What's your favorite product(s) at Trader Joe's?

We don't have TJ's in Colorado! I know... it's practically criminal that TJ's hasn't come here! Do you have any idea how hard it is to live somewhere with TJ's in town and then to move to a new place and spent the next 10 years without a TJ's for a thousand miles around???

Okay, my favorite TJ's items that I try to pick up whenever I'm near a TJs:

~ Vanilla Joe-Joe's. (vanilla cookie with vanilla bean filling). No chocolate Joe-Joe's, please! I have a total of 3 stale vanilla Joe-Joe's in a ziploc bag in my cupboard because I failed at hitting up TJ's when I was in LA in July. I need Joe-Joe's!!!

~TJ's 500mg peppermint chewable melatonin. Do you know that at the Whole Foods around here, I can't find less than 2 or 3mg melatonin? It's stupid when TJ's has 1/2 mg melatonin for only $4 for 100 tabletss!

~TJ's Roasted Pepitas. There's nothing quite like them anywhere. Fortunately, I'm stocked up on them right now, so I don't need any, but seriously, if you live near a TJ's and you haven't tried their roasted pepitas, get some and toss a few in a salad. They're sooo good!

~TJ's dried fruit bars -- they're like fruit roll-ups done TJ's style. I love all the flavors. They're so yummy.

~TJ's chili-pineapple in the dried fruits section. Mmmm...delish!

There's pretty much nothing from TJ's that I don't love. I really wish they'd open a store in Colorado! It's no fair that they won't come here.

Also, who mentioned Pad Thai? Now I'm craving it. Have you noticed most of my posts are about food? I must be really hungry. All the time.

what's autumn like in your neck of the woods? what do you love and/or hate about it?

I love early- to mid-Autumn weather in Colorado. I love the warm sun and cool air. I love the changing colors of the trees. I love being able to hang out in my hammock and read while snuggled under a blanket. I especially love it when my nephew and dogs join me, although we don't get much reading done in that instance. I love taking walks through the mountains or the plains during this gorgeous Autumn weather. What I don't like is that even though the leaves do change color here, we don't get a lot of variety in fall colors and we don't get much in the way of the extremely bright, vivid colors like you get in Minnesota/Wisconsin or New England. If you drive into the mountains for a lovely fall day, you'll mostly see evergreens and golden aspens and not much else in the way of pretty colors. Some people love it, but I miss the oranges and bright yellows and golds and crimsons and cinnamon colors you see in other places. Plus, I don't like that it can be gorgeous here on the plains, but if you drive into the mountains for a drive to see the pretty fall colors, you may just end up getting snowed on instead. It's happened to me a few times. So that's what I love/dislike about fall here. There you go. Now you know.

Is there a store that you love which does not have a location near you (but that has a physical presence somewhere, not just online? Why do you love it so much?

Aside from the aforementioned Trader Joe's, my favorite store that is 1,000 miles away is Halloweentown in Burbank, CA. I could spend hours and hours and thousands of dollars in that store. It is so much fun! I especially love their jewelry, the raven necklaces in particular and the hearse earrings.

Most looking forward to in teh Weenies?

I've sniffed them all since I ran a decant group, but I haven't tried them all yet. I'm especially looking forward to layering Suck It with Lick It. They're both sitting on my desk waiting for Sarah to wear off my skin so I can try them together. Sadly, Boo goes wonky on my skin, so I'm really looking forward to trying it in my oil burner.

Also, I had no idea about the Tim Burton Alice in Wonderland movie. Where do you guys find out about this stuff? I'm always so behind the times.

What mythical or fantastic race of creatures (dragons, unicorns, griffins, elves, dwarves, faeries, etc.) do you most identify with, and why?

I've never thought about this. I'm really not much into fantasy, but I do LOVE cheezeball unicorns and squished fairies.

How do you feel about Dia de los Muertos? Are you interested in sugar skulls? Catrina (or other) skeleton figurines?

I would love DDLM stuff! A friend made a sugar skull for me 3 years ago to put out for my precious kitty Wayne, who passed away a month prior. When she gave it to me, I cried. It meant so much. I lost two relatives this year (my aunt and my grandfather), so sugar skulls in honor of them would be very touching and really wonderful...but not required since I hadn't even thought about it before now.

Do you have a favorite poem or poet?

For the most part, I actually don't enjoy poetry. However, there are a few poets out there that I like: Rilke, Rumi, Sharon Olds, Galway Kinnell, and my sister's poetry, which kicks some serious @$$. I don't know why I never got into poetry, but unless it's song lyrics, I don't usually "get it" in that to me, poetry is rarely emotional/moving/meaningful.

Super villain or vigilante?

If you're going to put one in a box, I'll take the super villain. I think it would be so much fun to Rob banks and art museums and threaten the destruction of the entire universe.

I couldn't imagine being a vigilante about anyone or anything...unless someone hurt my dogs. Then I'd definitely want to be the hand of justice.

If your witch were to either write something for you or put together a collection of ghost stories, would you rather have it in writing, recorded as an oral telling, or both? I don't know if I know any. Shame on me! I think I just lost goth points. Oh wait... I never had any! Also, I would freaking LOVE an oral telling of as many ghost stories or any creepy stories. That would rock!

If you had the funds to commission an original painting for yourself, what would it be of?

I would commission something by Susan Faye. I love the Halloween-themed designs she has up right now. Her custom portraits are just so whimsical and wonderful. They all make me so super happy! one of those with me and my husband and our gray kitty and our b&w corn dogs would be so wonderful! She did this custom portrait of my friend Maz and her kitties, and I just love it to bits and pieces.

Pirates or Ninjas:

Vampires. Or scary nuns.

Lolcats....yeah or nay?

Oh yes. They're hilarious!

Would you like to receive something of this nature (sweet diva boxes) from your witch?

Probably not.

Are there any Gods, Goddess, or other mythological figures of whom you're particularly fond?

I'm not particularly drawn to any specific gods, goddesses, mythological figures, but I am fascinated by all of them. I purchased The Encyclopedia of Spirits: The Ultimate Guide to the Magic of Fairies, Genies, Demons, Ghosts, Gods, & Goddesses last spring, and I haven't gotten tired of it yet. I read through an entry or two every night before bed and I am learning so much! I am really interested in all of them and the cultures behind them.

Does anyone have any symbols they consider to be personally significant or talismanic?

The triquetra. Like this piece I have on my back: