
You don’t have to fret about the setup, cleanup, or preparing for some gimmicks to ensure that everyone has a good time. When having a kid’s birthday party but doesn’t have enough space or the capability to host a large number of guests at home, there are plenty of venues in San Jose you can go to instead. But with deliberate planning and organizing, this kind of special occasion can be more meaningful and joyful for kids and less stressful for parents.įor some, an in-home party is the best way to go, but for those who want to spare the cleanup time and the pressure of entertaining a huge crowd, finding birthday party places in San Jose is the best option. Most parents worry about the preparations and put an excessive burden on work. Karaoke bars and their patrons might not miss me, but I sure miss them.Throwing a kid’s birthday party can be a significant source of stress. It doesn’t matter that my singing has been compared favorably to the last cries of a dying animal. I could be charming and gregarious on one day, then clam up for the rest of the month.īut the first time I belted out “Total Eclipse of the Heart” in public - I was 22 years old and it was karaoke night on a cruise ship - it helped me realize who I am. In high school, I’d literally go into the sweats when I was talking to a popular kid. That’s what I meant when I said I wouldn’t be here, covering the San Jose Sharks and writing for San Jose Hockey Now, if it weren’t for karaoke: Growing up, I was often painfully shy.

I wasn’t always brave enough to step up and sing badly in front of a hundred or so people, just like I wasn’t always brave enough to chat up a Hall of Famer or approach an NHL scout at a game. Heart on my sleeve, your ears will bleed, that’s me.

I want to put myself out there, in all honesty. According to John Hopkins, over 11 million Americans have tested positive with and about 250,000 have died from COVID-19.īut here’s what karaoke has meant to me: It’s a place where I can be me.

Karaoke, of course, isn’t the most important loss during this third wave of the coronavirus in the United States. Brightside’ at the tops of their lungs inside these confined indoor spaces is like pouring Everclear on a dumpster fire.” There’s good reason for that, as Thrillist put: “Basically, bars in any form are dangerous right now. That thought occurred to me on my birthday, which was yesterday.īecause of COVID-19, this was the first time in 15 years that I didn’t karaoke for my birthday. I wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for karaoke.

Every Sunday at Peng to the Point, we talk about the world away from the San Jose Sharks.
