anything once guest post: attending a sound of music singalong

This is a guest post from Miss Erica, a friend of mine from college who I like to call Gertrude (I'm not entirely sure where that nickname came from, to be perfectly honest). My favorite Erica memory took place my senior year of college. I was studying with a couple of friends at Carrow's, and about halfway through the study session I noticed Gertrude studying with her friends at a table nearby. We said a quick hello and all went back to studying (nerds? or totally smart awesome people? you decide). Later, my table went to pay our check and the waitress said Gertrude had already taken care of it. What?! Generosity out of NOWHERE. I'll seriously never forget that random act of kindness.
 
We've kept in touch via Facebook since college, and she was kind enough to write about a recent important first experience:

Let’s start at the very beginning…
I have been cursed. I love to sing, I learn lyrics almost automatically, I love musicals, but I can’t carry a tune.  However, I jumped at the chance of going to a “Sound of Music” sing-along.  I have always been one for costumes and belting out tunes (albeit, poorly), and I had shamefully never seen the entire “Sound Of Music” movie, always stopping before the Nazis had a chance to ruin the poor messenger boy, Rolfe, and break-up the happy, musical Von Trapp family.

The event was hosted by a comedienne/fake nun, answering her with “Of course, sister," and started with a costume contest. My friend and I dressed as the human equivalent of the “Favorite Things” song, she being the “favorite things,” and I being the things that could potentially ruin a day: “When the dog bites, when the bee stings, when I’m feeling sad.”  Though we were obviously beyond awesome, we were beat out of our prize by a man dressed as a lonely goat, complete with marionette strings, floppy ears, and elaborate make-up.  My costume was apparently eye-catching, though, because I was stopped by a stranger as I walked to the theater. She pulled over to take my picture, telling me she liked to take pictures of “weird things” and she “doesn’t even ask anymore.” 

Umm...thanks?

When the dog bites, when the bee stings...

When I'm feeling sad...

The movie was the most wonderful thing I sat through. I knew it would be awesome when the beginning credits were rolling; “Eleanor Parker as the Baroness” came up on the screen and I instinctively booed. Everyone joined me.  During the movie, EVERYONE sang along, but better than that, it was incredibly interactive. We held up props during songs, cheered Maria, barked at Rolfe, creepily “ooooooooooh”ed when the Von Trapps were in the cemetery, advised Maria to kick the Baroness, let off poppers during the Captain and Maria’s first kiss (confetti filled the air), booed at Nazis (rightly so), and sang as though no one could hear our voices!

I would definitely recommend a Sound of Music sing-along to anyone who hates Nazis (that should be all of you).

So long, farewell, auf weidersehen, goodbye!