Good morning, Monday. It's still hot as Hades outside but the humidity is on the wane, so it feels a touch more comfy outside and not nearly as schvitzy. This weekend was absolutely lovely- since I've only been back since December I find myself not wanting to flee the city like I used to on Summer weekends when I lived here years ago- I'm so enjoying the solitude of my neighborhood on balmy weekends and the ease of pace which envelopes all of New York City with its sultry and slow gait. Friday night was spent with two lovely female friends, drinking wine and having a laugh over how none of us could figure out the DVR. Saturday night had me catching up with one of my favorite people on Earth, my friend Eric who I have not seen forever and whose friendship is a real gift. We had a lovely meal in the West Village at Jeffrey's Grocery and then went on to a few spots for drinks until we could drink no more. It was a lovely night and the whole weekend made me realize that I feel grateful for being back home, surrounded by all the people and places I care about. Thank goodness and G-d and whoever else is responsible for this happiness.
In other news, as I sat around with my two girlfriends on Friday night, who are both beautiful, stylish, and successful and wicked smart, (oh and single) I realized that what women want from men is so very different than what men think we want. Or rather, I can speak for a certain class of females that, as my husband often says, are "chicks". Chicks are women who are urban, smart, funny, and can talk to you about every genre of music and are up for a road trip to Nashville and can use the bathroom in a dive bar. Chicks are girls who are not afraid to curse, can drink their keep, and are not in any way fussy, girly girls that play by the "Rules" (remember that book? Ewww) but don't play games. In short, chicks are cool and can take care of themselves and are not looking for you to save them- and really the only kind of women I can really hang out with. And as I sat with my two chick friends as we two bottles of rose in fumbled with the remote to figure out how we could watch the season premiere of Louis CK's show on FX, it hit me- all of this time as men, who are post metrosexual and not the type to wear skinny jeans and a moustache, were looking for a poster child, and that poster child is Louis, who all three of us admitted we somehow find super attractive. (PS we also mentioned that the type of man who is super into house music and has DJ decks yet is not a DJ is not at all attractive, and you know exactly what I mean, and if you don't, you're pretty cheesy yourself...)
Now you all know Louis- he's not exactly Brad Pitt or Johnny Depp or one of the Hemsworths or Edward or Jacob or anything remotely like that when it comes to looks, but that matters not. And I've said it before and I'll say it again- a man that can make a woman laugh is by far the most appealing trait and cancels out many other flaws. And that's why I feel Louis is the new ideal for men- because he's a celebration of the every man who is hyper smart and hilarious but also average at the same time and makes no apologies for simply being himself. For instance, if Louis was a banker, would he be as endearing? If he suddenly lost a ton of weight would we still love him? I somehow doubt it. And I must admit that when Louis first came onto the scene with his HBO show, I absolutely hated him. His character was vile and loathsome and in no way likable- but cut to now, because this time around, he got it right- and his reluctance to be a grown up while still being a great dad resonates with all of us- relationships are hard, career growth is hard, and getting older and chubbier is pretty tough too. But wow, do we all love him. Men love him because he's funny and real and women love him for the same reasons.
And I'm amazed at how widespread his appeal is- from selling tickets to his sold out stand up performances on his website to cut out inflated prices to talking about taboo topics in a way that is not offensive, I just love Louis- our new American hero and somehow sex symbol to all of us "chicks". He's the man for all of us that hated the last decade of crisp button down shirts and hair products and eye creams. Give me a real man any time, friends, and I know I'm not alone in that opinion- I've got a dear friend who is also gorgeous and single and successful that is in her mid 30s (like my other two pals) and claims she is unable to find a man in New York who does not wear smaller jeans than hers, let alone know how to fix a sink. Perhaps we're all tired of that hipster thing and looking for someone a bit more real? There's a load of cool girls out there that will listen to "Exile on Main Street" with you and drink a beer or hang out with you and just laugh, even if you have never done P90X or have a square jaw. Just be cool and normal and not a douche and realize the lunacy of this thing called life and you're all set. So on this Fourth of July week, let's celebrate the good old American man, cause there ain't nothing like the real thing. Oh and one more tip for you- we'll love you forever if you remember to take out the trash- maybe we can take care of ourselves but trash should not be our domain- it belongs to men and men alone, and it's almost as sexy as making us laugh (or we want you to think so so you'll just do it).
And that's what's up this funny is sexy please take out the garbage chicks are cool kind of Monday in the 212. XO