A Touch of Class

Last night was the company's Washington Area Holiday Party. In the 5+ years I've been working, I had never been any of the various extracurricular events. But this year my friends talked me into going. And I'm glad they did.

It was held out in Tyson's Corner, at one of the hotels that has a nice ballroom. There was nothing particularly unusual: open bar and hors d'oeuvres before dinner, plenty of mingling and the like. A pretty decent dinner (steak, sweet potatoes, etc), door prizes, a band all the way from Syracuse (ooooh, love that Syracuse Sound!). But the most enjoyable aspect was enjoying myself with my friends. And I actually got to wear my tuxedo - hard to find opportunities to wear that without looking crazy. One does not bother with a self-tied bow tie when going for groceries.

I spent most of the evening with Sarah & Paul and Jason & Dawn. I had only met Dawn a few times before. But she is a blast. Not to be too pointed, but she is especially fun once she's been drinking. After they shut down the bars, she and Sarah made it their personal crusade to somehow finagle more drinks from the bartenders. Needless to say, they were both very successful.

Thinking back, though, I wish I had taken advantage of the cheap room rate to stay there for the night. It was freezing rain all the way home, and I was dead-dog tired. I had myself a little navigational adventure coming through Seven Corners. I'll have to remember that next year.

It is worth mentioning that I never need to see any of the company middle-management types on stage, drunkenly dancing with the band, wearing what can only be described as a disco-ball helmet. Never again.