I’ve realized that even though I truly love everyone so many people do suck and are a total waste of my time and energy. Unfortunately, we have to interact with people and depend on other people for our livelihood but goddammit it’s frustrating because most people don’t do what they say they will do. Sorting through useless people to find the good ones is time and energy consuming like eating Cracker Jack for the prize…and it’s usually a shitty prize but sometimes it’s a cool tattoo. I also always liked the little tops. The spinning tops not the lame pencil toppers. It’s almost better that Cracker Jack was purchased by Frito Lay because they stopped putting prizes in the packages. Now there’s no disappointment waiting at the bottom BUT there’s also no anticipation, no hope that the prize will be cool rather than shitty.

   When I was young I made myself wait until I had eaten the last bite of Cracker Jack before being rewarded by the prize. When I had gotten a little older I started fishing for the prize halfway through my snack because I wanted to at least be able to have the pleasure of the peanuts and popcorn as my consolation prize if the surprise turned out to be super lame. I would save the real carmel coated pieces until the end. In my late teen years I realized that I didn’t even really like the taste of Cracker Jack very much.

   I went years without even thinking about the treat until I had my own kids. I bought it for them a few times out of a sense of nostalgia but it wasn’t really a hit and there was no prize at all.

    I miss the days when I was excited about a cheap prize at the bottom of a box of less than delicious peanuts and half stale popcorn that always sort of tasted like cardboard

Cracker Jack Collectors Association

Cool tops

Lame pencil topper