Poppin' and Shushin'

I’ve never taken myself seriously. No matter the formality, solemnity, or severity of a situation, I remain committed to my love of levity. I don't need a reason to smile, I just do; I don't need a reason to laugh, it's my pleasure to do so--and I'll do just about anything to bring others up with me.

Now, for as much notice as we had and for all the preparation my lady did, this shoot sort of snuck up on me. All of a sudden it was the morning-of, and our dear friend David was at the door with his bag of magical make-up. It’s thanks to David that my face even resembles that of a lady. After a long week of work and a late Friday night, I was not in my tippy-top form. Still Mr. Make-up worked his miracle and managed to fix my face. In the fast transition from bed to beauty, from home to hotel suite (where the shoot was taking place), I somehow lost my mind. If pressed, I'll plead my innocence by simply saying I was distracted by this beauty by my side:


I, on the other hand, forgot to remove those two grey band-aids from my fingers, which make it look like I got married and/or slap-happy with the duct-tape in the midst of my mouth-covering…nobody caught this at the time. Also, I somehow ended up poppin' and shushin'—the affectionate name I gave this pose after the laughter died down when I first saw the photo.

Bright lights, flashy gays, and Christian Siriano waiting in the wings for his turn in front of the camera contributed to my temporary loss of my sense of sanity/humor/self in this moment. I’m not sure I’ve ever appeared this threatening in my real life. Even when it comes to serious matters such as my marital rights, I always have my humor at hand. And while at this particular moment in time, it appears as though both of my hands are busy poppin my collar and shushin the camera, I assure you, it was all in good fun. In truth, I felt like Tyra Banks under the spotlights that day. I recalled every episode of America’s Next Top Model that I have ever seen and tried my darnedest to put my fiercest face forward, I popped my gosh-darn collar with all the coolness I could muster and I shushed the good people with all of my might! Yet, somehow, the result was not exactly as edgy as I pictured. As a reasonable solution, I’ve decided to work the “Pop-and-shush” into my regular greetings. I’m gonna try to make it my “thing”—then perhaps this picture will look less silly to me…or at least I’ll reach this level of serious in my every day.

*I must have been mad that she let me out of the house without doing my hair—which would explain why I’m glaring at her in our pairs portrait. Also, I appear to be confused as to the effect of the duct tape. I’m pretty sure we couldn’t talk at the time, and yet, I seem very concerned with our volume levels. In such a "glamourous" setting, I find the truth of my goofiness all the more glaring. I promise to never take myself this seriously. Sheesh…I mean Shhhhhhh.