OK, so it's not an official holiday but it should be the way the stores hock all the crap for it. Don't get me wrong - I decorate the house (albeit a lot less than when our son was little) and we pass out treats (until the big kids start coming, then it's lights out). But there's just something strange about how it's so hyped. Of course, the stores simultaneously put out Halloween decorations & Christmas decorations, so what do I know.
There's a neat website, Ghosts, Critters, & Sacred Places of Oregon & Washington just perfect for perusing today.
OK, what's in my candy cauldron?? There's butterfinger, kitkat, reese's peanut butter cups, almond joy (my fave), snickers, mounds, baby ruth, peppermint patties, some licorice (red, not black), and gummy eyeballs. Hey, naming all these candy bars made me remember this old thing:
Sex & Candy
It was another Payday, and I was tired of being a Mr.Goodbar. So I saw Miss Hershey standing behind the Powerhouse on the corner of Clark and Fifth Avenue, and I whipped out my Whopper and whispered, "Hey Sweetart, how'd you like to Krunch on my Big Hunk for a Hundred Thousand Dollar Bar?"
Well, she immediately went down on my Tootsie Roll, and, Uno, it was like pure Almond Joy. I couldn't help but grab her delicious Mounds 'cause it was easy to see this little Twix had the Red Hots. It was all I could do to hold back a Snicker and a Krackle as my Butterfinger went up her tight little Kit Kat and she started to scream: "Oh Henry, Oh Henry!"
Soon she was fondling my Peter Paul and Zagnuts and I knew it wouldn't be long before I blew my Milkduds clear to Mars and gave her a taste of the old Milky Way.
She asked if I was into M&M but I said, "Hey Chicklet, no kinky stuff"-- and then I said, "Look, you little Reese's Pieces! Don't be a Zero, be a Lifesaver. Why don't you just take my Whatchamacallit and slip it up your Bit O'Honey?" (and oh, boy, what a piece of Juicyfruit she was, too).
She screamed, "Oh, Crackerjack, you're better than the Three Musketeers!" as I rammed my Ding Dong up her Rocky Road and into her Peanut Butter Cup.
Well, I was givin' it to her Good 'n' Plenty when,all of a sudden ... my Starburst. As luck would have it, she started to grow a bit Chunky and complained of a Wrigley in her stomach.
Sure enough, nine months later,
out popped a Baby Ruth.
And with that, safe & happy trick-or-treating.
October 31, 2007
October 30, 2007
Up on a soapbox
Life can be hard at times, so why do we put ourselves out there to endure more strife?
I'm talking about extending through the portal of the web and putting our lives online, via messageboards.
It can be cathartic.
It can be liberating.
It can be fun.
You begin to feel as though you are a part of something, you have reached out and in the process made contact with people you'd never meet in your every day life. They have like interests. You begin to share things you're used to talking about with your best friend over a cup of coffee. You open up and sometimes put your heart out there because you've come to trust most of these "friends".
But then, like real life, they start dumping on you. Maybe someone doesn't like your turn of phrase or they misinterpreted your post. Maybe they are the ones having a bad day and decide that with the anonymity the board provides, they have the power to spew hate & discontent. Perhaps, like the schoolyard bullies of old, there are just people who get their kicks from being meanies.
So why continue to post? For me, I think it's out of boredom. I'm usually traveling a lot for work and can't get online during most of those trips. On the days when I'm in the office and there's not much going on, I'll hop online to see what's shaking the boards. Sometimes there's happy news - the birth of a child, a promotion. Other times there's sadness. It's just like life, only we don't actually hug each other when we're happy or sympathizing. There truly are friendships built there. And destroyed.
The choice is up to each of us, as in real life.
I'm talking about extending through the portal of the web and putting our lives online, via messageboards.
It can be cathartic.
It can be liberating.
It can be fun.
You begin to feel as though you are a part of something, you have reached out and in the process made contact with people you'd never meet in your every day life. They have like interests. You begin to share things you're used to talking about with your best friend over a cup of coffee. You open up and sometimes put your heart out there because you've come to trust most of these "friends".
But then, like real life, they start dumping on you. Maybe someone doesn't like your turn of phrase or they misinterpreted your post. Maybe they are the ones having a bad day and decide that with the anonymity the board provides, they have the power to spew hate & discontent. Perhaps, like the schoolyard bullies of old, there are just people who get their kicks from being meanies.
So why continue to post? For me, I think it's out of boredom. I'm usually traveling a lot for work and can't get online during most of those trips. On the days when I'm in the office and there's not much going on, I'll hop online to see what's shaking the boards. Sometimes there's happy news - the birth of a child, a promotion. Other times there's sadness. It's just like life, only we don't actually hug each other when we're happy or sympathizing. There truly are friendships built there. And destroyed.
The choice is up to each of us, as in real life.
October 17, 2007
Home, Sweet Home
YES!!! It is SO GOOD to be back home. Most of the travel days are over with and the next show will be 2 exits up the interstate, so NO PACKING.
The shows in Roseville, CA were uneventful and the weather was absolutely gorgeous. I didn't have time for any shopping this year, but I did enjoy eating every night at Claim Jumper.
From sunny California it was on to Boise, ID (via Reno, NV) for 6 days. This year, for the one night in Reno, we decided to try the Grand Sierra instead of our usual Peppermill. Bad choice. There was nothing Grand about the Grand Sierra and we were very disappointed.
We came home from the long sojourn to find our 20 yr old son has decided, for some still unexplained reason (other than "just because"), to sport a septum ring. Yes, a nose ring. I just couldn't believe it. This from the kid who said, "I'll never smoke." (Not only does he smoke, he smokes cigarettes, cigars, pipes, hooka -- he works at a smoke shop). "I'll never get a tattoo." (He has 3 --- well, that I know of --- including one that extends the entire length of his inner forearm). "I'll never pierce my ears." (He has). I know kids evolve and go through changes & stages, but I honestly feel like I no longer know him. He's a stranger among us, who only lives with us and is no longer a part of us. He has become so cynical it's hard to be around him with all the negativity he continually spouts. Yep, dinner time at my house is a real blast. If it weren't for Jeopardy! there would be dead silence.
The shows in Roseville, CA were uneventful and the weather was absolutely gorgeous. I didn't have time for any shopping this year, but I did enjoy eating every night at Claim Jumper.
From sunny California it was on to Boise, ID (via Reno, NV) for 6 days. This year, for the one night in Reno, we decided to try the Grand Sierra instead of our usual Peppermill. Bad choice. There was nothing Grand about the Grand Sierra and we were very disappointed.
We came home from the long sojourn to find our 20 yr old son has decided, for some still unexplained reason (other than "just because"), to sport a septum ring. Yes, a nose ring. I just couldn't believe it. This from the kid who said, "I'll never smoke." (Not only does he smoke, he smokes cigarettes, cigars, pipes, hooka -- he works at a smoke shop). "I'll never get a tattoo." (He has 3 --- well, that I know of --- including one that extends the entire length of his inner forearm). "I'll never pierce my ears." (He has). I know kids evolve and go through changes & stages, but I honestly feel like I no longer know him. He's a stranger among us, who only lives with us and is no longer a part of us. He has become so cynical it's hard to be around him with all the negativity he continually spouts. Yep, dinner time at my house is a real blast. If it weren't for Jeopardy! there would be dead silence.
October 2, 2007
To HELL & back
OK, so it really wasn't HELL. It was Helena, Montana, and it was pretty damn close.
For a capital city it sure lacks everything you'd expect - good restaurants (except for Silver Star Steak Co.
See, what happened was our truck broke down on Friday after setting up the dog show. We were able to drive it over to the only Ford place within 300 miles and they said they'd have it done by Monday or Tuesday. As it turns out we didn't get out of there until 12:30 THURSDAY and we had to be in the middle of Washington for another show set up on Friday. Should've known better with a Fixed Or Repair Daily, Found On Road Dead(aka Ford).
The "mall" is a joke, practically every store in there is closed or closing. I asked one of the remaining kiosk workers where do people shop? His reply was Missoula -- a 2 hour drive away!!!
I was never so glad to leave a place in my life.
For a capital city it sure lacks everything you'd expect - good restaurants (except for Silver Star Steak Co.
See, what happened was our truck broke down on Friday after setting up the dog show. We were able to drive it over to the only Ford place within 300 miles and they said they'd have it done by Monday or Tuesday. As it turns out we didn't get out of there until 12:30 THURSDAY and we had to be in the middle of Washington for another show set up on Friday. Should've known better with a Fixed Or Repair Daily, Found On Road Dead(aka Ford).
The "mall" is a joke, practically every store in there is closed or closing. I asked one of the remaining kiosk workers where do people shop? His reply was Missoula -- a 2 hour drive away!!!
I was never so glad to leave a place in my life.
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