CHICAGO Second Weekend

Exhausted and Happy.

I'm literally very short on time....

We (the 3rd Floor) arrived on a crispy sunny Thursday, checked into our beloved Days Inn and played dice until it was time to go check out some groups; we saw really good shows by The Back Row, Sketchcore and Keaton and Lewis before going across the street for some karaoke with The always hospitable Cupid Players. My sinus infection was finally gone just as some of our guys were getting the first signs of colds, which they were able to knock out with a hefty supply of Airborne.

Friday (snow & rain) we saw a tight show from The Habit (with a long-lost returning cast member) and saw the best video intro to a show I've ever seen and will probably ever see. At ten, we got our TROOP on and filled in a few tiny parts for their show as Brit and Steve could'nt make this one - and we had a blast. If TROOP needed a blood transfusion - they could get it from us for sure, if they didn't feel weird about our bloods all touching. We would do anything for TROOP in a second! They were mighty. We did ours at eleven, had a good set, had FUN and caught the Sketchfest Documentary from last year. Drinks in the lobby, after hours dice at out hotel and delicious Chicago snacks, sleep.

I'm so, so short on time so I'll have to spit out the last part like this:

Saturday (crisp and blue again), Animal Club's show (awesome!), Dark Eyed Strangers show (inspiring - I can watch Brandon Campbell do slow-mo anything for hours), Slow Children at Play (made me cry of laughter - they're so good), TROOP! (always wonderful) and us (wheee!), Sketch-U-Bator (my favorite part of the festival), drinks (lobby), Ruth from Animal Club takes 15 sketch comics on the 'L' train and leads us to Baz' for an after hours and then (around dawn) these 15 people go watch the sunrise on Lake Michigan and play on swings...we all walk to Dunkin' Donuts and it's bliss all around.

I didn't have the words (or time) to describe the last bit - but THANKS to Baz, Ruth, Mike, Shane and Tom from Animal Club...I'll never, ever forget it!

And now I have to go to Australia.