free fun

i apologize for not having a photo to go with this post, but they checked our bags at the door for cameras and we were told to turn off our phones.  “where were you?” you ask?  i was watching the taping of jeopardy!  some friends of ours got free tickets and invited us out for an evening of trivia in the form of answer/question.  what fun!  two events with “famous” people in one week!  we arrived at the stadium where the show was being taped and stood in (a very cold) line for a long time, then were finally let in and went through the metal detector and then went and stood in another line for a looooong time and then the line moved down into the basement and then part of the line was let into the bleachers, but we were still left waiting in the hall.  and waiting.  and waiting.  and then, finally, we were led to the doors and taken to seats on the main floor, wheee!  there we were!  there was the set!  after a few instructions from the crew, alex trebek came out and the first round started.  when it was time for a “commercial break” he came out into the audience and answered a few questions (“do you ever get the jeopardy theme song stuck in your head?” “what’s the craziest thing you ever did on the show off-camera?” “what would you do for a klondike bar?”) and then it was back to the game.  this was the pattern for the whole event–a segment of the game, then q&a with the audience, then back to the game.  we were watching the college championships (to be aired may 15 & 16) and the whole thing was … rather surreal.  lots of it we couldn’t see really well unless we watched the big giant video monitors, which was kind of like watching the show on tv, only you could turn your head slightly to the left and see it really happening, right there in front of you.  as for the questions, i knew some, had no clue on others and the rest were of the “oh, i know that!  that’s… whats-his-name!  what’s his name again?  right there on the tip of my brain…” variety.  there were a few flubs that had to be re-taped (always fun to see–really gives you a “behind the scenes” feel)  but for the most part, it seemed very smooth and straight-forward.  go read the blog i linked to above.  she’ll probably post about this in the next 24 hours or so and i’m certain that her post will be funnier than mine.  :)
when it was all over, we all went out for some delicious mexican food at our favorite local joint and enjoyed chatting about the show and catching up on each other’s lives.  i get such a kick out of quirky outings like this.  thanks for inviting us, m&m!