Salon of Shame

Did you keep a journal as a kid? I didn't. I tried to many, many, many times, but I would flip back through the pages of what I wrote previously and think, "Oh, how stupid was I?" Then I would rip out the pages or throw the whole thing away and start over. But the cycle just viciously repeated itself until I finally gave up the practice completely in middle school.

Now I wish I had not only kept it up, but that I had kept the journals.

Have you ever heard of the Salon of Shame?

I am DYING to go see a show, but the tickets sell out in about a minute, and they are on terrible days for me as I have to travel across the state to see it. But I want to go so badly it's not even funny.

Salon of Shame is a forum for people to read their journals from the past to an audience who has "been there and done that" and completely understands...and finds it as hysterical as you. There are all kinds of performances. The only rules are that you have to have written it, it must be from the distant past (who wants to hear about last month?), and the more embarrassing the better.

Check it out on their website or on YouTube. I'm including my favorite two videos here, but this is your fair warning:

ADULT language and content in both videos!! Do NOT watch these unless your little ones have left the room! (Oh, and if you're offended by the "f" word, these videos probably aren't for you. It's too bad, though, because they are hysterical!)

And, J, don't watch at work...do it at home please!

This one is called, "Project 'F You' Anna."

This one is called "The Secret." (In this one, I think it's particularly funny when the reader repeats himself or looks over his shoulder on especially embarrassing parts to see how the ASL interpreter says it. Two years ago I had a deaf student in class and her interpreter was both fascinating and distracting - it's strange to have someone repeating everything you just said! It took me about two weeks to get used to it...)

You can see more videos here.