There is a store on Boylston Street in Boston filled with 15,000 different types of sweets. It smells like cotton candy, and the music is always danceable. There are lollipops and Swirly pops. There are gummies of varying flavor, shape, and consistency. There are pixie sticks. Pop Rocks. There is chocolate. A lot of chocolate. There are malt balls. Hard candy. Locally made ice cream. European candy. Vegan candy. Diabetic candy. Even Angry Bird candy.

Sugar Heaven isn’t just a candy store. It’s a candy emporium.

“There is really nothing here that isn’t represented in some way”, Ethel Seltzer, manager of Sugar Heaven located on Boylston St. “What makes our store unique is that the stuff we have is name brand stuff that you wouldn’t necessarily be able to find at the grocery store.”

David Sapers, also known as the “Sugar Daddy,” first conceived of Sugar Heaven after spending time in Montreal for a wedding, and realizing that there weren’t any candy stores in Boston that offered the variety he was looking for. He opened Sugar Heaven shortly thereafter, which now seems to be on the mission of providing its customers with every, and any, kind of candy that exists. It’s no easy task, especially in world with so many different preferences for sweets.

“I’m looking to caramelize something with a blowtorch on top of a drink,” one customer says after entering the store.

“I would do a hard candy,” Ethel says, “Because a gummy is going to melt ugly.” This wasn’t the first time this particular bartender came into Sugar Heaven, having used the store’s help at one point to attempt alcohol-infused cotton candy.

“I’m looking for anything having to do with hospitals, or doctors,” says another customer minutes later.

“Do we have any more of that candy blood in the bag? Did we sell out of it?” Ethel asks one of her employees.

“We have brains and teeth,” she replies.

“We do have brains and teeth!” Ethel says. These are the kinds of encounters to be expected on a regular day. Customers are always entering the store with a unique agenda.

“Your imagination can go wild,” Ethel says.

One particular customer arrives almost religiously every night at 9:15 pm. He gets out of work, and he looks for gumballs.

“He’s trying to quit smoking,” Ethel says. “He has gone from three packs of cigarettes to about a pack and a half … we call him Mr. bubblegum man. We set our clocks to him, 9:15, there he is.” Mr. bubblegum receives discounts from the store as encouragement to keep him on track.

Even though everyone’s taste in candy is different, there are a few customer favorites. The most popular item in the store is known as the clodhopper. It’s a chocolate graham-cracker cluster Ethel refers to as the “Lazy man’s smore.” Sour blue raspberry gummy bottles are another big item. The fixation on blue raspberry is one that Ethel attributes to the generation that grew up in the nineties. Nutritionists and health food junkies tend to prefer lollipops.

“Lollipops are really big right now,” Ethel says. “They’re portion control, they last a long time. And they’re very satisfying.”

Regardless of a customer’s health preferences, age, or profession, there is something at Sugar Heaven applicable to them. So what it is about candy that is so universally gratifying? The answer, according to Ethel, is simple.

“Candy is happy. People come in here and want happy … It’s a desert. It’s a treat. It’s a little heaven.”

(text by: Dominick Sorrentino)

I love Survivor. For anybody who hasn’t caught onto this reality phenomenon, Survivor is, essentially, the original reality competition show. From its premiere in 2000, this show has seen 23 seasons, plenty of exotic locations all around the world, and a whole lot of backstabbing. The format is simple: a group of people are divided into tribes, compete for rewards and immunity, and are forced to vote a person “off the island” at the end of each episode. While some may dismiss it as mindless escapism, I think Survivor has five valuable life lessons to teach all of us if we’re willing to listen

You have to either be really good at what you do or a really good liar to get ahead. This is probably the lesson the show pounds into your head the most; if you can’t win the immunity challenges, you better work on your poker face. Just like Richard Hatch perfected the game in the very first season, I have learned that there is definitely a vital “social gaming” aspect to life. You can’t just excel at something and go straight to the top unless you’re really good at it. Take college applications for example: we can’t all say we were totally honest in our admissions essay. We have to know how to make ourselves look and sound better. If I hadn’t been obsessed with Survivor, I’d still be stuck within the silly boundaries of integrity. And integrity, my friends, is a bit overrated.

Sometimes the means do justify the ends. Work with me here. Everybody who won Survivor has probably had to do one questionable thing along the way that ended up helping him or her win. Even if it may have seemed, well, “mean.” I don’t intend to imply that all means justify all ends. No, I have just learned through my Survivor experiences that when the end is worth it, that can be a valid excuse for being somewhat of a jerk. It’s a fight to the finish, in this show and in life, and the ones who aren’t willing to really fight are the ones sitting in the top row at the finale, voted out first and completely unmemorable.

Don’t play all your cards too soon. Survivor loves to cast the archetype of the Person Who’s Just Here to Play the Game. More often than not, this person comes in on day one with a devious scheme to go to the end. Sadly, this big planner usually isn’t long for this world because he or she laid it all out there too soon. When you meet a new group of people, do you explode with personality, throw it all out there and hope something sticks? If so, you may want to rethink your strategy. Sometimes, you need to sit back, assess the situation, and then make your move. The countless premature castaways have taught me that all too well.

Trust anyone you want, as long as you understand that humans are ultimately in it for themselves. Often on Survivor, you see people regretfully accepting that in life, you just can’t trust anyone. I don’t know if that’s entirely true. Survivor itself is proof that you can trust people; you just have to know how far you can throw them. We are, by nature, selfish beings. Even the nicest people have moments of self-interest. When $1,000,000 are on the line, this is especially apparent. How often do we see a Final Four Super-Alliance form on Day One, only to fall apart halfway through the game? Trust is a nasty, sneaky idea, and is often the key ingredient in every Survivor victory or failure. The ultimate truth is this: trust is the most valuable currency. Just make sure you don’t give out too much of it, or you could end up off of the Island of Life and flat-out broke.

You really can’t do it alone. I realize this is in almost direct contradiction to what I have already said, but even through my jaded lens, the most important lesson Survivor has taught me is the ultimate Paradox of Life: Nobody makes it without friends, but everyone is trying to be on top. Not a single Survivor winner did it on their own. There was at least one vote that they had to trust people to give them, at least one person who was on their side. And that is the ultimate lesson to take from this show; no matter what means you use to get to the end, how many lies you have to tell, or who you trust, people need other people to survive.

(text by: Ethan Young)

The sold-out crowd at the Berklee Performance Center went wild between every simple song delivered by the fresh Southern duo The Civil Wars on October 28th. The stage was simple, no fancy lighting or large band to accompany the talent. Rather, Joy Williams stood in front of a mic and sang her heart out, arms fluttering whimsically around her, while John Paul White stood a few feet away strumming his guitar and singing an equal part.  Somehow, the simplicity and rawness of this entranced the packed house for the 90-minute set, ending with the audience uproariously demanding an encore.

The allure for this new band lies in a trifecta of perfect lyrics, vocal control, and performance. These songwriters have gone to great lengths to choose each work to break and mend a heart. They even make the word “home” sound like a train whistle. To top that, the delivery, both on the album and in person, is impeccable. The studio-recorded work is, of course, flawless, but amazingly, the sound on stage matches it. Williams and White know when to belt, when to hold back, and even when to step back from the mic. Often, Joy will step back and softly sing harmonies as much as five feet from the mic. The talent is in the room, and it is recognized.

The story of The Civil Wars is far from conventional. Joy Williams, who was a Christian pop singer in her younger years, met Johan Paul White (already a songwriter himself at home in Alabama) at a Nashville songwriters’ conference. They describe the process of choosing artistic partners as “a blind date,” ultimately decided by drawing straws. What these two got was magic. They have been songwriting together for several years now, and have toured for a large part of it.

The duo has recorded their first album, Barton Hollow, on a new label: Sensibility Music, founded by Joy’s husband. Being on an entirely new label has allowed The Civil Wars complete freedom and abnormal control over their recordings, and it shows. After touring for over a year without an official album (a free EP was available for download on their site), Barton Hollow dropped with unexpectedly enormous success, the title track being chosen as a free iTunes single and the album shooting to #1 on iTunes downloads for almost a week. Additionally, the album received huge critical acclaim from press such as The Washington Post, New York Post, and The Wall Street Journal. The Los Angeles Times boldly predicted in a review that “through bands such as The Civil Wars, a new music industry is born.”

Barton Hollow’s release resulted in a sold-out tour, including a stop at Boston’s Red Room 939. Previously, the band had played to a small handful of people at the Lizard Lounge in Cambridge. Following their headlining tour, they were asked to be the opening act for most of Adele’s US shows, later adding several UK dates as well. After performing with them, Adele wrote on her blog, “[The Civil Wars] are by far the best live band I have ever seen. They are magical and stunning. They make my heart hurt but make it a bit stronger at the same time, too!”

Watching them perform, it’s easy to see why even Adele would be impressed: Joy and John Paul exude an incredible, indescribable chemistry on-stage. It exists not only between them, but reaches out to the audience. Everyone swoons. And yet, at least officially, the two are not in love. They seem to have fooled the whole country.

Passionately singing through originals such as “Father’s Father,” “20 Years,” “Falling,” and a new one, “Oh Henry,” the couple showed off not only their vocal chops, but also their immense skill as both songwriters and performers. They entertained the audience with several covers including a truly unique take on Michael Jackson’s “Billie Jean.” For a finale, they offer a song that has been instrumental in their rise to success: “Poison and Wine,” likely to break hearts, but make them a bit stronger, too.

Get a taste of the unforgettable Civil Wars by watching the “Poison and Wine” video here.

For more information, visit The Civil Wars online at www.thecivilwars.com. 

(text by: Daniel Jones)

It’s that time of year again. Halloween candy is half-priced and the store shelves are already filling up with pumpkin pie mix and Coolwhip. Boloco is even making a dangerously delicious eggnog shake. It’s a diabetic dream out there.

For most people our age, it’s pretty easy to just eat through the holidays and work it off this spring/summer. Heck, most 20-somethings don’t even retain fat. You guys keep slurping up your frappuccinos because you’ll still be a size 3 when it’s gone. As for myself? I seem to have a premature middle-aged gland that makes me bloat to twice my size this time of year. The fact is, since freshman year I have managed to gain an astounding 30 pounds. I’m going out into this world in May as a much plumper version of myself. This obviously doesn’t speak well to my self-discipline, and if I keep it up it’s going to be even harder to get a job in the already very dismal market. For me it isn’t a question of “should or shouldn’t I eat this last piece of pie,” but a matter of survival.

Aside from literally drowning in sugar treats, the winter is a time for cuddling up by the fire and drinking hot cocoa. Welp, I don’t have a gym in my house and hot chocolate is about 4,000 calories of warm childhood memories. If you’re anything like me, you use the holidays as an excuse to drink rich alcohols and liqueurs- just because you can. Soon enough I’ll be thinking: A White Russian at 3pm? Why not! It has a little peppermint stick in it to so it doesn’t really count as day drinking. It’s just for taste. Oh and Irish coffee? That’ll keep me warm on the T-ride to campus! And from there it’s a downward spiral ‘til I’m making out with my bosses nephew at the Christmas party in the China Buffet. But we all know that liquids can’t have calories, so hand me the scallion pancakes and teriyaki pork!

As if the stress of figuring out what to buy everyone (and the bills that come with it) wasn’t enough, you actually have to spend TIME with these people. I’m not talking lunch dates with old friends, but most students literally move back in with their folks over break. A MONTH WITH YOUR PARENTS. Mom will make you grilled cheese because she’s so happy to see that her son or daughter is home safe. Grandma will make you cookies. Dad will buy you beer. Everywhere you look there is a reason to consume free crap, and having been refused the delights of home while at school or paying rent in Allston, you bet your ass you’re going to take it. Furthermore, everyone in the world is going to annoy you while you are just trying to relax. When Uncle Bob offers you a hit of that special cigarette between dinner and dessert, you’ll probably take it. Pie tastes a billion times better after that and you’ll be eating just once slice… of everything.

So how will I survive? Most bets are in the “I won’t” category, but there is a slim chance I’ll make it to at least the first of December before I break down and start eating every treat I can get my hands on. Maybe someone will buy me a gym membership for Christmas. If you’re in the same boat as me, Good Luck. I wish you the very best while you turn down Aunt Karen’s famous Mac n’ Cheese.

(text by: Amanda Cuoco)