The Devil’s Cup is the name of The Deranged Writer’s favorite highball cocktail, Jack & Coke Zero (a mix of Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Whiskey and Coke Zero, on the rocks). He got the name while he was drinking the cocktail, and he heard this line from Britney Spears’ “Toxic”: “I took a sip from my devil’s cup.” The name stuck ever since.
Tonight, while I was drinking my favorite Jack & Coke Zero and listening to my favorite songs on Spotify in peace, I remembered a few people again—one of them is a significant person in my high school phase, Lyra. And strangely enough, Spotify played Joey McIntyre’s “Stay the Same”, the same song Lyra dedicated to me at one point in our fourth year in high school.
What’s up with that, Spotify and the universe? But anyway, thank you for that. I’m going to cry now.
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So, what do I want to talk about?
Well, first, let me talk about one hell of a week.
Continue reading XXV: A Hell of a Week & A Simpler PrayerSince last Saturday night, I have been listening to Maroon 5’s “Back at Your Door” (the final song from the band’s second studio album It Won’t Be Soon Before Long) on repeat, and it looks like it’s turning into my favorite Maroon 5 song over “Makes Me Wonder” because of the mental and emotional pain I have lately. The jazz-flavored ballad is so full of regret and yearning, and in my humble opinion, it also presents Adam Levine’s best vocal performance.
Listening to “Back at Your Door” last Saturday night kept me sane when my family was out of town and I was alone with my thoughts and my favorite Jack & Coke Zero. And what is the most painful part of the song—but I always go back to it? It’s this:
Why do you do this to me?
You penetrate right through me
Every time I wind up back at your doorNo need to cry about it
Maroon 5’s “Back at Your Door”
I may just die without it
Every time I wind up back at your door
See you in the next post.
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Header image: Juan Pablo Serrano of Pexels. Edited in Adobe Photoshop 2025.
The Diary of The Deranged Writer 