Today marks my seventh consecutive caffeine-free day.

No BAWLS.

No Monkey King tea.

No cola. No Barq’s. No Dr. Pepper.

No VOJO mints.

. . .

Also no headaches. Woohoo!

I feel… okay. No (new) problems sleeping, no problems staying awake.
But I’m beginning to lose my resolve to remain decaffeinated. Perhaps I need… a diversion.

. . .

Suggestions?

Recently I received an unexpected, “no particular reason” gift package from Radioactive Daughter R aka R2aD aka Annie (thanks!). She surprised me with a collection of strange and exotic beverages, which included this Australian export: a bottle of way-tasty Bundaberg Ginger Beer.

Notice anything unusual about the label, my feiends? Other than the picture of an Australian monkey rabbit icon, and the fact it’s written in English? Yes: this bottle comes with special instructions.

INVERT BOTTLE BEFORE OPENING.

Huh? At first this puzzled me; why would those crazy Aussies tell me to turn a bottle upside down before I open it? Then I remembered Australia = Down Under, and everything fell into place. So to speak. I needn’t invert the bottle, but if they don’t…

[click pic for a better view]

Consider this a toast to my (good humored) Australian feiends. And to everyone: hope you have a great, safe weekend; as for me, I’m taking a short break. Until sometime next week this is Radioactive Jam saying “so long” and! if you’re in the Dallas area, listen for “the screech of millions of mosquitoes” caught in a “once-in-a-lifetime” monster spider web.*

* link courtesy Radioactive Daughter J aka ^JRaD aka Jen. Thanks Jen!

This picture illustrates an important radioactive rule: beware of geeks Franken Monkeys bearing gifts. Unless it’s a titanium spork; then by all means gladly accept their offering.

Alert readers might spot something else hidden in this picture, a kind of “Where’s Waldo” for blog feiends. Yes if you look closely you’ll see there’s a bottle of Brain Wash carbonated drink, cleverly disguised as a– well okay, maybe ‘disguised’ is a little strong.* It’s there, but not for long.

In a few moments I shall open and consume my one remaining† bottle of blue Brain Wash. I’ll update this post and let you know how it tastes, unless … well.

Good thing I installed that next-of-kin notifier plugin, eh?

Update: I seem to have survived.

As for the way-blue f/x… this too shall pass.
(wait for it…)
AHAHAHAHAHahahahahahaha! Sometimes I crack myself up.

If you’re curious - and really, even if you’re not - here’s the list of ingredients: CARBONATED WATER, HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP, CITRIC ACID, CAFFEINE, NATURAL & ARTIFICIAL FLAVORS, BLUE #1, HERBAL BLEND consisting of: American, Siberian and Korean ginseng, African Capsicum, Buchu, Echinacea, Jalapeno Oil, Ginkgo Biloba, Ginger, Gotu Kola, Kola Nut, Brazilian Guarana, Skullcap (Mad Dog Weed), Clove, Damiana, Sage, Sodium Benzoate to preserve taste.

Bottom line: Brain Wash is curiously strong yummy stuff which despite its bizarre list of ingredients causes no ill effects.

At least not in me.

Though my desk and computer are vibrating.

* Likewise for hidden and clever.
† I do have one other bottle but it’s at least seven years old, plus it’s the edgier “original formula” Brain Wash (with ma hung added to the mix). I consider it a collector’s item; your monkeys may vary.

Strange Brew Part Deux

During a recent visit to Target I found a couple new “sparkling” juice drinks from Izze. I tried the pomegranate flavor and liked it; I then tried the blackberry flavor and liked it even more. Then I spotted this non-Izze pomegranate-blackberry blend and thought, oooh! Shiny can, must purchase! Must taste! Must be good!

Erm. No. One sip; I. Almost. Barfed. This stuff is far and away the most foul-tasting beverage to ever hit my tongue. I’m serious: this might be the worst soda pop ever made.

Why does this stuff taste like a mispackaged emetic? I’m not sure but I’m guessing “sucralose.” So this Christmas if you want to give that special someone an unforgettable taste experience, buy them a can of this stuff.

How ’bout you? What “memorable” taste sensations have you quaffed? If you can’t think of any bad ones, feel free to share a good one instead; I need something to help get rid of this taste!

Making sleeplessness irrelevant one can at a time.

“If your daddy knew exactly how stupid you were, he’d trade you in for a pet monkey.” - Steven Seagal, Fire Down Below