In Pursuit of Happyness

This blog post deviates from design issues in New Media, but it is a story that I feel compelled to tell. So without further ado, I will begin the true story of my Pursuit of Happyness.

All Hallows Eve, commonly known as Halloween, is the night where kids and young adults all across the United States 'trick or treat' and petition strangers for free quantities of candy, sweets, and treats. I, however, was not in the mood for candy. Rather, I had an intense craving for ice cream - specifically a Dairy Queen sundae. My thoughts kept wandering back to soft serve ice cream, spiraling up and swooping in a nice curly-q. Hot fudge, caramel, strawberry ... the actual topping didn't really matter as much as the ice cream itself. I had to have it.

My mother discouraged me from going, but I was bent on getting that sundae. By now, my ice cream craving had spread to my younger siblings. Five requests for sundaes was too tall an order to be ignored, so I hopped into my car with my sister Kami and made my way to the local Dairy Queen.

The place was empty. And very dark. Closed. Bummer. I couldn't figure out why they were closed on Halloween night. I'm not gonna lie - I was disappointed. After all, I had geared myself up for one of their sundaes. Not easily deterred, I turned my car around and headed over to Target. I would make my own sundae. I selected a jar of strawberry topping and my sister grabbed a caramel syrup, and then the two of us entered the frozen goods aisle. Since we were getting ice cream for five people, with the possible addition of our parents making a grand total of seven, we decided to get a 5 gallon tub.

To our great dismay, we discovered that Target only had reduced fat ice cream in their 5 gallon buckets. Everyone knows that reduced fat is not real ice cream. It was completely unacceptable. But we formed a plan C: Chick-fil-A's soft serve. So I purchased the toppings and we set out for Chick-fil-A.

I should have known. I should have listened to my mother. How do moms always know these things? Because when I pulled up to the drive through and placed my order for five icedreams, the voice on the other end said, "Wait just a moment, please." That didn't sound good. Somehow, I knew right then what he would say to me. And in spite of myself, I couldn't help cracking into a smile. Chick-fil-A's ice cream machine was - for some odd, unexplainable reason - not working properly. Could he interest me in a brownie, or cheesecake, perhaps?

A short, simple run to Dairy Queen had turned into quite an episode. I felt as though I was thrown into some sort of scripted plot. But I still wanted that ice cream. Besides, I was committed - I had bought the toppings. I drove across the street and pulled into the Meijer parking lot. Laughing with my sister as we walked into the store, we again made our way to the frozen food section. Making sure that the tub of ice cream was not reduced fat, we finally made it to the check-out with the sought after item.

It was so worth it. Granted, it was not soft serve. But it was delicious and creamy, and the strawberry topping was wonderful. I think I will have to start a tradition. Instead of candy, I will have an ice cream sundae every Halloween.