Our Handsome is wearing us out.

As discussed, this is exhausting.

Dirty Handsome and WASP-y Handsome get it done.

You know you’re on to something when a running joke gets taken up by your friends… and they get their parents to go along with it. This was from the Handcake Party after the 2009 Preakness Stakes. To use the phrase incorrectly, this begs the question of the Preakness this year: what’s more important, the filly or the filling?

The definition of anticipation

To learn about the origins and proper execution of a Handcake Party, click here.

Size does matter

Proud papa

Execute.

For our next Handsome party tip and trick, we’d like to introduce to the Handsome faithful: The Handcake Party. As themed party ideas go, Handcake Party is almost elegant in its simplicity. So easy in fact, you can turn any simple get together into party city with handcake (the best party food idea). Handcake Party works as a 1st birthday idea, a sweet sixteen party, a bachelorette party, or a retirement party idea. All hail the handcake party.

The idea originated from a tradition Dirty Handsome’s brothers have each New Year’s Eve wherein they trek the 30 minutes in to town from the old family home to the grocery store. From there, you simply ask the bakery stooges to make a sheet cake that says “Handcake Party” on it. Once you’ve plowed through a few easy drinking games, simply bust out the cake and have everyone eat it sans utensils. Feel like kicking it up a notch? Decorate your own handcake and make it from a novelty batter like red velvet or funfetti.

Easy enough, but what is the real joy of a handcake party? The real joy is the fact that at any moment you can turn any lame occasion with a cake into a Handcake Party. How? By your unparalleled sheer force of Handsome will. Planning a Handcake Party is fine enough as your guests are certain to wait with baited breath until the handcake’s unveiling. However, if you ever find yourself at a gathering that’s dragging (like, you know, a wedding for instance) slide yourself up to the cake, ask coyly to your adoring public “is this handcake?”, and immediately begin the Handcake Party in earnest. What was not now is.

You have to sell it. You have to own it. In the end, everyone will remember that they attended a great Handcake Party (wedding?).

Yes, this is Handcake

Art imitates life... if you've had enough to drink

The ice luge – few party gimmicks compare in versatility, novelty, and brutal effectiveness. Need an easy drinking game? Themed party ideas? The ice luge is party city. The setup is simple: go wholesale and buy one piece of block ice. Cut a slight incline in the block ice using a chisel, chainsaw, or similar. Carve one chute from the top to the bototm of the incline. For an extra Handsome time, carve two similar chutes and hold races with your fellow party goers. Buy booze. That’s it – one of the best drinking games is at your disposal. Booze at the top becomes ice cold by the time it reaches your mouth at the bottom.

At first blush (trust me, someone will be blushing), this doesn’t seem like the classiest way to get a party going. Admittedly, the game first originated running shots of the tailgate of a pickup at either an SEC football game or a horse race. The preparation, the novelty, and some thoughtful display touches make the ice luge a wonderful compliment to any party. Don’t think so? The picture above is from one the fanciest, well-to-do holidays parties held in California. The ice block’s non-committal, even threatening, presence help attendees warm to its presence while early cocktails warm them to a nostalgic ride down the luge.

Beirut and beer pong require long tables and a great deal of space. Kings cup is an entertaining jaunt, but commands the attendtion of nearly the entire party and has a myriad of rules. Caps is a drinking sport that shouldn’t be mixed with pithy drinking games. Conversely, the ice luge is simple, useful (you can use the remnants to make drinks), non-imposing, portable, and a raucous good time.

So take a walk on the wild side. Whether you’re throwing a small birthday party or need something to spice up a blowout, ride the ice luge.

Off to the races

Everyone loves fried turkey

Hope you had a Handsome holiday feast this Thanksgiving weekend. We had a lively gathering at Handsome HQ including our now infamous fried turkey (Dirty Handsome), a sampling of Beaujolais Nouveau, grilled veggies with thyme butter (Stoner Handsome), homemade mac-n-cheese (WASP-y Handsome), an as-requested chocolate pie (Dr. Handsome), and much much more. Los Angeles gave us a stunning day of fluffy clouds, blue skies, and warm temperatures. We truly had a lot to be thankful for.

Happy Holidays! Stay tuned to Big Handsome for some Handsome holiday gift ideas…

Dirty Handsome celebrates marriage the only way he knows how

Some weeks ago a gaggle of excellent high school friends were in town for a wedding. After the rehearsal dinner things devolved into karaoke at Orchid in Koreatown. This was the most respectful photo of the (extensive) set that still conveyed the overwhelming amount of fun we had. Congrats to Ian & Lindsey.

Whatever the whiskey tells you, you should obey.

Pretty Handsome celebrates his one Jewish friend

Congratulations to our dear friend who is begining a new kickass job at Marvel. As per usual, the agency world will miss him much more than he misses the agency world.

"The 'J' is for 'Just'; the 'K' is for 'Keep'"

Per the request of a certain reader (we have readers?) – a photo from Sunset Junction. When Pretty Handsome and Dirty Handsome combine using the coveted Matthew McConaughey-provided J.K. Livin’ armbands, awesome things are bound to happen. Like road sodas, some rocking music, or photos where it sort of looks like Dirty Handsome has arm muscle (we have arm muscle?).

Take me (and mom!) out to the ballgame...

As you may have surmised, the Handsome Association really likes to party in Los Angeles. This is made worse when family is in town, as our family also really likes to party. In honor of (most) of my family getting their power back after Hurricane Gustav (coverage at our real job here) here’s a photo of mom and I singing our hearts out during the 7th inning stretch at Dodger Stadium.

Suffice to say, it was this type of weekend

We’re working to get our house back to some semblance of the normal mess we live with as opposed to the expensive rental mess we had over the weekend. Our Sunset Junction roundup is coming, inlcuding:

• Our review of Broken Social Scene’s performance
• Other festival reviews and commentary
• Instructions for frying a turkey
• Cocktail suggestions for summer parties
• Of course, some special Junction-themed Handsome Party

Fans at Dodgers Stadium Celebrate Dr. Larry Tremblay

All this reading is making us tired

Between working hard, playing hard, and doing our best drinking, eating, and style research for this little side project, we occasionally find ourselves completely exhausted. Nothing puts you to sleep like a good book and a comfy chair (we’re looking forward to football season…).