It was an especially busy weekend for me. I had my first party since 9/11 and thought it went well, even if it was a little one-sided. I say one-sided because a lot more men than women showed up. But that had more to do with the fact that I work on a floor where the ratio of men to women is 28:1, rather than who chose to actually show up.

When my department first moved to the location IÂ’m in now, it was hard to get to know people because, we were put in the middle of geek land, and letÂ’s face it, geeks are not the most sociable creatures on the planet. So to break the ice and help us get acquainted with the IT division, I co-hosted a lunch pizza party with lots of fixinÂ’s and cake with ice cream for dessert. Those geeks love free food and sweets! That party really helped us get to know each other.

Over the next few months a few of the guys and I shared coffee and a few accidental lunches (when there was no place else to sit in the lunch room but at their table). They, like me, often eat alone and so sometimes, when weÂ’re pressed for time, we ask if we can join the other at their table. That resulted in some really great conversations and more lunch outings. In May, I started lunch group outings were we do fun stuff to engage our creative brain. On our first outing we went to a jazz club and listened to some great up and coming musicians/students perform for their final exam. Last week we went to a gallery opening and had an even bigger turnout, 23. On Monday, I ran into a large group of them that had gathered to watch the soccer match between USA & the Czechs. Somehow one of them suggested we should do something to organize a futbol party for the weekend. Somehow I got chosen for the task because out of all of us, I'm the only one that owns a big widescreen tv. (I may not watch tv but I LOVE MY MOVIES)!

Well, what initially was supposed to be a group of about 10-12 people, turned out being a group of over 30. It was actually the largest group of people I have ever hosted in my apartment. The good thing about hosting geeks is that theyÂ’re fun and they donÂ’t get crazy so everyone was comfortable. It was really neat, there were people from: Russia, India, Australia, London, Canada, US South & West, Spain, France & Germany, all gracing my living room. And the discussions before and after the game were all very fun and ran the range of topics from politics & economics to science and culture. Ironically, no discussion of technology.

Come to think of it, it felt very much like a grown ups party. There were 2 things that surprised me about myself: (1) I really hadnÂ’t lost my party planning skills, and as a result, 2) I never got nervous before or during the party. That makes a big difference for the guests, when you host a party.

I think a lot had to do with the fact that all the food came out perfect. In fact, IÂ’ve already had a couple of emails asking for my spicy bean dip and my guacamole recipes. I placed the furniture and food stations so that traffic and conversation would flow easily and people would move from one group to the next, rather than staying in one place (as geeks and wall flowers are known to do).

The nicest thing was that they all chipped in and got me a “fully loaded” Starbucks card as a belated birthday present. If they know me this well after 6 months, I wonder how well they will know me after 12? The thought frightens me!!!!

Anyway, the party was also a big success with the kids. I had enough fun activities and treats planned for them and they enjoyed themselves as well, with one notable exception. My son acted out a few times, which I didnÂ’t expect or like. But I finally got to the root of the problem today, he had been missing our private time and wanted my undivided attention. Unfortunately, I didn't discover this until after a few timeouts and privileges had been taken away and a few tears had been shed.

Well, tonight IÂ’ll be paying for my planning and fun, because IÂ’m going to have to catch up on house work, job related work, parental work, so it will definitely be a late night for me.

I sign off hoping your weekend was also enjoyable, and for those who are dadÂ’s, I hope that you felt loved and honored!

Posted by: Michele at 08:26 PM | Comments (3) | Add Comment
Post contains 809 words, total size 4 kb.

1 I'm just a *bit* jealous! I miss parties - hosting, especially. As I show the house, I find myself recanting to the perspective buyer how many fun and such parties my brother & I hosted here. As before, I think you lead the way on our recoveries. You've gotten to the point where social fun is returning. So my hope is that it will for me too.

Posted by: _Jon at June 19, 2006 11:01 AM (aHLPi)

2 Oh man... all these really great hostesses. I happen to be the ultimately worst hostess. Being geeky and being married to a guy who doesn't particularly like parties... I never have done it. I'm glad it turned out so well. Wish I could have been there. Sounds like it was a blast. As for your son - he'll be fine *grin*. Use it as an example of why he needs to learn to communicate. LOL. It won't work, but it's worth a try.

Posted by: Teresa at June 20, 2006 02:28 PM (jgXyO)

3 "I placed the furniture and food stations so that traffic and conversation would flow easily and people would move from one group to the next, rather than staying in one place" If you have time, could you please do a detailed post on this topic? I think that it would be a handy guide for people who are planning blogmeets.

Posted by: Harvey at June 23, 2006 10:23 AM (L7a63)

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