Hello, my name is Katie, and I am obsessed with musicals.

I've always known I had an atypicial appreciation for live theater, and for musicals in particular. After all, when I saw my first musical (a middle-school production of The Music Man) at age 12, I made my mother buy me the cd and I sat next to the stereo in our living room with headphones on for weeks, playing each song over and over so I could write down all the words and memorize them. It was the beginning of an era. As of today, I have seen 41 musicals, not counting the ones I have seen more than once.

But I didn't really realize the depths of the giant chasm between myself and most of the rest of the world until this weekend. RENT is currently playing in Chicago. Many of you may be surprised to know that each performance of RENT, no matter where it takes place, carries with it an opportunity for "rush tickets." The first and second row is reserved and the tickets are sold for $20-$25. The show's creator wanted people who could not otherwise afford to see the show to have an opportunity to experience it.

Here's the catch: The tickets are not released until two hours before each performance. Therefore, obtaining a rush ticket usually involves a substantial amount of waiting in line.

Somehow, I managed to talk a couple of my coworkers into rushing RENT with me on Saturday. We arrived at the theater at noon. They were just opening the box office for the matinee rush tickets, and we could have walked right in and gotten the last of the them.

But we didn't. Why? Because I wanted to wait in line.

"What did she just say?" you are thinking to yourself.

I wanted to wait in line.

The idea of walking right in to get rush tickets bothered me. Why? Because for me, rushing is not just about getting a cheap ticket. It's about sitting outside a theater on some cold concrete for six hours, watching the rest of the world walk by, and showing everyone else that you think it's going to be more than worth it. It's my way of getting up on a soap box and telling the world that the art of musical theater is underappreciated.

Lest you think that I am all alone in this, let me tell you about the people in line in front of me. Six college students from the state of Iowa were at the front of the line, complete with pillows, sleeping bags, and blankets. They had been there since 1 am and would have been first in line for matinee tickets. But no. They waited for the evening show.

I spent the next six hours talking with them, and it was the most fun I have had in perhaps my whole life. They helped me with crossword puzzles, made fun of me for spinning in circles to keep warm, and asked me about living in the big city.

And, of course, as 6pm grew closer, we collectively belted out the lyrics to many songs in the show. We, of course, all knew all the words by heart. In fact, when we ran out of RENT songs, we briefly switched to singing songs from Wicked (which we also knew by heart). My friend Meg commented that I "needed some friends like these" when I was in college.

The box office finally opened and we all got our first row tickets. We went to see the show and cheered and sang and mooed from the heart. (Yes, mooed. One of the characters asks the audience to "moo with me" in the show. Want to know why? Go see RENT.) After the show was over, one of the Iowans stood up, walked over to me, and hugged me, just because he was so overcome by the awesomeness of the show.

So, turns out my people live in Iowa. Who knew.

I think my coworkers, had they made the choice, would have opted for the matinee. And I don't blame them. The wind was bitter cold at times, and I can totally understand that they did not have the same connection with the people from Iowa as I did. But props go out to Sarah and Becky for humoring me and sticking it out.

Because yes, my name is Katie, and I'm obsesssed with musicals. And I'm damn proud.