Bacon!

So I was inspired by the new Dr. Pepper 10 commercial that asks "Have you ever blogged about bacon?" and being a guy (and a fat guy at that) I realized I had not. So here we go!

Bacon by definition is "cured meat from the back or sides of a pig". Cooked, it looks like this:



Bacon, in my opinion, is the perfect food. It can be a main course, a side item, a topping, a condiment, a flavoring for soups & stews, or even dessert! And now, thanks to J&D Foods, bacon has come to be a seasoning salt, a flavoring for popcorn, mayo, and more, as well as a flavored LUBE!

You can find bacon style band-aids, bacon infused vodka, Wendy's glorified it with their mighty Baconator sandwich, and the artery crushing Bacon Explosion! (click here for instructions on that monster)

Yes it's bad for you, yes we (and I) eat way too much of it, and yes it's mostly fat. But who cares... IT'S BACON!

So there you go, no real direction or purpose, but I have successfully blogged about bacon. Now I'm craving some bacon myself...

SOPA/PIPA

If you haven't noticed, the internet is a little dark today. Many sites like Wikipedia, Craigslist, Reddit, and others have turned their sites off for the day to protest 2 bills coming through Congress: SOPA & PIPA.

SOPA (Stop Online Piracy Act) is in the House of Representatives and PIPA (Protect IP Act) is going through the Senate. Both bills were written with the intent of stopping online piracy of things like music, movies, and more by giving copyright holders more options for punishing websites with pirated content. As they say, the road to hell is paved with good intentions.

The problem is people. Copyright holders will be able to basically remove a website from American web browsers by merely ACCUSING THEM of spreading pirated content. The way the law is at the moment, websites can be shut down by the government but are allowed an opportunity to remove any pirated content first... PIPA and SOPA would remove that chance.

The intentions are aimed the right way but this puts way too much power in a few hands and could lead to websites being shutdown for censorship instead of violation of piracy laws.

Click here for more info on SOPA & PIPA and how you can make your voice heard.

2011 Holiday Recap

So this is my 3rd attempt to write a blog about the holidays but I never really know how to approach it. The holidays with my friends and family fall in the gray area where they are not boring and dull but not worthy of a trip to the ER either.

My family and friends are all very outgoing and kinda wild so there is always some partying involved. The festivities started with my friends "Tacky Xmas Sweater Party" the weekend before Xmas that led me to the mecca of tacky sweaters, KMart, and a snazzy little number I picked up for the event (not to mention the Xmas Scream PJ pants I found).



Sexy huh? And yes, it was a ladies shirt (as if the ring o' tanline wasn't a dead giveaway).

Xmas weekend was a blast. Took the girlfriend to my parents for the weekend and ended up in an epic drinking version of Apples to Apples on Xmas Eve. Xmas Day was a nice reminder of the fact that I'm not a kid anymore. My favorite gifts were my new skillet, a crock pot, and Gears of War 3 (ok, so not totally grown up either). And to top off that domesticated cake, I spent my Xmas money on... a new vacuum. May not sound exciting but I was super happy with it all!

For New Year's we headed up to Raleigh for my friends house warming/New Year's Eve party. I got started a little early and around 7pm had to slow down, sober up a bit, and start back a little later so I could make it past midnight. Lots of drinks, lots of video games, and a few rounds of Apples to Apples and it was 2012. Then we started the year with GIANT cinnamon rolls for breakfast, steak for lunch, and black eyed peas for dinner (not the crappy band, the good luck food).

2011 had some ups and downs like any year but I think 2012 has a chance to make the record books. Only time will tell...

Concert Etiquette

I go to a lot of live shows. Why? Because I love live music. Sadly, there are way too many people going to shows now for reasons that grate my nerves and I'm fed up with it. Not long ago, a concert was a group experience. You were not only IN the crowd, you were A PART of the crowd. Now, it's more about ME ME than US US.

First off, the "look at me's". I realize there is a big crowd of people and you are attention starved, but could you stop being an obnoxious jackass long enough for those of us who want to see the band can enjoy the show? We got stuck next to a whole group of these jerks at the Foo Fighters show in DC. They discovered the bleachers were loose and they could shake our whole row by jumping up and down. Even after several comments from others, they continued to make everyone around them feel seasick and blur any attempted pictures.

Next, the "I deserve a front row spots". These people don't seem to understand how a General Admission crowd works. If you want a spot by the stage, get there early and stay put during the show. Don't show up an hour late and think the crowd is going to part like the Red Sea so you can take your place by the stage. Why do you deserve a better spot than anyone else who got there on time? And if you leave your spot to get beer, food, etc. you lose that spot! There are no assigned seats in a standing room only venue so stop thinking you can just plow through the crowd and your little patch of floor will still be vacant with your name on it.

I realize a concert is an exciting experience, especially if it's a band you are truly passionate about. But next time you're rocking out, try to consider the people around you are there to have fun too.

The Issue of Reissues

I just got my copies of Smashing Pumpkins' reissued versions of Gish & Siamese Dream and it got me thinking about reissues in general.

In years past, I've blasted some bands for reissuing albums. Although I'm a big fan, 30 Seconds to Mars is a great example. They released 3 or 4 versions of the album A Beautiful Lie. Each one had new tracks or a DVD added in but why didn't they just release it all at once? Turns out they were trying to fill contract obligations, but that's neither here nor there.

Recently, bands like Slipknot, Pearl Jam, Smashing Pumpkins, and Ozzy have released remastered versions of their classic albums. This, in my opinion, is how to reissue an album. Each of those mentioned waited a decade or more (Slipknot did 10th Anniversary editions) to reissue. To me this makes sense. Technology has progressed to allow for better recording/mastering quality. Plus it brings the album to the attention of younger generations who may not have heard their older material.

I'm not against reissuing an album, but don't just crank them out to keep selling albums.

Fed Up With Food Service

Over the years a mix of hectic schedules and laziness have kept me eating out pretty regularly and have noticed a pretty disturbing trend that has spread like a virus through our food industry.

That virus is apathy. I remember working at Burger King back in high school. Not the most glorious job but as a 16 year old with a brand new driver's license and a desire to be more independent, it was very exciting. I wasn't excited about flipping burgers or coming home smelling like a grease trap, I was excited to have a job and my own money.

Even back then, I could see from some of my own co-workers (as well as other establishments I frequented) that a good percentage of fast-food workers were unhappy with their current situation. Maybe they were embarrassed to be working in fast food. Maybe they felt they "deserved better". Hell, maybe they were just lazy.

Years have passed and now it seems more and more you see this apathetic attitude in food service. Not just in fast food, but also in your "sit down restaurants" as well. I get that it's not a great job, I get that it's not fun or even rewarding most times, but it is YOUR JOB.

I'm not one of those "be glad you have a job" types (although I do realize they are not easy to come by these days). My mindset is that if you don't like where you are, use that energy to better yourself and your situation. Don't half-ass my meal or service because you feel like you deserve better, be the best damn worker you can be and use that mindset to aim for your next set of goals.

Basically what I'm trying to say is take pride in what you do, regardless of what it is. If you want better, bust your ass and get it instead of moping around waiting for someone else to fix things for you.

I Do... Or Do I?

This is probably the one and only time you'll see me say anything about Kim Kardashian that isn't accompanied by a picture of her wearing something slutty. Actually...

There, that's better. Now on to my point, for those who don't own a television (or manage to actually avoid all the celebrity blah blah) Kim recently married NBA player Kris Humphries after a very short dating and engagement period. I had a feeling the wedding was a big publicity stunt or a scheme to get richer... and it seems I was exactly right.

After only 3 months, Kim and Kris have filed for divorce. Now Kim's version of the story is that she got caught up in the moment and should have ended it sooner. She claims there was no plan to end things so quickly, which may not be a total lie but I doubt it's completely true.

I think the plan was to put Kim in a wedding gown and stand some semi-celebrity next to her in a tuxedo and make a special episode of Kardashian "Reality" TV. Although I have to say, the thing that really bothers me about this is how many families allow this crap in their homes.

Shows like South Park and Family Guy are hated constantly for pushing boundaries that some see as "inappropriate" and "negative influences on kids" but watching a porn star (in case you forgot, the whole family got famous after Kim had sex with Ray J on home video) use marriage as a money making publicity stunt. What does that teach kids? "Honey, it's ok to marry someone you don't like as long as you're getting paid a shitload of money."

I would like to think this would open peoples eyes to how fake "reality" tv really is but sadly I doubt it. Maybe one day people will remember that reality is what happens outside your front door every day, not what's coming on tonight on E!

And one final thought to really stir the pot: How can people stand behind the ideology that we as a country must ban gay marriage to protect the "sanctity of marriage" when a heterosexual couple like this make a joke of it in front of the entire nation? Chew on that...