Girl Trouble 2.0

We’re on our second sunny day with twenty-degree temperatures outside (that’s 70 for my American friends) here in Accordion City. It’s finally spring, which for me means:

Bring on the Girl Trouble!

(The good kind, not the sort that I’d experienced recently.)

Carson lends a hand

I attended the Sunday night edition of Kickass Karaoke at the Rivoli. It’s a mellower, laid-back version of the original event, which still takes place at the Bovine Sex Club on the middle Wednesday of each month. I joined the table of die-hards, which included rockmeister Jeff Kahl, Erik (a.k.a. “Mr. Eighties”), Tara “Rogue” Hunt, and Meryle “Cute ADD Poster Child” Cox. Carson T. Foster, ringmaster of Kickass Karaoke for the past four years, ran the event with his usual panache.

As usual, I brought my accordion. I ended up backing up a helluva lot of people that night on a helluva lot of numbers, including Heart’s Magic Man, Young MC’s Bust a Move, AC/DC’s Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap and Carole King’s I Feel the Earth Move. You can see Carson’s photos from the night (featuring me wearing the Pants of Power, no less!) here.

On that last number, I backed up a cute girl who flirted with me quite a bit and invited me to opening night for her latest artwork this Saturday (Thank you once again, magic accordion!). After she left for the night, Carson caught up with me at the bar.

Carson: Hey, I read your blog about the New Girl. Sorry to hear about that. You deserve better.

Me: Thanks, Carson, that’s really nice of you to say!

Carson: I’ve been there, man. By the way, that offer in my email still stands. If you need to work out some frustrations, I’ve got that 75-pound punching bag at my place.

Me: Hey, cool. I’m not upset about it any more, but I’ve never worked out with a punching bag before. Sounds like fun.

Carson: It is. You know, I’ve had my share of psycho chicks. You and me, we could start a support group.

Me: It would be a hit.

Carson: By the way — {cute girl who invited me to her show} might be sort of flaky. Just be careful, ‘kay?

Awwwwww. People are looking out for me. That’s so sweet.

“Is your accordion friend single?”

Yesterday, I caught up with my friend Nicole Cheung, whom I haven’t seen in a while and we wnet for coffee. I’d run into her on Sunday afternoon, and we made plans to catch up. Here’s how our conversation went.

Nicole: I think my friend likes you. After we saw you on Sunday, she asked about you.

Me: Which friend?

Nicole: The friend who was beside me when you and your friend ran into us on Sunday.

I was walking about the Annex area of Accordion City with a friend from out of town when we ran into Nicole and company. That conversation went like this:

Nicole: Hey, Joey!

Me: Hey, Nicole!

Nicole’s Friend 1: (to me) Hey! You’ve got an accordion!

Nicole’s Friend 2: Do you play it?

My friend: Compulsively.

We did some introductions, a little catching up and then my friend and I continued on our way. Nicole tells me that the conversation went like this:

Nicole’s friend 1: Hey, is your accordion friend single?

Nicole: I think so. I saw something about a new girl on his blog, but I didn’t read it. It looks like it’s over though.

Nicole’s friend 1: What’s his sign?

Nicole: Better watch out. He’s a Scorpio. You know how they are.

Nicole’s friend 1: Oooooooh. Scorpio. I like.

Nicole: I think he’s into the tying-up thing.

Nicole’s friend 1: I could be into the tying-up thing.

(I dated a dominatrix back in 2000 and now I’m branded for life. Geez.)

As wary as I am of people who use peoples’ astrological signs as some kind of gauge, I told Nicole to give her friend my number. Scorpios are supposed to be dark, mysterious and sexy, and it just so happens that so am I!

We’ll see what happens.