A little Pig Skin…in more ways than one!

Zach: Hey Cheaters, Zany Zach Finch here to fill you in on the latest in Cheat Day FUN! This cheat day was fairly low key. Last Sunday was the first Sunday I had actually gained wait while participating in the Slow Carb diet. It's to be expected, if there is less wait to lose it must be harder to lose right? RIGHT!

Andy Reid (USAToday)

They didn't put the KC Chiefs on TV yet AGAIN in Chicago. What game did they play instead? Patriots/Dolphins! Who cares! Either way my Chiefs, led by one of the best cheaters out there Andy Reid, remain undefeated! Seriously this guy must think EVERY day is Cheat Day..amirite! Crazy bastard. They took down what seems to be a much lamer Browns team than projected at the start of the season. As long as the Reidster keeps winning I'll keep playfully picking on him, once he loses though I'm gonna get mean! Just keep the cheating off the field! Cheating is only for CHEAT DAY.

Liz and I began this Cheat Day with a call to Dominoes from bed. One of the best things to do!…NOT move and have the carb-y-est food delivered to your doorstep. I ate half a medium pizza topped with pepperoni, italian sausage, and bacon (this is the first way pig skin was had). We also got their addictingly delicious garlic cheesy bread stuffed with jalapenos and bacon (more pig skin). We enjoyed this deliciously unhealthy meal while beginning the series "Homeland." We are only 2 episodes in but so far it is as good as the word of mouth has been dictating…which is REALLY good.

PIG SKIN (junkfoodbetty.com)

Although I have started struggling a bit with the pound sheddage I went ahead and ate the entire half of cheese garlic break AND Medium pizza. Liz, being a wee girl, gave a couple of her slices to Jacob, who crashed on the couch the previous nights. I'd say of all friends and roommates Jacob reaps the most benefits from cheat day. I choose to call them benefits, although they could also be known as left overs, scraps, trash! Either way, he's good to have around.

Once my roommates woke up we went to our family brunch at the Dinner Diner. I had a plate of corned beef hash, eggs, and hash browns. YES my stomach DID hurt it was so full…GOD. I made reference to an old joke my uncle Dan would always tell while junk food binging on vacation. He'd say, "my god, I'm filled up to here (referencing to just below his chin) on cheesesteaks." This is indeed how I felt. Liz was still full from pizza so she only ate half a grilled cheese sandwich with bacon (pig skin).

We then went over to the Giamichael Palace where we were fed caramels and Reese's! GOT to love Halloween time. The candy that is everywhere is JUST perfect for cheat day! We caught a ride back to Liz's with some free stuff the G's were giving to her. It was a beautiful day and Jacob came up with the brilliant idea to go to a park with a frisbee AND…you guessed it, a PIG SKIN! That's right folks! Pig skin ALL DAY LONG! It was so nice to get out doors and run around a bit…even though I was painfully full. Our friend Mike Hamilton met up with us for a bit and we had a grand old time over at Winnemac Park.

Trailer Park Boys (wptsradio.org)

We left and went to another cheat day staple, Dunkin Donuts. I got a pumpkin spice latte and 25 pumpkin donut holes to split with Liz and Jacob. It was all I could eat the rest of the day….THAT'S NOT TRUE! I'm a liar! I ate a little microwaveable Chef-Boy-R-Dee Beffaroni cup while watching Trailer Park Boys. Liz, Jacob and I are going as the Trailer Park Boys for Halloween. It's gonna be the TITS! Anyway, sorry I don't have anything too fancy to review for you this week! GO TRY Baker & Nosh! Seriously, good shit!…Alright everybody Have a spooky and fun Halloween. If you're on the diet and it ain't yo cheat day be strong, you can eat ALL that left over discounted candy on Cheat Day!

NOSHIN' on CARBS/ Cheat day-Cheap Day

There is one thing that is clear on this diet: I MISS CARBS. (Beer is a carb. I miss beer.)

I have been walking by a bakery on Wilson every morning since working for Chicago Apartment Finders, and I have always wanted to walk in. However, since I've been doing this diet since Jan. 1st, 2013, I have not had a chance to try its delicious goods. It is always full of people, and in the course of living here in Chicago, it has expanded 2 storefronts. I really wanted to give it a try. So, after a candy in bed breakfast, Zach and I ventured up Greenview Ave. (full of "holy SHIT!" houses) to Baker and Nosh on Wilson very close to the Wilson Red Line Stop.

http://www.bakerandnosh.com/index.php

Upon entering, a very kind lady described everything behind the glass. A lot had been picked over by the early afternoon, but most of the good stuff had at least one item left. We couldn't decide, so we decided to get pretty much EVERYTHING:

1 raisin sticky bun
1 ham and cheese croissant (they only have croissants on the weekends)
1 artichoke n' cheese focaccia bread square
1 pastrami and cheese sandwich
2 bowls of chorizo gumbo
2 pumpkin spice lattes
1 sourdough roll
1 whole wheat roll

There were epic looking chocolate chip brownies...but we decided to save those for another time.

HOLY MOTHER, it was all delicious. The sandwich...o man...if you are into sandwiches, GO TO THIS PLACE. Not only is the bread fresh and soft, but the meats and cheeses they use are PRIMO. Croissant was buttery and amazeballs, and the sticky bun...ooooof. The pumpkin spice latte was great, but Zach commented on how much he still liked the Dunkin' Donuts latte. I appreciated this one because it tasted like real fresh creme and it was made by a real barista, but still for stuff like that, you can go cheap and still be happy. The gumbo was delicious, but I felt like the baked goods overshadowed it. I'd like to try some more of their soups that are cream based.

After, we were feelin' pretty pregnant, but we still wanted to visit their cheese store to see what they had to offer. We bought a small block of pepper jack cheese, and a salted caramel gelato to share. We were making so many YUM noises walking down the street eating the gelato, people were turning their heads. This place also gives baking lessons if you're wanting to learn. I'd like to take one at some point. Two Thumbs UP. Cheat day MECCA.


We cut up the cheese and put it on thin crackers while watching football, and some of The League, and It's Always Sunny, curled up like little cats on each other and took a long ass nap. Then parted ways as Zach had a rehearsal. Earlier, we procured some of our favorite cheap options for cheat day: Velveeta Mac for this guy, and Chef Boyardee Ravioli for Zach. Cheat day doesn't always have to be about going out. The cheapest food is some of the worst for you. Why not take advantage? Not that this diet necessarily breaks your bank. Meats and veggies can get expensive, but if you're not adding in all the other stuff you'd normally buy, like breads and chips, etc. it cuts your grocery shopping costs down a lot. Plus, beans and eggs are super cheap. However, because you're consolidating all your junk food and going out time into one day, sometimes it equals out. It depends on how hard you wanna cheat.


Well guys, I'm ashamed to say it...but...I'm a non-cheat day cheater this week. My friend Macki--who is one of the best cooks, bakers, sandwich makers EVER, made bacon wrapped dates the other night, and I couldn't resist. Hence why I stayed the same weight this week. I also may be drinking too many diet drinks with fake sugar and may be staving off my hunger with too many nuts. This can sort of compromise the diet. Its a tricky one to master, but once mastered, it can really effect things. Like your friendships with people who make amazing food. They will get mad at you. Also, your friends who want you to drink beer during the week. They will not understand. But Zach, who is a master, stayed strong this week. And I think he will reap the benefits...however we did promise ourselves that we would eat popcorn and drink beer at The Brew and View tonight...and Halloween is on a Thursday...decisions, decisions.

Beautiful Weather for a Beautiful Cheat Day

Zach: Hey Cheaters, what's going on? So I realize that two Cheat Days have passed since I posted about the actual Cheat Day thanks to the Great American Challenge. So, let me try and re-cap the past two Football/CheatDay Sundays as best as I can. I believe I must do this as Cheat Day hath smote me this time around by adding on two pounds at the weigh in. This is the first week where I have truly stuck to the diet, to the best of my ability, and gained weight. So, I will take this time during my lunch break to appease the Cheat Day Gods! That should get me back on track as I am only 13 pounds away from achieving my original goal.

First things first, "America's Team" the Kansas City Chiefs are the best team and only remaining undefeated team in Football at 7-0. I still can't seem to catch a GOD DAMN game because the local markets where I live HATE me and play bullshit secondary games instead! Doesn't matter, because the Chiefs are number 1. Also, no one seems to want to take away their name, unlike the Redskins, which I find incredibly amusing. BUT, none of this has anything to do with what cheat day is about, except the fact that the Chiefs must maintain this record each and every Cheat Day! And they will, OH they will maintain, and if not I will enjoy it while it lasts. All Hail the CHIEFS!

So, not this past Cheat Day, but the one before (10/13) the lovely Liz and I awoke and reverted back to one of the original Cheat Days in which we ate candy in bed, but this time it was HALLOWEEN candy. Halloween, what a stellar way to end a stellar month, amirite?! We then each at a delicious candy apple covered in Halloween colored jimmies, yes JIMMIES! They were delicious. I hadn't eaten a candy apple since I was a boy at the Virginia State Fair. My teeth were too weak then and I couldn't quite get through. But now that I'm a MAN my teeth are strong and true. So true I devoured said candy apple topped with Halloween jimmies in about 3 minutes. We then made for the Dinner Diner. A standard but by god it is such for a reason.

While at the Diner of Dinners I ate a special they have only on weekends, 'the Haystack.' For those of you who aren't familiar with the Dinner Diner a Haystack is a layer of hash browns with two sausage patties on top. On top of THAT is biscuits and gravy. AND ON TOP OF THAT!! is two eggs any GOD DAMN STYLE. I also ate a double bacon cheeseburger, extra bacon…no big deal. CHEAT DAY DON'T CARE ya Cheatin' CHEATERS GAAAAAHHHH!

Only Instead of Pizza Hut Imagine Papa John's

The rest of the day consisted of slow moving and LOUD farting. We got back home and guess what, the Chiefs game wasn't on. What was on do you ask? Not the Chicago Bears game, which would make sense being that I live in Chicago, but NO they played that Thursday. Instead of the Chiefs the on-point CBS Chicago affiliate opted to play Steeler/Jets, what a LOAD of horse shit right? Anyway we chose to watch Wayne's World to digest the dinner diner instead of my least favorite team in football. While watching Wayne's World Liz's roommate Jacob ordered Papa John's…and YES I ate a slice MOTHER! I also drank 3 pints of Guinness while digesting the Dinner Diner AND Pizza.

My roommate Tony's friends Derek and Lindsay were in town for a wedding. Liz and I had also wanted to go down to beautiful Lincoln Park in Chicago for Months and it was a glorious day out, as most Cheat Days are…glorious I mean. So we decided, after wiggling off the couch at Wayne's World's end, to take them on down to Lincoln Park and visit all the animals! It was AWESOME. We saw monkeys and a leopard. A lion and tiger were having a conversation back and forth with ROARS! We looked at seals and all sorts of fun birds too! The first think I saw was a Takin, which I think is something like a Yak. It was great AND free. If you haven't gone to the free Lincoln Park Zoo, DO IT!

That's a big boy

Liz went to her friend's house to watch the Redskins' game with them cause their mom was in town visiting. She'll have to give you the details as to what she ate. I went with Tony, Derek, and Lindsay to Giordano's, cause you gotta get deep dish while in Chi-town. I ate a slice of that but I knew we were going to a bar where Tony's and my roommate Gabriella works to catch the rest of the Skins game, Wild Goose Bar and Grill in North Center near Lincoln Square. I hadn't really eaten anything from there yet and I was going to want to…so I only ate ONE slice of deep dish pizza, which is probably all any normal person needs anyway.

Wild Fries

While at Wild Goose I drank a pitcher of beer and I had a chicken salad sandwich on a pretzel roll with a side of WILD FRIES. Wild fries are french fries topped with nacho cheese, ranch dressing, and season salt. Delicious and the opposite of nutritious, perfect for cheat day. I started passing out at the bar in the middle of the game so I sauntered home narrowly avoiding a mess in my pants and I passed out. Only to wake up with body aches for work the next day!

That's it for me. Stay tuned tomorrow cheaters for Liz's accounts of this past Sunday. We went to some place you're gonna HAVE to try Baker and Nosh! Cheat on!

Great American Challenge! Special Cheat Week 2nd Post!

Zach: Good Afternoon Cheat Day fans! I am writing to you all today in my very public internet diary for one specific and fun reason: This year Liz's roommate Jacob and I had a joint birthday party to the theme of the Great American Challenge (No, not the giant Dildo). Click here to read the Urban Dictionary published rules of the Great American Challenge. The Zach Finch/Jacob Brown Birthday rules consisted of these here:

2 teams of 4 must consume:

1 Cube (30 pack) of PBR
1/8 of an ounce
1 XL Pizza from Dominoes

Once all of the aforementioned has been consumed each team must complete a 100 piece puzzle. First team to complete everything is the winner and champion of all!

Look, it may sound scary but this is DEFINITELY an event to have on a Cheat Day! Certainly if you are going to cheat for a whole week. I talked to all of the competitors the next day and not ONE of us felt dead to the world. A couple of us were still floating a little high in the sky for a whi…le, but still. EVERYONE was able to function that whole night AND the next day. Plus everyone was in CRAZY fun party mode in like 15 minutes.

To recount all of the hilarious details would be impossible for one man. I encourage any of the participants to leave comments on this post to give their take as well. But here's mine anyway:

Team Wolf Pussy

Everybody Have a GOOD CLEAN Match

The 8 contestants Team Wolf Pussy and Team Funky Dong Sniffers (made up name cause I forget what they were really called), 2 very stern/half sober referee's, and lovely hostess assembled at the challenge area at about 8pm. After a very ceremonious introduction, including "national anthems," team photos, shaking of the hands, and other fan fare we were underway shortly before 9pm. And OFF WE WENT!



I must have downed three beers in 5 minutes all while taking small puffs from the eigth. After each beer I yelled out "EMPTY" per the referee's orders, and they came to collect the empty making SURE it was in fact empty. My other team mates were working really hard on the 8th so I decided I should maybe help. I reached back into my cigarette rolling days and rolled us up a couple of joints. So, while continuing to pound beers I enjoyed a whole joint or two to myself. One, particularly mean looking ref popped in a short time later clicking his pen. He asked, "How we doing in here?"

Team Funky Dong Sniffers

To which the room replied, "Look at TONY looking all serious and shit MAN! You're awesome TONY! You're doing SUCH a good job being a referee! FUCKER!" This statement, believe it or not, contained absolutely no sarcasm.

He looked at us, still clicking away at his pen and said, "Boy, you guys are pretty fucked up aren't you?"

"HELL YEAH," we eagerly agreed as a group.

"You know it's only been like 15 minutes right?," said the referee in amazement.

Refs Tony and Marie

After hearing this, Jacob and I thought it a good idea for the two of us to get focused on the beer consumption while we let the two seasoned smokers do what they do best. So out of our designated smoke area we went. What we stumbled upon was one of my favorite parts of the night. The lovely Liz, who was host for the evening, was "just chilling" in the warmly lit open living room of her apartment. She was playing the sweet "chill music" of Andrew Byrd and asked Jacob and I to sit there under the big beautiful window overlooking her comforting, quaint, any-town-USA of a block. The perfect place for a Great American Challenge.

Jacob and I stayed and chatted and joked with the lovely Liz for what felt like 2 seconds but what was actually something like 10 minutes, until, suddenly, out from the smoke room came our team's self appointed righteous captain yelling obscenities at us. "Jacob, Zach! What the hell are you boys doing out here?! You'd better be drinking! We're in the other room doing all the work and you're out here lollygagging with Liz!"

To which we responded, I am sure with the utmost articulation, "Fug you, we're pounding BEERS over here getting our sweat on and making our belly's full!" But, realizing it may be time for a switch we stormed back into the smoke room and continued blasting through everything.

What must have been about half an hour later, but felt like 5 minutes later, the refs came in and informed us we only needed to drink 5 more beers and whatever was left of the mary jane and we could move on to the puzzle. We finished that pizza in the first 10 minutes, so we no longer had to worry about that. We were stoked! We very quickly chugged a beer each and split the last one. We also took turns hitting the bowl which contained the last of the 8th. Done! Except... just before we got to start the puzzle, I pounded the LAST bit of beer (taken from the final drippings of each can) which the refs poured into a pint glass, GROSS, but I am in it to WIN.

Side Note: I'd like to make note how strange the perception of time is when on some inhibitors. At the start of the challenge time crawled, once we got close to the end it seemed to fly. It probably seemed the other way around to the referees and to those who weren't participating. The perception of time on drugs and alcohol is the same as the perception of time throughout one's life span as opposed to a singular day. "Life is like a toilet paper roll..the closer you get to the end the faster it goes" said my old High School Government Teacher.

Anyway, The Puzzle was treacherous. Certainly more than I bargained for. The people in charge of purchasing these 100 piece puzzles cruelly purchased HOLOGRAM puzzles. These REALLY messed with our already messed up minds. It took us probably a good hour just to get used to these puzzle pieces containing three different images based on from what angle you are looking at it. It was long and tough (that's what she said). I could not concentrate (that's what she said). The holograms were confusing(that's…never mind). My team mates began getting nervous as I zoned in and out. People were yelling.

Finally, about 20 minutes later the Funky Dong Sniffers rush to begin their puzzle. I clearly did not have the will to win as I snagged a piece of birthday cake the lovely Liz made for me. The birthday cake was an ice cream cake made from ice cream sandwiches, crushed snickers bars, and icing. Delicious! Especially under the influence. The Funky Dong Sniffers  pulled ahead and ultimately won the whole challenge while Wolf Pussy was a mere 4 puzzle pieces away….rats. Luckily it was my party and I could cry if I wanted.

Team Funky Dong Sniffer's Winning Puzzle

Wolf Pussy's close bu no Cigar Puzzle

Here's a tip, make sure you get matching puzzles ladies and gentleman. The puzzle is KEY.

My thoughts on weight loss...

I gained 6lbs this week.

Now, this was expected. I had a week of cheat days. I didn't cheat as hard as I do on my "cheat days" on most of the days, but I didn't respect any of the rules, and imbibed my share of sugar and salt. However, it reminds me that there is cause and effect, and of the struggle I've had with weight loss and weight gain for most of my conscious life.

The first time I noticed I wasn't the healthiest little kid was when I was 8 years old. Up to that point, I didn't have the greatest eating habits. My mother would really try to get my brother and I to eat healthy, and my dad would go through periods of eating extremely healthy as well, but my brother and I resisted, doing things like sneaking off to eat chocolate at my grandma's house across the street. We would take a little pile from her candy jar, and plop in front of the TV that was full of cable shows that we didn't have at home. I was an active little kid, however, and so it didn't effect my body as much. I was swimming, doing karate, playing basketball, softball. My body wasn't transitioning into adulthood just yet. When I turned 8, my family moved from Virginia to North Carolina, and I had to make a whole new set of friends, which was daunting. I had some great girlfriends, but I was bullied a lot. It was also the age I started singing in public, which gathered a lot of positive and negative attention. This transitional depression caused a weight gain that was very noticeable. It stayed on through most of my formative years. As much as I would move my body, I couldn't quite equalize what was going in and going out. I also would eat just like my brother, who is two years older, and was a football player. In my mind, everything had to be equal, or it wasn't fair. I also watched a lot of TV, sitting on the couch. After a lot of bullying, and just being depressed about how much bigger I was than the other girls, I started exercising. I would do exercise videos, run sprints in the morning. This still wasn't changing my situation, so I gave up, sat back on the couch, and got bigger.

As I grew into a pre-teen and a teenager, I was still very fixated on being thin, especially because I was constantly performing  in musical theatre shows, church, school, coffee houses and other settings. I really wanted to look good on the stage, fit into the costumes. I also really wanted to attract boys. I had always been boy crazy, and always seemed to be second pick. I was very concerned about their attention. It made me feel good if a boy liked me, no matter who he was. I really thought I wouldn't be happy until I was thin.

The problem was, I was right. When I was 15, the Atkins diet became a huge craze, so I tried it. And it worked. It was like a gateway drug. Finally, I was losing the weight I wanted to lose. And the more weight I lost, the more positive responses I got from friends, family, teachers, directors, boys. When I started to plateau, I had to add something else into the mix. I had to keep feeling good. On top of Atkins, I started eating less, half of what I was eating normally. And that half became half. And if I had a moment of weakness, usually at night while watching TV, I would go into the backyard and regurgitate it. Sometimes I would do this in school if I overindulged. I also started eating sugar free candy, which has chemicals in it that act as a laxative. And to top it all off, I was really using my PE classes--running, and staying active during the class as much as possible, and doing 1hr intense Tae-bo videos every day.

I looked great. Boys asked me out on dates. I got the ingenue roles. And I felt so good. I felt like an emotional weight had been lifted from me. Like I didn't have to make an excuse for myself. I felt confident. I felt like I could do anything. Control anything that was out of control. I felt my light shining brighter than any time in my life. I was accomplishing so much as a result of not being heavy.

But I was sick. My stomach would make these horribly loud noises, I would feel faint a lot. My family started to catch on that I wasn't losing weight in the most healthy way. I also started going to a new school that was far way, so I had no time for exercise, and I knew I couldn't keep the eating habits up. So I went back to normal eating, and gained everything back. The depression came back too.

In early college, I started an exercise and eating regimen that was very healthy. I started to look a little healthier, and I felt confident too. I still wasn't a twig, but I wasn't a fat girl either. I started to feel good again. I started to feel that weight off of my personality.

But the summer of 2008, I found beer. And everything changed. I put on 20lbs in one summer and didn't lose it until 2012. The consistent beer drinking made me crave more sugar and more carbohydrates. I was still exercising regularly, but it wasn't effecting weight loss.

After college, I moved to NYC to pursue my degree in musical theatre. I knew my body wasn't ready. When I went in for auditions, I knew that my weight was an issue. A couple casting directors told me so as well. This didn't hurt me, since I understand that they have a product to sell. So I got a job on cruise ships to lose the weight, get healthy, get back in there.

But this didn't happen for a long time. My drinking habits were still not under control and nor were my eating habits. I couldn't seem to change it up. What was stopping me? Wasn't this something I wanted to do? Something I knew would make me feel better?

What I started to realize through talking with people, reading books, and meditating, was that I was pushing a large unnecessary bolder up a hill. I didn't understand that for any change to happen, that I needed to change the way I thought about myself and my body and their relationship. I realized how much my thoughts are connected to the way my body looks. How the depressed times created the weight gain, and not the other way around. It prevented me from changing what I was doing every day because I felt helpless. 

I can say that I feel good about where my body is right now. It could be better, and for a career as a performer, there is more pressure for it to be better. But at least now I know that I'm not helpless. My weight change is my choice, every day. And the feeling good should just be there, no matter what. The weight change doesn't need to be for my family, it doesn't need to be for male attention, it doesn't need to be there for me to feel comfortable in social and performance settings. I shouldn't have to use it as an excuse. My weight loss will just happen because I feel good, and I have enough of the correct information.

However, I have relapses, like that 6lbs. This has been a lifelong struggle, so its going to be hard to let go of old habits and old ways of thinking. But it's worth working for. Its worth guessing and checking. Its worth slowly changing my mind.

Birthday Week = Cheat Day Week!

Go here for your Birthday and you're gonna have a GOOD TIME

Zach: Hello friends, family, and well wishers. Zach Finch here for week 3 of the "Cheat Day. Don't Care" web diary. Liz and I did not have an official Cheat Day yesterday as it was my Birthday Last Tuesday and I took this week to give no amount of fucks as to what I did to my body and when it is your birthday I would expect the same out of you!

Because of Cheat Week, instead of Cheat Day, I did not weigh myself to see how much weight I had gained. Next Sunday's weigh in will reveal just what I can get away with as far as going week on/week off with this slow carb diet. And let me tell you internet, I really did a number on myself. I still feel shitty, bloated, slow, hung over, wrecked, icky, nasty, befuddled, and all sort of just wrong as I write to you today. Would you like to know how I got this way? Sure! let's get started.

Tuesday, October 1st 2013 (My 28th Birthday)

My lovely girlfriend Liz surprised me with breakfast in bed atop a beautiful cajone as a gift. The breakfast was usual diet food. Eggs, spinach, and black beans with a little sirracha. This is part of the reason why I love this diet. Having that for breakfast isn't far off from what I would normally eat for breakfast. Liz then had to get off to work, but not me as I took off that day and the next, cause guess what?! Cheat day! Don't Care. Birthday REALLY don't care.

I went on home and reverted back to my middle school self just getting home from school as I devoured snacks left over from a previous Cheat Day. Things like cheddar and sour cream potato chips, snack wells cookies, granola bars, and various candies (snickers, smarties, candy corn…ya know like I'd already gone trick or treating). At lunch time I made way to Taco Bell after my folks gave TB's new Smothered Burrito a strong recommendation. I'm a HUGE Taco Bell fan. I even risked getting a DUI in order to get Taco Bell one evening. And got a DUI I did! But not before eating 3 pounds of burritos in the Taco Bell parking lot.

Anyway, that's another story. For this very special birthday Taco Bell run I put away a beefy 5-layer burrito, a chicken quesadilla, and the greatly anticipated smothered burrito. Everything was excellent AND Taco Bellish as usual. The smothered burrito even boasted a different sort of zest from the usual Taco Bell twang. Should you be a Taco Bell fan reading this, give the smothered burrito a try on Cheat Day!

Then, for dinner we went to the newly opened Buzz: Burgers, Barrels, and Beer (BYO) at 1935 W. Irving Park Rd. in Chicago, Il. Now I live EXTREMELY close to this restaurant and I have been waiting to try it since I moved back in July. It just opened up in the middle of September and it is not open Sundays, which is, as you know Cheat Day. Don't Care. There Liz and I shared the Alamo Burger, a burger topped with pepper jack cheese, avacado, onions, some sort of fancy spicy sauce (or aioli) and some mother effing Mexican Chorizo. Before we dug in to the delicious truffle mac and chee and the Alamo Burger we order a little something they call Hipster Poutine.

Now, for those of you who don't know, poutine is a canadian dish that is just right for cheat days. Poutine is simply french fries topped with gravy and cheese curds. Well Buzz's Hipster Poutine is fries topped with melted cheese curds, PBR gravy, pickled peppers, pulled pork bbq, and a fried egg all mixed in there. I must admit, I was a little disappointed at the size of the portion for the poutine, but it was so rich in flavor that it filled me up quick. It is clearly meant to be served in portions that size. My roommate Gabriella came with us and she ordered some fried pigs ears as well, which were surprisingly tender and little sour but good.

Finally, for the main birthday event, myself and quite a rambunctious crew went to MOE'S TAVERN in Logan Square off the Belmont Blue Line stop in Chicago, IL. Where I sucked back a "Flaming Cease & Desist" not once, not twice, but thrice. Those things were spicy let me tell you. However, the proprieter of Chicago's Moe's Tavern, not to be confused with Springfield's, Maureen was just as surly and entertaining as Moe Sizlack. They gave us a free weird blue shot every time the Blackhawks scored a goal and they were offering free ham sandwiches and chicken noodle soup. The place was a dank pit (and I wouldn't dare recommend they get rid of that dank). It was a urine soaked hell hole, or a peepee soaked heck hole for those of you with virgin ears. If it were in my neighborhood I would most certainly make it my neighborhood bar.

And, just because I am a glutton for punishment and just a glutton in general we capped the night off at good old Dinner Diner where I and my roommate Gabriella each polished off one of their slingers. Their slinger consists of hash browns, two cheeseburger patties, chili, cheese, and 2 fried eggs. They gave gabriella and I each a certificate for completing it. I thought this odd since I have gone in there several times and blasted through them with not so much as a "pay your tab and get out you walking tub of beer sweats." Just kidding, they aren't that mean there…or clever most likely. Thanks for reading! Stay tuned for my GREAT AMERICAN CHALLENGE experience later this week!

From Right Mike H and Gabriella G