Life After the Steady Job

I was out on the Ottawa River this morning, in June, at 8:30 a.m. Sitting quietly in my yellow kayak, watching the blue water, blue sky, ducks, an orange hull of a sailboat in the distance near the Quebec shore to the north, and a small red-and-white lighthouse in Dick Bell Park by the marina. Thinking to myself, well, this sure beats racing downtown on the crowded bus to sit in a beige cubicle all day. On the way back home, and I can paddle right to my back-yard gate om a tributary of the Ottawa River, I stopped to pick up a discarded red plastic pail, and a 4-liter plastic container half-full of anti-freeze from the marshes. I also stopped to watch a big turtle the size of a dinner-plate. And I paddled slowly past a large white egret so as not to scare it off. Lot's of time to see things. And the only reason I had to turn back and go home was because I had to pee. I think this is the freedom people yearn for. So great! Thank you for reading, Northstar

Diet Coke vs Coca-Cola Zero in Canada

I have two cans in front of me. A black one - Coke Zero. And a silver one - Coke Diete or Diet Coke in Canada. Both 355 ml. The silver one says sugar-free cola. The black one says, simply, Cola 0 Sucre or 0 Sugar Cola depending on which side of the can you are reading.
Listed Ingredients on each can in order of quantity:
(1) SILVER: carbonated water BLACK: carbonated water
(2) SILVER: caramel colour BLACK : caramel colour
(3)* SILVER: phosphoric and citric acid BLACK: phosphoric acid
(4) SILVER: aspartame BLACK: aspartame
(5)* SILVER: flavour BLACK: potassium benzoate
(6)* SILVER: sodium benzoate BLACK: natural flavour
(7)* SILVER: caffeine BLACK: potassium citrate
(8) SILVER: acesulfame-potassium BLACK: acesulfame-potassium
(9) BLACK: caffeine.

In conclusion, the Zero has no citric acid, has natural flavour, contains potassium in the form of both potassium benzoate and potassium citrate (well, okay, here is your citric acid after all), and has less caffeine. The cans say that the BLACK can has 40 mg sodium vs 50 mg for the SILVER but no potassium quantity is included in the Nutrition Facts part of the label. Taste test? I will get back to you.

Thank you for reading
Northstar