Take your date to a karaoke bar for offbeat, off-key fun
Admit it: You sing in the shower, while doing laundry or cleaning the house. You belt out tunes at top volume along with your car radio, while other drivers give you the hairy eyeball.
If singing along helps you chill, then why not carry that tune over to a date? You got it right - I am talking about karaoke.
Karaoke can be an innovative and fun date. Haul your date to a karaoke bar or a place that has karaoke night, try to sing a few tunes and get a good laugh going.
You might shy away from karaoke out of your own self-consciousness, but there are several pros to this little ditty:
• A few rounds at a karaoke bar can accomplish in 30 minutes what it might take you hours to figure out via a personality test and e-mailed questions.
• Your date's musical tastes and sense of humor will reveal themselves with little prodding.
• You are revealing your pluck and risk-taking abilities to your date. Let him or her think that if you are prepared to take this kind of a gamble for your date, what else are you willing to do?
• Making fun of yourself shows you have a sense of humor.
• Gentlemen, take this opportunity and serenade your female companion. All the other men around might gag, but their dates will swoon and so will yours.
• Highlight your humor again; do your best Simon Cowell and poke fun at others who are butchering Top 40 songs.
Overall, karaoke is a great way to reveal and showcase your great sense of humor. If you do not have one, well, then the karaoke will be a great distraction!
Now that you have seen the light of karaoke, how do you go about a karaoke date? Simple: Find a karaoke bar or establishment that has a karaoke night. Have a drink to calm your nerves. (Becoming intoxicated, though, is not a great idea since you might make a total fool of yourself, or hurt somebody, or both.) Talk to the DJ if there is one or just grab the song catalog and start picking. Follow the bouncing ball to belt out your tune. Take a bow, listen to the applause, booing and laughter and have a good chuckle for the rest of the night!
Suggested karaoke spots:
• Ding Dong Dang
Facts: 224 E Golf Road, Arlington Heights; (847) 718-0883
Pretty low-key noraebang (Korean karaoke establishment). Has a great song selection with separate Japanese and Korean machines, giving you double the selection. Has more than one karaoke room (private rooms are typical of noraebang).
• Izakaya Sankyu Japanese Restaurant
Facts: 1176 S Elmhurst Road, Mount Prospect; (847) 228-5539
A solid Japanese izakaya (Japanese drinking establishment) and a karaoke lounge. It offers traditional Japanese seating for dinner and has karaoke rooms available.
• Kampai Japanese Steak House
Facts: 2330 S. Elmhurst Road, Mount Prospect; (847) 640-6700
Good food and karaoke. Choose a sushi or steakhouse experience before your karaoke adventure.
• Jang Choong Dong Karoke
Facts: 9076 Golf Road, Niles; (847) 663-9070
A typical noraebang with songs available in English, Korean, Chinese and several other languages.
• Asada Express
Facts: 4 Golf Center, Schaumburg; (847) 252-7071
Large portions, good prices with Spanish and English karaoke on Tuesday and Friday nights.
Whatever you decide, just make sure you bring your courage, singing voice (if you have one) and your date. Karaoke is a great double-date or couples' night out among friends.
Just do not erroneously interpret the smiles, applaus and laughter as verification of your singing abilities, quit your day job for "American Idol," and become the next William Hung.
DIY dates
Share a cuddle in a carriage
The holiday season is upon us, and it's a perfect time to create opportunities to get close to that special someone. Take a drive to the scenic, historic village of Long Grove and step back in time for a few hours. Couples can cuddle as they take a horse-drawn carriage ride, offered from noon to 4 p.m. Sundays through Dec. 21. After a ride through the old-fashioned village, stop by the Apple Haus for a cup of steaming hot apple cider, or sit on a bench and snuggle as you share a bag of the bakery's fresh apple doughnuts. Once your toes have been warmed, tour Long Grove's decorated shops or walk under the covered bridge to steal a kiss. For dinner, the Village Tavern in downtown Long Grove offers hearty fare, including its famous Tavern Burger with onion rings. Visit longgroveonline.com.
This is not a night for quiet discussion
If you are heading out to see "Stomp" at Aurora's Paramount Theatre, do not plan to have a long, quiet discussion about your relationship. The percussion show has become a sensation across the nation - watch and listen as eight performers use everything from buckets to Zippo lighters and hubcaps as percussion instruments to create unusual rhythms. There are just a few more days to see the show. It runs at 8:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 28; 3 and 8 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 29; and at 2:30 and 6:30 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 30. Tickets are $32.50-$49.50. For information, visit theparamounttheatre.com.
That Rob is a funny guy
Step out of the chilly evening air for some laughter with comedian Rob Paravonian, a native of Waukegan, who returns to his Chicago-area roots with a performance at 8 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 4, at Zanies in Vernon Hills. Paravonian has appeared on the Comedy Central cable television channel and often stars in comedy clubs in Los Angeles and New York. Before the show, catch a bite to eat at any one of Vernon Hills' vast number of restaurants. On the Border at 535 Lakeview Parkway features Mexican fare, or swing into Panera Bread at 700 N. Milwaukee Ave. for a cup of warm soup and a fresh bread. For information on tickets for the comedy show, visit zanies.com.