Anywhere-aoke

I love karaoke.  Wherever I go, and there is a karaoke machine, I will sing.  I've belted out some of my greatest hits in NYC, New Orleans, Newport RI, or the pièce de résistance, Chincoteague VA.  These locations don't even begin to scratch the surface on how many homes and restaurants within a 50 mile radius have heard my melodious voice singing along to a synthetic version of "Like A Virgin" (which I was paid a whole dollar for in New Orleans...the jury's still out on whether the payer thought I was cute or wanted me to stop).  The odd thing is if I'm in a meeting and we do the dreaded round-the-room introductions I get all cold and clammy but yet singing in a darkened bar, in front a bunch of strangers, doesn't bother me in the least.  It could be because when at a bar I'm aware of the amount of alcohol flowing and I know that even if they think I stink they won't remember in about an hour.  This is opposed to a work-related meeting where (sadly) alcohol is not flowing and if I mess up my name everyone will definitely remember.

While karaoke is fun in its own right, car-aoke is fun in a lot more ways mostly due to the even greater level of anonymity it provides.  For one, there aren't a bunch of different eyes staring at you.  Provided you time it just right, nobody can see that you're singing.  For me, the worst is when there's an excellent car-aoke song playing on the radio and the traffic light ahead turns red.  I purposefully slow down, hoping to catch the light when it turns green so that I don't have to interrupt my sing-athon.  If I do catch a red light my Mariah Carey level vocal stylings are turned down to lullaby level as my mouth barely moves.  Humming is good too if ever caught at a red light.  However, if the road is wide open, with nary a traffic light in sight, I belt out my favorite tunes, one finger closing an ear so that I can hear myself better and be assured that I do, indeed, sound just like Mariah Carey (with a hint of Christina Aguilera).

A new favorite place for singing, and which has excellent acoustics, is the upstairs hallway in our house.  To be specific the area in front of the laundry room which sits about halfway in between the bedrooms and playroom.  While some other members of the family may not appreciate the talent that is me (*ahem* I'm looking at you, Marcus) there are others who obviously think I'm the cat's pajamas especially when it comes to various renditions of "Wheels on the Bus" and "Hush Little Baby."  I have high hopes that by me singing to Alex she will learn how to sing even better and one day make a lot of money, thus setting mommy and daddy up for an early retirement.  That is what kids are for, right?