Last weekend I tried - unsuccessfully - to step outside my comfort zone at the Pajama Jami-Jam Dance Party at 412 Market.
As the name suggests, sleepwear was the recommended attire for the Jami-Jam, hosted by GhostPlayer, the guys who put on last year's Sexy Christmas Party and Zombies: a Dance Party.
To some, dancing in your jammies probably sounds like a lot of fun, but I can't dance without injuring those around me, and I have no sleepwear to speak of (my negligee was out for retailoring).
Nevertheless, I've been in the world of rock and folk music too long. I was determined to expand my horizons, even if I ended up looking foolish.
When I arrived, I took my place in the snow at the rear of a long line of shivering, scantily clad girls and guys wearing boxers or pants made of thin, printed fabric. Several bursts of frigid wind later, I stopped regretting wearing jeans.
Once I found my way inside, however, I discovered about half the audience also had declined to follow the dress code. So much for that source of friction.
The audience was split between those dressed as if for any other show and those whose interpretation of pajamas was "almost nothing" - or in the case of comedian/emcee Joel Ruiz, a Cupid outfit straight out of a twisted Hanes commercial.
The room that held this menagerie was surprisingly large. I'd always imagined 412 Market (aka Club Fathom or Mosaic, depending on whom you ask) to be a much smaller venue, but even with several hundred people at the Jami-Jam, there was plenty of breathing room.
While lasers seared my retinas and I tripped the light fantastic to the music of DJs Ghostplayer, Flashmob, Machines R People 2, Flannel Boy, Wannabe, Bassel and Lights and Sounds, I realized my other concern - my inability to dance - was also unfounded.
Apparently, dancing, in a traditional sense, isn't mandatory at raves.
Based on my Jami-Jam research, there are three acceptable ways to move to trance/house music: moshing, glowsticking (weaving patterns with LED lights on the end of strings) and standing around looking superior and disinterested. I choose option No. 3.
Despite my best efforts to step out of my element, I ended up having a blast and felt right at home.
Still, isn't a failed attempt better than none at all?