Hopefully the caption I’ve shared below inspires you to offer up one or two of your own. Leave a funny caption as a comment, and I’ll approve it for readers to enjoy.
“Hey Buddy I’m doing a load of whites. Do you have anything you need washed?”
Hard by Wayne Hoffman, first published in 2006, is set in the mid- to late-1990s and centers on two men Frank DeSoto and Moe Pearlman and their respective circle of friends.
The novel takes place when Giuliani (although he is never mentioned by name) was mayor of New York City and intent upon “cleaning up” NYC. In many cases this was code for closing may gay establishments. The mayor (unknowingly) had the support of Frank DeSoto, the publisher of NYC’s only gay newspaper. Frank’s past promiscuous behavior had resulted in his losing most of his friends and the love of his life to AIDS. Determined to save the next generation from the same fate, Frank uses his self-funded gay newspaper as a bullypulpit to chastise gay men for what he viewed as reckless sexual behavior and ignoring the lessons of the previous generation.
Moe Pearlman is a Jewish man in his mid- to late 20s who moved from Washington, D.C. to NYC for graduate school the previous year and fell in love with the gay scene. Led by his libido and a political activism born out of Act Up and other sex-positive grassroots organizations in NYC, Moe is determined to live his life as he sees fit and bristles at the paternal postulations from Frank and the conservative mayor seeking to make a name for himself in an otherwise liberal city.
I really enjoyed the 300-page novel, which centers on gay sexual liberation, relationships and gay life in New York City. Hoffman captures the times beautifully as the gay community’s political activism born out of a public health crisis (AIDS) was slowly gaining acceptance and increasingly becoming commercialized. While Moe is the main character and his wrangling with Frank constitute much of the storyline, Hoffman enriches the story by delving into key relationships both men have which makes the characters more human and relatable. This includes the loving dynamic between Frank and his in-laws long after their son has passed. Moe’s relationship with his family, former lover and best friend.
For any gay man who was sexually active in the 1990s, the relationship dynamics and tensions in the gay community on what it meant to be “sexually responsible” will resonate. It is one of the few books I’ve read about that time which grapples with the issue of AIDS and sexaulity that had me turning pages late into the night and not filled with dread or depressed. The book is sexually explicit but not at the expense of the narrative, which makes the story all the more compelling and enjoyable to read.
If you’re interested in purchasing this book and open to supporting local bookstores, try one of the links I’ve shared. The links below will take you right to the book so you can order it online in just a couple of clicks.
Brookline Booksmith in Coolidge Corner
Harvard Bookstore in Harvard Square
Porter Square Bookstore in Porter Square
Trident Bookseller’s & Cafe in Back Bay
This model’s photo reminds me of the 1980s ZZ Top song “Sharp Dressed Man” except it’s not just the girls who are crazy ’bout a sharp-dressed man – at least that’s the case on this blog.
Does anyone know who this guy is? I love everything about this look and how he is smiling into the camera. Do you think the leather strap on his left bicep is by chance (assuming he is right handed) or an intentional and not so subtle message for gay men? If he had more body hair he’d be the ideal muscle bear. Much thanks to the Facebook Group, Men Who Like Men In Kilts, which posted this photo.
It has been quite some time since I’ve featured the handsome Italian teacher turned model, Pietro Boselli, but if anyone can distract you from the fact that it is a Monday morning, my money is on Pietro.
Chicken soup is good for the soul – or so the saying goes. It is also easy to make. The only drawback to my recipe is that it takes a bit of time (approximately 75-90 minutes) so I typically make this on the weekend.
16 oz of chicken broth
16 oz of tap water
1/2 lbs of boneless, skinless chicken thigh
1/2 lbs of boneless, skinless breast
1/2 lbs of chicken drumsticks
1 cup of rice
1 cup of finely chopped onions
1 cup of finely chopped carrots
1 cup of finely chopped celery
4-5 cloves of garlic (whole cloves)
3-4 bay leaves
bunch of thyme
1 tsp of salt, pepper and oregano (each)
olive or vegetable oil
STEP 1 Place a large pot on the stove with 2 tablespoons of olive or vegetable oil and turn the heat to medium high. Place the garlic cloves and drumsticks and chicken thighs in the pan and rotate so the meat will sear. Hold off on adding the white meat for the moment.
After 2-3 minutes (once the meat starts to brown), add the chopped onions, carrots and celery, a couple pinches of salt, and stir for a few minutes until the vegetables soften. Lastly, add the boneless, skinless chicken breast to the pot, bay leaves, thyme, and approximately 1 tsp of pepper and oregano.
STEP 2 Add the broth and water to the pot. Once added, the liquid should nearly cover the chicken. Bring the pot to a boil, then cover, turn down the heat and let the soup simmer for 30-45 minutes.
STEP 3 Scoop out the chicken and shred it (the meat should be cooked and shred easily at this point) then add back to the pot. Add 1 cup of rice and bring the soup back to a boil, cover, and simmer for 30-45 minutes. Cooking tip, I recommend tasting the soup after you take the chicken out to make sure the flavoring is satisfactory.
Once the soup has cooked. Turn off the stove and let the soup cool. Take out the thyme (if you’ve tied the stems together like I do – see image above). I also use a fork to fish out the whole garlic cloves and mash the garlic against the side of the pot then stir it back into the soup. Lastly, if you’ve included the drumstick bones after shredding the chicken, take those out and dispose of them.
This recipe is delicious and makes approximately 6 servings.
I believe I may have posted this photo previously but think it is worthy of a repost. WDYT?
ADAM & ANDY is set in the fictional New England town of Woodfield, CT. You can learn more about Adam and Andy and purchase a copy of “the definitive collection of Adam and Andy” by visiting, adamandandy.com.
New material will be forthcoming soon. In the interim, check out this week’s “throwback” to last spring.
Click on this week’s comic strip to enlarge
Click here if you would like to see the previous Adam & Andy
Much thanks to BosGuy blog reader, John F, for sharing and suggesting this photo as a potential Furry Friday.
Today the Boston Red Sox return to Fenway Park for their 2021 home opener. After a disappointing 2020 (in so many ways), I’m excited to have Alex Cora return as the team’s manager, although I’m sad that many of the players he coached from the 2018 World Series are no longer part of the team. I have no idea what to expect from this year’s Boston Red Sox, but I’m excited and hope I get a chance to go to a game this year.
The game starts at 2:10 PM ET today and will be broadcast (locally) on NESN.
I’ve posted this photo previously because I find it so funny I thought it might make for a good April Fools post. I can’t recall when people suggested this photo may have been taken but my assumption is in the 1940s or possibly the 1950s. What do you think?
I dedicate this weekly post, featuring vintage gay photographs, to the men and women who lived in a more critical time where being true to yourself and loving who you want wasn’t always an option and came at a great price. Do you have a photo you would like to share? Email me at bosguymail@gmail.com.
I first featured Lucas Murnaghan’s Instagram account, a talented underwater photographer from Canada back in 2017, here. His images of men underwater have an ethereal beauty and quality so I was saddened to learn that this celebrated underwater photographer and orthopedic surgeon, passed away from cancer in his Toronto home last week, on March 21, 2021. He was 45.
In addition to checking out Lucas’ Instagram account visit Brian Ferrari’s Blog, which I feature in my blogroll. Ferrari’s blog includes many of Lucas memorable photos as well as his TEDx talk at Langford, In and Out of Breath. For more images and information regarding his book Beneath The Surface, please visit www.lucasmurnaghan.com/
You can follow this week’s featured account on Instagram here, and you can check out previously featured IG accounts here.
Much thanks to my friend Jim Lundy for sending me this photo and suggesting it for a “Caption This Photo” post. I agree that it makes for the perfect photograph. I’ll get you started by sharing a caption below and hope it inspires you to share a caption in the form of a comment on this post.
“Cough”
BosGuy 
