Chocolatey bacon goodness

I am a muchnie junkie. Big time. I love to snack all day long on whatever unhealthy snack is in front of me. Occasionally it is healthy (like unsalted tree nuts...which are in my desk right now) but oftentimes it's things like Doritos and Snickers bars. I've never ever been a healthy eater, and it's probably going to catch up with me one day. I've tried to eat healthy, and it just doesn't happen. It doesn't help that I hate milk and am allergic to fruit. Seriously. I eat fruit, and I die. It isn't a fun time.

Lately I've been branching out and eating new things. I am currently on a bacon kick. I love love bacon. At the wedding over the weekend, I had bacon wrapped scallops because there was bacon. I don't like seafood. But I like this, because it had bacon. Yum. I have also tried choclate bacon candy bars and they are DELICIOUS. it sounds really weird...bacon and chocolate...but I promise you it's wonderful. This company has an array of "exotic chocolate" that I am dying to try. My friend Sara introduced me to this wonderful world of bacon chocolate not too long ago, and the two of us and our friend Heather are IN LOVE.

Sara and I are also trying to gather a group of local knitters and have a little stitch-n-bitch going, but without much luck. Our last one (which was a generic crafting party) had fondue. Cheese fondue. I am proposing that we have a chocolate fondue and have the normal things (like fruit, marshmellows, pretzels, graham crackers) and BACON. It will be delicious. I'm a big fan of the sweet and savory combination in food. In addition to bacon chocolate, I also like to dip french fries and pretzels (soft or hard) in chocolate ice cream (or smoothies from Wendy's). I also dip my Fritos in cream cheese. Peanut butter is a great condiment for Poptarts as well. Any other weird food combinations I should try?

Some people cry at weddings...

I always get emotional at weddings. But now that Gene and I have been talking about eloping, getting emotional is an understatement. Rationally, I'm perfectly fine with that decision. It makes a lot of sense. It would be SO MUCH EASIER. But emotionally? Not so much. At the best wedding ever this weekend, I got a bit emotional. At the rehearsal dinner, a few people put together a slideshow of pictures of the bride and groom. And the first song they played? Butterfly Kisses. That song? Is the one that I've always wanted to dance with my father to. So...needless to say, I lost it. After Butterfly Kisses it's Over the Rainbow from The Wizard of Oz. I have a personal attachment to that song. So that made it worse. And then I started thinking about how I'm never going to have anything like this, and it took every ounce of self control not to sob like a child and run out of the room. I managed to contain myself until I got to the bathroom. This girl Lauren was in there. I've met Lauren once, but she's one of those take charge "you're not going to ruin this day" people. I now have her card, and she thinks she's planning my wedding. I'm not sure what happened.

The actual wedding? A-mazing. I had a blast. I was also *mostly* sober. That was I think my problem the day before. I did get choked up during the ceremony, but the bride started crying as soon as she started walking down the aisle, so that was about it for me. I was also sitting next to a blubbering mess (who is getting married next June) and she kept fanning herself to keep the tears from streaming down her face. That failed. The nice thing about this weekend was "the girls." All of those in "the girls" have their significant others in this little group that calls themselves The Wolfpack. I'm not sure why. But they're all really close. We get together for Phillies games (mainly opening day!) and weddings and summer parties and whatever excuse they can use to get together. Usually us girls are not invited. But! Now us girls are all friends...because we spent ALL WEEKEND together since our significant others were all in the wedding. The funniest relationship in this females of the Wolfpack group is myself and this girl Kate. Kate and I should hate each other. My ex cheated on me with Kate's best friend. My best friend had a fling (I refuse to say she dated him) with Kate's other bff's (ex) boyfriend.... so she hated my best friend. For some reason, Kate and I get along swimmingly, and we always have. She's getting married next June (read: she was the blubbering mess) and her wedding has the extreme potential to be incredibly awkward for me.

Back to D&K's wedding. Best wedding ever. I had a blast. They had a full band rather than a DJ, and these people were unreal. They played Louis Armstrong, Frank Sinatra, Maroon 5, The B-52s, whoever sings BRICK HOUSE (yup. Played Brick House. And they changed the list to "Kara's a brick...house.. and the bride was dancing in the middle of a big circle of people. And when I say dancing, I mean strutting. It was hysterical), Jimmy Buffet, K.C. and the Sunshine Band, AC/DC, and Outkast! It was unbelievable. And they were awesome. I think the best compliment of the night of that band was when someone (guy who is really picky about everything) kept saying "I love this song.. oh wait... someone is playing this LIVE." It was just incredible. We had so much fun dancing around. The bride and groom danced to Frankie Valli's Can't Take My Eyes Off Of You (also played by the amazing best ever band) and sure did rehearse their dance. They looked awesome. Kara also sang "I Will Survive" and it was awesome. It took us all a second to realize that it was the bride singing and not someone else. I couldn't tell you the last time I had this much fun at a wedding. And I've hung out with most of these people before, but the only people that I really knew were Kate and Gene. The funniest moment of the night was when the band started playing "Margaritaville" and all of the groomsmen and the boys were singing it AT THE TOP OF THEIR LUNGS while chugging their drinks. And they were screaming the refrain (specifically the word "margaritaville") and while dinner was being served, the bride and groom did an inpromtu dance to "If I had a Million Dollars" by the Barenaked Ladies... to which all of the groomsmen yelled the responses in the refrain (you know..If I had a 1,000,000 If I had a 1,000,000... I but you a fur coat but not a real fur coat that's cruel) . It was one of the funniest things I'd seen. They'd be eating their dinner and still screaming the responses. What a bunch of goofs.

The wedding started at 10am... so the reception was over by 5pm... so we walked a few blocks down to another hotel and drank in the bar. Oh, the wedding was on the Jersey Shore. The only bummer about the wedding was the 93% humidity. By the end of the night my hair looked like Monica Gellar's from that episode of Friends when her, Chandler, Phoebe, and Mike are in some tropical high humidity place and Monica looked like she stuck her finger in a socket. That was my hair. Anyway. We went to this other bar and made the bartender put the Phillies game on. Everyone at the wedding was a huge Phils fan, so them clinching the division (WOOO!!) was the perfect ending to a great night. I can't wait to do this all again in June.

Wallstreet meets Mass Murder meets....Kicklines?

Recently I had a post venting about the absurdity of 9 to 5 becoming a musical. We have yet another atrocity to add to the list of bad musicals. The evil musical gods are taking one really good movie and making one of Christian Bale's creepiest and best known characters sing songs on stage in the limelight.

AMERICAN PSYCHO: THE MUSICAL?! Are you KIDDING me!!??? I found this gem piece of news from filmDrunk. The bad theatre that America has been exposed to lately is not only heart breaking to those of us who love good theatre, but it's really sad for everyone else. The people I feel the worst for are high school musical nerds who are just finding their niche in musical theatre, and they have to get exposed to this crap. American Psycho, 9 to 5, Cry Baby, Legally Blonde, and Movin' Up are just bad. When I was in high school and discovering that musicals were cool (because they are. They're super cool. Except West Side Story. No gang members I know pirouette.) I had things like Rent, Wicked, Urinetown, The Producers (you know, when Mel Brooks redid it), Aida, The Last Five Years, and the revival version of You're A Good Man Charlie Brown. When I was in high school, no one knew Sutton Foster's name but a select few, Kristin Chenoweth was still sort of up-and-coming, Idina Menzel was that chick from Rent... and now we have the Rent clone, Spring Awakening that everyone is gaga over.

Very rarely do I listen to new shows and think "I have to sing that song." The last musical I did that with was Avenue Q. Even Spamalot I LOVED but know damn well that no normal person can hit the kind of notes that Sara Ramirez does as the Lady of the Lake. All of my favorite shows were from the 90s, or old Kander & Ebb. Very rarely do I buy soundtracks of musicals anymore...except for Bklyn but it was Eden Espinosa, and she's amazing. I really wish that producers and writers and composers would stop trying to bring the "people" to Broadway by writing all this trendy crap. In twenty years, the revival of Movin' Out isn't winning any Tonys. But the revival of Oklahoma (which I do think is craptastic for the record) probably will. In ten, twenty years... the shows that will be revived are the ones that are always revived. The well-written ones by Rodgers and Hammerstein (gag), Kander & Ebb, Sondheim, Schwartz. These are going to keep coming back, because, uh, they were GOOD. God this upsets me. Just wait until we get Twilight the Musical. It's coming, I'm sure.

Look at me...I'm fashion forward!

I have a wedding to go to this weekend. Now me, being the twentysomething that I am, tend to go for flirty fun dresses that I wear, um, once and never can wear again. Never do I buy that dress that's classic and can totally wear all the time. I have to admit, I do not own a LBD. I should. It's probably some fashion sin to not have one. I always go to my staple stores: Boscovs, Kohls, NY & Company... and I'm always disappointed. It's either a bit to mature looking in the big girl section, or way too teenager-y in the junior section. I'm in that weird place where I still want to wear my screen tees and jeans.

I used to work for The Limited way back when in college (and by way back... I totally mean four years. It seems forever ago that I lived in the hispanic ghetto of Allentown with my David Elizabeth). At the time, I loved the clothes there.. and thought that they were really hip and whatever. Looking back on what I have left over from that store... what hasn't fallen apart I never wear anymore. And they were 'spensive!! I walked past that store in the mall yesterday, and couldn't believe the junk they had in the window in both Limited and Express. I just don't like those clothes anymore. The mall I went to I'm not crazy about, because the only stores that are age appropriate for me I feel are Macy's, which is out of the budget, Ann Taylor, which is out of the budget, Express, and Limited, which we already discussed is ugly.

I go into Ann Taylor and go straight to the sales rack, fully expecting to find potato sacks (since that was the trend...I don't know why. Shapeless dressed just make me look pregnant and not at all attractive). The sales associate was wonderful and picked out three dresses for me, one I hated, one I LOVED, and one I liked. The one I LOVED was $79.99 which was more than what I wanted to spend. But I tried it on, and it was the dress. It fit (almost) perfectly... I looked super cute. Like Jackie O. If I styled my hair right and had big glasses, I'd totally be Jackie O. The dress is very tailored and hits right below my knee (perfect length for me). It's royal blue with an oversized black belt that goes from the hip to the natural waist, and it's absolutely lovely. It was a little big in the back and chest area... but I'm having the shoulder seam taken up about half an inch and it's going to be wonderful. I would have just done the tailoring myself, but A. I didn't feel like busting out the sewing machine and finding color appropriate thread and B. Gene's mom does that stuff. So. It's all good. Best part of it... I decided that even though the dress was $79.99 and about twice over my budget, I'd do it because I would totally wear this dress forever instead of just once, because it's such a classic cut. And when we got to the cash wrap (can ya tell I've worked retail forever) it was $59.99! Bonus!

Jersey, Birthdays, and Missed Calls.

The other night I had a good ol' time with my cousin and her friends, none of whom I've ever met before. Most of them are college friends of hers, some are high school friends, but all of them are new people to me. I met some interesting people last night. A former roller-derby girl, who told me I should totally join the one that's in Delaware. I've always been intrigued by the roller-derby, mainly because I think I'm much more badass than I probably really am. I think I could totally rock at the roller-derby, but other people who know me just shake their head. Then there was the very sexually explorative friend of my cousin. I know WAY too much about her sex life right now. Most of my cousins college friends left fairly early. I spent the night (I was not driving to Delaware in the middle of the night from Jersey. Not happening) so I got to see all the interesting-ness.

At one point, the one really loud girl announced (after she said she was going home to work on 5 papers she had to right for the masters program she's in) that she's going to a strip club on South Street in Philly. If you aren't familiar with Philly....this isn't exactly the best neighborhood to go to, let alone at 2:30 in the morning. This particular strip club was an after-hours club, so it opened at 2 since that's when bars close in PA. Loud girl, sexually explorative girl, her boyfriend, my cousin's boyfriend's cousin, and his gay friend all went to this strip club... and they were all really surprised that me, my cousin, and her boyfriend weren't going. Um. It's a shady strip club on South Street. No. They all came back alive, so that's good... and some of them even got lap dances.

The next morning... I had my phone upstairs in my cousins room, and we were in the family room watching Dr. Horrible's Sing-A-Long Blog... and I missed three calls from Col in Ireland. I was super upset. I saw this weird 12 or 13 digit number on my missed calls list and was like what the hell is that??? And I said to my cousin I swear if I missed a call from Colleen.. I'm going to cry. And I did. I was all fine... I have barely cried at all that my best friend left the freaking country. But I heard her voice, and totally burst into tears. It was so pathetic. I am 24 years old, and there is no reason that that should make me cry uncontrollably. My cousin had no idea what to do. On my way home, I had my iPod set to a playlist that I made for when I would drive to Philly to pick Col up (she doesn't drive. Doesn't have a license. She is also 24 years old. Feel free to mock, I do.) but I made it a long time ago. Like almost a year ago. I had been listening to it on my way to Jersey, so I figured I'd continue on my way back. First song that comes on was Maroon 5 Won't Go Home. You know. The one that starts "I asked her to stay...and she wouldn't listen..." Not helping the crying. The next song that came on was just as bad, but I can't think of it right now. That playlist? It sucks right now. I'm currently mad at my iPod. I did talk to her though. I went and bought a phone card at Happy Harry's for $10. It was 125 US minutes. Guess how many international minutes that is! 13. 13 minutes. $10 for 13 minutes. It hung up on her.

ETA: The songs... started out with Pictures of You by the Cure (I've been looking so long at these pictures of you that I almost believe that they're real... I've been staring so long at these pictures of you that I almost believe that the pictures are all I can feel) followed by Won't Go Home by Maroon 5... and ending with I Would Walk 500 Miles by The Proclaimers. Who are Scottish.

The Big Decision.

Gene and I have been together for 5 years. We've lived together for two going on 3 of those 5 years, and we own a house together. So... we always get "the question." You know what question I'm talking about. "So... when are you going to finally get married?" It isn't that we aren't ready--we are. We're very ready. We wouldn't have bought a house together if we weren't ready. We joke about getting married, we faux plan things, but nothing is ever concrete. So last night we had "the big discussion" and I think we came to "the big decision."

My family life is a mess. becklette knows all of the dirty details... the main things you need to know are:
A. my parents are divorced...and have been separated for about three years now.
B. my father is remarried to a woman i begrudgingly don't hate.
C. my sister won't meet her, nor does she like (read: she loathes) my mom's boyfriend, whom I happen to like.
D. we also have a lot of "if you don't invite this person, then I'm not coming." and "if you do invite this person, I'm not coming."

So. We decided that screw everyone else. This is about us, so we're going to make it (here's the shocker) about us. I think we 85% decided that we're going to take a few people (like 20ish) and just do it. No extended family... my father's family is kind of snobby anyway and I'm pretty sure they don't like me very much. Today I decided that I'm going to research quaint little places I can elope at that aren't Vegas (where my father was remarried. He's classy.) that are fairly close to Delaware. The other reason we decided we're eloping besides the family drama.... Gene hates weddings. They make him really anxious. He doesn't like being around large groups of people (unless it's a sports event, but he doesn't have to touch people at sporting events, or talk to all of them). Gene just likes to be left on his own... he just wants to hang out... he doesn't like being the center of attention. I don't want to make him have a big huge wedding just because it's what you're supposed to do. I don't care that's what you were supposed to do. I want to do it my way. So. I'm researching. And compiling lists of things like possible guest-ness, and possible places, and things.

I hate the internet. Hate. Much much hate.

My job makes me want to rip out every single hair on my head one by one. And not because people are making unreasonable requests (well, they are... especially the ones who want me to just take the music out. Um. That's impossible. But thanks for playing). Because the internet makes me want to cry. For the past almost week, Comcast has decided to mess with our internets. We have no email access through outlook (aka my life) and have very VERY limited internet connectibility. I hate Comcast. I hate them. They do this to us all of the time. And we? use the internet every single day for work. I can't access my internet music library without, uh, the internet. I can't download spots from the websites they're on without, uh, the internet. I can't email airchecks to the many many people I send airchecks to without, guess what, the internet. I'm going out of my mind here! If someone wants to threaten Comcast with bodily harm on my behalf, I'd really appreciate it. I really wish we could switch to Verizon Fios. Stupid Fios not being in this area. Stupid Verizon. I hate the internet...it sucks.

On a side note...any one know any food items (i.e. cookies mayhaps?) that would survive a flight to Ireland and not be stale and/or gross? I'm thinking of being a super good friend. The scarf I've been working on for the girl who left me for Ireland (stupid Ireland) is almost halfway done (yay!) and I have some other things to put in the box as well... but I was thinking of maybe cookies. Good idea? Bad idea? I don't know. I never shipped food overseas before.