Wordless Wednesday- Happy Halloween!

Candy...

I want to talk about an all important fixture of Halloween today.
The candy.
We associate many kinds with this holiday. Candy Corn, Smarties, the litte 'Dum-Dum' suckers, just to name a few.
I personally give out a bagged mix that has Tootsie Rolls,(regular, and flavored) Tootsie Pops, and Dots. The kids of my neighborhood like this selection, I've had no complaints or eggs lobbed at me.
But for me. There is one thing I look forward to, every year. I get one bag, only, and even then, I don't eat the whole thing. I take them to work, or give them away to the ankle biters that come trick or treating.
My favorite candy of choice is
the Mary Jane Peanut Butter Kisses.
You know the ones. they come wrapped in orange, and black wrappers. They are now made by the NECCO corporation.
The original, though, comes from a recipe by one Charles H. Miller. He had a candy company that made the original Mary Janes, the "plain Jane's", if you will. They are in a yellow and black wrapper. "Plain Jane's" are good too, but I live for the Peanut Butter ones. Ahem. Anyhow. The peanut butter variety came into life in 1914. The name, "Mary Jane", is after a favorite Aunt in the Miller family. (perhaps, this is why I prefer them? I like to think I am the favorite Aunt of a few boys I know). They are made of molasses taffy, and have that sweet peanut butter spot in the middle.
Some people HATE them with a passion. This, I know. Because I would trade them the candy I hated for their Peanut Butter kisses. It seems, that there is no fine line. Its either love, or hate with this particular candy. I think you can guess which side of the fence I fall on.
So this is my Halloween candy love. Mary Jane Peanut Butter Kisses. I wait for them, all year long.
What's yours?

sense and sensibility?

There is this new, quirky show on television, called Pushing Daisies.
A pie maker can bring people back to life with the touch of his hand. But, he has to put them back into death in 60 seconds, or another soul of equal or greater value will be taken instead.
Pie maker met girl though.
Dead girl.
and another soul paid.
However, now, the next time he touches her? She goes back to death.
Thus, a dilemma.
He loves her. She loves him.
They can't touch each other.
He can't reach out, and brush her hair back from her face.
She can't hold his hand, rub his neck, or even kiss his ears.
No contact. None.
And its not just her. He couldn't pet his dog when he was a boy, either. Same principal. The dog had passed, but he "revived" it, and then could never touch it again.
Out of all the five senses we have, touch is so important.
I love human touch. Just walking by someone, and touching them, lightly. To let them know you care, to tease them, to smack them when they are being rude. To tickle them when they need tickling. (and who doesn't?)
I think I would die if I couldn't touch. I know I would. I'd rather be deaf, or blind, or never smell again than lose the ability to touch, or feel. The thought of it just makes me shiver with the feelings of loss.
In the last episode I saw of the TV show, they'd figured out a way around it, a little. Bee keeper suits. But is that really touching, and feeling?
They had to kiss through a saran wrap barrier. I hate saran wrap. That would NEVER work for me.
And, heaven forbid. Sex.
would a condom be enough? and no touching?
No way in hell.
So, is their relationship doomed? Or can their love survive the loss of touch.
oh, it makes me sad to even consider. Thank goodness it isn't real life.
So, how about you all out there. 5 senses. Hearing, vision, smell touch and taste.
If you had to lose one, which would it be?
And if you couldn't touch the one you loved, what would you do?
I would die. Not by suicide, but by the sheer loss of it.
And the sense I would lose, if I had to choose?
Smell. I'd miss it, sure. But hey, I'm a nurse. I could use a little less sense of smell.

Wing Man

Well, what better time than 3 am to discuss chicken wings?

Here's my contribution to the evils of the service industry.

I put myself through nursing school, with the help of the GI Bill, working at a "Mini Mart". I started in the Deli there. We had the typical small town deli crap. The "specialty" was broasted chicken and potato's.
I spent what feels like a lifetime cleaning chicken, and flouring it, and dumping it into a vat of hot oil to serve the citizens of my tiny town. They couldn't get enough of the oil filled crapola.
A basket of chicken takes 8 minutes to broast. After 12 years I still know this to be true.
I had some regular customers that came to visit me on a regular basis. One of them was this little, old, effeminate man. He was obviously, and confirmed by his own verbalization, a gay gentleman.
He liked wings.
If the wings I had in the heating window were on the elderly side, I'd make him up a new batch. If your just chucking wings in the big hot vat o' fat, it doesn't take eight minutes. Just a couple, and he'd wait.
Well, one fateful day, this little guy showed up, and I had just dumped in a vat of chicken. I'd done wings, themselves, less than a half hour before. I told him this, and offered him the wings that I had.
He had a stinking, loud obnoxious FIT. Practically foaming at the mouth. Yelling to beat the band, spit flying, crazed. Over wings.
Then he made the fatal mistake of calling me a bitch. And a "teen Queen". (I was 25 years old.). And demanded to see the manager.
oooookay.
It was evening, the manager was at home. So one of the cashiers came over to see what the hullaballoo was about. He proceeded to go crazed old man without wings on her, too. Insulting us both. Accusing me of holding out on him.
By this time, of course, my chicken had cooked, but there was no way in hell I was going to placate the old dude who'd called me a "teen queen" (bitch, surprisingly, I can live with, sometimes.). Eventually he insulted the cashier enough that she tossed him from the store all together. Over chicken wings.
Months went by, and the old guy never returned. Then, one evening, there he was. "Oh, grand" I thought to myself, trying to calculate the age of the dessicated wings I had in the window.
To my surprise, hat in hand, the old coot apologized to me. He'd been having a bad day. His loved one had died. And I, I was the innocent bystander that he could unleash all his hurt, and anger, and frustration on. I could be the "teen Queen". I could be the mean, mean deli worker who with held his wings. Of course, I accepted his apology, and, if I remember correctly, I made him fresh wings.

What a Difference A Day Makes

How about someone today who is still alive?
This is Sandra Day O' Connor.

She was raised on an Arizona Cattle Ranch, where, by the age of eight, she could drive, shoot, ride horses, and had a pet bobcat. Because, at that time, there was no where in Arizona close enough for her to get a good education, her parents sent her to Texas, to live with her Grandmother and go to school. She graduated at 16, despite taking a year off to go back to Arizona. (She'd been too homesick for the ranch, I don't blame her.)
After high school, she went to Stanford University, and got a degree in Economics. After a legal battle over the Ranch in Arizona, she decided to go to law school at Stanford. She finished law school in 2 years, and was third in her class of 102. She briefly dated a guy named Rhenquist there (name familiar? No? Will explain later). She also met her husband in law school.
Despite being third in her class, no law firm wanted to hire a woman. One of them offered her a job as a legal secretary, however. . .
So instead, she went into public service, and became the a Deputy County attorney of San Mateo county. Her husband graduated the next year from law school, and the Army snapped him up to be a JAG. So, she went to Germany with him for three years, where she practiced civilian law.
When they came home, they settled in Arizona, where, once again, no one wanted to employ her. She started a firm of her own, but began to have children. She had 3 boys in 6 years. During this time, she took 5 years off to be with her family, but continued to do volunteer work in her community.
After that 5 years, she became a Assistant State Attorney General in Arizona. However, one of the state senators left his seat, and the Arizona Governor appointed that seat to her. She subsequently was officially elected to that seat two more years, and during that time was the first woman in Arizona to become the majority leader of their state senate.
After doing that, she decided she would try her hand at being a judge. So she ran for that position in Maricopa County, Arizona, and won. (naturally). She eventually found her way to the Arizona court of Appeals.
In 1981, Ronald Reagan chose her for the supreme court. He'd made a campaign promise, you see, to nominate a woman into this esteemed group. (The first one!) She was confirmed unanimously. Of course, the Chief Justice was a guy named Rhenquist. (I told you he'd come back.).
She was immediately pegged a conservative judge, and much controversy surrounds her tenure, and some of her decisions. Despite her politics, you have to give the woman credit where credit is due, though. She was a member of the Supreme Court until 2006, she even was treated for, and survived Breast Cancer, during her time as a Justice.
She is known for taking her cases on an individual, case by case view, and a narrow view, at that. She's admitted she hated to be "painted into a corner." She surprised a lot of people during her time as a Justice. They say her stance is "difficult to define". Towards the end of her Supreme Court career, she was often the swing vote. Not a position I envy.
So, this "Day" did make a difference. She still does. Though retired, she is currently the Chancellor of William and Mary College, and teaches a law course (with a partner) at the Sandra Day O' Connor school of law in Arizona.

today's post brought to you by DiDC

Blog post choice: You're a sentient, self-aware, IPOD shuffle. What are the first 20 songs you spit out. Give song and artist, so we know whose version you're playing?

Any question regarding me and music is tough. But, here goes. These are the 20 I narrowed it down to for today! (tomorrow, half of them might be different. . .)

1. Thunder Road- Bruce Springsteen of course. Off the live album, though, I love that version.
2. Finlandia- by J. Sibelius
3. Bolero- Ravel. Most orchestra's cannot manage to screw this one up. My version actually on my iPod is by the Philadelphia Orchestra, actually.
4. Russians- Sting
5. (Pride) in the name of love- U2
6.La Vie En Rose- Edith Piaf
7. Red Admiral Butterfly- James Galway and the Chieftains
8. For What It's Worth- Buffalo Springfield
9. Respect- Aretha Franklin
10. Norweigian Wood- The Beatles
11. You Really Got A Hold On Me- Smokey Robinson
12. Home Michael Buble
13. Blues Man Alan Jackson
14. Existential Blues Tom "T-Bone" Stankus (had to throw in some Demento fodder)
15. Gone Jack Johnson
16. Blue Skies Frank Sinatra
17. Pennsylvania 6-5000 Glenn Miller Orchestra
18. Alison Elvis Costello
19. D-I-V-O-R-C-E Tammy Wynette
20. Hysteria- Def Leppard (hair band 80's has to represent somewhere).

I don't know quite what this list says about my mood today! It's a nice day here in Podunk, I'm going to go take a walk, now :)

Song Lyric Wednesday

as always, the first one to get the song and artist can pick a blog topic of their choice, whenever, if they choose to!

The screen door slams, Mary's dress sways
Like a vision she dances across the porch as the radio plays.
Roy Orbison singing for the lonely
Hey that's me and I want you only
Don't turn me home again, I just can't face myself alone again
Don't run back inside, darling you know just what I'm here for
So you're scared and you're thinking
That maybe we ain't that young anymore
Show a little faith, there's magic in the night
You ain't a beauty, but hey you're alright
Oh and that's alright with me
You can hide `neath your covers and study your pain
Make crosses from your lovers, throw roses in the rain
Waste your summer praying in vain
For a saviour to rise from these streets
Well now I'm no hero, that's understood
All the redemption I can offer, girl, is beneath this dirty hood
With a chance to make it good somehow
Hey what else can we do now?
Except roll down the window and let the wind blow back your hair
Well the night's busting open
These two lanes will take us anywhere
We got one last chance to make it real
To trade in these wings on some wheels
Climb in back, Heaven's waiting on down the tracks

Oh-oh come take my hand
We're riding out tonight to case the promised land
Oh-oh Thunder Road, oh Thunder Road, oh Thunder Road,
Lying out there like a killer in the sun
Hey I know it's late we can make it if we run
Oh Thunder Road, sit tight take hold, Thunder Road

Well I got this guitar and I learned how to make it talk
And my car's out back if you're ready to take that long walk
From your front porch to my front seat
The door's open but the ride it ain't free
And I know you're lonely and there's words that I ain't spoken
But tonight we'll be free, all the promises will be broken
There were ghosts in the eyes of all the boys you sent away
They haunt this dusty beach road
In the skeleton frames of burned out Chevrolets
They scream your name at night in the street
Your graduation gown lies in rags at their feet
And in the lonely cool before dawn
you hear their engines roaring on
But when you get to the porch they're gone
On the wind, so Mary climb in
It's a town full of losers and I'm pulling out of here to win.