Pirate's Cove T-Shirt

It’s currently snowing, which I really hate. I hate it because I don’t like the freezing cold, I don’t like to drive in the snow, and because I especially don’t like to shovel. To make things a little easier on me, I wore this shirt today. It’s got this shipwrecked theme going on, which reminds me I should just relax and not worry about the negative, and instead focus on the positive things about snow.... err.... uhm... I’ll get back to you when I find something good.

McDonald's Oreo Pie

McDonald’s latest gift to my bulging belly is their new Oreo Cookies N’ Cream Pie.  It was first introduced here in Canada on January 2012.  I actually held back a few weeks to get it because it didn’t interest me at all.  I just assumed it would be filled with the same sugary filling you get in the cookies, and that I assumed would taste nasty.  I finally caved in this week and bought 2 (2 for $1.39).  Unfortunately it doesn’t come in a special box like their other pies, instead you get a box from another pie.  A special edition box would have been cool, because the packaging alone (blue and white) would have made it distinctive.  As soon as I opened up the box and took the pie out I got excited.  The crust is more like a pie crust than a cookie, because it is soft and chewy.  It also kinda reminded me of a glazed chocolate donut.  I then had a bite, and man was it delicious.  The filling is more like marshmallow; thick, sweet, and oozing all over.  Lamentably it is only here for a limited time, so if you’re interested I highly recommend you go out and get two.

McDonald’s:

http://www.mcdonalds.com

YouTube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WfJHYUDjb6w

Breaking Bad

While not quite a winter to be hibernating in bed, this year I chose to watch Breaking Bad as my winter show.  As mentioned last year, during the winter I like to watch an entire TV series online.  Since it’s too cold outside and I hate to drive in the snow at night, watching TV is the perfect excuse to stay in bed (all warm like a cinnamon bun).  I have to admit it, since starting this winter tradition a few years ago with The Wire, I have never thought anything could beat that show.  While OZ was good and Dexter as well, I just kept thinking the acting and storylines with brilliant plots was amazing in The Wire.  So I can now say I came into Breaking Bad with preconceived notions that it wouldn’t be as good. 

I am now on season 4 of the show, and I have to admit this show is just as good as The Wire.  Season 1 starts off a bit slow, and maybe a bit predictable.  For instance you know it’s a drug show, so you’re just waiting for certain events to happen; cooking drugs, trying to sell them, and trying to avoid problems.  By the time season 2 comes, you are more familiar with the characters and the show starts to find its own voice in originality.  From then on the show becomes brilliant for me.  In season 3 and 4, you start to make sense of the bits and pieces of storyline from the show; for example you get flashbacks and flash-forwards, and you get to see how a far distant character can then become a part of the main story.  What I appreciate the most from this show is how problems are resolved in innovated ways.  For fans of violence, the show also features many scenes that I found to be quite graphic.  Despite airing on AMC, I have to say AMC has sure done a great job in producing some of the best shows on television.

Link:

http://tv.blinkx.com/show/breaking-bad/kD5n9jUm2WkAvuyN

Jimmy South Park

Jimmy is part of series 4 from the Mezco South Park toy line, and was released in 2006.  This toy pays tribute to the episode when Jimmy joins the Special Olympics and decides to take steroids to beat the competition.  Since Jimmy is also an inspiring comedian, he comes with a microphone stand as well.  The sculpt on this toy is very accurate to the cartoon, and I really like it a lot.  There is also another version of this toy that has Jimmy with his mouth opened.

Mezco Toys:

www.mezcotoyz.com

YouTube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1YweTciJOpA

Hip Hop Cartman

Hip Hop Cartman was part of series 1 from the Mezco South Park toy line.  This toy pays tribute to the South Park episode when Cartman was going around the city looking for his real father.  At one point he assumes his father is Chef, and he decides to dress more urban.  The toy comes with a boombox, an extra pair of hands, and a red with white stripes jumpsuit (remincent to an Adidas track suit).  There is another variant of this toy, with Cartman shutting his eyes.

Mezco Toys:

www.mezcotoyz.com

YouTube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ac3Z2fC4oxA

Pollo Campero

Let me start off by saying KFC in Toronto sucks.  Their chicken is undercooked, full of oil (even as you bite into it), and it gives you stomach problems after you eat it (fire in your bum).  I don’t know why this is, I mean I have been to the US and their chicken tastes amazing.  The only alternative I have to fried chicken when a craving hits is Popeyes.  Thank goodness a new location opened about a year ago near where I live.  Their chicken is great, though I get mine without hot sauce.  As I have grown up, my taste buds have matured as well, and I no longer have the same cravings for fast food that I used to have as a teenager.  Those were the good-old-days when I was able to scarf down a hamburger combo (burger, fries with gravy, and pop can), with a large sub, chips, and an ice cream Oreo cookie for desert.  Fast food just doesn’t interest me anymore as much as wanting to eat healthy; salads, club sandwiches, and grilled vegetables.  However the one time of year I do get those old cravings for not so healthy food is when I go on vacation.

This year I went to El Salvador for a little rest and relaxation.  When I go there, I also make it a point to visit a Pollo Campero, a Central American fried chicken restaurant.  To start off with their chicken has a very unique aroma that will get you as soon as you pass by a location.  I’m sure there must be a term for this sensation (Olfactory memory); where as soon as I smell it, it brings me back to my childhood.  The next best thing about the chicken is the taste.  It’s so good I don’t even have to eat it with ketchup.  I think that qualifies as a good marker in my opinion for how good chicken is, when you don’t even need ketchup or a dipping sauce to enjoy it.  Just as good as this chicken is; it becomes a winning combo as soon as I pair it up with a Kolashampan, (champagne cola).  For me Pollo Campero not only hits the spot for a fried chicken craving, but blows it away.

Pollo Campero:

http://www.pollocampero.com

YouTube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_DabezPgVYo