What to do...what to do....

The powers that be have decided that this year's Christmas party for staff and students will be held at a local hotel.  I presume they'll hire out a room typically used for small wedding receptions.  This is quite a change from a three years ago when we held a pot-luck dinner at a local community centre.

The regional manager also tossed in another request: the teachers and local school manager are to entertain the guests.  In the past we resorted to a Xmas trivia quiz.  Unfortunately the students started to memorize the answers.  So one year we did a shortened version of the Monty Python "Cheese Shop" sketch.  The students were mostly bemused so the following year we were told to put together presentations about Xmas at home using Powerpoint slides.  Now we're being asked to do what the teachers at the Yamagata school are doing: perform a few songs accompanied by some kind of instrument.  Great...none of us down in Yonezawa can really play any musical instruments.  One guy has stage fright.  The other guy can't sing to save his life.  I haven't played a whole song on a guitar since junior high school.

On Tuesday evening our school manager had a sort of serious sounding conversation on the phone with someone.  My interest was piqued when I heard my name a few times.  After she hung up, taken a deep breath, and sighed, she wandered over and asked if I could play the guitar for the Xmas party.  I cautioned her that she had to choose easy songs to play.  "How about that Eric Clapton song about heaven?", she asked.  I checked the chords online...it could be doable. "Or something people could sing along to...like 'Country Roads'?", she continued.  That, I had a bit more confidence in.  She continued on, "...and I'd like to sing 'Diana'.  Can you play that?".  Okay.  That one had me stumped.  How a 26-year old could go about choosing to sing that song was beyond me.  I've seen fellows in their late 50s and 60s tackling that song at karaoke but never anyone really young.  Nonetheless, I said I'd look into it.

At the end of the discussion I think I got saddled with learning three songs; Country Roads, Diana, and that Clapton tune.  I can probably figure out how to play the Clapton tune.  But part of me would rather tackle The Tragically Hip's "Bobcaygeon".  Which raises a small dilemma...while I'd get more satisfaction out of playing and singing "Bobcaygeon", no one in the audience would have a clue what the song is about or why I chose it.  What to do....  Maybe I should just do both tunes.  But first I need to get my hands on a guitar....