Kool Aid smile, Dirt on my shirt and my Huffy...

Yesterday was the first day of the summer and also the longest day of the summer.  Some would say its all downhill from here but I think it's only just begun.   Naturally my nostalgic mind went into overdrive and for those that know me well, I like to dabble in nostalgia but don’t dwell.  I’m all about the good times but also love making new good times if you will.  Anyway, I started thinking about my childhood summers and how different each one seemed to be.   As a grown man (chronologically that is), it’s all sort of like that old viewfinder toy we played with as kids.   Here I am sitting at work clicking one picture at a time. 

My summers as a kid were spent for the most part at someone else’s house.  My parents were young parents and also both young working parents so I was shipped around to different babysitters.   My wonderful grandmother (God rest her soul) Pearl raised me for the most part.   I can remember her teaching me my ABC’s, 1, 2, 3’s and also the value of making quality tea and tuna sandwiches.  She always spoiled me and our trips to Woolworth’s for grilled cheese sandwiches and chocolate shakes will always make me smile.  I was also raised by two very special Aunts named Brenda and Pat.   I spent a lot of weekends and weeks during the summer when my mouth was wired shut.  (Long dental story to be told later).   Chocolate milk, dart gun fights with my cousins and watching Lethal Weapon with my Uncle Tom are good memories.    Many countless memories at my Aunt Pat’s house.   Crushing Doritos, feeding ponies, playing “Jason” in the woods with her sons Brian and Andy (my brothers), listening to Nascar races on the radio, enjoying my other Uncle Tom’s tea  and all night Nintendo fests with Blades of Steel, Double Dribble and Ikari Warriors.  The all nighters were probably courtesy of that sweet tea and numerous sodas that we often brushed our teeth with. 

Days like today make me want to go back to those innocent days.   No bills, no appointments, no responsibility and no commitments.   Days where I could wipe my mouth on my shirt, eat however many Ho Hos I wanted to and drink copious amounts of Kool Aid.  Days when the sound of the Ice Cream man was the only thing I heard other than my Mom or Dad calling me in at night.   Riding bikes, shooting bottle rockets of the balcony, walking to 7-11 to get the Biggest Gulp I could carry and sneaking into a neighborhood pool.   I could go on and on but that would take many blogs and a lot of my time here at work.   Besides, I always carry a viewfinder in my head to flip through all the good times.  Times are good now and 20 years now, I’ll look back and laugh at the fact that I wrote this blog while working.   And no matter what technology is out there, I’ll still use my viewfinder. 

Dreaming of SPAM....

 .  I'm not sure what to say or how to explain exactly why I have dreamt of it but to use a parlance of our times, it is what it is.  Let me clarify though.  The entire dream isn't regarding Spam.  It just seems to pop up here and there.  One night I dreamt of it being used as a weapon, another night it was a centerpiece at a dinner I was at and a few months ago I dreamt a Spam monster attacked me at a carnival.  Again, I have no idea why but it's caused me to think a bit more about Spam and what characteristics it has that seem to enchant and also haunt my subconscious.  The first question that came to mind was what the hell is SPAM?

Spam is defined as
Canned precooked meat product made by the Hormel foods corporation. The labeled ingredients in the classic variety of Spam are chopped pork shoulder meat, with ham meat added, salt, water, modified potato starch as a binder, and sodium nitrate as a preservative. Spam's gelatinous glaze, or aspic appearance, forms from the cooling of meat stock. The product has become part of many jokes and urban legends about mystery meat which has made it part of pop culture and folklore.  A Hormel official stated that the name originated from the ingredients "shoulder of pork and ham"

Did you read that?   "Chopped pork shoulder meat" sounds damn good doesn't it?   I bet it would go well with some cream of sheepball soup!    The ingredients of the Spam are quite nasty but not one time while I read those words was I enchanted or intrigued.  In fact, I wasn't even surprised.  So why?  Why does Spam turn up in my dreams?   It's not like I ate it as a kid.   I ate some deviled ham here and there but never delved into the world of Spam.  You think I jest?   No.  No.  Surely I don't. 

Upon further research on the subject, I find the....Spam Jam!  Yes that's right.  There is a festival celebrating said meat.  Spam Jam is real and there are actually two festivals.  One occurs in Austin, Minnesota which is home to the headquarters of Hormel Foods.  In past events, such stars as James Belushi, Kurtwood Smith( of Robocop and 70s show fame) and the Science Guy Bill Nye.   The second Spam Jam occurs in Waikiki, Hawaii which for some reason reminds me of Spam.   All of this is fascinating stuff but again...why am i dreaming of it?  As a last resort, I consult a dream dictionary. 

According to the dream dictionary, dreaming of meat or having meat could represent obstacles or discouragements that I may come across as I move toward achieving goals.  It may also reflect untamed, animalistic tendencies and raw emotions.  Hmmmmmmm.    Well damn.  Never quite thought of it that way and I will not confirm or deny that analysis's relevance in my life. 

In summary, I have reached zero conclusion as to why Spam appears in my dreams.  It could be that I'm hungry, it could be that I am apprehensive of future goals, it could be that I'm a raw animal beast, it could simply be a sign that I need to pursue a career in additives, preservatives or meat in general.  Perhaps I'm the guy who's going to invent the next meat snack.  Meat in a cup?  Meat on a stick?  Meat chewing gum?   Perhaps a new action hero called Pete Meat who fights evil spoiled meat?    I will give you this nugget.   Tonight's dinner will be none other than....SPAM and all its gelatinous glory!   Call me if you want some.  Hitting Costco after work...