Open Mic Night
I have now experienced the wonders of Open Mic Night. Joy.
See, the last time I saw K, she said I had to come to the next OMN. I was a little freaked out that it would be on Friday the 13th, but I said I'd see. And then came my big news, and I definitely wanted to tell her (and she was very excited), so, okay, maybe I'll go. And then when I went for the drug test, it was pretty close to the store. I thought about going after, except I had a problem in, er, producing a sample, and then in trying to remedy that, caused the opposite to happen, and figured I'd better go straight home after the test. Oh, that was a most uncomfortable ride. But I'm getting decent at peeing into a cup. What a claim to fame.
Anyway.
So, my parents got home within minutes of each other; I'd just finished telling dad I'd gotten the job (which he hadn't heard a lick about, so he was super surprised) when mom walked in, and I mentioned OMN and wanting to tell K so they said, sure, you should go out and celebrate. So I managed to go. Realize it's hard for me to just walk in there. Really. Again, not kidding about the crippling shyness...especially since the boy was there. He was in the cafe when I arrived but I managed to get in without him noticing, I believe. I got to talk to K for only a little bit before she was besieged with customers, so I stood around looking through books in nearby sections. (Dan, it's funny you mentioned Jordan, because I was hanging around the basketball books for a while.) Who should come by while I was browsing in Sports? No, not the boy--S. Oh, dear lord. Why are you always here when I'm here? And he was like, what, you work here too? Um, see me in my windbreaker and holding my purse. I am not working. And I am definitely not working here. Anyway, I was semi-polite to him and asked what he was doing, and he's still looking for a job too, and he wanted to "transfer" to that store (hon, you stopped working for the company two months ago. It's no longer considered a transfer). Let's just say I don't think that will happen. So sorry. But anyway, not long later I noticed the boy on the salesfloor, not in the cafe, and eventually I got to say hi to him and tell him I'd gotten a job. K and I talked for a bit after she got off work, and when we finished I got to talk to him for just a little bit. Yeah, he's crazy busy. I figured as much. But I did get to ask when he's out of school; it's either the middle or end of next month. Okay, good to know. And, um, you *are* free to call or email me sometime, yes, even though you're busy. So...well, next month. I have to hold out 'til next month.
But at least I have a job. It's the third Easter miracle. There is a God. And a Jesus.
Oh, hell, so I totally didn't mention OMN. Ha. See, well, since the boy was still in the cafe at that point, I was REALLY uncomfortable with just going over there...plus, OMN isn't really my thing. I was perfectly content to hang around the info desk waiting for K to finish up (but once she got a line, it never ended until she got off work at 9:15). I could hear everything pretty clearly, though. The dude who leads it sings and plays guitar, and he'd basically fill when nobody was willing to go up there. The guys that did poetry, well, I couldn't hear them, but the singers you could hear throughout the store. One girl had a decent-enough voice, but she must have been really nervous because she flubbed all three of her covers that she did. Like, I totally could have sung along with her, but she forgot the words or forgot to play guitar when she sang. I felt kind of bad for her, really, because if she had it all together she would have been fine. I've thought about doing OMN--I've certainly written enough songs--but A) I don't play anything that doesn't require a mouth, or at least not well, so I'd need a guitarist or a pianist, and B) Yeah, 'cause I actually have the confidence to do something like that. Please. And with the boy around? Dear lord, no. Not that he's never heard me sing, but it's not the same. We brought CDs in when we were packing up the store and I sang along to a lot of them, but I sang softly and I was sick at the time. When I really, truly, actually sing, that's not what I sound like. I don't know that I really want anyone hearing that. Not that I think I'm bad, but...I just can't do it in front of people. Especially my own songs, which would be what I'd rather do. So instead I hide in the Sports section where I can hear but not see what's going on and who's in the cafe and take comfort in knowing I'm as good, if not better than the performers...except I'm the only one who will ever know that.
See, the last time I saw K, she said I had to come to the next OMN. I was a little freaked out that it would be on Friday the 13th, but I said I'd see. And then came my big news, and I definitely wanted to tell her (and she was very excited), so, okay, maybe I'll go. And then when I went for the drug test, it was pretty close to the store. I thought about going after, except I had a problem in, er, producing a sample, and then in trying to remedy that, caused the opposite to happen, and figured I'd better go straight home after the test. Oh, that was a most uncomfortable ride. But I'm getting decent at peeing into a cup. What a claim to fame.
Anyway.
So, my parents got home within minutes of each other; I'd just finished telling dad I'd gotten the job (which he hadn't heard a lick about, so he was super surprised) when mom walked in, and I mentioned OMN and wanting to tell K so they said, sure, you should go out and celebrate. So I managed to go. Realize it's hard for me to just walk in there. Really. Again, not kidding about the crippling shyness...especially since the boy was there. He was in the cafe when I arrived but I managed to get in without him noticing, I believe. I got to talk to K for only a little bit before she was besieged with customers, so I stood around looking through books in nearby sections. (Dan, it's funny you mentioned Jordan, because I was hanging around the basketball books for a while.) Who should come by while I was browsing in Sports? No, not the boy--S. Oh, dear lord. Why are you always here when I'm here? And he was like, what, you work here too? Um, see me in my windbreaker and holding my purse. I am not working. And I am definitely not working here. Anyway, I was semi-polite to him and asked what he was doing, and he's still looking for a job too, and he wanted to "transfer" to that store (hon, you stopped working for the company two months ago. It's no longer considered a transfer). Let's just say I don't think that will happen. So sorry. But anyway, not long later I noticed the boy on the salesfloor, not in the cafe, and eventually I got to say hi to him and tell him I'd gotten a job. K and I talked for a bit after she got off work, and when we finished I got to talk to him for just a little bit. Yeah, he's crazy busy. I figured as much. But I did get to ask when he's out of school; it's either the middle or end of next month. Okay, good to know. And, um, you *are* free to call or email me sometime, yes, even though you're busy. So...well, next month. I have to hold out 'til next month.
But at least I have a job. It's the third Easter miracle. There is a God. And a Jesus.
Oh, hell, so I totally didn't mention OMN. Ha. See, well, since the boy was still in the cafe at that point, I was REALLY uncomfortable with just going over there...plus, OMN isn't really my thing. I was perfectly content to hang around the info desk waiting for K to finish up (but once she got a line, it never ended until she got off work at 9:15). I could hear everything pretty clearly, though. The dude who leads it sings and plays guitar, and he'd basically fill when nobody was willing to go up there. The guys that did poetry, well, I couldn't hear them, but the singers you could hear throughout the store. One girl had a decent-enough voice, but she must have been really nervous because she flubbed all three of her covers that she did. Like, I totally could have sung along with her, but she forgot the words or forgot to play guitar when she sang. I felt kind of bad for her, really, because if she had it all together she would have been fine. I've thought about doing OMN--I've certainly written enough songs--but A) I don't play anything that doesn't require a mouth, or at least not well, so I'd need a guitarist or a pianist, and B) Yeah, 'cause I actually have the confidence to do something like that. Please. And with the boy around? Dear lord, no. Not that he's never heard me sing, but it's not the same. We brought CDs in when we were packing up the store and I sang along to a lot of them, but I sang softly and I was sick at the time. When I really, truly, actually sing, that's not what I sound like. I don't know that I really want anyone hearing that. Not that I think I'm bad, but...I just can't do it in front of people. Especially my own songs, which would be what I'd rather do. So instead I hide in the Sports section where I can hear but not see what's going on and who's in the cafe and take comfort in knowing I'm as good, if not better than the performers...except I'm the only one who will ever know that.