Hump Day Hottie: Nir Lavi

I'm not sure, but I think this could quite possibly be the world's most handsome man.
Take a look:



Okay... his name is Nir Lavi. He's Israeli. He's a model (no shit!).
And I have no idea what else he does or anything about him.
I only know he's sooo damn good looking.
So there's not much else to say, really.




(those eyes!)


















Yep, definitely the eyes.






Okay, maybe not just the eyes...

Virtual Vacation: Ocracoke

Since this is a virtual vacation, we can make the weather any way we want, and so I say it was absolutely gorgeous out today - a perfect day for a day-trip over to Ocracoke.

We'll just do pics.
Naturally, these pics were all taken on different days, in different years - so the sky will look different shades of blue for every shot.


On the ferry. This is looking back at Hatteras Landing as we left.



Literal proof of us being on the ferry.



I told you - uncrowded beaches abound on the Outer Banks.
This is the beach at Ocracoke.



Lunch at Howard's Pub is not only a tradition, but a necessity.



Then it's a walk through town and to the Ocracoke lighthouse.



Oldest operating lighthouse in North Carolina. (1823)



Bit of history. (Fort Ocracoke)



In the village, we spot a juvenile seagull.



Another lengthy walk on the beach does prove that other life exists.
A lone fisherman.



Ocracoke is one of the best places on the Outer Banks to collect seashells.



On the way back to the ferry, we pull off Route 12, where the Ocracoke ponies greet you. They used to roam wild on the island but too many were getting hurt/killed on the road - hence the fence.


While waiting for the return ferry, you can make a lot of new friends.



Usually you will pass a ferry or two coming to and fro.



The ferry ride back, with vast views of the bluer than blue Atlantic.



And after a day like that, we're beat. So it's probably hot dogs for supper - and a piece of incredibly delicious fudge (I'm thinking German Chocolate, Todd will have peanut butter of course) from 'Sweet & Simple Pleasures' in Avon will do the trick....

So what will the rest of the week bring - will it rain? Or more nice weather? Will we stay around Avon or head up north?
Perhaps a trip north to Kitty Hawk to one of my favorite restaurants on the entire island chain - The Black Pelican...

Virtual Vacation - OBX

Well, I'm off work for a week. Which, in itself, is awesome...
However. Generally, when I'm off in May, I'm really off. As in outta here.

Usually the hubby and I take off for a week of "chillaxin" on Hatteras Island a.k.a. The Outer Banks of North Carolina (which is the little tampon string of a line over there on the map, and where we stay is the furthest point away from the coast of NC).

But the hubby has a new job and no vacation time till next year so I'm home vegging out for a week while he works his tail off. No, not fair - but at the same time, I do believe I worked my tail off for an entire year while he sat home collecting (his much deserved) unemployment pay (for losing his job of 20 years to outsourcing). God Bless America, right? Hmpf.

ANYWAY!
While I would love to be hanging out at the beach, sipping a few Coronas or what have you, I'm stuck here in the anti-weather-friendly western Pennsylvania. Porchville. No, not even - because today it was only 39 frickin' degrees out!!!

So I'm going on a vacation - a virtual one. Like James Taylor said - Goin' to Carolina in my mind.
But I'm taking pictures and bringing them here for all to see.
My imagination is vivid (considering I've taken like a ka-zillion pictures of the Outer Banks in the last decade) so here goes>

Sunday is the long-ass drive down. Eleven hours in a car with stops only to pee and eat. (Quickly on both counts!) We generally arrive around 3pm. (And yes, that does mean we leave before the ass-crack of dawn!)
Once we've finally made it to the literal Outer Banks (we cross over up in Kitty Hawk and make our way 55 miles southward to Avon), we cross from Bodie Island to Hatteras Island by way of the most lovely Bonner Bridge, which is a pretty freaky-deaky bridge - at least the first time you cross it. Once you've been over it a few times, you can enjoy the beauty that surrounds it. But until then, you're basically terrified.

Okay, so we've finally made it the long drive to Avon (after several "are we there yets") and hobble into the realtor office. Eleven hours in a car is not conducive to walking.

We always use the same realtor - Outer Beaches Realty - and this year (because I can afford a really nice virtual house) we're staying here.
This cottage (named "One") is in the very far end of Avon.
It's beautiful, huge, and completely accessible to ocean front beaches, with another cottage on only one side. The hubby & I have stayed across the street on the sound side several times because the area is so quiet, and have admired "One" for years. So this year...we're virtually there.

After unpacking and relaxing for an hour or so, we head off to the Food Lion grocery store. The very best thing about buying groceries in North Carolina?
Wine and beer...sold right in the grocery stores - right off the shelves. Here in western PA it just doesn't happen, so with a huge selection of readily available alcohol, we generally buy enough for several weeks and end up taking some home - not on purpose, our eyes are always bigger than our capacity to put away the booze.


After collecting sundries, it's back to the cottage and down to the beach for a stroll. One of my favorite things about the beaches of the southern Outer Banks is that they are never as crowded or congested as up north. Granted, we always go in the marvelously un-busy off-season. Sometimes, there is literally no one else on the beach, as is evident from the picture at right.

When hunger takes over, we head back to the cottage (after having carefully taken notice of exactly where the roofline of our cottage is before even starting out on a walk- because one can get quite lost looking for one's cottage when they all look the same from down on the beach!)

At this point, we're too beat to actually go out to a restaurant, and always end up getting pizza, usually from the mom & pop pizza joint, Nino's. Just a little cottage but well worth it.
Pizza and italian specialties, but like I said - nothing fancy.
In all reality, on Hatteras Island there are no chain restaurants except a Dairy Queen and a Subway. Most places are all privately owned by families - some of which have lived here for generations, others who have moved here and intend on spending the rest of their time on this special island.
Names like "The Fish House" and "Diamond Shoals" abound, and all have really great, fresh seafood.
But the first night - damn, we're way too tired for anything but pizza.

An hour or so on the deck, under the protective beam from the Cape Hatteras lighthouse just down the road about three miles away in Buxton, we watch the waves lap onto shore until it lulls us into an exhausted stupor and it's off to bed.

Tomorrow.... a check on the weather and decisions to make on what to do first.... Will it be Ocracoke Island if the weather permits, or perhaps a drive up north to Manteo?
Only time, and Mother Nature, will tell.

Hump Day Hottie: Matt Bomer

This week we have all-kinds-of-handsome Matthew Bomer.



Currently, Matt stars as Neal Caffrey on the USA network's White Collar.




I first noticed him, though, in the movie The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning (2006). There was no way to miss those piercing blue eyes.




He is the son of a former Dallas Cowboy football player - but we'll forgive him that. Especially since he graduated (BFA) from Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh.




He was also in Flightplan with Jodie Foster, played on All My Children as well as Guiding Light, a brief role on Tru Calling, and a recurring role on Chuck before breaking through on White Collar as a con-artist who works with an FBI agent solving crime.



One of his BFF's is Zachary Quinto, who played Spock in the new Star Trek movie and also graduated from CMU.



God how I love the pic above.



He was the original choice to play Superman in the reboot of the movie franchise (a role that eventually went to Brandon Routh) but the deal fell through after the director dropped out.



There have been a lot of questions raised about his sexual orientation, all of which he refuses to answer, so my thought is: if you don't answer, you are. So be it. Another one taken from the women of the world. Score one for the guys.



But damn....still nice to look at.

Stupid names for music artists

This is a post I'd included on my now defunct Compulsive List Addiction blog.
I feel it's just as appropriate today, actually - because the names are still stupid.

I didn't even touch on country since I'm not really a fan, and I'm sure there are loads of bizarre alternative bands that I don't have here, but here's what I came up with

Stupid names for rock bands/artists

This list should be self-explanatory.

*) Led Zeppelin

*) Biff Naked

*) Ben Folds Five

*) Staind

*) Supertramp

*) Pink Floyd

*) Franz Ferdinand

*) Butthole Surfers (I mean, seriously.)

*) Stone Temple Pilots

*) Smashing Pumpkins

*) Rage Against the Machine

*) Def Leppard

*) Fountains of Wayne

*) Matchbox Twenty (20)

*) Insane Clown Posse

*) Kula Shaker

*) Dead Kennedys

*) Lynyrd Skynyrd

*) Hootie and the Blowfish

*) Oingo Boingo

*) Hoobastank

*) Toad the Wet Sprocket

*) Chumbawamba

*) Thirty Odd Foot of Grunts

*) Death Cab for Cutie

*) Blink-182

*) Goldfrapp

*) Panic! at the disco

*) Dexy's Midnight Runners

*) Echo and the Bunnymen

*) Grand Funk Railroad

*) Blue Oyster Cult

*) The Buggles

*) Right Said Fred

*) Canned Heat

*) Everything but the girl

*) Finger Eleven

*) Frankie Goes to Hollywood

*) The Honeydrippers

*) Mazzy Star

*) Mungo Jerry

*) Queens of the Stone Age

*) Stabbing Westward

*) Wall of Voodoo

*) Glass Tiger

*) The Troggs

*) Steppenwolf

*) Kajagoogoo

*) 30 Seconds to Mars

*) Sponge

*) Squeeze

*) Wham!

*) Achers of Loaf

*) Red Hot Chili Peppers

*) Pearl Jam

*) Talking Heads

*) Fall Out Boy

*) The Dropkick Murphys

*) Goo Goo Dolls

*) Blind Melon

*) Men Without Hats

*) System of a Down

*) Thin Lizzy

*) The Din Pedals

*) Puddle of Mudd

*) Procol Harum

*) Letters to Cleo

*) Marcy Playground

*) Meat Puppets

*) Armor for Sleep

*) Concrete Blonde

*) The Live

*) The Band

*) The The (yep, really)

Did I miss any? I'm sure I did.... Let me know.

Go Baby Go!!

In honor of Derby day today, here's a peek at my MUST SEE movie pick for 2010....

Secretariat!!




I. SIMPLY. CANNOT. WAIT...

Hump Day Hottie : Travis Fimmel

Hottie lovers rejoice, I give you: pretty boy Travis Fimmel



.....who never seems to wear any clothes, and it is exceedingly hard to find pics of him wearing much more than his six pack abs. Whew.



Actually, he does do more than look pretty.



Though he was a model (and yes, a lot of underwear).... he acted in a few movies (One of which, "Restraint", also stars Stephen Moyer of True Blood fame) and was also Patrick Swayze's last co-star when he worked with him in the recent A & E television show "The Beast".



As Randy Jackson would say, Folks, we've got a hot one tonight.

Because I don't have kids....

Since I don't have kids to plaster photos of all over my blog, I give you...
Oliver.