Friday, January 23, 2015

Week Three: King of Diamonds

When I moved to Chicago I needed to decide whether or not to keep my car.  I drove a 26 foot UHaul up to the Windy City and I did not tow my little Dodge Caliber behind.  (Driving that behemoth was crazy enough, towing a car as well would've been insanity.)  So for months I didn't have the luxury of a vehicle.  It turns out, I didn't really need it.  Everything I need (or want for that matter) is a walk or "El"-ride away.  There were a couple times I found myself wanting a car though...
1. Thinking about my aging pup and wondering, if she ever got really sick, how I would get her to the vet.  Ours is about a half mile away which is just fine to walk to on healthy days, but I'm nervous for when we'll really need vet services...
2. Isis related again - but gone are the days when she will be able to make the trek home to KC for holidays.  Amtrak and Megabus don't allow 70 pound dogs, no matter how sweet and well-mannered they are... and I refuse to put one of my best friends in a crate in the belly of a plane.  Thinking about Isis-less holidays kind of makes me sad.

That being said, having a car up here is kind of ridiculous.  It costs a lot to insure, register, and get a city parking permit.  There are days when you have to move a car for street cleanings.  Living less than half a mile from Wrigley means Cubs game parking fiascos - even trying to find a spot to park becomes a challenge.  And gas up here isn't cheap, either.  So I did a little pro/con exercise and decided to part ways with my periwinkle blue hatchback.  For the amount of times I'd use it, it just didn't make sense to endure the expense and hassle.  If I'm ever in an Isis-medical-emergency bind, I'm sure my sister or one of my friends (and their cars) would come through for me.  This Christmas wasn't as weird without my furry friend as I thought it'd be (shoutout to Josh who watched and loved her most of the time I was gone).

This ramble brings me to this week's goal card: Soda Free

I probably didn't add this to the list above because I'm a little embarrassed and a little ashamed.  Times I wanted a car:

3. When I want to buy Diet Coke in bulk.

There you have it.  My secret's out.  I really love DC and have one probably every day.  The stupid grocery store up here puts it on sale, but only when you buy a ridiculous amount all at once. 
Example: 12-pack 3/$9 when you buy 3.  Regular price $5.49
WHEN YOU BUY THREE!?!?  How am I going to walk home with three 12-packs of soda in my arms!?  Why would I spend over five dollars on 12 cans of coke!?  ::sigh:: The reason I want a car... to get the sale price on Diet Coke.  If that isn't the most pathetic thing.

I knew I had maybe a little addiction when getting soda on sale weighed in to my pro/con car list.  I really knew it when I broke down and bought a granny-rolling-cart so I could get that sale.  (In my defense, the granny-rolling-cart has been helpful other times, too... like when I buy dog food, or lots of toilet paper, or cans of tomato... these things are heavy AND bulky... I'm not Wonder Woman!)

I added Soda Free as a weekly goal to challenge myself and to see really how deeply my addiction ran.  I can tell you... it's been hard.  I relapsed and had one on Tuesday after my long day at school.  (Not even 2 whole days into the challenge!!) I had the worst headache and had a lot of studying to do and I thought maybe I needed some caffeine.  It tasted great but I felt guilty the whole time I sipped it.  The studying got done though.  (I'm rationalizing my weak-will.)

The rest of this week I have been soda free.  Drinking more water and more coffee.  Mainly more water.  Two more days to go.  I don't think loving Diet Coke makes me any better or worse of a person.  I haven't noticed any real differences to the way I feel now versus when the week started.  I do think soda is an expensive and unnecessary 'habit' that I may eventually try to break.  This week without hasn't convince me though... and so, I will continue rolling the granny-cart.  Admittedly looking pretty dorky as I do.

1 comment:

  1. Totally understand you on this one. I also love a nice cold diet coke. But I've weaned myself down to one per week, substituting in flavored sparkling water (like La Croix) when I want something fizzy. No calories, no sugar, no sodium, and though not very tasty, I got used to it eventually. Kudos to you and your mostly soda free week!!

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