humor was accepted by the masses were suddenly granted their wish. Everyone in attendance could drop out-of-context one-liners freely and with encouragement. I asked a young, excited man named Moe with a wide-open, floor-length bathrobe, who had traveled up from North Carolina, what his favorite Big Lebowski line was. He tilted his head back and yelled, "Am I the only one around here who gives a shit about the rules!" in a way that would have drawn suspicious looks anywhere but a Lebowski Fest. Here, such enthusiasm was praised. He was as close to living as The Dude as he was ever going to get. It emanated from him, as it did from practically everyone else in attendance.

And what is the one and only thing The Dude makesBrandon was in his thirties, had just gotten married, and was using Lebowski Fest as a means to unwind before he'd have to hit the road for his job in sports television. Football season is fast approaching.

Brandon wasn't in costume, though. His aim that night was to win the trivia contest, another hallmark of every Lebowski Fest, and jeans and a Lebowski t-shirt would do just fine. He claimed to have seen The Big Lebowski over 100 times, which is probably a prerequisite for having any sort of chance to actually compete. Throughout the night he kept us updated on how he felt he did as he made his way through each round of questioning. Every time his name was announced as one of the advancing contestants, everyone