The Rev. Spyros' Snake Oil Emporium

Cookie Puss - R.I.P.

The very first Carvel Ice Cream store has closed.  Now don't worry to much there's still locations in New York.  I grew up near the Carvel on 3rd Ave. in Bay Ridge.
Now as far as ice cream goes there is nothing all that spectacular about Carvel, but there are some very unique things about the big C that will remain with me forever.
1. Founder Tom Carvel's TV commercials - He often laughed during the voice over and would make little snarky remarks in between - by his later years his voice started to sound like  he had gargled 5 pounds of razor blades for breakfast.

2. The all purpose Cookie Puss mold and friends - Cookie Puss for the non-educated, was a galactic ice cream being Carvel created for our eating enjoyment.  Yes you to can eat an alien with a sugar cone for a nose thanks to Carvel - but wait that's not all.  There's his Irish cousin Cookie O' Puss, Fudgy the Whale (same mold on it's side) and the Santa Claus cake (same mold different face) and though they aren't Cookie Puss shaped please don't discount Hug Me the Bear and Nutty the Ghost.

3. Wednesday is Sundae at Carvel! - Way back when you and your bud could get two Sundaes for the price of one every Wednesday at Carvel! So me and my grade school buddies got twice the sugar crash for the money!

Eventually I assume Carvel will go the way of the Dodo or be bought out by Cold Stone or Baskin Robbins but for now the (nutty) ghost of Tom Carvel still haunts our sweet tooth.

A (Tom Carvel July 14th 1906 - October 21st 1990  R.I.P)Men

"[Taaaammmmyyy Faye] - this worlds to good for you..."

Yes the Rev. is singing "Allison" and replacing the lyrics with odes to Tammy Faye Messner.  I never quite understood why I liked this woman so much.  After all, she was a televangelist - and the REV HATES TELEVANGELISTS but even though she may have just been an accomplice she was a con-man for religion none-the-less.
So why?
That movie, "The Eyes of Tammy Faye" may have had something to do with my admiration, or the fact that I found a coffee shop in Winston Salem NC that had all her album covers on their wall or maybe her TV show with Jim J. Bullock or The Surreal Life appearance with Ron Jeremy and Vanilla Ice.  She showed a caring, sensitive,  slightly whacked-out,  goof-ball, very charming and entertaining side of her that was EXTREMELY difficult to dislike throughout all these vignettes.
A few months back I met her son Jay at one of his Sunday sermons at Pete's Candy Store in Williamsburg.  Of course he ALSO was a really un-dis-likable person.  I knew his mom was sick from watching his show on cable and told him I cried while watching and that even though I don't pray - I'd send one out for his mom out of respect.
So I guess mine or anyone else's last  prayers  couldn't stave off the inevitable.  Yesterday, we lost Tammy Faye Messner to cancer - she was only 65 years old.   Here's another prayer - again out of respect - God - take care of Tammy Faye.   She was a good egg.
Amen.