MSGID: 1:396/45.28 5dc295ae   
   REPLY: 1:18/200@fidonet 6693942f   
   Hi Sean,   
      
      
    RH> I know, I've heard about that too. But it won't stop me from drinking   
    RH> the diet version.   
      
    SD> Oh, I wasn't trying to put you off of drinking diet Coke.   
      
    SD> If I am going to drink Coke, as I occasionally do at places who do not   
    SD> offer Pepsi or Dr. Pepper products, I prefer to drink Coke Zero Sugar   
    SD> rather than Diet Coke as the latter has always had an astringent,   
    SD> bitter taste in the background to me that I do not like.   
      
   I'll drink water (with lemon) or diet pepsi if Diet Coke isn't   
   available. Depends on what I'm eating will decide which I'll go with;   
   yesterday's Lebanese lamb plate had diet pepsi with it. The Chicken   
   Parmesan I had up in NY at the dinner out with Steve's family had water   
   with lemon as my drink.   
      
      
    SD> Being born and mainly raised out West, it was much more common for me   
    SD> to drink Pepsi products than Coke products.   
      
   I was raised with neither in the house, until my mom's mother passed   
   away and my mom inherited some stock in Coke. This was during my last   
   year of college. I came home for Christmas break to find some Coke   
   and Sprite in the fridge; I'd had some Coke off and on over the years   
   but always away from home so it was quite the surprise to see it there.   
   I'm not sure how long they bought it because I got married a few months   
   later. (I didn't go home for Thanksgiving break because I went down to   
   NC to see Steve; we made the engagement official on the Bogue fishing   
   pier on Emerald Isle the night before Thanksgiving.)   
      
    SD> My personal favorite is diet RC which I can only find in 2-liter   
    SD> bottles at Kroger.  Canned diet RC is all over but I prefer 2-liter   
    SD> bottles.   
      
   Anything carbonated in 2 litre bottles would go flat before we finished   
   it. Got some plain carbonated water in one litre bottles to make fig   
   soda after I made some fig syrup a couple of months ago. The one litre   
   bottles yielded about 2 glasses of soda for each of us when combined   
   with a couple of tablespoons of fig syrup.   
      
      
    SD> These days I am more likely drinking water with lemon (to hide the   
    SD> nasty taste of our city water).   
      
   We have a reverse osmosis filter on our kitchen sink for the same   
   reason. We also buy the flavored sparkling water (in cans) at Wegman's.   
   Saves buying lots of lemons. (G)   
      
    RH> Hopefully you will get it soon, and that you can regain some   
    function. RH> Hooked to a machine for several hours, several times a   
    week does not RH> sound like fun.   
      
    SD> That and my doctors told me that in my case, if I get to that stage, I   
    SD> will most likely not live much longer.   
      
   Not what you want to hear.   
      
    SD> That reminds me, I need to get to the VA tomorrow for an electrolyte   
    SD> lab test and to uh, drop off a sample.  Tests and more tests these   
    SD> days...   
      
   I know, I have to see a spine doctor later this week. My regular   
   orthopedic doctor noticed something when he did x-rays of my shoulder   
   last month, wants me to get it checked out by a specialist.   
      
      
    RH> We just lost a good friend of ours--former Navy, retired FDNY, had a   
    RH> home was packed tight with people. He was the one who made chicken   
    RH> piccota for a lot of our Legion get togethers; after I made it for the   
    RH> first time several months ago, I told him and got a "good for you!".   
    RH> I'll never make it again without thinking of him.   
      
    SD> I'm sorry for your loss.  It's always so difficult losing friends and   
    SD> family but it's a part of life we have to accept.  All part of His   
    SD> plan.   
      
   I know, we can celebrate the fact that he was in our lives for the last   
   11 years. His wife commented after the service that she will have to   
   learn how to cook now; he'd done all of it at home as well as at the   
   fire department.   
      
    SD> I am afraid that I may suffer the same fate (kidneys working, then   
    SD> failing again).ÿWhat angers me is that, once again, a majority of the   
    SD> problems that lead to my kidney failure were the fault of the spotty   
    SD> care I get from some providers at the VA.  I now know better.   
      
   Any possibility of getting them to admit it and you being compensated   
   for it? So far, in 16 years of dealing with the VA, Steve has done well   
   with his doctors. It's the higher up levels that have, at times, been   
   more frustrating.   
      
    SD> As for the chicken piccota, it's nice you have something to   
    celebrate SD> your friend's memory with.   
      
   Yes, it was something I'd never had until I had his. Then I came across   
   a recipe earlier this year, saw how easy it was, and made it. Instead of   
   slicing the chicken into strips as he did or buying regular breasts and   
   pounding them thin, I buy/use chicken cutlets. They're thin so they cook   
   fast and easy to work with.   
      
   ---   
   Catch you later,   
   Ruth   
   rchaffly{at}earthlink{dot}net  FIDO 1:396/45.28   
      
      
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