As most of you probably already know, Coke has release another form of diet coke--lemon, cherry, lime, vanilla and splenda weren’t enough. My addiction to the dark bubbly drink began in college; I’ve tried to quit it, but I just can’t. It’s my only addiction (besides alieve, melatonin, and sex), so I figure it’s alright---as long as it doesn’t disrupt my life. Diet black cherry vanilla coke was first introduced to me via a billboard on the Eisenhower. When I saw it, I was so excited---I wanted to run to the first gas station I saw and try it. I did and I have to admit I was a huge fan. In my excitement I spread the gospel my co-worker Alison and she quickly became an addict as well.

Alison and I began taking diet black cherry vanilla coke breaks together. Whenever the day seems a little long, we’ll go to CVS or the snack shop downstairs and buy one. These breaks have become more than diet black cherry vanilla coke breaks….we began to chat….we’ve bonded. The diet black cherry vanilla coke breaks graduated to soup lunches when she introduced me to a soup shop in the building that serves soup nazi style soup. We’ve begun sending e-vites to each other---she’s invited me to a pub crawl, a St. Pats Party, and most recently her birthday dinner at my most favorite restaurant in the Chicago (so of course I’m going). I’ve invited her to a fundraiser for a friend of mine, a St. Pats party, and my birthday celebration. Alison runs our Charity Runner program and is part of the reason I’m now signed up to run the Chicago Marathon.

So because of diet black cherry vanilla coke I have a new friend, I’m running 26.3 miles next October, and I am addicted to turkey chili. Here’s the dilemma---I don’t like diet black cherry vanilla coke anymore and I don’t know how to break it to Alison. I don’t want our little breaks to end, I really enjoy them---but I now prefer diet lime coke or regular diet coke. I’m not a fan of too many people in the office--and she is a relief from the annoyances that I put up with everyday. I don’t want our little affair to end, so for now I’m pretending to still be obsessed with diet black cherry vanilla coke.

This morning I lied. I came in with a regular diet coke and I told Alison that CVS was out of diet black cherry vanilla coke….I feel like I’m living a double life.