How's My Writing Been Going?

Sort of like this:



Minus that strange credit bit at the end...

Firefox Symbol Audition

Contestant 1
Name: Honey
Species: Canine
Age: 2.5
Special Qualifications: Golden-reddish coloring, abnormal ability to curl into perfectly symmetrical, yet extremely tiny circle (has been known to hold pose for multiple hours)

The Joys of Retro Candy

 

I have this thing about retro candy. Maybe it's simple supply and demand: The harder it is to find, the more I seem to like it. Or it might be that it reminds me of my childhood - sneaking candy cigarettes (the kind that smoke when you puff them) with my cousin because my mom refused to buy them for me. Or the summers I spent ordering Fun Dip and Squeezable Bubble Gum (in a toothpaste tube) from Unfriendly's in Fair Harbor.

But it really goes  beyond a simple affection for an old-fashioned sugar fix. I once agreed to go on a date with a guy I couldn't stand because he gave me Lemonheads and Jujubees on Valentine's Day. My sister (who spent an equal portion of her childhood hanging around Unfriendly's) insisted he was a keeper.



One of my all time favorites was the Nestle Quick Bar - chocolate taffy that tasted deliciously like the faux hot chocolate mix - which I used to beg my babysitter to buy for me every time we went to the one drug store in Pittsburgh that stocked them. Sadly, they were discontinued and I still crave them regularly.


One of my favorite things to do is browse through a selection of old-time favorites at Economy Candy on the Lower East Side of Manhattan. I can spend half an hour perusing the selection of gum (Beehmans, Black Jack, Clove), Pez Dispensers, bins filled with gummy bears, rock candy, and various size tootsie rolls. I may leave with nothing more than a handful of Haribo Frogs (pictured above) and a bounce in my step, but no matter. It's not really eating the candy that's important - though it is a frequent side-effect. Something about these colorful, imaginative creations just makes me happy.

I think there are three reasons for this:

1. They're miniature. Anyone who knows me knows that I am abnormally drawn to miniature recreations of life-size objects. This attraction only increases when said object is edible. (I'm weird, I know).
2. They awaken that dusty part of the brain that wants to take a Mexican Hat, put it on top of a Chocolate Baby and make it ride around on a Gummy Shark.
3. Never underestimate the power of a piece of candy to cheer up even the most gloomy day.

Another great retro-candy-lover haunt is Newsbeat in Sacramento. This place scores extra points with me because of their outrageously thorough magazine selection - they have an entire wall of foreign language magazines for christ's sake - and the fact that they welcome dogs.

Not only do they have a good selection of retro confections (Peach Os, Smarties, Red Hot Dollars) they offer imported goodies (Australian licorice, crazy Japanese gummies) and high class chocolate like Green & Black's bars.





I know the holidays are coming up and you're all excited about your chocolate Santas and Candy Canes, but there's nothing quite like a sheet of candy buttons (remember how a little bit of paper comes off with each colored dot, mm) or a frozen Charleston Chew to put me in a jolly-good mood.

Coconut Crab

Welcome to your new nightmare...this shit is real

Welcome Home Soldier

If you're like me then this is the time of year when Seasonal Affective Disorder starts to sink in a bit. Day light savings means it's getting dark at 5 and though the trees are still colorful, it's only a matter of time before we head into the dead stretch of winter.

Have I got you feeling good and depressed? Well, to warm up those cold winter blues and gain a little perspective (things aren't so bad after all) here are some clips of soldiers being welcomed home by their best friends.



HERO + PUPPY = BETTER THAN SUNSHINE