Craig and McQueen Part I

The minute I saw Daniel Craig in Layer Cake I knew that I liked him immensely. But it was not until the final scene of Casino Royale when the reason hit me in the head. I knew then why he had seemed instantly familiar and appealing.


Casino Royale 2006

I had seen that face (and outfit) before. On Mr. Terrance Steven McQueen.


The Thomas Crown Affair 1968

The dark blond hair, receding hairline, furrowed and hooded brow, blue eyes, deep laugh lines, pursed lips, wide strong nose, and somewhat jug ears.

See?

Not that they're twins or anything but the description does fit them both quite well. They are definitely of the same type; that hard beaten yet good looking, man's man sort.

What other male movie stars can fit that description? Oh there are a few, like Tommy Lee Jones, James Remar, Sam Elliot, Ted Levine, and Russell Crowe, but compared to the more conventionally handsome leading men out there, that's not a lot.

I prefer these rough and tumble guys. Even better if they happened to have broken their noses in their youth. Just another symbol that their lives were not always easy and that they lived their lives out loud.

It Is Easy To Be Unhappy

The reason I think it's harder in the short run to choose celebration over blame is that you have to take responsibility for more of your own bad outcomes, you have to be grateful for what you have when you're plainly receiving less than someone else, and you have to make a conscious decision to assess individuals and discrete situations solely on their merits, instead of just lumping them all into some category of Things You Already Know. In other words, you have to assign yourself to the role of student in life, instead of the more secure feeling Master of All Knowledge.

Choosing optimism is choosing vulnerability and humility on an ongoing basis, and that's often in conflict with our nature.


Great quote from Washington Post columnist Carolyn Hax on how easy it can be to remain unhappy. Please read the rest via Kerry's blog.

Thank you Joanna!

So it's not just me!

Look what I just read on Smitten, written by Joanna Goddard (also from A Cup of Jo). Of course, I had to read it...she entitled the piece, Do People Call you Ma'am? And guess who the culprit is in her story?

I feel so much better now. However, I still don't think it's the right way to go in terms of customer service for that particular store. The ma'ams of the world are their target customers*, so why even risk insulting them?

*"30 to 45 years old, college or post-graduate education, married with kids or in a committed relationship, professional or ex-professional, annual household income of $150,000 to $200,000. She's well-read and well-traveled." From an article on the store in Fast Company, Issue 65, November 2002.

In fact...

I was dressed today very much like this picture. I'll try to take a picture this weekend. I'm pretty proud of my version. The only thing I regret (STILL) is that I didn't buy this necklace when I had the chance.

Image: Lucky, October 2007

Say It Ain't So...

Oh, well.

The irony is, that this week, I've worn two outfits that were SO much cuter and stylish than what I wore to that interview. I made the mistake of confusing myself with what I previously knew about interviewing for my former jobs (mostly corporate-lite) than trying to get a job somewhere that was so individually unique from my past experience. I should have worn what I felt great in hoping that it would have translated to the interviewer.

In short, I should have sold 'the best me I could be' and not what I thought they wanted, which only resulted in me feeling lacking.

NOTE: I'm not saying I didn't get the job because of the way I was dressed. Not at all. I'm saying that I didn't feel confident in myself because of my ambivalence about my outfit and I let it affect the way I felt and presented myself. Also, the "ma'am" thing really did disarm me.

You live - you learn.