Celebrating the curiously strong...

Not much noteworthy on my end - I spent last night cleaning and rearranging furniture in DsS's vacated bedroom. It looks vastly different now, but it's certainly a change for the better. It doesn't smell quite as...funky, either.

I did find out that DH and the girls won't be able to come to Canada with me - it's too short-notice to cash in miles, and the tickets are too expensive otherwise. A minor bummer, but I'm sure my family can survive without me for a week.

In the meantime, let me fess up about one of my favorite non-chocolate candies...

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In the beginning was the Peppermint Altoid...

It all started with a white mint, about half-inch in diameter. DH mentioned them once, that he often had them in college. I had never heard of this "Altoid", and for a while it slipped my mind. Then one day I saw Altoids in the grocery store, and I had to get a tin, and I tried one.

Daaaaaang. Strong stuff! But they were good. And within a couple years, I started to see another flavor - Wintergreen. I tried those, and those were even better - not quite as sharp to taste, but still quite intense. These were followed by Cinnamon and Spearmint, and Spearmint jumped to the top of my list while Wintergreen became the family favorite.

Sometime during all this, the whole Lewinsky deal hit, and I began to see Altoids everywhere before the whole scandal had, um, blown over. I'm sure Altoids benefitted from it, but I doubt we'll be seeing Monica in any Altoids ads.

A few years ago, there appeared Altoid sours - fruity flavored Altoids in citrus or tangerine. Very tangy, and the little round tins make good pin holders. Then as if I weren't already Altoid-crazy enough, I heard of Ginger Altoids. Now, I *love* ginger, and often end up stealing DH's shaved ginger at sushi places. So I really wanted to try the Ginger ones. But I don't exactly live in a large market area, so it was a long while before I spotted them in a convenience store.

Oh my. Those were absolutely *wonderful*. They remind me of ginger beer.

And then last weekend, I saw yet another Altoid flavor - Liquorice, so of course I had to get them. They're well worth a try - DsD's BF, who doesn't even *like* licorice, liked these.

I wonder what flavor they'll come up with next.