Black or pinto beans?

We're extremely lucky here in Utah to have so many Cafe Rio restaurants. If you live in Nevada or Arizona, you might find one near you. Otherwise, you'll just have to come visit. Seriously, does fast Mexican food get any better? No, no it doesn't.

So I'm in a rut and get the shredded chicken salad almost every single time. Can I help it if I love the tortillas and dipping them in the tomatillo dressing? Can I help it if it makes me feel better about eating seven billion calories if it comes in salad form? Can I help it if everyone says the enchiladas are really good too? No, no I can't.

Cafe Rio is almost always crowded, but never fear: by the time you get your food (and trust me, that line moves faster than you think it will) there will be a place to sit. Don't say, "Eh, the line's too long, let's go to Bajio instead." Bajio, along with all of the other Cafe Rio copycats, is not as good. Oh, these places have their uses, but Cafe Rio is hands down the best. Would I lie to you? No, no I wouldn't.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I've got leftovers.

An (not so) oldie but a (very, very) goodie

Those of you who know me best are probably wondering how I managed to start this blog without putting this item on here first. Good question. I think I had to work my way slowly into the nerdiness so as not to scare everyone off right away.

Anyway, now that I've dived in, Firefly is a must-have for any...well, I was going to say for any science fiction fan. But then I thought, well, it's kind of a western. And it's also pretty funny. And there's some serious drama thrown in there. How should I classify this? Which, incidentally, is probably part of the reason it didn't last on television. (But don't get me started on that.) It's a must-have for any fan of witty writing, well-developed characters and interesting story arcs. How about that?

This entirely too short-lived series is amazing. You will like it. I pretty much guarantee it. You will laugh, you will cry when it's over, and then you will go see the movie. And just so you know, there's entirely too much Firefly-related merchandise in my possession--expect further reviews.

A word of caution: the pilot episode doesn't always grab everyone right off the bat. The second episode is great, but personally, I think the third episode is one of the weakest in the series. So promise me you'll give it a fighting chance despite this. Please. You won't regret it.

How'd they meet?

If you haven't yet starting watching this little gem on CBS, you're missing out. How I Met Your Mother is nearly always laugh out loud funny, with some nice eye candy to boot. (I'm not above a little eye candy. It's minty fresh!)

Sure, it's about five friends living together in New York, but it's nothing like Friends. I know this because I don't really like Friends, but I absolutely love How I Met Your Mother. And if that's not enough evidence, well, then, it's not, but it's just going to have to be because that's all there is.

If you're new to the show, don't worry--we don't yet know how he met our mother, so you haven't missed out on all the juicy details. But you'll want to catch up with season one and season two. If you don't find something that makes you laugh, then you clearly haven't seen the Robin Sparkles episode yet. Trust me.

Purgatoire? Non! Paradis!

How much do I love Paradise Bakery? Probably a little too much. Okay, probably a lot too much.

Cookies, salads, sandwiches, cookies, parfaits, breakfasts, cookies, soups, muffins...did I mention the cookies? I have yet to meet an edible item at Paradise that does not get along with me. My fat cells and and this establishment have a very good relationship.

I'm not gonna lie: it's a little pricey. The other day, I paid a little over $7.00 for a sandwich and nothing else (but it comes with a cookie! They always come with cookies!!! Not that I, you know, really like the cookies or anything.) But some dishes are better deals than others. For example, I'm a fan of the half sandwich/soup or salad combination (yes, it still comes with a cookie). The price eludes me right now and is not on their website, but I know it's cheaper than just getting a whole sandwich.

Anyway, should you feel like splurging, go to Paradise Bakery. And buy me a brownie or a cream cheese raspberry bar or something. I've gotta branch out from those cookies.

Oh my goodness, they're FUNCTIONAL!

So, I just saw Dan in Real Life, and I liked it quite a bit. I guess it'd be classified as a romantic comedy, but I think it's a bit more of a drama with some laughs thrown in. What it is above all is very sweet.

And what I couldn't get over was that here was this big, happy family all spending a week together...and they were a completely functional family. Completely. How often do you see that in movie and TV these days? I can't remember the last time..."Cosby," maybe?

At any rate, this is a delightful little film.

Oh, and the soundtrack is a real winner, too. Mellow, upbeat, emotional, and quirky all at the right places.

New books!

First up, The Raw Shark Texts by Steven Hall. Which is apparently just out in paperback as well.

This book is truly, truly bizarre. I read it in three days flat, partly because I was sick and had nothing else to do, but mostly because I had no idea what was going on and couldn't wait to find out. It's a very interesting combination of romance, science fiction, comedy, drama, action, and philosophy, with a healthy dose of What The Heck thrown in for good measure.

Recommendation: Get it. You'll...just, whoah.

Wow, it's Newly In Paperback day. Second review comes to us courtesy of The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss.

Not so much with the "Wow" as with the "Get on with it already, you arrogant, arrogant man." It's hard to tell if it's the character that's inherently arrogant, or if the author is imbuing his character with his own arrogance. Either way, there's plenty to go around in this intensely slow-moving book.

Recommendation: A big fat meh. I won't bother with the sequels, and if I were you, I wouldn't bother with this prequel of the sequels.

Because I can.

Why not? This is a place for me to spew my random thoughts about all the things I watch, read, eat, listen to, or otherwise participate in. It satisfies my vanity and allows me to opine on all sorts of things, and use words like "opine." And if I get it working, it may allow you to click on things you may wanna buy on Amazon, which could also make me a little (and I'm not using that figuratively--I really mean a little) bit of money, which at this point I could definitely use.

But mostly it's just a place for me to be stupid and for you to reap the benefits of said stupidity (i.e., laughing).

So, yeah, I'm starting this blog because I can.