11 days and no one's dead yet.

At least not on account of me.

I haven't had a cigarette in 11 days. That's just crazy. My four readers know that I *always* had a cigarette in hand. Always. Now I don't. It's weird.

I talked to the doc and I can wean myself off the Chantix. Thank you jeebus. I am still only sleeping like three hours at a pop. It is fantastic when your night of sleep is actually a series of naps. Last night was really bad. I could almost take a nap right now.

My vegan friend Bri - ON was going to quit smoking after we got back from Chicago. I explained to him, that for me quitting smoking was very similar to going vegan. Not so much the reasons behind it. I mean there are tons of ethical reasons to quit smoking, but that wasn't my motivation.

Let me try and make sense of this. Before I went vegan, I ate A LOT of cheese. When I decided to go vegan, I didn't suddenly lose my taste for cheese. In other words, I didn't NOT want to eat cheese. I just didn't because for me it was the ethical thing to do. Same with smoking. I still WANT to smoke. More often than not, I want to smoke. But I know, even if I have one puff, I will be right back where I started. So I don't smoke.

Does that make any sense?

I do wish that I felt better. I am still hacking a lot and now my sinus are bad today. I have been slacking with the nettie pot, so I am going to have to be better at keeping that up. Sleep would help tremendously.

I have also had a bunch of kick ass people for support. Alabaster Mom, Mary, and Miss Leslie on line have been great. I have an awesome support system with my derby girls as well. You all rule. And my freaks. And I would like to thank the academy. Just kidding.

Chicago

Was so fun. When we finally got there.

First things first, I had to pick a friend up at the airport. Got her and then we were to head to the Chicago Diner. Which is easier said than done. Got to the diner, ate a really good Philly "Steak" and Cheeze and mashed potato's and a shake. There was a mix up with my food, so I also had to pay nothing to eat this bounty.

Okay, on to our hotel in China Town. Now that I know where to go, I can't believe we got as lost as we did. I will say this, the words "Three hour tour" have a whole different meaning to Sarah and I now. Here are the highlights of our Tour of Chitown:

1. A sign that said "Big Buns and Pitas"

2. A flock of Segways. Not kidding like 20 of them.

3. A combination tanning salon/movie rental place.

4. Northwestern U. (Yeah, I know, this is in another town)

We learned that if you are following signs, make sure you know what CITY the downtown sign is referring and pointing.

When we FINALLY (and this is pretty much my fault) got to our hotel in China Town it was three hours later and we were woofed. Our hotel was pretty much a dorm room. Two twin beds, a closet, bathroom with shower stall, and a tv with a dresser. But it was clean, in a okay neighborhood, and for $90 a night, totally worth it. We were even able to find a parking spot so I didn't have to pay to park. Score.

That was essentially Thursday. Friday a bunch of people went to the Cubs game, but my friend Bri-ON and I weren't into it. He and I were going to go to a Hookah Bar, but they were all closed. We went to a regular bar instead and got drunk on PBR and he kicked my ass at darts. We ate at the diner again. I almost got sick. OOOH I also bought a really cool bike messenger bag (even though I am a poser) that I have been using as a purse. We went to a little get together at a friends apartment, got some puppy lovin and some Teese. We also tried to find a bar on Friday night which was easier said than done. Apparently downtown Chicago shuts down at midnight. We took our only scary bus ride back to China Town and crashed.

Sat we slept in and then went to Soul Vegetarian. Our food was sooooooooooooooooo good it is getting a post all it's own. It was kind of hard to find, but so worth the trip. I haven't had vegan food like this anywhere. We then headed to Veggie Bite, a vegan fast food restaurant. I was still full from Soul Veg so I didn't eat anything, but it is completely cool that they have vegan fast food. We headed to the Windy City Rollers bout, which was amazing. They make us look just a tad slow (insert sarcasim). Then we found a bar, drank, and then went home again. Oooh we also stopped for diner food at a place call The Pick Me Up Cafe. Can you say vegan french toast, pancakes, and hash browns? YUM.

Sunday, I came back. Essentially it was a weekend of eating and drinking, but it was nice to be around vegans. It was nice to be around people that were annoyed by the same things and had the same eating habits and not having to ask if there is dairy in this. I learned a lot about public transportation and can navigate a subway like a true city girl. It was also great to meet people irl that I have been talking to for over a year online.