XA Scavenger Hunt!!

Friday night was intense. It was the 3rd annual Chi Alpha Human Scavenger Hunt. For those of you who haven't heard of a "human" scavenger hunt today, here's the rundown. People playing the game were looking for people, not token items. The people they were looking for were different characters, spread out all across LSU's campus. Imagine yourself playing the game:

You start off at Cafe Chi Alpha and your team (there are several) is given a sheet of clues, each clue revealing the identity of a character. You must then figure out as a team where on campus this character would be. For example, you read about an internet cartoon character and figure out this person must be stationed at Middleton Library, because it has a computer lab. You traverse the campus and arrive at the library to find ...Homestar Runner and Strong Sad! You must chase down each of the characters you find. No points unless you physically apprehend them. If you catch them, your team gets points, based on whether or not you caught the character(s) before other teams did. Watch out, because some characters are worth negative points! All this takes place at night, after dark, so you never know what new character will be lurking around the next corner.

Anyway, I was Homestar Runner and my roomate, John Barreca, was Strong Sad. I don't know who had more fun: the people playing the game or those putting it on. I apparently did decent voice/character impersonations of good old Homestar as several people afterward told me they were "freaked out" about how in character I was. After several groups caught me I also chased after them saying various Homestar-isms. One passer-by I approached threatened to hurt me if I didn't leave him alone. Anyway, it was a fun night. I'm already wondering who to be next year...


"Aw-wight, Aw-wight! Homestarwwwww! ...Wunnerrrrwww! If I had to use one word to descwibe myself, it would pwobably be....fluffy puffed marsh-ma-wohs. Tooons! Games! Chaw-ac-tewrs. Down-loooads!..."

Luigi becomes quickly alarmed as Homestar mutates, sprouting arms to eat the plate of food in front of him.

My roomate, John "the Recka" Barreca, who did a frightfully good imitation of the woeful sullenness of Strong Sad. John is actually a skinny guy, if you can believe it!

A look at the costume. First of all, it was really torn up here. By the end of the hunt, running around and having people try to tackle me had taken their toll. The shoes: fabric spray-painted blue at the bottom and safety-pinned to the pants. The pants: thrift-store baseball pants. The "shirt": Cody Berry, Cody Berry, and Cody Berry. He sewed the arms up and then we took wire coat hangers and pulled the bottom of the shirt over them. He did a seam around the bottom...all by hand. It took him literally all night to tailor this while the shirt was on my body. The star: sewn on, too. The face: face paint. The hat: a visor and a propeller cap I bought (which unfortunately you don't notice in any of the pictures as it was pushed back on my head. My propeller even turned when I ran!)

The after party. My smiling friend Derek Naquin in the background was overwhelmed with requests to make frappucinos.

Madea (Zach Mitchell) from "Diaries of a Mad Black Woman) was my favorite.

Marilyn Monroe (Jennifer Broadwell), Lucille Ball (Crystal Legendre), and Daphne from Scooby-Doo (Angelique Ortego).

Scrat the Squirrel (Adam Stephenson), TJ (TJ), and Steve Irwin (Dustin Ellingburg).

Peter Pan (Josh Harvey) and Tinkerbell (Rachel Walker).

Crikey! Steve Irwin, the Croc Hunter (Dustin "Money" Ellingburg).

Before the hunt, receiving instructions.

Santa Claus on roller blades (Derick Brumley).

Strong Sad (John Barreca) and Homestar Runner (Me).

Arrrrrgh! One pirate may cut off your wooden leg (Lisa King) and the other (Monica Filgo) will shove golden doubloons down your throat (but they're made of chocolate).

Deanna as the Princess and John as Luigi.

Crystal Legendre as Lucille Ball and Michelle Scott as Billie Holiday.

Having no arms is bogus! Monica feeds me a plate of food at the after party.

Brian Holloway as GI Joe.

Which one doesn't belong?

And yes, this does mean that I shaved Friday night to be in costume.

Thanks to Ashley Jackson and Angelique Ortego. Because I ripped these photos from their websites.