As you might remember from my last post, I've tried to cut high fructose corn syrup out my diet and this means cutting out almost all of my soda intake. This was a big change, as I drank a lot of it.

I tried diet sodas for a while, but there is just something about a sip of aspartame that bites the inside of my mouth like a scorpion-filled swig of whiskey. I didn't care for it.

That was when I discovered the wide array of sodas made with cane sugar, IMHO, taste better and are marginally better for you than soda's with HFCS. They also cost more, sometimes twice as much, but its worth it. After tasting a few, I thought would share my findings.

Jones Soda's Cola

Jones Soda Co. is a small soda maker (at least when compared to Coca-Cola or Pepsi) based in Seattle. They are known for their wide variety of soda flavors, ranging from classics like root beer and cream soda to weirder ones like strawberry kiwi and thanksgiving dinner. I've always been a fan of their green apple flavor, but for the sake of comparison, I tried their good old-fashion cola flavor.

Its an unconventional taste. It reminds me of RC Cola, or maybe Safeway Select. It has a somewhat musty flavor, as though it had been aged in a wooden barrel (or maybe it just had too much syrup!). Overall, it was ok. I think I will stick with Jones's other flavors.

Pepsi Natural

This is a new gourmet soda from Pepsi. It takes the Pepsi formula and replaces it with certain natural ingredients.

It doesn't really taste like Pepsi. Have you ever had one of those candies shaped like coke bottles that taste sort-of like a soda? Imagine mixing a bunch of those into a Pepsi, and that is what this tastes like.

But that isn't a bad thing. It tastes great! It also has a fruity aftertaste, which lets you nurse it over time and enjoy it longer.

Mexican Coke

This is Coca-Cola bottled in Mexico. Since Mexico doesn't have ridiculous subsidies for corn, they make their Coke with sugar instead of HFCS. Aside from that, its pretty much the same drink as its US counterpart. It tastes a little sweeter and maybe less fizzy, but its just as refreshing and addictive. In one way it is the antithesis of Pepsi Natural, in that the flavor feels somewhat empty. You want to chug it instead of nursing it. I've heard some baby boomers drink it because it tastes like Coke did before they switched to the HFCS sweetener in the 1980's.

It's a charming drink overall. It comes in a 12-ounce glass bottle with the same footprint as the old 8-ounce Coke bottle, but taller. All the writing on it is in Spanish except for an ingredients and nutrition facts sticker stuck on the top (Mexico must have different laws regarding nutrition labels).

The biggest problem with this drink is finding it. It's the Big Foot of sodas. There are a lot of stories and myths across the internet regarding where you can find it. Some say you can find it in Costco, but you need ask for it. Some say you need to go to Mexican grocery stores. I buy mine from a Bartells' Drug store near where I work, where it is hidden in a far corner of the Coke fridge in the back of the store.

That's all I have to say for now. Enjoy your drinks! And stay away from HFCS!

I believe it was Scott Adams, author of Dilbert, that said "Change is good. You go first."

So 2008 is finally over. If one thing defined this year it is change. It was one of those years that worked like a hinge in history. One of those years we will remember for decades like 1929 or 1968.

Lets just remember a few of the ways the world changed in the last year:

- The economy broke. The world faces the worst market now since the Great Depression.

- The price of gas went up past $5 in some places over the summer. Everyone suddenly realized how dependent we are on oil. People started driving less and used public transit.

- Now oil's crashed back to the $2 range. Oil-producing nations like Russia are suddenly bankrupt.

- On a related note, the great American auto makers finally hit what could very well be the nails in their coffins.

- Since I mentioned Russia, its worth bringing up they're back in style like 80's music. They kicked the Georgian army out of South Ossetia without asking anyone if it was okay. Honestly, I think the Georgians started it but the whole war shows that Russia is now back in the habit of doing whatever the hell they want.

- The new Iraqi government grew some balls and asked the US to get of their country, arranging an agreement that would have US troops out by 2011.

- Fidel Castro stepped down as President of Cuba, handing power to his brother Raul.

- The Chinese economic bubble finally burst. What a hang over from the Olympics, eh?

- People outside of Alaska suddenly realized how fucked up that state is.

- American voters selected a President that is not only a Democrat but who also speaks out against partisanship and actually listens to people who disagree with him. If you ask me, it was a sound rejection of the politics of division that have dominated the country for decades.

- Oh yeah, and did I mention he's black?

On the smaller scale (bits that only matter to the readers of this blog who know me personally):

- I graduated from college and moved away from Bellingham.

- Jamie and Emlyn divorced and moved to different cities.

- Riley moved away.

- My grandmother passed away on Christmas Eve.

- Sam and Riley broke up and found new people to act gross with within a few months

- I became a Mac snob after being a Linux snob for about a year.

- Heath Ledger died. It was the best thing that could have happened to his career. I didn't even know who he was before he died. Now I've seen Ten Things I Hate About You, A Knight's Tale, Brokeback Mountain and The Dark Knight. The man got no press when he was alive, and now he's a big deal.