* Candy Swap 2006 Questionnaire
1) When I was a kid, Halloween was all about:
a) collecting as much candy as I could
b) collecting candy to eat as I go
c) sharing with my siblings
d) Who cares about candy? I was too busy egging my teacher’s car.
e) Halloween was forbidden in my house and I’ve never gotten over it. Bring it on!

2) What is more important to you: quality, or quantity? Quality

3) If you were on a desert island (haha, I wrote “dessert island” but that would be a totally different question now wouldn’t it?) and could only have one sweet treat, which would it be? Skittles, I should honestly own shares in Skittles. They are just such perfect little bites of sweet and colour. And of course low-fat 😉

4) You arrive at “Dessert Island” – where you discover a river of pudding flowing freely through a swamp of Cool Whip. No one is watching. What do you do? Go for a skinny dip, after sampling the river of course. Chocolate is so good for the skin, I just wouldn’t be able to resist.

4) Sweet, sour, or savoury? Sweet.

5) Sex or chocolate? Do I have to choose? Really? Both. There, Sex with Chocolate makes it all good.

6) What kind of candy, if any, would you turn down if someone offered? I am trying so hard to think of candy I would turn down. The only thing that comes close is “goodies” (I think that is what they are called) they look like pastel jelly beans, but taste like black licorice in the middle.

7) You’re at the grocery store, you’re children/husband/pets have been The.Worst.Ever. They’re throwing cans at each other, tripping little old ladies, taking bites out of the produce and putting them back in the bins, and piercing the milk bags with diaper pins. You feel yourself getting woozy. That vein in your forehead is throbbing. You need an immediate sugar kick before you do something crazy. What do you reach for? A “Crunchie” Bar, sponge toffee and chocolate, makes it all better.

8) What are your feelings regarding Thrills gum, ribbon candy, scotch mints, and other “grandma candies”? Love them, they all remind me of my Grandma. And since I don’t have them often, they are such a treat that take me back to the corner store near her place in Montreal where we used to buy those candies.

9) How adventurous are you? Do spicy dried mealworms or candy-coated crickets give you the willies, or are you willing to try anything once? Whillies!! Please, candy shouldn’t have bug in it, it makes me sad just to think about it. But, if no bugs are in it, I am all for trying a new candy. I am always on the lookout for a new fave.

10) Do you have dentures or other dental issues? Do you have a good dental plan? I have all my own teeth and a great dental plan. I did lose a filling last fall biting into an organic hard candy, but it’s been fixed and all is well. And it was worth the loss of the filling, those candies were goooood. I should also add that I have this inability to suck on hard candies for very long, I must crunch them. Those giant jawbreakers are like pure torture for me, takes way too long to get to the soft part so I can crunch them.

You know you drink way too much Starbucks when the “Baristas” at the newest location all recognize you from different stores.

Barrhaven’s new Starbucks, complete with Drive-thru, opened on Friday! Hooray! I was one of the first customers, sad but true. On Thursday the paving crew was still paving, but on Friday when the umbrellas were up on the patio, I had to drive through the drive-thru just to see if it was open. I was greeted by a sweet and friendly “Barista” from the Hazeldean store, who recognized me and my sleeping beauty in the back. I got my usual, Grande Chai, no-fat, extra-hot and a chocolate chip cookie for “J”. In addition I was awarded a travel mug and a sandwich, just for going through the drive through.

I quickly called my Sister, who was eagerly awaiting the opening, like me. She drove over with her two in tow. She got her usual, frappucino of the day, complete with chocolate chip cookie and her freebies.

I stayed away for the weekend, not wanting to get too excited about the new store, but my Sister did not, she went with my Mom, with her Hubby, and called me Monday morning to see if I was ready for another trip. Sure enough, “J” and I packed up and headed out. As we sat chatting the “Baristas” started trying to figure out where they knew me from. One worked at Hunt Club, one at Indigo Barrhaven and one at Chapters Pinecrest, oh yes and the one from Hazeldean. Needless to say, they knew me from their stores. We had a good laugh and I promised to frequent the store often and bring my other Sisters when they were in town.

Is is wrong, that I love Starbucks so much? I feel bad that I used to be such a loyal Second Cup customer but, since they haven’t opened anymore stores close to my home. And the fact that some of my last visits were not so appealing. I even went for Starbucks at the Calgary airport over Second Cup!! Perhaps Starbucks will come up with a frequent customer program that will help me with my addicition, I mean habit, I mean love of all things Starbucks.

Thank you for opening a store so close to my home, excuse me while I pack up “J” in the stroller and head out for a Chai.