All the beautiful little tattooed, gum-chewing freaks are out

What better time than Valentine's Day for another edition of 'Holy Shit! I Love You!'

Here are some things I love-love-love (holy shit!)

Last Night -- We hit Xochitl, home of $5 Happy Hour Margaritas. They are very strong, absolutely delicious and served by a wonderful Australian bartender who not only knows his shit but also calls you 'madam'....and the only person who has ever called me that is my mom when she says I'm being a 'bossy little madam.'

After that, we headed to National Mechanics in Old City. This place might just be my favorite new bar. Not only does it have a killer location (built in 1837) but the bar also serves pineapple-jalapeno margaritas. They're yummy....but word of warning? Jalapeno tequila is not for the faint of heart or anyone whose stomach lining is made of anything other than cast iron.

While at National Mechanics, we stumbled upon The Olde City Sideshow -- A burlesque troupe of entertainers who swallowed swords, ate fire, walked on broken glass and knives, hammered nails into their nasal cavities and featured one incredibly bad-ass contortionist in a fabulous pink tutu.

She's standing barefoot on a stairway of knives while . I think this woman just became my hero.

Holy shit, it was a great night and if you're ever in the Philly area, be sure to check it all out.

McDonalds Iced Coffee -- It's no secret that I hate McDonalds. However, they've redeemed themselves somewhat with the introduction of their coffee beverages. Their french fries may barely be considered food and their salads may be pathetic, but damn it, their coffee is delicious. Don't get me wrong -- I still believe that McDonalds is an evil conglomerate (its mascot is a clown, for crying out loud! If that doesn't scream unholy and godless, I don't know what does), but thanks to their incredibly tasty (and affordable) iced coffee, I hate this corporation just a wee bit less.

Michael Jackson -- Say what you will about the guy, but the man's genius cannot be denied. I challenge anyone to listen to Billie Jean and not involuntarily shimmy their shoulders. One of his more underrated gems has to be In The Closet. Granted, the first 35 seconds are annoyingly over-dramatic in the vein of R. Kelly, but when the song picks up -- it kicks ass.

Persepolis



I've been wanting to read the graphic novel for a while but when I saw the film was on Starz this morning, I jumped at the opportunity to watch it. The animation is beautiful yet spare and the story is incredibly poignant. Much like anyone else who attended public school, I am woefully ignorant of the history of the Middle East and I've only ever thought of Iran's Islamic Revolution in incredibly simplistic terms -- a relatively modern nation one day and a theocracy the next. Idiotic, I know. Anyway, the film broke me of that wildly false notion, broke my heart, healed it again and basically wowed me. It's a brilliant little film and I highly recommend adding it to your NetFlix queue.

Happy Valentine's Day, guys! Hope you spend it with something/someone you love!