This Is Work?

Oh, this is nice.

Then Fussell launches into an explanation of how an Ecuadoran cocoa bean is harvested, husked and processed to yield the delightful morsels on her desk. She knows her stuff after 10 years with the association, a 25-person group that represents the big and small names familiar to everyone with a stomach (Mars, Cadbury, Wrigley and on and on). Originally from Ocean City, Fussell hopped into the trade world after working at a D.C. nonprofit organization. In her spare time, she and her fiance run a small craft company that specializes in stained glass and wood art.

But with 3,200 new candy items released in the United States each year, Fussell has her hands full, especially around Valentine's Day, Easter, Halloween and Christmas. She and other staffers returned from the All Candy Expo in Chicago last month with boxes of samples from 430 vendors. Fussell will take these samples on media tours across the country, bringing gourmet chocolates to Women's Day magazine and gummies to Time for Kids. She's also charged with creating content for the association's Web site ( http://www.candyusa.org). This includes formulating recipes for candy cocktails, which, of course, she must taste test before posting. Disclaimer: The drinking part of the job she shares with co-workers; for the latest batch, she had four over to split three martinis (butterscotch, big rock candy and chocolate s'more) and a mojito (mint chocolate).

"The first thing people say is, 'What a sweet job,' and I have to pretend I haven't heard it a million times," she says. "It's definitely a conversation starter."

Jeremy Schoolfield, 29, Gaithersburg

Senior editor, Funworld Magazine, International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions

A couple of weeks ago, Germantown native Jere my Schoolfield spent his workday hurtling to the ground at a 97-degree angle from a height of 121 feet, his head literally over his heels. Then came the inverted loop, the inverted corkscrew and so on. All in all, it was 85 seconds of zooming, twirling mania on Fahrenheit, the newest roller coaster at Pennsylvania's Hersheypa rk.

"It's the dream job I never knew about," says Schoolfield, who plans to include Fahrenheit in a ride roundup for the official magazine of the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions, headquartered in Alexandria. "I have yet to tell people what I do and not have them freak out. The general reaction is people don't think I work at all, but that's obviously not the case."

Schoolfield, a pop culture junkie who manages to be both a staunch conservative and a fervent Pearl Jam fan, stumbled upon an association job posting on the Internet 3 1/2 years ago while writing for the Aiken Standard in South Carolina. He moved back to Maryland in October 2004 and immersed himself in fantasy and thrill rides, and continues to guide the production of the 72-page monthly magazine as one of two full-time staffers.

With the season just starting, this is the busiest time of his year. Parks are opening with new rides, and Schoolfield tries to hit as many as he can so he can report the experience in the magazine and stay on top of industry trends.

According to Schoolfield, the best roller coasters within driving distance of Washington are the Griffon at Busch Gardens in Williamsburg, the Volcano at Kings Dominion outside of Richmond and the Thunderbolt at Kennywood near Pittsburgh. But his favorite ride in the country? The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man at Orlando's Universal Studios Islands of Adventure, with its 3-D effects and motion simulation.

Cascading from his desk at work is a bouquet of press passes from special events: Toy Story Mania, Discovery Cove. A 50th-anniversary set of gold-colored Mickey Mouse ears sits on his bookcase. Scattered around are issues of Funworld, many with cover stories by Schoolfield: food service changes at Graceland, the impact of SeaWorld's Aquatica water park in Florida and an innovative ride at Dollywood called Mystery Mine, for which he interviewed the proprietress herself.

"She was really sweet," Schoolfield says of Dolly Parton. "She makes no bones about the fact that she doesn't ride the rides. Something like, 'I got too many things that'll fall out and fall off if I get on one of these things.' "