I’ve Got My Boots… Dusty.

Joelle said at some point on May 10, 2008

I’m in Dallas right now visiting my friend and former roommate Nikki. I’m so happy to see her!  I realized I hadn’t seen her in almost five years, so it was high time I took a visit to the land of Bless Your Heart.

So far, I’ve gone to a Cuban restaurant and had the most delicious rum punch I’ve EVER had (red wine, silver rum, spiced rum, pineapple juice, splash of pina colada mix on the rock — mmmmmm!) It was vacation in a glass.  I’ve also been to Target, watched Pride and Prejudice (GFI will be happy to hear that, you know how I feel about corsety period romances), loved on a big fat cat, and the biggest golden retriever I’ve ever seen named Freethrow.

Last night, we went to this “club” called Sting.  I couldn’t possibly express how LAME this place was.  It was one of those club complexes where they’ve got a main dance club, a billiards rooms, a lounge, a restaurant and supposedly… a karaoke bar.  That place was bizarre.  The bus girls kept trying to take our vodka-tonics and they brought us the wrong order of appetizers and never gave us silverware or napkins. And the drinks!  Judas priest!  Heika ordered a vodka-red bull and it was $9.50. NINE FIFTY.  What the hell?  Turns out the one night they didn’t have karaoke, even though it was scheduled on the calendar, was last night.  Hmph!  I didn’t want to sing for you fools anyway.

We left and this friend of Nikki’s, Monk, directed us (us being Nikki, Heika (you may remember her as Macgeezel), Nikki’s friends K. and Monk) to a dive bar in a seedy area. From the outside, we were like, “hmmmm… I don’t know about this.” but once we opened the door, I knew this was MY kind of place.  It was a dive, full of happy, smiling, karaoke-fun havin’ folks.  It was a really good time.  The book didn’t have a lot of the songs I sing, but I found some stuff. I sang… um… “Last Dance” by Donna Summer (the place went NUTS!), “Since I Fell for You” by Lenny Welch, “Someone to Watch Over Me” (which ended up sucking because it was SO high) and then the karaoke host chose a song for me. Ready?  Vanessa Carlton’s “A Thousand Miles”. I know. I was surprised, too.  It actually wasn’t bad, but during the bridge, I stepped on the mic cord and pulled it right out of the base of the mic.  Rock n’ roll, baby!  heh.

We left at last call, but Nikki convinced the karaoke guy to have me sing “Crazy” by Patsy Cline because she loves that song so much.  I don’t love singing that song, but only because at karaoke someone usually has already put it up or it’s just beaten to death.  But she really loves it and I do like the song itself, so I did.  I got off easy, actually, she wanted me to sing “The Rose”.  hehe!  (When we lived together, she’d make me sing that song to her as we went to bed when we’d come home from a night out..  She loves it!  I personally find it the most depressing song, but who am I do dampen her happiness?)

That bar was great, though. What a crowd!  Everything from khaki-wearing frat boys to overdressed chicks (that would be us) to your typical seedy-dive bar types to the dudes from Medieval Times. I’m totally serious.  The jouster guys were there… though not in full regalia. That would have been too beautiful to express.

Today, we’re enjoying some hair of the dog (or Nikki is, anyway… silly vodka!) down at JR’s in the gayborhood. It’s my favorite place in this town and I’m so excited to see my fave bartender Stephen.  It’ll be the same folks from last night and hopefully anyone else I know in Dallas who happens to read this.  (Raven, I sent you a text, did you get it?)

There will be hardly any photos from this trip because I forgot not only my laptop cord, but my phone charger AND my camera.  I am so full of awesome!

Ok, I better go get in the shower and prepare for more Texas.  Yee haw, y’all.