Tuesday, February 9, 2010

Happy Birthday to Me...?

Okay, so my birthday was last week. It started off great just because I actually had off for my birthday this year. It was my usual day off from work, and to top it off, I didn't have ANY errands to run or jobs to do or cleaning out any houses! I didn't really do a lot for my birthday (not that I'm complaining). I went to Walmart with mom and dad to get a few things. Of course, this was the day before the big snowstorm and so Walmart was full of idiotic people doing equally idiotic things. There was actually a school bus that was pulling into the parking lot, trying to make a turn that a school bus is not supposed to make.
While I was in the store, I got a text from my brother Jimmy asking if I wanted to go to karaoke that night as it was his night to bounce. At first I was like, "Yeah, right." I had a headache that had been trying to break through all day and I had work the next day and with the snow, I had to be on my A-game. In the end, I popped a couple Advil and went on to the Corner in Charlottesville. When I got to Baja, the bar where Jimmy bounces, there were all of eight people in the joint. I went ahead and put myself down to sing "Before he Cheats" by Carrie Underwood. I did really well on that one the last time, so I figured I'd do it again. I sang that one right as Jimmy showed up. Then I put myself down for "Don't Turn Around" by Ace of Base (I've been trying to look for songs that don't have a really high octave range). I'd like to say I nailed that one. Then I pushed my luck and put myself down for "Gunpowder and Lead" by Miranda Lambert. I did absolutely HORRIBLE!!!! I totally blanked on how the song went! No, not the lyrics...those were written for me in plain view. I just couldn't remember the beat. By this point the bar was pretty packed. Well, once the music finished, I had hoped to slink off to my corner of the bar and not open my mouth again. Jimmy had other ideas...
Jimmy came up behind me once I was done and took the mic from me. I looked up at the ticker on the screen to see who was next...it said Laura, not Jimmy. So why was he taking the mic? He got the bar quieted down. From the moment he started talking, I knew what was happening. Much to my horror (as if me butchering the song wasn't enough), he proceeded to tell the entire bar that I was his little sister and that it was my birthday. He then had the ENTIRE bar sing me "Happy Birthday." Did I mention that the bar was packed by this point?
Anyway, at the end, everyone cheered for me and I--now ten shades of red, I'm sure--went back to my seat. Jimmy came up to me later and told me that a funny thing happened. BBQ (the stage name of a large, funny black guy that does mostly old Motown hits) had come up to Jimmy and said, "That's your sister? She is fiiiine!" Jimmy then told him that I was married, to which he replied, "It figures."
To end the night off, right before I went up to sing a final song with Jimmy ("If I had a Million Dollars" by Barenaked Ladies), this creepy guy that looked to be in his forties or so started hitting on me. Our song couldn't have come quick enough!

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