Don’t worry, despite the title of today’s post, I’m not breaking out my Jodeci-esque leather pants again like I did in the Ugly 90’s fashion show (click here to check out that beautiful disaster…)! Although, I am still hoping they make a comeback someday!

I almost ran with “Puff, Puff, Pass” as the title instead, but this close to 4/20, I didn’t want to mislead people into thinking this entire post was “up in smoke.”

Wait, wasn’t there supposed to have been a 90-minute period where the moon turned green on that date too? I’m pretty sure that was a hoax. Did anyone actually witness this phenomenon or was the green cloud only visible near Snoop Dogg’s house?

Anyway, I didn’t want to mislead Game of Thrones fans with the title “Puff the Magic Dragon” either (I may be the last person on the planet who hasn’t seen an episode of this show yet) so this title seemed like the safest option.

So, what the puff?

Well, I couldn’t figure out why this new shower puff, pouf or whatever you call this thing (exfoliating sponge?) cost $2.99 but didn’t feel like waiting any longer in the grocery store check-out line. Now that I’m home, I’ve finally figured it out. Take a look…

I know what regular readers are thinking. Despite my maturity level (or lack thereof), I swear I didn’t buy this thing on purpose!

I’m very secure with my masculinity so I’ll probably just use it, but I’d still better get a “moo-ve on” (<- see what I did there? #dadjoke) and buy a more respectable one in case I ever have company!

Although I’d never actually share mine with a stranger, nosey guests may still peep behind the curtain or look inside my medicine cabinet when they visit. You know how some people are…

As for why I use them in the first place? My ex-girlfriend got me into these back in the day and it stuck. It just seems easier to generate more “scrubbing bubbles” (typing the word “lather” felt awkward for some reason – it gave me the same feeling as typing the word “moist.” Oh yeah, check out my post where I discuss other words that sound unintentionally dirty by clicking here).

Besides, I don’t think it’s that uncommon for men to use these too now, is it? I mean, we’ve come a long way since my childhood when I’d end up washing my face with the same bar of soap my father just scrubbed his nooks and crannies with.

I’ve heard the argument that “soap cleans itself” but I’m not entirely convinced. This just seems like a much better idea!

Although I just spotted several articles saying poufs may also hold germs too? Geez, you can’t win, can you? However most of these articles conclude by saying that you should be fine so long as you replace them every few months. That seems like common sense but also make sure to check for plush cow heads before making your purchase or you may end up paying three times the expected amount like I did.

Oh yeah, for those of you looking for a simple Halloween costume idea, bookmark this:

Anyway, the reason I was rushing through the grocery store was to pick up some bananas to test the peanut butter and banana sandwiches I mentioned last post.

But first, it’s time for the exciting conclusion of the Kool-Aid pickles taste test!

If you haven’t read last post yet, you might be lost for a few paragraphs, so I’d recommend checking that out first.

However, long story short, these had to sit for 5-7 days so they weren’t ready to try…until now!

So, without further ado, let’s give these a shot, shall we (Okay, you can stop holding your breath now CB Peterson!)?

The verdict: Wow, I’m not entirely sure why this works but it does! I’m legitimately surprised right now because I didn’t expect to actually like these! You can somehow taste the sour kick of the pickle and the sweetness of the Kool-Aid but neither overpowers the other. Interesting.

One of the recipes that I read for these recommended serving various flavors together as an appetizer. I get it now. That’s actually a great idea!

As for those peanut butter and banana sandwiches, it appears that Elvis really was onto something as well. I liked it but wish I hadn’t run out of honey because I can imagine that taking this up a notch.

Oh yeah, and if you’re wondering if I’ll try that nasty looking peanut butter and mayonnaise sandwich that’s been featured online lately, um nah, I’m good thanks!

I still prefer a classic peanut butter and jelly sandwich over all these options, but the banana version wasn’t bad. ps. crunchy > creamy.

So earlier I mentioned being very comfortable with my masculinity, but my friend Natalie’s fiancé is apparently on another level! Instead of her solely taking his name when they get married, they’re both changing their last names to a hyphenated combination to include both surnames!

Wow. Call me an old-fashioned traditionalist but I could never do that. I’m impressed how open-minded and progressive he is though! If I ever get married, ideally, I’d hope my wife would change her last name to match mine.

Although, I have met several women with the last name “Bacon” over the years so I might not object if they wanted to keep that one! Mmm…bacon….

At the end of the day though, Natalie and her fiancé are doing what works best for them, so that’s really all that matters. Different strokes for different folks, ya know?

Still, what are your thoughts on that subject? Fellas, would you be willing to take your wife’s last name instead? Ladies, would you want him to? Comment below and either way, congratulations to the happy couple!

While we’re on a somewhat related topic, man I’m glad that I grew up during the era before “promposals” were a thing!

I mean, don’t get me wrong, the idea is actually pretty cute and romantic. I’ve also always been creative so I’m sure I would have come up with something great, but you still run the risk of this happening:

For those who are unfamiliar, a “promposal” is a creative way for students to ask their date to the prom. The poor guy in that meme didn’t put much effort into his attempt but most of the photos I’ve seen of these were really elaborate!

Balloons, flowers, music and poetry…you name it!

The prom was already expensive when I was a student, so I can’t even imagine the budget now!

Between friends I had in other grades and at various neighboring schools, I went to about 8 proms so that was already expensive. Tacking 8 “promposals” on top of that would have cost a fortune!

In hindsight, it was also a dumb move not to have just bought myself a tuxedo instead of renting so many times.

So why didn’t I? Well, I thought that I’d eventually get taller and outgrow it. Ha, jokes on me, eh? Um yeah, that didn’t quite turn out as I expected! #funsize

Wait, hold on, staring at this pickle jar just reminded me, wasn’t the world supposed to have ended on April 23rd (speaking of “drinking the Kool-Aid…)?

That was the latest wacky prediction being shared across the interwebs.

These doomsday “prophets” always crack me up because once the date passes, they always just pick a new one as though nothing happened. It’s like watching the worst magic show ever.

“The Ace of clubs! Is this your card?”

No.

“The 3 of Hearts?”

No.

“The Jack of Diamonds?”

No.

I’m obviously glad they got it wrong though, I’ve really been looking forward to the NFL Draft and the new Marvel movie later this week!

Anyway, my client Fran has been raving about this new restaurant in town, Poke Bar.

When she first mentioned the name, all that I could think of was that annoying old Facebook feature.

If you’re unfamiliar, Facebook had this lame option where users could send a “digital” poke to get your attention. How annoying is that?

I think it’s been replaced by this new “wave” button that literally places a giant hand on your screen to wave at you. As dumb as that sounds however, it’s still more respectable than poking someone repeatedly. Of course, if that feature does still exist, I probably just set myself up for a bunch of my “hilarious” friends to flood me with those now. Great.

Anyway, Poke Bar has nothing to do with any of that. It’s essentially a deconstructed sushi bar. So, instead of getting a roll of sushi, you get a bowl of sushi ingredients (otherwise known as poke).

The closest comparison I can think of is Chipotle where you can either get a wrapped burrito or a deconstructed version in a bowl. Actually, that’s a perfect comparison. This is essentially Chipotle but with Asian ingredients for sushi lovers.

Anyway, it sounded interesting enough, so I threw on my sushi tee and grabbed my lightsaber chopsticks (no, seriously…take a closer look at the photos) before heading over to check this place out!

I went with a medium bowl and a base of white rice, spicy tuna, albacore, crab meat and shrimp.

I also added veggies, garnish and went with the House Dressing and Spicy Mayo. Plus a little extra soy sauce and sriracha on the side.

I also asked for a side of wasabi. I didn’t really need that though, I just like saying the word.

“Wassssssaaaaabi.” Sorry, where was I? Oh yeah…

So, the tricky part about reviewing a restaurant where you choose your own ingredients is that you can’t really blame them if the combination you select is terrible!

No worries though, it was good! All of the ingredients at Poke Bar are fresh and high quality so the odds of selecting a bad combination were low anyway. Plus the staff was friendly and helpful with suggestions.

For my next trick, watch me make the contents of this bowl disappear…abracadabra!

As you can see, I didn’t leave a drop in the bowl! Unfortunately, I was also still hungry afterwards so there lies the problem I’d have eating here on a regular basis.

Using the aforementioned Chipotle comparison, their portion sizes are nearly double the amount you get here.

When you also consider that I ordered a medium and not the small (like everyone else in line did since it’s cheaper), the value drops even more!

I could have added guacamole and still paid less at their Mexican counterpart!

Of course, sushi ingredients are understandably more expensive. However, I still dropped around $14 between the bowl and a drink (we’ll get to that in a minute). That amount of cash would be good for a miso soup, salad, tea and a least 1 full roll at nearly every local sushi restaurant in the area…especially during lunch hours.

I also prefer regular sushi to poke. That’s obviously my personal bias but there’s just something about the texture of the roll and the ritualistic nature of prepping my soy sauce with wasabi….wassssaaabbiii….wassssorry, my bad.

Don’t get me wrong. I really enjoyed my visit to Poke Bar and think it’s a solid concept, but if you have a big appetite or a low budget, this might not be the place for you.

Do you have another restaurant, recipe or food item we should all try? Tell us about it in the comments below!  Also join our Facebook Foodie group, Phenomnomnomenal, by clicking here!

As for the drink that I referred to earlier, their beverage machine was broken, and they were out of bottled water, so I ended up buying a can of soda.

With that said, you get a 2 for one review because I went with one of Diet Coke’s new flavored options, blood orange (I had originally published this with the accidental name of “burnt orange” which isn’t a flavor, it’s a Crayola color!  Whoops.  Good catch Kathleen Flynn!).

Now, for those who didn’t know, Coca Cola’s world headquarters are here in Atlanta, so I may have to move after I publish this one because wow, it was pretty nasty!

In Coke’s defense, I’ve never been a fan of diet soda. Regular Coke tastes great though so I’m not bashing the entire company.

I honestly can’t remember the last time I had Diet Coke voluntarily, so perhaps that’s the true root of the problem. The (burnt!) orange flavoring sure didn’t help though!

I suppose if you’re a fan of Diet Coke, the new flavors are worth giving a try.

However, that brings us to today’s fitness tip.

Many people buy diet soda not necessarily because they like the taste, but because they think that it’s healthier for them.

Due to the aspartame and artificial sweeteners in most of these however, I strongly disagree.

Under normal circumstances, when given the choice between a regular soft drink with natural sugar versus a diet version with aspartame, I choose the regular version every time. I’d rather have a few extra calories than risk potential side effects from artificial chemicals.

Although it might sound counterproductive to consume extra calories and regular sugar while trying to reach your fitness goals, your body will have an easier time processing natural ingredients, so you’ll be better off in the long run.

Do you have a fitness question, goal or accomplishment you’d like to share? Tell us about it in the comments below!

Before we close this one out, let’s do a quick round of “What Do you Meme” where I share funny content that was shared with me online recently!

This first one cracks me up but you may not get it if you’re not a Mary J. Blige fan…

How true is this one?!  RIP legend…

This next one is a no-brainer for me!  For 200,000,000?  Are you kidding?  I’d sleep there an entire month for that kind of cash!  Then maybe I could afford the large bowl at Poke Bar next time…

My friend Sasha J shared the one on the right with her name penciled in and my friend Desiree shared the other:

I’ve actually seen both of their names on lists before though.  Granted, they were “popular stripper” and “popular pet” name lists but they were still there!  My name is literally NEVER on a list or on one of those stupid keychains at Travel Centers!  That one time I almost found one, it wasn’t spelled correctly.  Poor Darrell…☹

Hmm…good question…

Might as well show ’em some love, they’re watching anyway…

This is actually a great idea!  I know a few people who could use a pair of these (I won’t list names, you know who you are!) …

And let’s close this round out with some positive vibes and motivation…

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Today’s Soundtrack

Been Around The World – Puff Daddy ft. Mase and The Notorious B.I.G.

Family Affair – Mary J. Blige

Purple Rain – Prince

Do you have another song that fits today’s themes or that’s just so good we should check it out anyway? Tell us about it in the comments below!

Well alright, alright, alright! That about does it for this week folks. But first, a few reminders!

Our #DoubleFML Deals and Discounts page has a lot of great offers including the link to our Amazon affiliates page so make sure to check it out!

Also, please drop a comment below before you leave! It’s always great to hear from you guys.

Last but not least, here’s the list of foodie holidays that fall between now and next post!

Mmm, National Prime Rib Day sounds like a winner to me!

Wow, can you believe that it’ll be May next week? Yet it’s still cold enough that I still have to run my heater at night? It’s like we’re in a fight with winter and every time we think it’s over, she storms back into the room…geez. Go away Winter! We’ve had enough.

Anyway, that’s a wrap for this week people. Here’s to having a great week and I’ll see you on the flipside like a spatula (huh?).

Until next time my friends, May the Fork Be With You…

-Darrell

“Some days I amaze myself, other days I put my keys in the fridge…”