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!