Tic-toc-tic-toc

So, for some reason, I am not talented enough to sort through all this html code to attach this ticker to the bottom of my page, and the side is coded too narrow for it to fit and still be legible.

Without further ado, here is my new ticker, that should update on its own as time passes:



I'm hoping the number on here will go up substantially over time. I'll re-post the code every now and again to show you where I'm at.

And no, there's no significance to cute little mice edging ever-closer to the castle. I just liked those two images best from www.tickerclub.com

Okay, I mentioned to My Love what I was doing, and he suggested I go ahead and register for an account so I can make my own image/background/whatever...so, here is the new new ticker:



I might should explain that Coca-cola is essentially an addiction for me.
I suppose I like the way it tastes, but it has gotten to the point lately that it is an essential chaser to whatever life throws my way.
If I'm stressed, I need a Coke.
If I'm tired, I need a Coke.
If I'm happy, I need a Coke.
If I've had a bad day, I need a Coke.
Celebrating something? I should grab a Coke!
Hmm, today is sort of a ho-hum kinda day - I should drink a Coke!
And the reasons (or lack thereof) keep coming.

Unfortunately for my health, waistline, and sleeping habits, I despise water.
Really. It takes a lot (usually the unbearable Texan summer heat) to get me to actually want to drink water. Usually, I drink it because I have to, not because I want to.

I've tried flavored water, and the only kind I really actually liked, I can't find anymore.
(After a quick google search, I've discovered that one of the flavors of the line had a high benzene content, which is linked to leukemia. Awesome. I guess they just went ahead and pulled the whole line then.)
Sad day.

I've recently invested in some of the flavored, carbonated types to try to bridge my affinity for Coke to the basic and mandatory H2O. I'll let you know how that goes.

Someone recently asked on facebook "Have you ever gone through withdrawal from an addiction? What was it like?"
I somewhat jokingly responded, "Does Coca-cola count?" And they answered "yes."

That got me thinking quite a lot. About how much I was relying on Coke. About how it was impulsive rather than conscious.

Don't get me wrong - I was about to start a new health plan, and that surely didn't include Coke, but to think about describing "withdrawal from an addiction," and to realize typing out what I think and feel about Coke made me uncomfortable and embarrassed because it sounded an awful lot like what people who have addictions to drugs, alcohol, or tobacco experience...that was eye-opening.
(As a side-note, please don't think I'm down-playing severe addictions to drugs or alcohol to be identical to caffeine addiction. By saying what I just said, it is not my intention in the slightest to down-play the severity or deny the reality of those issues.)

So, because I like some variation of competition, I made a ticker. And he will tic on, counting the days I'm Coca-cola free. Motivating me to keep going, so the number can keep getting bigger. I'm not sure how long I'm planning to go yet. I'm sure I'll eventually allow myself a Coke or two, but not as an impulse.

Tic-toc. Tic-toc. :D