Roast or Toast

The weather is in the eighties and I'm feeling toasty today.

Music | Silversun Pickups | TOAST!
I first heard Silversun Pickups ("sspu" to those in the know) while listening to a Ben Sherman Sampler CD (Volume 6), which I picked up in one of those cool, cute-but-edgy boutiques while I was in Nashville in March. I could be wrong on this, but I think their song "Lazy Eye" may also be on frequent play rotation in Boyfriend's car... :) According to Wikipedia (always in the e-know), sspu is from Los Angeles and has been around since the release of their debut EP in July 2005. After gaining following on the L.A. club scene and releasing their first full length album, Carnavas (July 2006), sspu toured as an opener for Wolfmother, OK Go, and Snow Patrol. The band has also performed on the Late Show, the Tonight Show, Last Call, and Jimmy Kimmel Live, among others. I'm afraid I'm embarassingly behind on this band. Hopefully someone reading this is, too. Glad to have introduced you!

Blog | Cupcake Bakeshop Blog by Chockylit | TOAST!
I am a huge fan of cupcakes. Seriously, I love them. But, honestly, what's not to love about cupcakes? Cute little single serving cakes, often adorned with decorations like frosting flowers, sprinkles, candy, or (God forbid) those weird little silver ball things that bakers tend to overuse on anything wedding-pastry related. I found Chockylit's Cupcake Blog years ago, but recently re-discovered it. I have high hopes (and a yearning pallate) that I will eventually try to recreate some of the beautiful and assumably delicious cupcakes pictured. I love that you can search by ingredients, techniques (the "simple recipe" technique is particularly appealing to me), or themes. However, until undeniable motivation strikes me (or until I can make the big decision regarding which cupcakes to attempt first), I'll just drool over the pictures. Happy Baking!!

News | ABC 4 Investigation: Emos Exposed | TOAST!
I'm toasting ABC 4 for sounding the alarm about a teen phenomenon sweeping the nation. I bet emo is probably the most serious teen-harm outbreak since SLOMing. I think it's funny that ABC 4 notes that emo kids "celebrate" sadness and pain. For some reason, I don't think emo kids "celebrate" anything. That's, um, why they're emo. Read those emo websites again, ABC 4. I bet you won't find the word "celebrate" anywhere. I also thank psychologist Judith Zimmerman for noting that not every kid that looks emo is into cutting, dark poetry, or talking about suicide, and that it's important to differentiate between a fashion statement and commitment to a lifestyle. I wonder if Zimmerman would say something similar after browsing through a litany of pro-ana websites... "Not every kid who looks emaciated, is posting on pro-ana sites, or restricting their caloric intake is ana." It's important to differentiate between a fashion statement and a lifestyle.

Grab Bag | F'real! Shakes & Smoothies | TOAST!
Okay, so the name isn't that great... Actually, I kind of have the urge to say it the same way I have the urge to say Panic! At the Disco - extra emphasis on the unnecessary exclamation point.
**Side note: Seriously, the only time you need an exclamation point smack dab in the middle of a statement should be when you're saying something like "Fire! In Your House" or "Killer! Right Behind You."
Lame name aside, I've tried a number of F'real! products, and they're really, really good, f'real y'all. I get them from Wawa Convenience Stores (worshipped in DelMarVaNj). As far as I've seen/tried, they have milkshakes (Chocolate, Strawberry, Vanilla - all good), coffee drinks (Coffee - yummy, Mocha, Caramel), and fruit smoothies (Strawberry, Tropical - which is mango loaded excellence). All of the drink varieties come in convenient frozen cups that you get to put in this special blender thingamabob that's made especially for f'real beverages. You select if you want your drink less, regular, or more thickly blended, watch as your drink gets sucked up into the machine and blended, and sip the deliciousness, probably still awestruck over the process. Really, the nifty blender machine is an added novelty. These drinks are delicious. I highly recommend them, well worth a try. Careful on the calories, though. Some of them (such as the Chocolate Malt Milkshake, which I have never seen) apparently pack up to 560 calories.