Beth Morey, Writer + Artist

I'm sick. Or, more accurately, I was sick yesterday and am feeling better (although not quite my best). I didn't sleep last night, and as I only napped for about an hour during the day, I ended up falling asleep at about six o'clock in the evening, just after my poor husband got home. But I did need the rest, so I suppose it's okay. Besides, I made him another small batch of muddy buddies, this time with the proper kind of sugar, so that sweetens the deal. Har har...sweetens...yes, that was a somewhat intentional pun. It's punny, as the Hubby would say. All this to say, that's why my daily blogging was deferred slightly. But I'm counting this post for yesterday. Take that, time!

Speaking of sweet things, I made an unfortunate discovery. When my tummy is causing my troubles as it has been, I like to drink sparkling water. It's bubbly and refreshing, even as it does tickle my insides a little once it arrives in my beleaguered belly. But it makes me feel a little peppier, a little more myself. So you'll find me stocking up on most non-berry flavors of sparkling water when I don't feel my best. My favorite flavors are grapefruit and coconut/pina colada types. During yesterday's Safeway run, however, I ran across an intriguing new (and presumably holiday-centered) flavor: apple cider.

Apple cider sparkling water? Yes, it sounds odd, but I'm a sucker for all things fall/winter holiday- related, so I bought a bottle. Although it tastes pretty much nothing like apple cider, its bubbly vanilla taste wasn't bad. I enjoyed it -- until I discovered one of its ingredients. Aspartame. Ick. Here I was, operating under the illusion that all sparkling water is innocent and innocuous in its nutritional voidness. It's water with bubbles. What could be so bad about that, right? But now I discover that its sugar free identity is driven by faux apple cider cancer and all I can say, once again, is ick. Natural flavors, as the bottle's main label purports? That's about as natural (and almost as disturbing) as this.

(On a semi-side note -- gentle reader, I apologize for this disturbing and bloody eyeballed photo of me. But really, that's how sad I was to discover the violation of my beloved sparkling water. I suppose its the way of non-flavored sparkles for me now.)