one year ago...

My friend Ben started a great thread today asking our friend group (pictured above minus our live updater, Adam) to reflect on the historic night we experienced last November 4.

Seems a lot longer then a year since we witnessed history (Or were tweeting about it). 

 To set the mood.

Any reflections over the past year? Are we where we thought we would be? Does that night still give you the chills?

To answer Ben's easy question first -- YES, of course that night still gives me chills! Looking back, it's almost surreal. I will truly remember that night for the rest of my life and it's something I'll tell the neighborhood kids about when I'm a crotchety old spinster (after I yell at them to get off my lawn).

 

I never thought Obama was going to fix everything in a year. I learned at a young age that the Mary Poppins "snapping your fingers and everything returns to place" trick doesn't actually work. This administration clearly had a LOT of cleaning up to do. Screw health care reform, they haven't even gotten around to reversing the tariffs on Roquefort cheese.

 

That said, despite the unbelievable obstacles to mass change, I think an educated and informed person can point to several initiatives they've begun to dig us out of the pile of sh*t that Bush left the world:

• At least begun public debate on health care reform. Regardless of all the ridiculous opinions flying around out there, at least people are discussing it. The end solution is going to be political, but at the very least I think all sides are beginning to agree that pre-existing conditions are morally reprehensible.
• Increasing transparency in government. The White House blog! The podcasts! The videos! Even some of the cabinet blogs (I'm a fan of Ray LaHood's Fast Lane blog, oh yeah, Transportation!) I feel engaged in the process and like these very important people are accessible. I really do believe that social media is the great leveler. (Socialist!)
• A shift in the mood toward public transportation. Let's just say, when I'm feeling lonely, I drink some wine, put on some Sade, and look at the High Speed Rail map. Okay, kidding! Although our local transit funding is still dire, the stimulus funds will help immensely. Also, there's an upbeat tone nationwide. The transportation industry newsletters have been so optimistic--talking about new projects and services, compared to the previous years of "and the Bush administration cut this again or made this logisitical nightmare of a change so that a handful of private industry players could profit."
• Emphasizing the importance of healthy eating. This may be the most solid healthcare reform that the administration has done (word to my girl Michelle). It goes beyond the White House garden. She's made it hip to grow your own food, eat sustainably and go to farmer's markets. (Well, actually I made it hip, but that's neither here nor there...next thing you know they'll be having an indie rock concert on the White House lawn).
• Oh yeah, and there's that whole reducing troop levels in Iraq thing too...

I'm not living in a bubble of joy. I recognize there have been some really boneheaded decisions. I recognize that some programs were hastily thrown together to soothe political pressure:

• Auto Industry "Reforms" -- hooray for new fuel efficient vehicles on the road through Cash for Clunkers, but what happens to all the clunkers? Couldn't we have mandated public transit reform? Can't GM rebuild all the infrastructure they tore out in the '50s?
• Increased troops in Afghanistan -- I am very pleased that the focus is back to y'know, where it should've been eight years ago. I don't agree with an increased military strategy however. Why not build schools? Improve infrastructure? I agree we do need a presence though. If you've ever read The Kite Runner or A Thousand Splendid Suns, you know that the Taliban are bad, bad, bad people
• Obama's choice at the beer summit. Bud Light? Really. That totally takes away your hip cred. You could've at least had a PBR.

This exercise has made me feel a lot better after watching the conservative circle jerk on Twitter last night. We also have to remember that there's three years in this term and hopefully four more years after that--lots of time to get things done. On a personal level, I still feel incredibly inspired by Obama himself. I don't know if I would have attended The White House Project Go Run training a couple of weeks ago with the same motivation, had it not been for that glorious November night.

 

After emailing the group, I realized some thoughts had been left out and others had more reflections. Below are the unedited essays.

Larissa:

While I agree with most of what Meghan said, I do want to draw a point on Afghanistan. Much like Iraq, what Bush failed to do here was to employ a strategy to hunt Al Qaeda (even though I can't imagine that this would be an easy thing to do). The other thing that Bush didn't do in Afghanistan was completely dismantle the government of this country. The reason they were able to actually get to work stabilizing and rebuilding Iraq was because they installed a coalition government and trained them on how to run the country. Afghanistan still has a nut job with delusions of grandeur who has now declared himself the winner of a rigged election TWICE.

Not to mention, if there's no buy-in from the existing government and you're left with a rash of suicide bombings and that makes it pretty hard to build a school or two. As much as I hate to admit it, I think we need a troop increase (and the accompanying STRATEGY, which I'm sure exists but the media never seems to get around to telling us about) to stabilize the region. To simply pull out would be a horrible idea, cuz Al Qaeda would see that as an open invitation to wreak havoc not only on the region, but on countries like ours as well.

Just my 2 cents.... I'm glad the media is being critical of Obama but I'm extremely disappointed in the Republicans for not even trying to work with the Dems, and I'm also sort of disappointed in the Dems for just giving up on bipartisanship altogether and pushing their agenda. On the other hand, I don't really blame the Dems for cutting their losses (at least they DID try) and actually getting stuff done. And props on adding sexual orientation to the hate crimes bill!

 Adam:

Yeah, Lilly Ledbetter got me through more than one argument about the Nobel prize. (It's a pretty easy answer to the claim "He hasn't done anything!")

I guess looking back, I feel a bit disappointed in that it seems like democrats in general have wasted a great opportunity. With the White House, momentum and congressional majorities, people on the right were stockpiling and hugging their guns, while people on the left were looking for retail space for "Osama's homo-abortion-pot-and-commie-jizzporium". Of course, it's no shock that Obama smacked into the brick-wall called "the reality of modern politics and bureaucracy" which tended to slow things down a bit, and make those easy to repeat campaign promises magically transform into briefing books, memos, and weird congressional parlimentary procedures (reconciliation! woo-hoo?).

I can understand wanting to use whatever advantage a new president has in the first 6 months or so to get things done. And in that mindset, it makes sense to tackle the hardest issues first, like healthcare reform. But now we're about 10 months in, and it seems that no amount of perceived political capital can just gloss over all of the crap that has to go into an overhaul this big. It doesn't matter how popular Obama is, Olympia Snowe will still want attention, Joe Liberman will be a jerk, and Max Bacaus will still have no spine.

So, instead of taking on something so huge, I wish they would have tried to win more of the small battles that are doable. There are a lot of areas where Obama can affect major change, and it's hard to see all of the rest of them fall away as we tackle healthcare. It's certainly one of the most important issues facing us as a country currently; it's just not THE one most important.

I also think Obama is learning what it takes to get things done in a position of this much power. It was clear in both the stimulus and the inital healthcare bills in committee that he put too much faith in the congressional committee leaders to iron out the details, while making overarching statements that didn't touch on the sticky small stuff. I think going forward, he'll be better about clearly outlining exactly what he's looking for in legislation. Although, he's still only saying things like "yeah, sure, I'd like a public option" as if a waiter offered him some extra mayonnaise. (I just like the idea of slim mcgoo eating anything with that much fat in it.)

Maybe he'll learn to be more forcefull in other ways too. While I've heard a bunch about how hard he was courting Snowe in committee, I'm surprised that Liberman and a number of other Dems have gone to the press to say they won't vote to stop the fillibuster of healthcare with a public option. Obama really should be taking responsibility for this, whipping people into shape, and doing what it takes to get this to pass. Maybe crazy Joe (who it seems just really really really likes the insurance companies for some reason, now that Dodd has distanced himself from them) is beyond help, but I thought Rahm's job was to kick ass on the hill to get their priorities accomplished.

I know none of this fits into the world Obama described during the campaign. (Or even earlier.) While we may not be separated into a red America and a blue America, we definitely have a majority pary and an opposition party. And while I'm dissapointed in the dems, I'm just completely exasperated by the Republicans (and not just McConnell's stupid press releases). I guess I'm like Jon Stewart, in that I'm a hopelss optimist when it comes to this kind of thing, and I assume that when someone is sent to Washington to help fix our country that they would much rather be part of the process, as opposed to willing to sit it out until they get a majority again. I don't think the the Republican's strategy of immediately opposing Obama on anything is working, at least not in a way that helps them.

By just saying no to everything, it allows the fringes in the Democratic party to get more of a say. Both Ben Nelson and Jay Rockefeller get much more attention, which leads to more party in-fighting. What results is a watered-down, more useless bill that still gets passed, which has none of the reforms the GOP actually wanted, since they weren't part of the process. If the Republicans are looking to actually get their own issues and concerned addressed, they are totally failing. If their only goal is to destroy the Democrats then they're succeeding.

So, where do we go from here? I'd like to see Obama stand strong on key issues, and make congress accomodate his concrete plans. I don't know what you do to get the Republicans to engage in actual debate on key issues (more self-tanner for Boehner?), but until that happens, you need to pass things through with the situation you've got, instead of hoping that things improve.

Oh, and with Afghanistan I'm actually starting to agree more with Matthew Hoh. I really liked his point about how al-Qaida isn't looking for a safe haven in Afghanistan anymore. He feels that they have enough places like Somalia and Yemen to hide in, and that we can't keep treating this like a war against one country, that exists only in a single country. I would also add to Meghan's list this book too to read about the situation in the region.

What are your thoughts and reflections on that historic night and the last year? On a highly personal level, I shudder to think what I would have done with myself had we lost. My three-year relationship was crumbling, I was at the heaviest I've ever been (due in part to the crumbling relationship) and in massive debt. Working on the campaign truly did fill me with hope, and I'm pleased to say I rode that hope throughout 2009. I've lost almost 30 pounds, digging my way out of debt and am (not always, but mostly) happily single.

music madness: lollapalooza recap

As you know, I headed to Lollapalooza last weekend to catch some of my favorite bands and check out some new ones. As usual, I did not hit up every band on my list, but I did get in some good shows. Unfortunately the weather didn't cooperate very well this year, so my perspective of the concerts is somewhat skewed by the pouring rain on Friday and extreme heat of Sunday.

Overall, I enjoyed what may be my last "Lolla" (I'll hit 30 in January and not sure if I can deal with festivals much longer), and had the added bonus of catching up with great friends in addition to catching great music.

Friday

After a frustrating early-morning train ride, I was extremely glad that The Henry Clay People was totally worth the trip. I would love to catch these guys in a smoky bar, definitely real rock n' roll. Catchy originals and the added cover of "Running on Empty" was a highlight of the fest for me. My first "I'm old" moment though, as some of the kids around me definitely weren't familiar with the song. Yikes.

Next up was the highly energetic Black Joe Lewis & The Honeybears, another band probably best seen at a smaller venue. They were so much fun and I would absolutely catch them again. Glad my friends recommended I make this a "don't miss" of my weekend. Their current album is a good-time listen. I suggest you check it out.

At the end of BJL, I met up with my pal Brian from college over at The Gaslight Anthem. There's a ton of hype around this band because of some Springsteen-factors, but I think they may be the Slumdog Millionaire of hot bands for me -- I just didn't love it. Honestly, all the songs sounded sort of the same, and the dudes were way too clean cut (albiet for their tattoo-sleeves) for my vision of real-rock. If I want to listen to The Boss, I'll stick to Bruce himself, or The Hold Steady.

Luckily during this show I shared Brian's umbrella and didn't notice how much the rain had picked up. Unluckily, I headed over to my next show unprepared.

I love, love, love me some Bon Iver. Wisconsin's favorite indie son was my top album (and second best concert) of 2009. Too bad mother nature (and suburban high schools girls belting out "Skinny Love") ruined his Lolla set for me. Lucky for Milwaukeeans, Justin Vernon will be chairing AIDS Walk Wisconsin and performing at the Riverside Theater on October 11. I am going to try my best to make it to both.

I sacrificed catching Ben Folds to spend the best $5 of the weekend -- on a lovely blue poncho. It did little to dry me off, but it did prevent me from completely drowning during the rest of the night.

Fleet Foxes did not disappoint with their beautiful, haunting melodies. The poncho enabled me to enjoy the show a bit more, but this is another one I'd like to see in a concert hall versus a wet park.

By this point I'd resolved to sacrifice the headliners and head out a little early to a warm, dry place. But not before I caught what was my guaranteed album of the year (more on that later).

The Decemberists Riverside Theater show is likely going to be my concert of the year, so the Lolla show was like a second scoop of ice cream for me. It was great to hear Hazards of Love played straight through again and see Shara Worden steal the show once more. However, the hour set time didn't allow for any audience interaction and regular Decemberists tunes after the rock opera. The set was a perfect way to end the long day for me.

Saturday

Spending the morning with my dear hosts allowed me to avoid the bulk of the sweltering heat of the day.

I arrived, water in hand, just in time for Los Campesinos! This band has enough insane energy to be great in a small venue or a giant stage. This was also a band where I saw a couple members wandering around the grounds like normal people. I think they definitely win the award for "Band I'd Most Like to Be Buds With." And not just because they're Welsh (therefore awesome) or because they are really into the stage dives.

After LC! I met up with my friend Keiker who came down from Milwaukee for the day. She and I are both huge TV on the Radio fans, so we were both looking forward to that in the evening. We met up at the Kidzapalooza Stage after I got a text alert that there was a surprise Band of Horses set scheduled. They played just around 2-3 songs, but it was a nice time to sit in the shade.

Keiker and I split up so I could check out Blind Pilot on another small stage. They opened for The Decemberists in Milwaukee, but it was nice to get a chance to really give them a listen. Their album is very tight and another strong recommendation for 2009.

I headed over to Santigold next and as luck would have it ran into Keiker, which was a fantastic twist of fate since AT&T service was horrific on the grounds. She put on an over-the-top show, and I was disappointed I couldn't even get a good jumbotron shot of the outfits of her and the back up dancers. Keiker and I decided to head over to get a solid spot for TVOTR. This worked out perfectly -- we could still hear Santi and we landed a fabulous position.

This was the show of the festival. I wish Tunde Adebimpe and crew would come to Milwaukee sometime. I have been a long-time fan of the albums, but never imagined the band would be so dynamic live. Their songs on the albums are so nuanced, from dark & slow to upbeat & dancey, but live each performance in the set had a definitive spark.

Keiker and I both left this one with huge smiles on our faces. We grabbed some food, caught some of Ben Harper and the Relentless7, and staked a place for the headliner.

I didn't have any expectations for the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, but had I, Karen O. would have blown them away. The woman is the Chrissy Hynde of the Millenials, and definitely (after Shara Worden) the rockstar I'd most want to be. Even though my concert buddy had to head out halfway through the show, I stuck around and danced out the rest of the set solo.

Sunday

Sunday was hot. Really, really hot. I missed the days when Lolla was a two-day festival. 

I started out with Ra Ra Riot, which admittedly was a huge disappointment. I'd heard their live performance talked up, but I think the issue really may have been my baking under the blazing sun. I would give them a second chance in a venue like Turner Hall, when I wasn't 120 degrees.

Halfway through RRR, my friend Ryan texted me that he was waiting by the Bat for Lashes stage. I didn't find him, but I spotted an opening front and center under the stage. As soon as Natasha Khan stepped on stage I was captivated. This show was in tight running with TV on the Radio for best of the fest. I really hope the Pabst/Turner group can bring BFL to Milwaukee as I'd absolutely see this magical show again. And Two Suns now may beating out Hazards of Love for album of the year.

Mesmerized and sweltering, I left Bat for Lashes, I headed to refill my water and connect with friends. Walking away from the stage I saw a pale hippie pass out, eyes roll back into head, head thump on the dirt. Terrifying. Fortunately the medical staff saw this at the same time, so I could move on, the horrible image embedded in my head.

It was really, really hot.

I found Ryan over at Kaiser Chiefs, a band which I'm not a huge fan. We chatted a bit and I left to catch Gang Gang Dance at a shaded stage on the other side of the grounds.

This was the perfect chill group to take a nice break with. I watched about half the set and then connected with my old co-worker, Darcie, who I found out was at the festival via Twitter. We found a spot of one of the staircases to catch Vampire Weekend, who failed to impress. Their set wasn't much different than the one at Turner in April 2008 and they were clearly slowing down their songs to fill the hour timeslot. Thus, one of my favorite shows of '08 turned into one of the most forgettable of '09.

Our small group packed up to head over to the band usurping the "it" title.

Passion Pit brought it. The small stage they were on was PACKED and they could've easily owned the mainstage.  While they definitely straddle the border between indie and emo, they fall on the Death Cab side of the line (aka bands I really do like). I will be downloading Manners soon.

I ended up staying through the whole set, which caused me to miss much of Dan Auerbach, who my friend Brian claims put on the best show of the festival. I will have to try and catch him in Milwaukee this fall.

Everyone was a little (well a lotta) pissed at Lou Reed. He started his set nearly 15 minutes late, and I guess threw off the rest of the festival for the evening. I was happy to hear "Sweet Jane" before I had to sprint to the train station (I opted to skip the later Megabus), but underimpressed overall.

Lou was responsible however, for my 10 seconds of VIPness at the festival. For some inexplicable reason the exit I'd used the previous two evenings was closed on Sunday until the end of the festival. After explaining to two sympathetic guards that I didn't have time to wander through the grounds as Lou's lateness was pushing my time to get to the train, they directed me to the side of the stage. There, security escorted me out the VIP exit backstage. I didn't push my luck and look around or whip out my iPhone. But I can tell you that the special folks use a portapotty just like the rest of us.

Speaking of "special people," I think the two British-looking dudes are Kaiser Chiefs, but is the dude in the middle the dude from The Hangover? Or just a look-a-like? You be the judge in the comments.

monday munchies: too hot too cook

Only a couple of dishes to post this week, as summer has finally arrived, making time in the kitchen a wee bit unbearable. I was also out of town this weekend, so I relied on the food of friends and festivals.





Last week I whipped up this pasta dish with the remainder of my cilantro pesto and fresh tomatoes.






Tonight I waited until 8:30 p.m. for the heat to subside so I could use some extraneous veggies. The summer squash, onion and kale tacos turned out really well. And didn't create too much heat! I didn't have salsa, or peppers, so I flavored with the leftover gazpacho I ordered at Alterra last week. Worked out great!





On Sunday, I was treated to my friend Heather's culinary chops. She whipped up a delicious pre-Lolla breakfast of French Toast and turkey sausage. It was brilliant and staved off the need for too much festival food.

Heather, her husband, Sam, and I also enjoyed a fantastic brunch on Saturday. I'd been to this place a couple of years ago and had a great experience, but I wasn't sure if I'd just built it up in my mind. Glad to find out, it's still wonderful. I highly recommend the all-you-can-eat brunch at Joey's Brickhouse if you're ever in Chicago. It's made-to-order and drinks are between $1 (Miller Lite) and $4 (top shelf Bloody).

Hopefully the weather will cool down a little bit, as I have loads of veggies to use up from my CSA.

Stay tuned for a Lolla recap later this week!

WTFWisconsin: Intermodal Insanity

The letter I just sent to Amtrak:

I need to be reimbursed for the $9 surcharge I had to pay on the Amtrak Hiawatha Line from Milwaukee to Chicago at 8 am on Friday, August 7.

Let me start out by saying that I love Amtrak. I am always in favor of the system getting additional funding and would love to see the US invest in a european style rail network. Unfortunately, my experience this morning more closely resembled the organization of train travel in India (translate ridiculous) versus an efficient system.

I arrived at the Milwaukee Intermodal Station with 20 minutes to get my ticket to Chicago. This is usually plenty of time. I walked inside to find three HUGE lines. One was expected--the line to board the train. Another was somewhat expected--the line for the staffed ticket counter. The third was mindblowingly unexplainable--the one to use the automatic ticket kiosks. Then it was explained two-fold, both reasons that were completely avoidable. Two simple solutions that could have prevented Amtrak from severely angering dozens of customers as well as inconveniencing it's own onboard staff.

I misspoke when I said kiosks, plural. For some ungodly reason there is only  ONE automatic ticket kiosk for the 2nd busiest train line in the United States. This seems woefully inadequate. To make matters worse, those passengers who had the foresight to purchase tickets online in advance were required to stand in this line as well. How in any universe does this make sense?

To make matters worse, the ticketing staff did not assist in reassuring the growing, and increasingly disgruntled, crowds that everyone would get on the train. Much later, the conductor (lecturing those of us who purchased onboard) said that he held the train two extra minutes for the lines to clear. I'm certain it would have been longer of several of us had not decided to purchase on board versus risk missing the train. The fact that delaying the train was even feasible was NEVER communicated to us. In fact it was another PASSENGER who pointed out you could buy onboard.

I don't think I should be charged extra for Amtrak's faulty ticketing logistics. I have learned a lesson about arriving earlier, but moreso I hope Amtrak learns a lesson about adding kiosks and true e-ticketing.

Luckily I have plans to take Megabus back on Sunday. I only have to show them a confirmation number from their website.

music madness: lollapalooza preview

I'm really looking forward to my weekend in Chicago at Lollapalooza. This will be my fourth Lolla (I only missed the '07 festival) and while the headliners aren't overly crazy, I'm stoked for many of the smaller acts.

Here's a preview of who I'm planning to catch. Asterisk is the first timers for me.

Friday

• The Henry Clay People* - My friends Brooke & Craig got me hooked on this album and it's so good it's forcing me to take the 8 AM train.
  
• Black Joe Lewis & The Honeybears* - Brooke & Craig claim this is one of the best shows they caught at SXSW this year, so I'm going to run over there from the train station tomorrow.
• The Gaslight Anthem* - Another B&C recommendation -- they rarely steer me wrong.
• Bon Iver - Wouldn't miss a chance to again catch my top album (and second best concert) of 2008. Plus, Wisconsin's own.
• Ben Folds - The only time I ever saw him (at the Miller Oasis Reopening at Summerfest) I was preoccupied with my Miller Lite, so it'd be nice to catch him in a right state of mind.
• Fleet Foxes* - The show I most regretted missing in '08, glad to get a chance to redeem!
• The Decemberists - It'll be like the 80th time I see them, but I know I won't be disappointed. And Hazards of Love is still in the running for album of the year.
• Simian Mobile Disco*- This is my workout music. Maybe I should bring my running shoes?
• Depeche Mode* - Only planning to catch a bit of the set. Feel like I need to go back to the '80s after this whole John Hughes thing.

Saturday (and my lazy blogger kicks in here, because I HAVE to get to bed)

• Los Campesinos! - Because once this year wasn't enough
• Robert Earl Keen* - Another B&C rec
• Blind Pilot - Opened for the Decemberists in May, a B&C recommendation, and Portland band.
• No Age*
• Hercules & Love Affair*
• Santigold*
• TV on the Radio* - !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
  
• Ben Harper*
• Yeah Yeah Yeahs* - OH YEAH!

Sunday

• Ra Ra Riot*
• Bat For Lashes*
• The Raveonettes
• Gang Gang Dance*
• Vampire Weekend - BLAAAAAKE'S GOT A NEW FACE!
• Passion Pit*
• Dan Auerbach (half-asterisk, as I've caught the Black Keys plenty o' times)
• Lou Reed* - !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
• Band of Horses

A huge thanks to my friends Heather & Sam for their hospitality this weekend.

thankful tuesdays: holy tickets batman

I am thankful this week for Maribeth convincing me to get us U2 tickets for the Soldier Field concert on September 12.

I am thankful for the Ticketmaster gods for allowing us to get through on yesterday. Apparently 65,000 tickets sold out instantaneously.

I hope I can have the same luck getting Lollapalooza presale tickets today.

I am NOT thankful for Ticketmaster fees being higher than the cost of one ticket. I feel like it will now be Mar, Meghan and our Imaginary Free Friend rocking out in September. I am also NOT thankful that big sales are no longer held on Saturdays. I think it's a lot to ask for people to take time out of their work day to buy/stress out about tickets. Not everybody has iPhones and a lot of people have strict internet rules at work. Isn't this discrimination against the employed?

globetrotting: vfw "kroake" in wicker park

As I mentioned, I went to Chicago for the weekend. There is much to be blogged, but I'll give you a tidbit now.

After an evening visiting various apartments in Wicker Park., my host suggested we might stop into the VFW Post a block from his house for one beer. Apparently my friend and roommates hang out there occasionally for a low-key evening. As we approached though, we saw flashing disco lights and heard Cher pounding out onto the street. I was intrigued.

My friend looked at me and shrugged "You wanna check it out?"

"Definitely!"

We opened the door and a large group of people looked at us and stopped talking.

"Is this a private party?" my friend asked.

"NOT ANYMORE!" said the flamboyant man in a purple hoodie, who hopped down from his barstool to welcome us to Karoake night (actually it was spelled "Kroake," and no one's exactly sure why. It may have something to do with the fact that the old hippie dude running it drove up nightly from Peru, Illinois).

How was there popular karaoke at a VFW post in Wicker Park? Well apparently it was a slow/empty karaoke (for vets??) for awhile, until this group invaded. Where did they come from? The gay bar up the street that also has Friday night karaoke, but it gets really competitive and crowded, so some internet research turned up this secret spot for them to get their Cher on weekly.

I'm not quite sure if the highlights transfer to the general PG-rating I've given this blog, but it was unbelievable. I have a new BFF named Richard who was my duet partner for "Total Eclipse of the Heart" and "I Love Rock N Roll." My name is also now "Rebecca" because the group has a friend that looks like me and they decided they were just going to call me that for the evening.

I don't have any photo evidence, but you'll have to take my word for it that this was the most awesome thing to happen to me since the random Latin Dance Palace Drag Show in Toronto. My friend and I were both terribly hungover on Saturday morning and if not for that fact, would not have believed the evening actually occurred.