Archive for the ‘Longing’ Category

In which The Gay Recluse ponders the Hills and the empty rooms of his past. So tonight we watched the most recent episode of the Hills. The first part was about Audrina. She had to help promote some horrible band for her job. She invited Lauren, who — now that they are on better terms […]


In which The Gay Recluse becomes increasingly obsessed with the George Washington Bridge. Wake us up when it’s over.


In which The Gay Recluse reflects on those who died on 9/10 and 9/12. Every year on 9/11, our thoughts inevitably drift to those who died on 9/10 and 9/12. And whether their deaths were any more or less tragic than those so aggressively memorialized. Those who try to elevate themselves on the shoulders of […]


In which The Gay Recluse loves bamboo and The Hills. So we just watched the most recent episode of The Hills. It was a lot better than the Las Vegas episode. We’re never interested in any of the dumb guys, especially when they end up in jail. But fortunately that wasn’t a plot line in […]


In which The Gay Recluse braces for the inevitable. This past week has been very depressing to us. You just get the feeling that the election is already slipping away. It’s not like we think Obama is going to save us or anything. But when was the last time we had a major candidate who […]


In which The Gay Recluse looks through leaves at the sky. For a while we were thinking about watching some of the Republican convention. But — incredibly — it seems even dumber than the Olympics the Democratic convention. It’s hard to imagine people living their lives as politicians, or even journalists. But somehow they do […]


In which The Gay Recluse becomes increasingly obsessed with the George Washington Bridge. “Love is perceiving and perception is anguish.” — James Baldwin, Just Above My Head


In which The Gay Recluse loves the Manhattan Times. Hey, New York Times! Instead of David Brooks, William Kristol, Maureen Dowd and so on (Zzzzzz), maybe you should turn the column over to a new generation of writers, who aren’t afraid to tell it like it is, and moreover, know how to entertain! We suggest […]


In which Dante and Zephyr take over The Gay Recluse. Empty shell + stray kitten = daily heartache. Friends, not every cat is a lolcat…


In which The Gay Recluse is increasingly reclusive. Sometimes things happen just the way you dream about. According to our research, the baby shoots will be 800 foot-tall culms within 60 days. The hope is that if we get enough of them, we won’t even be able to see the apartment building behind us. Remember […]


In which The Gay Recluse becomes increasingly obsessed with the George Washington Bridge. Sometimes even the bridge seems small and far away under the tumult of the sky; once crushed with regret and longing, we are inspired by its patience. The Gay Recluse is a pansy. It took him until he was fucking 31 to […]


In which The Gay Recluse explores a longstanding obsession with moss-covered brick. Bricks, it seems, are the literal building blocks of civilization, whereas moss is the incremental destroyer. To see them together — and to appreciate the beauty of this — is to understand that you cannot have one without the other, just the way […]


In which The Gay Recluse dreams of the desert. This year one of our cactus bloomed for the first time. Apparently it’s very happy! We admire it, even though it makes us wish that we lived in the desert, far away from everything we hate.


In which The Gay Recluse becomes increasingly obsessed with The George Washington Bridge. Today it’s off to Pittsburgh for the weekend. Travel is so much fun these days! But at least the sky is clear. We’ll miss the bridge. And Zephyr. And Dante, who would like to remind everyone: not every cat is a lolcat! […]


In which The Gay Recluse presents a gay alternative to this week’s Modern Love offering in The Times. Those looking for our quantitative analysis should click here. I grew up without my “real” — by which I mean biological — father, who lived in New York City. One summer I made the mistake of mentioning […]


In which The Jane Austen Watch reports on the intersection of two centuries. Today we heard from our newest correspondent, The Jane Austen Watch, who filed the following report: The roses in Astoria are in bloom, and all the local inhabitants are basing the horticulture of their small front gardens on the assumption that they […]


In which The Gay Recluse looks up and sees maps. Sometimes it’s easy to forget how arbitrary time is. Like yesterday when we were rushing for the subway (and missed it). And then stepped into the elevator at work with five other people and of course everyone pressed the button for a different floor. We […]


In which The Gay Recluse rejoices over the end of gentrification in Washington Heights. Rejoice, kind and courageous foes of gentrification! For those many of you who have added your voice to the cause — i.e., our allies in lower Manhattan, Brooklyn and other gentrified neighborhoods around the city who have never ceased to warn us […]


In which The Gay Recluse remembers life in Washington Heights. We’re in Berlin, which means we’re nostalgic for the George Washington Bridge. Let’s take a walk down memory lane, shall we? This was last Sunday morning, as in May 11. We don’t remember it, either. This was at the end of the day Monday, which […]


In which The Gay Recluse has shaky hands and doesn’t regret it. There’s a saying among serious gardeners. Annuals are gay! “Friends don’t let friends buy annuals.” We can appreciate that. The colors are sometimes kind of gay garish! But then again, we hate to be austere about anything. And perennials can be very temperamental! […]