Growing up in Boston has afforded me the opportunity to see nearly any musical act I'd like. Pop stars of all kinds at some point tour the US and a date (or dates) in Boston are almost always included. Kylie Minogue was an exception to this - that is until last night when her Aphrodite tour came to Boston. Ms Minogue started her North American tour earlier in the week in Montreal, but Boston was / is the first US city and she wasted no time acknowledging that to the crowds delight. However, I'm getting a bit ahead of myself...For those from outside the US, you may find it hard to believe, but Kylie Minogue is still a musician with very little name recognition. If she is known at all it would be more as a 1-hit wonder despite having a couple of hits here in the US (notably The loco-motion, Spinning around and Can't get you out of my head). The exception to this, would be with the gay community which seems to know nearly every song she's released, and every word to those songs. Kylie often stopped singing during her songs to let the crowd which was 80-90% gay men (a conservative estimate on my part) sing along to the songs.She plays several notable covers among my favorite was There must be an angel by the Eurythmics (but there are other gems included through out that both surprised and added to the show). If you'd like to see her set list for this tour you can check that out here. The crowd was already whipped into a frenzy by the time Kylie stepped on stage, but the energy level never really dipped or dropped at least not from where I was standing (some 10 rows back from the stage). Thank you Kylie for coming to Boston - I certainly hope you'll pay us a visit again. Included below are a few more pictures from the show as well as a video of a song I'm sure you'll recognize. And finally, just a teaser of what you can expect if you are lucky enough to see Kylie on her US tour. This is from her Boston performance on Friday, April 29th.
Shot in the South End and over at dBar its a cute homage to Ms. Britney Spears. I have to admit I feel lucky to be in a city with so many handsome guys.
One year ago this week I was in Paris with Sergio celebrating my 40th birthday. So I thought I would post a handful of photographs from the trip. I know that many people think the French and Parisians in particular are rude, but that has never been my experience. I love the food, the architecture, the downtown neighborhoods (and yes - the people too).
We had a wonderful time and splurged mightily staying at a beautiful hotel and enjoying all Paris had to offer. Some of the highlights included drinking champagne at a little bar in the Marais and people watching, having dinner near the opera house with Alicia, the views from atop the Eiffel Tower, and dinner at the oldest run brasserie in the city of Paris located in another favorite neighborhood, the Bastille.
Do you work out or when you hear the word "gym" do you think someone is referring to a guy (Jim). If you do work out what motivates you to exercise and stay true to your regimen? Is it vanity or personal health? Do you work out to off-set personal health decisions (e.g. you run so you can treat yourself to desserts or go out drinking and not feel guilty?)
I'm curious what motivates you and the people I see regularly at my gym each week. No matter how hard I work out, I'm not going to have a body like these guys so my own personal motivation can't be all vanity... can it?
Think its difficult to be gay today? Watch PBS "American Experience: Stonewall Uprising", it is a sobering documentary on Gay life in the 1960s.
American Experience: Stonewall Uprising When police raided the Stonewall Inn, a popular gay bar in the Greenwich Village section of New York City on June 28, 1969, the street erupted into violent protests that lasted for the next six days. The Stonewall riots, as they came to be known, marked a major turning point in the modern gay civil rights movement in the United States and around the world.
PICCO (short for Pizza & Ice Cream Co.) is a very casual restaurant open for lunch and dinner with a large patio overlooking Tremont Street in the South End. Although they are best known for their pizzas (which are excellent) and their homemade ice cream, the restaurant features other delicious options all reasonably priced and well made.
Because of the reasonable price-point and menu, PICCO generally has a lot of tables with young children. This is a place to grab a quick bite or order for take out, and the restaurant seems to recognize and embrace this. Prices are less than most restaurants in the neighborhood. One can have an entire meal (appetizer, main course and dessert) for less than $25.00 - if you share a pizza the average price drops below $20.00.
On my most recent visit I opted to have fish tacos which are delicious. One order comes with 3 flour tacos filled with flaky white fish, cabbage, black beans, chilies, avocado, chipotle vinaigrette & cilantro; total cost $14.00 It is hard to visit PICCO without indulging your sweet tooth. On many summer evenings I've been known to find all sort of excuses to walk by PICCO so I can order an ice cream to go. On this occasion I shared the decadently delicious dark chocolate brownie sundae ($7.50), which is so large it really should be shared. PICCO is located at 513 Tremont Street in the South End (617)927 0066 Reservations not required walk-in table service available.
I'm a fan of Twitter. I love how quick and easy it is to use and connect with people. Another perk is what I'll refer to as the "Men of Twitter" since there are so many handsome guys. Adding to their attraction is the fact they only talk in 140 characters.
Each Monday I post #MenOfTwitter profiles that have caught my attention and whom I think you may enjoy following. As always, suggestions for profiles to feature are welcome and if you'd like to follow me, you can find me at @BosGuy. Below are a few more #MenOfTwitter you may want to follow. ChrisNogiec – Chris (photo above) is another hottie who lives in Boston. He just changed his profile photo, but I’ve opted to keep his previous picture which shows off his amazing body. Chris not only has model looks, he’s a doctoral candidate, which by Boston standards means he’s wicked smart. IM_Magoo – Not sure how Jake settled on his twitter name but I think this guy from Sydney is absolutely dreamy. His blue eyes, dark hair and scruff create a trinity of sex appeal. His tweets are full of Australian colloquialisms like “good onya” – only adding to his appeal. ErikJudd – Erik from upstate New York may have the most kissable lips I’ve ever seen on a twitter profile picture. If I ever dated this guy he’d never have a chance to get on twitter, because I think I’d constantly be trying to kiss him.
BTW - If you like this post, ReTweet. If you love it, follow @BosGuy. Link here to see past "Men of Twitter".
Today I went to F1 Boston with my father, partner, brother and brother-in-law. For those unfamiliar, F1 Boston has two indoor tracks where you can race in miniature formula 1 cars (more like go-carts on steroids).
It was more fun than I expected. As it turned out my partner, Sergio, and brother-in-law, Travis, were the real speedsters finishing with the fastest times. However, I had a respectable showing with top speeds in the low 40s. In the first race I got into a fender-bender with my father (both of us claim its the other's fault). I fared better in the 2nd race with higher top and average speeds. After, we headed out to dinner in Boston where we continued to talk about our pseudo-Formula 1 experience.
pre-race Sergio and I strike a pose
Below, from left to right: Tim (my brother), your's truly, Travis (brother-in-law) and Dad. No picture of Sergio in this one as he's the only reliable photographer and obliged by snapping this on his iPhone (thank you Sergio).
I cook dinner only 1-2 times a week, but last night's meal made me proud. I must have been channeling Julia Child, because something got into me and in lieu of ordering or eating out, I cooked a great dinner.
Earlier this week I purchased artichokes for the first time. I remember eating them at my Nana's house as a kid and I do love them, but I hadn't a clue how to cook them. All I can say is Thank God for YouTube: How To Prepare An Artichoke. Instructional videos like this one are so much more helpful than reading a "How to". I'm not a particularly adventurous chef. I tend to cook variations of the same 2-3 Italian meals my mother taught me; deferring to my nights dining out to try different plates.
Chez BosGuy Chicken breast sauteed in olive oil w/ onions, carrots and sage Couscous w/ blanched almond slivers and cranberries Artichoke steamed and flavored with salt and the juice of 1 lemon
Are you noticing that more gay men and their metrosexual brethren seem to be wearing what I can only refer to as underoos for adults. Whenever I'm at the gym I see men walking around in underwear that resembles the popular children's brand we all had as kids. I don't know why, but I find it unnerving to see a grown man at the gym taking off his shirt, tie and dress pants to be standing in some cartoonish boxer briefs discussing his plans for the evening.
Initially I thought it might be an age thing, but today at the gym I saw a guy my own age standing in Hello Kitty underwear. Everyone reading this must think I'm a crumudgeon, but I'm not. I really appreciate whimsy and have a great sense of humor, but this is one fashion trend that definitely escapes me. However, I will admit it was rather fun pulling down these photos from online. Now if only all the men buying this underwear looked like these models maybe it wouldn't bother me quite so much. I won't even bother to comment on underwear that tries to be cute or make a statement, because I will sound like a grumpy old man. However, I may have to revisit this if only to find more photos to rail against in a later post -LoL-.
I know that there have been reports similar to this in the past, but The Daily Mail is reporting (and The BBC has confirmed) that Absolutely Fabulous will be returning. Apparently filming starts this August.
I absolutely love Jennifer Saunders and Joanna Lumley characters and the ridiculous situations they find themselves in on this show.
According to Lumley's interview in HELLO magazine, she says, "We fast-forwarded to where they’re (Edina and Patsy) very old and nearly dead and practically plugged into vodka machines, it doesn’t matter how beyond [the original series] we do it.”
It's time to update that antiquated axiom: Guys don't make passes at guys who were glasses. First of all, I love glasses. Second, this guy could wear just about anything or nearly anything at all as this photo seems to show, and he'd be receiving more passes than an all-star wide receiver in the playoffs.
Kylie comes to Boston in 10-days to perform for the first time. The Boston date, Friday, April 29th is the second in her North American tour. And to paraphrase Kylie I "Can't get her out of my head".
I've posted this picture before but since I've recently joined facebook the image has a whole new meaning for me (and maybe you). I have to admit this image appears dated with the MySpace reference (no disrespect intended to MySpace users).
If I were to create this today, I'd replace the reference to MySpace with foursquare and flip the location so Tweetalk straddled narcissism and ADHD and foursquare overlapped ADHD and stalking. It seems very appropriate to have facebook firmly in the narcissism circle.
This was my weekend impulse buy. I call it the Teddy Bear T-shirt. Do you approve? In my mind its a more cuddly version of the Boston Bruins logo. For those who live in the area and like the t-shirt, you can buy it at Motley Boston. They don't have it on display on their site, but if you call (either Seth or Jason will pick up) you can either describe the shirt or direct them to my picture and they can set it aside or ship it to you.
This past Sunday a friend told me about the Foxy Action Group on Facebook, which organizes get togethers in Central Square every 1st and 3rd Sunday of the month at ZUZU. Since I had Monday off (thanks to the marathon) I opted to check out the party and had a great time.
The bar is shabby-chic (okay maybe just plain shabby) and the crowd is distinctly Cambridge. For those not from the area, sorry for the local reference but its the only way I know to describe the vibe.
The crowd includes all ages and has a crunchy feel (not the usual preppy look which is so evident on the other side of the river). The handsome DJs played mostly 80s and funk. I don't normally go out on school nights so I'm really glad I had the chance to scope out this night. I hope that FOXY nights are here to stay and hope they can expand this to every Sunday. I'll definitely be back again.
I've included a couple of pictures that I snapped from my blackberry from last night. The quality is not great, but it's all I have to share.
I'm a fan of Twitter. I love how quick and easy it is to use and connect with people. Another perk is what I'll refer to as the "Men of Twitter" since there are so many handsome guys using Twitter. Adding to that attraction is the fact that they only talk in 140 characters.
Each Monday I post #MenOfTwitter profiles that have caught my attention and whom I think you may enjoy following (or at a minimum looking at). As always, suggestions for profiles to feature are welcome and if you'd like to follow me, you can find me at @BosGuy. Below are a few more #MenOfTwitter you may want to follow. BrandonLewis3 - I have this feeling if Wikipedia had an entry for ‘Man-Candy’ a photo of Brandon might just be the definition to accompany the entry. He lists Atlanta as his home so be on the lookout for this tall drink of water. His tweets run the gamut from conversational to flirtatious. Be nice to him and yourself and start following him today.
TheMoInMontrose - This is one of my favorite guys to follow. Not only does he put the “Mo” in Montrose but he makes logging on to twitter more colorful and interesting. Always active on twitter and quick to reply back he’s both handsome and interesting. Trust me – you’ll love following him.
MisterVinceC - Describes himself as “not ya average kinda guy” who lists among his interests meeting people and surfing. This handsome guy definitely has a west coast vibe about him but he lists Boston as his home on Twitter. I would sum up his tweets in two words: “brief” and “flirtatious”. Follow him... You know you want to.
BTW - If you like this post, ReTweet. If you love it, follow @BosGuy. Link here to see past "Men of Twitter".
Earlier this month I attended my second Mystery Meet Boston event. The group which is comprised of food lovers and bloggers, hosts a monthly meet-up at a location in and around Boston the second Tuesday of each month. If you are a food blogger or avid foodie living in and around Boston, I'd suggest you check out the group.
This month the group met at JP's Tres Gatos, a funky Spanish tapas restaurant that also sells books and music. The tiny restaurant and bar has a definite cozy vibe and seems like a great addition to the neighborhood. Chef Marcos Sanchez was on hand to welcome us and cook the 4-course tasting menu for all of us. At the end of this entry I've included photos from each course. If curious, you can view the restaurant's menu here.
1st Plate Assorted Tapas: I thought this was the most disappointing of the four plates. In particular the radish shown at the top of the plate was both lacking flavor and not satisfying. 2nd Plate Gambas A La Plancha: If we eat food with our eyes, than this was my favorite in terms of presentation. The over sized prawns in a cilantro coulis did not disappoint. 3rd Plate Fideos: This included chorizo, chicken liver, mussels and was extremely flavorful. 4th Plate Queso: This included three cheeses. My favorite was the manchego but all of it was good. My only complaint was the portions for this plate were ridiculously tiny.
Growing up in Boston has afforded me the opportunity to see nearly any musical act I'd like. Pop stars of all kinds at some point tour the US and a date (or dates) in Boston are almost always included. Kylie Minogue was an exception to this - that is until last night when her Aphrodite tour came to Boston. Ms Minogue started her North American tour earlier in the week in Montreal, but Boston was / is the first US city and she wasted no time acknowledging that to the crowds delight. However, I'm getting a bit ahead of myself...
For those from outside the US, you may find it hard to believe, but Kylie Minogue is still a musician with very little name recognition. If she is known at all it would be more as a 1-hit wonder despite having a couple of hits here in the US (notably The loco-motion, Spinning around and Can't get you out of my head). The exception to this, would be with the gay community which seems to know nearly every song she's released, and every word to those songs. Kylie often stopped singing during her songs to let the crowd which was 80-90% gay men (a conservative estimate on my part) sing along to the songs.
She plays several notable covers among my favorite was There must be an angel by the Eurythmics (but there are other gems included through out that both surprised and added to the show). If you'd like to see her set list for this tour you can check that out here. 
The crowd was already whipped into a frenzy by the time Kylie stepped on stage, but the energy level never really dipped or dropped at least not from where I was standing (some 10 rows back from the stage). Thank you Kylie for coming to Boston - I certainly hope you'll pay us a visit again. Included below are a few more pictures from the show as well as a video of a song I'm sure you'll recognize.
And finally, just a teaser of what you can expect if you are lucky enough to see Kylie on her US tour. This is from her Boston performance on Friday, April 29th. 
