Yet another party in a busy busy week was my high school friend Pam Caltabiano's annual White Elephant Party held at her parents' place. I've actually been to this party for three years now, so it's quickly becoming one of my rare annual traditions. Of the three years I've been, Candace has joined me for two, which has definitely proved to be a plus, as Pam has such a strange mix of unrelated people (socially, not genetically, of course) at these gatherings, where having someone I know well there really helps things feel a little less random. That said, this year's cast of characters was really interesting, of particular interest being this strange guy from upstate New York who talks as if he's from aristocratic society from the mid-1800's, but although it most certainly is put on, he's very serious about it.
Anyway, the evening was split into two portions: a general small-talk social portion with snacks followed by the titular white elephant gift-giving portion. This year I brought a collector's edition Star Trek PEZ set for $15 and ended up getting lucky by receiving a $15 iTunes gift certificate, which is as good as cash for me. Candace wasn't quite so lucky: she brought an electronic dartboard and ended up getting some cheap scent-thing (not sure how to describe it: it wasn't a candle or an incense set) which she wasn't happy with. Still, we had a good time, and in some way this year's party seemed to be the best of the three I've been to, even though the first was also really good.
Perhaps the highlight of the evening for me was meeting a Portuguese musician (yes, actually from Portugal, not Brazil) with whom I had an extended conversation about his adjustment to America coming from Europe (I know, sounds typical for me). Hopefully he and I will be able to get together at some point, maybe even to jam...
Anyway, great party. One of the highlights of the holidays for sure.
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