Handsome Tales

The burden, gift and torch of the handsome man is a real entity. Just like our Kindergarten teacher told us, "every single person is unique and special in their own way". Personally, I just happen to be a "really really good looking" Zoolander. Hopefully the sequel, model-themed movie is as humorous as the original.

Moving forward, each person in this world has there own unique gifts. Some fellow humans are science smart, doctor intelligent, accounting wizards, athletic specimens, or overtly kind and generous. This human natural gift diversity is what makes life special.

Personally for me, being tall, fun, athletic, easy going, and capable, has placed me in the top tier of physical handsomeness for the past 15 years.

Let us rewind to my yesteryear personal age of 16. I was 6'1 inches tall as a sophomore in high school, and already on the varsity basketball team. My facial complexion was a disaster. My facial acne, pimples and zits were unstoppable. It didn't matter what the super hot actress, Jenifer Love Hewitt sold me via Nutrogena facial soap, the acne was inevitable. After numerous attempts via prescriptions, the dermatologist eventually prescribed me the powerful drug accutane. With the amazing help of Accutane, after 6 months my acne was erased. A medical miracle. I became so happy! With a clear complexion, my life changed instantly!

As a Senior, with a brand new porcelain, sun kissed clean face, coupled with a healthy muscular physique, the world become my oyster. I immediately started dating a lead cheerleader. She was beautiful, kind, giving and wonderful. I also drew attention from the entire, sample spectrum, of the female race. I was getting looks and being hit on, ranging from the younger sophomores up to my 30 something teacher. I would eventually have fun times with many of them, including the womanly teacher, later in life's college days. I recall sleeping with the aforementioned Teacher finally when I was 22, when we were both older and still excited for it. Pretty rad! There in a nutshell was the power of handsome, and my new found X-Men like talent.

From that triumphant year forth, personally, my handsome tales have grown. Despite my handsome gift, and torch to carry, often life is not just given to me easily. As an attractive human in the top 10 percent of today's current male race, I still receive ample rejection, heartache and setback. Sometimes I wonder, if Mr. Handsome is having difficulty getting the girl, job, or whatever, then how does the more homely, ugly person live? Is the world a more difficult place for ugly people? To remind us, just like in Kindergarten, we each have our own unique gifts. You, the Sample Spectrum reader have talents, that I will never acquire. A lesson here, is to embrace your own uniqueness and talents.

In my mid 20's, I needed a new life, landscape, and place for adventure. Thus at the age of 24 I blindly moved to the New York City area. My first real job was to be "the face" of the Hotel Gansevoort. At the time of my employment, the Hotel Gansevoort was the imminent, boutique, independent, modern, cool, entertainment, and celebrity, destination hotel located in NYC's Meatpacking District. My first day on the job, I checked in the Oscar winning famous actor Adrian Brody along with his mother. This particular hotel was the exorbitant and fantastic type of venue, where you never knew which famous or beautiful person would come through the doors next. I was honored to be the nightly "door man" and during the day, the hospitable greeter. Literally, my job was to stand in the lobby, and be welcoming to the arriving guests in a professional manner. It was the coolest job I will ever have, no doubt. Some of my most memorable and favorite celebrity guest encounters and sightings were with Christina Aguilera, Calvin Klein, Beck, Will I Am, Maria Sharapova, Nicole Richie, Jessica Simpson, Kevin Costner, Hugh Jackman, Mandy Moore, Giovanni Rivisi, and many more. Again, you can see why being the face of this hot-spot was exciting for me, a 24/25 year old dude from a mid-sized city in central Texas. Previously I, like the rest of America, had only known of celebrities as magazine, movie and tabloid fodder, and not as real humans. In actuality all the celebrities in real life were cool, funny, easy going and fairly normal just like the rest of us.

The next Handsome Tale occurred in true Downtown Manhattan in the Financial District. While aimlessly walking around one day, I randomly ventured into the Abercrombie and Fitch clothing store in the South Street Seaport neighborhood. Their FLAGSHIP store. While browsing clothing on the 1st floor, Yanick, one the the fellow Abercrobmie workers said, "Hey dude, how's it going? You totally have the look for this store. You should model and work here. Just lose the Jesus sandals and you are good." I happened to have been wearing some really funking leather rope, and yes Jesus fashion style sandals. I was hired full time the next Monday by the lead A&F staff effortlessly. Here were some of my job descriptions at their Flagship Downtown Fi-Di Abercrombie....

"Run the floor" It was a 2 story retail space. My job was to run up and down the the stairs on both floors looking for problem clothing sections, while simultaneously being eye candy for the consumers and shoppers to look at. Truth.

Another A&F job title, was to leave the store in groups of 2-3 co-workers and model scout in Manhattan. Often we would travel to Union Square, Central Park, or near NYU and Washington Square park to "scout" for new A&F in-store models and workers. Was this particular job glorified retail? Yes. Yet, I still to this day, consider it an honor to have been selected into their nationally recognized Model club.

Again, the gift of handsomeness. It is possible at that point in life, after basically modeling for the 2nd time in our nation's largest most dense metropolis, society's GVM handsome approval was getting too big in my head. To this day, I have always been a confident soul, and never a meek introvert.

Is it possible my personal looks peaked at 25? Maybe? I have not officially nor technically modeled since that age. I have picked up, hooked up, and slept with a CRUISE SHIP worth of girls, ladies and females from that day forth and to the present. The question now becomes, when will the handsomeness end? When will my run be over? Will I be lucky enough to carry the handsome torch like Paul Newman, Brad Pitt, Clint Eastwood and George Clooney until my 50's and 60's and beyond? I don't know, time will tell? I personally hope yes. If my handsome power strikes Midnight soon and ends that would suck, but I'll continue live in peace knowing I used my physical gifts to their fullest.

Thanks for reading.