Two Stanleys in One Day?!?

So.

There was a (shit)(rainstorm) yesterday. And there was Game 5 of the NHL Playoffs. AND THE KINGS WON THE STANLEY CUP!!! 

Thus, this morning was dedicated to slowly sipping coffee and reading funny hockey commentaries. And a bit of catching up on the World Cup, too. 

HELLO, BOYS!
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I like hockey a lot. Not a total diehard fan, but fan enough to enjoy watching a game from time to time. I know, I know, Rangers are an OK team (I guess), they have a mighty fine-looking goalie and they ARE my town's team. But blood is thicker than water and LA Kings have Anže on their roster, so there you have it - me is LA supporter smack in the middle of #rangerstown. 

Anže is a big hero back home and he brought the Stanley Cup to Slovenia in 2012, which was all kinds of awesome. And he's bringing it home again this summer. AND he looks way better when he does not shave.  As do a lot of men.

Anže being adorable again.
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In case you are craving more bearded Kings, Heather of the Fug Girls compiled a lovely gallery. The title of the post says it all: Well Played, Jubilant, Oft-Toothless Men in Beards: The Los Angeles Kngs Win the Stanley Cup. You are welcome. 

Why so sad, "king" Henrik?
Your team lost, but at least you are still very pretty.
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On another note, today is a lovely Saturday. The nasty storm left behind crisp air, no humidity and streets without dust. Which can only mean one thing: take Stanley (not the cup, the bike) out for a spin. After the beard and coffee and that-other-Stanley overdose, of course.

First stop was Central Park (obviously), where I, by some miraculous stroke of good luck, managed to find a not-too-crowded spot in the otherwise-extremely-crowded Park to sit down, crack open my book, and read for a while. I boycotted the iPOD for once and listened to the birds instead. 

Chilling in Central Park with a book.

My next stop was the UWS Whole Foods. I do not shop there often, as I find the whole experience a tad pretentious and many of the things that I ordinarily buy are severely overpriced there compared to my local grocery store. But they do have virgin coconut oil that my local grocery store does not stock AND that does not cost an eye. Also, peonies.

Hipster Stan!!!

I came home late in the afternoon, just in time for some early dinner. Colorful veggie stir fry, roasted on my new coconut oil. Made the whole freaking house smell of coconut instead of onion and broccoli. 1:0 for coconut oil, I guess.

Having a Blair Waldorf  moment. 

Veggie stir fry. Made with coconut oil.
Joyful!

Now it's 9 pm and it's still light outside. Adore!!!

I'll probably go for a quick run now, since I have been a lazy ass for the past few weeks. 

And tomorrow is Sunday brunch-day!

Gotta love weekends. 

Jules

Anže is adorable!

Anže Kopitar, hockey superstar, on Ellen. Being awesome. And cute.

Something told me you'd need it, and by something, I mean common sense.

Suits is over. For now.

Let us quench our thirst for the hottest-lawyer-best-closer-this-city-has-ever-seen yada-yada-yada.

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I'm so so so sorry for the hotness overload. I just miss my regular Harvey Specter injections.

Harvey Specter is cocky, smart and HOT. And I am a sucker for a smart guy and for a hot guy, so those tributes alone would make my day regardless.

A few bits of Harvey's wisdom that make my sapiosexual self go completely nuts:

"Why don't you check out the corner of 81st and kiss my ass?"
"I refuse to answer on the grounds that I don't want to."
"We've been crossing lines long before we even met!"
"I'm against HAVING emotions, not USING them."
"Do I think I'm smarter than you? You're damn right I do!"
"I'm not interested in great. I want to know who it's daddy is."

But there's more to his appeal. He knows what he wants and has no issues going out and getting it. He likes his scotch neat and his jazz clean. There's his fantastic swagger, and he's kind of brilliant at his job. And he can wear the hell out of a sharp suit.

May I add that, to a heterosexual woman, a man in a well cut suit is pretty much the equivalent to what lingerie is to a heterosexual man.

By far, one of the most fuckable characters on TV. Ever. Vampire Eric and Don Draper end up totally mousy in comparison. And me loves me some Vampire Eric, mind you.

Yum, yum, yum.

Jules

P.S. Despite Harvey's all-around awesomeness and fuckability, my dear Z prefers Mike. So, for Z's eyes only:

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P.P.S. It's going to be months before Harvey returns to my screen. When he does, the Phelps will keep him company. Boo-yeah! But still, it's MONTHS away.

Luckily, this will return soon to help with the withdrawals. Hello, Neal Caffrey. I love you, too.

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P.P.S. The title of this post is actually one of Harvey's stellar quotes. Love me some Harvey wisdom. Goes well with the hotness.

P.P.P.S. Harvey Specter is portrayed by Gabriel Macht, Mike Ross is played by Patrick J. Adams and Matt Bomer is the actor who makes Neal Caffrey a bit less fictional. Boys, you are all delicious.

I checked out this show only 'cause I dig the actor, and I'm really cool with that.

I am currently sprawled on my bed, MacBook on my lap and glass of chardonnay in my hand. Blogging and unwinding. It's half past eleven pm and I just came back home from my first evah Broadway show. 

Since I hate being cliché, I didn't go for Mamma mia, Stomp or The Lion King. 

Instead, I chose the most cliché-filled show I could think of for my Broadway-de-verginization. A cheesy, but endearingly funny rom-com. Why would I do that (just the thought of the cheesefest makes me want to puke a little bit) when there's just so much good stuff around there in the mainstream department?

My answer is simple: Zachary Levi. D'oh.

He might not be the most well-known household name, but if you ever watched Chuck, you must have loved him. If that bit of info doesn't ring a bell, simply scroll down. 

All images shamelessly copy-pasted from here with the sole purpose of making you drool.

He's tall, dark and nerdy, and totally adorable. Has an amazing smile and kind hazel eyes. And boy, can he sing and dance. 

And he can tell a love story:

"Chuck versus the Goodbye" final scene. 

Well, he might actually lack a bit of crude sex appeal, but he's just too cute not to love. Although. Hmmm, let me rethink that:

Ok, maybe I did underestimate his sex appeal just a smidgen. 

Anyways, back to the show. It was just about everything I expected from a Broadway musical: flashy, chock-full of jokes with predictable punchlines, with catchy tunes, and seriously sugary. But thanks to the relatively small size of the theater and the tiny cast it also felt intimate and personal enough.

I'm actually really happy that I went. I had a great time and yes, I might have drooled a little bit. I couldn't really help it. Zack Levi is just adorable. End of story.

SOTD: The National - Don't swallow the cap. 

It's got NOTHING to do with the post itself, but 

I just CAN. NOT. STOP. listening to this album.

Sweet dreams.

Jules

Good sport!

For my little home turf of Slovenia, this past few days have been very very good in terms of sports. 

I generally do not follow sports too avidly, but some disciplines give me good reason to do so. 

One of those is sailing. Main reason is that it is kind of a family sport and I was raised in quite a close contact to it, despite not being particularly fond of the activity myself (Sorry, mom). And last week was glorious, since on Saturday, Vasilij Žbogar (best Slovenian sailor EVER) became European champion for the second time in his long career. First time in Finn class. Proving that he is BEYOND awesome. I bow waaaaaaaaay down, badass Vasko!!!

The second one is swimming. Which is kind of my favourite. Because who am I to skip on ogling half-naked fit men in the name of the Olympic spirit. 

Well, today, this ogling kind of paid off, as Damir Dugonjić (currently our best swimmer) finished 4th in Barcelona in 100 m breast. He missed the medal just by a smidgen, but he still pulled off a great final in one of the most competitive swimming disciplines. And he put together an amazing performance,  keeping our spirits high for the 50 breast scheduled for tomorrow & Wednesday. So happy for you, Dugi!!!

And in case any of you were wondering where is this sudden surge of patriotism coming from, here's your explanation. You are welcome. 

Vasko.
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Dugi.
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Vasko.
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Dugi.
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Need I say any more?

Jules

p.s. GO SLOVENIA!!!!!!!!

JESSE and CÉLINE. FOREVER.

I finally got to see Before Midnight a few days ago. 

I might not have been in the perfect state of mind to go see a movie like that, but my undying love for those those two just made me wander into a movie theater on 86th street after a Sephora haul.

In this final installment, Jesse and Céline are in their forties, he had left his wife for his French love and she had given birth to their cute twin girls, Nina and Ella. Julie Delpy is still stunningly beautiful, graceful and smart, Ethan Hawke is still adorable. Despite the horrible hair (dude, please, you're no 20-something boy anymore!!!). Their characters are together, swamped with the trivialities of everyday family life, but they are still the Jesse and Céline we knew and loved in the previous two movies. It's not all sugar and spice and everything nice. They fight and get annoyed with each other, and they show how deep their love is. All in a funny and intelligent way.

When the first movie, Before Sunrise, was originally released in 1995, I was at the hight of puberty and way too mainstream to be interested in something like that, so I first saw the movie a few years later, towards the end of high school. At that point, I have evolved into this hopeless romantic, so the story of two smart and charming and somewhat completely relatable people casually meting and immediately knowing they were the perfect match, was exactly my cup of tea. And the cliffhanger ending was perfect, as it left enough room for me to fantasize about their winter reunion and subsequently happily ever after.

Having seen Sunrise quite late meant that I did not have to wait 9 whole years to learn what happened. Before Sunset, the sequel to Sunrise, was released in 2004. It was a bad year for me, romance- and non-romance-wise, but I still loved and enjoyed the movie, even more than the first. All their banter and connection and the sheer amount of topics they manage to cover...

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I can not believe it's been 9 years since we last caught up with those two (I'll admit I binge-wathched the first two movies back to back two or three times, but don't tell, ok?). Just like with the first, Sunset ended with a cliffhanger. Which the third movie of the series, brilliantly resolves. 

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Taking a look at all three theatrical posters one next to the other clearly represents this couple's evolution. And just like with the films, the Parisian one, for Before Sunset, is my favourite. 

And to finish off, one of my favourite quotes from the series (from Sunset, actually):

             C: Do you think you would have finished the book if you were fucking someone every 5 

                  minutes?

              J: I might have welcomed the challenge!

To Jesse and Céline. Forever.

Jules

An ode to some hot guys

I figured with all the madness of the past week or so, a desperate need for some candy has arisen.
And since sugary, real candy is not the most healthful option, let's go with the best possible alternative… eye candy. Because it's been a while since I last posted some hotties, right…

Let's see, shall we:

Robert Downey Jr. He abandoned the bad boy ways, but kept the attitude... Pure. Hotness.

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Michael Fassbender. Tall, ginger, half-Irish and supertalented. What's not to love?

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Johnny Depp. Nevermind the crazy couture. I'd do him. Any time. No discussion.

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Now excuse me, I need to wipe off the drool.

Jules

P.S. The present is just a random selection of some hot actors arranged in no particular order. 
P.P.S. I put on extra large pictures, way wider than normally on the blog. I can't go too large when it comes to hotness, right? 

SWIMMERS!

Last time we talked boys, it was in a more serious context. Lucky for you, the post ended on a happier note, with some hot handballer galore and some sort of promise about hunks in trunks.

At last year's Olympics, superhot swimmers were way in the spotlight, mostly thanks to cuties such as Ryan Lochte, Florent Manaudou and Tom Daley.

The Olympics have been over for a while (see you soon, though) and there's no big swimming event going on at the moment, so the buzz got hushed. Well, at least until this July - so it only makes sense that we refresh our memories!

SOTD: Official Barcelona 2013 FINA World Swimming Championships song

And, pretty please, let me acknowledge how sincerely grateful I am for FINA's 2010 regulation on swimwear, especially article 3.1 (a) that states "Men swimsuits shall not extend above the navel or below the knee."
Bless you, FINA.

Matjaž Markič, Slovenia (photo credit revijaobrazi.si)

Nathan Adrian, USA (photo credit lifestylehub.net)

Florent Manaudou, France (photo credit french.news.cn)

Fabio Scozzoli, Italy (photo credit questionedistile.gazzetta.it)

James Magnussen, Australia (photo credit couriermail.com.au)

Ryan Lochte, USA (photo credit mashable.com)

And since, obviously, I need to further prove my point, here you go:

Assorted USA and Australian olympic hunks in trunks (photo credits instyle.com and au.ibtimes.com)

Jules

On handball. Wait? Seriously? HAND-BALL?

Yepp, handball. 

It's an olympic sport, quite popular in Europe, but virtually a mystery anywhere else. And it's basically the one team sport that I kind of follow. Talk about that with american guys and they'll chuckle. Or shamelessly laugh. 

Well, chuckles aside, the 2012/13 season is now officially over and my home team, Cimos Koper, finished in third place. Which is really good. All things considered. 

SOTD. Kind of silly, I know.

You see, Slovenia is a weird place to do something good. We are amazingly good at many, many, many things. But unfortunately, we really suck at keeping up with all the good stuff we manage to create. In life, as in economy, politics and sports. So, after many really good and exciting seasons, huge financial trouble is what might kill my home team. Which is sad. But what is saddest is that no one is surprised, really. The same happened many times over with good teams throughout this cute little country of ours. 

Many supporters feel that this time, things might end up on a different note. Most players are willing to stay on the team, despite the dreadful financial situation and they even managed to keep up their motivation and won yesterday's match. WON big, since the overall third place was decided in the last few minutes of the match. It was basically a grandiose "fuck off" to every soul that dared dismiss them. Respect, guys.

Well, regardless of the fact that yesterday's might have been their last match I got to see, I am proud that I dragged my butt over there and screamed, cheered, booed and applauded.  

And let that last match be yet another "closure" deed before I leave for the States. Oh, how I love being a tad dramatic. 

And girls, handball has many, many perks:

Renato Vugrinec, RK Metalurg Skopje, FYROM (photo credits: time.mk and radio-ptuj.si)

Uroš Zorman, KS Vive Targi Kielce, Poland (photo credits: gwizdek24.se.pl and wspieramyklub.pl)

Matjaž Brumen, RK Cimos Koper, Slovenia (photo credits: siol.net and rtvslo.si)

Luka Žvižej, RK Celje Pivovarna Laško, Slovenia (photo credits: 24ur.com, delmagyar.hu, vecer.com)

Caught your breath yet? Wiped the droolsies off? Good. Those four hotties are, in fact, really badass Slovenian handball players. Get it now?

We shall speak of swimmers next time, right?

Jules