Pic of the Day

A Quiet Start to a Holiday Weekend

I’m working from home this morning and then have the afternoon off. Because of that, when Isabella decided at 4 a.m. that she absolutely needed breakfast, I got up to feed her and then crawled right back into bed. Since that completely disrupted my normal routine, I almost forgot to write a post this morning. Thankfully, I remembered before the coffee had fully kicked in.

Hopefully, today will be easy and go smoothly. I have a few errands to run this afternoon, and then I plan to settle into a relaxing weekend. At least, that’s the hope.

For those of you outside the United States, you may not realize that this is a major holiday weekend here. Monday is Memorial Day, which means this weekend is generally considered the unofficial beginning of summer. Of course, you wouldn’t know that from the weather in Vermont. We’re under a freeze warning this morning. While people in warmer places are probably headed to the beach or the lake, I’m sitting here with coffee wondering if I should turn the heat back on.

I do wish I was headed somewhere exciting, but my only possible plans are to see The Mandalorian & Grogu, which opens in theaters today. I don’t go to the movies very often anymore, but I really enjoyed The Mandalorian, and I’d like to see the movie. Then again, holiday weekends usually mean crowded theaters, so I may wait and see how ambitious I feel.

My other thought—though not a particularly serious one—was going to the Burly Bears gathering tonight in Burlington. It’s one of the few gay men-centered social events in Vermont and takes place at one of the bars there. Every month has a different theme, and tonight’s is “007,” so it’s all James Bond-inspired. If I had a really great suit—or better yet, a tuxedo—I might actually consider going. Unfortunately, I haven’t bought a new suit since losing weight, and I don’t really want to invest in one until I’m certain my weight has stabilized or unless I suddenly need one for a job interview. So, James Bond sophistication may have to wait.

If you’re in the United States, do you have any Memorial Day weekend plans? And for everyone else, what are your plans for the weekend? 

Whatever you do—or don’t do—I hope you have a wonderful weekend!

Pic of the Day

The Quiet Days

There are days when I wake up knowing exactly what I want to write about, and then there are mornings like this one where my mind is mostly blank except for coffee, work, and the fact that I’m tired.

I’m working a half day today and a half day tomorrow from home before being off until Tuesday. Honestly, there’s not much else going on at the moment. No big plans. No exciting museum events. No deep philosophical thoughts before sunrise. Just another quiet morning in Vermont.

Maybe that’s not a bad thing.

Life has felt so busy lately that perhaps a few uneventful days are exactly what I need. Sometimes peace arrives disguised as routine: feeding Isabella, drinking coffee while the house is still quiet, going to work, and coming home without drama or exhaustion waiting at the door.

We spend so much time thinking life has to be exciting to matter. Social media certainly makes it seem that way. But most of life is lived in ordinary moments, and there is something comforting about that. Quiet days give us room to breathe.

So today may simply be a workday followed by another workday tomorrow. Then a few days to rest, recharge, and maybe do absolutely nothing important at all.

And honestly, that sounds pretty nice.

Pic of the Day

Not Much to Say

Some mornings, I sit down to write these posts and the words come easily. Other mornings, like today, I realize I really don’t have much to say at all. Life is just…quiet at the moment. No major excitement, no dramatic stories, no deep thoughts before sunrise. Just another workday ahead.

I’m working a full day today and then only a half day tomorrow before being off work until next Tuesday, which is definitely something to look forward to. Sometimes having a few quiet days with nothing much going on is a good thing, even if it doesn’t make for the most exciting blog post.

Right now, I think I’m mostly just looking forward to a slower pace, a little extra rest, and not having to think too much for a few days. Honestly, that sounds pretty nice to me.

I hope all of you have a wonderful day and an even better weekend ahead.

Pic of the Day

Notes for Further Study

Notes for Further Study  

By Christopher Salerno

You are a nobody  

until another man leaves  

a note under your wiper:  

I like your hair, clothes, car—call me!  

Late May, I brush pink  

Crepe Myrtle blossoms  

from the hood of my car.  

Again spring factors  

into our fever. Would this  

affair leave any room for error?  

What if I only want  

him to hum me a lullaby.  

To rest in the nets  

of our own preferences.  

I think of women  

I’ve loved who, near the end,  

made love to me solely  

for the endorphins. Praise  

be to those bodies lit  

with magic. I pulse  

my wipers, sweep away pollen  

from the windshield glass  

to allow the radar  

detector to detect. In the prim  

light of spring I drive  

home alone along the river’s  

tight curves where it bends  

like handwritten words.  

On the radio, a foreign love  

song some men sing to rise.

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About the Poem

There is something achingly familiar in this poem for many gay men, especially those who came of age learning to read desire in fragments, gestures, and coded moments. A note under a windshield wiper becomes more than flirtation—it becomes recognition. You are a nobody until another man notices you. That line carries the quiet loneliness of invisibility and the sudden electricity of being seen.

Christopher Salerno captures the strange mixture of hope, caution, lust, tenderness, and melancholy that can accompany even the smallest encounter. Spring, with its blossoms and pollen and feverish renewal, becomes the perfect backdrop for possibility. Yet beneath the flirtation is uncertainty. Is this about romance? Sex? Comfort? Escape? The speaker wonders if he only wants “him to hum me a lullaby,” which feels less like seduction and more like a longing to rest safely in another person’s presence.

I also love how physical the poem feels without ever becoming explicit: the pollen on the windshield, the pulse of the wipers, the river curving “like handwritten words.” Everything is movement and sensation. Even driving home alone carries emotional weight. Desire lingers in the air like spring humidity.

What strikes me most is the ending. A foreign love song “some men sing to rise.” The line feels both deeply personal and universal—a reminder that queer longing has always existed, often in coded forms, carried through songs, glances, poems, and half-understood signals. Sometimes survival itself has depended on learning how to hear those songs.

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About the Poem

“Notes for Further Study” is a contemporary lyric poem that explores queer desire, loneliness, intimacy, and emotional ambiguity through the lens of an ordinary moment. Christopher Salerno uses everyday imagery—cars, windshield wipers, spring blossoms, radio music—to create a meditation on what it means to be recognized and desired by another person.

The poem moves fluidly between memory, observation, and reflection. Its title suggests both emotional self-examination and the unfinished nature of human connection: these are “notes,” not conclusions. The poem’s emotional power comes from its restraint, allowing longing and vulnerability to emerge through image and implication rather than overt declaration.

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About the Author

Christopher Salerno is an American poet, editor, and educator known for poetry that often explores identity, desire, memory, and emotional vulnerability with lyrical precision. He is the author of several poetry collections, including The Man Grave and Sun & Urn. Salerno’s work frequently balances sensual imagery with introspective reflection, creating poems that feel both intimate and intellectually searching.

In addition to his poetry, Salerno has worked extensively in literary publishing and editing, helping support contemporary poetry and emerging writers through journals and literary organizations.

Thankfully, I am feeling better today. I still have a slight headache, and I barely slept last night, but I’m not in as much pain as when I woke up yesterday. I wish I could stay home another day, but I have things I have to do at work today.​

Pic of the Day

Monday Reality Check

I went to bed early last night because of a migraine. Unfortunately, when I woke up this morning, the migraine was still there and has only gotten worse the longer I’ve been awake. To make matters even worse, I woke up thinking it was Sunday…only to realize, to my horror, that it is actually Monday.

So today, I’m staying home, using a sick day, and going back to bed. Sometimes that’s just what you have to do.

I hope all of you have a much better start to your week than I have had so far.