Parties, Appreciated

There's a lot of pressure in parties - both throwing and attending. Pressure of all kinds makes me feel itchy.

A casual "meet up at the bar" is no big deal. You have one drink, or maybe a few, you talk to your friends, laugh a little, eat something fried or with melted cheese on top, and you go home. No one is disappointed in a night like that.

If that casual bar-night escalates into shots of tequila, karaoke, and sweatily dancing to 80's hits at 2 am then for sure you are pleasantly surprised. You now have a win of an evening on your hands, my friend. All the more special for being unexpected.

But even if the night is quieter, it's still a-ok. Because, again, it was just a night at the bar.

Parties, in contrast, are pressurized. You must consider the quality of your outfit, the thoughtfulness of your gift, prepare to comment on the music, make pleasant small talk over by the snacks. Everyone must have F.U.N., or the whole encounter feels stiff and unpleasant and everyone, while smiling and eating cheese, really just wants to be home in their pajamas watching reruns of The Big Bang Theory.

I went to a fun party this weekend. Why was it successful? There are so many reasons.

1. Quality crowd, in the mood for a good time.
2. Excellent music selection, beginning with fun 80's stuff and escalating, slowly, in flawless tandem with the drinking, into current popular songs that inspire impromptu dance-offs.
3. Jello shots. I had six.
4. Cell phone pictures. With props. Too many.
5. The game "Heads Up" played to excess.
6. And of course, cheese. With bacon!

I overdrank. At one point I fell down. To be fair, in that moment I was pretending to be a sled, and a friend hopped on my back to "ride" me, so I feel my loss of balance was warranted. And yet.

Moments like that are the at-home equivalent of the casual bar night's descent (ascent?) into drunken jukebox singalongs followed by chaotic orders of general tso's for everyone, everyone!

They are more rare than wild herons. And I am appreciative.