"Ain't Got Time to Bleed!"

Oh, I just love PREDATOR. So many manly muscles rippling around the jungles in a sideways with a twist version of THE MOST DANGEROUS GAME. Of course, you can't beat SLAVE GIRLS FROM BEYOND INFINITY for the cheesiest version of man hunts man. Or, in SGFBI's case, man hunts women. Scantily clad women (including my favorite screen queen, Brinke Stevens) who have to utter some of the worst dialogue ("You're an inhuman fiend!") in screen history, to be precise. I hear a bad movie night calling...

But I'm not here to blog about bad movies. I just keep hearing that line from Predator in my head...playing over and over again like a catchy and/or annoying song. Of course, I'd rather have that line in my head than an endless loop of the chorus to "We are Santa's Elves" from Rudolph, the Red Nose Reindeer. That was yesterday's internal radio station choice. All day long.

But I'm not here to blog about which songs stick in my head either. I'm here to talk about the first official San Francisco Buffy Night!

Buffy the Vampire Slayer. One of my top 10 favorite TV shows, along with Firefly and classic Star Trek (I want my starship captains horny, hot-headed and prone to dramatic pauses! Unless we're talking Mal from Firefly. Then I want 'em...well, Mal-like. Or Mal-esque. Laconic, with a touch of dry wit and looking really good in those pseudo-Old West duds).

Oops. The Digression Alarm just went off. Damn, that's loud.

My favorite Buffy character was (and is) Spike, on account of his cheekbones, the way he looks without his shirt, and other reasons that have nothing to do with his looks. No, really. I mean it. Seriously, folks! I mean, I love all the characters (except Dawn, who was so irritating 90 percent of the time that I wanted someone to rip her head off) and the writing, even the not so good episodes, was some of the freshest and wittiest on TV. There was generally an underlying subtext (personal fave has to be Buffy's vampire boyfriend turning evil after the first time they have sex - talk about a metaphor for relationships...) and no matter what was going on in my life, somehow I could always find something to relate to in each episode. And even without the relevant subtexts, the show was just so damn funny. And it had Spike with his shirt off...


Buffy Night was an integral part of my life in Los Angeles. Every other week I'd get together at my sister's apartment and we'd watch the antics of Buffy and the Scoobies. We started our get-togethers during one of the last few seasons (don't remember which one), and they always involved what we called 'snackage', generally crackers or bread, cheeses, meats, and other delicacies meant for buffet style grazing. Wine was also part of the required refreshments.

Our Buffy get-togethers were soon joined by our honorary girlfriend (spelled 'gurlfriend') Jon. We had to teach Jon when he could and could not talk during Buffy (it's all about timing and it takes a while to develop the knack for it). Jon and I, on the other hand, developed the Buffy dance, which had to be done at the end of each episode during the theme song as it rolled over the credits. It became part of the ritual, along with me earning the nickname 'wine vampire' and falling asleep on the couch.

When the final episode of our beloved Buffy aired, we decided to continue the tradition of Buffy Night by starting at the very beginning of Season One and working our way through the entire show. Our location changed to Lisa's new house, giving us more room to spread out our feast and sometimes include other guests for the occasion. It was usually just the three of us, however.

And then...I moved to San Francisco. And Jon and Lisa continued Buffy Night WITHOUT me. Insult to injury, they found a new Dana! A faux Dana! We'll just call her...Mimi. Because that's her name. "It's just like having you there," Jon told me. "Mimi sucks down wine and falls asleep on the couch too."

So easily replaced.

We had other Buffy nights when I visited. I met Other Dana (and she's very nice, btw). But I missed the continuity and comfort of regular Buffy nights. So when Rick, after a bad movie night, asked if he and Jen could borrow my DVD set of Buffy, Season One, the proverbial lightbulb went on above my head and I suggested that we start watching it together on a regular basis. They agreed and last Saturday we had our first official San Francisco Buffy Night. Snackage was pizza, homemade cookies, and assorted sparkling and red wines. Not quite classic Buffy snackage, but that's okay 'cause both Rick and Jen were good enough sports to do the Buffy dance. It took three episodes and repeated demonstrations on my part, with Dave's help. The first time Jen looked at us both with an expression I can only describe as aghast with disbelief. Rick was a slightly easier sell, but then he's a cheap date. But bottom line, by the end of the third episode, "Witch", the Buffy dance was observed by all in the room and Dana was content.

Four episodes at a time will get us to Season Two in short order. And Season Two is when Spike first makes his appearance. I can't wait.