Karaoke kills monotony
Molly Strzelecki
Growing Up to Be a Kid
I had a hard time coming up with an idea for this week's article, but I didn't want to disappoint all my fans out there (all two of you), so I searched back in my brain to the No. 1 basic rule of writing: Write about what you know.
And this is what I know: I know that I am a smart young woman with a lot of potential to do great things, but then again, what Saint Mary's or Notre Dame woman is not? I know that I have wonderfully supportive family and friends. A lot of people do. And I know that I am destined to sing the song "You're So Vain" in karaoke and make an absolute fool of myself.
And I am okay with that.
What? you ask incredulously. You are going to voluntarily get up in front of your friends and strangers and sing loudly and not-so-much on key into a microphone?
Oh yes. And I will do it sober, too.
I'm not proclaiming myself to be some sort of karaoke diva. We have already been over that, and I am not going to go there again. But don't you ever just want to burst out of the skin you wear and jump into one that lets you do what you want, where you want, when you want and not concern yourself with what others think?
Both the SMC and ND campuses push diversity like it is going out of style. And they do a pretty good job, too. I have been to more dance shows, art exhibits and talks that have opened my eyes and sparked my interests to the worlds of culture and whatnot beyond the LeMans tower and to what awaits me north, south, east and west of U.S. 31 come this May. Yet still one thing remains the same, which really bothers me and which boils down to one thing: same thing, different year.
This message is essentially a real downer, if you think about what it means. With the exception of my sophomore year spent in Rome, the other three years of college have run a pretty regular course. I look around me and see this year's freshmen and think, wow, was I really that annoying once? Most definitely.
And that's not a bad thing, either, because we were all there at one point. We all went to the dorm parties and we all tailgated (a lot) and we all go to Corby's on Tuesdays and Heartland on Thursdays and dance our pants off at the 'Backer on the weekends (if you are "of age," that is). I see the same people out and about all the time, to the point where I think I know that kid, but really, no, I just see him or her at the 'Backer, or I sat by them at a football game.
All of these pseudo-bonding adventures eventually become another sort of unwritten tradition and a big part of what social life in the Bend means. But you know, doesn't that get a little tiresome sometimes?
I don't mean to try and make the SMC and ND social life sound like it is the absolute worst thing on earth, or that it is one big drinking and bar fest, because really the social aspect of college is what you make of it. For some, it is bars and clubs. For others, it is movies and exhibits. And for still others, it is video games and Papa John on speed dial.
But whatever you decide, remember ... it is your choice.
Think about that the next time you have absolutely no desire to do this Saturday what you have done for the past sixteen Saturdays in a row, even if it means going against everything that all your friends want to do and what they want and think you should do, too. That's kind of how I feel about karaoke. I have actually done it a couple of times, but never seriously (wait ... karaoke can be serious?!) and never solo.
But every now and then I think about and feel the need to bust out a little Carly Simon in front of an audience just for the sake of doing it because I want to, I think it would be fun and I've never done it before. I'm sure a lot of other people have, and it would be no big deal to them. My sister, for one. She goes to karaoke bars every other weekend, and that nervous high that you get when you maybe are about to do something totally out of character does not phase her.
I am not saying that karaoke is the cure to unleash all that is hidden within you. Not by a long shot, people. But think about that thing, that plan, that adventure that you would love to have, that would make people step back and say, "Wow, there are sides to you that I never knew existed." Or even make them step back and simply say, "Hoo-Wah" while they look at you with new eyes.
It is the breaking out of that shell that makes me realize that I was wrong in what I said earlier. College does not run a regular path. In fact, I like to say that I have taken many a side road, a scenic route and made a few pit stops along the way.
Molly Strzelecki is a senior writing major. She can be e-mailed at strz7359@saintmarys.edu. Her column appears every other Tuesday.
The views expressed in this column are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.
All Viewpoint Stories for Tuesday, February 20, 2001
