Image by gingerbydesign via Flickr

By now, anyone who watches the news has been witness to Charlie Sheen’s crazy antics and commentary. Sheen’s twitter account has been the fastest to 1 million followers, and fans follow him in order to receive up-to-the-minute updates of his unemployed lifestyle. Being one of Charlie’s 3,668,465+ followers, I noticed one of his updates on the afternoon leading up to his Fort Lauderdale show of his “Violent Torpedo of Truth” tour: “FT LAUDERDALE! I love this weather…and I love your city! Where are my cadres? I’m giving away tickets! Who needs a pair for tonight? ybw”

Immediately, I jumped at the chance to win. Using a friend’s abandoned twitter account, I sent him multiple tweets with a photo attached (originally intended as a comical joke for Sheen’s Intern contest and created by Light Blue Link). He tweeted some winners, and I was out of luck. The rest of the day, I sent him close to 70 tweets. I gave up hope as it became closer to the show, but 20 mins before starting time, tickets were mine: “2 @ will call!! See ya!! RT @mariaperilli Check out pic – will give you her own tiger blood for tix! http://plixi.com/p/95262459” ..and off we went.

On the way to the show, the picture we had tweeted to Sheen had already gotten 150,000+ views.

Despite the negative reviews it had been receiving, the “Torpedo of Truth” show was actually pretty humorous. Dennis Rodman introduced Sheen, who came onto the stage with master Roaster Jeffery Ross. Ross proceeded to roast Sheen, and vice versa:

The performance then focused on the audience, where a handful were chosen to go on stage and ask Sheen for “life advice.” Highlights included an 82 year old woman from the Florida Keys looking for a boyfriend and questions such as “What do I do after I graduate film school?”, “How do I ask my boss for a raise without getting fired?”, “How do I get an engagement ring from my boyfriend?”, “Should I marry the man of my dreams or stay gay?” and many more.

After the questioning, Charlie candidly spoke to the audience about why NOT to vote for Donald Trump (including a story about how Trump gifted Sheen supposed $100,000 Harry Winston cuff links which ended up being fake). He also spoke about getting fired from his hit show Two and a Half Men (producers lied and said he quit, told him to “clean up his act” and he did in one day, cut the season short and then canceled the show – putting everyone out of jobs, and then asking Sheen to lie for them), how his goddess Bree Olson had recently left him and ended with stabs about his ex wives Denise Richards and Brooke Mueller.

The show closed with a performance by “Dirt Nasty” aka Rex Simon singing “1980″ and goddess Natalie Kenly appeared on stage. Although the 45 minute set was a little short, the performance was humorous and the crowd seemed quite pleased.

Currently, the picture Sheen re-tweeted is at 367k+ views and climbing. #winning, duh.

Related articles

• Charlie Sheen Tells Live Audience ‘Why You Shouldn’t’ Vote For Donald Trump (mediaite.com)
• “Losing” a Goddess: Charlie Sheen Gets Dumped via Text Message (eonline.com)
• Charlie Sheen brings his “Truth” to South Florida (pbpulse.com)

Their main dishes are Venezuelan, but Eats Good 33 also has paninis, salads, wraps, pasta and burgers. The location or decor is simple, but the food is great! Everything is made to order, so if you are in a hurry I would suggest calling in ahead of time.

I ordered the 1/2 sandwich (panini) and soup special. At $6, price and quality cannot be beat. I had the soup of the day, Carrot & Ginger, and a Tomato & Mozzarella panini with basil pesto and arugula. Both were outstanding. My dining partners had a side salad (with homemade balsamic vinaigrette dressing), skirt steak and the chicken chupe soup. Everything was fresh and loaded with flavor.

The arepas seem to be well-received and the tres leches looked tasty, so I will have to go back and give them both a try!

They are open Monday – Friday from 7:30 am – 4:00 pm, and you can view the menu on their website: http://eatsgood33.com/

The restaurant is located north of Commercial Blvd on US1 in Fort Lauderdale (there was previously another location on Sunrise Blvd by the Galleria Mall as well), and has a very local neighborhood feel. I noticed a lot of patrons arriving on their bikes or stopping in during an evening walk. The owner and staff was very friendly and individually greeted every guest that came in. The decor was pretty basic with a few California signs and backdrops scattered throughout the walls. But everybody knows that it is the food that really counts.

I ordered a regular burger, a side of fries, and a banana milkshake which were all very good. My dining partner ordered a double burger with all the fixing, french fries, and a vanilla shake. The fries were enjoyable because they were unique and not typical of most burger joints, with skin remaining on the potato and a nice pepper-like seasoning. The burger also had a nice flavor that stood out against other establishments.

The milkshake was outstanding and contained chunks of banana and a very rich taste. Usually having bits and pieces in a shake would make it difficult to drink, but the straws were extra wide and perfect for drinking out of. Besides the typical chocolate, vanilla and strawberry, CB&S also had many flavors such as pineapple, green mint and coconut. The meal was enjoyable and I will definitely be back in the future.

Visit California Burgers and Shakes at 5441 N. Federal Hwy, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33308

For more pictures and a full menu, view the slideshow below:

Having cake delivered from such a long distance (from CA to FL), I was very skeptical on two levels. Firstly, on the freshness of the treats upon arrival, and second, if they would be melted or damaged. I must say I was more than pleased with the delivery. The cake pops came in a large and padded box marked “fragile.” Once opened, the presentation was exceptional as all of the pops were individually wrapped and placed in a box with pink tissue paper. One of my cake pop’s was even customized with a “D” on it!

I received Red Velvet, Cookies & Cream, and White Chocolate Vanilla  flavors. They are all very good, but red velvet was my favorite. The cake was amazingly fresh and soft, even after I ate my last one a week after receiving the package.

All in all, I think that Sweet E’s is a great and delicious place to order deserts from. So, next time you have a party or want to give someone a sweet treat, definitely consider Sweet E’s!

You can visit their website at http://www.sweetesbakeshop.com, or check them out on Facebook and Twitter.

See more photos here:

A few weeks ago during the harvest season, I took the trip up to a South Florida strawberry farm; The Girls U-Pick Strawberry Farm in Delray Beach, FL. At first glance, you wouldn’t expect the Girls U-Pick to have the location that it does. Nestled into a typical strip mall, once inside, one is pleasantly surprised. The farm contains hundreds of rows of strawberry plants for picking. Done in an innovative hydroponic method of planting, there is no need to bend down in the dirt to pick your organic delicacies. Spin the plant around to find more strawberries for a one-of-a-kind picking experience.

Strawberries are not the only thing The Girls has to offer. There are animals dispersed across the grounds as well. From talking birds, to two donkeys named Romeo and Juliet, swans, tortoises, and more. There are also pineapple trees for purchase ($10), as well as other blooming trees and vegetables. The farm is the perfect size as to not be overwhelmed when picking and walking through the grounds. Unfortunately, when I visited the strawberries were not in season, but I will definitely be back to pick some when they are. The strawberry season starts at the end of November, and usually runs until April.

They also have a country store with a wide assortment of homemade jams and jellies, ice cream, fresh squeezed orange juice, sweets, and much more. Even an Amish brand of soaps and body lotions made from goat milk called Edna Lucille.

Down the street is The Boy’s farmers market, where you can get fresh home grown products for a great price.They also sell some of The Girls products as well. Both The Girls U-Pick and The Boys Farmers Market are owned by the Palermo’s, a family that has been in the produce and market business their entire lives.

I purchased a tasty zucchini bread, fresh avocado, and freshly cut pineapple. There is a wide assortment of coffee beans, teas, fish, and even a take-home section of already prepared hot food to enjoy at home. Not to mention some massive pumpkins!

The Boys and The Girls are both fun, great places to visit. I will be reporting back with part II once strawberries are in season!

Located at:

1446 S. Military Trail, Suite 3

Delray Beach, FL 33484

Hours: 9:30 to 5:00 PM. Closed Tuesday and Wednesday during off-season.

For more information, visit www.thegirlsstrawberryupick.com

To find other strawberry picking farms in South Florida or near you, visit PickYourOwn.org.

Check out pictures of my visit to The Girls and The Boys below

The Girls U-Pick Strawberry Farm

A pumpkin is a multi-purpose vegatable that can be used from it’s outer exterior to carve a Halloween decoration, all the way down to it’s seeds. The following are my pumpkin food findings thus far this season:

DUNKIN DONUTS

Dunkin Donuts has fully embraced the harvest by offering a wide variety of pumpkin goodies and drinks. In terms of baked items, they are selling pumpkin donuts and pumpkin muffins. For drinks, they market a pumpkin latte. I prefer to get an iced coffee with the pumpkin syrup mixed in.

Unfortunately for those of us that are calorie conscious, these items are not very diet-friendly. A tasty alternative to the baked items is the new low fat caramel apple muffin, which I actually found to taste much better than the pumpkin muffins. A small pumpkin latte is 220 calories and 6 g of fat. Even if you convert it to an iced or hot coffee, the drink is still 110 calories, before adding cream or sugar.

THOSE OTHER COFFEE PLACES:

Gloria Jeans also has its own version of a Pumpkin Spice latte, which while good, tasted more like caramel and less like anything pumpkin.

I know there is also a Pumpkin Spice Latte at Starbucks, but I am strictly a Dunkin Donuts goer – so if you have a review of the drink, feel free to send it over!

RECIPES:

Besides breakfast, here are some other recipes I have tried thus far:

The best pumpkin recipe I have recently come across is called “Wayne’s Pumpkin Smash” and is straight from my favorite source, Hungry Girl. This is a very simple and low calorie crustless pumpkin pie recipe, with only 65 calories and less than .5g of fat per serving. Pair this recipe with some aerosol cool whip for a great guilt-free desert! And, in case you were wondering, “Wayne” is a friend and subscriber to Hungry Girl, and also a writer for The Jay Leno show.

Click here for the full recipe.

For something less conventional, YumSugar offers a recipe for a Pecan Pumpkin Cakewich, an inspired by carrot cake with cranberries folded in.

Bon Apetit!

The great part about the all you can eat pasta is that you can choose from 8 different types of pasta (Spaghetti, Whole Wheat Linguine, Linguine, Fettucine, Penne, Angel hair, Orecchiette) and 6 sauces (Creamy Parmesan Florentine, Roasted Portabello Pomodoro, Alfredo, Meat Sauce, Five Cheese Marinara, Marinara), which comes out to 42 different pasta and sauce combinations!

My personal favorite combination is the whole wheat linguine pasta and creamy parmesan florentine sauce. I usually can’t make it past one bowl because I fill up on breadsticks and the delicious pasta e fagoli soup, but if you can make it past the first bowl, you can pick and choose as many different combinations as you wish. Beware, the servings succeeding the first are significantly smaller.

Visit http://www.neverendingpastabowl.com/ to pick out your favorite pasta combo and share it with your friends!

(published August 2009)

2010 Update: The pasta bowl has been revived as of August 2010. The concept is still the same with a few new substitutions.

The pasta choices remain the same, and the Creamy Parmesan Florentine and Roasted Portabello Pomodoro sauces have been replaced with Chianti Three Meat (a slow cooked red wine tomato sauces with a blend of Italian meats) and Creamy Parmesan Portobello (a creamy alfredo sauce with portobello mushrooms tropped with garlic breadcrumbs). I tried the creamy parmesan portobello and it was delicious!

You can still add unlimited Meatballs or Italian Sausage for $2.95 (previously $1.95), but Roasted Chicken is now an added option as well.

Have some free time and $599 floating around?

Jet Blue has launched an All-You-Can-Jet-Pass where purchasers can enjoy unlimited travel from September 8th to October 8th to any city that Jet Blue flies to. Jet Blue flies to 57 cities and has over 600 daily flights – including some tropical destinations like Puerto Rico, Cancun, Aruba, Jamaica and the Bahamas!

It will be interesting to see who buys the pass and where they use it to travel to.

The offer ends on August 21st, so hurry if you want to get one!

UPDATE: As of August 20, 2009, the pass has SOLD OUT.

2010 Update: The pass was brought back for 2010 travel from September 7 to October 6. As of August 19, 2010, both the $699 and $499 (restricting Friday and Saturday travel) passes have SOLD OUT.

Result: The video has been viewed several million times and has been featured in the mainstream press worldwide. Social Media has become the online “suggestion box” for companies. A customer service mishap these days can now turn into a global sensation with social networking sites.

United finally agreed to make a donation of $3,000 to the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz for music education for kids to make up for their mistakes.

Lesson: Respect your customers. United Airlines should have understood how important a guitar is to a musician.

Check out the hilarious video below: