I  didn’t want to go out this week. I’ve got a big weekend coming up and need to rest, save money, etc. However, sometimes your FOMO and a little nudge from your friends will get you out the door and into the Irish Pub. We walked in and it was packed. I was kinda over it, not going to lie. I was ready to scott on over to our spot at The Oxford. However, we found some seats at the front right up by this band playing some rocking cover songs, and I love cover bands, so it turned out ok.
 
Then my Tuesday turned awesome. I’ve mentioned this friend I have, Ankur. He’s in a band. Despite him being my first friend here in Karlsruhe (still need to tell this story), I have never seen him or his band play.  I want to see him play, but sickness and travel prevented it from happening thus far. For someone you hang out with several times weekly, it is strange to miss out on such a big part of someone’s life. I told Ankur I actually forget he is a musician, which is weird since it’s his full time job.
 
Let’s just say, there’s no forgetting now.
 
Back to my story…
 
The band is playing and I ask Ankur if he’s ever played there before (he goes here a lot). He said no, it’s their stage and he doesn’t want to. Not even a few minutes later, the singer on stage says he’s going to have his buddy, Ankur Batra of Fire on Dawson, come up and play for a bit. Ankur’s reaction is one of those oh, no no things but eventually he gets up there and…

and this:
and this:
Isn’t he awesome? Ankur can’t join us on my birthday trip this weekend, so this was his gift and I’ve gotta say that it is definitely one of the nicest things someone has ever done for me. My smile was mega . All my other friends knew he was doing it, so it they were all in on making sure I got out of the house that night.