Kara-OK
Last night for Annie's birthday we hit the lovely Rock It Grill in Oldtown. We planted ourselves at one of their sticky tables and hung in there for the night, in wait for the karaoke kings and queens. Please note: the bar is set high during the week nights at the Rock It. Of course there were a few dudes who came in a big group, and hit the stage to caterwaul "You've Lost that Loving Feeling," and fancied themselves charming. No. The real stars of the night are the people who take their karaoke SERIOUS (pronounced: "srrrrss").

There was one guy, one of our favorites, who had a great baritone voice and sang the hell out of country songs. He was big and black and Annie dubbed him "Toby Keith." Throughout the night we would ask eachother: "Where's Toby Keith?" because we liked him so much, and then we would spot him, and all would be well.

Another dude called himself "Mandingo" (yeah, I don't know) and he killed on "Georgia on My Mind." Dude sounded exactly like Ray Charles. Awesome.

The third guy (there was a LOT of men who went up on stage for some reason) had come by himself and was this well-coiffed young guy. He clutched the mike stand and sang like his life was ending--he started with Lisa Loeb's "Stay," and didn't even watch the teleprompter. He even talked up the crowd, it was awesome.

The best thing about all of these guys and others like them was that as SOON as they were done with their number, they would make a beeline for the playlist and sign themselves up for another one. Annie quipped that they should just sing while standing at the playlist to make it more efficient.

I am not the type to sing karaoke, but I love that people do--there's something vulnerable about the weeknight crowd at least. They put a part of themselves out there and I respect that. The good thing about the Rock It crowd, as well, although most look like they stepped in from the Blue Collar Comedy Tour, is that they're universally supportive, if not appreciative of everyone's efforts. Just note, if you're going up there, avoid the Righteous Brothers, because I'll be the one booing you.