But I digress.
As I was saying, I really like to drive. I love road trips, and I like driving on road trips. There's something therapeutic about it for me. I commute to work every day, from Sandy to Downtown SLC (which, for those of you that may not know, is about 30+ miles round trip). I don't mind the commute, because I like driving. Did I mention I like driving? Maybe I just like driving my car. I love my car.
Anyway, I was on my way to work this morning, and thought to myself - I wonder what would happen if I didn't get off the freeway at my usual Downtown exit, and just kept driving? I've only ever driven past Wendover once, maybe I could visit there; I've never been to Lake Tahoe, I bet I could make it there later today. Or I could visit Lava Hot Springs - never been there either. I have my camera on me, maybe I could go take cool pictures at the salt flats. I COULD go north to Idaho and visit cousins there, that might be fun! Or if I was feeling REALLY adventurous, I could go to Northern California and just stay there for a few days.
I really thought about all this on my way to work! Either I really need a vacation, or I'm just bored, or I have the Winter Blues... You know, one of these days, I really AM going to just keep driving, and see where I end up.
Right along with the blues, it's time for my annual "Kick the Coca Cola Habit" in an attempt to lose a few (dozen) pounds. When I go through this phase, I make it my mission in life to find the most interesting diet drinks. I LOATHE diet drinks - I think aspartame and sucralose are worse for you than high fructose corn syrup. Anyway, I've hit most of the 7-Elevens near my house on the way to work, looking in their beverage cases for the most interesting diet sodas. Twice now I've seen a 7-Up truck in parking lots, and it advertises Diet Cherry 7-Up, which I am desperate to try, but have yet to find. (Diet 7-Up is actually not that bad.)
So the other morning, I'm at the 7-Eleven getting a Diet Pepsi Big Gulp, and I decide to scan the beverage cases for diet drinks, and I come across Diet Orange Crush.
Interesting. I have a case of Diet Orange Sunkist at home, but it has caffeine in it. (WTH?? Who puts caffeine in orange soda???) So I decide to try the Diet Orange Crush (that does NOT have caffeine), and take it to the counter with my Big Gulp. My attention was soon taken from my Diet Crush and focused on the cashier... he had the biggest 'fro I'd ever seen! But my attention was soon taken again to his face, because he was giving me the oddest expression - like he couldn't comprehend my beverage choice. "You're buying a Diet Orange Crush?" He asks me. I stared. "Um, yeah... I was curious about it," I said. He looks from me back to the Crush, and back to me. "That is so weird," he finally says.
Says the man with the giant Afro!! Give me my drinks and let me go to work!
That's my rant for the day. If you've read this far, I will by YOU a Big Gulp and take you on my road trip with me.
Anyway, now that it's a NEW year, one gets to thinking about New Year's Resolutions, and after weeks of thought, I've only come up with one resolution: NO RESOLUTIONS. They're almost just a joke now. People make them just to break them, it seems. At least, that's what I do. I make resolutions and then focus NOT on the resolution itself, but how long it will take me to break them. If you really think about it, resolutions are just lifestyle changes. Break the word up: re - solution. Re-work a problem so you have a new solution. Change what you're doing, and that should change the outcome. For example, my problem is health. Specifically weight loss, like so many other women. Change what I'm doing - stop drinking so much soda and eating so much sugar and junk food - and the outcome should change. Instead of gaining weight, or idling at the same weight, I should LOSE weight, right? I realize that's kind-of a weak example, but it's the only one that comes to mind, since I actually got on the scale this morning and shed a few tears at the number I saw.