My New Tattoo

Now THAT got your attention, didn’t it?? (I suspect that it REALLY got my Mom and Dad’s attention and that they are now shaking their heads, wondering where they went wrong.)

This is a testament to exactly how backblogged I am -- I am about to recount events from almost two whole weeks ago.

Two Saturdays ago, Mike and Alfredo graciously agreed to join me at Mercury Bar on 9th Avenue to watch the UCLA Bruins in the Final Four, even though neither of them are particularly huge basketball fans. After a disappointing outcome to the game (don't EVEN ask), we met up with Stephanie and off we went to a great little cabaret/piano bar called Don't Tell Mama (on 46th between 8th and 9th). Except we weren't there for the piano playing -- we were shown through the main bar, and into a dark back room for something called the Poole Party, an award-winning comedy show. Mike's friend, Cathy, was performing that night and we went to provide moral support (and to be entertained, of course!). And because the four of us sat right in front of the stage, there was a healthy amount of conversation (I won't say heckling) going back and forth between our table and the various comedians. (I think Stephanie and I were once referred to as "cheerleaders" -- Go TEAM!!)

Afterwards, we scooped up Cathy the Comedienne and headed to 8th Avenue where we got scooped up by a bouncer/doorman who lured us into Rendezvous for drinks. (Said bouncer is apparently going to be on the next season of Dancing with the Stars.)

Rendezvous is where my body rendezvoused with a rather sizeable temporary (yes, Mom and Dad, just temporary) tattoo out of Cathy's tattoo book. The funniest part is that the tattoos were all for librarians (Cathy used to be one) and so the giant heart and vines now adorning my lower back were graced with the words "Book Lust" in a Gothic-looking font. Yeah! (I think Cathy chose the one that said "Read or Die".)

And because we just hadn't done quite enough that night, we made our way over to the East Side to a karaoke bar where we only got a chance to do one song because it was so busy -- we belted out Journey's "Don't Stop Believing". Mike was absolutely right -- successful karaoking is all about song selection. The crowd LOVED us. (It may have been because the karaoke operator turned the music up loud enough to drown out our actual voices.)