HNT - Naked Eyes 2010

Today marks the 5th anniversary of a blogging ritual that I have been participating in since almost the beginning. I didn't start to do HNT posts until October 2005 -- but it started on Osbasso's blog 5 years ago this week.

And for that reason, the suggested theme Os is throwing out there is an attempt to re-create your first HNT post.

What is HNT? It's Half-Nekkid Thursday. Half-Nekkid Thursday is a celebration of exposure -- exposure of any part of you. And despite the connotations associated with "naked" it's not about "dirty pictures" or about "sex" -- sure, some of the half naked pictures are uncomfortable in a puritanical sense, but often HNT is about channeling the creative spirit by exposing various parts of oneself, both physically and emotionally. Artsy body landscape shots are encouraged -- also encouraged are shots of oneself taken BY oneself.

In a nutshell, HNT is a suggestion for a type of blog post that has become a huge "underground" community.

Several people over the years have asked me why I wanted to start posting "nekkid" pictures of myself each Thursday. It's difficult to answer other than with something simple like "because I can." I've always enjoyed the creative spirit and liberating feeling of doing an HNT themed post, and since I started back in October 2005, I believe I haven't missed a single week.

Sometimes the posts were risque in nature (ie, revealing skin), but often they were about exposing a truly personal thing about me (ie, revealing far beneath the skin).

And, quite regularly, the HNT posts I've offered have been filled with humour or allowed me to stretch my storytelling legs a little (consider the "Spud Wars: Darth Tater Unmasked" serial adventure I did and then the "sequel" storyline called "Terror in Toyland" which seemed to have gotten cancelled and never returned for a second season despite some viewer acclaim -- sigh, just like many of my favourite TV shows). I even had the pleasure of planning cross-posts with at least 3 different HNT friends. What a great joy that has been.

What I quite enjoy about the nature of the HNT community is the great diversity out there. Everybody has a story to tell, and often, participants tell amazing and touching stories with a single picture and a bit of text. The HNT community is open and welcome, immediately accepting of everyone and has been a pleasure to be a part of. Sure, I don't "go visiting" to many other HNT member blogs much any more, but I continue to participate in the weekly ritual and still feel a part of the community spirit.

In any case, I've had a great time experimenting with this format, with the themes put out during certain seasons, have made a ton of great bloggy friends (some of whom I've had the pleasure of actually meeting in person), and each week look forward to putting up another HNT post.

Happy Fifth Anniversary, HNT. A huge thank you and hat tip to Osbasso, the father of HNT who started it all and brought people from all over the world together each week now for 5 years.

My first HNT post was of my "spooky eye" underwear, and today's post is a revisit to them. Fortunately, Francine puts my Halloween underwear away, so I only wear them during Sept and Oct, so they've lasted all these years.

Yes, this is one of those "risque" ones -- risque in the scense of our western aversion to the natural human state of "naked" -- but it's really just a funny picture of me in a pair of some of my favourite boxer shorts. You see just as much skin when I'm on the beach. Over the years I've included many pictures of the goofy printed boxers I regularly wear. I think it's funny that so much time and effort goes into picking out something to wear like underwear that most people never see.

This picture, while a bit out of focus and not a perfect recreation is the one I liked best -- I really liked something about the sunlight bleeds into the picture and the way the light falls on my arm.


No, I'm nobody's photographer. But that doesn't stop me from having fun each week.

Happy Half-Nekkid Thursday. If you want more info on HNT, click on the HNT logo below which will take you to Osbasso's site and the post back in 2005 that started it all . . .