I love espresso coffee, dark chocolate, and am a bit of a techno-geek.
I had wireless wi-fi in my house before the CIO of my last company did! I hate to feel confined so this technology was like some sort of dream come true! I still have my first generation iPod for PCs that a friend of mine helped get me a discount on as he was a then current employee of Apple (he left, doofus!, but who could know!). The original iPod is commonly know as “the brick”, I have since upgraded a few times but have kept my original iPod for some strange “love connection”. Wireless speaker connection throughout the house is simply magic!
I am not one to upgrade for the sake of being cutting edge, I tend to only upgrade when truly necessary. A few of my favorite brands:
- Sonos (wireless music connectivity)
- Apple (duh!)
- Starbucks (I am addicted to espresso based drinks, i.e. cafe lattes)
- Several foreign (German) car companies
- Perugina “Baci” chocolates
- Captain’s Wafers
Perugina “Baci” chocolates (which is Italian for “kisses”). These are absolutely my all-time favorite chocolates! Dark chocolate with a mix of ground hazelnut and then one large hazelnut tops the whole thing off. My Lord, I love these chocolates!!! I never made it to Perugia when I was in Italy (although I was close!), but to visit this factory would be heaven to me (Perugina is a name that means little Perugia).
As I left Italy last Fall (tears are starting to well!), I loaded up on some Baci. I left Italy for Ireland through the Milan train station/airport and while killing time en route I came across two very intriguing discoveries. The first surprise was experiencing several massive advertisements for Armani featuring a shirtless Rafael Nadal, the second was coming across a chocolate bar version of Baci in the Milan duty-free. It is a large, flat bar like one of those giant Hershey bars. Until now I had only ever seen the little individual Baci kisses. What took them so long to think of this?
I am a serious chocolate rationer! I loooooove chocolate and can stretch it out for months! I arrived in Dublin with a bar of this newfangled Baci that was barely nibbled on and the next day I couldn’t find it anywhere?! I asked my mother if she had seen it and she told me she ate it! The whole frigging thing! It would have lasted me for months!!
So as I now pack up my house, I can tell you that I have about 30 Baci kisses that I purchased while in Italy and very carefully ration out as time elapses. You can find them here, but it is difficult. I adore them. Knowing I have them is like hoarding something very precious! When they are consumed, I will have to find a convenient supplier. Otherwise, it is a perfect excuse to return to Italy 🙂
Captain’s Wafers are produced by Lance (Charlotte, NC). The are served in many of the restaurants around the Southeast and mix well with bowls of soup and chile and the like. I love them! They are very buttery so I ration them, too! My staff gave me a whole case for “Boss’s Day” and I still have some in the freezer! Expiration dates on some things (like crackers) mean nothing to me!