Soundtrack: Steely Dan.
Catering: Me; mushroom quesadilla.
Finger: Straight to Ryan.

Dear Diary,

I ate De Leon again today. I hate myself a little bit more each time, but I just can’t stop. And it’s so much harder because I can’t be honest about this problem with my friends — it’s almost like they don’t want to know each time I come back to work with a plate of perfect tacos, loaded with fresh, homemade salsa. I’m glad I can be honest with you, though, Diary.

I’m not sure how I’m going to beat this addiction, but I know I’m going to have to do it alone. I guess my friends don’t need things like “flavor” in their lives, so they don’t really understand what I’m going through. But even now, just thinking about those amazing spices and that savory shredded beef, I find myself wiping the juice from my wrists … and it’s not even there!

So I just sit and stare at an empty plate. Chip crumbs, bits of fresh tortilla, and red sauce that’s getting watered down by my tears. Are they tears of joy, or tears of shame? I don’t know, Diary, I just don’t know.

First, Becky and Geneva called Stefan out in this video yesterday…

So yeah, it’s on!

Meanwhile, over at DTE, Bart is, not surprisingly, panicking over his avocado/portobello selection, while Paul has picked the wonderful me as his nemesis. Wow, really? Well, I’m calling you right back out, sir. Still, apparently none of the aforementioned people have cracked, nor has Andrew.

And Mark, Stefan’s odds on favorite, is still cruising right along, meaning… We all, quite possibly, survived the first day! Who would have thunk it? Does this make us better than the Urban Honking crowd?

I believe the answer there is, “Yes. Yes it does.”

A great man once asked: What good is faith without temptation? That great man was not me, and yet, he stands for so much that I believe in.

Soundtrack: Steely Dan.
Catering: De Leon.
Leisurely enjoyment of delicious tacos: All me, baby.

Read on to learn the rules, see the contestants, and forthcoming challenges. (more…)

The rules have been accepted, the ingredients have, for the most part, been chosen, and challenges have been laid down. Get ready to witness the great experiment, 12:01 am on Monday; it’s guaranteed to be entertaining.

In fact, some have already gotten into the spirit of things. Heterosexual lifepartners, Bart and Paul, have already revealed their ingredients over at Down to Earth. So has Becky over on I put the me in awesome, which might be the best blog name since “I Want A Pink Zune.” And yeah, I revealed mine some time ago.

Update: O-M-G, Geneva has her list up on Finallyablog’s Weblog.

Update #2: Mark pimps out his list on his blog, while Andrew, somewhat militantly, takes us all on in this video.

I’ll be honest, I had expected Stefan to cruise through the first hour easily. But here we are, a bit less than five days before the start, and he is out! This has to be some sort of record, so join me in congratulating Stefan for his well-timed exit!

Well, seeing people are actually reading this, I should probably make an update.

The Urban Honking 7vs7 is done, with Steve surprisingly taking the victory all by himself. (All his ingredients were fruit.) Personally I was more of a fan of how some started playing dirty; this is not too dissimilar to how I have been planning to play the game. I have no qualms admitting as much, Bart apparently had already figured it out.

What else? Andrew is already gearing things up over at Burger, Revised. (I personally think he’ll crash from the lack of alcohol, but what do I know?) And me? I’m already missing chocolate cake…