Even a Diet Drink Can't Make this Better

This has been a pretty hard week for DDW. DDW's (and DDW's Husband's) good friend passed away this week in a skiing accident. Jason Coles was a total original, and no one will ever replace him in our life. I am working on a post about my experiences with Coles, and my feelings about his/our loss. He left behind a great wife and a 2 month-old baby girl.... it is hard to type this. I even feel odd expressing my loss when his wife must be so devastated, but I want to memorialize my feelings for Coles.

DDW's best friend has also had a horrible week. The matter is private, so I will leave it at that.

Christmas is a time for families, and two people with two great families I love are hurting so badly this Christmas. I have had a new perspective on what it means to have a "broken heart" this year. There is only one Person who can really fix a "broken heart" and we celebrate Him this season. I pray that He can fix my friends hearts who are so much more broken than mine.

I have cried so many tears this week for so many people. Even a diet drink, the biggest diet ever imagined, with tons of fresh ice, and a juicy lime can't make this better. Even a drink can't make this better.

Limes For Everyone

I bought a bunch of limes the last time I went to the grocery store. I meant to use them for a little get together DDW was having, but no one wanted them added to their drinks (I know it seems crazy). So I was left with about 7 limes with no home. What's a girl to do?

CUT THEM UP AND PUT THEM IN YOUR DRINK!!!!!

Every single Diet Coke I have had in the past week, has been enhanced with a fresh lime wedge. Oh my gosh, Christmas came early! A fresh lime squeezed, then dumped in your drink, is amazing! I know I have posted about the Lime before, but this week has really reminded me of the Lime's importance. If you do nothing else from reading this website, at least keep some limes on hand for your drinks. So my Christmas present to my readers is this: go get you some limes!

Letter to DDW Baby: 10 Months Old

This month you turned 10 months old; you are growing up my little peanut! This month you discovered the Kleenex box; it is soooo much fun to pull the Kleenex’s out! Every time you pull a Kleenex out, another one magically appears! Your love of Kleenex might be genetic because I always have to have some within reach; we will have to wait to see if you love diet coke as much as your mommy.

You are also really getting into your stuffed animals this month. I have caught you giggling and laughing at your stuffed mule, “Black Jack” (don’t tell your Grandma) and snuggling with your stuffed elephant. You thought I wasn’t there to see you since you were sitting in your playpen, but I was. You may love your stuffed animals, but I love your pack-n-play more (a mom has to go to the potty sometimes too)!

You have discovered FRANKIE (our not-so-friendly cat*). You think she is another stuffed animal for you to play with and chase around the house. You love to grab her fur and pull as much hair out as you can. FRANKIE does not take to this very kindly and she hisses and takes a swipe at you.

However, DDW baby is very brave; he laughs in the face of a hissing, angry cat, and he just gets ready for another grab. FRANKIE tries to run away and DDW baby just follows her through the house. This chasing of the cat through the house has led to another important development:

CRAWLING!!!!

You have been crawling for more than a month, but now you are really hitting your stride – literally. You take off with so much speed that it is hard for your mommy to keep up with you. When I have to grab you before you reach your destination (that inevitably includes something you shouldn’t grab – like cords or the cable to the TV) and bring you back to your starting point, you take off again and add a little giggle in just for good measure. You know I will just take off for you again, and this is the little game we play all day long, all day long, all day long. Well, you see to really enjoy it.

You have grown very attached to your mommy. Everyone has told me that separation anxiety starts around 9 to 10 months, and I think we are beginning to see it in our little home. I try to put you in your pack-n-play for a short period of time every day, so you can learn to play by yourself for a bit. You are able to entertain yourself, but you prefer if I am within crawling distance. If I have anything in my hands (computer, diet drink, mail, magazine, cloths, dishes, FRANKIE), you want to grab it, touch it, stuff it in your mouth, and just generally have it. I have had to start eating lunch standing up at the buffet table just to eat my food in peace. Whatever I am doing, you want to be doing. But that is ok, because I love you sooooooo much.

You are the cutest, sweetest, funniest baby I have ever had, and I smove you so much! Happy 10-months old!


*This is DDW Husband’s cat that DDW inherited when we got married. Shortly after getting married, I jokingly accused DDW Husband of loving his snowshoe kitty more than me. What was DDW Husband’s response to this loaded question, you ask? He stated flatly, “Well, I have known her longer.” Hmmmm.

Jones Soda - Jones'in for a New CEO

Jones Soda CEO is out. See this article for more info.

Featured Link

This is a new feature! I will start providing links to relevant articles or blogs that I think my readers might find interesting. This is a little different from the corporate news link as these links will be individual blogs or opinion pieces that I enjoy. Hope you enjoy them too! Check This Out!

DDW Baby & Kleenex

DDW baby discovered the Kleenex box today! He was pulling Kleenex after Kleenex out of the box with a mixture of amazement and amusement. DDW baby was cracking himself up the whole time; he really takes after me on this one, because I am the queen of being able to crack myself up. I decided not to stop him from demolishing the tissues because he was having so much fun.

However, when it comes to grabbing the straw out of my diet coke, I must stop him. He still wants the straw so badly that it just kills him to see me with a drink. Now, whenever I get a drink I always get a couple of extra straws: one for him to chew on and one to replace my straw when he rips the straw I am using out of my drink.

DDW family went to Costco tonight (much better to go at night than on a Saturday), and I got a diet coke. Costco has changed the cups for their drinks (but not to a larger size). The cups are Coke branded cups, but with a white background instead of a the usual red background, and the drink features the traditional coke bottle silhouette. So, what does this have to do with diet drinks? Nothing, but a true connoisseur would want to know.

Diet Drink Baby Gear

True diet drinkers know how important it is to influence the younger generations. If you are a real fan of diet drinks or know someone who is, then I have a great idea for a Christmas present: baby gear!

DDW baby has his very own diet coke burp cloths. I found some awesome flannel fabric with the official diet coke image, and I sewed it onto a cloth diaper for a very cool burpie. I have just enough fabric to make a few more. If you would like one, email me at dietdrinkworld@gmail.com, and I will let you know the price.

A diet drink burpie is the ultimate way to show your commitment to your fav diet drink. What do you get the baby who has everything?

New Look

Do ya like the new template? I will try it out for a bit and see how it goes. Leave your comments here.

Thanksgiving

DDW is feeling a bit blue lately. I have been out of town twice this month. While both trips were really great and tons of fun, I was pretty tired after both trips. On top of all the travel, I got a bad cold that made my asthma bad for a week. It was so bad that I had to opt out of the gym for a while.

My mom is out of town on another world trip. I think this is great for her, but it is a bit weird. I know that I wouldn't see her over the holiday (so it shouldn't bother me), but it is still odd to me that she is completely unreachable for 3 weeks. My dad passed away almost 4 years ago and I am usually fine with that, but the past few weeks I have been feeling it a bit more than usual. It might just be that my son is crawling and laughing and doing all of these fun things that I know my dad would love to see and be around -- but he's not here to see it. My family isn't the same since he died, but that is fine. It is just a change. My mom and my little family are getting to know this new world and things have really started to be fun again with DDW baby here.

So I will banish the blues, get back on my diet saddle, and embrace my diet drink. Lately, I am in love with good ol' diet coke in the plastic 1 liter bottles. YUM.

My Coke Rewards

If you drink diet coke products, like we do here at DDW, you should be registered with My Coke Rewards. I think this is a fun idea, and I am sure that in the end I will get something fun with my plethora of points, but I have a few problems with the system.

1. Number of Points - a fridge pack only gets you 10 points and that is really small given -
2. Stuff is 'spensive - it seems the only thing you can get with a small amount of points are magazine subscriptions or -
3. Points for Contest Entries - this is so lame. Come on, why don't I just enter the lottery; since when does it cost money to enter a contest? In my opinion the points approximate money b/c they are used to buy goods. They need to have more options for small point holders and not just magazine subscriptions, coupons or contest entries. The whole thing is called My Coke Rewards not My Coke Contest Entries.

Given all of this, I am still entering my points. Maybe next year I can finally get something!

Costco - Part 2

I just returned from a trip to costco to stock-up on huggies. I started my shopping trip the same way I start every shopping trip - with a purchase of a fountain diet coke. My sister-in-law assured me that costco has large cups. Unfortunately for me, the costco I go to only has the small cups you get with a hot dog. When I confidently asked for the large-size cup, the hair-net wearing apron-lady looked at me like I was crazy and slurred out, "we only have on size cup here." Okay. it is official: store with world's largest products has world's smallest drinks.

SoCal Fires

Last week, my very best girl friend called me up to inform me she had been evacuated from San Diego because of the fires, and that she was on her way to my place. About an hour later, she called back and told me the roads were closed and she wouldn't be coming after all. I am happy to report that her house as well as the houses of the rest of her family are all fine.

However, when I got the call I immediately took stock of my emergency supplies (I also wanted to make sure I had enough stuff for her if she came). I ran to the fridge and realized that my fridge pack was a little low - especially if we had two diet drinkers in the house. So, I ran to the store and bought a fridge pack of Diet Coke w/Splenda and Diet Dr. Pepper Cherry Vanilla. I am proud to say that I also filled up the minivan with gas. The important lesson learned here is that no 72-hour kit is complete without some sort of diet drink. And remember, diet drinks only have a shelf-life of a few months, so rotation is key!

Oprah, SchmOprah

So, I was drinking my Diet Coke w/ Splenda while watching the Oprah Show and today's show was all about menopause or peri-menopause (to be honest, I am not really sure). It might have even been about hormones in general - where is Suzanne Sommers when you need her? Either way, what struck me was not the topic, or Oprah's appearance, but the set. She wasn't at her usual, cavernous stage. Noooo, this set was very, hmmmmm, very , what's the word I am looking for.... FEMININE.

The set was basically all creams and pale blues with white lacquered and mirrored accessories. Oh, and lots of pillows thrown in for good measure. I was a little surprised she didn't do the show in her Nick and Nora pj's. I don't know about anyone else's hormone levels, but my estrogen levels went up just watching the show.

Diet Drink World On A Diet

Diet Drink World needs to lose a few pounds. I obviously gained weight when I had the DDW baby, and I still have just a few lbs to get rid of. The weird thing is that I fit into all of my clothes - even some I didn't fit into before I was pregnant, but I still have some extra pounds. What gives - besides my waist line???

So drastic measures are needed. I am trying to do a low-carb, high-protein diet. One of the diet books out there (I won't say which one and it doesn't matter) says you should not have any drinks sweetened with NutraSweet, but you can have splenda. Well guess who just happens to have a diet drink sweetened with Splenda - DIET COKE! It sells under the ubiquitous title, "Diet Coke with Splenda."

DCw/Splenda tastes a bit more like full-sugar coke than the average diet coke. The after taste is a tad heavier in your mouth, but I still like it. Hopefully, DCw/Splenda will be an integral part of my weight-loss plan. Wish me luck!

Vote

Diet Drink World is officially registered to Vote!!!! In case you didn't know, DDW has been trying to get registered to vote for about 3 years. I think my application got lost in the some weird Bermuda Triangle involving Los Angeles County, the place where all the socks go and the spot between the couch cushions.

Feeling lucky, I decided to try one more time. I actually wrote on the form that I had been trying to register for several years to no avail and could they please call me! In all fairness, I was previously registered in LA under my maiden name; I think trying to get registered when we moved back to LA under my married name was just too much for the system. But if a lady can register her dog to vote, I think I should be able to register as well. I am at least the same species as the candidates running!

Anywhoo, now that I am actually registered to vote a huge burden has been lifted. I figured I would celebrate with a Diet Dr. Pepper Cherry Vanilla. I would send one to the person who finally processed my application, if I knew who they were. Oh well, I guess I will just have to drink it myself.

Diet Drinks In Austin, Texas

DDW has several associates dispatched across the United States, and they send reports of various restaurants and other places to get the best diet drinks. You can become an associate by leaving me a comment or emailing me at dietdrinkworld@gmail.com.

My first report comes from Library of Adventure in Austin, Tx. La Madeline offers the following diet drinks:

Diet Coke
Diet Caffeine Free Coke
Minute Maid light
Sprite Zero

That is a pretty impressive list for a restaurant. Thanks Library of Adventure!

Adventures in Shopping

DDW baby and I just got back from grocery shopping at Albertson's. I had to make an emergency trip to the store as store of Diet Dr. Pepper Cherry Vanilla had just run out. Lucky me - the diet drinks were 2 for $6! It seems around SoCal the cheapest you can get a fridge pack for is three dollars (and that is on sale). I have noticed the stores are starting to sell the cans in giant 24 packs, but they don't have DDPCV in that package yet.

As usual, DDW baby had a great time trying to reach for everything and eating my shopping list.

Stuck in the Middle

This afternoon, after church, I had the single best glass of Diet Dr. Pepper Cherry Vanilla I have ever had. I have no idea why today's drink was so special, but it was. I am in the middle of my fridge pack, the middle of my ice-cube tray (note to self: I need to fill the tray), and I am in the middle of my dixie cup supply. Simply put, I can find no scientific reason why this drink was sooooo good.

Sometimes the taste of a drink can be explained by looking at the mood of the drinker as opposed to the taste of the drink itself. Either way, today's drink was a hall-of-famer.

Ding, Dong, The Ants Are Gone

I am pleased to report that the ants have officially left the minivan! I employed a two-prong approach to win this war. First and foremost, I removed the donut. I think that once their food was gone, the ants decided to leave. Second, I put out ant traps; the kind that have a yummy but deadly liquid that (supposedly) they take back to their hive. I really don't believe that the ants take the bait back to the queen and pull a heaven's gate on everybody, but the ants are gone from the van!

My Own Private Ant Farm

Our driveway used to be home to a very large and very aggressive black ant colony. "But DDW why do you say used to be home?" Well, this wonderful colony of ants has moved into my minivan. That's right, DDW's fabulous minivan is now a giant, travelling ANT FARM! AHHHHHHHHHH!

It turns out there was a small donut particle in the back seat that brought the ants like bees to the honey. I said they were aggressive didn't I? I once dropped a burrito on the driveway, and in the time it took me to go in the house and grab some napkins to clean it up I had a full-blown swarm goin' on.

The only good news: ants are definitely not attracted to diet coke.

Sweatin' Like a Dixie Cup

The past few days in SoCal have actually been a bit cool (at least in the mornings), and the temperature change has really highlighted the fact that our house has the insulation of a dixie cup. Now I have nothing against dixie cups for my diet coke, but living inside a dixie cup is another matter.

In the summer we sweat like pigs served up in a dixie cup, and in the winter we freeze like otter pups served up in a dixie cup; DDW's mother even plans her trips to coincide with the weather to minimize the dixie cup factor. I even had to put DDW baby in a snowsuit just because the temperature dipped below 95 degrees!

However, a dixie cup is my favorite container for Diet Dr. Pepper Cherry Vanilla. Uummmmmmmmmmm, that is one fine drink. Lots of ice, filled to the top, just the right size to hold one cap of Diet Dr. Pepper Cherry Vanilla. Yowwzzzers! I might be sweatin' like a dixie cup, but at least my cup is full of my fav drink.

RR: Wal-Mart

I know what you are thinking, "DDW why are you classifying all these stores as restaurants when they are clearly not?" Sorry diet drink world readers, but this is the best I can come up with. I do not love Wal-Mart as much as Target; I don't have anything against Wal-Mart politically, but I do have some memories that only DDW's former co-workers can relate to. Be that as it may, they still have diet drinkts there and the public needs to be informed.

Wal-Mart's soda bar resides under the golden arches. Most Wal-Mart's (including the one by me) have a McDonald's in the store; I can get a double cheeseburger with my stretch pants! Since McDonald's and diet drinks are ubiquitous, I don't think much more needs to be said - even a casual diet drinker knows what the arches offer. Later posts will discuss why McDonald's diet coke tastes a bit like rat poison.

Nevertheless, I absolutely enjoy shopping with a diet coke! It makes the whole experience that much more enjoyable, and DDW baby loves trying to grab my straw. He knows that mommy drinks from the straw, but he hasn't figured out how to suck from a straw yet. The real lesson for me is that I need to get two straws whenever I order a diet drink: one for me and one for me later when DDW breaks my straw. There is nothing worse than having a great diet coke in front of you with a broken straw!.

RR: Chipotle

DDW, DDW baby and DDW husband all went to Chipotle today; it has been almost a year since we last went to Chipotle (we got a bit sick of it). Anywhoo, let's get to what matters -- the diet drinks!

Drinks: Coke products. Also of note, their soda bar has two Coke dispensers and two Diet Coke dispensers on opposite sides of the bar. This allows for two people to fill their Diet Cokes at the same time.

Lime: None

Ice: They have the flat, half-moon, half-smile shaped ice.

Cups: The large cup comes in very-nicely at 32 ounces; it is a standard paper-coated cup.

Restaurant Review: Target

Oh Target, how do I love thee? I love thee so much that I will classify you as a restaurant even though you are clearly not. For DDW and DDW baby, Target is a must. It is also what some would call a target-rich environment. There really is nothing in there that I can't buy - very dangerous! Anywhoo, let's get to what really matters: diet drinks.

Target has a soda bar that contains Coke products and Pepsi products, and there really is no need to say more. Babies R Us is great, but they don't have a soda bar!

Target = Coke Products + Pepsi Products

The Mini Fridge

Are you totally dedicated to your diet drink? If you have a mini fridge in your office (especially if the mini fridge is against office code), then you are a true diet drinker. Both DDW husband and DDW BFF have mini fridges in their offices. Most people would think you would need a mini fridge because your office doesn't have a fridge or to save money on the outrageous vending machine/snack shop prices; however, the true diet drinker knows that the mini fridge really all about security.

A true diet drinker will want to safeguard their diet drink from any office scavengers at all times (This is especially true if you are drinking something exotic and/or not sold in your office vending machine). Every office has a communal fridge, but you don't have to be Stephen Hawking to find the Black Hole in your department. Stuff goes in but it never comes out, and if the diet actually makes it out of the fridge it probably smells like Old Mother Hubbard's tuna fish sandwich (and no Lime can compensate for that). The only other problem you might encounter is Old Mother Hubbard raiding your mini fridge when you aren't there (next month we will discuss jujitsu).

Office + Exotic Diet Drink - Old Mother Hubbard = Mini Fridge

Corporate News: Pepsi

Kid Nation (a very controversial new show) is airing this fall, but Pepsi will not be a sponser for the show. For more information on this issue check out Deadline Hollywood Daily.

Restaurant Review: La Salsa

So where was DDW known for always keeping a diet drink on her desk - DDW's old office. It is important to keep in touch with your roots (unless, of course, they're grey), so I went to downtown Los Angeles and had lunch with the peeps. I took the DDW baby with me, and we had a great time. At lunch, DDW baby showed an unnatural obsession with my diet drink - perhaps he remembers it from the womb. When I was pregnant, I thought there was a real chance the DDW baby was going to pop out holding a Diet Coke - thank goodness all those pregnancy books were wrong.

Today, he kept reaching for my drink and jamming the straw into his mouth. The only problem is that he doesn't know how to slurp through a straw yet. I really think that slurping your first diet drink should be one of those developmental milestones that doctors track. Based on the DDW development chart, DDW baby is definitely ahead of schedule and a total genius.

Anywhooooo, I figured this would be a good time to let you know the best place to get Diet Coke in Downtown LA: La Salsa on Grand.

First, La Salsa features Diet Coke products. Second, they have Limes; as you all know by now, the Lime is very important to the overall enjoyment of any diet drink. You won't find the Limes at the drink fountain (like Baja Fresh), because they are stored at the salsa bar. Finally, La Salsa has a giant cup; it is so big that when you order a large drink the cashier will actually hold up the cup to make sure that it is the size you really want. La Salsa's medium size cup is what most places would call a large cup. I will report back later with actual drink sizes in ounces. Let's just say that the cup is so large even DDW has a hard time needing a refill.

La Salsa = Coke Products + the Lime + Large Cup.

Restaurant Review: Baja Fresh

Today, Diet Drink World & DDW baby had lunch with DDW husband at Baja Fresh, so I thought this would be a good time to give you my views on the place. I have personally been to various Baja Fresh locations in Washington DC, Salt Lake City, Utah and SoCal, I will assume that there is one close to you.

The most important news: Baja Fresh recently switched from Pepsi products to Coke products. Love it or hate it, but this is big news. I would be interested to know what goes into a corporation changing their drink products; if you know, feel free to comment on it.

Second, they still have LIMES! If you are not a Diet Coke person, I recommend using a Lime to appease your taste buds. Baja Fresh is one of the few semi-fast food places to offer Limes, and I have to commend them for that. **Applause**

My only problem with Baja Fresh is that if you want a large drink you have to buy that ridiculous plastic cup with the ridiculous lid that barely fits. I get the idea of keeping the cup and reusing it (which saves you and the environment), but it is just not practical for many reasons.

First, you must have access to the ridiculous cup to get any value from it. If you usually get your diet drink from Baja on your lunch break at work, you can probably keep the cup handy; thus, it makes sense for you. But, if you are the kind of person who goes to Baja when you are running around, you won't be able to use the cup. Unless, of course, you just happen to to keep a stash of Baja Fresh cups in the back of your minivan with all the other crap you have for the kids. Hmmmmm, not likely.

So, when it is 110 degrees and all you really want is a giant drink, you are stuck with a ridiculous cup (that isn't even that big) with a ridiculous lid. BTW, the lid really should come with a warning that when you try to put it on you are in danger of spilling the entire diet drink! Baja needs to offer a LARGE disposable cup along with the refillable ridiculous one.

Baja Fresh = Coke Products + Lime – Ridiculous Cup.

Ice

Another key ingredient to any diet drink is Ice. I prefer to fill the cup almost completely with ice and then add in my diet drink. I think the amount of ice really adds to the taste of any diet drink. As the ice melts, you get the perfect blend of diet drink and water. Even if your drink is already cold (either from the fountain or the fridge), your drink will still benefit from ice-cold ice. While I love ice (and lots of it), it has been the subject of much controversy at the DDW home.

First, after I am done with my diet drink, there is always some ice left in the bottom of the cup. The leftover ice is also covered in a bit of whatever diet drink I was enjoying. I am guilty of leaving this ice-filled cup around the house. I think it stems from a hope that later, when all the ice melts, there might just be one more sip of delectable diet drink, but this is not the case. The only thinn left in the cup is just the ice water with a teeeeeny bit of diet. So where is the problem you might ask? DDW Husband cannot stand this! He even accuses me of leaving enough diet in my drink that I could still drink it, but as you and I know it is just ice water. This truly drives him crazy, so he dumps any drink he sees sitting around the house. Again you might ask, "What is the problem with that DDW?" Well, DDW Husband does not check the drink before he dumps it out. He has (more than once) dumped out a drink that I literally just made; it almost brought tears to my eyes to see the fresh ice cubes covered in Diet Dr. Pepper Cherry Vanilla rolling around the bottom of the sink. That brings us to the second controversy in DDW home.

For some reason, no one (including DDW) wants to fill the ice cube trays. I would love to lay this blame completely at DDW Husband's feet, but I am guilty too. Even when you think the ice cube tray on the bottom will surely have ice in it, you are wrong. Here is the scene: I have my diet can in my hand; I have a cup ready on the counter; I open the freezer see the top tray is empty and pull back the tray with longing. It is at this moment that I realize the second tray is empty as well. FOR THE LOVE WILL SOMEONE PLEASE FILL THE ICE CUBE TRAYS!!!

Is there a ten-second rule for ice rolling around the bottom of the sink?

DDW & Costco

Today, DDW went to Costco to stock up on diapers, frozen food, and various giant-sized products I never dreamed I would need. Costco is a daunting experience when you have the DDW baby in tow. I made the tactical decision that DDW baby would have to sit in the cart instead of shopping in his car seat. He is almost too big for the car seat; the last time I was at Costco with DDW baby I actually ran into someone with the cart because I couldn't see over his car seat. It turns out DDW baby loves the shopping cart! He got to chew on my shopping list while holding a 5-pack of Tide Pens. Overall a great experience, but here is my 2-pack beef with Costco: SMALL DRINKS!

How is it that a store known as a "big box store" that specializes in giant-sized products has the smallest fountain drinks? I shared this concern with DDW's sister-in-law, and she informed me that if you asked for a large drink you could get one. I will admit that I didn't have time to get a drink after the cart was full of my giant items, but if they have large drinks why wouldn't they advertise them? Even more importantly, they do not have large-sized lids at the fountain area (only small lids), so I am not sure the Costco by me actually has large fountain drinks. I have to give Sam's Club the edge on this one as they have much larger fountain drinks available.

Big Store. Small Drinks. Bummer

Diet Drinks & Church

So here at Diet Drink World, Sunday is basically just a day for church and it got me to thinking. Is there anywhere that you can't take a diet coke or other diet drink? Hmm, after much thought I have come up with a few places that you should not take a diet drink --- please!

1. Church. Although, I did once hear of a girl brining a giant diet drink to her Sunday service meeting, but this was summarily dismissed as low class. There is just something about the sound of wrlop on a straw that does NOT say reverence and devotion; there is also something about the sweat from giant said soda slipping and dripping onto the hymnal that does not produce a hormonius sound.

2. Funeral. See above (unless your great grandma Braithwaite loved diet drinks as much as diet drink world, but the rest of your family may not share your shared devotion, and your display of devotion might jeopardize your share of great grandma Braithwaite's diet drink collection, so best to leave the diet in the car).

3. Wedding. See 1 & 2. However, a diet drink is totally appropriate for the reception just not the ceremony itself. Unless, of course, the ceremony is performed at Dodger Stadium during halftime.

Thoughts or your own faux pas to share - then leave a comment!

DDW & Football

DDW is off to a football game. In order to prepare myself for today's festivities, I have already consumed two very large diet drinks. I plan to use the restroom at home one last time before we leave for the game. I also have cash in my pocket for the inevitable diet drink purchase at the game. There is just something great about a football game that requires sunglasses, a sweatshirt and a diet drink. You know you need a giant diet drink, sweat dripping down the side, super-tall It makes me a little nostalgic for a time I never had.

DDW baby is staying at Grandma's and Pompa's house for the game, and Grandma has quite the store of diet drinks. At any given point, her magic fridge in the garage has about 5 different types of diet drinks. DDW Grandma loves to send us home with diet drinks, so we love to come visit.

12-Hour Diet Drink Fast

Diet Drink World had to go on a 12-hour fast for some blood work. I figured that if I did most of the fasting during the middle of the night that it would not hurt so much. I was wrong. I started my fast with a can of Diet Dr. Pepper Cherry Vanilla ("DDPCV") (this is my current diet obsession for the minute), and more than 12 hours later I was ready for another drink. I was desperate for some diet the minute they took my blood, so I rewarded myself with a ginormous fountain Diet Coke ("DC") the minute I left the lab. I haven't found a place that has DDPCV on tap so I had to settle for DC.

Diet drink world baby took a short but needed nap this afternoon, thus allowing me to make this historic post.

The Lime

The key ingredient to any diet cola drink is: The Lime. Whether you are drinking diet Pepsi or diet coke, you need The Lime. There is just something about The Lime that counteracts the diet nature of the drink. I have also found that if you are completely committed to coke or Pepsi (and refuse to drink the other one) The Lime can get you by in a pinch. Next week I will discuss the difference between lime-flavored drinks and The Lime.

I must be off; I have to finish my diet drink before diet drink world baby wakes up.