In which The Gay Recluse scores selected opinions in The Times.
Thomas Friedman/The Democratic Recession
The Short Version: Thanks, oil! You’ve caused democratic government to wane around the world.  
In his words: “I’ve long argued that the price of oil and the pace of freedom operate in an inverse correlation — which I call: “The First Law of [...]

In which The Gay Recluse scores selected opinions in The Times.
David Brooks/Combat and Composure
The Short Version: Hillary is a monster!
In his words: “But, as Sunday’s contrast made clear, Obama still seems like a human being.”
Score: B (Basic)
We’ve also been put off by Clinton’s completely over-the-top (and hilarious) attempts to distance herself from “the elitist,” but we’d [...]

In which The Gay Recluse contemplates an uncommissioned masterpiece from the walls of an uptown subway station.

Consider the old panels on the subway platform wall, and observe the finely wrought precision with which each strip of peeling paint has by the hands of time been distressed in the subtlest shades of gold and silver, all [...]

In which The Gay Recluse thinks about taking a seat.
Time/Location: Recently, around 34th Street.

We walk by these benches all the time, but have never had the time or inclination to sit.

In which The Gay Recluse scores selected opinions in The Times.
Paul Krugman/Success Breeds Failure
The Short Version: Don’t get too excited about the financial markets.
In his words: “[T]he next crisis will probably be worse than this one.”
Score: B- (Been there)
Krugman describes an entrenched cycle of boom/bust/haphazard regulation in the financial markets that is oddly reflected his column, [...]

In which The Gay Recluse serves brunch.

This was yesterday morning, after our first trip to Zabar’s since the Christmas Eve trifecta. We were almost nostalgic thinking about it, but ultimately relieved that it’s a mountain we will probably never have to climb again.

In which The Gay Recluse becomes increasingly obsessed with the George Washington Bridge.
Time/Date: May 4, around 8pm-ish.

I, too, have an obsession with the George Washington Bridge. However, mine involves a nagging compulsion to complete a football pass from the deck of the bridge to a buddy on the ground below.
–Ryan Pissed and Petty (March [...]

In which The Gay Recluse watches birds.

The bird flew by just as the fog was lifting. That could be a metaphor for many different things!

In which The Gay Recluse is entranced by the lowly marigold.
Time/Location: Sunday afternoon at the Green Valley Nursery in Westchester.

Yellow marigolds.

Red marigolds.

Orange marigolds.

In which The Gay Recluse scores OMG four wtf!? selected opinions in The Times.
Franck Rich/The All-White Elephant in the Room
The Short Version: The Maverick’s preacher is just as crazy as Obama’s!
In his words: “But he did say that God created Hurricane Katrina to punish New Orleans for its sins, particularly a scheduled ‘homosexual parade there [...]

In which The Gay Recluse plays Abstract Jeopardy.
Readers! Welcome to our new feature, Abstract Jeopardy, in which we pose one possible solution but leave the question open to debate. Let’s get started, shall we?
Today’s possible solution: 50,000 red geraniums.

So what’s the question?
A few possibilities:

What is 100,000 geraniums minus 50,000 geraniums?
You know what’s more impressive than [...]

In which The Gay Recluse is small.
Time/Location of Pictures: 35th Street between Madison and Fifth Avenue, some night last week.

It’s not exactly a revelation to say that the city is filled with infinite borders, many of which are strictly maintained.

But there’s something comforting in the utility of a nicely designed fence.

As we walk past we [...]

In which The Gay Recluse scores selected opinions in The Times.
Bob Herbert/Overkill and Short Shrift
The Short Version: Why can’t we get a grip?
In his words: “The challenge for the working press right now is to see if we can force ourselves past the overwhelming temptations of Wright and race and focus in a sustained way [...]

In which The Gay Recluse updates his informal but rather telling quantitative analysis of Modern Love, the weekly Style Section (of The Times) column in which openly gay writers almost never appear, and even less frequently describe a romantic relationship.
This week’s piece: Want To Be My Boyfriend? Please Define
by Marguerite Fields
Subject: In the first [...]

In which The Gay Recluse hopes that a young woman will not succumb to the more conventional pressures that sadly ooze from this week’s Modern Love offering in The Times. Those looking for our quantitative analysis should click here.
Want To Be My Girlfriend? Please Don’t Define
By MARGUERITE FIELDS and THE GAY RECLUSE
RECENTLY my mother asked [...]

In which The Gay Recluse admires manholes.
Time/Location: May 2, 2008 on 35th Street between 6th Avenue and Madison.

By our calculations, there are approximately ten zillion manholes in New York City, and each has a cover; this is one of the largest and most striking. The alternating pattern of single and interlocking circles — reminiscent of [...]

In which The Gay Recluse scores selected opinions in The Times.
Paul Krugman/Party of Denial
The Short Version: I still love Hillary even if she supports that stupid gas-tax holiday.
In his words: “But if the Democrats really want to pin the denialist label on John McCain, health care is the place to focus.”
Score: D+ (Desultory)
Krugman delivers a very [...]

In which The Gay Recluse attempts to reconcile his traffic-whoring impulses with a desire to flee the crazies.  
In March, as part of a new traffic-whoring initiative, we opened up The Gay Recluse to commenters. By and large we’ve been very pleased with the results, not only in terms of traffic but in terms of the many new [...]

In which The Gay Recluse scores selected opinions in The Times.
Gail Collins/How Will It Play in Apex?
The Short Version: It’s hard to say who’s worse: Blabbermouth Bill or The Reverend Wright.
In her words: “On the other hand, young voters who have yet to have their hearts broken by a politician find it wicked (sic?) depressing.”
Score: A (Applause)
We like [...]

In which The Gay Recluse scores selected opinions in The Times.
Thomas Friedman/Dumb as We Wanna Be
The Short Version: We need higher gas taxes and more $$$$ devoted to clean-energy R&D!
In his words: “At a time when we should be throwing everything into clean power innovation, we are squabbling over pennies.”
Score: A (Applause)
We completely agree with this column.  Hillary Clinton should [...]