soda pop

i used to drink a lot of soda pop. a lot.

a lot of kids weren't allowed to drink soda pop. or maybe there would be a limit on their daily soda pop intake. not me. i grew up in a household where drinking soda pop was neither discouraged nor encouraged. but it was always, always readily available.

i would average four cans of soda per day. mostly coca-cola or pepsi. i hated mountain dew. i would be furious when mountain dew was the only thing in the fridge. then, when i was sixteen, i got drunk at Indiana University. i woke up the next morning with a hangover and the only the things in the fridge were beer and mountain dew. the idea of having a beer made me want to barf. i suppose i could've had a glass of water. but that seemed almost as stupid as having a beer. so i had a mountain dew. and something in me changed that morning. i haven't been the same since. that mountain dew was the greatest thing i had ever tasted. i stopped drinking coca-cola and pepsi altogether. mountain dew was my new go-to brand.

my freshman year of college diet was this: mountain dew and pop tart for breakfast. mountain dew, cheetos, sandwich for lunch. mountain dew and pizza for dinner. beer the rest of the night. oh, and a mountain dew during each class.

sophomore year, i studied in ireland for a semester. there's no mountain dew in ireland. i had to learn to drink coca-cola and pepsi again. my diet in ireland was this: red bull for breakfast. chicken sandwich and coke for lunch (this place on campus had the BEST chicken sandwiches and i ate there like 5 days a week). fish and chips and guinness for dinner. guinness rest of night. oh, and a pepsi during each class.
like 2 years ago, i weened off the soda pop, learned to enjoy coffee & tea and i've been trying to eat healthier (barely). but sometimes i still get the hankerin' for a can of soda pop. and now is one of those times. i think i'm gonna walk to the market and get a mountain dew. i am weak.