Another Jake Gyllenhaal photo …

Hi, friends and readers:

When I rose this morning, I checked my blog stats and … Whoa! The number of visits to yesterday’s Jake Gyllenhaal post had gone through the roof. I guess I’m not the only one who thinks Jake is fine. And since it’s almost Christmas, I thought I’d give all of you a gift: another Jake photo, this one clearly not a professional job, but sweet nonetheless.

Nice “happy trail”, Jake!

Okay, today will be busy for me: I’ll work out and swim at the YMCA, then I’ll visit an old friend who is housebound. Every year I pay her a visit just before Christmas. I bring her good quality steaks and pork chops (’cause she loves them) and some cash, and then we sit for a while and talk about how the year has unfolded for each of us. She is a total sweetie, and seeing her is one of the highlights of my holiday season.

Tonight I’ll have dinner in a restaurant with three good friends and we’ll drink a few beers and tell stories and laugh it up. What could be better?

Have a nice Wednesday, all.

In praise of Jake Gyllenhaal …

Hi, friends and readers:

Is there a more beautiful man in the world than Jake Gyllenhaal?

I DON’T THINK SO!

Face it, the guy is gorgeous and, according to everything I’ve ever heard he is a total sweetie. I read an interview with Jake, published at the time Brokeback Mountain released. In it he said his godparents were a gay couple, two men he loved and respected. 

I think that’s uber cool.

I made good progress on the Cassadaga piece this morning. I’m excited about the way it’s turning out, and I already have a publisher in mind for the story. After I finished writing, I ran a gazillion errands, including buying food and wine for the Christmas Eve party at my place. It’ll be nice spending the evening with manyof the folks I’m closest to.

One of my best friends from Germany, who I spent much time with this summer, is calling me at six P.M. tonight, right after I return home from watching sunset, and that’ll be nice, too. We have not spoken much since I got back from Germany and it’ll be good to hear his voice.

I took a three-mile run around four P.M. and conditions were perfect: cool and sunny with only a light breeze blowing. I barely broke a sweat. I love this kind of weather.

Have a nice Tuesday evening, all.

Sexy boy with a necklace; wintry day on the island …

Hi, friends and readers:

A devotee of my blog sent me the photo I’ve posted here this morning. I really like it. The young man’s handsome and sexy and you can tell he will be a knockout in a couple of years. I like the necklace he’s wearing, but somehow I doubt it would look as good on me as it does on him.

Thanks for the pic, Gene.

It’s overcast and chilly on the island this morning, which is okay. Oftentimes Christmas Day in Florida is warm and everyone’s walking about in T-shirts,  shorts and flip-flops, which doesn’t really get me in the holiday spirit. This year, it’ll be fireplace weather on Christmas. I like it.

Okay, I have writing to do, then I must run a slew of errands to get ready for a Christmas Eve gathering I’m hosting at my place. So …

Have a nice Tuesday, everyone.

Another gay skateboarder sounds off; beautiful evening on the island …

Hi, friends and readers:

I just returned home from the YMCA and running a bunch of errands. A comment from another gay skater awaited me. This guy’s name is Aaron, he’s from the Denver area, age not stated.

Aaron said, “I skate as good as anybody at my park. I am also queer and completely out to everybody — family, friends and all the skaters I know. I even have a T-shirt that says, ‘I’m so gay I shit rainbows.’ This one dude tried to give me some shit about the T-shirt one day and I told him to f**k off; that I’d break his f**cking nose if he bothered me again. He hasn’t of course, and that’s the only time I’ve ever had trouble from another skater. Most everybody at my park is pretty open-minded. If some skater doesn’t like the fact I’m queer, it’s HIS problem, not mine.”

Well-said, Aaron.

It’s beautiful here on the island tonight. Chilly, but there’s no wind and we should have a nice sunset this evening. Think I’ll open a beer and go. Then I’ll get my fireplace going and warm up leftovers from the seafood place I dined at last night. What could be better?

Have a nice Monday evening, all.

Sexy guy wearing eyeglasses; quiet day for Martin; comment from gay surfer in Cali …

Hi, friends and readers:

Some guys look great in eyeglasses, I’m not sure why. But I think the young man in the photo I’ve posted this morning looks sexy. What do you think? I’ll bet he’d be fun on a study date!

I’m up a bit earlier than usual, already had breakfast and checked my e-mails. I’ll work on the Cassadaga piece this morning, then visit the YMCA for a workout and swim this afternoon. This evening? I’ll stay home and watch the second half of the film, Australia, with Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackmann. It’s a fine movie, but almost three hours long, so I am watching it in two parts.

Dinner last night was superb. I had fresh grouper stuffed with crab, scallops and shrimp. Coupled with a salad and a nice Savignon blanc, it was a perfect holiday meal.

Does everyone have their shopping done? No? Get busy, then! In four days it’ll be Christmas. 

This morning I received a nice comment from a surfer in Pacifica, CA named Jacob, age twenty. He stumbled across my blog yesterday. He says, “I spent almost four hours reading all your posts, since your blog began. Because I’m gay, I especially enjoyed the posts with comments from gay surfers. Also those from gay skateboarders. Sometimes I feel so lonely; I don’t know any gay surfers in my community. It’s nice to know there are other guys like me out on the water.”

Have a nice Monday, all.

Skinny guys; busy Sunday for Martin; chilly night on the island …

Hi, friends and readers:

Do you like the photo I’ve posted here this evening? I do, but then I have a liking for slender young men. It’s funny, when I went off to college I was six-foot-one and weighed 155 pounds; I was a string bean and I didn’t like it. Being skinny was uncool at the time, but I sense things have changed a lot since then. Skinny’s okay now, I think. Am I right?

It’s been a busy day for me, working on my writing, taking care of e-mails, potting several plants, then installing two Venetian blinds and shortening them to fit the window spaces they now occupy. (If you’ve never performed this task, believe me: it’s a major pain in the butt.)

Anyway, the jobs are done and I feel so productive. I’m taking my mom out for dinner to a nice seafood place tonight — an early Christmas gift to her. The restaurant we’ll go to has really good food and a nice wine list, so I am looking forward to the evening.

Outside it’s turned cold and windy, and that’s okay. It’s Christmas time; it should be chilly. Right? Now it’s time to crack open a beer and do a little editing.

Have a nice Sunday evening, all.

Gay skateboarders: an interesting comment …

Hi, friends and readers:

It’s a beautiful Sunday morning here on the island. Outside, the temperature’s around 68 degrees F. The sun is shining and it’s breezy. Yesterday’s trip to Home Depot has prepared me for a full list of household projects I’ll accomplish after I finish my writing: Install Venetian blinds, install light fixture, pot plants, etc. Exciting stuff, eh?

Okay, last night I received an interesting comment from two skaters in San Diego, CA — Zach and Johnny, both UCSD students who live on campus. Both are dedicated skateboarders, both are gay. They met online back in August, now they are boyfriends. Here’s what they had to say on the issue of gay boys/men participating in the skateboarding subculture:

“Look,  there are plenty of assholes in the skating community. There are assholes everywhere, in all parts of society. But we’re out to the grinders on campus and our sexuality is not a problem for them, not that we know of. Maybe it’s different in an off-campus environment, but Johnny’s from Irvine and Zach’s from San Jose and we both were out to our skater friends before we came to UCSD. Again, no problem. We don’t think homophobia’s as big an issue as some of your commenters say.

“But thanks, man, for bringing up the question. All you queer grinders out there: keep it goin’. “

Okay, Zach and Johnny. Thanks for writing. I’m glad to hear that in some places gay skaters are accepted for how they skate, not who they love.

Have a nice Sunday, all.

Two sexy guys; chilly morning on the island; heavy traffic on the blog …

Hi, friends and readers:

Do you like the photo I’ve posted here this morning? I do because: (a) the guys are sexy; (b) it’s sweet seeing two young men getting affectionate; and (c) it’s a black and white.

I wish I had someone to snuggle with this morning ’cause it’s windy and cold on the island right now. But the sun is shining and it’s supposed to warm up as the day progresses. No problem!

I don’t have much planned today. I’ll work on my Cassadaga project (Yes, it has morphed from story, to novella, to “project.”) this morning, then maybe I’ll visit Home Depot to buy materials for repairs I need to complete in the days ahead. It seems like there’s always something to fix around this place.

Yesterday I had a huge number of visits to this blog, one of the highest daily counts ever, I’m not sure why. I also found out that a “piracy” website has stolen my novella, Maui, and is selling it at discount prices. My publisher, Torquere Press, says they’ll shut the situation down pronto.  (G-r-r-r…)

Have a great Saturday, everyone.

Gloomy Friday morning; nice review on “Maui” …

Hi, friends and readers:

I woke to the sound of rain drumming my roof this morning. It’s overcast and damp outside, a good day to stay indoors and write. Where I live the sun shines about 350 days out of the year and, yeah, we are spoiled. We love to gripe when the weather turns gloomy.

My novella, Maui, published last month by Torquere Press, received a glowing review from the Rainbow Reviews website. Here’s the link:

http://www.rainbow-reviews.com/?p=3310

It’s always nice when a reviewer has nice things to say about something I have written.

I’ll work on my Cassadaga novella this morning, then visit the YMCA this afternoon for a workout, shooting baskets and swimming. I don’t know what I’ll do with my evening. Maybe read a book?

Enjoy your Friday, everyone.

Quiet morning on the island; gay wrestler sounds off …

Hi, friends and readers:

I love the photo I’ve posted here this morning. What a smile! Anyone know who the model is? Or the photographer?

It’s quiet on the island this morning. The only sound is the rustle of plam fronds in the breeze. I’ll work on my Cassadaga story this morning, then maybe I’ll take a walk on the beach after lunch. I gues the cold front never arrived in central Florida, ’cause it’s about 77 degrees F outdoors.

I received a comment from a gay high school wrestler, a junior, name not provided. He lives in Davenport, Iowa. He says, “My weight class is 140. Last year I won all but one match. I’m pretty tough and my teammates like me, but I’ve got a boyfriend now. He goes to my school. We are thinking about coming out to our families and friends. Maybe we’ll go to prom together in May. What do you think?”

H-m-m-m. Since I don’t know much about Davenport, I wasn’t sure how to respond, especially about the prom. But I did encourage the young man to tell his family and friends. I said, “Coming out is a liberating experience. It almost always makes for a better, more relaxed life. No more hiding.”

Okay, time to get to work. Have a nice Thursday, all.