Hollywood Nights

Last night Katy and I went on a date.

Is this all that remarkable? I suppose not - although our "regular" babysitter has gone home for the summer - so they are much fewer and further between these days. This date, however, was 100% totally new and unique - at least for us.

Katy's favorite movie is The Sound of Music. There isn't anything else even close. I like the movie as well - I don't have any commemorative plates or anything, but I vividly remember seeing it as a kid and being caught up in the whole thing, and I still enjoy watching it. (Favorite quote: "Apparently we're both suffering from a deplorable lack of curiousity...")

Anyway, when we missed last year's inaugural Sound of Music Singalong at the Hollywood Bowl there was at least muted disappointment around the house. So when I saw it on this year's Bowl schedule I bought tickets at the first opportunity.

There will be some who read this entry with a smug smile and a little bit of attitude, thinking "poor sap." Well, let me tell you something - It was a lot of fun. It was like somebody gave The Sound of Music the Rocky Horror Picture Show treatment. I kept expecting people to throw toast. Quite a few people were dressed up in costumes - some literal, some not so literal, some truly bizarre. Prop bags were handed out. People yelled at the screen. Copious amounts of wine were consumed - the picture is over three hours long, you know.

But above all, people sang. I mean, really sang. If you've ever been to a ballgame with me you know that I sing the national anthem - yes, even before last September - I like to sing, what can I say. I am usually the only person for a couple sections in either direction singing along. It was fun and wacky and strange to be sitting in a venue that large and have literally everybody around me belting it out at the top of their lungs. I haven't had that much fun, or laughed that hard, in a long time. I can't think of another time when I've seen so many people having a collective shared experience of a good time.

It goes without saying that we will be attending next year's event.

Of course, we didn't get back home until early this morning (our babysitter can likely pay for next year's college from the evening's proceeds) - so of course the kids were up at 6:30 this morning, full of demands. "I want some milk," and "I want to watch Sesame Street," and oh by the way, "I wet my bed Daddy." Oh well, back to reality. So long, farewell, auf Wiedersehen, adieu...

Oh, and yesterday I brewed some beer.