Why did they wait so long?

Just the other day I was telling Tiff how I missed the simplicities of small town life. One of my favorite memories was spending countless days at the local swimming pool with all of my friends during the summer. Mark and I would walk the 6 or so blocks with the $1.25 entry fee clinched tightly in hand. Once there we would quickly find a place to lay our towels, take off our shirts and jump in. We would swim and swim until the loudspeaker came on and it was time for a 15 minute rest period. We were never quite sure why they forced these mandatory breaks, but all we knew was this was concession stand time. The concession stand had all of the great american summer snacks; big hunks, laffy taffy, lemon heads, zots, and my personal favorite.. The Atomic Fireball. Oh how I loved the pain that damn fireball would inflict but just as it was unbearable, ahh the sweet candy center. We would gather around, each with a fireball in hand, count down and simultaneously pop them in our mouths to see who could stand the heat the longest before spitting it out and going for the fountain.

Fast forward 18 years and I find myself in a coworkers office last week discussing a little business. He casually offers me a small lemon head sized red candy, I accept and as I bite down I realize this is not just any candy, this is something I love, something I remember! I ask and his reply is "Yep, it sure is. They have them at Walgreens." Of course I make haste to the nearest Walgreens and just as he had promised, boxes upon boxes of the chewy treats.

My friends, it is so.. The