Winter months always bring static electricity. Those little shocks from your fingertips to doorknobs. Your hair sticking up after removing a toque. You can feel it hanging in the air.

As a kid, I remember when people would rub a balloon on my head and stick it to a wall. Making your hairs all stand up on end and that rubber squeak noise as the balloon moved.

In high school there was a girl, whom I was infatuated with, explained to me that she used cans of aerosol hairspray to combat static electricity. Whether or not this is true, I believed her. I mean, I really wanted to date this girl but I doubted my abilities to prove my worth. So my memory of how amazing she was/is remains locked away in my mind. I do believe there is some merit to her tale of how to prevent static electricity.

When I worked as a projectionist, static electricity wreaked havoc in the booth. It caused film to “stick” and jam up the projectors if not addressed quickly. We went through cases of “Static Guard” and we even hung dryer sheets from the ceiling to prevent static. The scent of “Static Guard” is still prominent in my mind and it’ll probably always be there. Just like my memory of a former crush.

And much like static electricity, a smell or an image can spark these memories in an instant.