bostonman

I'm not going to block you, and I also apologize for coming on as I did - reading your posts helped me understand a bit better. It's a fucking crazy world out here now, more than usual, and feelings flare up. I wish you well, really. I appreciate your honesty.

Got it! Somehow never made that connection, but of course!! Thanks.

I hate to ask, but am I missing a joke here?

He was absolutely right. In a piece such as the Cavalleria "Intermezzo," you want a certain elasticity in tempo that a click track cannot give you, ever. Nezet-Seguin's idea of sending a video of him conducting, plus a piano guide track, seemed a good (and effective) solution. I make piano tracks for my musical theatre students a lot - and I've certainly been doing that a helluva lot lately as it's the only way we can work with the students over Zoom. I have to judge from song to song the best method - if it's a song that stays in a driving rhythm or can benefit from a very steady tempo, I make a click track for myself to record off of. (Especially if I plan to record in segments or layers, which I often do.) If it's a ballad or other song that needs a little more freedom, I tend to work without a click.

The analogy to that episode has occurred to me too. As well as another one - "Time Enough At Last" - where a nuclear explosion ironically gives a sole survivor, an insatiable bookworm, all the peace and quiet and time to read every book in the world...until fate intervenes in the smallest but cruelest way. I've been thinking of that episode as we all sit isolated as if we really had time to do all the things we've always wanted, unimpeded - but of course we're unable to.

I saw my favorite escort in early March, before the world really started falling apart. I don't know when he'll be up this way again at this point, but I think I would trust him enough that when he feels right about working and making a trip to Boston, I'm sure I'll see him. But I tend to think that won't be for a while. In the meantime, I'm lucky to still have a salaried teaching job (working from home), though much of my other freelance music work has disappeared of course - so I'm also trying to watch my finances, and aside from Covid concerns, probably won't even think of hiring again until I feel like I have enough extra money coming in that I won't have to worry so much. So it may be a while. And although I'd be tempted to arrange a cam session with a hot escort, I really can't see wanting to spend money on that - I'd rather save up for something more intimate once it seems safe to do so. Mid March, I did have a few days of cold/allergy-like symptoms - a slightly scratchy/dry throat and some congestion - but no fever, no other complications, and it went away without any fanfare. So I doubt that was anything corona-ish, but of course who knows? I've been fine ever since (aside from being increasingly stir-crazy, but I'm sure we all are...)

Yes - I saw this news earlier today. Just so sad. I hope he will come through this ok.

He travels to Boston occasionally, and I've wanted to meet him but timing never seems good. I haven't really tried to pursue anything the last few times he's been in town. So I was a bit surprised when he sent me a message a few weeks ago when he was here. I thought - here's this supposed medical student who's looking for hookups at this time? I didn't respond, and doubt I will in the future. That kinda turned me off to him.

How does he have those N95 masks? Shouldn't they be being exclusively used by the medical professionals who really need them?

Actually, for a few years now, I've found a real interest in hooking up with guys (not for pay) to watch them masturbate , which can actually be incredibly sexy. Social distancing is very easy with that - still, I've been waffling on doing this over the last month because I'm just not sure if I should be inviting guys over or not. So far, I've decided not to. But I'm still thinking about it...

I'm not really into "getting stuffed," but I do miss intimacy big time.

Um, how about simply replacing "gay men" with "people"? Last I checked, one either likes to cook or they don't, but it has nothing to do with what gender you sleep with.

The oldest profession lol? I think it will continue. Sites may come and go and re-form, but I trust the business will always be there.

I don't think anyone WANTED to see Broadway go dark. The quick (though gradual) closing of theatre in Boston last week was awful as well. (I think I saw the very last regional performance in town on Saturday night.) But it had to happen. Even me, as a now out-of-work theatre professional, understands why it had to happen. Are you saying he's a moron because he didn't close things sooner? I can understand that. But it seems to me that this past week was when the shit hit the fan for a number of large cities - colleges closing, and the cascade going from there. Hindsight at this point no longer matters. But if we're going there regardless, the mismanagement starts with the orange moron, no one else. There has been so much confusion, so little information, and so much MISinformation that I almost can't blame anyone else for not responding faster. That said, I tend to doubt Broadway will open up as soon as it would like to. But I hope when it does open, that shows can continue as they were. Financially, like everywhere else, it's going to be a real mess. Not that I'm trying to be a prophet of doom. This is my own business I'm talking about, after all, and I'm scared at this point about losing more gigs and having less music to make. This is devastating for me and for huge numbers of colleagues. So I do hope theatre is back up and running as soon as it can be.

Supposedly, this will continue throughout the hiatus, which realistically at this point, means the rest of the season. The Met website as of today still claims they're only closed through March 31st - but with the current restrictions in NYC (and a possible "shelter in place" being heavily considered), I don't see them reopening in April. Which is very sad. The other issue is that the Met website can't take the enormous response to the streaming - as of tonight they have actually set up a waiting queue. But if you have the Met On Demand app, it's an easier way to get in. If you subscribe, as I do, to the Met On Demand service, all of the videos they're currently showing are already accessible on the site. But it's great that they're making them free for others. I didn't see last night's carmen or tonight's Boheme, but I'm hoping to be on in "real time" to watch the Trovatore on Wednesday. Even in this case with a pre-taped archive performance, it's fun to feel like a lot of people are watching it together.

I think the shutting down of sites would just create MORE panic and confusion, as we feel that more things are being taken away. I still enjoy "windowshopping" on RM, even if I'm hesitating doing any hiring right now. (Also, I'm needing to think about very careful spending at the moment - trying not to spend on too many luxuries lol). I'd rather that the sites stay open, if only mainly as a way to have a feeling of online status quo. I'm not aware of any dating/meeting sites that have stopped either. I hope they don't. Any site that closes will make it seem as if it's closing for good. Like when we lost Rentboy, the Craigslist personals, etc. That was for a different reason, but it will feel the same.

Love this kind of pic. Love seeing pit hair peeking out of a guy's sleeves. Yes!!

Of course, the best guys are those who want to kiss passionately after having their armpits paid lots of attention to...

Hoping this is cool to post. I see this commercial all the time, and always look forward to the shower portion at the 25 second mark...

Trinity Rep (Providence) did a production in 2004, directed by Amanda Dehnert, where the ensemble was entirely protean - all of them could be Jets or Sharks or both depending on the moment. BUT IT WORKED! Dehnert's staging made things very clear in that regard. I had a friend in the band who dragged me to see the production, kicking and screaming (as a rule, "concept productions" are something I tend to want to avoid, lol) - but I really bought into the production and was grateful that I saw it. (In fact, I remember only one moment in the show that struck me as "false," right at the very end when a design concept rather upstaged the story. Otherwise I thought it was a very solid production.) Tony Yazbek (Gabey in the recent revival of On The Town on Broadway) played Tony, and he was terrific. My sense is that Dehnert knew exactly how to share her vision with the audience, whereas Van Hove is just more interested in causing a stir.

He lost me at "Best way to contacted me..."

This link seems to be dead - wondering if anyone can elucidate on why we should beware of this guy?

I saw the HD on Saturday afternoon. LOVED it! The staging, pacing, design, and whimsy of it all added so much to the score, that it just pulled me in. (As I mentioned above, I'm not so much a fan of the rigid "opera seria" format, but this production made things so fluid and unpredictable that I wasn't always so conscious of that form going on.) Excellent singing all around, and the detailed physicality by all the singers was wonderful to see. The only thing that seemed a bit odd was what I'm calling a very "Peter Sellars"-ish performance from Kate Lindsey - the angular stances and movements, the rolling on the ground - seemed out of step with everyone else's physicality. But otherwise it was a musical and visual treat. And how about that onstage harpsichord player? Fantastic!

I don't know exactly why this is, but I've always been turned off by cock rings. Not appealing to me at all.

I can think of at least 4 times when a guy I've hooked up with has wound up leaving his watch at my place. 3 of those times I was able to get the watch back to its owner - the other one, I seem to remember I left several messages for him, but he never followed up.