tambourine girl.

So, this friend of mine wants to start a band. The other night, a bunch of us were out drinking, and over (many, many) drinks strategizing began: which instruments do people play, who sings, and so forth. Most could play guitar, a few could play ukulele, a couple could play bass, one could do drums, at least four sang, and Dave, well, he can play anything with strings on it. I found myself uncharacteristically quiet during this discussion (except the slurping of the straw from the scorpion bowl) because ... well, what can I really do? Like, well enough? You'd think I would be able to volunteer something considering that in high school I was simultaneously in orchestra, band, and a community opera chorus. It is only because I went to a floofy private school that my ass didn't get kicked for being such an all-around musical dork. But--full disclosure--I sucked at cello, gave up on uke, never learned guitar, played the FLAG in marching band, and despite all that choral training I merely consider myself lucky when I stumble upon a working harmony. Furthermore, in music and in nowhere else, I find myself very easily led by a stronger voice, so that even if I am singing melody of a song I know backwards and forwards I will "fall off" melody and follow someone singing harmony if his or her voice is bossy enough. And I don't even have enough rhythm to play the egg shaker thing, and definitely not enough to fulfill my deep secret desire to be the Tambourine Girl.

I've daydreamed so hardcore about being Tambourine Girl that it is actually worked out in great detail in my head. This image involves the following: a burnt orange long-sleeved minidress; mod, thick, long bangs to my eyebrows (this, mind you, despite the fact that I tried this look in eleventh grade and it was a big mistake); layers of bangles at each wrist (for added percussion, naturally); liquid eyelinered cat eyes (ala Angelina Jolie); and some kind of slouchy ankly boot showing off my well-toned (hey, it's a fantasy!) calves. Oh, right, and the tambourine.

What amuses me is that the image in my head is of how cool I'd look as Tambourine Girl and not how good I'd be at the tambourine. It probably says something about me that even in my wildest daydreams I'm not the lead singer of the band, nor am I magically good at an instrument, or rhythm, or harmony, or even staying on the melody. In my daydreams it isn't even clear that I can actually play the tambourine, but damn do I look good standing there with it.

It could happen, couldn't it? Don't people change careers on average like four times in their lives nowadays? I read that somewhere, once, I think. The sky is the limit and life is long.