For the Hungry Artist
Many Saturday mornings my Dad made waffles.
Real waffles.
Waffles on a gigantic waffle iron the size of a sheet of plywood.
But Dad’s waffles weren’t normal. They had personality. They often resembled Mickey Mouse, butterflies, and I vaguely recall my alpha/omega initials “AZ” being burned into those wonderful little divits.
Breakfast is magic. What other meal is it permissible to douse the food with syrups, sugars and whipped toppings? Continue reading “3 Reasons Why Men Make Breakfast”
I love Thanksgiving to pieces. To absolute pieces.
“Who wouldn’t love Thanksgiving?” I pondered. Apparently, there are a few out there.
A quick Googling (not ogling) revealed the haters. Here’s a quick compilation of some their complaints.
“Who can take a sunrise, sprinkle it in dew, 
cover it in chocolate and a miracle or two?”
“The candyman. The candyman can.
The candyman can cause he mixes it with love and makes the world taste good.”
Maybe I just love candy way too much, but those lyrics are brilliance. He ‘mixes it with love.’ Folks, he ‘makes the world taste good.’
Goodness. I’ve got to watch it. Thankfully, somebody took the time to put it on YouTube…
Grow down. Let’s take a few minutes and watch it together… (if you don’t have time to watch the whole thing, at least watch around 1:58 when a little girl gets an unintentional uppercut by the countertop.)
Though most of us will never meet Mr. Wonka (or Gene Wilder), we may meet David Klein. He truly made the world taste good when he reinvented the jelly bean in the 1970’s with his famous brand Jelly Belly. Klein’s story is expertly told in the film of his life Candyman: The David Klein Story.
Quotes from Mr. Klein to feed your creativity…
“I always like to do things in new ways. Always.”
“I like to be as creative as possible in anything that I do.”
“I never like traveling freeways. I like going side streets because you’d see something different every time. You go on the freeway, you eliminate your choices.”
Quirky, childlike, and a bit of a salesman, Klein revolutionized a few simple ingredients and, yes I’m gonna say it, made the world taste good.
Isn’t that what we want as creatives? We want to take our creativity… our screenplays, our recipes, our sales presentations, our paintings, our teachings, our pottery, our books… we mix them with some passion and love, and we want to see a change in someone by what we do.
We want to enliven the senses of the world with our creativity.
For Wonka/Klein, they did it with candy through the five senses. They truly made the world taste good. I’m so glad they did. So glad, in fact, that I’ll most likely eat some candy in their honor today.
I’m curious. Why do you create? Why spend the time, the work, the energy?
As Madonna once said “express yourself.” Even if you don’t like Madonna, sometimes you just gotta write a love letter.
It doesn’t matter to whom.
It doesn’t matter the content.
It doesn’t matter the status of the relationship. Surely there’s something or someone or someplace or some that you love.
My wife and I write and vlog about stuff we love on our blog/vlog A Couple Comments. Here’s our most recent love letter… to Trader Joe’s grocery store.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l4C3P0jPrT4]
Who deserves your love letter? What will it say?
I’m weak. Like a girl at a hip-swiveling Elvis concert. Can’t say no. Willpower shot.
I hear from within me a whisper of sinister rationalization:
You deserve a break today.
To which I answer “yes. Yes indeed I DO deserve a break today.” And then another voice…
You want it, you need it.
Another answer of “I do want it, and yup, I do need it.” But then, the voice goes one too far with…
I’m lovin’ it.
Sitting here in my office, I realize I’m having an inner dialog with slogans from McDonald’s. Dang marketing department.
Generally, this self-talk happens in a matter of seconds and transpires just before lunch, which, of course, is already packed. I have an apple, a healthy wrap with 46 grams of fiber, and even some Greek Yogurt for dessert. Healthy, yes, but I want the trash food. I want the warm, gooey goodness that can only be found on a McMenu.
I’ll indulge in a McDouble from time to time, ordering it without cheese to make myself feel that I’m still cutting out some of the ‘unhealthy’ calories. Like I’m both auctioneer and buyer at the same time, the script often reads like this:
Auctioneer: I have a lovely McDouble on this pristine, plastic encased menu. I’ll start the bidding at one dollar.
Me: That’s not really even food. I’ll feel terrible after I eat whatever that thing is but I deserve a break today don’t I? Hmmmm. Ok I’ll take it.
Auctioneer: Going once, going twice….
Me: I’ll take it if I can have it without cheese. That’ll make it healthy. Right?!
Auctioneer: Sold to the man with weak willpower.
On my better days, I arrive having already eaten my healthy lunch. I’m just at McDonald’s to get out of the office for a wee bit. They have free wi-fi. They also have Diet Dr. Pepper. I’m a hero. I’m out of the office. I get a treat I love. I haven’t indulged in the McDouble McProblem.
After two (or three) free refills I have enough caffeine in me to levitate back to the office. Thanks Diet Dr. Pepper. Thanks McDonald’s.
What are your midday temptations? What marketing department tantalizes your subconscious… and wins?
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I think I’d like to own a candy shop like that. Maybe when I’m like 70 and am a weird old man. The kids would say ‘let’s go see that crazy candy guy.’ Yeah, I wouldn’t mind being known as the crazy candy guy with the cool candy shop.
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| My adorable nephew exemplifies how I feel about sweets. You do me proud Joshy! |
Names for my shop:
Candy is joy.
Joy Candy.
I Candy? Maybe not.
Candy is a comfort. Seeing and feeling and smelling all the lovelies in the bulk aisle of a grocery store–too much. Puts me on the edge of acceptability. Almost can’t take it.
Look at it–it’s sole purpose is to tantalize the senses. The color, the texture, the carefully orchestrated scents and smells. Come on.
Candymakers are artists unrealized.
What’s not to love? How can someone not like candy? It’s like saying “I don’t like color, joy, and anything other than my job.” This person is an alien. Or they’ve divorced themselves from their true passions.
One of my passions is candy. Not that I sit around and eat it all the time. Sometimes I just look at it or think about it, and after an hour or two of that, it’s time to move on to something else. Maybe taffy instead of the chocolate.
Oh, chocolate. We live in a town where they make M & M’s and man, when the wind blows just right, we’re breathing in chocolate. Little bits of it.
Incidentally, that’s what always grossed me out so much about farts–the thought of where that smell came from and the science of why I’m smelling it–too much. Particles from that place are floating around and entering into my nose. Actual. Particles.
So I’d rather be smelling chocolate. Or fudge. But not that other thing.