Spooky October Journal + Kaffre talks Candy #55

Welcome to yet another exciting kitty journal. Thanks for coming! *hugs* The latter part of September and early October are always busy times of year for me and it 2019 was no exception!

Our original plans for Poutine Feast 2019 fell through, but my sister and I were able to make it on the final day of the event anyway (Sept 29). As predicted, the new location wasn't nearly as scenic as the previous year's event in the city park, but made up for this somewhat by superior accessibility in terms of public transportation or parking and physically maneuvering between the assembled food-trucks. I decided to get one featuring sauteed zucchini, bell pepper, mushroom, carrot, onion, and tomato while my sister opted for one with bacon, chicken, and Alabama white sauce'. Overall, the food was a bit pricey, but we enjoyed the event and have agreed to attend again next year if it's held again.

Gem Storm 2019. The 50th anniversary of our local lapidary convention went pretty well too, I think. We missed the first day and most of the vendors were, annoyingly, cash only, but I was OK despite the crowds and purchased: a calcite cube, a fluorite octahedron, and a piece of aqua aura quartz (metal coated crystal) while my sister bought a piece of malachite. I'm especially happy with the calcite as I've always wanted some after learning about its very unusual property of birefringence (double-refraction) many years ago. I'm hoping to attend this even next year as well, but may consider bringing my nephews too next time as children can attend free and it seems like a fun educational experience for them.

Apart from all of that, I found a newborn kitten lying alone in our yard. It doesn't seem to be from any of our Queens, but one of them did adopt him when we put him in with her (much older) kittens and it has been suggested that I ought to keep him to fill the hole left in the wake of Parker's passing. I was originally intending to take a break from pet ownership, but after ruminating on the proposition, I probably will keep the little fellow after all. Of course, he's only a few weeks old and currently lacks much in the way of personality, but I'll keep you updated as my attempts to bond with him continue.

Finally, speaking of adorable newborn kittens, as per tradition, I will be regressed at midnight on October 29 and remain in my extra-fluffy and huggable baby form until such a time as I post my 'November' journal. So be ready to shower me with huggles and petties when the time comes! If your choice of birthday gift is not appropriate for a newborn, please withhold it until I'm big enough to use it properly (also try to prevent me from eating too much wrapping paper this year).

Well, I guess that's it for now. Thanks for taking the time to read my journal *hugs*. I look forward to hearing from all of you on my Birthday Journal or, failing that, my November journal in a month's time...

And now, I proudly present, Kaffre talks Candy #55

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Kaffre talks Candy #55

Name: Airwaves (Blackcurrant)
Manufacturer: Wrigley
Size: 14 gram package (10 pieces)
Where Purchased: British Isles Shoppe
Description: Consists of pink sticks of chicle style gum.
Opinion: Evidently more cough drop than gum, these had a strong menthol and eucalyptus flavour that almost completely overwhelmed any traces of blackcurrent. The initial burst of flavour is quite intense, but fades fairly quickly leaving the remaining gum a bit insipid. Overall, the taste wasn't bad per se, but I don't really think these work as a candy but I might consider giving them a shot as a cough remedy at some point.

Name: Bubble Gum Fries
Manufacturer: Exclusive Brands
Size: 60 grams (12 pieces)
Where Purchased: Dollar Tree
Description: Consists of flexible sticks of yellow bubble gum that vaguely resemble french fries.
Opinion: An item I picked up at my sister's recommendation. The gum was stiff, but chewable so I think it was the almost cylindrical cross-section at work as opposed to being stale. The gum itself was 'fruit' flavoured, but seemed to be mostly banana which was fine for me, but be off-putting to some. Overall, I thought this product was pretty good, but don't think I'm likely to buy it again (for myself) in the near future.

Name: Hello Kitty Sweet Speckled Candy Eggs
Manufacturer: Boston America Corp
Size: 34 gram tin
Where Purchased: Midori
Description: Consists of egg-shaped mannitol candies in both green and blue with a speckled pattern. Comes in a metal tin featuring the titular feline wearing a bunny-ears headband.
Opinion: A product I decided to grab on a whim. The candies are pretty bland until you bite them open and are too hard for this to be done easily, but do have a pleasant, if somewhat forgettable, taste. Overall, I thought these candies reasonably tasty, but I don't know if I'd buy them again. At least the tin was cute.

Name: Little Debbie Bat Brownies
Manufacturer: McKee Foods
Size: 288 grams (6 brownies)
Where Purchased: Dollarama
Description: Consists of chocolate brownies baked in a shape that resembles a bat (or possibly a bow tie) with marks in the frosting to suggest a body and fingers. Brownies are individually wrapped in cellophane pouches.
Opinion: A Halloween-themed product I'd never seen before. While this item appears to be a pretty standard brownie apart from its unconventional shape, they did seem to have a fresher and more chocolatey flavour than most though it may be that I got an unusually good batch. In any case, I thought this product was quite good and will certainly consider purchasing them again despite their being slightly smaller than the company's standard 'Cosmic Brownie' as even if the freshness is a fluke, they're still cute!

Name: Maltesers Teasers
Manufacturer: Mars
Size: 35 gram bar
Where Purchased: Giant Tiger
Description: Consists of a bar of milk chocolate with granules of malted milk biscuit embedded throughout. The bar is arranged much like Aero with two columns of five hemispherical bubbles. The columns on this bar are less distinct, however, and appear almost buttock-like.
Opinion: A bar I've seen a few times, but never sampled until now. The chocolate is decent enough and the malted milk bits lend the bar a bit of texture as well as a fairly unique taste (albeit possibly an acquired one). Fortunately, I like the taste of malted milk and, correspondingly, this bar. Overall, I thought this product was pretty tasty and will likely purchase it again as a change of pace from time to time, but there are other candy bars I like better.