Overcoming my fear of...

Karaoke. I’ve been before, but it terrifies me to get on the stage in front of a bunch of strangers. I’m not sure why. I can carry a tune, but there’s something about hitting the wrong note in front of strangers that really scares me. So a group of us went to a pretty seedy dive nearby. Upon walking in, I was engulfed with cigarette smoke (which I thought was illegal in our county). Our waitress seemed to be under the influence of more than just alcohol. After an hour, she got on the stage to perform with a local guy (she actually was a decent singer except for jumping up and down during the song). Then she spastically started yelling obscenities at some of her customers (I first thought she was yelling at us as we were right in front of the stage) who were helping themselves to a drink at the bar. It’s then that we all realized not only was she the waitress, but the bartender and cook as well (consequently, the pizza we had ordered ended up a bit crispy on the edges). After we had been there awhile and performed a group rendition of “Love Shack,” amid some cat calls, my friends kept pressuring me to sing a solo, which I strongly refused to do. However, I jokingly suggested that the guy from our group and me should sing “Rockytop” as neither of us really wanted to sing alone. Then I realized what a mistake this would be as I was definitely not in Tennessee, but in Kentucky among many UK fans, who were probably still a little bitter about the recent UT win (haven’t beaten us since 1984). I looked around and noticed a few guys with UK paraphernalia on….then I noticed a dark stranger in the corner…black gloves, black sunglasses, leather jacket, handlebar mustache….AND a UK winter hat. Hopefully he doesn’t corner me in the parking lot. But I knew this would be the easiest song to sing and, plus, it’s fun. Might as well represent proudly.  So, we sang “Rockytop” and, yes, got booed a few times, but it was so worth it! Karaoke in a seedy bar with small-town KY locals. Check!