Friends of Dave #257: big brown friday
Say What?
Still recovering from my long weekend away with some college buddies last weekend....it was way overdue, and we had a ton of fun reconnecting and reminiscing.
After a great dinner, we decided to walk to the venue where they had karaoke. As the last group to close the session, a few friends and I looked to recapture some of our "magic" from the old days by choosing to perform "Rapper's Delight" by the Sugar Hill Gang to the crowd of about 50-60 mostly millennials that remained in the theater (yes, it was being held in a theater at the resort).
Back in the day as soon as this song came on at a party, we'd get a circle forming around us like clockwork. Everyone knew what was coming -- and we did not disappoint as we enthusiastically acted out the lyrics from the song. We'd soon get the crowd spun into a frenzy, with all revelers joining in singing "Hotel....motel....Hol-i-day EE-IN" in drunken unison.
Oh we were going to bring down the house with this and end our trip with a bang. People would be talking about it for sure.
Three decades removed, we were admittedly a little rusty, out of practice and out of breath, but I thought we did pretty well. One of my friends flubbed a few lyrics, and I was late coming in on one of the parts, but overall it was a solid performance.
Strangely, I couldn't put my finger on it, but something seemed a little off in the energy from the crowd. At the time, I chalked it up to us playing a much larger room than we were accustomed to performing in the past.
As we got off stage and walked toward the bar, I awaited a spirited response from our young fellow vacationers. Compared to the sad old geezer who just before us sang the James Ingram and Linda Ronstadt duet "Somewhere Out There" from that animated "American Tail" movie, we absolutely KILLED IT.
As more modern party songs began pumping from the club speakers, we managed to work our way unnoticed through a sea of dancing bodies. Then, out of the blue, a young admirer from the crowd emerged, walking toward us with a shot of some sort of blue liquid in each hand.
Oh, here it comes.....
She stopped, raised the two shot glasses and said, "Wow, you guys did a really good job up there."
Before I could answer or grab one of the drinks I presumed she had gotten to celebrate us being the most entertaining group of the night, she continued, laughing, "Yeah, my DAD USED TO BREAK DANCE TO THAT SONG...." And, still laughing, she kept walking back to her group of friends who were also laughing and dancing.
Yep -- people were talking about it alright....
So not quite the final result we had expected, but still fun nonetheless. Reconnecting with old friends ("old" as in "long time", and "old" as in "maybe next time maybe sing 'Mr. Brightside' instead"), being silly and recapturing feelings from our youth is a powerful way to feel grounded, for sure.
I'm grateful I had the opportunity to take time away from my work and my family to reconnect with my college buddies once again. We shared stories and a lot of laughs. With all that goes on in our daily lives these days, I hope we are fortunate enough to have an opportunity to do it again soon.
As we head into Thanksgiving week here in the US, it is also a good reminder about the power of gratitude in general. I hope you are able to take some time to count your blessings and enjoy quality time with friends and family over the coming days.
That said, thank you for tuning in here each week, Friends. Enjoy the links below and be well and be safe!
XOXO
Dave
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Your Weekly Dose of Randomness...
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And The Last Word....
The Greatest Drinking Contest in History In 1867, two formidable drinkers went head-to-head to see who could finish more Whiskey Cocktails. The winner’s tally should never be challenged.
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