Flash!

For anyone unfamiliar with the concept of flash mobs, the short story goes like this: big group of strangers gathers at a specified location at a specified time and performs some kind of bizarre (but harmless and usually entertaining) activity. This might take the form of a pillow fight, a simultaneous nap- or hug-in, or just lying down on the sidewalk for thirty seconds, getting up, and walking away.

At 11:00 p.m. tonight--the first night of finals week--a friend and I were walking to the library when we saw this.



Our best guesses put the participant numbers around one to two thousand. Campus police were very lovely about the whole thing, closing off the street and making sure no one was injured. We saw crowd surfers, beach balls, glow sticks, sparkly miniskirts, a man dressed as a frog, and the coordinator in shades and a banana suit. A crowd-surfing banana man, I can tell you, is something you never forget.

Best night ever.