More Favourite Thingys - Come to the Dark Side

My Favourite Thingy list was a hit the first time around. Taking this into consideration, I thought that rather than torment you with more disturbing shampoo commercials from my childhood, I'd do something more constructive. I like things with flavour and often the flavour seems to be in the darkness.

I am an unapologetic coffee hound. I even have a massive vintage tea cup and saucer that says "Coffee Hound" on it, with a cartoon dog that looks excited - like coffee's brewing. Kicking Horse is my favourite coffee. The beans are roasted here in Canada and they are picked under a Fair Trade agreement. I go for either the 454 Horse Power blend, or the Kick Ass blend. Sorry Dad if you're reading this. That's what it's really called.

Mmmm. I could just curl up in the fetal position inside the bag and die happily. I've been drinking coffee since I was a child. My parents just stopped bothering to be correct when I came along. I drink about six cups a day and I can drink right before I go to bed and I sleep FINE. The dark roast has less caffein in it as the caffein gets roasted out the longer the beans are toasting away. I have no other vices, so I just lie to my doctor and tell her I drink two cups a day. That keeps her off my back.

Sorry about the blurry photo. Confession: I just bought this at Loblaws today and haven't actually brewed a cup yet. It had the most heavenly aroma, that I just had to buy it. I shoved it under my husband's nose and even he agreed it was intoxicating. He's not a big herbal tea kind of guy.
Alright. Yes, I know... Pinot Noir and Sideways. I saw the movie when it came out and I wasn't a big wine drinker at the time, although I was a fan of Wolf Blass' Yellow Label Cabernet Sauvignon at the time. Well, I've had the Pinot breakthrough. In wine wanker circles, I'm sure Lindemans is considered discount swill, but as a new Pinot drinker, I must say I enjoy this wine very much. It's got a clean fruity nose and muscular arms - or whatever. I enjoy a glass with a good meal.
I'm not a chug-it-back drinker, but I love to savour a glass of good beer. The beer has to have flavour. That's why I especially like dark or tanned brews. Mass-produced domestic beer bores me. In our country, you could spend your whole life just drinking tasty Canadian craft suds and never get bored. We like Cameron's Auburn Ale (which comes in a handy 9-bottle pack, which neatly works out to three pints for two people). We also like Black Oak Nut Brown Ale.

Here's something else I like. File it under "Guilty Pleasure." I usually like more obscure actors and singers as far as hubba-hubba-ding-dang-ding is concerned. Pierce Brosnan never even registered on my radar until this remake of the Thomas Crown Affair. He is a classy playboy/art thief who falls for Rene Russo. It's a very fun film. Here's the exciting scene in which Brosnan manages to steal a Monet right off a wall of the art museum. If only it were that easy. Not that I would think about it...

The House of Cards series was on the BBC in the nineties. It is political satire par excellence. The late, great Ian Richardson plays the man who slimes his way into becoming Prime Minister of England. The script is brutal in the best way imaginable. Canada should be so lucky to have such a man for our leader, even if he has to put a few people down along the way.

Lastly, I do enjoy a freshly made-up hotel bed. When I was a child, my mother had the usual 900 sheets and blankets on my bed. I hated making my bed more than anything in the world. Tucking in bedding first thing in the morning was the last thing I was interested in or capable of doing. I was more concerned with getting down that first cup of coffee and staring at the wall. Eventually Mom caved in and bought me a comforter. All I had to do was pull it up. I've kept that tradition going in my married life and it suits Ken fine. Still, I do like to get into a hotel bed. I like the puffy pillows and the lack of cat hair.

Hope you had fun reading this.