Welp...

Yeah, I didn't really think I was going to be able to actually buy one of these things, since they sell out in seconds. I ended up being one of the 22,000 carb-lovers who helped it sell out in less than one second. I really didn't think this through.

It actually ended up being kind of a hassle - first, I couldn't believe I got a pass, then Olive Garden sent an email saying my card had been declined. I was instructed to follow a link to re-enter my payment information, but it kept telling me to "correct the fields highlighted in red," even though there were no fields highlighted in red. I tried on a couple of different browsers without any luck, and Olive Garden's web team, I imagine, was busy keeping the site from blowing  up, so no one responded to my many emails. Then I got a text alert from my bank that the payment had gone through, followed by an email from Olive Garden saying my order had been confirmed. That email was then followed by another email apologizing for the confusion caused by being told my card had been declined. It was definitely a form letter, so it must have happened to a lot of other people, too. How they haven't figured out how to handle payments for these passes after five years is beyond me.

I haven't set up any rules or anything for this, I just know I'm gonna eat a lot of pasta, and on days when I can't choke down any pasta, I'll load up on salad and breadsticks. I'm open to suggestions, which have so far included "blog about it" and "try all of the different combinations, even if they're gross." I've obviously agreed to the first suggestion. I don't know about the gross combinations.

Anyhoo, see you in 10 days when the deal goes live. Wish me luck.