(Things to do while repeating the sounding joy…)

Friday, December 15
Soulcialism, 10:00 p.m., White Eagle, Sahsside
Santa go straight to the Eagle.

Things are about to get way hectic, because you haven’t done any shopping, you haven’t sent out any cards, you haven’t gotten yourself a date for New Year’s yet, you haven’t requested that time off from work, you haven’t baked any cookies, you haven’t made your trip to the liquor store to get anything for the party you’re throwing… Basically, you haven’t done anything to get ready for Christmas. You really shouldn’t be doing anything but getting all of these things done, and post-friggin’-haste.

Ahh, screw it. Go dancing in the Sahsside tonight to the finest 60s and 70s Northern Soul with DJ Juddy and Soccer John. As always, no cover, and cheap drinks.

Friday Night Improv, 11:00 p.m., Stephen Foster Memorial Theater Studio Theater in the Cathedral of Learning, 5th Ave Entrance, Oakland
So the City paper came out with it’s “Best Of 2006” Issue, and this here site you’re reading came in second. Which leads me to wonder, would we have finished first if Lindsay and Natalia would’ve told me to go pound salt and refused to let me do any posting? Am I dragging the whole team down? Should I be re-assigned to “iheartwilkesbarre.com”?

Well, we’ll never know for sure, because now I’m the only one that knows the filing system around the luxuriously-appointed offices perched high atop the Gulf Building, so I’m what ya might call “indispensable”, even though my writing skills fall slightly behind infinite monkeys with infinite typewriters.

Edna St. Vincent Millay whoops it up for the Holidays

But the absolutely deserving winner is Overheard In Pittsburgh, an endless source of mirth and hilarity, and a site I check at least once a day, and you should too. See, OHIP operator Chris Griswold doesn’t just parrot verbatim everything that comes in over the transom, he selects those little nuggets of fun that have something to say about Pittsburgh and what life is like right here, right now. Read more about it in the PCP article. (Which, incidentally, was written by the guy who’ll be spinning songs at Soulcialism. Small world.)

So how the hell does this tie in to the Git Aht? Well, Chris also has a hand in a weekly tradition up in Oakland, the audience participation fun fest called “Friday Night Improv.” The rules are simple – nothing is scripted, everything comes from the audience, and the audience actually gets up and does schtick. Now, anyone who’s ever been to karaoke knows that sometimes we fall flat, and only the fact that tomatoes are out of season prevents us from being covered like we’re at the Tomatina Festival. But we also know that sometimes, someone gets up and you think to yourself “Hey, why the hell aren’t they making money singing somewhere, they’re good.”

Same goes here at FNI – moments of incredible funny can happen, and at 3 bucks, it’s well worth the risk. And it starts at 11, so go out, have a couple up the street to get the funny up, and head over to see if you have what it takes to be the next great Improver. (No, not like im-proo-ver, like im-prah-ver. Whatever.)

Saturday, December 16
Cefalo’s Big Night Band, 9:00 p.m., Cefalo’s Restaurant, Carnegie
Despite being only a couple years old, Cefalo’s Restaurant/Night Club has this sort of 30s/40s Art Deco retro feel to it, and the Big Night Band helps to contribute to the cool vibe. A traditional big band with a horn section, they play everything from standards to Van Morrison to the Police. It’s a sort of chill evening, and the dance floor is open, so go out and cut yourself a slice of rug while downing a Singapore Sling or Rob Roy.

And the lead singer (pictured) ain’t hard on the eyes either. I’d totally be “Stage Door Johnny” for her, standing there with the bouquet of roses that she would just throw in my face right before filing the PFA order or having security beat seven kinds of hell out of me, their knuckles would bleed for days. Ah well, ’tis better to have loved and woken up in the hospital with a tube up the nose than never to have loved at all.

Second City’s Dysfunctional Holiday Revue, 7:00 & 10:00 p.m., O’Reilly Theater, Dahntahn
The Second City comedy troupe drops into the O’Reilly with a holiday-themed show sending up carols, Hanukkah, family get-togethers and more. I saw them last year doing a “regular” show and was impressed. So maybe after your experience being “guy on street” at FNI the night before, you could go see professionals doing the same-ish thing.

Station Square/T Bar Crawl, 6:00 p.m., Hooters, Station Square
Pub Crawl International (whose stock is tanking, by the way, I never should have invested in them, their earnings are way under forecasts) is throwing it’s December Pub Crawl a curve ball as you’ll start at Station Square, then hop the T to bars on down the line. You end up back at Station Square, so that’s good planning. Try to keep up with the group, otherwise you’ll be drinking by yourself somewhere in the South Hills.

Sunday, December 17
Miniature Railroad and Village, All Day., Carnegie Science Center, North Shore Side
Tiny trains, tiny trees, tiny people. It’s just like the train set you had when you were a kid, except it puts your “Tyco Under The Tree Christmas Village With Smoking Locomotive And Real Train Whistle Sounds! set” to absolute shame because it’s friggin’ enormous and really well-crafted, with 2500 square feet of realism, and actual water in the lake. (The boats are pulled by magnets underneath the platform.) If you can’t make it today, the exhibit is open through January 19th so you have plenty of time to go and revel in your model train inadequacy.

—————–

Got an event planned? Would you like a whole flock of yinzers with disposable income to show up? Let Git Aht know by sending the electronic mail to gitaht@gmail.com.