#68: Try every flavor snowball.

UPDATED 7/1/11 TO INCLUDE FLAVOR LIST AND OPINIONS!

Snowballs are way more enjoyable in the summer heat than in the dead of winter.

#68: Try every flavor snowball.

The backstory: Every summer, as I have mentioned in previous posts, I spend a fair amount of time at my Aunt Leah's house in Maryland. I spend most of that time babysitting or working on my many various school assignments and personal projects. On scorching August days when the outdoor inferno drains my sweat glands, I often opt to take the kids to the local snow cone (or, as the treat is lovingly called in Maryland, "snowball") stand for an juicy, frosty defibrillator. This serves both as a refresher for the kids and I after long days in the sun and as a pacifier to prevent them (and, in all fairness, also me) from whining and acting out as a result of their (err... OUR) delirious heat-exhausted brains.

The stand has thirty-some flavors available for customers' enjoyment. One day, when the whole family (my mom, grandparents, aunt, uncle, three cousins and I) went to the stand, I had a very difficult time deciding what flavor to choose. Should I go for spicy cinammon "Fireball" or light delicious "Ice Cream Flavor"? Would I be better off with sour "Lemon Frost" or something sweeter, like "Cotton Candy"? And what the heck are "Skylite" and "Egg Custard"? (Is it really a frothy pudding-like concoction made of chicken yolks or am I reading too far into the implication of the name "Egg Custard"?) Or should I mix flavors? And should I get marshmallow fluff on top or in the middle? Or both? Or not at all? So many choices, so little shaved ice!

That's when it hit me. In the immediate family ring, I had nine hungry, hungry hippos who were ready to devour snowballs. Even if they didn't come with me every time I visited the stand, I would always at least have my cousins with me which would mean I could get up to four flavors each time. If we each tried new flavors and took small spoonfuls of each others' cups of frozen goodness each time we went, we could all get a taste of every flavor on the syrup menu. Thus, it would not be too difficult to try every flavor snowball by the end of the summer. That way, the next time I visited the stand, I would have a good idea as to what my flavor options really were and what I would be in the mood for.

So, without further ado, here are my opinions on all 28 flavors offered:

-Cherry: Pretty much your standard cherry flavor. Sweet, but my body has trouble processing red dye so I probably would never order it.

-Strawberry: I LOVE strawberries, but I'm not big on strawberry-flavored things (fruit snacks, lollipops, etc.) Consequently, this one was not my favorite but that doesn't mean it wasn't still tasty.

-Red raspberry: I hesitate to try raspberry-flavored things because I really don't like sour tastes, but this was surprisingly light and sweet while still maintaining the tang you'd expect from raspberry flavor.

-Watermelon: Too artificial. Watermelon is one of my favorite fruits and as of yet I have not found a single artificial watermelon flavoring that has lived up to that taste of a fresh, well-textured piece of melon dripping with sweet watery goodness.

-Fireball: Disappointed me. I love cinnamon. Cinnamon buns are my favorite breakfast treat (believe it or not... haha! See the post about the Blue Moon Cafe.) and Big Red is one of my favorite chewing gum brands. Nonetheless, the spicy with the icy tasted more like liquid pepper juice than a flaming ball of WOW to tingle my taste buds.

-Bubble gum: Didn't taste like bubble gum, but still tasted delicious!

-Cotton Candy: Nostalgic for me as cotton candy used to be my favorite flavor water ice when I was a kid, so I'd definitely get it again but my tastes have matured.

-Almond: Surprisingly, this was the flavor I was most afraid to try and I was actually impressed with it. Sure, it wasn't my cup of tea, but it was actually very light and sweet which I enjoyed (even though I only took a really small nibble of it!)

-Egg Custard: I know. It sounds gross. I was put off at first too, but my aunt and uncle SWORE it is a Maryland tradition and that I'd like it, and you know what? I actually loved it. It was one of my favorite flavors on the menu and I have since ordered it numerous times.

-Orange Frost: Surprisingly enough, I did not like this. It tasted like orange juice concentrate poured over the snowball. I love oranges, but this was much too artificial and overpowering for me to actually appreciate it. Major let down. I don't recommend it.

-Lemon Frost: Same as Orange Frost, unfortunately. My mom swore it was just Country Time brand lemonade mix swirled into the crushed ice.

-Mango: I'm usually not the world's biggest fan of tropical fruits, but this was actually juicy and yummy, so much so that I would actually order it for myself sometime.

-Pineapple: Very good. Not as... intense?... of a flavor as I was expecting, but good nonetheless.

-Banana: It tasted like banana alright. There are people in this world who love bananas and people who hate them. I have rarely come across someone who falls in the middle. I personally love them, as does most of my family, but if you're not and bananamaniac then I would avoid this like the plague.

-Peach: Very impressive... made me feel like I was biting into a big juicy peach when I ate it. Recommended.

-Lime: I love lime flavored treats (although I actually don't like real limes. Strange?) As a result, I loved the lime flavor, although my mom did not.

-Spearmint: DELICIOUS. AMAZING. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED. Very refreshing... especially good with marshmallow. If you want more mint flavor, then get the marshmallow in the middle because they give an extra squirt, but if you want a more balanced flavor then I'd get the marshmallow on top. (Can you tell it's my standard order? Haha!)

-Honeydew: NOT GOOD. Do not order. I love honeydew melons, but this was just a very odd flavor. I don't even know how to describe it. Two thumbs down.

-Green apple: YUMMY YUMMY YUMMY!

-Skylight: Oddly fruity and good. I don't think I'd get it for myself, but it's one of my cousins' favorites. (I think it's more because of the blue color than anything; it is the only blue-colored flavor.)

-Grape: Much too watery for my taste. I like sweet grape flavors, but this was actually a little sour and bitter. Not my favorite even though I usually love grape flavor. Disappointment.

-Black raspberry: I actually don't remember this one, but I feel like it packed a heavier punch than the red raspberry did.

-Ice Cream Flavor: Yes, that's right. They have an ice cream flavored snowball. They sell ice cream at the stand too, so for the life of me I can't decipher why you wouldn't just buy ice cream if that's what you're craving, but suit yourselves. If you've ever been to a Coldstone Creamery, then you'll understand this reference... This is the sweet cream of snowball flavors.

-Coconut: I despise coconut flavor, so I'm biased, but BLECH. Not good.

-Chocolate: Literally just Hershey's Syrup poured on top of crushed ice. Delicious? You bet your peppermint patty.

-Vanilla: One of my favorites on the list. Like baby bear; not too sweet, not too mild, but just right. Two thumbs way up.

-Root Beer: All I could think about while I ate it was that Spongebob episode when Plankton's extended family comes and demands (with their heavy southern accents) root beer from the Krusty Krab. I'm a dork. =P

-Kola: Why is it spelled with a K here? I don't know, my best friend forever Jill. Anyway, I thought I'd like it but it turns out soda tastes weird when it's not carbonated. Another disappointment (although sometime I want to mix this with cherry and have a Cherry Cola (or Cherry Kola... or Kherry Kola, or Kcherry Kcola or however this stand wants to spell it) snowball.

So there you go. This is what I do at 1:15 AM at my aunt's house when I can't fall asleep. I go onto my blog and reminisce about all the unhealthy things I've filtered through my kidneys over the past year. No, but really, heed my warnings if you're ever ordering a snowball. Trust me. I know what I'm talking about. After all, I'm an expert; I HAVE tried every flavor, y'know!

Here's a little treat for you!

I was just going back through my files and I cam across this little gem...

When i first started my project, I was going to try to make it more of a vlog so I could videotape myself completing the goals and then make a documentary. I haven't been able to get as much footage as I had hoped originally, so I scratched that idea, but here is me talking to myself a year and a half ago (as I so enjoy doing... haha!) just before I started this very blog you're reading!

A note for future goals...

I actually have crossed 49 goals off my list so far, believe it or not, but I have yet to write about a majority of them. I'm going to be away next week on college trips, but come July I intend to write a lot so that I can catch up to speed. Thanks, fellow bucketeers!

#5: Meet someone famous.

About time for another post, don't you think?

#5: Meet someone famous.

Now, I know I've been basically the worst blogger ever because it's been months since my last post, but I've just been so busy with school and college stuff that I haven't had time. Today, however, I was motivated to start blogging again.

I slept in today until noon. Normally, that would have been a rare treat but I've actually slept until noon for the past five days. I got up and made myself some Eggo waffles, which turned out kind of dry. I washed them down with a warm bottled water from my garage. I then drove to the school my grandparents work at to help them clean out their classrooms (they're retiring... congrats, Nana and Pop-Pop!) The school is not air-conditioned and it was in the mid-eighties today, so I was sweating like a dog if a dog was able to sweat. Then I drove home, getting lost in Valley Forge Park for about ten minutes along the way. Needless to say, not the greatest start to a day. Then, my luck changed.

I got a text from my friend Marissa Gero which read "NATE TBL TWEETED YOUR WEBSITE". The lack of punctuation and use of all caps did not even convey the extent of my excitement. I had to play it cool because my mom was in the room and probably would have had a heart attack if I randomly started screaming. I smoothly slinked out of the room, ran down the hall to my bedroom, shut the door and began jumping up and down in a fashion reminiscent of Tom Cruise on Oprah. I'm glad there aren't security cameras in my house because I acted like a big dork, but this was a big deal.

I don't think anyone understands really what this means to me. I don't even think the Buried Life guys knew (it was actually Jonnie who found my blog) what this meant. A year ago, I was a sick, frail ghost of a teenager who could barely get out of bed in the morning. Yet here I was dancing like a drunk monkey on a banana plantation. Of course, I couldn't just take Marissa's word for it. I had to see it for myself. I logged onto Twitter faster than a speeding waistband and before I knew it, there it was. "Love this kid: whatdouwant2dob4udie.blogspot.com #goNate". The hash-tag hashed my sanity. I almost broke down into tears.

As if the tweet wasn't enough, I proceeded to check my e-mail as I remembered I had written the TBL guys a few weeks back. Sure enough, there was a response directly from Jonnie. I'm not going to disclose what it said (that's for me alone) but I will say that it was very sweet and that I teared up when I read it.

This process... this list... this has been the motivation that got me through it all. I went to hell and back over the past two years, but this list was the light at the end of the tunnel. As I said in my very first post, I don't know that I'll accomplish all 100 goals by the time college rolls around, but the important part is that I make it that far. Without the goals to keep me driving forward, I probably would not even be here typing this with tear-stained cheeks and a smile on my face.

I know I didn't "meet" anyone famous, and I know the Buried Life guys would not classify themselves as "famous" anyways. Nonetheless, I feel like this goal is complete now. Those four guys- Duncan, Jonnie, Dave and Ben- they are my inspiration. Without them, I wouldn't have been around to sleep in this morning; I probably wouldn't have gotten my license which enabled me to drive to help my grandpa this afternoon and to get lost in Valley Forge; I definitely would not have been able to eat dry Eggo waffles because I'd still be too sick to eat. To know that they know I was inspired by them and that I want to keep their message going is both mind-blowing and extremely humbling.

I haven't finished the list yet. I'm still working on it. I'm still working on myself. But today, my project came full circle, and that in my mind warrants crossing off this item.

Everyone that's reading this: I know this post was written hastily, but I hope I've gotten the point across. If I've inspired you, just know I'm passing on a message. I wasn't the start of the chain and hopefully I won't be the end of it either. Keep passing the word along. Life is a glass half full. I didn't get lost in Valley Forge today; I just took the scenic route. My illness wasn't a curse... it was an opportunity: an opportunity to find myself, to make memories, and to live life to the fullest... to dig myself out from my buried life, brush off the mud and maggots, and watch the sun rise again.

Thank you, Duncan, Jonnie, Dave and Ben. Thank you for saving my life.