November 27th: MC Barton Fink

Day 71

Even on days off, the ability to sleep beyond 12 escapes me. How do I teach myself to be a better hibernator?

Erin and I had more of the cake, blogged, then pedaled out to browse for winter hats and wine.

We stopped by the electronics chap to see if he had some sort of recording device for my songs. I explained to Erin that I felt musically constipated and had to get these songs out of me in some form. He had microphones and tape players, but no recording capabilities. I browsed and he gave me some steamed chestnuts. I love this store.

Erin was next door buying buttons and barettes. I bought four more buttons for Sara Jett. This store was made for her.

Next, we headed to the accessories store (the one where the girl drew a map to the other club for us) I found a brown beanie that would have been good had it not had a peace symbol and safety pins on it (China's attempt at a Hot topic item). I almost bought a pink scarf with a plush anthropomorphic hamburger on it, but it was a little stained and torn, like it had just escaped the thrift store.

After getting wine, we headed back, very hungry. I played piano for a bit to kill time, then gorged myself on the evening meal.

I finished the short story out of a concept that has been floating in my head the last couple months. I'm very pleased with it. Drank some wine to celebrate (like Barton Fink: "I'm a writer celebrating the completion of something beautiful!"), played piano some more, but was kicked out at 9:30 by two friendly ladies I'd not met before.

I decided to go to the club, since I told Alen last time I would be there Saturday. Erin waffled because of the cold and eventually stayed behind. I rode out and it was not as cold as the hallway advertised. The hallway is like a mausoleum, cold white tiles and exaggerates the cold.

I got to the club, removed my thermal shirt, got on the mic, and then the floorshow started. Alen took me to a table to the left of stage and I was introduced to Sean, Snow and Nancy (English names I gave them, based on the similarity of sound).

Nancy, Snow, and Sean


Alen and Nancy


Snow, Sean, and the Toast

We drank Carlsberg beer (I said never again Reeb and I mean to honor that) It was Nancy's 20th birthday and we toasted a lot to that. Her friend had a Mercedes symbol he was playing with and I tried to explain that he needed to floss it on a fat chain, but mostly he just smiled.

old skool

It's difficult to congratulate someone on their old skool sensibilities when they don't speak your language, let alone slang.

I was taken to another table and introduced to Alen's stylist. Alen chatted up my DJ and MC skills, the only part of the conversation I caught. When the music resumed, I was encouraged to be the MC again and I took my place on the big monitor on the front left of the dance floor, worked the crowd.

"Make some noise! C'mon! C'mon! Pump up the volume! Are we partyin', Haimen?" Stuff like that.

A girl from the floorshow who was scantily clad was instructed by Alen to come up and dance with me. No objections here. She made a motion for me to take my shirt off at one point. I wasn't sure about that. According to Linda, the owner didn't like me, here I was rubbing asses with the talent and shouting weird American slogans over his expensive sound system. Shedding my shirt might be one liberty too far. I didn't want to get "brackbarred from the crub."

There was no party afterwards and the girl I had been dancing with disappeared. I at least wanted to know her name, thank her. Oh well.

Slept a little too well.

beard progress