Tag Archives: Boston Guy

Boston pays tribute to John Michael Gray (one half of the Hat Sisters)

gay bostonOn Sunday, October 16th the Arlington Street Church in Back Bay was filled to capacity as family, friends and members of the Boston LGBTQ community came together for a service in celebration of the life of John Michael Gray (one half of the Hat Sisters).

Mayor Marty Walsh addressed those gathered and a surprisingly personal and touching letter from Gov. Charlie Baker that was sent to Tim O’Connor, in the days following Gray’s death was read. Friends and former colleagues shared personal (and funny) stories about Gray. The emotionally charged celebration paid a fitting tribute to this local icon, who gave so much of himself to the LGBTQ communities of Provincetown and Boston. Following the service Club Cafe closed for a special, private reception that had photographs of the couple’s 30+ years together as the Hat Sisters.  I feel lucky to have meet these two men and wanted to write this post to say thank you to everyone who helped organize and spoke at the tribute. It was incredibly touching and well done. My love and thoughts now turn to his wonderful spouse, Tim.

GoFundMe page was set up after Gray’s death to help Tim O’Connor (Gray’s husband) defray the medical expenses incurred during his treatment. It is still up for anyone who would like to contribute.

john-michael-gray-hat-sister

What to do this week: Oct 17 – 23rd

A Little White Music

Varla Jean Merman – A Little White Music – in Boston, Oct 20-22

What to do this week:  October 17th – 23rd

Boston Gay Men’s Book Club meets to discuss Anonymous at 7PM at Trident Booksellers & Cafe on Monday, October 17 in Boston

Geek Trivia is guaranteed fun and has lots of prizes (trivia starts at 8PM) hosted every Tuesday at Club Cafe in Boston

Tuesday Night Trivia is at The Alley Cat every Tuesday starting at 8PM in Providence

Show Tune Tuesdays takes place every Tuesday at dbar in Dorchester

Pie in the Sky Kickoff Party starts at 6PM at the W Hotel on Tuesday, October 18 in Boston

Karaoke Night starts at 10PM every Tuesday at Jacques in Boston

Sia in Boston for one night on her Nostalgic for the Present tour in Boston

November Project: Stair workout at Harvard takes place at the Harvard Stadium from 6:30-7:30AM every Wednesday in Boston

Jon Richardson performs at the Napolean Room on Wednesday, Oct 19

Jon Richardson performs at Club Cafe in the Napolean Room from 8-9PM on Wednesday, October 19 in Boston

Stump Trivia impress your friends with all the trivia you know from 5 – 10PM every Wednesday at Cathedral Station in Boston

Rocky Horror Picture Show viewing starts at 8PM on Thursday, October 20 at Machine in Boston

Drag Bingo – Nightmare on Elmwood benefits AIDS Care Ocean State on Thursday, October 20 at Riviera Bingo Hall in Cranston, RI

THOT Thursdaes is every third Thursday at Peggy O’Neil’s Pub in Dorchester

LGBT

Roger & Frank revisited at the History Project

Out of the Archives: Roger & Frank revisited If you like my weekly vintage gay blog posts join the History Project Thursday, October 20 in Boston

Drag Race Thursdays hosted by Mizery shows RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars 2 starting at 8PM every Thursday, at Club Cafe in Boston

TILT: Bacchanal is one part spooky and one part sexy at Styxx, starting at 9PM on Thursday, October 20 in Portland

Varla Jean Merman, A Little White Music is at The Ramrod Performing Arts Center Thursday, Friday and Saturday, October 20-22 in Boston

Queer Inclusive Climbing Klub (QuICK) Pizza night and climbing club at Brooklyn Boulders on Friday, October 21 in Somerville

boyfriendsBoyfriends monthly gay dance party at the Milky Way starts at 10PM on Friday, October 21 in Jamaica Plain

Poltergeist (1982) Midnight Showing at the Coolidge on Friday and Saturday, October 21 & 22 in Boston 

Gay Men’s Camping Group is at Shawme-Crowell State Forest on Friday and Saturday, October 21 & 22 in Sandwich

Dueling Drag Divas at Mainestreet on Friday and Saturday, October 21 & 22 in Ogunquit

Don’t Ask Don’t Tell is a monthly gay dance party hosted at Great Scott on Saturday, October 22 in Boston

Roxxxy Andrews at Ego is the largest 18+ dance party on Saturday, October 22 at Ego in Providence

Head of Charles Regatta

Head of the Charles regatta is Saturday & Sunday, October 22-23rd

Head of the Charles is the largest regatta in the world and takes place on Saturday & Sunday, October 22 & 23 in Cambridge and Boston

South End Open Market and SOWA Open Market return separately in the South End every Sunday from 10am – 4pm in Boston

Back 2 Basics Tea Dance never has a cover and always has great music from 70s 80s & 90s, starting at 5PM no cover every Sunday at Club Cafe in Boston

Surviving a Boston winter

Sergio and Rob, gay travel, flying, travelEven though Boston is enjoying a beautiful fall in just a few short weeks the leaves will be gone and to paraphrase an often used saying from GoT, “winter is coming”. Each fall I like to encourage readers to plan ahead. One of the ways to survive a Boston winter is to book yourself a quick trip someplace warm (even if just for a few days) to break up the long, dark cold months otherwise known as a New England winter.

Booking trips to warmer climates early next year will start to get really expensive if you wait until the holidays or are hoping you’ll be lucky enough to snag a last minute e-saver fare. Moreover, by booking an airfare now, you’ll have the ticket paid off well in advance of the holidays.  Sergio and I are still discussing where we would like to escape early next year but below are some photos from past winter escapes that I thought I’d share to tempt you to do the same.

Sergio, Rob

San Juan, Puerto Rico, 2016

gay, travel, Caribbean, Cayman Islands

Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands, 2015

West Beach - Laguna Beach, CA 2014

West Beach – Laguna Beach, CA 2014

Book your trip this week – you’ll thank me come February.

Why does it get harder to date a contemporary as we get older

gay-men-datingDavid Artavia penned a blog post on TheRealGayGuy.com a few months ago asking Is it Hard for Older Gay Guys to Date Men Their Own Age?”

I generally shy away from topics like this on my blog because I realize that I have no current experience on this subject and if it weren’t for the stories of my single gay friends I wouldn’t have the slightest idea of how difficult it is to meet and date a peer when you are no longer in your 20s.

Artavia in part blames that difficulty on the fact that for many older gay men we become obsessed (his word not mine) with youth and beauty, which might blind them from dating contemporaries who they have more in common. While I think that could be true for some, I also think that there are two important other reasons it gets increasingly difficult.

First, most everyone is single in their 20s so you have a much larger dating pool of contemporaries to meet and date. That changes over time with more friends pairing up, leaving a gap that can only be filled by dating people outside your age; with there always being more, younger single men than older (or so it seems). Second, as we get older we become more settled and making space for an equal who also has their own routines, relationships and responsibilities can be a tricky thing to make work.  Either way dating can be tough for the relationship-minded and I’m curious to get your thoughts so please share.

Scruffy Sunday

handsome man in bed, hairy man in bedPrevious Scruffy Sunday Posts

The Real Housewitches of Salem

The Sanderson Sisters are back and this time we get a sneak peek behind the scenes as they dish about life, their morning rituals and idiosyncrasies.

Saturday morning coffee

handsome, hunk, shirtless man, musclesOnce you wake up and smell the coffee its hard to go back to sleep
– Fran Drescher

Saturday morning comic: Adam and Andy

gay comic, gay cartoonClick on the comic strip to enlarge

ADAM & ANDY is set in the fictional New England town of Woodfield, CT. You can learn more about this strip by visiting, adamandandy.com.  To see previous Adam and Andy cartoons link here.

Bonus fur

hairy, furry, absEnjoy the weekend and thanks for stopping by to check out my blog.

Childe Hassam Park’s event, ARTISTRY, is Sunday

Childe Hassam Park, South End BostonChilde Hassam Park is located in Boston’s South End at the intersection of Chandler Street and Columbus Ave. The park has been designated as an outdoor space, showcasing the work of Boston’s visual and performing artists.

Later this weekend Friends of Childe Hassam Park will be hosting a fundraiser at The Urban Grape on Sunday, October 16th.

Childe Hassam Park, Sergio Mazon, Joshua Wilmoth

Sergio Mazon poses with artist, Joshua Wilmoth, at the “Play Me I’m Yours” piano that Wilmoth painted and was placed in the Childe Hassam Park (Sept-Oct 2016).

 

Furry Friday

handsome, hunk, hairy, beard

Past Furry Friday Posts

BosGuy brain teaser

brain teaser, shirtless manEach Friday morning I post a riddle to get you to think outside the box and exercise your brain.  If you are stumped, share it with a friend or colleague and see if you can figure out the answer together.riddle, visual riddle, brain teaserCan you figure out this week’s visual riddle (shown above)? Look at the image and share your guess in my blog’s comments section. I’ll confirm everyone’s answers later so don’t worry if you don’t see your comment appear right away.

Like riddles? Check out past week’s brain teasers.

Michelle Obama speech in New Hampshire

Earlier today Michelle Obama responded to Donald Trump’s comments about how he has treated women in the past at a rally in Manchester, New Hampshire. She succinctly articulated exactly what I was thinking but had failed to verbalize.

I am going to miss Michelle Obama. Growing up I thought of Jacqueline Kennedy as the ideal First Lady, but Michelle Obama has supplanted Jackie O as my favorite first lady. She inspires and motivates me, and I will miss her.

Shakespeare Unauthorized opens at the Boston Public Library

BPLAre you a fan of Shakespeare? The Boston Public Library is hosting a major gallery exhibition about William Shakespeare that opens today, Thursday, October 13th on the first floor of the McKim building in Copley Square.

The exhibit which runs through March 31, 2017 includes rare first and early editions of some of his most loved plays including A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Hamlet, and The Merchant of Venice. Visitors will experience Shakespeare in his original language and spelling, just as he would have been read by book lovers and theater-goers hundreds of years ago.

21 Things I like

Damien writes 2 Shoes & A Broom out in Kansas City and earlier this week he published a list 21 things that he likes. He asked me if I would compile a similar list and his request made me think of my mother who would routinely ask us at the dinner table to name three positive things that had happened to us that day. So this post is in response to Damien’s request and in tribute of my Mom.

Whore Family1 – Sergio, family and friends: This group of people deserve a far stronger sentiment but like will have to do for the sake of this post.

2 – Holidays: I like any excuse to get together with friends or family and the fact that the office is usually closed on these days is a bonus.

3 – Chocolate: The darker the chocolate the greater my addiction.

Travel, Sydney4 – Travel: I’m always planning the next trip.

5 – Live theater: Plays and musicals tug at my heart strings, make me laugh unexpectedly and entertain me in a way that movies cannot.

6 – Ancient history: I can’t explain it, but I always end up  watching documentaries about Ancient Egypt, Babylon, Greece, Rome, etc…

kissing7 – Kissing: As a young child no activity grossed me out more and as an adult it is how I like to start and end every day.

8 – Fridays: I feel like this is self-explanatory.

9 – Sense of Humor: I tend to be sarcastic and snarky, and I am at a total loss when I meet someone who lacks one.

Entering-Provincetown10 – Provincetown: Just a two hour drive or 90-minute high-speed ferry ride from Boston, this is one of my favorite places anywhere in the world.

11 – Red Sox: I will always love the Red Sox – always.

12 – Pizza: I could eat it for breakfast, lunch or dinner 7-days a week.

Caption this photo13 – Summer: Perhaps Boston’s most fleeting season it is still my favorite.

14 – Reading: Probably my favorite past time and way to escape reality. My favorite genres are mysteries, espionage, historical fiction and fantasy.

15 – Madonna: The obsession started in grade school and continues to this day although I no longer annoy friends by speaking in Madonna lyrics (thank god).

marriage equality16 – Obama: This year’s election has driven home how much I am going to miss this man who was the first sitting President to champion LGBT Rights.

17 – Poetry: If you read this blog regularly you will know that I have an abiding love of poetry.

18 – Flowers: A little known fact about me – I buy fresh cut flowers for my house almost every week.

Sexy Guy19 -Hairy chests: I probably watched Magnum P.I. at an impressionable age, and readers of this blog are likely familiar with my weekly Furry Friday posts.

20 – Coffee: I like it so much that I have a weekly post each Saturday morning of men drinking a cup of joe.

21 – My Blog: What started as an experiment in in the fall of 2007 has turned into an incredibly rewarding hobby that has introduced me to interesting people both near and far – so to Damien who challenged me to this post and those of you who I’ve had the opportunity to meet, thank you.