My desk these days…

Scary Breakfast Goodness

1971 was a landmark year. Sure, every year is significant for something, but our story begins in 1971, so play along. That March, General Mills released the “Monster Cereals.” The lineup was twofold. Frankenberry, who was a cartoonish version of Frankenstein’s monster. He had a Boris Karloff voice and a vaguely strawberry-ish flavor. Next up was Count Chocula: a kid-friendly vampire parody of Bela Lugosi with hints of chocolaty goodness. For us Monster Kids, they were amazing! They turned the milk pink (or brown—see above), and were an instant hit. The Saturday morning commercials, strategically sandwiched between cartoon episodes, involved the 2 mascots arguing over which cereal was better. The following year, a third was added; Boo Berry was a blue ghost who sounded like Peter Lorie, and—see a pattern here?—turned the milk blue.

They were initially available all year, but eventually shelved and brought out of the attic (or dungeon…whatever) just in time for Halloween. Along the way, a fourth and fifth were added. Frute Brute, which was originally spelled like the produce, but changed for some reason, was a werewolf. And Yummy Mummy (You guessed it – a spider. No? Moving on…), like Frute Brute, came into and out of the line-up for several years. In 2014 GM got the whole band together in retro-style boxes; and, finally, the ‘Fab 5’ were on the shelves together.

Obviously, I had to buy all 5; and I saved the boxes for posterity. I’m sure they will grow exponentially in value and will probably put future generations through college.

The most recent monster in the line-up

A couple years ago, a new, limited-edition character was introduced—Carmella Creeper—an interesting addition. First of all, she was a SHE—a ghoul for the girls, while all previous characters had been male. Also, she seemed to represent both the Gen Z and Rave demographics, and was less influenced by Gothic horror. Carmella’s a cool zombie disk jockey in the form of a green caramel apple-flavored cereal. She is also supposed to be Frankenberry’s cousin. The lore doesn’t really hold up to scrutiny, but it’s cereal canon, not Tolkien or Star Trek; so let’s cut them a break. Sadly, Carmella was only around for a couple of years. I’m hoping she’ll make occasional appearances in the rotation.

It’s almost Halloween – my favorite holiday! But oddly, I haven’t found the monster cereals in the stores this year. On the Internet, I can see that they have been making the rounds, and even had some sort of Muppet character crossover. They’re just not in any of the grocery stores I’ve been frequenting. I’m going to be on the lookout next year. They are not sneaking past me again. I’ll be waiting…and watching.

(Cue the evil laughter track.)

Now, truth be told, I don’t need more zero-nutritional value, fiber-poor, simple carbohydrate calories in my diet. But, C’mon; it’s a 54-year tradition. A couple boxes of artificial flavoring won’t kill me. It probably won’t. Right?

So, if you find yourself hunkering down for a sweet, pastel-colored bowl of scary goodness, give a nod to your horror pals that made it all possible. And maybe lift a spoon to your old buddy Toph, too. Okay?

Happy Halloween –

-Toph

My BFF

Out of the blue, I answered a call from an unknown number. Breaking with my usual routine of screening my calls, I was surprised to hear the voice of a close friend I hadn’t spoken to in 20 years. He was in town for a wedding. We met up at a restaurant and spent several hours catching up on each other’s lives. We shared stories about the trials and tribulations of our journeys.

The interaction wasn’t by any means unusual. People spontaneously reach out to say “Hi.” Or they bump into lost friends or acquaintances when one or the other is visiting or back in their hometown. Though our lives have taken very different paths, it was really great seeing my friend. But, of course, not every reunion is this joyful.

Fortunately, our interaction was the former.

We said we would stay in touch, and I left feeling really glad to have had the get-together. Time will tell if we do stay in contact, and I started thinking about the way friends move into and out of one another’s lives.

Making friends is vital to healthy development beginning in early childhood. I remember having one particular “best friend” in first grade. We shared a fascination with World War II movies. We even managed to work those situations into totally unrelated school writing assignments. You’d be surprised to learn how often, in the middle of a story about a dog playing in the yard, the Japanese would suddenly attack.

Throughout school and work, we meet and befriend others. In some instances, those friends become an enduring – even lifelong part of us. Others weave in and out, and sometimes back in again. Some make their mark, then fade into memory. Our interests or circumstances change. A rift begins over a behavior or unkind remark, and we have a falling out. And people die. All these situations bring together and then separate friends.

The wise philosopher Homer (Simpson) once proclaimed, “To alcohol – the cause of, and solution to, all of life’s problems.” The same can be said of Facebook. I’ve seen variations in social media on the theme of friendship, where someone posts a remark about “unfriending” someone. It’s sometimes prefaced with a proclamation: “No real friend would ever (insert situation here);” or “If you are reading this, then you are still (in my contacts).”

I don’t believe that when someone exits our circle it means they were never really a friend. Of course they were! People spend time as a part of our lives for a reason. That reason is different for each relationship. Perhaps it is to get through a difficult situation, learn a particular life lesson, or to fulfill a mutual need. When we experience a new chapter – be it a job change, a new home purchase, or an exploration of a common interest, and make acquaintances – those “new” chapters get replaced by even NEWER ones. When a movie ends, we turn off the TV and go on to our next activity. It doesn’t make that movie bad. It makes it completed. Maybe it makes sense to think less of a friendship ending; and rather, think of it as completing.

Consider more positive approaches: “You were the perfect person to share what I experienced;” or “I am exactly who you needed in this moment of your life.” The moment could have lasted for half an hour, or for 60 years and counting. That brief friendship doesn’t become less important. The life moment itself just turned out to be of a shorter duration, or lesser impact.

Many Stephen King stories have been adapted into movies or TV shows. Although most know him for horror or supernatural themes, I think his most profound works are not. The first example is The Shawshank Redemption, a novella about a man serving a life sentence for a crime he didn’t commit. Another is Stand By Me, a coming-of-age story about adolescence. The final quote from the movie may sum up this idea better than I:

“I never had any friends later on like the ones I had when I was 12. Jesus, does anybody?”

-Toph