blast from the past

funny how a random childhood memory will hit you out of nowhere. okay, maybe not out of nowhere, but pretty close. while driving home today for lunch, i passed a couple of kids jumping on a trampoline. first thought: i wonder how many broken bones are attributed to trampoline related accidents. then i remembered when i was in the 5th grade my friends and i would pay a lady to jump on a trampoline. i lived in korea at the time, in a gated apartment complex. and just outside the "back gate" there were these little mom and pop shops where we would buy candy and whatnots. a little further down the road, a lady had set up a trampoline compound with 6 tramps set up 3x2. mind you, these were not the highest quality tramps, i seem to recall lots of springs missing and patches in the tarps. they were, however, enclosed in netting (at least our body parts wouldn't go flying all over the place). and every chance we got, we'd pay the lady 100 won (i think it was about 25 cents) to jump for 10 minutes. two of the tramps were close to the apartment complex barbed-wired walls. and if you bounced high enough, you could see your apartment. this memory was almost clear as day. crazy how that happens. the other thing about this lady i remember is what she sold. i don't think it has a real name, but it was sugar that you'd melt over a small burner (yes, i was handling open flames at this age) in a modified ladle. you'd stir it with a chopstick and when it became the right consistancy you'd put a dab of baking powder to make it puff up. let cool, and presto instant sugar high. i'm gonna conclude this was the gateway into my current addiction. thank you, trampoline lady.