this video since it was first shared with me earlier this year. I'm not sure why I did not post it previously (I thought I had). It is very cute and worth the watch.

I love the English accents and the lack of remorse Charlie shows after he bites his older brother.

Back in the swing of things

I have not commented much on my gym routine since early May. At that point I was feeling very confident and was writing to document my progress, but a few weeks later (over Memorial Day weekend) I came down with meningitis and it took me a few weeks before I was able to recover sufficiently to go back to the gym. Unfortunately, I could not pick up from where I left off and it took me awhile before my work out could return to the same level of intensity as before. A couple of weeks ago, I felt like I had finally returned to where I had been before getting ill.

My routines at the gym have progressed and now my trainer has me focusing approximately 1+ hour on one muscle group at a time. I have not been as faithful when it has come to going to the gym on my off-days (when I'm meant to work out on my own). However, I recently asked Stu to create a cardio workout for me to help build endurance (surprisingly, lifting weights can leave me out of breath gasping for air). I feel like if I can build my cardio I'll be better able to manage the crazy work outs he creates for me.

I'm not sure when I'll get the chance to add this to my gym routine since I don't think it is likely I'll be getting there (with the exception of my standing appointment with Stu on Wednesday) until the weekend, but I'll try to comment and let you know if it was too easy or left me gasping for air.

Suggested Cardio Routine
Warm up at 4.5 for 5 minutes
Run at level 6 for 15 sec.
Jog at level 5 for 25 sec.
Run at level 8 for 15 sec.
Jog at level 6 for 25 sec.
Cool down for 3 minutes at 4.5
Run at level 9 for 15 sec.
Jog at level 7 for 20 sec.
Run at level 10 for 10 sec.
Jog at level 8 for 15 sec.
Cool down at level 5 for 3 min

Make sure the incline of the treadmill is at 4-6 and adjust accordingly.

FlashForward Friday: Boston's waterfront

For the past few months I have been writing an entry each Friday called, "Flashback Friday". You can see / read past entries by linking here. Just to mix things up a bit, I thought I would showcase what the future of Boston might look like by sharing a proposal that has been put forth from the prominent Boston developer Don Chiofaro. His firm has purchased the Harbor Garage on Atlantic Avenue (next to the New England Aquarium) and is proposing a bold mixed-use development that will include parking, office space, residences, hotel and commercial space.

In Don's own words, this would provide an archway from the harbor to downtown. The buildings are quite beautiful and looks as if it would significantly change the Boston skyline. The Boston Globe says, "The 40-story office building and a 59-story hotel and condominium tower would be built on land between the Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Greenway and the New England Aquarium, and also feature a glass corridor at the bottom."

Of course this would not be Boston if there was not some community activism deploring such a bold initiative and there have been cries from some who have said the project is too large, but given the alternative of two beautiful new buildings or keeping a decrepit concrete parking garage, I'll vote for Mr. Chiofaro. Hopefully, Mayor Menino will appreciate both the legacy this development could create as well as the tax revenues it will bring to the city.

If you would like to read more about this project you can link to the article in The Boston Globe.

Pictures courtesy of The Boston Globe.

MA shows yet again it is a pioneer in healthcare reform

Massachusetts is again leading the nation in healthcare reform. This time the state is considering an overhaul of the way payments are made to hospitals and doctors. Last week a state commission voted unanimously to scrap the current system "fee-for-service", in which insurers typically pay doctors and hospitals a negotiated fee for each individual procedure or visit.

The commission recommends that the state make the shift within five years. This would make Massachusetts the first state to end fee-for-service, and instead pay providers a yearly fee for each patient, thus eliminating financial incentives to overtreat. Could more states follow? There are plenty of critics of ending fee-for-service, but if you are going to reform healthcare you need to follow the money. Over time I would hope that pay-for-performance would also be introduced to encourage best-practices and to financially discourage inefficiencies (but that is a subject for another entry).

I'm not certain when the state legislature will vote on this recommendation, but I do believe that Gov. Patrick supports the commissions recommendations. It is likely that this too could serve as a model for President Obama and the U.S. Congress as they address the issue of healthcare reform. No doubt states like California which are nearly bankrupt in part due to sky-rocketing healthcare costs will also be watching closely to see what sort of impact this has on access to service and over all cost.

For more information here are some additional articles:
BusinessWeek - A MA model to fix health care
Breaking News 24/7 - MA considers move from fee-for-service

Who do you attract?

Earlier this month I included a quick quiz that evaluated "how gay are you?" I lost some points and only rated 35% gay.

Undeterred, I just finished another survey which asks "Who do you attract?" According to this survey, I attract Yuppies. Is that still a term that is widely used? I do agree that rednecks are least likely to approach or be attracted to me. I think it is fairly obvious that a guy created this survey because based on dating stories / nightmares from some of my girlfriends the categories of "Who you attract" would likely read more like the following: Ego maniac; Player; Emotionally Unavailable, etc...

What type of person do you attract? Your Result: You attract Yuppies!   You attract the very well-dressed, job oriented type of people. They usually have their finances together, are 'middle of the road' on most topics, generally happy with the 'main-stream' of things. If it is stability you are after, these are good people to attract, if you seek adventure, it may be time for an overhaul.
You attract geeks!
You attract models!
You attract artsy people!
You attract unstable people!
You attract rednecks!
What type of person do you attract? Quiz Created on GoToQuiz

A bit of song and dance to brighten your day

With nearly 7.6 million views, I may very well be the last person to have watched this clip on YouTube. However, I wanted to add this to my blog if only for posterity sake. I've just finished watching SYTYCD because although I have no coordination and even less rhythm, I absolutely love this sort of thing. If you can, watch this in HD.



Thanks to my sister Elizabeth for forwarding me this clip.

Provincetown - July 2009

The weather was absolutely spectacular while I was down in Provincetown. The town was filled to capacity (so much for the economy keeping people away).

Time was spent relaxing at the Boatslip, going to Tea Dance in the afternoon and out at night, a bit of shopping here and there and several memorable meals including a lobster dinner at a beautiful house in the East End that had spectacular views of the water and the Provincetown's Pilgrim Monument.

I've only been away for two days, and I'm already missing it terribly. As much as I love Boston, Provincetown is where I feel most at home.

Tweeting Pink

I'm not exactly sure what is taken into account by Stockholm Pride as they 'rank' one's Twitter account, but I thought it was funny all the same.

Thanks to OMG for the tip.

bosguy is 1% HeteroFound words such as: brunch, clueless, cocktails, drinks, gym, and southend

Off to Provincetown

Do you like my groovy shades? I found them last August on a random trip to the tiny town at the tip of the Cape. They are a nod to Dame Edna.

Tomorrow I'm leaving right from work to catch the last high-speed ferry to Provincetown, and I will not return until Monday evening. I'm excited about relaxing with friends and enjoying the weather, and looking forward to life without a computer for a few days... so no more blogging 'til I return.

Abby Dion - 8 weeks old this Friday

I have no regrets that I do not have children of my own in large part due to the fact that I get to play with and care for my two nephews (Jack and Austin) and now my first and only neice, Abby.

Where has Dick Cheney gone?

Approximately one week ago news stations and blogs were obsessed by reports that the Director of the C.I.A. - Leon Panetta - had recently visited Congress and disclosed that for the past 8 years there had been a secret counterterrorism program that had intentionally been concealed from the Senate and House intelligence committees.

The NY Times July 11th article, "Cheney is linked to concealment of C.I.A. Project" implicates V.P. Cheney. The Times asserts, "The report that Mr. Cheney was behind the decision to conceal the still-unidentified program from Congress deepened the mystery surrounding it, suggesting that the Bush administration had put a high priority on the program and its secrecy."

It turns out that the program was designed to target leaders of Qaeda, which I think most Americans (especially in the days that followed the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001) would favor. The Times issued a follow up story in their July 13th article, "C.I.A. had plans to assassinate Qaeda leaders". The article indicates that "Mr. Panetta scuttled the program, which would have relied on paramilitary teams, shortly after the C.I.A.’s counterterrorism center recently informed him of its existence. The next day, June 24, he told Congressional Intelligence Committees that the plan had been hidden from lawmakers, initially at the instruction of former Vice President Dick Cheney," again implicating former V.P. Cheney.

I know many people do not have a problem with the idea of taking out leaders of terrorist organizations, but that is really not the issue that makes me so uncomfortable. Rather it is the lack of disregard for the "checks and balances" that makes our Democracy work (and worthwhile) that time and again seem to have been completely disregarded in the Bush administration. This concept that George W. Bush and Dick Cheney knew what was best and could only be effective if they were allowed to operate without supervision and without having to answer for their actions leaves me sick to my stomach. What would be the reaction (I wonder aloud) if President Obama and V.P. Biden operated in such a manner? What if they acted with the best of intentions but refused to disclose information, respect other branches of government and twisted laws to find interpretations that suited their means?

In the weeks leading up to this controversy, V.P. Dick Cheney was on the proverbial war path asserting that President Obama was compromising the safety of the U.S. He made several visits to the Sunday morning talk shows (i.e. Meet the Press, Face the Nation, etc...) and his daughter, Liz, was almost a permanent fixture on MSNBC and CNN expressing her disdain for the new administrations' actions.

However in the days that have followed since Panetta shut down the Bush era counter terrorism program, there has not been a single peep from anyone named Cheney. Why the sudden silence now? Silence is not an impartial judge, and I'm left to wonder if the former V.P. believes the public's assumptions are preferable to his answering these accusations. Mr. Cheney are you even more evil and despicable than my assumptions would lead me to believe?

Vive La France - Happy Bastille Day

Today is the French version of our July 4th and since I'm a fan of nearly all holidays, I plan on going out after work to enjoy a nice sancerre to toast French Independence and the sudden rash of warm weather that I have so deperately missed this summer.

I've noticed that Bing, Microsoft's response to Google has a beautiful photograph of the Louvre in Paris on it's homepage. I'm quickly becoming a fan of Bing. If you'd like to read a recent review, check out yesterday's article in the NY Times, Bing delivers credibility to Microsoft.

Off to Ogunquit for the weekend

I am travelling to Ogunquit, ME for the weekend to spend time beachside with friends. The weather looks like it will cooperate and thanks to my two good friends Ralph and Joao, I'll be crashing in their summer house, which is more spacious and comfortable than the home I live.

I think of Ogunquit, ME as a much smaller and quieter version of Provincetown. It has several bars, certainly more than its share of gay men for such a small little beach town and plenty of fun.

More about Ogunquit:
www.gayogunquit.com
www.ogunquit.gaycities.com
www.edgeboston.com

Flashback Friday: All the Rage

This was the first gay-themed movie that I ever saw which was filmed in and written about gay life in Boston. All the Rage is about a pretentious South End gay man obsessed with the pursuit of physical, sexual, and romantic perfection. Sound like someone you might know? The stereotype works even if the movie sometimes let you down.

As is the case with many gay-themed films, the movie is a bit cliché and the writing and acting at times made me wince, but it was an entertaining enough and worth the rental. The entire movie was filmed in Boston during the mid- to late-90s.


Official movie trailer

This afternoon The Boston Globe is reporting that Massachusetts has become the first to challenge the constitutionality of a federal law that defines marriage as the union of a man and a woman, saying Congress intruded into a matter that should be left to individual states.

Read the full article here.

The Defense of Marriage Act or more commonly known as DOMA is a hateful piece of legislation that was passed in 1996 when Bill Clinton was president. At the time, Speaker Gingrich and other social conservatives were nervous that Hawaii would possibly legalize gay marriage and so the Defense of Marriage Act was pushed through Congress to "protect American families".

My TripAdvisor Profile

As a self-proclaimed travel nut, I freely admit that I'll be the first to skip major expenses to ensure that I have enough money saved to take a couple of nice vacations each year. I love to travel and think I'm probably at my happiest when I'm visiting some place I've never been before. However, prior to leaving for any destination (especially one I'm not familiar), I heavily leverage the TripAdvisor.com website. The site has excellent forums where you can read travellers reviews (and you can submit your own comments if you've travelled some place too).

I've made several connections on this travel website. If you too use TripAdvisor.com, let's connect - my profile name is Albiani and you can link directly to read more about me and my travel preferences by linking here.

I've included my travel map, which shows all the destinations I've visited thus far as well as my favorite locations which are signified with a blue star.

1. Paris, France


2. Rome, Italy


3. San Francisco, CA, USA


4. Amsterdam, The Netherlands


5. Buenos Aires, Argentina


6. Rio de Janeiro, Brazil


7. New York City, NY, USA


8. Prague, Czech Republic


9. Provincetown, MA, USA


10. San Diego, CA, USA
    

• View my profile

Motley has a new website

In the past I've written about Motley, which is a cool shop located in Boston's South End. Over the weekend Seth, a long-time employee, informed me that the new store owners (Jason and Joseph) had recently updated the store's website and had added store merchandise. A quick visit has confirmed this so I thought I would give Motley Boston a shout out. Beware that not everything appears to be on the site just yet, but this is a definite improvement. The website proudly proclaims Motley is "Boston's best little store" and I have to agree. Now go and buy something from them to support local and independent merchants otherwise we'll be likely to have another bank or real estate office open on Tremont Street, and I'll have to scream with frustration.

Make HIV testing routine

The Boston Globe has an interesting editorial today in support of a bill sponsored by Somerville state senator, Pat Jehlen, which calls for the state to make HIV testing as routine as getting your cholesterol tested.

The writer makes some compelling points such as, "31 percent of those testing positive for the virus become afflicted with full-blown AIDS within two months. This means that for years they have been unknowingly infected, missing out on treatment and likely infecting others."

The AIDS Action Committee of MA (AAC) has addressed this issue on their blog with an entry entitled, "Massachusetts Needs an Integrated Comprehensive HIV Testing Plan".

I'm not familiar with the bill, and I'm curious what your thoughts might be? The full editorial can be read on Boston.com or by linking here.

"You need Pro Caulk!"

When the Pro Caulk informercial first came on the television this afternoon, I could not stop laughing. I think this is the funniest thing I've heard in a long time. At one point the voice over actually shouts, "With Pro Caulk you can do it like a professional!"

Agony of defeat

Probably the most amazing Wimbledon match just concluded with Andy Roddick losing to Roger Federer in the men's Wimbledon championship match. I truly feel for Andy and hope he rallies to come back. He may not have won today's match but he played like a champion for sure.

How gay are you?

I was reading IDiosyntocracy's blog and I noticed he had taken this survey which asks "How stereotypically gay are you?" I thought I'd take it to see what the conclusion was and I'm a bit disapointed in myself for not having a more respectable score. I think I lost major points for not owning anything with a rainbow on it and not knowing some of the people referenced in the survey.... Oh well it was a fun 5-minute distraction.

You Are 35% Stereotypically Gay

You definitely have some stereotypically gay traits. You might set off a person's gaydar now and then. If you are not actually gay, you could be mistaken for gay from time to time. Not that there's anything wrong with that.

How Stereotypically Gay Are You?
Take More Quizzes

Tchau Terezinha & Jose Luiz

Nós vamos sentir saudades.

Happy Birthday USA

Today is the United States birthday and a day to relax and enjoy yourself with friends and family. Boston hosts one of the largest 4th of July celebrations in the nation, which is capped by an extremely intricate 30-minute long fireworks display that is choreographed to music.

This year host Craig Ferguson returns and Neil Diamond will perform with the Boston Pops. No doubt, considering the fact that the Boston Red Sox play "Sweet Caroline" at every home game, Diamond will have nearly everyone singing along with him when he plays that classic tune.

If you would like to find out more about today's celebrations, link to the official event site. I've posted the schedule below for people to follow. Videos of year's past celebrations are also available by checking out YouTube.

Saturday, July 4th Concert and Fireworks
12:00PM Recorded music begins in Boston
4:30PM Recorded music begins in Cambridge
7:00PM WBZ News Radio 1030 simulcast begins
8:00PM WCRB 99.5 FM simulcast begins
8:00PM Boston Pops Fireworks Spectacular broadcast begins (Ch.4)
8:30PM Boston Pops concert begins w National Anthem and flyover
9:30PM 1812 Overture is played
10:00PM CBS Network national broadcast begins
10:30PM Fireworks begin
11:00PM Boston Pops Fireworks Spectacular ends

*Photo courtesy of Armando Teixeira-Pinto and pbase.com.

Flashback Friday: Elevated Orange Line

The South End is currently serviced by the Silver Line but for long-time residents and those who called the South End there home up through the 1980s they will recall this line which stopped running in 1987. The image above is courtesy of the blog, AloneOne. In the image above you can see the cathedral on Washington Street in the background. Much has changed in the nearly 20 years since the elevated Orange Line stopped running and the Silver Line was created to serve this neighborhood. The image to the left (click it to enlarge)offers a glimpse of what Washington Street in the South End looks like now and includes a picture of the Silver Line bus service which residents now rely on to get to and from downtown.

However, if you are nostalgic about the old Orange Line check out Alone One's tribute on his blog by linking here. He even has a five or six minute video you can watch and listen to.

The most interesting Republican to emerge from November 2008's election is McCain. Meghan McCain that is. I've referenced Meghan in the past, but I first wrote about her when she dissed Ann Coulter back in March and was the subject of some hateful rhetoric from Republican Party commentators.

Meghan reminds more more of a conservative Democrat with her forward thinking social policies and frankness when discussing sex - a taboo subject in the Republican party unless they are gloating over someone's infidelity. She was openly criticized for lamenting the loss of Sen. Specter in April and is referred to as a RINO (Republican In Name Only) on many conservative blogs where she is regularly trashed.

No doubt Meghan's vocal stand against California's hateful ban on gay marriage will serve to further irritate the cantankerous bunch of bigots more commonly referred to as the Republican Party leadership. I love this photo of Meghan although I wonder exactly how much Photoshop was done. Regardless I'm glad to see her making such a public statement and thankful to see at least a few people in the Republican party still have some sense of fairness when it comes to discussing LGBT rights.

If you would like to learn more about the campaign Meghan is participating in you can link to one of these great organizations.

Equality California, based in San Francisco, CA

Equality for All, based in W. Hollywood, CA

Freedom to Marry, based in New York City

Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders, based in Boston, MA

Lambda Legal, based in New York City

National Gay & Lesbian Task Force, based in Washington, D.C.

I promise I'll stop bitching, but I figured since The Boston Globe offered advice on how to build an ark on Boston.com this afternoon, I would share this with everyone purely from a public safety perspective. Don't say you weren't warned.

For all you handymen out there I've included The Boston Globe's instructions on how to build an ark.

1,000 Views

I'm not sure if these statistics are really all that accurate, but I love milestones so I thought I would make a mention of this.

I initially started this blog in October 2007 (haltingly at first), but I have really grown attached to it. Over time, I've gradually become aware that other people either intentionally or by accident have found my blog and read it, and what was initially started for an intended audience of 1 has grown.

Web traffic to BosGuy is still quite low, but that is okay because I've never intended this to be a public venture. Having said that, I'm always flattered when someone sends me an e-mail or leaves me a comment. So for those with whom I correspond regularly and for everyone else who happens to read this, thank you.

July weather not looking much better

The weather forecast today closely resembles what one would expect to see in April in Boston. That month is fairly schizophrenic - filled with days that see the mercury rise and fall. Snow gives way in March for a fair amount of rain and mist in April. However, late June and July in Boston are more known for hot, hazy and humid weather... none of which happened in June and I'm sorry to say on the first day of July seems unlikely if I'm to believe the extended forecast for the city which calls for precipitation every day. I think this could possibly go down as the worst summer I can recall.