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Tuesday, September 25, 2007

Brave

Teresa and I often refer to one another as "brave" when we don't really mean it. Like, yesterday, I discovered that our back teevee was not working. We lost power in a thunderstorm (really! a thunderstorm in L.A.) and somehow that teevee and its connection to the dish were lost. I like to watch what we call "sports teevee" in the morning while getting ready. Anyway, I was being really pouty about it and Teresa referred to me as "brave" in the face of such adversity.

There have been times in my life when I've actually had to be brave, but not watching ESPN's First Take yesterday morning (or this morning) was not one of them.

Another example of my not really needing to be brave is a loss in my life. I am, according to Teresa, probably the only person in America who likes Coke Blak. That can't be precisely true or I would have been able to buy it at will during its short lifespan. Now, the Coca-Cola Company has announced that it will stop selling Coke Blak in the United States. They're going to have it available as long as there are still supplies of the concentrate. I have dim hopes of deep deep wells of concentrate in underground tanks throughout Southern California.

Coke Blak, for those of you who chose to not help me keep the product alive, is a wondrous concoction of coke and coffee. I know, it sounds gross. It's not. It's refreshing and cool. It has a healthy amount of caffeine and 45 calories, due to a perfect blend of sugar and splenda. No weird splenda taste, no 200 calorie indulgence. Perfect! It's best, to me at least, in the morning after fifteen minutes or so in the freezer. Ice cold and with slight bergs of blak goodness.

Sunday, Teresa and I went to Target and they had eight four packs. I bought them all. It may be that those 32 Blaks (now 30) are the last I'll ever have. She asked, as we loaded them into the FJ whether drinking them would make me sad. I like to think, instead, that I'll treat each one as a moment of joy in my life. 32 days with guaranteed moments of joy? Seems good to me.

For anyone NOT in Southern California, if you've ever been just a little curious about a magical soda coffee marriage, go find one before it's too late. For those of you in Southern California, keep wondering. I'm going to go out and buy what there is left.

As for being brave, when the 32 days are done (which should happen 7 or 8 weeks from now, given that I have one four mornings a week, give or take), ask me how brave I feel. In the meantime, if I can get morning sports teevee back, I be better able to face each day in a world without Blak. And, who knows, I gather it will still be available in France and Canada. Maybe I can get an import hook-up.

Sigh. Being brave takes such effort. Farewell Blak. It was nice knowing you

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7 comments:

SassyFemme said...

I've never heard of coke blak, wonder if it even made it up here.

Teresa said...

I bought one shortly after its launch as Sporks and I were driving through North Georgia. It sounded odd enough to be good, like maybe it just works despite itself, but after a couple of sips I kind of shook my head and handed it to Sporks, thinking she would instantly hate it with a passion previously unfelt in her life. Instead, she finished it. The rest is history.

chapin said...

We have it here but I've never tried it. Perhaps I should give one a try before it is no more. Maybe we could ship some to you out on the left coast. :-)

Deborah said...

I remember seeing it in the store a while back--but not for awhile. Then again, I don't shop the soda aisles, that's daughter's domain.

Now I'm intrigued.

weese said...

I went through something similar in the 80's when they stopped making tab. Remember tab. I LOVE(D) tab.
I was forced to switch to Diet Coke - alas it was never the same. Oddly a couple of years ago, tab started to show up in stores again. Even more odd was that there would be a single six-pack on the shelf. We buy it every time the lone six-pack appears. I have to wonder if someone recently discovered a warehouse full of forgotten tab's.
Don't give up hope.

The Misanthrope said...

I saw a billboard for it, but never noticed it displayed in the stores. No wonder it didn't survive.

sporksforall » Foam said...

[...] morning. I’ve been seeking Starbucks in the morning more often than I should, what with the demise of Coke Blak. My stash lasted until Monday. I toasted Coca-Cola with my last one and have been in mourning [...]