Dark Chocolate

I made the rounds with N and C-Man last night as part of the annual Samhain festival. Like any good druid trying to keep the evil spirits away from my house; I walked far and wide carrying an increasingly stuffed jack-o-lantern accompanied by a paper-faced skeleton and a Cyndi Lauper look-alike. We muttered ritualistic greetings and proudly received compliments on our scary costumes.

I myself, chose the top half of a used gorilla suit. Accessorized with a grass skirt and a coconut bra, I'm sure that any evil spirit that might have sought to assail me on this dread night, fled in terror back to Hell or Omaha depending on their particular level of nastiness. The coconut bra came in handy for storing the popcorn balls we picked up on Beverly avenue. They were bigger than anything else we came across and would have sent us home through the bonfires with a prematurely full bucket had I not recognized the storage opportunity.

The large variety of edible gifts given to the wanderers at Samhain never ceases to amaze me. Some, like the popcorn balls mentioned above are a wistful reminder of years gone by when I would terrorize all the residents of my little neighborhood as a clown ... or worst of all, a Jewish priest with a complete ephod. I think I was a mummy once - back in my Egyptian phase. Today, the candy is so much more impersonal. I would trade it all for a good ol' caramel apple (no razor blade for me - thanks).

Now the skeleton is tucked in his bed, and Cyndi has all of her makeup off (almost). Me and the Mrs have settled down for a long falls night of picking through the goodies the little ones are allergic too. One part of the modern festival seems to have heard the cry of my heart .. or at least my taste buds. Dark Chocolate. You have to really dig through the bucket to get past the unimaginative plain Hershey bars and the ubiquitous Milky Ways to find them ... Dark Kit Kats, Dark Reses, bless me .... Dark M&Ms!