Make Believe Bonus: Karaoke

More Exciting Than "Work" Or "Aging"

I associate karaoke with spontaneity. It’s a suggestion made after a particularly lively dinner with friends, or a fun way to let loose after some kind of formal event, though most likely an idea coming out of one’s mouth several Strong Zeroes deep. Even when put forth in advance — “hey, let’s go to karaoke this Friday” — the actual decision always comes suddenly, and almost certainly after 9 p.m.

Which is all to say, I really associate karaoke with being in your 20s, which I’m most certainly not anymore. I was reminded of this fact earlier this week when I fit a trip to a Shibuya karaoke joint neatly into a packed schedule…while the sun was still out, a proposition the me of 10 years ago would have found deranged.