I was so hungover Tuesday morning and could barely get through numbers 1 and 2 on the TO DO list (1. Get out of bed 2. Do laundry). My best friend, Romy was planning on visiting but since she’s always so busy I assumed she was going to cancel. But to my surprise she called and said she was catching a train in an hour. I couldn’t turn down a rare chance to have a night out with her in NYC so I chugged some coffee, gatorade, and coconut water and pulled myself together.
We had some dirty martinis while I was struggling to get dressed. Then we headed to the Lower East for some tapas at Macondo (a favorite of mine, where I also had my birthday dinner). Romy’s friend Jimmy also joined us and we fought over shared some salmon ceviche, duck tacos (agreed favorite), tuna on flatbread, and cod fish. Romy and I had the yummiest dessert in a glass cocktail called Banana and Cachaca. (I will be making pitchers of this at home).
After dinner Jimmy suggested karaoke. Now if anyone has known me in my 28 years of life I have never, not once, agreed to karaoke. I am the most horrifying singer in the entire universe and would rather eat shit than sing for anyone to hear me. But I don’t know what got into me, I was in the company of friends who are open to any adventure, and I decided I’d do karaoke. I knew, if anything, it would be a ton of laughs. We walked up to Sing Sing on St. Marks where my karaoke enthusiast friends always go.
We got there and Romy and Jimmy got right into it, taking the mic away from a guy who was already singing, and stole the song, Complicated, by Avril Levine. I really thing they should both consider quitting their day jobs and working together as karaoke hosts.
Finally, it was my turn. I can’t tell you how nervous I was. I mean, I’ve held out for 28 years, kinda like smoking cigarettes, I felt like, “Why start now?” I had such a hard time picking a song. Like the guy you lost your virginity to I felt like the song would be remembered forever, as much as you wished to erase it from your memory. I finally agreed to a duet with Romy (baby steps) with Britney Spears’ Oops I Did it Again. A karaoke virgin singing a song of an at the time virgin. Fitting.
Oh gosh, again, like sex, after the first time I was addicted! I wanted to sing all day everyday!
We went through a bunch of songs; Bohemian Rhapsody, Superfreak, Bennie and the Jets (such an awesome karaoke song. Always reminds me of the scene in 27 Dresses). I learned that in all these years I never knew the words to any songs. That’s what they’re singing about??? Electric Boobs???
Someone chose the song I Swear by All 4 One and it brought Romy and I right back to our middle school dances where no boys would dance with us to this song. We always end up slow dancing together…even to this day…We kept it middle school by dancing arms length apart.
We were BELTING out the lyrics…”And I swear!!!!! By the moons and the stars and the skies!!!!!”
And that was when Jimmy had had enough. “Time to go,” he said as he pried the mics from our hands. We walked down St. Marks for more drinking (why stop now right?) and passed a mountain of pumpkins. They were just inviting us to jump in! (This photo cracks me up).
After our eyes (mostly mine) were crossing from drinking we got some pizza and taxied back to Astoria for a slumber party (you know, my fave!). This might have been the most fun I’ve had in a long time and that’s saying a lot since I am a fun magnet.
I made Romy promise to visit every Tuesday!
