Howdy all,

I've been catching up with the Collinsport Historical Society Podcast lately and recently listened to an episode where Patrick McCray talks with Tony Trigilio, author of 'The Complete Dark Shadows of My Childhood'.  At one point they were discussing the bizarre habits and rituals they have when watching the show and I got to thinking about my own.

There have been a lot of strange things I've done while watching the show but these are the most consistent:

1. I always have to watch at least three episodes in succession during one viewing.  I've worked out subconsciously that this gives me enought time to be absorbed in the story and also not feel like I'm stopping and starting abruptly.  In other words, I get a nice flow going.

2. I always have to watch DS on a television.  I don't think that watching it on a laptop or desktop computer gives it the "spectacle" it deserves.  Pretentious, I know, but there you go.  (This one's going to be a problem when I head off to Uni next year.)

3. I always have to watch DS in an isolated room with as few distractions as possible.

4. I prefer to watch DS during the evening, but otherwise I like to have the curtains drawn and the lights switched off to create the appropriate atmosphere.

5. I always have to start off each viewing session with a strong brew of herbal tea and one of my cats on my lap.  (Although I'll always remember one of them went absolutely bezerk at Joshua Collins-cat during 1795.)

So... do any of you guys have any odd habits or rituals you have to conduct while watching DS?