Day 28: Odds and Ends

I’m in denial. This is Halloween week and I am both overjoyed and heartily dismayed. I am excited for Halloween to be here already but once it is, I will have to wait another 364 days till the next one. Sigh.

I got a bit sidetracked when I was writing my October Thought. Last night a few friends messaged me asking if they could borrow things from my costume closet for Halloween. In theory I understand the idea of last minute costumes, but since I plan for mine years in advance I kinda shake my head at them. After we solved the imminent crisis, I started innocently browsing through costume ideas for next year and the year after. 2 hours and 5 costumes later I realized what time it was and shut down my Google search.

Then I typed out my October Thought. I was almost done and my computer decided it was tired and shut itself off. No biggie. I rebooted it and it came on just long enough to laugh at me and then shut off again. When I finally got it up and running my original Thought was lost. It wasn’t a story thank goodness, but the mojo to rewrite it was gone and my eye lids are getting heavy. Since I made you read lots yesterday, today will be short and it will be an accumulation of October tidbits that I have been accruing all month.

1)      In Manila there are people who live in graveyards. Not dead people, live people. They have stores and wells and mail, it’s like the suburbs but your neighbors are really, really quiet and sometimes smell. I have looked up pictures of it and it is crazy. It is incredibly sad, but it gets my creative juices flowing.

 

2)      Also in Manila, you don’t buy your plot and stay, you rent your semi eternal resting place. Plots are sold on a five-year lease. If at the end of the five years the lease isn’t renewed you are dug up and returned to your family or incinerated if there is no one to give you to. Man, Manila is harsh.

 

3)      It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown will no longer air on TV. I am greatly dismayed by this even though I own it. It is a holiday TV staple and how dare they take it from me.

 

4)      There is a Vampire Rabbit of Newcastle  upon Tyne in England. The bloodthirsty bunny is basically a gargoyle that sits above the door of a cathedral. People aren’t really sure if it is a bunny, but they have repainted it in modern times to look a bit more menacing and it is said to scare off thieves/intruders. It certainly looks frightening.

 

5)      There was a pop up parade in the town where I work and I totally somehow missed it. I was out on the street exactly when it was supposed to be happening and everyone must have been invisible because I saw nothing. I did however delight a small child and his parents who were walking around doing the scavenger hunt. I opened mom’s window to see if I could help them as they were wandering and looked lost. The little boy took one look at my monster shield mask and his whole face lit up. Mommy look at the monster. He had better have been talking about my shield is all I’m saying. He really liked it and I’m glad I chose to wear that particular one.  

 

6)      I found a discount bag of gummy body parts candy and I still didn’t buy it. I should get a medal or a free bag of gummy body parts.

 

7)      In Goffstown, New Hampshire there is a Giant Pumpkin Regatta and I am jealous that I am not there. People hollow out these incredibly large pumpkins and paddle them down the river. I mean, how AWESOME is that?! Plus they decorate their giant thousand pound pumpkins. I think I have found my people.

 

8)      I just found out that the 25^th is called Frankenstein Friday. Even if it doesn’t fall on a Friday apparently. How could I have missed this milestone? Devastated.

 

9)      And last but not least, the Today Show Bracketween Candy Challenge. Your particular favorite might not be on there, but mine sure was. I took the challenge and my final four were Twix, Almond Joy, Snickers, and Butterfinger, with Twix going head to head with Snickers. Twix won out over all. It was a hard fought win though. What would yours come out as if you did the bracket?

Day 22: Sweets and Memories

Have you ever been walking and stumbled upon a scent lingering in the air that made you stop in your tracks? A scent that caught you by complete surprise and triggered a memory or made you smile? That happened to me yesterday. It was completely random. There was no way this particular smell should have been lingering but it was, and sniffing it took me right back to my childhood.

I can't accurately describe the smell. It was a pleasant one is about as close as I can come. It smelled like the candy my grandfather used to buy at the corner store when we went for walks. Since I know that much I should be able to describe if it had caramel overtones or a chocolaty vibe, but the best I can say is that I smelled a memory.

The minute my nose came into contact with that phantom scent I was instantly transported back to standing by my grandpa at the candy counter in the corner store. The particular goodies he liked came in bins and he would fill up a small plastic sack with a mixture of them. Sometimes he even let me pick what went into the sack. There were chewy things like taffy but not. Candied orange wedges, spice drops, butterscotches and other hard candies. Hands down, those were the best candies I have ever eaten. Maybe it was because we walked a couple miles to get them. Maybe it was because of the company I was in, or the fact that my taste buds were different then. Either way, I have never been able to find those same candies since.Sure, there are the modern day equivalents. They can still be found in bins. They may even be from the same company as when I first tried them, but they just don't taste the same.

But that got me thinking about candy. On the radio last week the DJ took a poll of what were listeners favorite Halloween candies. Before that I’ve seen countless web tallies of favorite candies by state. I disagree with almost every tally or poll I hear, but when I try to think about my favorite Halloween candy I am stumped.  

I don't think I actually had, or have a favorite. Ok, that isn't true, it will always be candy corn, but you really can't compare that to other Halloween candies, so for arguments sake we will leave it out. I know what I didn't like to get in my trick or treat bag. I wasn't fond of the houses that gave out health food. That's the equivalent of getting socks and underwear for Christmas. Sure, you may need them, sure, health food may be, you know, good for you, but you don't hand it out on holidays. That's like the dentists who give out toothbrushes. Buzz kill man. I also wasn't overly fond of popcorn balls. I like them more to play with than eat. They are just too messy.

I remember when I was done trick or treating, I would come home and dump all my loot out on the floor. If it wasn't wrapped it went in the trash. If it was waxy like those lips or some of the really hideous caramels they also went in the trash. I sorted my candy by type, chocolate, fruity, gum, licorice, suckers, stuff I don't want and other. Once my piles were sorted I called my parents in and they took their share. It worked out well. Most of the time my parents loved the things that I couldn't stand and I would happily hand them over, but when it came to the good stuff, I would haggle a bit.

If I had to narrow it down, I would say that my favorite Halloween candies would be the peanut butter cups and tootsie rolls. Wow. It is kind of sad that I can't remember what candy I liked as a kid. I know I had definite favorites, but tastes change. I know that I hated Almond Joys when I was little and now I love them. I also liked pixie sticks and now I can feel my teeth rotting just looking at them. If someone had given me a package of Red Vines back then I probably would have asked if they could adopt me. Twizzlers not so much. Cheap fruity knock offs.

Isn't it interesting what we remember? I have a fuzzy recollection that I liked the candy bars best. I think probably Snickers and Hershey. Dad got the Mr. Goodbars and no one wanted the Krackle unless the candy supply was dwindling and it was the only chocolate left.

So now that I have put some semi serious thought into it, what was your favorite childhood candy? Or if you are having trouble remembering like me, what is your favorite candy now?

October Thought Day 27: Sweet Nostalgia

My favorite thing about Halloween when I was little was the candy….ok, my first favorite thing was the costume, but my hands down second favorite thing was the candy. My dad and I plotted and schemed and did dry runs through neighborhoods to see how we could maximize our sugar gathering potential. One year I came away with three pillowcases full, it was marvelous. There was nothing as satisfying as sorting it all out at the end of the night and divvying it up. The popcorn balls, apples, raisins and stickers all got shoved to the side and then I got down to the good stuff. My parents never exacted a candy tax; and even if they had I thought it was only fair to share, and by share I meant that I kept the good stuff and gave them the left overs. No, I wasn’t that bad, I gave them some of the good stuff too.

It actually worked out really well. For the most part, the stuff I kept they didn’t like and the stuff I gave away was their favorites. I can’t remember what my favorites were; probably the mini candy bars and the Reese’s, maybe the Dots oh and Tootsie Rolls, definitely Tootsie Rolls. I got to eat a few pieces that night and then it all went in a bowl that was put on top of the refrigerator. After that I got one piece after dinner each night or as a treat at other times, at least that was their understanding of the system, I never let on that I devised a method of reaching the bowl and helping myself and I never took enough to raise suspicions. I think I would have gotten in more trouble telling them how I got the candy than the actual eating of the candy. Most years it lasted almost until the following Halloween.

Now that I am an adult I miss trick-or-treating. I miss the strategy sessions and the mission impossible type feats of getting to the candy bowl. Being able to buy my own bag in the store doesn’t have the same appeal and walking to the cashier and yelling trick or treat just gets me weird looks. I liked having to “work” for it by going around the neighborhood. It somehow tasted better that way, more satisfying.

Now that I’m on the purchasing end of the spectrum I can observe the holiday from a different perspective and get mad at the unseasonably early marketing ploys. It was late July when the first Halloween candy aisle got put up at my local store. That is way too early. Even August is way too early. There is no reason Halloween candy can’t come out in October. But of course that messes with their marketing. You buy the candy in July/August, you eat the candy in July/August and then you have to buy more in September…..which leads to eating in September which makes for another grocery run in October. I get it, but I hate rushing things. Like now, Halloween is still four days away and we haven’t even gotten to Thanksgiving and they are selling Christmas candy and trees. Sigh.

But we can’t end a candy post on a sour note, so here is some trivia for you to munch on. On average according to the all wise and knowledgeable internet, Americans spend about $44 on candy each year or 2.1 billion on candy total. Imagine what would happen if we all kicked in our candy money for one year, think of the national bills we could pay. Treat indeed. The top five candies are candy corn, Snickers, Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, Kit-Kats and m&m’s, which sounds about right to me.

So what is your favorite candy? What are the most trick-or-treaters you’ve ever had? Do you prefer giving candy or getting it?

October Thoughts Day 22: Sweet Memories

Have you ever been walking and stumbled upon a scent lingering in the air that made you stop in your tracks? A scent that caught you by complete surprise and triggered a memory or made you smile? That happened to me today. It was completely random. There was no way this particular smell should have been lingering, but it was, and sniffing it took me right back to my childhood.

I can't accurately describe the smell. It was a pleasant is about as close as I can come. It smelled like the candy my grandfather used to buy at the corner store when we went for walks. Since I know that much I should be able to describe if it had more caramel overtones or a chocolaty vibe, but the best that I can say is that I smelled a memory.

The minute my nose came into contact with that phantom scent I was instantly transported back to that corner grocery store with my grandfather. The particular goodies he liked came in bins and he would fill up a small plastic sack with a mixture and then we would walk home. Sometimes he even let me pick what went in the sack. There were chewy things like taffy but not. Candied orange wedges, spice drops, butterscotches, cinnamon bears and other hard candies. Hands down, the candies that went into that sack were the best candies I have ever eaten. Maybe it was because we walked a couple miles to get them. Maybe it was because of the company I was in, or the fact that my taste buds were younger. Either way, I have never been able to find those same candies since.

Sure, there are the modern day equivalents, but they just don't taste the same. They can still be found in bins and they may even be from the same company as when I first tried them, but they just don't taste right. That doesn't stop me from buying some whenever I come across them. Who knows, maybe this time I will find the magic one that tastes exactly as I remember.

That smell and those memories got me thinking about candy. On the radio last week the DJ took a poll of what were listeners favorite Halloween candies. Then at the retreat I went to, we had almost the same question. We had to pick from a list of four, which was our favorite Halloween candy. I was just as stumped then as I was the first time I heard the question.

I don't think I actually had or have a favorite. Ok, that isn't true, it will always be candy corn, but you really can't compare that to other Halloween candies, it's like the king high supreme ruler overlord of candies so for arguments sake we will leave it out of the equation.

I can keenly remember what I didn't like to get in my trick or treat bag. I wasn't fond of the houses that gave out health food. That's the equivalent of getting socks and underwear for Christmas. Sure, you may need them, sure, health food may be, you know, good for you, but you don't hand it out on holidays. That's like the dentists who give out toothbrushes. Major buzz kill. I also wasn't overly fond of popcorn balls. I like them more to play with than eat. They are just too messy.

I remember when I was done trick or treating, I would come home and put all my loot out on the floor. If it wasn't wrapped it went in the trash. If it was waxy like those lips or some of the really hideous caramels they also went in the trash. I sorted my candy by type, chocolate, fruity, gum, licorice, suckers, stuff I don't want and other. Once my piles were sorted I called my parents in and they took their cut of the loot. It worked out well. Most of the time my parents loved the things that I couldn't stand and I would happily hand them over. But when it came to the good stuff, I would haggle a bit.

If I had to narrow it down, I would say that my favorite Halloween candies would be the peanut butter cups and tootsie rolls. Wow. It is kind of sad that I can't remember what candy I liked as a kid. I know I had definite favorites, but tastes change and memories fade. I hated Almond Joys when I was little and now I love them. I also liked pixie sticks and now I can feel my teeth rotting just looking at them. If someone had given me a package of Red Vines back then I probably would have asked if they could adopt me. Twizzlers not so much. Cheap fruity knock offs.

Isn't it interesting what we remember. I have a fuzzy recollection that I liked the candy bars. I think probably Snickers and Hershey. Dad got the Mr. Goodbars and no one wanted the Krackle unless the candy supply was dwindling and it was the only chocolate left.

So now that I have put some semi serious thought into it, what was your favorite childhood candy? Or if you are having trouble remembering like me, what is your favorite candy now? And if you say chocolate you had better be more specific.