Sleeping under the stars; it's not for the weak

Ever since we first laid eyes on Dabob Bay, I've fantasized about sleeping under the stars there. Think of it. Eagles soar over these waters. Sea otters hunt and play here. Oysters willingly offer themselves up for your feasting. Deer wander fearlessly. In a word:  idyllic.

So it was with great anticipation that my family set off to take on this new challenge.

What we pictured in our heads:

Camp fire to keep us warm through the night.
Soft forgiving sand to lie upon.
Moon and stars brilliant in the sky.
Sounds of the water lapping up on the beach.
Soothing sounds of crickets, hoots of owls, perhaps even frogs as they lulled us to sleep.
Good dog keeping watch.
Teaching the kids the constellations with the help of our iPad.
Telling ghost stories (not too scary) and singing the kids to sleep.


What really happened:

Fire dead before we even fell asleep, so out of the sleeping bag to restart the blaze.
Sand is hard and cold. And filled with pokey things. It also slants quite a bit so you're always a little off kilter when you're lying down.
The sounds of the water were actually pretty soothing so that was okay.
The sounds of Lord-knows-what-animal sniffing around the campsite was not quite so soothing. Hubby's convinced that something sniffed his head. But the Chupacabra did not eat any of us. Not even the dog.
Speaking of the dog, she was balled up at my feet in my sleeping bag keeping watch of nothing. She remained serious about her job as family protector because she woke up and barked/growled a couple of times during the night. She never left her spot at the foot of my sleeping bag however. She did leave me to try to fall asleep again. Great.
iPad had no signal out on the beach. Not like I expected to have any bars out there, but you'd think it could at least get something.
Mosquitoes. ugh.
At least the kids slept.

So maybe it wasn't idyllic. But we did learn a couple of things. Bring a good rake and prep your sand before dark. Stack up extra wood so that when the dog does wake you, you can just reach over and feed the fire.  Study constellations in a book first so you don't look like an idiot to the kids. The iPad was not reliable. Borrow a couple of bigger dogs because the little one only kept my feet warm. A big dog would have been nice to cuddle.

Waking up to everything covered in a little bit of dew was kind of cool. Well, cold. But seeing the otters playing just off shore first thing in the morning was pretty darned awesome.

Karaoke lessons learned

After ages of begging anybody who would listen to go to a karaoke bar with me, I've gone twice in as many weeks. 

Truth is, the first time it was completely by accident. My friend Elvie just wanted me to have a margarita the size of my head:  the big gulp equivalent of margaritas from Just Tacos in Pearl City. I asked if we could go karaoke, but Elvie & Grace said no. Boogers. How serendipitous that the night we went was karaoke night?With Grace & Elvie, I thought for sure they could channel their inner filipinas. When the karaoke binders went around, they both started protesting about how they don't sing. Really? Don't they know that the filipinos favorite pastimes are line dancing, ballroom dancing, and KARAOKE??? Hell, they disappointed me by not even toasting with "Mabuhay!" and instead said, "Cheers!" If you'd seen these girls, you know they're brownies from Waipahu just like me. However, Grace managed to point out a pretty good song to start with. Of the 4 songs I did that night, it was the only one that I didn't have to prompt people to clap after I was done. She suggested the theme from the show"Friends." You know, the clap, clap, clap, clap song? 

The next time I went was with my supper club friends. Sadly, of the 4 women who should have gone, one got sick and the other had a scheduling conflict. I tried to get other friends of mine to go but I think they were all afraid of my karaoke prowess. Kidding. Actually, they were probably more afraid of my whining to get them to sing too. 

But this post is supposed to be about karaoke newb lessons learned so here goes:

1. Do pick songs that are uptempo and which were played repeatedly in its prime. You'll have a better chance of remembering how to sing the lyrics and not just the chorus.
2. Do pick popular songs on which people will sing along with you. People like to sing along. Think "Lion Sleeps Tonight," or "Working 9 - 5."
3. In Hawaii, the country songs are not readily recognizable. Try out the Hawaiian section instead. Otherwise your friends will say, "I've never heard that song before." You'll have to remind them to clap. 
4. On the mainland, there is no Hawaiian section. Or Tagalog for that matter.
5. Karaoke lists are generally a couple of months or years behind. You'll have to dig deep into your memory banks.
6. Know at least the first line of the song. If you only know the chorus, you'll stumble through until you get to the part that you know. 
7. Uber sappy love songs are not as fun to listen to, even though they're a little easier to sing. Think funny first. 
8. If you are a woman and try to sing a song originally sung by a man, it might be harder to find the right pitch. At least for me and my mediocre singing skills. I'm thinking it is probably the same for men too.
9. If you attempt hip/hop, KNOW YOUR LYRICS AHEAD OF TIME. Nobody can read, process, and rap that fast. Nobody. 
10. Don't choose a song that goes on too long (Bohemian Rhapsody) or is atonal (don't have an example but the one that was attempted last night by somebody was so hard to listen to, the singer hid behind the room divider until it was over.)
11. Go early so you can get your friends properly likkered up. By the end of our time at Just Tacos, Elvie and Grace sang along using a mic. Seriously.

Okay, that's my karaoke wisdom so far. Feel free to add more if you have some. 

Until then, may Debbie Gibson and Tiffany continue to grace your karaoke performances for years to come. They will mine. Buahahahaha....