Hunky Crushes Retrospective

Edit: I know, it seems a crime that I somehow left dear Matty Matty off the list. I guess it was my way of coping since my DreamGuy-Next-Door went off and got married; dashing all my hopes and desires. Not mentioning him must have been my coping mechanism at work. But I cannot deny that Matty Matty had a big year. He tops off the Bourne Trilogy in a critical and box office burst of acceptance. He gets to smooch with Ellen Barkin in Oceans 13 (The nose plays!) And then he is crowned Sexiest Man Alive. And all the while he maintains that sense of humor of his that I absolutely adore. I don't know where I on my list he falls... but he certainly deserves mention. Go with your bad self Matty!!!

I've been recently caught up with all various retrospective lists that always pop up at years end and I've decided to compile a few lists of my own. But I find the trouble with these lists is, I have a damn lousy memory! Everything in the "top" is quite likely from the last 3 months!.. hahahaha. So I guess this may just be the Top 5 from the last quarter of the year.... let us see what happens shall we?

Top 5 Hunky Crushes of 2007:
5)Viggo Mortensen: Not actually "my type", but I admit there is a certain stillness about him that is appealing. Not to mention, he's a kick ass actor who gets to kick ass completely nude in Eastern Promises. Viggo makes the Top 5 mainly because I got to see his twig n berries. But also because I rewatched The Two Towers over Christmas and Aragorn is really growing on me.

4) Justin Timberlake: Sure, I talk about him too much as it is. I was going to just allot him honorable mention; but his priceless D!ck in the Box earns him a slot. Plus he won an Emmy®!

3) Tony Leung Chiu Wai : Okay, I got to see his berries too; but he makes the list because with his work in Lust, Caution, Tony cements his place in the acting world. As the NY Times so aptly put it, "Mr. Leung doesn’t do much talking: he looks, he conquers." He is just as brave(if not more so) as any "western" actor out there (Viggo, Daniel Day-Lewis, Ed Norton, Philip Seymour Hoffman). Anyone who appreciates good acting should be digging into his work.

2)Brad Pitt: Brad, Brad, Brad. He should just be given Hall of Fame status. But he makes it on the list for his tireless work in NOLA and for starring in a relatively well-received arthouse western with the longest name ever!

Before I bring you #1, I have to list 2 honorable mentions..

George Clooney - As the girls from SATC say, "Clooney's like a Chanel suit, he never goes out of style." Here, here. Oceans 13 was a disappointment, but he balanced it out with Michael Clayton.

Eric Bana: My hot red-carpet hunk of 2006. Ok, Lucky You sucked at the box office this May, but isn't he adorable? Plus he just won Best Actor nods at the Australian "Oscars". Watch for him next year as the baddie Nero in J.J. Abrams' Star Trek. He just may make next years list!

And *drumroll*... my number ONE Hunky Crush of 2007?

1)David Beckham: BECKS! In the looks department, there really doesn't need to be anything said is there? But this Greek God landing on California ground cements his standing as #1. I mean, my goodness! The press coverage! And I thought no one cared about soccer!
He arrives, plays a little soccer for $250 million, and promptly injures himself. Kind of a wanker maneuver I must admit. But he makes up for it by posing for uber hot photo spread in W magazine with his wife.

He also captures the other end of his fan base by landing a Disney shot. This is the only G-rated photo of him I can hang at work.



Then, before the year is out, he signs a 3-year deal to be the spokesmodel for Armani Underwear! And Voila! I mean, seriously. WHAT THE HELL???! Ladies, whatever he's selling, I'll take two! (Unfortunately, I cannot hang this picture at work.)


And despite the fact that his wife Posh is ten kinds of crazy, he loves her. And gets totally steamy for her. That's absolutely hot. And that makes him my Hunky Crush of 2007.

Merry Christmas

"And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, 'Fear not: for behold, I bring unto you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the City of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.' And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God, and saying, 'Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.'"

Keee-YAH!

20

Holiday Rundown

The Holidays have been kicking my hiney. I don't recall being this frazzled in ages. Even Sake is pooped!

The usual holiday work functions, and an office birthday trifecta have left little time for actual work to be done. And strangely, we are actually busy! I tried to adopt an active slacker work ethic this past year after my crappy buck-up-or-get-demoted review and lo! it worked! ... Effective January 7th, I will be moving on to new brand responsibilites at work.. New brands, more volume, more visibility, and more travel( most likely NYC, Hawaii, and Hong Kong).... I say score one for the slackers!

My dinner party was a success. I got The Band back together for a meal of homemade meatballs and marinara sauce. I must admit, it was yummydelicious. I was too busy being hostess to take pictures but it warmed my heart to see 16 of my closest friends pack themselves into my home for a holiday get-together. The Captain approved....

Since then, I have been focusing on organizing my boss' birthday party, finishing my holiday shopping(done!), writing Christmas cards, organizing Christmas Eve dinner, wrapping presents, and still putting in time with family, friends, Honey, and Sake (not necessarily in that order!). Shamefully, I still haven't finished cleaning up from Saturday! Ok, the salad greens, dressing, and croutons are from tonight.

Right now I'm just trying to crank out the giftwrapping in between loads of laundry. I AM very excited that my holiday shopping is finished though! I got some great gifts this year, I can't wait to see everyone's faces when they open them up! Do you spy the Borg Cube ornament there in the tree? My holiday pride & joy...

And now I find Project Runway is a rerun tonight. -DOH! I need something to watch on the telly when I'm giftwrapping. I guess its time to pop in that holiday favorite: The Lord of the Ring trilogy. Ahhh how I love holiday geekery....

Citizen Philanthropy

Update: FUNDED!!! Fully fricking funded!!! The Leonard R Flynn Elementary School project to plan, do and review has been fully funded! I don't know if its because of my readers, but it sure can't be coincidence! I shall take credit for it nonetheless! hahahaha! We've got the power people! If anyone comes across a project they are particularly interested in helping, post it!!!! Or send it to me, and I'll post it.

I was slow on the uptake this year and didn't get a chance to send a Christmas carepackage to the troops in Iraq. Poo.
Soo... I've opted to help someone in need online instead.
.. Crate & Barrel sent a gift certificate to use at the innovative DonorsChoose.Org. If you haven't heard of it yet, its a website where teachers pitch to you ideas for project and materials and experiences their students need to learn, such as: improving vocabulary with a class set of dictionaries ($150); discouraging teen pregnancy with “Baby-Think-It-Over” dolls ($500); taking students to Washington, D.C. to see the Supreme Court consider a case ($2,000). There's a lot more accountability here than what goes on in a Hollywood production thats for sure!

You can search proposals by areas of interest, learn about classroom needs, and choose to fund the project she/he finds most compelling. Donors receive a feedback package of photographs, student thank-you notes, a teacher impact letter, and an expenditure report showing that their gift was spent as directed.

Their Mission: "DonorsChoose improves public education by engaging citizens in an online marketplace where teachers describe specific educational projects for their classrooms and individuals can choose which projects to fund. We envision a country where students in every community have the resources they need to learn."

DonorsChoose.org received a surprise shoutout yesterday morning during the CBS Early Show. President Bill Clinton was speaking with Harry Smith about the importance of charitable giving, and he cited DonorsChoose.org as an example of a non-profit that harnesses the power of the internet to enable ordinary citizens to have an impact. BOOYAH! At DonorsChoose you can be a philanthropist for just Ten Bucks. Citizen philanthropy at work!

I used my Gift Certificate and contributed additional funds to a school in the Mission District of San Francisco, learning puzzles, etc, that future classes can use too. And I know where my money is going! .. They are close readers! If you feel you'd like to give, they could get their project funded and completed!! Or find something that is close to YOUR home, and better yet, YOUR heart.

Golden Compass Geekery

Behold, Philotheus, my Daemon!
Yes, yes, I'm a geek. I couldn't wait to take the quiz and find out what my daemon would be! And strangely, I like him!!!

DIY

Where the frick have I been?
Busy Busy.

My mind is so fragmented that I haven't been able to sit down and think too clearly. Just checking off things I need to do for the Holidays. With all the Christmas shopping I have to do, I also wanted to throw a dinner party for a few friends("Dude, we're gettin' the band back together!!"). I know, methinks I must be a masochist. So yeah, I've been stressing myself out wanting to spruce up my place for the coming Saturday soiree.

But right now , my place is a MESS due to a wiring issue. The contractor ultimately had to cut a piece of wall out in order to find out why my dining room lights stopped working. Good news is, he fixed the faulty wire; but the bad news is I have to sand down the new piece of sheetrock. ugg.
Don't ask me why but I have one of these laying around the house...
Edit: Note, this is NOT my hand. Its just a random picture I googled....

Why did no one tell me it would leave crap ALL OVER the place? Everything turned white with a layer of crap. Seriously, I NEED a houseboy! Now I have massive cleaning to do, and I can't get my hardwood floors clean. Not to mention I probably took 2 years off my life by neglecting to mask myself while sanding. (I finally wisened up and used my hoodie hood to cover my mouth and nose.) Silly Sake felt the need to supervise so she kept standing there right next to me, no doubt inhaling a much of crap. Great.

I singlehandedly bought a tree Saturday too, and lugged it up my stairs (What a sight I must've been with a 6ft tall tree hoisted over my shoulder!).. But with other commitments, I didn't put the tree up until Sunday night. It was, as they say... getting hella dried out!... So anyway, at 11pm last night, I was battling an uncooperative tree, trying to get it into the tree pot without the whole thing tipping over. After hanging the lights, it was far too late to deal with ornaments. Thats tonight.

I guess I should look for the positive side and be happy that I am getting things done. But I'm so frazzled, I don't can't remember where I actually put my positive side!