I know it's rude to talk about a party you weren't invited to, but can I tell you how nice it was to give one? We made the house as clean as can be, and rearranged the furniture into pleasing new configurations. There were candles burning everywhere, and red and gold decorations, and poinsettias, and a lovely arrangement of red roses, white mums, and green ferns, a gift from my guests. The house smells of pine, and cinnamon, and berries, and every room is delightfully festive.
The party was very, very small, and everyone knew each other well enough to be goofy and joke around, but not so well that we knew each others' life stories by heart. There was an awful lot of laughing and tale-telling. And they were so polite, my guests. They didn't complain about the two velvet-covered chairs of ass-numbing hardness. I took one of them myself for awhile. Mercy. We have got to get comfortable dining room chairs, we just can't keep asking our guests to endure the lack of cushioning.
The food was excellent if I do say so myself. I made a beef stew, delicious and savory, the consistency just perfect. There were crusty wheat rolls, and a cold green bean salad, and my dad's extremely yummy bar cookies* for dessert, plus wonderful, light as air eggnog. I didn't make the eggnog, Michael Walsh did. Or his housemate Paula Hardin, I'm not sure which.
Keiko was very pleased to see Michael Rawdon again. She loves to sit with him, and prefers his lap to any other. When he occasionally got up from the sofa she went to sit with his girlfriend Debbi. At no time did my own cat come to sit with me, of course. Other people's laps are infinitely more attractive! Both cats spent the entire party with us. They're very social.
We listened to Christmas music, and Dido, and Tangerine Dream, not as weird a combination as you might suspect. I gave everyone a present, because I am secretly a hobbit and I think you should give as many presents as possible in order to receive as many as possible. Everyone got either food or a candle. I gave Trish Homis a candle called Change, so that she can focus on making some good changes in her life. Besides, it was pretty and was both distinctive and slightly exotic, like her. But it wasn't hilarious or sarcastic or endlessly generous, so it wasn't exactly like her.
I filled everyone in on the most recent Gary Farber gossip, specifically Teresa Nielsen Hayden administering a much-needed dose of reality on rec.arts.sf.fandom. We talked about why we don't read certain diaries, what so and so said where, quoting favorite bits, and making sure everyone had the latest news. Walsh did his Ricardo Montalban imitation. Rawdon made many, many puns. All the computer nerds geeked out happily from time to time. Everyone talked about their pets, and I asked Paula to bring Morgan, her dog, next time. There's always room at our house for an extra dog.
And now the guests have gone, driving long miles in the dark to their homes, while I sit thinking about how pleasant it all was, and how much I enjoy giving a party. I like putting together the guest list, planning the menu, decorating the house, choosing the music, and then participating in the results. The candles have been blown out, the dishes piled into the sink, the detritus cleaned up, and the card table folded and put away. The burgundy velvet on the chairs looks handsome next to the burgundy and gold of the tablecloth. Everything still smells wonderful. The house is all dressed up for Christmas.
And I've completed my final. Oh, what a beautiful sentence that is! I have all day tomorrow with nothing to do but relax until class time. I'll endure a few last papers, turn in my final, and have a celebratory ... glass of water. Two, maybe! I know, you're impressed. I'm bringing the rest of the cookies to class, but I'm not going to eat any. I was very good yesterday so I could squander my calories today. Although I went over my point quota by one, I think I did pretty well. But I won't eat like that twice in a row. After all, it was a party, the only one I'm giving all season.
It was worth it.
1 package German chocolate cake mix
Mix first three ingredients and spread half of the mixture in a 9x13 pan. Bake six minutes at 350F. Remove from oven and sprinkle on the chocolate chips and nuts.
Melt the caramels in the remaining milk (stove or microwave), and pour over chips and nuts. Add other half of cake mix, dribbling it on top (will not cover completely but spreads out nicely). Bake 15-20 minutes at 350F.
Do not cut right away, but let cool completely before cutting into squares.
*Paul Huntzinger's Chewy Bar Cookies:
3/4 cup melted butter
1/3 cup evaporated milk (for bottom half)
30-50 caramels (1 bag) - Dad uses 50
1/3 cup evaporated milk (for top half)
6 oz. chocolate chips
4-6 oz. chopped nuts
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