Interesting Encounter; Autumn

Interesting Encounter.  Last Friday evening I went to the first "social evening" — i.e., concert followed by refreshments — at the Harvard Musical Association for this season. This particular concert was preceded by a lecture dealing with the history of the building which houses the association. Just before it began, in came a 30-40 year old member who I'm confident is gay with an absolutely gorgeous young man.

After the concert, I joined the pair and got introduced to the young man. He gave the impression of being gay also, and they may be something of "an item," for example, taking trips together. Eventually they went off but later I encountered them again, and in conversation learned that the young man had graduated from college two years ago, which would mean that he's about 24. (Even so, he's practically beardless, with only a few fine hairs visible on his cheeks.)

As he and I talked, I felt his elbow touch my arm just above the elbow. (How did he do that? He's several inches shorter than me.) With another touch, I noticed that he was turning his upper body back and forth. In all, he touched me in that way four to six times. At the time, I took it as expressing some measure of affection, like a pat on the back or an arm around the shoulder. But over the weekend I began to wonder if it was some sort of come-on. Was he inviting me to the men's room for some fellatio or some such thing?

I asked over on twitter if elbowing someone as he did is a commonplace signal. Nobody responded. If anybody knows that it has a common meaning among gay people, I'd like to know. (Not that I'd accept the invitation: I don't do sex. I'm just wondering.) If it means no more than, "I'm enjoying this encounter," I might even respond in kind, but if it means, "Let's have sex," I don't want to.


Autumn.  The arrival of the concert season coincides with the onset of autumn. Leaves are turning red, orange, and yellow and dropping from the trees. It will take a month or more for them all to go, but I'm never happy to see the trees bereft of leaves. They are much more attractive with their leaves, and with their leaves they make their surroundings more beautiful. They also seem to soften the sunlight, especially toward sunrise and sunset. I'm also sorry to have the sunsets coming so early.

I also associate feelings of nostalgia with Autumn. On sunny late afternoons I think of the high school sailing club: it was under such conditions that we'd return from our meets an hour from home. When the weather is cool and damp, there is a more generalized feeling of remembrance and loss. There is also a specific memory of an evening one autumn when a bunch of us were at a classmate's house and I found myself seriously crushing on her dark-haired, dark-eyed younger brother. And in the daytime, when most of the leaves are gone and the air is somewhat moist, I think of Tom.

A Night at the Theater & Miscellany

A Night at the Theater.
A week ago I went into Boston to attend the world premiere performance of Paris Commune by The Civilians at Arts Emerson.

Guy on the Subway.  On my way into the city, I noticed a guy on the platform with a shirt that was open down the side from the armpit to the bottom seam. When we got on  the train, he was seated opposite some friends at the far end of the car. After a few minutes, I noticed that the way the shirt was hanging, his small left nipple was exposed, along with an expanse of hairless chest above and below. I tried to avoid staring, but it was definitely an attractive sight.

The Play.  Arts Emerson had e-mailed some information about the Commune and about the play, so I arrived with some basic knowledge of what it was all about. But the show certainly added a lot. It was framed with references to a free concert that took place in the Tuileries Palace in May, 1871, on what happened to be the last night before the government troops began to retake the city. The fighting lasted a week, during which thousands of people were killed (including the Archbishop of Paris and several dozen priests killed by the Communards), and the Palace was one of many buildings that were burned down.

A couple of members of the governing council of the Commune were popular songwriters, and some of their songs were included. One of them wrote the words to "The Internationale," and it was included when the sow returned to the concert at the end — although an actor pointed out that it was not actually sung on that occasion. It was written some weeks later, and the tune was written later still.

All in all, it was an interesting evening — informative and thought-provoking. I wonder if the writers and actors were aware of the ironies at some points in the script as they pointed to the Russian, Chinese, and Cuban revolutions as successors to the Commune and also to the Tiananmen Square uprising as another successor, or when they spoke of East Germany's issuing a commemorative postage stamp on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the Commune.


Miscellany.

Europe Does not Believe in Washcloths.  While I was traveling in Germany and France a couple of months ago, all three of the hotels I stayed in provided two bath towels, two hand towels, and a bath mat, but no washcloth. Apparently the Europeans just use their hands to wash themselves in the shower. It's tolerable, but a washcloth makes it easier to reach all areas of ones back, does a better job of scrubbing, and produces better suds. Here's an item where the Europeans are definitely lagging behind us Americans (or at least the hoteliers are).

More Cooking.  Last night I added a small roma tomato to my baked stuffed haddock (using my normal summer squash and mushrooms as well). Of course, I sprinkled dried basil on the tomato. The result was good, but not so much better than usual that I'd always want tomato as part of it.

BTW, one reason I like using bread crumbs is that the fish exudes some liquid as it cooks, and the crumbs absorb at least some of it. I've even begun to sprinkle some on salmon when I steam it, for the same reason — why let the salmon liquid drain into the water?

Change of Seasons.  Although last night was warm enough for me to enjoy some nude time on the back porch at about 2:00 a.m., I'm afraid summer is gone, and warm days and evenings are a bonus, rather than an expectation, until next year. Some trees are showing patches of red, orange, and yellow. Temperatures are generally 10°F cooler than at the beginning of the month. And the sailboat racing season is over, and the theater/concert season has begun (see above; also tonight I'll got to my first symphony concert of this season).

Although autumn has its own beauty, I prefer summer. I find the greens of summer even more beautiful than the colors of fall. I find the warmer weather more pleasant that the cool (and better for being naked). I like the color of light light as modified by the green trees, especially as the sun shines through them and then we have the late twilight and nightfall after the long days. And the cool days and bright colors of fall are the prelude to the bare trees, short days, and freezing temperatures of winter.

Possible Trip.  I've never been to Halifax, Nova Scotia, and I understand it's worth seeing. My calendar is still pretty open from October 23 through 26, and, surprisingly (to me) my cousin is still there. So if I decide I can afford it after my earlier trip and surgery, I might pop up for a look-see. It will probably be chilly, and some seasonal attractions may be closed, but at least I'll get to see the city. OTOH, if I find that all the historic sites are closed, I'll probably hold off until next summer.

Health.  Since I linked my earlier post titled "Health," maybe I should update. The aftermath of the operation has gone very well. My new crown seems to be fine. And my weight seems to have stabilized, so there's apparently nothing to worry about.