I love Coca-cola. I mean, I love it. Name the time and place, and I will beat you in a Pepsi Challenge. I can smell an open Coca-Cola from 20 paces away, and I’m all classic, baby. No Zero, no Diet, no Cherry: the red can ALL the way (okay, I’ll occasionally add a real lemon, but I will never reach for the lemon infused fake flavored ones).

(The Redhead pours me a glass of that delicious, delicious gut rot.)

But then, there’s Pepsi. I don’t particularly hate Pepsi, because that’s just stupid. I find it fascinating that at 2 different times in Pepsi’s history it has been run by a former Coke Exec out of spite and strictly for the purpose of destroying Coke. They failed.

Now a new chapter has been opened in the Cola Wars with Pepsi Throwback. Pepsi Throwback uses real sugar instead of corn syrup. It’s uuhh-MAZING. It reminds me of the Pepsi cans I would get at Aunt Betty’s* in my youth. Coca-cola does have a sugar based option, known as “Mexican Coke” or Mexi-Coke, but they are foolishly and stubbornly refusing to sell it in ‘Merica. They say that it infringes on the distribution rights of American bottlers, and while that is a very valid point, it totally blows. You can find it, but the locations are few and far between. The market is demanding the real thing! We want our real Coke! Sure, it may rot our teeth, but corn syrup is rotting our spirit.

Step it up, Coca-Cola. I will never wander far from you, but Pepsi just scored a major victory. Mexico would like to buy the world a Coke. Let them.

*Aunt Betty’s was a candy store across from my grammar school. She was not my real aunt. In fact, I’m not sure if there ever even was a “Betty.” It later became “My Grandpa’s Store,” which threw even more questions into the “Who is Betty?” investigation.

It’s safe to say that life in LA is slightly askew. While the normal trappings of day to day life are the same as everywhere else in ‘Merica, they have their own unique SoCal twist. For instance, last night while driving home I passed a tweaker. He was crossing the street as I exited the 101. I startled him.

After realizing I wasn’t going to hit him, he gave me a nod and a wink before taking a pull from the classic brown bagged bottle in his hand. He then continued on to wherever he was going. I thought for a minute about how very LA it was that the guy, despite clearly having mental and substance abuse issues, was still fairly chill. Then I didn’t think about it anymore.

Then this morning while making the same commute but in reverse, I saw him again. He was also going the opposite direction. It hit me: he’s also commuting! Wherever him and his bottle were going last night, he’s returning from that activity. The tweaker and me, rolling on the same schedule. After a beat, he recognized me. He gave a big shout and wave like we were old friends, and I gave him the gun point and wink. As far as I’m concerned, we are old friends now. He’ll stagger across the street, and I won’t run him over with my car. It’ll be our thing.

Tweak on, tweaker! It’s Wednesday, we’re halfway through the week! See you tonight on the way home!