Sunday 30 December 2007

Samuel Pepys (1633-1703) - Diarist

Pepys Sir Godfrey Kneller 1689 National Maritime Museum London

I've periodically kept diaries - at turbulent periods of my life, often when I'm traveling, if I'm bored and need a regular daily fill-in activity, ... . The great thing about them is you can chose to have no censorship at all on what you put down. Or a bit. Or a lot. And I guess the choice depends on whether you imagine someone else will ever read it or not.

Re-reading my earlier diaries, I find I sometimes 'say it how it is'. And then at other times I construct myself and what I've done in ways acceptable/attractive to others. Or, alternatively, construct my ideal of myself and my doings. Later in life, Christopher Isherwood got a lot of literary mileage out of unraveling the fictional transformations of himself and his history in his earlier novels. In 'Christopher and his Kind', the transformations in 'I Am A Camera', which later became the film 'Cabaret'.

Samuel Pepys (1633-1703) was the Chief Secretary to the Admiralty under James II. But his fame rests of the diary he kept between 1660 and 1669. He had a clear eye on himself and wanted to be quite frank about what he saw and did. And circumnavigated any problems that might arise out of 'dangerous' bits being read by using a code, or by writing in a variety of foreign languages.


He wrote about momentous events such as the Great Fire of London and the Plague of 1665.

But also about the day-to-day personal stuff of living in the C17: new activities (tea drinking), the gifting second-hand shoes, solutions to marital fighting, the relative efficacy of wax as opposed to tallow candles.


To the office, where Sir W Batten, Collonel Slingsby, and I sat a while; ... And afterwards did send for a Cupp of Tee (a China drink) of which I never had drank before) and went away. [1660, September 25]


This day, not for want but for good husbandry, I sent my father by his desire, six pair of my old shoes, which fit him and are good; yet methought it was a thing against my mind to have him wear my old things. [1667, December 5]


... and then home to dinner, where my wife and I had a small squabble; but I first this day tried the effect of my silence and not provoking her when she is an ill humour, and do find it very good, for it prevents its coming to that height on both sides, which used to exceed what was fit between us. So she became calm by and by .... [1668, March 27]


This night I begun to burn wax candles in my closet at the office, to try the charge and to see whether the smoke offends like that of tallow candles. [1664, December 15]



And recorded much more personal things: his infidelities, dog shit surprises, farting, his son's propensity for stealing ...


Thence after dinner I to White-hall with Sir W Berkely in his coach. And so I walked to Herberts and there spent a little time avec la mosa, sin hazer algo con ella que kiss and tocar ses mamelles, hazer la que me hazacosa a mi mismo con gran plaisir. (spent a little time with the beautiful one, making love with her to kiss and touch her breasts which made me do the thing [orgasm] with great pleasure) [1665, 20 June]



I went [to accompany the King to the shore] ... with a dog that the King loved (which shit in the boat, which made us laugh and me think that a King and all that belong to him are but just as others are) ... [1660, May 25]



And finding myself beginning to be troubled with wind, as I used to be, and with pain in making water, I took a couple of pills that I had by me of MrHollyards. [1663, October 6]



Before I went to the office my wife and I examined my boy Will about his stealing of things, as we doubted yesterday; but he denied all with the greatest subtlety and confidence in the world.... [1660, August 29]


I particularly like the next extract - it contains the collected round-the-dinner-party-table advice for ensuring pregnancy.

At noon to Anth. Joyces to our gossips dinner; I had sent a dozen and a half of bottles of wine thither and paid my double share besides, which is 18s. Very merry we were, and when the women were merry and ris from the table, I above with them, ne'er a man but I; I begin discourse of my not getting of children and prayed them to give me their opinions and advice; and they freely and merrily did give me these ten among them.


1. Do not hug my wife too hard nor too much
2. Eat no late suppers
3. Drink juyce of sage.
4. Tent and toast
5. Wear cool Holland-drawers
6. Keep stomach warm and back cool
7. Upon my query whether it was best to do at night or morn, they answered me
neither one nor other, but when we have most mind to it
8. Wife not to go too straight-laced
9. Myself to drink Mum and sugar
10. Mrs Ward did give me to change my plat


The 3rd, 4th, 6th, 7th and 10th they all did seriously declare and lay much stress upon them, as rules fit to be observed indeed, and especially the last: to lie with our heads where our heels do, or at least to make the bed high at feet and low at head. [1664, July 16]


A fun read, even today!

Thursday 27 December 2007

Tony and Blake - Two Latin Foxes

Neither of these guys are totally amazing. And the photo shoot is not particularly great.

But there's something real hot about these two big beefy latin blokes going at it. They seem so fucking blokey.

Either sucking ...








... or fucking ...









Love it when a guy fucks and holds the other guy's legs up and open by his ankles or his feet - to watch and to get his dick in better.
Hadrosaur or Duck-Billed Dinosaur SKIN

Hadrosaur, or Duck-Billed Dinosaur

As a little little kid I was crazed about dinosaurs ... almost as much as I am today about cute hairy muscular blond guys. Is this any sort of progress? Mmm ... .

Anyway, I had my vast herds of plastic models ... dinos of many species. Which used to fight ferociously and to the death on my bedroom floor. Against nature, herbivores joined in the fray, even my favorite, the huge long-necked tiny-brained brontosaurus.

Brontosaurus

I remembered all this recently, watching a doco on the discovery of the fossil of a 67 million year old hadrosaur, or duck-billed dinosaur. It was found in 1999 by teenage paleontologist Tyler Lyson on his parents' property in North Dakota.

Dino Discoverer Tyler Lyson with his Find on his Parents North Dakota Property

Now what was so exciting about this discovery was that the dinosaur's reptilian skin had been recorded in the stone, which is incredibly incredibly rare. And preserved in a three dimensional way which suggested the underlying musculature. As a consequence, the hydrosaur is now seen as a much heftier animal. There were also indications the skin was striped, as shown in the first image.

The Hadrosaur's Skin

The fossil of the entire creature was extracted from the site and taken to a local university for deep scanning to determine if tendons and other soft tissues may have been recorded as had been the skin. The stone was too massive and dense for successful penetration. New technology is now awaited.

My plastic friends found their way into a gigantic old toy box in our garage and from there mysteriously vanished - no doubt another act of subterfuge by the Matriarch, fondly known as 'Empress Wu'.

Tuesday 25 December 2007

Merry Xmas and a Happy New Year


With this Santa, I suspect, I could have the Merriest Xmas and Happiest New Year.

But seriously, guys, I hope you all have a great great Xmas Day and an equally fantastic 2008!

Sunday 23 December 2007

The Rose Seidler House (1948-50), Sydney


In the next few days, I want to go and see the Rose Seidler House (1948-50). Designed by well-known Sydney architect Harry Seidler for his mother. It is a later expression of the Bauhaus and the International Style of the 1920's, whose antecedents were in the work of Frank Lloyd Wright in the very earliest years of the twentieth century.

This movement was characterized by opening up of the interior, so space flowed through the house and its living areas. Rather than closing it off as rooms, leaving space static. Open plan living. The exterior was constructed of undecorated planes - the whole often box-like and raised on piloti or slim steel columns. And floor to ceiling glass wall windows. The two most famous examples are Le Corbusier's Ville Savoye (1928-31), Poissy, France and, more extremely, Ludwig Mies van der Rohe's Barcelona Pavilion (1928-29), Barcelona, Spain.

Le Corbusier - Ville Savoye (1928-31), Poissy, France


Ludwig Mies van der Rohe - Barcelona Pavilion (1928-29), Barcelona, Spain

The Seidler House in Sydney looks forward from these styles to integrate 1950's architectural elements, such as the feature wall in the second photograph. And back to Frank Lloyd Wright in the monolithic masonry fireplace.








The House is located at 71 Clissold Road, Wahooonga, Sydney. It is open to the public 11am-3pm Wednesday to Sunday.

I'll take some photographs there and post anything that seems worth adding.

Saturday 22 December 2007

The Undeniable Benefit of a Cum Facial


Reckon there's any truth to the adage that a cum facial adds years to your life?

But maybe the saying really goes that it adds life to your years!

Whatever - cum IS a natural dental prophylactic. As if any medical excuse was needed for going down on your knees!









Truth of the matter is that all the blokes in all these shots are elderly pensioners. Usually confined to nursing homes and 24 hour care. So maybe there's something in that old proverb after all!
An Endangered Species - The Blond Furry Butt


For reasons not entirely clear, my mind is bubbling up images of blond furry butts.

And while there are squillions of dark furry buns in the blogosphere, I have been amazed to find that there are so few blond ones. Maybe they are an endangered species - very prevalent in the Jurassic (199 to 145 million years ago) and Cretaceous Periods (145 to 65 million years ago). But now nearly extinct - possibly down to a few hundred specimens. Of which my sample here might in fact be a significant percentage.




While these blond furry beauties may not inspire the darkest and most erotic acts, they encourage other (and to my mind) equally exciting activities. You wanna kiss them, lots, use them as pillows, lick them, rub your cheeks all over them, work your face into their pristine cracks to eat their pink tasty holes. Now I get right down to it, they are not anywhere so unerotic as I thought.




Enjoy - just use a tissue to wipe the slobber dripping off your lips and chin after.

There are seven here - which is your favorite/s?

Inspired by Greg of 'Gay Dreams and Hopes'.

Friday 21 December 2007

Who Am I?


Do you have a photographic memory for detail?

If you do, you'll be able to recognize this famous person from his equally famous snail trail. And, more esoterically, from the arm and chest tats.

So who do you reckon is it guys?

I'll post the answer tomorrow. But I'm sure anyone who inhabits the gay sector of he blogosphere will be able to guess long before that!

Thursday 20 December 2007

Colorized Old Photographs

Moorish cafe, Tunis, Tunisia - Late C19

I'm particularly fond of old travel photos that have been colorized. On one level, color gives the sense of immediacy - of realness - of modern photography. In contract with that sometime remoteness in old black and white images. But on the other hand, the harmonized sepia palette has an other worldliness. The result is a curious tension. Though maybe this is only to modern eyes.

Arabs Before a Cafe, Algiers, Algeria - Late C19


In fact, there is something else I really like about these works. It's the self-consciously managed composition. As opposed to something more candid and spontaneous. This undisguised organization seems a throw-back to early photography's attempts to be taken as a serious art form. By following the tenets of some current painting. The following early photograph is composed like a C17 Dutch Still Life painting.

Calvert Richard Jones 'Garden Implements', 1847

The point should be made that there is a palpable difference between setting up the people and the props of a scene to obtain the perfect composition, and looking for that 'right' balanced (often momentary) composition.

Fishermans' Boat on the Lake, Tiberias, Israel - Late C19


Luce Ben Aben, Moorish women preparing couscous, Algiers, Algeria


Distinguished Moorish women, Algiers, Algeria


Arabs playing chess, Algiers, Algeria

As well as travel images, I've recently come across a number of old colorized portraits.

Bedouin Shepherds - Late C19

Hammersdorf, Hermmanstadt i.e., Hermannstadt, Hungary, Austro-Hungary


Girl of Sarajevo, Bosnia, Austro-Hungary


This is one photographic genre that today can still legitimately deploy a certain formalism.