Oh to be under the influence of a crowd mentality!

Ok, so I know that I said that my blogging days were Sunday's but I just have to write about this!
UCSC has a tradition where on the first rain the students celebrate by running naked through campus chanting, singing, playing bagpipes, screaming etc etc. And tonight was the night!
The Naked Run started in 1989 during an earthquake where students of Porter College (one of the 10 colleges on campus) slept outside in the quad and played truth or dare...of course the dares included nudity!
Now one can't just start a naked run as soon as it starts drizzling. There are rulesfor the event set by students themselves
1) It has to rain continuously for at least 7 hours straight
2) It has to be on a school/ term day
3) The run cannot start until 10pm
4) It has to start at Porter College
5) You don't have to be naked to join in but you look a bit silly if you aren't
 6) There is a traditional route taken by the runners hitting all the colleges before running down to East Field, breaking into the pool and jumping in!
7) A drum circle will follow the dip in the pool
etcetc

You can hear the runners coming...tooting horns, spectators cheering (yes people do stand outside the dorm buildings and cheer the runners on!), chants of U-C-S-C, cries of "NNAKKKEEEDD RRUUUNNN"!
Peering in a not pervy way out of the window, hoards of  people streaked past to go join up with the swarm, in the rain, naked, except for shoes, while we sat here in the warm, fully clothed and dry.
The noise gots louder and louder as they approached Cowell College...
A shot of jaegarmeister later, we joined them!
10.30pm, completely naked, running with 1000 strangers through the campus, is the oddest feeling ever! Lets just say 'the awkeward moment when you bump into a guy from 2 of your classes'...i have to see him at 9am tomorrow!
That was quite an introduction to UCSC! It is funny how hysteria just sweeps you up and carries you along. I never, ever, would have done that. Or at least I thought I never would. I find it really uncomforatble in public showers when people just walk around naked! I guess I have to get over that so as not to appear hypocritical (though it was dark on the run!)
 Unfortunately no pics of the actual run, that would be wrong! However I do have this little gem for you...the after shot of me and my roommate; wet, cold, but clothed!