Still getting no responses, I see. You folks do know that you
can post to this list, right?

On real concern, for anybody holding such a gathering here in
Chicago, is where to hold it. Even if the Chicago police were
willing to wink and look the other way as some of us went
charging down the street in our skin, the climate would not
be as forgiving. -20 degree Farenheit temperatures are hardly
unknown at the time of year, with winds easily topping 30 mph
on a regular basis. Chicago does not have a Mediterranean
climate, or even a Northwestern European one.

One possible solution might sound a little depressing, but
let's face it - Chicago is depressing, a nasty, grey bleak
place, that isn't going to look charming no matter how we
look at it. But we can make the most of it.

One thing that our city possesses in regrettable abundance
is floorspace in abandoned factories, let over from the
closings of the late 20th century. These things were built
solidly, to contain explosions, and in the process, were
built to last. Artists have taken them over in the past,
and turned them into extremely spacious studio and loft
spaces, if, perhaps, not in the best neighborhoods. OK, so
now, instead of running naked from the police with our
appendages falling off and shattering, our participants
would be running around naked on bare concrete floors,
inside an old warehouse or factory. Is this a steup upward?

It is, if we make it into one. Lay down a little canvas,
perhaps - much kinder to bare feet than concrete, especially
in the midwinter chill. Have people bring a lot of nice, large
plastic plants, dim the lights, and let imagination take
hold. With a little work, one can get one's guests to
hallucinate a whole forest into existence well enough,
that they won't be bothered by their surroundings.

A little silly, but then, so is Mardis Gras.