"Is this Diet?": My Eternal Struggle

I knew the water was "diet," but
the fountain drink? Argh.

I have an addiction. On the scale of all addictions, it's on the lower end, but it's mine and therefore it clearly matters to me.

My name is Ashley and I'm addicted to cola products.

For those of you who actually know me, this is not a surprise at all. I am rarely at a meal without bubbles tickling my nose. I say "cola products" or "frosty carbonated beverages" but my tastes are fairly consistent. I prefer the diet variety. Diet Dr. Pepper, Coke Zero, Diet Coke, Diet Mountain Dew, all are acceptable. I have my preferences, but in a pinch, I'll even drink a Diet Pepsi. Usually with a sneer after I've had the following conversation with a waiter or waitress.

Me: I'll have a Diet Coke.

Waiter/waitress: We serve Pepsi products. Is that okay?

Me: Not really. Do you have Diet Mountain Dew?

Waiter/waitress: No. We have Diet Pepsi.

Me: Ugh. Fine. Okay. I'll take it.

And I drink it nonetheless. Don't think that my cola consumption is exclusive. Frankly, I'm just a regularly thirsty girl. The hypochondriac in me will wonder if I've got diabetes, but then I get my blood sugar taken and I don't. I even make a deal with myself that I can't have a cola until I've had at least 32 oz of water in the morning. This usually happens. Less so on the weekends.

All this to get say that I'm fairly attuned to the taste of colas and I got one today from the McDonald's across from work. McDonald's fountain drinks are the best. They're like the absolutely best way to drink a soda. I'd say that even if they weren't a client. In fact, I think I have. Anyway, a few sips in and I'm starting to panic "Is this diet?". I don't drink calories unless it's a spinach smoothie, so this is really gripping me.

Of course, it's either go without or down the drink that may or may not be diet, so I did what any addict would do: drank the thing and lived in denial.

Why I Shouldn't Be Single Again

KaBoom volunteers

If there was any example about why I shouldn't be single again, today is that example. I got up at noon. I watched TV all day. I ate junk food most of the weekend because I didn't have to cook it. I had no problem watching the Jodi Arias movie on Lifetime; no shame or embarrassment. I've talked to the cats more than normal.

Happy, not Sad, Pandas

And that is only ONE day. Not so say that if something didn't happen that I couldn't learn to live the single life again, but it would take a while for me to get back in the swing of things. Luckily, I did spend most of Saturday working on a KaBoom playground build. It was for a client, which I have to disclose even though this is a personal blog. It's an FCC law and I'll use another post to talk
about that.

Anyway, Chef is out of town until tomorrow night, working on a photo shoot that a client sent him on. It makes me proud to say that, but getting a taste of my own "I'm traveling for work" medicine is interesting.

Mostly I realized that I would be about 100 pounds heavier without some accountability. I'm getting fluffy again, which translates into pudgy which means that the last three weeks that I've spent traveling for whatever reason and not exercising have caught up with me.

The treadmill begins again tomorrow.

Khubla and I were both lazy as hell this weekend. Or at least today,