2005-10-20 - 12:13 p.m.

b was hogging the book but i already knew what i wanted to sing. he ambled dangerously around the tiny staging area, crooning through a duke ellington number, a shabby chic lounge singer. the pianist and everyone else seemed to know his name and his drink. his sidekick demurred, claiming tone deafness, but i caught him singing along to 'bohemian rhapsody'.

b was shooting jameson and chasing it with a bud short boy. i'd never seen him sink so much hard liquor, but he said he needed fortification for the serious karaoke. i'm a massive ham with a microphone and i needed nothing more than a chicken dinner and a glass of bordeaux to egg me on. i swooned and swayed through 'save a prayer' and my tiny audience applauded with mild but perceptible appreciation. the true star of the evening was definitely the accompanist, who arranged bon jovi, the cure, and the carpenters songs with equal aplomb on the tinny-sounding upright.

later we repaired to zabloski's primarily for the excellent pool table. despite a flock of young urban professionals threatening everyone with errant darts, b and i managed to run the table for several games. a herd of bikers roared in from the interior neighborhoods distributing street cred and dime bags.