The Evil Bar of Doom is Franchising!

IT'S EVERYBODY'S WORST NIGHTMARE! RUUUUUUUN!!!!!!!

Actually, it is my worst nightmare. Not only has the Evil Bar of Doom opened an East location, it is directly in my line of sight 8 hours a day.

How can this be, you ask? A bar is a bar, it's not a person. It can't multiply itself.

No, it can't, but my company can hire more people (yay economic recovery... sorta).  Directly across from my office is another office that has lain vacant since the day I moved in. I never really paid attention to the room except for when visiting folks from other offices needed a place to crash for a day, and it was one less person I had to worry about annoying while making loud business calls.

But when I arrived home from Israel there was suddenly a new employee who had taken up permanent residence in that office. In truth I didn't mind. She's a pretty cool person and it has made our isolated little corner a bit more social. But just last week she created a major faux pas-- in my eyes only.

"I have a candy jar at home and had one at my last job, so I'm going to bring it in tomorrow," she enthusiastically told me one day, much to my horror. "Feel free to pop in and take whatever you want at any time!"

Oh, no. No no no. As we all know, I have no willpower. Since moving to my new office last February I've been able to avoid the Evil Bar of Doom's Central location (as I will now call it) by using the auxiliary kitchen by my desk. Yes, I slip on occasion, and I fully own up to my slips. But at least I have had some semblance of control. No longer, though, I fear. Not only is this one closer, but the way my door is situated in relation to her door and the jar of mini-candies sits in a line of sight that I cannot control, the lid mocking me, it's like that the jar screams at me 8 hours a day: "I AM HERE. EAT ME. EAT ME. EEEAAATT MEEEEEEE!!!!!!"

And I do. Really, what can I do? The only option is to keep my door closed all the time, but beyond the fact that doing that will give me a reputation as the anti-social hermit in the office, I will still know that the jar is there.

The good news is that she really does stock it with only the halloween "fun-sized" types of candies, so my gluttony is moderated. The bad news is that I've already raided it on more than one occasion. Every time I do I apologize to her, which is really me apologizing to me.

I need a plan. And fast.  Now that apple season is in full effect I've gone back to bringing a supply with me to fend off the regular 3pm cravings. But really, sometimes an apple can't do what delicious malted Whoppers can.

Any suggestions, loyal readers, on how I can tame the temptation? My first instinct was to ask for recipes for Au Naturale candy bars with which I can arm myself, but that itself is a slippery slope: if I know it's there, I will eat it even if I don't really want it, and I really need to maintain the relatively healthy eating habit I've built for myself. That being said.... recipes? Any other not-as-obvious suggestions? Or do I just give in? Say it ain't so....