Day 59: Late-night live-band

Many weeknights in Cambridge involve karaoke. However, very few weeknights in Cambridge involve karaoke until 2 in the morning. Typically it's because the joint isn't even open at all for karaoke on a weeknight (e.g. Charles Playhouse), the joint itself closes before then (e.g. Courtside), it's a flippin' Wednesday and people are exhausted well before 2 a.m. and the joint is located miles away (e.g. Costello's in JP), or in some cases, the band is done before then (e.g. Asgard; photo above c/o a the lovely Erica). In actuality, the only karaoke place my friends and I typically attempt to patronize on a weeknight is the Asgard on Thursdays, when they have their epic live-band-karaoke nights. It has come to pass only once before that they managed to play past 12:30am, apparently due to a late start.

Well, tonight was another one of those instances, because apparently no one told the band that they would be unable to start at 9 due to game 6 of some almost-final series of basketball between the Heat and the Celtics.  I have never seen the place so packed.  The upshot was threefold: first, it meant that E. and I could hang out with the lead singer for a bit while he scarfed a couple of burgers out of boredom. Second, it meant that Sarah B., D., and others who were at yet another Boston ball game (the Red Sox) had some extra time to get back in to Cambridge. And third, it meant that the band played until about 2 a.m.  Cheers to bars staying open till 2 on Thursdays, cheers to musicians who are rad enough to stick it out, and cheers to good friends who stay up past their bedtimes.

Day 48: Mountain time (NH, part 2)

The second day in New Hampshire was even more packed than the first.  After sleeping in just a bit (although the oldest boy told me that it was no longer morning at 10am, since he'd apparently been up for hours), we were up and at 'em. The morning and early afternoon involved a whole lot of piano playing/singing/dancing in the living room (including some serious attempts at some serious Mozart and Schubert duets, because why not?), a whole lot of swimming and splashing around down by the pool, a trip to the grocery for E. and me, and while others went on a walk, the making of many parts of a dinner.  I made the only slightly fancy thing I know how to - fish (grilled, this time, with the help of A.'s brother-in-law) with a red wine reduction butter sauce.  Mm. Fiddleheads and foraged greens were also provided, in addition to grilled veggies prepped by yours truly, residual potato leek vegan soup from the night before, and some rock tripe (including, perhaps, a few rocks).

And then the night antics began.  It started out with just a quiet guitar sing-a-long, a few mysterious card tricks, and some innocent Lady G's... which quickly devolved into Lady B's (when Sarah B. accidentally subbed rum for gin in her drinks) and then Lady M's (when yours truly accidentally subbed vodka for St. Germain...).  So we politely decided to retire to an area farther away from sleeping children, namely, the pond.  Most were going skinny dipping, but E. and I decided that we would neither skinny nor dip, so in our clothing, we decided to take out the canoe.  Of course it was promptly overturned by Sarah B. (under the guise of joining us).  Hooting and hollering ensued, and at this point I decided I was too sleepy for all this, swam back to shore, and lamely went back to take a shower.  Long, nutty, vibrant day.  Not done justice at all here.

We've been on island and on mountain... next up, on sea?