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Cyndi Palmer: Hershey’s kisses and candy conversations

Cyndi PalmerA Face in the Crowd

With Valentine’s Day right around the corner, I thought I’d stop by the store to get some candy to put on my desk to share with co-workers. Let’s face it, I’m a sucker for a sweet and the sugar seems to get us through some rough deadlines. So, I almost always have a little something to tide one over before and after lunch – whether it’s a holiday or not.Not only did I stock up on Hershey’s kisses and green M&Ms (which are available now collected together by their mythologically suggestive color), but I also picked up a few bags of the old standard conversation hearts. As I suspected, the M&Ms are thinning out in the candy dish (their color ineffective as far as I can tell), while the hearts sit there untouched as the hands of the hungry pass them by.Their messages clearly stamped on the surface, they are a sign of the times with new trendy sayings making their way to the long-lived Valentine treat each year. I always get a kick out of reading their little messages. Some have uplifting statements like I love you, Mad 4 U, You’re fine, You rule, Got cha, First kiss, You rock, Hey you, So fine, Dare ya, Soul mate, Just one, Too hot, My hero, My cutie and the classic XOXO. Others have messages that seem to seek answers, like Be mine, Luv me, Kiss me and Ask me. Then there’s the two-word statements that leave you wanting an explanation of some kind, like Get real, No way, and my favorite this year – Don’t tell.Grand Lake just oozed peace and love this past weekend, with its Age of Aquarius, 1970s-theme Winter Carnival and I must say I came across pleasant surprises around every corner. Arriving a little early for the Teapot Curling event, my husband and I checked out the breakfast spread at the Fat Cafe for the very first time. We heard how great it was from several friends, but just weren’t up for buffets much, nor were we usually up during the breakfast hour on a weekend day.Not only did we encounter much more than we ever expected with English Sally’s homemade goodies galore (including an incredible orange chocolate creme pie) but we enjoyed entertainment by one-man show Moby. Not to be confused with another musician of the same single name, the guitarist can tell jokes just as good, or probably better, than he can sing. He had tables laughing it up as he admitted he was just about as upscale as you can not get, and sang songs like the Check’s in the Mail and various renditions of what he said was Kansas’ state song, Somewhere Over the Rainbow, especially for a group up visiting the area from Kansas. One time he sang the song as if he was Cheech Marin and Tommy Chong, then again as Sylvester Stallone in Rocky. I asked Sally to make sure to let me know when he returns. She said he’ll probably be around more often this summer.Speaking of the life of a party, birthday wishes go out to local musician Gary Key who played at Randi’s Irish Saloon on his special day. Reports are that fun and frivolity was had by all and that Dave-o Lawn joined him on harmonica for a couple songs.In other news, rock band Meniskus (who played in Grand County in January and is set to return in March) e-mailed me to let others know that their music is featured in a new Outdoor Alliance video, addressing the issue of mining policy reform. The video is said to have particular relevance in the West, as mining claims have increased more than 80 percent since 2003 and the Environmental Protection Agency estimates that 40 percent of western headwaters are contaminated by mining operations. Areas affected by the outdated policies include Yosemite, Canyonlands and Colorado’s Alpine Loop Trail. The video is available online at meniskusband.com.Food for thought: There are more love songs than anything else. If songs could make you do something we’d all love one another. – Frank Zappa.


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