The Big Sleazy

Happy Mardi Gras!

It seems as if today everyone is going to partake in their worst habits and give in to their ultimate addictions...food, alcohol, sex...the list goes on. An addiction is something that guides your life, the way you act and think. I thought, that since I'm going to be stuck in snowy Springfield rather than The Big Easy, I would share a few of my current addictions. They certainly wouldn't get me in trouble in New Orleans (Bacardi excluded), but give me a break...I still know how to Laissez Les Bon Temps Roulez!

Keep in mind that I won't be giving any of these things up for Lent...

(1) Reese's Peanut Butter anything! I've been able to limit myself to one of those great peanut butter filled chocolate hearts to one per week. Those hearts are the only good thing about Valentine's Day...but I'll save my anti-Vday lecture for another day. It's not like peanut butter and chocolate is even a new fare so I'm not sure what the addiction is all about...hmmmm....I'll just have to eat some more and see if it comes to me.

(2) "The Futurist" I know that I've mentioned Robert Downey Jr.'s CD at least once on my site, but I just want to plug it again. It's really, really amazing and I can't get enough of it. I actually own 3 copies so that I have one to listen to in the house, one for the car, and one for my office. Take a chance, you might like it.

(3) Smirnoff Twist These are my worst enemies yet my new best friends...how can that be? I'm not a drinker, but these drinks are about to put me under. Like it's not bad enough that they taste like Kool-Aid, there is a new Twist flavor everytime I visit the Stadium. I can't take it...but yet I can't give it up...makes it sound like I'm addicted to heroin, doesn't it?

(4) Plato's Closet This is not really an addiction, but more of a guilty pleasure. Since my massive weight loss over the past year, it seems that I've had to buy a new wardrobe every two weeks. I had always avoided this place because the commercials are filled with annoying teens who are excited because they carry Abercrombie clothing. I'm a thrift store junkie and Plato's is a consignment shop so I decided to stop in. I've been there weekly and have since stocked and re-stocked my closet with treasures.

(5) Walgreen's Since we're on the topic of shopping, can we talk about this wonderland? It all started when I had a prescription filled once and I browsed...that's when I fell in love. I enjoy variety and you can get anything at Walgreen's. You can get a 99 cent movie, an air freshener for your car, a pint of ice cream, a new pot of Carmex, a birthday card for your grandma, a roll of film developed, the latest product you've seen on an infomercial, cigars, and the new shade of Wet and Wild hot pink nailpolish all in one stop! I can't get out of Walgreen's without spending at least $30. They're also the only place in town that carry this, which is another current addiction of mine.

(6) "Candy Apple Red" I've mentioned local band, The Oohs, here before, but I don't think I've mentioned this song. I went to see The Oohs last weekend...and drank a couple of Smirnoff Twists actually... It wasn't until this past performance that I realized how incredible they really are. I knew that they were amazing, but they played a couple of new tunes...so versatile, those guys. "Candy Apple Red" is a song from their CD, "Saturday Morning Dreams." On the way to work yesterday, I actually just listened to this song over and over again until I arrived. Partly because I just LOVE this song so much and partly to try to interpret the chorus. Thanks to Brian Curtis, vocalist and keyboard player for the band, I now have those lyrics. "You have lips that are candy apple red and an angel halo overhead, tripping up my heartbeat. You have eyes that echo on through my mind. I can't stop thinking of you all the time. Have I said? Have I said? Have I said your lips are candy apple red?"

(7) The new C2 commercial It's not that the commercial is that great, but that Queen song and the images together make this one of the more amusing ads that I've seen in a while. I especially love the guy who breakdances in the lobby of his office building and the guy riding on the metro who breaks it down in the opposite car. Love it! The only time that I've seen this commercial is right before movie previews at the theater. I used to have to be at the theater super early to assure that I didn't miss the Fandango commercials, but now I have to be in time to "Break Free."

(8) 15 Megs of Fame This is my new favorite site. It features music by independent musicians in a number of different categories and you can vote for their music. Some of the stuff is really great! I've found a few new favorites whose tunes I've downloaded. Check out Rude Yak and Illustrate with Marco (they happen to be the featured artists on the site for today). Fun!

(9) Netflix I've resisted long enough. I have to plug Netflix. I LOVE NETFLIX! I don't care how witty the new Blockbuster commercials are...I'm not switching. I first checked into Netflix after I realized that it would be cheaper than renting all the DVDs that I rented monthly and then returned really late. I joined Netflix and then what did they do? Netflix lowered their prices! For less than $20 a month, you have access to over 30,000 titles that you can watch and return whenever you want. I have 450 movies in my current queue alone!

(10) CRACK ...just kidding...I wanted to make the list a nice round number. However, I did find the below product amusing...