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June 7, 2008
you were always a heartbeat away
what's that old addage - if you love something set it free and if it comes back it's yours and if not it never belonged to you in the first place. i think i'm probably paraphrasing that but it's okay because it's a pretty cheesy sentiment. in fact on a scale of cheesiness that particular turn of phrase is right up there with the footprints poem and josh groban records. but still i'm not beyond the allure of the sentimental and the premise behind the saying - can be comforting to a bridge burner like myself.
it's been nearly six months now since i severed my relationship with coca-cola. which was a very difficult decision because the two of us together...well the only other pairing in the history of humanity that could possibly compare would be the captain and tenille. which is to say we had a really good thing going. from day one the chemistry was electric. we got each other. we shared the same tastes. we both had an eye for aesthetically pleasing ad design and under the cap twist off games where everyone was a loveable loser. just like us. i guess all good things must come to an end - or at the verly least take an extended - possibly indefinite break. but still how do you tell the love of your life that you've talked it over and have come to the conclusion that it is time to send them packing. well i'm always a big fan of depriving myself of things that i would really rather not deprive myself. so i decided that it should be me that ultimately did the breaking up.
this penchant of mine for self depracation probably has something to do with all that protestant guilt you hear people talking about. and because of said guilt i have this unending need to feel as though i'm challenging myself to grow as a person and improve upon my character. which is a silly notion because i think most people that know me would agree that i'm a fairly solid citizen with few character deficiencies that cannot be chalked up to being a child of divorce. and none of that is really my fault anyway. is it?
i know i wrote something awhile back about cutting back on the me and coca-cola thing - but it didn't take. probably because cutting back (ahem!) never works and also i was reducing my intake of alcohol while simultaneously trying to pry myself from the loving embrace of coca-cola and something had to give. suddenly i'm terrified that i might have an undiagnosed addictive personality and as much as i might want to deprive myself of one particular thing in order to be successful i have to find a suitable replacement vice. which would exlpain the sudden influx of collectible porcelain livestock that occupy every available countertop/mantlepiece here at 4808. hey - at least it's not a cat.
but the good news is that i have not had a single encounter with coca-cola. not even in a mixed drink. i will confess that i had a sprite on my flight home from vegas because the burrito i ate for lunch didn't really agree with my stomach. a stomach that was already unduly panicky that what happened in vegas might not actually stay there. needless to say. i'm not counting the sprite because it was medicinal and i really didn't enjoy it anyway.
and really the thing that we are depriving ourselves of is coca cola specifically. and i must say - i've been pretty surprised by how little i have missed it. at least on a conscious level. not that i don't stare at it longingly from time to time - as i pass by the soft glow of a vending machine - late at night and see that coca cola's light is still on. and then i start thinking that maybe coca cola would be okay with it if i just dropped in to say hello. and of course there would just be talking and nothing else. i definitely wouldn't stay over because then we would be right back in the same fantastic mess all over again. and really who needs that kind of heartache. no to mention the calories.
because this is the tree of trust i will confess here and now that i have on occasion been afflicted by som pretty lurid coca cola related dreams. and there is much frollicking and rejoindering just like the good old days. and then i wake up in a cold sweat with that distinctive taste in my mouth and i feel guilty for breaking my fast. but of course it was all just a fantastic if slightly dirty dream. i assure you i remain as pure as the driven snow. and i plan on remaining so at least until the year 2009 sees fit to visit himself or herself upon us. and then we'll see. we can sit down and have a nice chat - maybe with some old friends jack daniels and/or captain morgan in tow just to help with what will certainly be some awkard tension. i know that i'm still pretty crazy about coca-cola. we'll just have to see how coca-cola feels about returning to me since i was the one who did the letting go.
and in a completely unrelated note. i don't know how you feel about the music of the band weezer. they've done a pretty good job of disappointing me over the years but the new album is actually okay and i will readily admit that when it comes to ingenius music videos no one does it better.
| By young_christopher | 12:57 PM
Comments
Thanks to you, I went on a huge Jack and coke/Beam and coke run over the last few months. Then I realized that I can't drink and study, so I too had to give it up. But I have no problem giving up coke, or any other soft drink for that matter. It was harder giving up the bourbon.
Thank you anyways for reintroducing me to the pleasures of a simple Jack and coke, even if you have now foresaken the tasty cola beverage.
Posted by: Nick at June 11, 2008 12:16 PM
My own relationship with the coca cola has always been tricky, but I certainly understand the difficulty in breaking an unhealthy addiction (are there healthy addictions?). Here's hoping that one day you will reunite with your favorite refreshing beverage in a new era of healthy consumption.
Posted by: heidi at June 12, 2008 1:20 PM
i've just realized that my fast will prevent me from consuming any of those spectacularly alcoholic jack and cokes in austin this summer. sometimes i'm such an idiot.
Posted by: young_christopher at June 12, 2008 5:50 PM
Uh...yeah. I guess it's Manhattans for you at the Peacock. (That sounded gayer than it actually is.)
Posted by: Nick at June 13, 2008 6:20 PM