Up and Down
I've had a good weekend, but I've been feeling worn-out and achy and sinusy off and on.
I had a wonderful time at Galaxy Hut's karaoke night -- I sang Patsy Cline's "Crazy" and the Eurythmics' "Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)." I did pretty well, though I was hyper-aware of my own rustiness. It's entirely different than singing with a band; for one, you generally have to sing in the same key as the original record (some systems can change the key, but it involves speeding or slowing the song, which never sounds right). There's also the fact that the record doesn't provide room to adlib... but I'm a little too rusty to be able to do that yet, anyway.
The evening had some ohmigod high points... The first was when the announcement was made that everyone should hold their drink orders for a few minutes so that the bartender could come up for a song. And he could sing. He did "Let's Get It On" with incredible verve. Damn.
The other moment that made my jaw drop? A redheaded guy was on stage, preparing to sing, when the CD skipped and died... victim of the economy karaoke setup. This didn't faze the singer, who broke into "The Humpty Dance." Not only did he know every word, but he also performed the dance for us. That bit of comedy gold earned him a free beer.
Yesterday, xpi and I went to visit have_inner_lady and predigested.
Never, ever let have_inner_lady make you peach cobbler. Because I will have to come steal it. The really horrible thing about the cobbler is that whatever you eat next will have absolutely no chance whatsoever of pleasing you at all, because it just isn't peach cobbler.
At one point, I was asked if I missed living in the country. I responded (probably too quickly) with an unqualified "no" -- as I'm so used to thinking of myself as a city person, and being very proud of my city-person status. I realized that this is probably just a by-product of the fact that, as a teenager, I wanted to get out where all the people were, and hang out buying expensive coffee until four o'clock in the morning. I still like doing that, but I've gotten to the point in my life where I can look back on Frederick (and the surrounding bits of countryside that I spent time living in) and see some of the things that I do miss. So, here is a list of things that I do miss about living in the country:
1. Genial People
While there are jerks no matter where you go, you're far less likely in the country to run into people who're so busy that they can't spare you a smile or a wave when they pass. It's not that the city people are rude... it's just that they all have somewhere they were supposed to be ten minutes ago, and they don't have time to stop and say hi. Now, I've run into plenty of people in the city who offer to help me carry my groceries in from the car, or stop to help me pick up my books when I drop them, but in the country it seems to be almost a given.
2. Fewer Rules
I'm not allowed to put windchimes on my balcony. My boss is only permitted to paint his house one of the colors preselected by his HOA. I can't change my oil in my parking lot. I'm pleasantly surprised by the fact that they allow you to wash your car there. You have to have a sticker to park here. There's no parking here and here, except on alternate Tuesdays. Don't leave your bag unattended on the Metro. No idling your car in front of the convenience store. No merge, no speeding. The roof garden is closed after 10:00. No throwing things off the balcony. No waterbeds in the apartment.
Yeah, the country doesn't have any of that.
3. Physical Labor
I don't like a lot of it, but there's something to be said for it being there when you want to work off some energy. Also, other people there aren't afraid of it, and will often help you.
4. Stars
It's been months since I last saw more than a handful of stars at once. Last night, I saw tons. I probably could have seen the Milky Way if I'd've looked up before I got in the car. I really, really miss the stars.
5. Burning Stuff
This kind of goes along with the "rules" one... but you don't have to get permission to start a fire, in the country. It's your land, and your stuff, so you can burn it if you want to. I miss having bonfires just because we felt like having bonfires.
Although, as an addendum, don't start them in state parks. The rangers don't like it much. Even if it's the carefully controlled brick-fuel sort. Spoilsports.
I had a wonderful time at Galaxy Hut's karaoke night -- I sang Patsy Cline's "Crazy" and the Eurythmics' "Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)." I did pretty well, though I was hyper-aware of my own rustiness. It's entirely different than singing with a band; for one, you generally have to sing in the same key as the original record (some systems can change the key, but it involves speeding or slowing the song, which never sounds right). There's also the fact that the record doesn't provide room to adlib... but I'm a little too rusty to be able to do that yet, anyway.
The evening had some ohmigod high points... The first was when the announcement was made that everyone should hold their drink orders for a few minutes so that the bartender could come up for a song. And he could sing. He did "Let's Get It On" with incredible verve. Damn.
The other moment that made my jaw drop? A redheaded guy was on stage, preparing to sing, when the CD skipped and died... victim of the economy karaoke setup. This didn't faze the singer, who broke into "The Humpty Dance." Not only did he know every word, but he also performed the dance for us. That bit of comedy gold earned him a free beer.
Yesterday, xpi and I went to visit have_inner_lady and predigested.
Never, ever let have_inner_lady make you peach cobbler. Because I will have to come steal it. The really horrible thing about the cobbler is that whatever you eat next will have absolutely no chance whatsoever of pleasing you at all, because it just isn't peach cobbler.
At one point, I was asked if I missed living in the country. I responded (probably too quickly) with an unqualified "no" -- as I'm so used to thinking of myself as a city person, and being very proud of my city-person status. I realized that this is probably just a by-product of the fact that, as a teenager, I wanted to get out where all the people were, and hang out buying expensive coffee until four o'clock in the morning. I still like doing that, but I've gotten to the point in my life where I can look back on Frederick (and the surrounding bits of countryside that I spent time living in) and see some of the things that I do miss. So, here is a list of things that I do miss about living in the country:
1. Genial People
While there are jerks no matter where you go, you're far less likely in the country to run into people who're so busy that they can't spare you a smile or a wave when they pass. It's not that the city people are rude... it's just that they all have somewhere they were supposed to be ten minutes ago, and they don't have time to stop and say hi. Now, I've run into plenty of people in the city who offer to help me carry my groceries in from the car, or stop to help me pick up my books when I drop them, but in the country it seems to be almost a given.
2. Fewer Rules
I'm not allowed to put windchimes on my balcony. My boss is only permitted to paint his house one of the colors preselected by his HOA. I can't change my oil in my parking lot. I'm pleasantly surprised by the fact that they allow you to wash your car there. You have to have a sticker to park here. There's no parking here and here, except on alternate Tuesdays. Don't leave your bag unattended on the Metro. No idling your car in front of the convenience store. No merge, no speeding. The roof garden is closed after 10:00. No throwing things off the balcony. No waterbeds in the apartment.
Yeah, the country doesn't have any of that.
3. Physical Labor
I don't like a lot of it, but there's something to be said for it being there when you want to work off some energy. Also, other people there aren't afraid of it, and will often help you.
4. Stars
It's been months since I last saw more than a handful of stars at once. Last night, I saw tons. I probably could have seen the Milky Way if I'd've looked up before I got in the car. I really, really miss the stars.
5. Burning Stuff
This kind of goes along with the "rules" one... but you don't have to get permission to start a fire, in the country. It's your land, and your stuff, so you can burn it if you want to. I miss having bonfires just because we felt like having bonfires.
Although, as an addendum, don't start them in state parks. The rangers don't like it much. Even if it's the carefully controlled brick-fuel sort. Spoilsports.