Addiction

Wall O' Peeps (Photo credit: urtica)

I was reading a Freshly Pressed blog about Peeps and it got me started thinking about seasonal candy and how it seems to have taken over store shelves — not to mention my life. The more I thought about it the more I realized that it’s time to take a stand — I’m not a fan of Peeps. There! I said it.

When it comes to chocolate covered marshmallow eggs, though, now that’s a whole different obsession.

For awhile I bought into the theory that seasonal candy was not bad for you. (Now, I just buy it without wasting time thinking about it.)

I mean it only comes around once a year, right?

Wrong! Seems like it’s always some season or other that brings — you guessed it — candy. Half the year is candy season!

Candy? (Photo credit: KyuubiTamer)

Not convinced, let’s take a quick look …

It starts with Halloween. Candy, candy, and more candy.

No sooner do we get past that calorie laden fiasco than “the holidays” are upon us and the candy just explodes all over the place. There’s peppermint candy canes, and fudge with nuts, and fudge without nuts, and divinity, and, my personal favorite, chocolate covered cherries. Yum!

Just when I feel grateful for surviving another year’s candy laden holiday season, here comes Valentine’s Day followed closely by St Patrick’s Day, chocolate shamrocks and all.

Right on the heels of Cupid‘s favorite holiday comes Easter with chocolate bunnies, chocolate eggs, and Peeps!

So whose fault is this?

I blame it on Hershey. You see, they nabbed me years ago when they started putting Hershey’s Kisses in different color wrappers. I can’t resist them.

Hershey's Kisses (Photo Credit: Wikipedia)

I love the little Halloween Kisses in their Fall colored wrappers and Christmas Kisses in their red and green wrappers. And, let’s not forget the red and silver wrappers for Valentine’s Day and — for Easter — the pastels.

I am convinced that if they’d stop with the holiday wrappers, I could go the rest of my life without eating a single Hershey’s Kisses.

That doesn’t mean I would give up chocolate covered marshmallow eggs or chocolate covered cherries.

I’m not completely nuts!

It’s time to confess.

I have a problem.

October 2010, 18 long months ago, I started listening to Leon Russell’s CD Retrospective — and I can’t seem to stop. My ears just can’t seem to get enough of the master of space and time.

Now, this isn’t necessarily a bad thing.

Crazy weird?

Yep!

Can’t help it.

I’ve tried weaning myself from Leon’s music – multiple times — and I’ve even managed to for a day or so then it’s back to Leon. I have a whole slew of CD’s from which to choose but I keep coming back to Leon.

I’ve tried everything. Nora Jones lasted for almost a whole CD and I made it all the way through a Bare Naked Ladies CD. That was in December of 2010. Since then, I’ve tried Dan Fogelberg, The Eagles, Bob Seger, Cake, Kenny Wayne Sheppard, Eric Clapton, Led Zeppelin, America, The Beatles, and even Janis Joplin. Then, finally, about 6 months ago, I brought out the big gun — John Fogerty. It lasted for about 3 days then it was back to Leon.

Is this a misguided effort to recapture my youth?

Don’t know. Don’t care.

Have you ever heard Leon’s Jumping Jack Flash? No? What’s stopping you? Try it here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lZIi188Cakk, you’ll like it. (341,555 views, and counting.)

I managed to listen to Leon’s 2006 CD, Angel in Disguise, for about a month in the summer of 2011. (I especially liked Honky Tonk Eyes.) But then it was back to vintage Leon.

I can’t stop. I have a problem. I need help. Sad, but true.

It got so bad my daughter tried to stage an intervention. Well, sort of. Actually, she just refuses to let me play Leon in the car when she’s with me. Not much help at all.

Jump forward to this week. I am determined to break this habit! (I would say cold turkey but finding the link above ~~made me~~ forced me to watch the video. Sorry. Couldn’t be helped.) I started out my commute this week with John Fogerty’s A Long Road Home. I love this CD. I’m a huge fan of Jon Fogerty and CCR. The title of this post is a line from his song, Rockin’ All Over the World. I love it!

But, the big question is — how long can my ears stay away from Leon and his drawl?

In case you’re wondering, Masquerade is my favorite Leon Russell song. I know everybody else likes A Song for You, but I’m hooked on Masquerade. Can’t get enough of it.

Maybe it’s a sickness. Maybe not.

Maybe I’m just in a musical rut.

Can John Fogerty get me out of the Leon Russell ditch?

We’ll see.

I just watched Leon on youtube playing Jambalaya on the Bayou, with Glen Campbell on guitar.

I am so in over my head!