Stacks on Stacks on Snax

I read a Huffington Post article titled Bon Appetit: Snacks from the '90s We Love and Miss and I just have a few comments...

Surge Soda
How are you going to mention Surge and NOT discuss the fact that everybody thought it was a sperm killer? Rumor or not, that was a very integral part of Surge's shelf-life as a Coke product, and a disgrace to the marketing team that must have spent MANY sleepless nights thinking of ways to convince the middle school population that their ability to produce off-spring wouldn't be affected by this Mountain Dew knock-off. Huge oversight, imo.

Doritos 3D
Couldn't agree more with HuffPo on this one. I hated 3D Doritos. I'm in a distinct camp of people that believe Doritos have been on the down-swing since the '90s--a phenonomen I detail in greater length here. The introduction of 3DD to the chip market was a blow to the Dorito legacy.

Air Heads
Can anyone, anywhere, tell me what White Mystery was? SOS.

Oreo O's
This one goes out to the one, the only, Sheila Gilchrist. The final arbiter of all things Oreo (be it Cakesters, Golden, or DoubleStuf variety) in the Gilchrist household. Loved that shit like crack. Glad this cereal is getting a well-deserved spot in the mainstream media.

War Heads
This candy did not make the list and I'm baffled. Where I come from, War Heads weren't just candy--they served as currency. Lemon was the equivalent of the penny, whereas getting a Blackberry was akin to having crisp Benjamin in your wallet. Social mobility was quite fluid in a society where wealth came in the form of War Heads. You could go from rags to riches in no time, so long as your mom bought the 500 piece bag. Anyone could be Elementary Royalty. Who doesn't miss that?

Oh, and HuffPo, you forgot Ring Pops.

Brass Machine

and I DON'T mean the Maynard Ferguson song. I'm talking about a real brass machine.

The DC Brass Connection is my most recent music obsession. Anyone who lives in DC has probably seen these little rock stars (and if you haven't, you should really look for them--they are SO great and adorable). It's a 7 piece brass ensemble that features 5 trombones, 1 sousaphone and 1 mellophone. I've seen these guys at Dupont a ton, and now I find myself making increasingly frequent pilgrimages up to hit the Urban Outfitters and Loft in Chinatown now because that's their new spot.

What I find so special about this particular group (and why I drain my pockets to their collection bin) is that the band is clearly all about the kids. It appears to be a very enriching experience for them--which in turn makes it all the more enriching for the audience. There's one adult in the mix, but he plays the drums--he basically just keeps time. The kids all take turns soloing while the rest keep the rhythym moving in the background. Putting yourself out there to solo is no small feat--and to do it WELL is exceptionally impressive. These kids know chords and keys in ways that I don't think I was ever capable of when I used to play. The smallest one (he honestly can't be more than 7 years old) matches his kicks to his green trombone, which I find so endearingly baller that I just want to put him in my pocket and carry him around with me. 

See?

This isn't your average kids'  recorder concert--these guys are GREAT. This is a video of the DC Brass Connection celebrating a big Caps win, and here's one of the group playing in Dupont. 

Music, and especially completely instrumental ensembles is something I hold near and dear to me. I played tenor saxophone in my high school's jazz band and it was a hoot. At a benefit concert for the fund honoring one of my closest friends, I got some of my old band mates back together to play a tune for her. Despite the fact that we were a little rusty, I have to say--music really does bring people together in ways that other forms of communication and collaboration just can't. It's one of my favorite memories--and to see a bunch of kids getting together to make music as often as this group does is really special. 

It really warms my heart every time I see the DC Brass Connection, and I just wanted to give them a shout. Rock on, little brass soldiers. I'm one of your biggest fans.