Tag Archives: Boston Guy

ABC pilot filming in South End: Boston’s Finest

An ABC pilot show called Boston’s Finest is shooting scenes outside of my neighborhood cafe, The South End Buttery.  The catering trucks currently line Washington Street and the corner of Shawmut Ave and Union Park are blocked off.  The inside of the Buttery has been turned into a sort of holding pen for many of the extras and some of the wardrobe.  While I was ordering my lunch I did happen to see New England native,Treat Williams, walk by, which was sort of cool.  I was told that the filming for the pilot concludes today so I will be able to get my lunch and afternoon coffee without competing for space with all the extras who were essentially just sitting still and taking up space.

Am I the only one who thinks this is funny?

Personalized medicine

If you can get smarter by surrounding yourself with really intelligent people, then my IQ jumped a few points today.  Yesterday evening a few well respected doctors flew into Boston to attend a meeting my team hosted today to talk about a new and interesting area in medicine referred to as Personalized Medicine.  If people have heard the term before, they are most likely inclined to think of medical/testing products that can be purchased at a pharmacy (i.e. pregnancy tests). But P.M. is so much more. A popular definition is medicine that incorporates genetic profiles for the prevention, detection, and treatment of disease by taking into account a person’s unique genetic profile. 

These ‘thought leaders’ shared stories about what they are seeing and their insights were extremely interesting. While some of the stories sounded a bit like something more suited for a science fiction movie the reality is that this is more real than fiction.  How our government and governments around the world react (either encouraging more development through investment or discouraging it by creating impediments) is yet to be seen.  The Human Genome project which started in 1990 and mapped the genetic make-up of humans has helped unlock significant opportunities for defining new treatments (medical, nutritional and behavioral) for keeping a person healthier longer. This international public/private scientific research project is what I mean by governments ‘encouraging more development’.

Imagine being able to customize preventitive strategies so women with a genetic predisposition to develop breast cancer can have mamograms more frequently than the general public so they can increase their chance of an early detection? Imagine an individual likely to suffer from Diabetes Type II being ‘prescribed’ work out sessions with a trainer and sessions with a nutritionist to avoid this chronic disease, which now afflicts an estimated 20 million Americans? These are just some of the opportunities that exist as advances in personalized medicine are realized – pretty cool.

A limerick in honor of St. Patrick’s day

Lim’ricks are the naughtiest prose
Dirty rhymes we love to compose
Men from Nantucket
Shouting, “Go $uck it!”
Are fun to write I suppose

If you have a Limerick you’d like to share, I’d enjoy hearing it.  Feel free to e-mail me or leave it in the comments section. Oh yeah, and Happy St. Patrick’s day – it’s practically a holy day of obligation here in Boston.

Frisky mannequins

I think I’d enjoy working at that store.

Working on working out

This evening I was perusing one of my favorite blogs WGB (Mom you wouldn’t like it) and there was a post about this being his 4th day working out and dieting; no doubt to get into shape before the warmer weather gets here. It made me realize the last time I referenced my work outs was in late January in my Resolutions Revisited post.

I’m quite pleased to say that I’ve been fairly disciplined going to the gym and meeting with my trainer, Stu, twice a week. Tonight I lifted 85lb dumb bells (the heaviest I’ve done to date) for single arm rows. Since I had no idea what this back exercise was prior to working out with Stu, I’ve included a photograph..

I’ve not been quite as good about going to the gym when I don’t have a standing apppointment with Stu, but I’m working on getting better and plan to try and get in a cardio work out 1-2 days a week.  I’ll keep you posted.  If you’re also struggling to make time for your work out let me know – misery enjoys company.

Anyone else feel like this?

Coloring by Sergio Mazon

Ken Oringer’s, Coppa Enoteca, worth trying

Saturday night I had an early dinner at Coppa Enoteca, Ken Oringer’s newest restaurant which opened earlier this year in the space formerly occupied by The Dish.  The space has been completely remodelled, but it remains a tiny place seating no more than 30-40 people. When dining al fresco is an option, I would guess that they will be able to increase seating by 50%.

The menu is filled with small plates intended to be shared.  My favorites included the handmade pasta dishes and white pizza, but everything we ate was delicious.  The space is tiny and in cold weather everyone gets chilled each time the door opened.  Ken Oringer and Jamie Bissonnette need to figure out a fix for that, because I won’t go there again in bad weather and next winter this place will no longer be a novelty.

However, despite the rain and chill, the place was hopping so you need to arrive early to snag a table.  Since the menu is Italian tapas, you end up having a leisurely dinner and it is easy to lose track of time (we did). But after 2+ hours of eating the bill was a reasonable $55.00 per person (drinks and tip included).  I’ll definitely be back when it is better weather.

Details:
Coppa
253 Shawmut Avenue, Boston MA
617-391-0902
http://www.coppaboston.com/

Haven’t met you yet

Isn’t it funny the power music can have? When I was driving today this song came on the radio and it made me think of a good friend who recently broke up with a guy she had been dating.  You can read her dating chronicles on her blog, My quest to find a husband. Although I’ve no doubt she’s heard this song countless times, I’m going to suggest that she listen to this song by Michael Buble for therapy.

Gay fiction

I just finished reading two gay-themed stories which I really enjoyed, and for those few of us out there who like reading gay literature sometimes the options can be quite slim so I wanted to give an online ‘shout-out’.   The first is a touching story about two men who grow up in Melbourne, Australia in the mid-70s and their life together.  It is well written and very touching; normally I shy away from stories that take place during the AIDS epidemic – I just find it too sad, but this really touched my heart.  Title: Holding the Man by Timothy Conigrave, 286 pages, Published by Penguin Books, ISBN: 978-0-14-320282.

The second book takes place a decade later (1983 to be exact) in New Jersey and is about a high school senior’s plans to attend Julliard to become a famous actor.  The story is entertaining to say the least and the author’s wit and humor had me unexpectedly laughing out loud at times.  Title: How I Paid for College: A tale of sex, theft, friendship and musical theatre by Marc Acito, 276 pages, ISBN: 978-1-4088-0221-2.

I’ve read many gay-themed books (fiction and non-fiction), but if you would like to comment on a book of particular interest or a favorite please share with me as I’m always looking for another book and appreciate personal recommendations.

Leaving on a jet plane

Sergio is heading home to Brazil for a couple of weeks to be with his family (his Dad turns 80), and his departure will definitely make our apartment feel empty.  Since Sergio was laid off in August, I’ve become accustomed to having him here during the day while I work, and I enjoy being able to spend time (not just quality time – whatever that means) together.

I know that the next two weeks will pass quickly and he will be home before I realize it.  I hope with his arrival home more temperate weather will be here.  Last weekend and the first half of this week was in the low and mid 50s in Boston, but that is all a distant memory with colder temperatures and rainy weather dominatinng this weekend’s forecast. By contrast the weather in Brazil looks to be in the low 80s by day and low 70s by night for the next week.  Am I jealous? Perhaps a bit.

Need some ideas for your next date?

The Boston Globe has interviewed local celebrities asking how they would spend an evening in Boston. Some of the ideas are pretty interesting and I might check out.  After living in Boston for a number of years you start to take for granted the options available on any given night.  While Boston might not have as much to offer as some larger cities, there is still plenty to do.

Running out of ideas for your Friday night or are you stumped by an upcoming date and you want to make it special?  Check out these suggestions by local celebrities.

Nomar to retire as a Red Sox player today

Photos from last night’s Taste of the South End.
Take a peek – there is no weight gain if you only look.

Click to play this Smilebox slideshow:

Saudade Brazil

I would love to be on Ipanema Beach in Rio de Janeiro today.
If you could be anywhere, where would you spend your day?