sunday february 22

today i went to jekyl and hyde for a friend's birthday. as the only j&h semi-regular amongst a group of people who had - for the most part - never been there, i was a little nervous about the whole thing, not only because i'd vouched for it, but also because there are some strict house rules for singing karaoke -- don't bring your drinks up to the "stage" with you, never ever do anything to host david r. nelson's microphone, etc. fortunately, the only member of our group to run afoul of these rules was a friend of a friend who i couldn't stand, an unbearable know-it-all who i had last seen exactly one year ago at this same friend's birthday party. when this terrible human finished her performance by twirling the mic around by its cord, she received a wonderful lecture from david r., and came back to our table chastened, muttering obscenities, calling him a capitalist, and declaring that she didn't give a shit about his mic. it was all i could do not to just start clapping, that's how happy i was.