Longing to Linger till Dawn

I had a nice weekend. Last night, my cousin Rebecca and I went out for dinner-on-the-cheap (to Pho King in the Del Ray section of Alexandria). On the expensive side for pho--$7 compared to the $0.35 we were used to paying in Hanoi but still a nice and inexpensive but hugely fulfilling meal. We then made our way back to Old Town for wine and singing at Bistrot Lafayette. I love that place more and more each time we go. 

The Bistort was lovely as usual but unusually, most of the regulars were missing. I think that Rebecca and I were (for a while at least) the most "regular" people there, and the strongest singers. The end result of that was that most of the folks just loved us, we got in some great group songs, Rebecca and I did "Adelaide's Lament" together (to much applause) and I...wait for it...I actually did a solo. Successfully, too. Really. I did, unsurprisingly if you've ever been around me in a singing environment, "Dream a Little Dream of Me", which has got to be just about my favorite little song ever written. I can remember being as young as 12 or 13 with my mother's old vinyl records "discovering" the Mammas and the Pappas absolutely falling in love with Mamma Cass's version of this song, picturing singing this as a bedtime song (most people had bedtime songs, right?) to my future children. I now realize that it's not entirely appropriate for a mother/child relationship, but not inappropriate either. Anyway, I just plain old love this song, and it's perfectly in my range.

I've attempted this song before but either my weak voice, or my shyness overcame me and I couldn't sing loud enough to be heard over the piano and I was "rescued" by the group. This time, though, I was just fine. Good, in fact. And, in fact, there was someone with whom there was a bit of flirting (a bit, only a bit) who, mid song came up to my side to tell me that it was really pretty (I'd been blusing it up a bit, Mamma Cass style, while the pianist was sticking with the original 1931 arrangement (probably because that's when she learned it!), apparently the sound that produced was nice). Rebecca was also pleased noting that I'd managed to "sing out, Louise". It was nice. 

Rebecca and I are just about the only untrained voices among the regulars and we're therefore not in huge rushes to do solos when too many of them are around. Last night was good for us in that regard, and we do need to remember that while we're not trained, we apparently have sweet and pleasant voices and manage to stay on (or close to) key. So we should sing more.

One of the regulars who was there, one of the "confirmed bachelors" we're so fond of, and I started talking and the conversation turned to ballroom dance. I take classes, and he used to be competitive in the activity. We talked more and more, danced together a bit (which was a blast!), and I hope that he'll come to our social nights at the place I take classes.  All in all, Friday was just wonderful.

Today I slept in so I didn't make it to karate class (probably for the best, my shoulders are still smarting from Thursday's "death spirals"--an exercise possibly invented by the instructors, but named by myself). I cleaned the apartment a bit, and then just hung around the house, intermittently watching Battlestar Galactica and napping. It was a fairly feline day for me. This intensity of sleeping is a little worrisome, but I guess that's just what I need.

I was just going to stay in and call it a night, but by 10 I was bored out of my mind, so I went back to the Bistrot by myself. Tonight, pretty much every trained voice regular was there and it was therefore more fun, with much prettier solos, but that also meant that there was no way in hell I was doing my song. And the nice and vaguely flirty guy from the night before wasn't there. Probably for the best as well. Last thing I need is to form another ridiculous infatuation with some random and unattainable person. Lord knows I've done that enough for a lifetime.

Either way, successful weekend. I think I'll see what my aunt and uncle are doing for dinner tomorrow and maybe go over there, or maybe try my hand at crab stuffed mushrooms here in the Freckled household :)