The party actually went fairly well. We even had five people from my company show up -- there were a lot more from Rudder's place but mine were the first to show up and the last to leave. (Normally, they steer clear of our parties for the same reason I compain about my commute: it's a long way to drive.) This was actually our annual Mardi Gras party, postponed because it Feruary and March the backyard was under construction, so the food was Cajun and I scattered beads and doubloons around. We served beer, soda, water, Cajun-style brisket and Cajun deep-fried turkey, a vegetarian Jambalaya (not exactly authentic, but not everyone likes meat - and I did add trinity), as well as a couple of my party staples, a Mexican layer dip and a tomato-bread salad, chips, veggie nibbles, and cheeses and crackers. Other people brought coleslaw, Thai rice, crudites, bean dip, brownies, some cake squares with cherries on top that I need to get the recipe for, bean dip, a couple of bottles of wine, a key lime pie that never did get eaten, Golden Oreos (not half bad) and Italian ice -- prepackaged but very authentic and we Philly girls know our Italian ice. Also a case of Bud Lite, which we rediscovered just as we were congratulating ourselves on not having much light beer left. It's always hard to know what to do with that and the diet soda, since neither of us likes those. We can take the sodas to work, at least.
There was only one contretemp, when someone's little kid took a dump wthout bothering to get out of the pool first. I'd have to say his parents handled that about as well as an awkward situation could be handled, except for the obvious omission of putting a diaper on the kid in the first place. It was funny, though, as the father was attempting to be discreet about cleaning up both kid nad pool and the kid was hollering out, "I made poo-poo!" Discretion, apparently, is not a word taught on Sesame Street.
Other than that, I think I had a better time than at any of our previous parties in this house. Someone was even playing y guitar at one point. That was a bit odd, though: why would anyone memorize all of "Alice's Restaurant"? I'd bet even Arlo just improvises it each time.
Posted by dichroic at June 6, 2004 05:46 PM