Shut Up Dawn

I'm pretending I don't have a headache, cramps and overwhelming desire to crawl into bed. Instead I prefer to focus on happy things (like the 3 precious chocolate truffles I have stashed in the pantry) and eventually the crappy stuff will go away. I worked too hard running last Wednesday and Thursday, so went to yoga Friday (ever try to do yoga without using your arms?) and ended up overstretching, so I've been soaking in epsom salts and sitting on a heating pad for 3 days. I did get in a quick 30 min on the bike today and feel pretty good. Shoulder feels fine as long as I don't, ya know, USE it. Another week to go in the doctor-enforced activity ban.

The Buffy Sing Along was AWESOME. We had a great time, laughed our asses off and sang until we were hoarse. (The hoarse wasn't helped by the fact that they didn't start the show until 1 am and we sat in a smoky restaurant for 2 hours before the theater opened.) As I suspected, they did a bit more than just show the episode to give us our money's worth - for example, they had audience members acting out key scenes from the series for prizes, which was cool (funniest bit - one guy ad libbed a line for Angel as he stormed out of the scene "I'm gonna go brood." We were dying). And our friend Alanna wore the Vampire Willow costume she'd made for last Halloween - she won a prize!

Turns out this whole thing is actually a show that originated in New York (where it's held monthly) and they were experimenting with it in Chicago. Since both nights sold out and people were lined up around the block in 20 degree, rainy weather at midnight to get in.... well, the guy said he's pretty sure they'll bring it back again. (Sidebar: Someone wrote GRRR ARRRGH on the sign that said it was sold out - hilarious.) Oh, and at the end the founder guy said this we sang the loudest of any audience he'd ever had. So, we're either WAY cooler than the New Yorkers oooooor have a much lower threshold for acting shamefully goofy in public. Either way - Go Us!

What they've done is essentially create a Rocky Horror for Joss Whedon fans. We even got Interactive Goody Bags - with a party popper, kazoo and (the BEST PART!!) monster finger puppets. For the GRRR ARRRGGH part. (Joss Whedon fans are now nodding in complete understanding while the rest of you are wondering what kind of drugs I'm on.) There were cue cards for stuff like chanting Burn! Burn! Burn! for the Self-Combusting Tap Dancer Guy and screaming SHUT UP DAWN, well, pretty much every time she opened her mouth.

I particularly loved that the Shut Up Dawn part actually started because the first audience did it spontaneously.

It was ROUGH getting home at 3:30 am and then paying for it with a migraine Saturday. But we had a blast and I would probably do it again.

Husband, Me and our good friend Heidi eagerly awaiting the start of the show.