karaoke

Woo! Yay me! I won at Karaoke Big Ass Ham! Now you may be saying, “But Kathy, you can’t ‘win’ at karaoke any more than you can ‘win’ at Thanksgiving. It’s not a contest.” Well, I think you’re wrong on both counts, because I won a large canned ham last Wednesday for being the best (or is it worst?) karaoke performer at Freddy’s. And when I bring this ham to whatever Thanksgiving table I go to, I’m going to win at Thanksgiving too. The End.

celebs

Benicio del Toro! Spotted at The Strand Bookstore. Bushy sideburns, wig-like hair, very tall. Seemingly looking intently for something...doesn't everyone know that looking for something specific there is a losing battle?
Also Bright Eyes/Conor Oberst(?) (times 30) outside Webster Hall before Bright Eyes concert.

New Trivia to Report

Where one trivia night falters, another will rise to take its place. Starting this Wednesday, May 18, Magnetic Field at 97 Atlantic Ave (Henry/Hicks) will be the place to triviate every other Wednesday at 8 pm. It's sort of high-stakes at $5 per person, with 4-person teams. I think the themes are variable, this week's will be music and they will be showing "High Fidelity" afterward. As for me, I am already mentally committed to appear at Freddy's Big Ass Ham Karaoke this Wednesday. I will go to Mag Field on June 1.

"Trivia for the Unwashed and Well-read"

spelling bee in media again

The Brooklyn Downtown Star did a story on the latest Spelling Bee at Freddy's. Go read it, and then we can talk about it. It's always frightening when a nationally respected news leader like this has counterfactuals in its news stories of events that I experienced. For instance, "Ms. Magoo" is quite sure she did not spell the word she is reported to have spelled. Also, can you spot the word with an extra syllable?

no more trivia to report(!)

Well, it seems that Dr. Fact's Night of Fifty Questions, aka Buttermilk Bar Trivia, is no more. My correspondent has it on the authority of the bartender, aka Dr. Fact's girlfriend, that they "got sick of doing it." I can imagine that; I for one am not going to be the one to step up and fill the void with a trivia night of my own. However I'm not yet ready to give up my monthly trivia. We will have to find a new trivia night. I don't think I want to go back to Pete's Candy Store. Though it's free and ends at a reasonable time, I grew bored with the whole routine. Leave work, wander Williamsburg looking for something to eat, trudge to Pete's and be too late to get a table in the main room but be totally alone in the back room, struggle to read by light of one votive while wanly waiting for unknown number of friends to show up at the last minute. Then be mentally chafed by hecklers who are not me and not funny, and struggle with otaku categories like "Famous Quotations of the Big Lebowski," "Soundtracks of the Coen Brothers," and "Whitesnake Words of Wisdom."

As far as I'm aware, the options are Last Exit or Red Hook Bait and Tackle. Votes? Additional suggestions?

new camera

Folks, I have inherited an old first-generation digital camera and can now join the digital revolution. For a while I've been wanting to take and post pictures of the funny or beautiful (or both) graffiti and advertising defacements that I see everywhere. Here is the first one, which I saw on Dean Street last night:

And while we're on the topic, the Kentucky Derby is this Saturday, followed by Mother's Day on Sunday. Don't forget!

Cringe

Last night I went to the "Cringe" recital at Freddy's Bar. I think this event really has legs, baby! It was a huge crowd-pleaser. The concept is that people get up and read from the diaries, poems, songs, notes, and letters of their youth. With hilarious results! This was the second monthly Cringe and it's still mostly women. As one dumbfounded audience member remarked, "Boy, teenage girls are really self-obsessed!" My favorite I think was Megan, who among other things had written, "I mean, nothing really happened this year (1991). I entered junior high...the Soviet Union Collapsed...the hedge was cut so now I can see straight into [neighboring teenage boy's] window..." I can't even really do it justice, it was so funny because 1991 was one of the most newsworthy years ever but for a teenage girl sometimes nothing is exciting no matter what it is. Que Sera Sarah, the organizer of the event, has a more comprehensive roundup of the event. I was joined by:

Douglas

Heather, and

Sasha, among others, not pictured.