Fairbanks Idol

   Sunday night while at work I was invited to my first work social event: the Karaoke finals held at the Pump House Restaurant where the lucky winner wins a tropical cruise.  Of course I am excited about this, I felt like I had made it and was in the circle where I will start getting invited to work functions!  I woke Pete up when I got home just to let him know that we have plans on Wednesday night to meet my co-workers, I'm sure this was a weight of his shoulders to know that I am starting to make friends at work since he is leaving in three weeks. 
   Fast forward to Wednesday night. We get ready and head over to the Pump House and we arrive to a completely packed parking lot (don't get the wrong impression-the bar is just one room and really isn't that large of a space).  We go inside and I start looking around expecting to see a big table full of people I work with that all stand up and get excited as soon as Pete and I walk in the door.  Nope, no big table of people.  Pete starts looking at me expectantly wanting to know where my co-workers are at and like the girl that got ditched by her prom date I sadly  report that nobody from work is here.  We grab a drink from the bar and Pete guides me over to  an area where some of his co-workers are at (convenient that of course he randomly shows up and there are about 6 people he knows...) so we spent the next two hours listening to the best singers in Fairbanks sing their hearts out to win the two cruise tickets with his co-workers who were all very nice and happy to have us join in on the fun.  By the end of the night I saw a total of three of my co-workers randomly dispersed around the bar so I guess I can't say that I was completely ditched, but it definitely was not what I thought I was getting invited to.  Hopefully I will get another invite to something where I won't have to rely on Pete's co-workers to save the day since in a few weeks I won't have him to fall back on.  Regardless, we had a lot of fun getting out of the house and listening to the talented singers of Fairbanks.  We left at 9:50 so we did not get to see the winner but I hope that the 80 year old gentleman who sang a wonderful version of Frank Sinatra's New York New York (with high kicks and all) won.