What do you know by heart? Memorizing texts is an educational practice that has seemingly gone out of fashion. Yet "knowing by heart" is still a core practice for many of us.
For some, knowing by heart means learning how to live in community even when community members are far apart. Knowing by heart can shorten the distance between two people. Knowing by heart can strengthen bonds between those who share a kindred spirt yet haven't yet met.
Our HOTT Crew will be knowing by heart next Sunday when we participate in, and volunteer to work for, the 30th Annual AIDS Walk Boston (http://action.aac.org/site/TR/Events/AWB08?pg=entry&fr_id=1170) Even though we don't know many of those on the receiving end of the generosity of AIDS Action, we nonetheless know them by heart.
And there are those such as Winnie Blagdon of Sheffield, England (below) who, upon turning 100 years old TODAY without having any living relatives, received over 16,000 birthday cards (including one from The Queen!) from people who only know her by heart.
We think knowing by heart is highly underrated, and invite you to join with us next Sunday as we participate in the AIDS Walk Boston. Or by connecting more deeply with someone you cherish and treasure. Or by connecting with someone knew and digging deeper into this "thing" called living in community.
Location: Green Line at Arlington
Imagined Profession: Community Organizer
Photographer: FT
Our hotties gorgeous dark hair, expertly coiffed, go so well with his designer eyewear and the mono tonal patterned shirt. What a finely turned out gentleman! And the deliciously groomed facial hair is quite the bonus!
Location: Green Line at Boylston
Imagined Profession: Director of Institutional Development
Photographer: FT
A summery day, a lightly filled train, and a handsome lad in a well-pressed checked shirt. It's a great way to start of the beginning of the weekend! And wouldn't you like this gent to be your 'mate!
Location: Red Line at Savin Hill
Imagined Profession: Medical Technology Sales
Photographer: FTH
It's Harvard Graduation Day, and our hottie above shows our new graduates how to dress professionally for work. On a warm and sultry morning such as this (pity those poor grads sitting in the sun in caps and gowns!) our man shows that you can look great while staying cool!
Location: Red Line at Porter
Imagined Profession: Bank Administration
Photographer: FT
And to celebrate we feature the very fine backside of a hottie ascending an escalator at a T station.
And we also want to feature a few fine photos from our trip to Orlando this past holiday weekend.
We always enjoy stocking up at the Publix in Orlando's Thornton Park neighborhood. Publix's motto is "Where Shopping is a Pleasure!". Indeed!
Orlando's version of Hubway is "Juice". We enjoyed cycling around downtown to the many activities in which we participated.
We also scouted out fine dining and spa treatments for our friends' TJ & Maxx's dog, Stella the Sea Beast. We think Stella will approve of Woof Gang Bakery and Spa.
On our way back to Boston we encountered this handsome Florida fellow waiting to board the express train at Orlando International Airport.
And while we normally eschew men with baggage, this hottie at baggage claim in Boston definitely caught our eye!
A sizzler of a day and a sizzling hottie on the T. A perfect start for the week! Our gent's leather satchel is an elegant touch, as is his copiously furry chest.
And our HOTT Crew's friends Dodie and Lola arrived right on time at Dodie's new lakefront mansion on Lake Cherokee in Orlando, accompanied by a police escort compliments of Dodie's new neighbor, Mayor Buddy Dyer of Orlando!
Upon driving Lola's performance sports car into Dodie's new air conditioned garage the neighbors offered up a glorious lakeside happy hour followed by our HOTT Crew's old fashioned BBQ. It was quite a day, and a magnificent evening under the sprawling live oaks in the balmy weather.
Location: Red Line at Charles/MGH
Imagined Profession: Manager of Archival Records
Photographer: GB
Our HOTT Crew is in Orlando, Florida tasked with moving in furniture to our friend Dodie's new lakefront mansion on Lake Cherokee, decorating it, and hosting a celebratory picnic dinner on her expansive lakefront lawn underneath the sprawling limbs of the 150 year old live oaks.
And it's 93F.
Finally, our crew of 5 gay men asked the most appropriate question, "What Would Gay Men Do?". And our answer? Hire an interior decorating firm and have the picnic catered by Orlando's premier BBQ restaurant, 4Rivers!
Which leaves us plenty of time to sip frozen pina coladas under the shade of the live oaks whilst the hired help do the work for which we'll take credit when Dodie and Lola arrive tomorrow afternoon!
And we hope to look as cool, calm and collected as our stunning gentleman above! Please, don't breathe a word to Dodie and Lola that we didn't do the decorating and cooking ourselves!
Location: Green Line at St Mary's
Imagined Profession: Director of Marketing
Photographer: FTH
FTH really outdid himself with this stunning still photo of a soulful hottie with a moving background. And look how this gentleman displays how effortlessly he can model a high fashion look. It's as if we're at Fashion Week in New York!
First, lets examine the pose. Hottie's left shoulder is dropped slightly as he places his left hand in the pocket of his dress slacks while barely disturbing the hang of his jacket. The left leg is also positioned slightly off center to adjust for the dropped shoulder and to accentuate the stylish stance. Meanwhile, the right shoulder is perfectly even, which gives his head the appearance of a slight insouciance of a tilt (but in reality he's not toting his head at all). As we travel down we notice the perfectly positioned right arm, exquisite cut of the arm of the jacket at just the right place on the upper wrist, and then an ever so deftly held umbrella, the umbrella serving more as a fashion accessory than as a needed accoutrement. Last, but not least, we notice the voluptous lips and very handsome hairstyle. All this while the train is in motion! We admire this hottie for having transported us to the more fashionable neighborhoods of New York and London!
We love days like this when we discover hot men wearing a splash of red. And this hottie had us imagining the hatch in the ceiling of the bus opening up and a wave of rose petals descending upon this fine gentleman and the passengers around him. We felt as if we were in a magical scene whilst in his presence. Wavy tousled hair. Black jacket cleverly layered over a delightfully red shirt. And simply stunning handsome good looks.
And to us this gentleman captured something essential for us, the understanding that hotness is released onto all of us. A radical idea? Yes. But we know that hotness is waiting to descend on any one of us. Just wait. It will show up eventually, no matter who you are.
So a celebration to all of you and your hotness on the T. You brighten our world!
Our HOTT Crew is making an unexpected trip to Florida to help our friend Dodie move into the new lakefront mansion she just bought in Orlando! Dodie has returned to Gloucester to tie up loose ends while our HOTT Crew arranges her furniture and decorates her 4,000 sq foot mansion. And then Dodie makes a grand East Coast road trip to Orlando as a passenger in our friend Lola Matisse's high performance sports car. What a scene!
And enroute to the airport we stumbled upon this stunning hottie who paired his outfit with his book, The Great Gastby! And immediately they thought of fellow HOTT Crew member FTH because this is the man FTH would choose to become his future husband! We love the layers of clothing and the flairs of the collars, and the banded hat is superb for his outfit. It's an outfit one might wear at the opening ceremonies of the Olympic Games! And lest one not pick up automatically on the theme of his outfit he's conveniently displaying The Great Gastby.
And are we ready for the Olympics in Boston? We think we can be. Just a few loose ends to tie up, and some investments to secure. Although we can't help but wonder if Suze Orman would tell us that we're "Approved" or "Denied". Hmmmm.
It's not often we encounter a man with such a brilliant sense of style. From the gleaming shoes to the well-tailored suit with a stunning selection of contrasting textures and colors in his shirt and tie, our handsome man showcases how one can ride the T in comfort while exhibiting brilliant style. And ever the perfect gentleman, he offered his seat to a nearby person with disabilities. That's classy!
Speaking of making room for others, that brings us to our 4th of 5th Points on hosting the Olympics.
We're aware that Boston 2024 plans to make use of our public park system for Olympic game venues. Our concern with that plan is that our public park system is managed by small organizations operating as "stewards", ostensibly on our behalf, who in reality are excluding minority participation in our park system. One example of this tone deafness is how the Emerald Necklace Conservancy so freely publishes photos online promoting events where white people are exclusively the ones enjoying the parks and black people are exclusively the ones pushing the wheelbarrows and digging the dirt. There are other similar organizations acting as "stewards" of our parks. But if our stewards operate so openly in such an exclusionary manner, what kind of Olympic games will people of color in our community experience? Will the white women from Party in the Park be the exclusive ticket holders for Olympic events held in our parks while the African-American kids are working in the kitchen?
If we want to successfully host the Olympic games we should first reclaim our public parks.
Location: Red Line at Central
Imagined Profession: Mergers & Acquisitions Attorney
Photographer: FTH
Our stunning gentleman above clearly invests in staying healthy and fit. He keeps up with his foundational work so that his muscles are always in peak form. And his grooming is consistent, yet not over done. The epitome of how investing in oneself helps one stay fit and handsome now, and also for the long-term.
And as our muscular man above knows the advantages of investing in oneself, our community can be fit for the Olympics if we begin investing in our current and future needs now.
Trains overcrowded? We should begin buying new and bigger trains now. Take a gander at this lonnnggg train at Charles/MGH!
If we want rail lines that take us to where we want to go we need to be willing to invest in them. Now.
If we want subways that operate during snow events then we need to invest in them. Now. (Hint, hint, building above ground subways, obviously, is not a world class approach to winter transport).
Regarding transportation the Boston 2024 organizers state that, "Boston 2024 could be the catalyst and deadline to finally make this investment a reality." And our HOTT Crew's response is that world-class cities don't resort to gimmicks to solve pressing problems.
We're not against the Olympics. We just think working for, and investing in, our communities' needs takes precedence to the needs of a 3-week long event.
And investing in ourselves instead of someone else's event can avoid the disappointment expressed so clearly in this article in the New York Times:
Our hottie shows off world class style with his very astute sense of fashion and color. We're especially taken by the detail and coordination in his color palette. He's absolutely adorable!
But residents of Paris, Milan, New York and Rio de Janeiro will tell you that being a world class city isn't about residents looking nice. It's about a sense of style in service, especially when it comes to food & wine. It's about expecting, and speaking up for, receiving excellence in service. And that's where Boston is lacking in a big way. So Point 2 in our 5 Point plan to host the Olympics begins with the wine menu at restaurants!
For example, our HOTT Crew has been frustrated that, far more often than not, when we order a particular wine from a menu at a restaurant the wine that is delivered is not the same vintage (sometimes not even the same wine) as what we selected from the menu.
A wine's vintage matters.
Being told that you're being served something different from what you ordered is important.
Delivering excuses for not advising guests of being served something different than what was ordered, and expecting the restaurant guest to be satisfied is not a good reason. It's bad service. Period.
It's the absence of attention to detail, and the absence of even caring about your dining patrons, that visitors to our city will notice. And by which they'll judge us. We'll be the laughing stock of a global audience if restaurant service in Boston continues to lag so far behind cities that are truly world class.
So what can you do? When you order a 2010 Cotes du Rhone from a menu and are delivered a 2013, and the waiter doesn't even bother to mention it (that's a big difference, and happened to us at a tony restaurant on Beacon Hill last week), you can simply send the wine back. And refrain from ordering another wine. That can easily shave $10 off of a waiter's tip. When wait staff begin to get pushback from their customers and begin to see that bad service doesn't pay, then we'll be on our way to establishing a new and world-class style of dining service that can make us a proud Olympic Host City!
We can help Boston become a world class city by not shrinking from demanding excellence in service, and we can start with the wine menu!
An Olympic Host City needs to be World Class. And although we have world class men (a fine example of which is the handsome fellow above), we aren't truly a world class city that's ready to host the Olympics.
Our first concern, and the subject of today's first of five points, is that if Boston is actually chosen to host the Olympics our city flags will give the world a first impression that we're dull and unimaginative. We need a visual that people around the world will associate with us and be memorable. Currently, neither Boston nor Cambridge have anything close to well-designed flags.
What makes for a well designed flag? Check out this amazing and entertaining TED Talk video below! And then scroll down to see our current, and our HOTT Crews' proposed, city flags!
Below left is the Boston flag. Below right is the Cambridge flag. From the TED Talk flag expert you can quickly see that they are not well designed flags. Matter of fact, we'll be the laughing stock of a global audience should we host the Olympics with these flags. People from overseas seeing our city flags might even think we're in Mississippi instead of Massachusetts!
The Boston flag (above left) is dull and from a distance looks as if it's sporting a World War I battleship. The Cambridge flag (above right) looks as if someone spray painted the town logo on a car cover.
So our HOTT Crew offers a major redesign of our fair cities' flags to conform with good flag design, and proudly presents them below! Let us describe them for you!
Our new Boston flag (above left) pays homage to the life sustaining fish which have been the lifeblood for everyone living here since time immemorial. We would have used a cod, but cod are OUF (One Ugly Fish). And vegans in Jamaica Plain would be loathe to have a real fish on a city flag. So we used a fun fish, Flounder from Disney's The Little Mermaid! The stars surrounding Flounder represent each Boston neighborhood and are blue to represent the sea.
And our new Cambridge flag (above right, and already copyrighted) recognizes two things people around the world think of when Cambridge, MA is mentioned: Harvard University (note the crimson bars) and Pahk the Cah at Havahd Yahd. And we maintained good flag design by not using any words! Our in house artist, Lola Matisse of Gloucester, will be tweaking our flags to ensure they're in proper flag-sized proportions.
We think our flags will be a fun addition to the flag poles at the Olympic Games, and, when flown all over the city will convey to people from around the world that we're not only world class, we're also fun!
Location: Red Line at Park
Imagined Profession: Vexillologist
Photographer: GB
Our sumptuous hottie is delighting in his book of the week, Aristotle and the Aardvark. And doesn't our man look nice in his V-necked T-shirt and designer eyewear! A treat for all of us!
Location: Red Line at Kendall/MIT
Imagined Profession: Philosphy Major
Photographer: FT
Our delightfully prepped out hottie today is a dead ringer for our HOTT Crew's friend TJ (of TJ &Maxx in Gloucester). TJ is convinced he was separated at birth from his identical twin brother when he was accidentally handed over to a blue collar family. And our hottie above, identical in every way to TJ, has all of the hallmarks of hailing from a family of wealth and privilege, and of having a longer record of breeding than a Kentucky thoroughbred.
We're so glad we found TJ's lost twin brother!
Location: Red Line at Harvard (of course he's at Harvard!)
Imagined Profession: Old Money (new money is so vulgar!)
Photographer: GB
Toss in a summery selection of seersucker pants, add a slim-fit white long-sleeved jersey, and top it off with a dash of lemony-olive oil skin tones and you have our hottie du jour, Seersucker Salad!
And if the behind-the-scenes view isn't enough for you we managed to get a side shot, as well!
Location: Red Line at Park
Imagined Profession: Tennis Coach
Photographers: FT & GB
Just a quick heads up if you're traveling through Jamaica Plain by car today as the Party in the Park is hosting what we refer to as it's annual All-White Ladies Luncheon. 800 white women in hats blocking the streets in Jamaica Plain! We like fundraising for worthy causes (this one is for the Emerald Necklace Conservancy), but we think an all-white party for 800 people is more than a little insensitive in a city that's 48% non-white. Perhaps some diversity training for the executives at the Emerald Necklace Conservancy would be a good start?
Speaking of heads up, our hottie above certainly had our heads looking up as we soaked in his impeccable business attire and dashing patterned tie. What a handsome hunk of a man!
Location: Red Line at Harvard
Imagined Profession: Senior Data Analyst
Photographer: GB
Our handsome man clad in purple reminds us of the patriotic hymn, America the Beautiful. And our gent's ginger hair goes so well with the color of his shirt. How inspiring to be on the same train as he was!
And for our many visitors from our Dominions Beyond the Seas, we post a video below of a popular and classic rendition of America the Beautiful. Enjoy!
Location: Red Line at Charles/MGH
Imagined Profession: Government IT Analyst
Photographer: GB
Our hottie today is stunningly handsome. A dash of debonair mixed with a generous helping of fit and trim, and topped of with a splash of subtle sophistication. Just how we like our cocktails!
And we think his choice of gray clothing is quite flattering!
Location: Red Line at JFK
Imagined Profession: Government Relations Executive
Photographer: FTH
Our HOTT Crew's friend Lola Matisse was worried sick about us! The HOTT Crew did the annual Christina Clarke Genco Memorial Mother's Day cycling event in Newton as a kickoff to our cycling season. But GB had a flat tire, and then our HOTT Crew took a wrong turn and wound up at I-495! Our 34 mile bike ride (on an already challenging route) turned out to be twice as long, in extraordinarily warm temperatures, and it felt as if we were cycling to infinity and beyond!
But upon finally making it back and assuring Lola we were all OK we then partook in a film at AMC Loews Boston Common in order to sit for a bit in luxurious air conditioning. And enroute on the T we capture this handsome fellow! Shorts! T-shirts! It's summer!
Location: Red Line at Kendall/MIT
Imagined Profession: Fiscal Services
Photographer: GB
We love men who wear bow ties! And our dashing gent wears a luscious deep red very slimline bow tie with businesslike patterns. And the royal blue pants, sea foam green button-down Oxford shirt and stylish frames (Warby Parker, perhaps?) lend an air of sophistication and confidence to our fellow traveler. And he seems so content reading his book! What a hottie!
If you're looking for our "Finger Focus" hottie please scroll down to see yesterday's post. We're glad his friends have discovered him on our blog!
And we were thrilled to discover this handsome gentleman above with his downtown casualness combined with an uptown genuine leather satchel. It's a glorious look that shows our man is at ease and prepared for any environment. We think we'd enjoy a picnic with him!
Oh yes, it's election day in The United Kingdom! Don't forget to vote!
Location: Red Line at Andrew
Imagined Profession: Director of Software Implementation
Photographer: FTH
Our hottie above is ever so close to reaching our Top 10 most visited hotties of all time!
Oh how we enjoyed letting our fingers do the walking! We used our "FingerFocus" app to highlight our hottie and relegate those other extraneous people to the sideline. Which mean our fingers were caressing this gentleman's tanned muscular thighs (look at the definition!), rubbing back and forth over our hottie's voluptuous calf muscles, and easing our fingers slowly up to our athletic man's slim and firm waist.
Bold and beautiful is how we like our men. And that's exactly what we found on our excursion the other morn'. Absolutely hunky! Adorably handsome! It's Double Tuesday!
Location: Red Line at Charles/MGH
Imagined Professions: Left, Sales Development; Right, Healthcare Research
Photographer: FTH
It's International Star Wars Day, and our HOTT Crew's friend Dodie has flown to Orlando to participate in a Star Wars convention. She rather enjoys walking around dressed like Princess Leia, with those french buns on each side of her head. And when she goes to Disney World she simply flips those buns outwards and looks like Minnie Mouse! That's our Dodie.
Anyway, our hottie above is more of a Luke Skywalker type. Debonair, dashing and downright handsome.
Location: Red Line at Harvard
Imagined Profession: Trainee at Bain Capital
Photographer: GB
The epitome of handsome and classic and stylish all in one package! We hope you enjoyed being outside today, for the first decently warm day since, oh, last October! Mind you, our HOTT Crew still saw remnants of snow drifts whilst out cycling today, but they will soon be gone as warm weather, and hot men, are here for the remainder of the season!
Location: Red Line at Park
Imagined Profession: Interior Design Consultant
Photographer: GB
Today we celebrate the birth of a royal baby, the daughter of TRH the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, and as our hottie above shows us, we're wearing pink in honor of this momentous birth! A glorious pink that pairs so well with the dusky sandy colors of khaki pants. A subtle pink that softens the deep and rich tones of of a forest green. A brilliantly light pink that accentuates one's skin tones. A pink that illuminates the dark and gray of our waning winter world. To paraphrase one who knows about the importance of our outward signs of color selection on this particular day:
Pink is the color of looking forward despite not knowing exactly what's ahead. Pink is the color you saw this morning if you happened to be up and looking east from a beach in Ft. Lauderdale at about 7:00am. Pink is the assurance that darkness is temporary and illusory and that God's light is our eternal home.
And as our HOTT Crew mentioned earlier this week our guess for the new royal princess is:
Unexpectedly cool weather doesn't prevent our hottie from heating up our train with his good looks and fabulous style. From his amazing technicolor toboggan to his stylish multi-layered Arc'teryx jacket, our cool weather friend makes us feel warm all over!
