The Hottest State

Spurred on by an old blogging buddy's recent message to me 'Is Snake Anthony on blog-aiatus?', I thought to myself - Is she? She's certainly active in my head, collecting absurdities and cleverly putting them into groups. It's what she does best and yet when We Are Rolling opens, the last post was more than a year ago. We need to do something about this, Snake Anthony, I said.

Hot is one of my most frequently used words. Anyone will tell you that. I even said something about it once. Yes, I am really that shallow. But I always promised I would be honest, right? The boy I referred to in that post turned out to be less than Hot, leaving me to scour the world for whatever little bits of Hot I could lay my hands on (it's a figure of speech; I wouldn't get too excited if I were you).

But Hot is dynamic. Hot is varied. And Hot, in fact, has very little to do with how snugly you fit into your jeans. See, this line of thought is clearly a topic close to my heart though this piece was written before I realised that what I thought was Sexy is really Hot. Even Snake Anthony can muddle her concepts sometimes. A quick word on the difference before we proceed: Sexy is physical. Hot is all in the mind. A chiseled body is Sexy but the discipline and rigour that goes into sculpting that body - that is Hot. You see?

Indulge me while I explain the Hot phenomenon simply - Hot is what gets your breath a little angular, what makes the corners of your lips curl ever so slightly the right way. Don't look confused; you know precisely how it works. You've just never put a name to it. And maybe that's because it was so fleeting. You'd expect Hot to be a whole breathing, writhing, living individual. Oh no, far from it. Hot consists of fragments that you, yes you, are expected to assemble. Seriously, no one is going to do your dirty work for you.

Allow me to illustrate. A recent addition to my List of Hot is The Orphan. I'm referring to the Jungian Archetype. Those is doubt, click here. True, The Orphan isn't the sort who'd top anyone's list and I'm not sure the boy in question would be flattered if he were to read this but I genuinely adore that he's so... unpretentious? I realise I'm probably too biased right now to be clinical in the way that I describe him but the point I am trying to make is that a quiet assurance has an endearing warmth that even the most charming man cannot outdo with words. And in my time, I've been at the receiving end of plenty of those. Stop it, boys. It no longer works.

So, Self Awareness trumps Confidence. Your knowing that you have two left feet makes you a much more attractive partner on the dance floor. Sincerity. Well, I cannot emphasise how powerful sincerity is. And I don't mean stretching yourself beyond what you can handle. I merely mean committing to the scene. Define your role, however large or small and stick with it. Exit the stage when the time comes and do it in style. Neat. Clean. Clear cut.

Be(have) human. I know that my careless smile in someone else's direction put a spear through your soul so don't play tough and make things complex. Tell me. Tell someone. Tell anyone. The world looks far more beautiful when your insecurities are collected in a pile for me to sift through rather than when you strew them around the place.

And Efficiency pretty much beats any quality there is. Knowing the smartest way to get something done - that endless spreadsheet at work, an itinerary for a trip around the world in 80 days or handling a tricky social situation - reflects a deft mind. And well, let's face it, a deft mind is pretty much the Hottest State to find you in.

So in the absence of all these features being available in one single product, I can explain how to derive joy in your life by experiencing them in fragments. Though, of course, I encourage you all to continue your quest for the one individual out of whose behind you think the sun shines, along side using this DIY kit I've put together for you.

The Hottest State DIY Kit:

1. Get ahold of music that pumps you up, that makes you feel invincible, that gives you hope.

2. Play it on your ipod or on your car stereo as often as possible so you start feeling it in your veins.

3. Clear your mind of expectations and look around you at your workplace, at your school, at the next table when you're having drinks on Friday night. Even at the supermarket.

4. Soon you will find yourself noticing a perfect smile on the most unlikely face or sniffing the scent of Issey Miyake as someone you meet everyone leans over to change a presentation slide or being struck by the stormy aggression of someone who didn't like being cut off on the road by another car. Whatever works for you. As long as you follow Steps 1 & 2 & 3 well, these will come to you organically.

5. Put all these pieces in one place in your mind. Think about them at your leisure.

Go on. Try it. You know you want to.