A Is For Apple

When I was selecting the title of this post it reminded me of grade school and how 'apple' always seemed to be the example for the letter 'A'. Somehow it seems fitting that this is where I'm going to start the A-Z Blogging Challenge. At the beginning. With an apple.

A lot of people don't know that I eat an apple a day. Well, at least I try to. There are some days, like vacations and weekends, where I don't manage to do so. But Monday to Friday, I eat an apple. I've heard it keeps the doctor and the dentist away. This is absolute hogwash, of course, because I still have to go to the dentist and the doctor. That said, I was reading an article not all that long ago about apples, and the fifteen health benefits of eating them. Now, I'm not going to recount all the benefits here. Heck no, I don't want to bore you to death. Besides, this A-Z challenge thing is supposed to be about October, not health. If you are super curious about the health benefits of eating apples you can Google it. But one of the reasons actually was that they make your teeth whiter. Then I started thinking, how exactly do they figure these things out?

But that's neither here nor there. So, how do apples tie in with October? Well, I'll tell you...

When I think of apples, I think of two things.

The first is Christian Bale in The Machinist. Has anyone seen this movie? It is a fantastic film but Mr. Bale is so skinny the thought alone makes me uncomfortable. I read an article where he said he wanted to be one hundred pounds for this role but his doctor advised him that it would be detrimental to his health. He ended up getting down to 123 pounds. Well, the reason I think of this movie and his weight loss when the subject of apples is broached (yes, the subject comes up all the time) is because in order to lose all the the weight for the role, rumour has it that he survived on a well-rounded diet of apples and cigarettes. Of course, that could be a lie, but I read it on the internet so it must be real. (Italics show sarcasm font)

Second up, I think of bobbing for apples, which is a Halloween game that doesn't seem like any fun whatsoever. Basically, there is a tub full of water and apples and you stick your head in and try to fish the apples out using only your mouth. This seems like a water up the nose scenario, and we all learned yesterday that I loathe the feeling of water up my nose. I wear a nose plug in the bathtub. Okay, okay, I'm not that extreme, but I don't put my head underwater when I swim. That's a truth for you.

I have never participated in a rousing game of bobbing for apples. And I doubt I ever will. But this a must have game at any and all Halloween parties, along with Bloody Mary and a Ouija board. Oh, and Spin-The-Bottle. *crickets* Or maybe that's just me.  *Awkward moment of silence*

This is where I tell you my favourite apple is the McIntosh Red, or better known simply as the McIntosh apple. This apple is hugely popular in Canada and, apparently, New England - Wikipedia taught me that. It is perfect, in my opinion, and it just happens to be harvested in early September, which is pretty close to Autumn.

Thinking about this reminds me of how skewed our seasons are. For the most part, we consider September, October and November to be Autumn and December to February to be Winter, but that isn't accurate, really, because Winter doesn't actually start until the end of December. It's just funny how we completely disregard the actual dates that the seasons start. At least most of us do, my coven and myself adhere to the dates fairly strictly in order to celebrate the Autumnal Equinox and Winter Solstice appropriately, by dancing naked in the moonlight. (That is, of course, a joke.) Though moonlight is the only acceptable light for me to dance naked in.

Well, that about wraps up 'A' and my first post for the A-Z Blogging Challenge. Fairly painless.

I'll see you tomorrow when I will tackle the letter 'B'.