Breaking the Fast, Day Two.

JEFFREY MARX

8:15pm - Tonight, I am readying for my webcam conversation with Ram Dass. I'm very interested/excited/nervous about it. The nervous part comes from having to use the webcam. I'm not very tech savvy with those things. All poop was perfect today. Barring any further complications, I will not be back on The Master Cleanse Blog...I will be here.

BETA FIPPEL

2:01pm - Brian was right. Broth is the most delicious thing ever! Yesterday was a little rough. By the end of the day, having had only a few servings of OJ, I was feeling pretty crappy. Brian and I did a 5 minute improv set during which it seemed like we were on a 10 second delay. Very slow. For me, it was mostly because I felt like I was going to faint the whole time. Now I'm starting my day off (yes, I just woke up--sure is sweet to be part-time again) with some really good store-bought broth. I couldn't find any low-sodium broth, so I'm hoping my body doesn't think this is the salt-water flush.

BRIAN KENNEDY

9:05am - This morning I am all set to go. I won't be back home until the wee hours of the night, so I must carry all my provision with me. I feel like I'm loading up the wagon, getting ready for my travels down the Oregon Trail. I have my fresh squeezed o.j. for breakfast. Broth for lunch. Broth for dinner. And a small zip lock baggie full of veggies. Yes, that's right, tonight I am going to attempt to return to solids. I'm actually a little scared. What happens if I die? Not only do I have to worry about cholera, rattlesnake bites, and Indians burning down my wagon... but what if my body rejects solid foods? If I do die, I want my tombstone to read: "Here lies Brian. He survived dysentery, but not a carrot stick."

2:55pm - OMG. I just ate. Food, not liquid. A few slices of red and green pepper, and I'm quickly moving on to the carrot sticks. It's hard to describe what it feels like to be eating again. I sort of had to retrain my mouth on how to chew. It seems very surreal. And honestly, it's a bit of a let down. I half expected blinding rays of light and a chorus of heavenly angels after my first bite. But so far, nothing magical has happened.

3:45pm - I should not have fed the beast. No stomach problems as of yet… just more hunger. They say that after you finish the cleanse your body resets itself, and you should be craving healthier, more natural foods. Right now, I am craving everything. I just have to be patient and wait. I had my small bag of veggies for a snack, and for dinner… I might try a banana. When, oh when, does this get easier again?

1:40am - Tonight, I tempted fate. After rehearsal Beta and I went out with two of our teammates to ye old sports bar. Normally at ye old sports bar I like to indulge in something fried and greasy, like chicken fingers, mozzarella sticks or fries. Obviously, my body is not ready for any of those delicious delectables yet, so instead I settled on a very disappointing $9 plate of romaine lettuce with parmesan cheese and cesar dressing. The only satisfying part of the salad was the croutons, but I only allowed myself to eat three, as eating bread products is a big step that I want to ease into. I probably would have been happier without ordering any food, but old habits die hard and I really wanted a beer. I figured it wasn't a good idea to drink on 10 day empty stomach. My secondary reason for getting a beer (my primary being that I'm a lush) was in the name of research. Tomorrow night I have a work benefit dinner to go to and there is going to be FREE alcohol. So tonight was sort of my test drive, which I passed and with a much higher score than my actual drivers license test. I had expected to blackout after half a beer, but I actually didn't even feel drunk. Just nice and buzzed. And warm. And tingly. Okay, so maybe I was a little drunk. Good god, has it's been so long that I've forgotten what being drunk feels like? What sort of world am I living in?