Most towns in New England are named after places in England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland. However, many of the lakes have Native American names. For example, my parents have a home on Lake Winnipesaukee. However, difficult that may be to spell it pales in comparison to the 45-letter lake which I’ll refer to as Lake Webster since its in Webster, MA.
Curious how to say this incredibly long name? Well I just so happened to stumble upon a song all about the lake. The song first mentions Lake Chargoggagoggmanchuaggagogg (I hope I spelled that correctly) around the 40 second mark. The whole video makes me think of the talent show at Kellerman’s resort in Dirty Dancing.
A few weeks ago I wrote a book review of Pearl’s first novel, The Dante Club. I was so taken with the story that I picked up a copy of his latest mystery, The Last Dickens.
This historical fiction mystery takes place in 1870 and spans three nations: the colony of India, England and The United States. While the novel revolves around the Boston publisher, James Osgood, who travels to Charles Dickens home in Kent after learning of the authors untimely death, there are two related back stories that Pearl does a fantastic job weaving into the book. The first is about Charles Dickens much celebrated second visit to America in 1867 and the other is about the Opium trade then regulated by England in their colony of India.
While I preferred The Dante Club, this was still worth the read for those who enjoy this genre of literature. There is plenty of drama and plot twists to keep you glued to the book.
You can read more about the book and the local author, Matthew Pearl, who lives in Cambridge, MA on his website, www.matthewpearl.com.
Do you love Radiohead’s song “Creep”? I do. The song was released when I was in college back in the early 90s and it perfectly described how I felt about myself at the time; a combination of self loathing and hatred mixed with confusion and despair. Sound overly dramatic? What else would you expect from a closeted gay man who’d never been comfortable with his sexuality and seriously thought aside from those mentally ill – was the only person who harbored such thoughts.
I’ve come a long way and for that matter so have we all, but I still love the song and loved Carrie’s version which was recorded in Greenwich Village this April. This song will be on Carrie’s debut album “Echo”.
Perhaps you have seen this compilation of news goofs. If not, the two minute clip is sure to appeal to the juvenile and give you a chuckle.
Boston Harbor Cruises (BHC), one of the local companies to provide high speed ferry service between Boston and Provincetown, currently has their annual Groupon sale where you can purchase up to 3 round trip tickets for the price of a one-way trip.
BHC’s ship, the Salacia, is the largest and fastest of all the high speed ferries that you can take from Boston to Provincetown in just 90-minutes. Round trip fares aboard the Salacia in 2012 will cost $83 but with the Groupon purchase you can get round trip fares for $49.
As with all deals, there are restrictions and it is only available for a limited time. If you are coming to Provincetown this summer and plan on using the ferry service, this is definitely worth checking out.
I feel as if there should be a hand making a “snap” gesture after the name of this salon. What do you think?
Last weekend when I was over at Frenchie and the Yankee house dinner party I happened to notice this book. Graphic designer, Vharam Muratyan, playfully pits Paris and New York in a visual homage in page after page of images that offers a bit of whimsy and humor.
I loved this particular comparison. 
Like? You may buy Paris versus New York on Amazon, here.
Make your reservations today and plan to dine out on Thursday, April 26th to help fight AIDS here in Boston or in your community.
Since 1990, Dining Out for Life has offered an easy and delicious way to raise money to fund critically-needed services for people with HIV/AIDS, and next Thursday participating restaurants around the country will donate a portion of all sales to local AIDS service organizations. Here in Boston, participating restaurants will donate 25% of sales of meals to AIDS Action Committee.
So spread the word by “Liking” Dining Out For Life on Facebook at Facebook.com/Dine4LifeBos, or follow @Dine4LifeBos on Twitter and use the hashtag #DOFL. Here is a list of Boston area restaurants that are participating – Boston Dining Out For Life.
Make your reservations Today!
Posted in AIDS Action Committee, Boston, Dining
Tagged AIDS Action Committee, BosGuy, Boston Guy, Dining
Line Posters is an interesting collaboration between a graphic designer and an engineer. The designs are described as “modern graphic interpretations of popular city transit systems.” Are you new to a city, missing your home or want something to remind you of a favorite destination? Check out their designs. I thought the concept and execution was pretty cool.
Rumor has it a popular wine shop in Chestnut Hill will petition the city to open in available retail space in the South End’s, trendy Bryant Residences at 303 Columbus Avenue.
Of course this is subject to receiving approval from the licensing board and contingent upon support from the community and surrounding neighbors, but with the closest wine shops blocks away lets hope both the licensing board and neighborhood associations will welcome them.
When the Urban Grape South End would open is unclear since there are no signs of construction in the 2,200 square feet space.
Earlier this month, Grindr announced the winners of their inaugural Grindr Gay Travel Awards. Grindr polled its global network of 3.5 million users in 192 countries to determine their vote for the Grindr Gay Travel Awards.
Provincetown took top honors as Best Destination to Get Married in the U.S. Other destinations recognized included:
Gayest U.S. City: New York
Gayest International City: London
Best U.S. Gay Beach: Miami
Best International Gay Beach: Rio de Janeiro
Best U.S. Gay Resort: Palm Springs
U.S. City With the Best Gay Festivals: San Francisco
International City With the Best Gay Festivals: Sydney
Hottest U.S. Grindr Guys: Los Angeles
Hottest International Grindr Guys: Tel Aviv
You can read the full article on Grindr’s Blog.
Do you live in or near Boston and would you like to participate in a flash mob? I can’t share the details of when or where Boston’s next flash mob will occur, but if you would like to find out more email SOWAFlashMob (sowaflashmob@yahoo.com).
Here is a video of Mitchell from Modern Family surprising his partner Cam when he unexpectedly participates in a flash mob.
Each Monday I post #MenOfTwitter profiles of men who catch my eye and whom I think you may enjoy following. As always, suggestions for profiles to feature are welcome. If you’d like to follow me on twitter, you can find me @BosGuy. Below are this week’s #MenOfTwitter.
If so inclined, leave these guys a nice comment and start following.
BenjaminGodfre – What can I say about Benjamin that he hasn’t already said about himself? If you like what you see here, check his provocative blog www.benjamingodfre.com. Although he includes video on his blog you can also follow him on YouTube or facebook. I enjoy following him on Twitter since his Tweets provide a constant update in real-time with links. Benjamin’s fans are called Benjaminions and he interacts with them via his blog, facebook and Twitter. More photos of Benjamin will be posted on his blog shortly since he spent this past weekend with celebrity and fashion photographer David Vance in Miami.
buckhollywood – Entertainment “news” programs that act as if their reporting is actually important and newsworthy drives me bonkers. I prefer my pop culture news to be served with a side of sarcasm and humor and for that reason I’m a fan of Michael Buckley and his hilarious What The Buck show on YouTube. Michael’s enthusiastic show is gayer than a pink toy poodle and for that reason incredibly entertaining. With over 50,000 Tweets, Michael’s addiction to Twitter is well documented so if you follow him – say hello. He’s quite friendly.
BosGuy 