Four Loko Mads

I don’t really experiment with drugs, and I would like to think my “heavy” drinking days have been over since college.

However, as soon as I read this article about the ban on Four Loko, I knew it was my destiny.  For those of you unfamiliar with Four Loko, it is a 12% malt liquor caffeinated drink.  Reports vary on the amount of caffeine, some say it’s equivalent to 1 cup of coffee, others say it’s closer to 3 cans of Red Bull.  For this reason, it has been banned in several states due to reports of Four Loko-related hospital trips and deaths.

I get the ban.  I do.  Alcohol should probably have heavier restrictions on its sale and use, especially when said alcohol contains caffeine.  It’s dangerous.  No question.

That being said, the argument that Four Loko specifically targets under-age drinkers is ludicrous.  I LOVE the marketing, and I’m 24!  haha jk

Anyway, I was enjoying a harmless night of karaoke with friends and a few drinks, when my friend pulled out a can of Four Loko.  The can itself is intimidating:

I took a sip and almost choked on the sugary sweet Jolly Rancher taste.

And then I had some more.

The group of us consumed about one can each and were overcome by an insatiable hunger for McNuggets.  We discovered the 50 nuggets for $10 deal and devoured them instantly.

Jonathan drove my butt home as I begged for more food…Jack in the Box breakfast sandwiches, specifically.  Luckily his sober self had more sense than to give me more food, and he sneakily drove me home without stops as I snoozed in the passenger’s seat.

Upon arrival home, I lacked all ability to stand (this, according to Jonathan).  As my memory serves, there was a very specific reason I was on the kitchen floor…I just can’t quite remember what that reason was.  Jonathan tried to help me up, and I squirted my water bottle all over him.  I still chuckle at that hahaha…he didn’t think it was so funny.

I went to bed and woke up feeling awesome and energized for the day.  Seriously.

I immediately went to Facebook to share with my friend who had purchased the Four Loko that I would never be partaking in that drink ever again.  Only to find that I had mysteriously posted on her wall the night before, “no loco likey. ever.”

One of my friends said he had a hard time sleeping because his heart was pounding out of his chest.  Terrifying!

Tuan was credited as saying “Loko Mads” was actually “Five Loko Mads”…when you’ve had 1 Loko too many.

I’m not sure California will ever ban Four Loko or force them to remove the caffeine from the product ingredients, but I have officially banned it in my home.  My heart and brain will appreciate it in the long-run.  Probably my liver too.  Jonathan will probably appreciate it most of all.

What’s your take on banning caffeinated booze drinks?  Have you tried this horrible stuff?

-Mads

Tribute to Mark Bittman

Mark Bittman is my culinary hero.

Let me count the ways:

1- The Minimalist

2- The Minimalist Podcast

3- Mark’s blog

4- How to Cook Everything

5- How to Cook Everything Vegetarian

6- How to Cook Everything apps for smart phones/iPads (I recently downloaded this bad boy and I don’t know how I lived without it.)

7- Mr. Bittman’s new opinion column for The Times.

8- The fact that he’s not a trained chef.

9- How Marky Mark uses minimal tools in the kitchen.  This is also the reason I don’t like Alton Brown.  YIPES!  I said it aloud.  It’s on my blog.  The world now knows my dark and dirty secret.  For dramatic flair, I will say it again…I don’t like Alton Brown.

10- The food.

Who is your favorite in the culinary world?

-Mads

Trolling for music

People of the internet, I need your help again.

Pretty please with sugar on top.

Sometimes it seems like the majority of my day is spent in the car driving from client to client.  Most of the time I listen to NPR, but that can be problematic when it’s member drive week or there happens to be a crisis in Egypt.

Not that there’s anything wrong with learning about the crisis in Egypt, but it gets a little old when you hear it for 4 hours each day for over a week. *ahem*  Getting on with things.

I broke down my listening in this handy dandy pie chart.

I’m so bored with NPR and my iTunes playlist, I am officially going insane.

What new music do I have to check out?  What are some of your favorites?

Thank you,  in advance, for saving my sanity.

-Mads

Big news!

Hello,

I feel like I have been holding out on my readers for awhile now.  Truth be told, I am moving to California!!!  That might not come as a surprise to the majority of you, but I have informed my lab and can now inform the world openly. 

My beau and I are moving to Long Beach, CA right near da beach, boy!  The apartment is pretty adorable…1 bedroom 1 bath with a breakfast nook and a petite balcony (from which you can see the ocean).  I would put a video online, but I don’t exactly want any random person knowing where I live.  However, I will post pics once I have moved everything in and the walls are painted, etc.

I don’t have a job yet, but I have been searching.  If you have any contacts in Cali that can hook me up with a decent paying job with benefits, I would LOVE YOU FOREVER!

I pack up on August 28th and hit the road with Jonathan, my mom, and her friend on August 29th.  We’re going the quickest route through Omaha, Denver, Utah, Vegas, then LA so it will be a definite whirlwind. 

More details to come!

🙂

Yay!!!!

-M

Rhymes with Spanglish

Guest post from Kat.
(my boyfriend is in town for 10 days, so I’m trying to keep blogging time to a minimum.  hence, the guest posts. enjoy!)

 

I love other countries.

 

I love other countries more when they do zany things with the English language, knowingly or not.

 

Whilst we were in Germany on a family vacay, we happened upon A.S.S. security.  I’m guessing they didn’t catch that one.

 

But the Chinese, bless their hearts, they totally have the Germans beat.

 

Without further ado, I present to you a type of English syntax and structure that I love even more than Sarah Palin’s, if that is even possible.

 

Shanghai is Trying to Untangle the Mangled English of Chinglish.