Daily Archives: May 14, 2009

Bromance

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At long last!  How many centuries have we waited?  Now even straight men can experience an emotional (and at least limited) intimate bond with another man, without shame, secrecy, or emasculation.

Bromance describes the complicated love and affection shared by two straight males.

Other definitions:

a.  A non-sexual relationship between two men that are unusually close.

b.  A close relationship between two guys to the extent they start to seem like a couple.

c.  The intense love shared between heterosexual males.  A form of male bonding that is normally only shared between two males that have a deep understanding of each other, in a way no woman could ever realize.

Boys in a Pasture; Winslow Homer

Boys in a Pasture; Winslow Homer

Here, in part, is Pastor Dustin Benge’s description of friendship between two men:

Brothers, let us consider male friendship in our thoughts.  Not the friendship of mere acquaintance and seldom fellowship, but the friendship of another kind.  A friendship that causes the two involved to be open and vulnerable toward one another.  A friendship that places the others needs over and above self.  A friendship that creates a bond of fellowship that cannot be broken with any weapon that can be crafted upon this earth.  A friendship that loves, forgives, helps, strengthens, and encourages.

Who knows . . . given the right chemistry, one sitting downwind of the other’s pheromones, who knows what can happen?  Bromance is then redefined as follows:

[Bromance is] when two males have a relationship that can  lead to sexual intercourse.  When asked by peers if they are homosexual they quickly deny it with words like “No way man.”  And they mean it, too.

Buddies in the 19th century

Buddies in the 19th century

It’s nice, don’t you think, that two guys, straight or otherwise, can develop a consciously intimate friendship and still be a masculine male?  Progress!  The beauty of positive human evolution!  Maybe more of us will discover the joys of sleeping nude when we go to bed.  Maybe even we’ll be able to catch a 1/100th second glimpse of Janet Jackson’s nipple without going into national hysteria.

Here’s an article on the subject by the Columbia News Service.

Michelangelo

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Was he, or wasn’t he? . . . a question scholars and laymen have been asking since the sixteenth century. Whether he was bi or gay doesn’t matter; he had a masterful appreciation for the male form.

Ignudi, From the Sistine Chapel, 1508 - 1512

Ignudi, From the Sistine Chapel, 1508 - 1512

Born in 1475, by age thirteen Michelangelo had lost interest in academics and preferred the company of artists.  In adulthood he was considered arrogant, though consumed with self-reproach.  Through art, he displayed his aesthetic and emotional attraction to men.

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When Cecchino dei Bracci died, a close friend he had know only a year, Michelangelo wrote:

The flesh now earth, and here my bones,
Bereft of handsome eyes, and jaunty air,
Still loyal are to him I joyed in bed,
Whom I embraced, in whom my soul now lives.

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His greatest known expression of love went to Tommaso dei Cavalieri, just 23 years old in 1532 when Michelangelo was 57.  Cavalieri expressed his feelings this way: Never have I loved a man more than I love you, never have I wished for a friendship more than I wish for yours.  Responding to his feelings for Cavalieri, Michelangelo wrote sonnets:

I feel as lit by fire a cold countenance
That burns me from afar and keeps itself ice-chill;
A strength I feel two shapely arms to fill
Which without motion moves every balance.

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Recently in the news, the Kimbell Art Museum has acquired a once disputed work, one of three known to exist, painted by Michelangelo when he was 12.

One more incredible example of one of the world’s greatest artist.

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Wistful Thoughts

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I could not love my wife more.  Nor could I have a stronger desire to spend the rest of my life with her, to cherish every moment we’re together, to hold her every night and thank my lucky stars that I found her.

Ah, but there are times . . . usually when it’s least expected, I set eyes on another human being, a man . . . and I wonder.  I wonder what kind of personality he has, if there are many well-kept secrets in his head, like there are in mine.  I wonder what it would be like to know him, to have a friend like him, someone to spend time with and talk and trade innermost thoughts.

I instinctually recognize a certain chemistry, then wonder if it’s nothing more than my imagination, or wishful thoughts.  But I envision it anyway as I picture us walking shoulder to shoulder, from time to time brushing against each other, glancing at each other with a knowing gaze.

I picture the two of us camping by a fast moving stream, sitting side-by-side on a big rock, staring out over the terrain, talking now and then about the things that cross our minds.  When the heat of the day makes us feel sweaty, we strip off our clothes and play in the stream; and by day’s end, we’re sitting in the rapids, knees touching, eyes locked, cherishing our friendship, pondering the oncoming night.

Then later, lying close under the stars in the warm night air, staring up into the heavens, arms touching, I find myself drawn to his body heat and the smell of a man, and my imagination takes me to special places.  We had been looking at each other all day, recalling memories and thinking about memories yet unborn; then the feel of his breath on my neck.

Very little sleep accompanies the night and we find ourselves preparing breakfast, silent glances and smiles as we reflect on the feelings still inside us.  Another day is before us, another day much like the one that just passed.

So the week disappears; that part of us that no one else knows has been nourished and resolved, and we feel it on our skin–we are both comfortable with who we are.  We load the car, now anxious to get home to our wives and the world we have chosen.  And from time to time, as the months fall behind, we’ll think about next summer, when we’ll return to our secret campsite to do it again.

All of this in just one glance at the right man.

Still Miss California

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By my estimation, any female that looks like this can say or do no wrong.

Evidently Donald Trump agrees, stating her old partially nude photos are “lovely”.  Few, if any, of us agree with her point of view on gay marriage, but she has a right to her own opinion.  Besides, it’s what she does as opposed to what she says that reveals her true persona.  She was trying to win a beauty contest, for crying-out-loud.

Exposing the inner-self of a good Christian.

Point & Shoot

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It’s fun exploring the blogs on the Internet.  Here’s a quick story I ran across on Point & Shoot.

We’re having the cutest boy over for dinner tonight. (Remember, I consider anyone under 30 “a boy”.)

No, it’s not this cute boy.

L, the boy coming over tonight is even hotter because he’s a boy of color.

How did L come into the picture? It was like this:

A good friend of mine knew a young guy, N, from work. The two of them went out for coffee a few times. My friend had a feeling that the guy was gay, but it wasn’t discussed. Eventually my friend introduced his partner to N. His partner also thought he was gay.

One evening my friend sent a text and said he and his partner were taking N to the gay bar, which surprised me. They wanted me to join them. I went to the bar, saw N with my friends and thought, “Oh my God, he’s cute!” They introduced me to N and we hit it off, communication wise that is.

I took my friend aside and asked, “So did N come out to you yet?” My friend said, “No”, and since he worked with N he didn’t want to pursue it. Continue reading →