On addictions

I have never really been a smoker, a drug user or a gambler (other than the normal amount of experimentation) and I'm not a big drinker. But for more than 25 years, I had one constant addiction: soda. My drug of choice was originally diet coke, and later diet dr. pepper. I had soda just about every day from the time I was 13. I don't want to think how many cans that adds up to, but it is of course well into the tens of thousands.

Then, last year, I had a series of stomach and intestinal issues and I was playing around with my diet. I was trying to figure out if there was some food I should eliminate to make myself feel better. Turned out the suspect substance wasn't a food, but a beverage, aka soda. So, for six months, I have generally been off soda. And I feel better. Significantly better. Usually.

I have relapses (had one last week) and always, the stomach issues return. So pure logic would dictate that I stay off the stuff. But logic and a more-than-25 year habit don't always co-exist happily in one's brain. Right now there's diet coke in the fridge (because my sister was visiting this weekend) and it's calling me. So I made a big cup of iced tea and am writing this blog entry to avoid answering that call.

It makes me much more sympathetic to smokers who, in the face of medical evidence and their own diminished lung capacity, can't quite seem to kick the habit. I'm not sure I ever really understood that disconnect before.

New Link

I added a new link to my blogroll, Rex Parker does the NYT Crossword Puzzle. Every day when I get up, while drinking that first cup of coffee and if I have time (easier in the summer as life is less rushed), I do the NYTimes Crossword Puzzle online. Then, I submit my solution and compare myself to other puzzle solvers. For instance, today's time of 8 minutes puts me 143th so far today. Finally, I read what Rex Parker has to say. I find his comments on the puzzles very amusing. I love words and wordplay.

Rex Parker is a pseudonym. It's very letterboxing-like to have a puzzle-fiend alias and that appeals to me. When I decided on my letterboxing trail name, I had run into someone on the trail and she asked my name. Dewberry just sort of popped out of my mouth--it was a play on my last name--and it seemed to fit. Since then, though I've thought many a time about changing it to something that is a bit more reflective of me--my actual personality & self. But, by this point, people in the letterboxing world know me, so there didn't seem to be much point. Maybe I can just have a puzzle-fiend alias too...and become known on the crossword circuit as _________? Mad coffee-drinking puzzle-freak? That doesn't exactly trip off the tongue either. I'm afraid I would need something ultra-clever to hang with the crossword crowd.

So, any suggestions on what my puzzle name should be?