Invitational

Any excuse to throw a party. Some people just love to be celebrating, surrounded, entertaining, making toasts and the like whenever an opportunity arises. Even if fictitious when necessary. On the phone with a friend recently she professes to me that 'we have a lot of parties for you'. Alright, so this is a wee bit confusing cause I am typically not the reason for a gathering, and while on the most part am fairly open and willing to attend a get together; so with the exception of my most recent birthday I can't recall there being a reason or occasion that I would have been the guest of honour. Then came the question as to how I missed all of these parties? "Whenever I need some money it's cause we're having a party for you. I just go to him and say we're throwing a party for you and BAM...$100." She of course follows up by telling me she hopes and prays all the time that him and I don't run into each other on the street one day. Umm ya, cause me who can't lie...Lucy'd have some 'splainin to do. Another friend who commonly throws her own milestone parties, in addition to long weekend bbq's, going-away and welcome back soiree's, etc was planning her very own 35th birthday event at her open, spacious and unpretentious abode. Partly because I had overlapping plans, and partly cause I didn't want to have to converse in an artificial manner with all of the other guests who would be acquaintances of mine, I said I would probably not be in attendance. In her classic retort I received a "that's stink" response, coupled with some disappointment and surprise. But I guess I'm getting choosy in my own old age? Since then she has teased saying that we're no longer in high school and shouldn't be into the habit of asking "who's gonna be there" before committing a yes checkmark on the R.S.V.P. Alas...as it turns out she forewent a party for an opportunity to travel for the week. Guilt be gone! Ironically, my very own high school friends did happen to like throwing the odd shindig. I remember, and still every so often look through the snapshots from what were always 'theme parties'. I can remember Goth, 80's and Celebrity look-a-like, all rotating hosts from each others' place. While like a lot of folks I have lost touch with many or most of my high-school buddies after decades ago studying together, I do happen to usually catch up every few months or couple of years with a long phone call or dinner out, and was pleasantly surprised to see that through a facebook connection one of those very friends who was typically one of the leaders in the party planning days is still keeping up with attending theme parties. Albeit a wee bit more grown up in nature it seems. While I prefer intimate groups and am not so drastic as to subscribe to the '3s A Crowd' mentality, I have known some to be afflicted with the syndrome in the past. No fun. I think a nice number of 6-8 per gathering is just great. Maybe it could have something to do with my constant need to have attention on me, I'm not certain. Until very recently I could never understand why there are always so many more people in attendance at the reception portion of the wedding rather than the ceremony. To me, it was always easy to judge those who only showed up for a dinner and open bar but didn't find the actual deed entertaining enough to attend and thus arrived fashionably late...missing a venue entirely. Apparently it comes down to seating, where only family and close friends might be invited to the ceremony due to capacity in the chapel, gazebo, etc. I guess I can't relate since being raised in big Roman Catholic buildings, they can hold any size guest list. Who knew? And then comes the exit. Who dares to be the first? Where's the bride? Has anyone seen the host? While I probably resemble and take on more mannerisms of my father than I'd like to admit or have pointed out, one annoying one I don't mind is not liking good byes. I don't know his beef, whether it's the sadness and finality of it I'm not sure, however mine is just the deed. My friends are baffled at my habit to just up and unannounced head to the door, dawn my shoes and say I'm leaving. If you're riding in my car, best get up and follow too! Let's get real, you have had enough, been there, saw so-and-so, and now you're done with it. No need to grasp the usual 'you must be tired', 'gotta work in the morning', 'long drive ahead of us' crap. No need. Just go. Any excuse to leave a party.

Toodles

Nap Yap

Deprived. Walker. Apnea. What they all have in common is a habit of often being preceded by the word sleep. Heck, we just add three simple letters i-n-g and the same could be said for 'with the enemy'. Oh Julia, you should have just stored those damn soup cans with labels perfectly straight. Sleep apnea of course is no joke. Knowing so many people who have had to attend the clinics with gadgets, stickies and tubes attached to then find out that they must wear a loud obnoxious machine every night that resembles an elephants trunk: No fun. Even if you look like an animal on safari. I have long been one of those people who need little shut eye overnight to operate at any, normal or super function. Ever since once hearing an interview with Martha Stewart from her home on Turkey Hill where she said she only sleeps 4 or 5 hours each night...we were tight. Joined in bone folder heaven. And to that, I'm not even a snooze button junkie to boot. Up and at 'em! Of course it can be incredibly annoying when you're disturbed and you just know that REM was in session. Well, kiss the ending of that dream goodbye. I'd actually like to know if/where the singing group got their name; is it after this phenomenon? R.E.M. is just another one of those simple, clever, effective and memorable band names. Good job boys. When my sister was in high school and I was less than or barely a decade old she had a project that included a re-enacted video on the study of dreams. I still remember watching the amateur role play acting that her and classmates put on, but can also recall being fascinated that dreams and sleep could be dissected and studied. Onto the perception that children have of life and eternal 'rest'. Why is it that we feel it necessary to virtually lie to the kiddies, and ourselves for that matter and wear a sugar jacket going on about those who've passed on going into a proverbial deep sleep. Let's be honest people; we become worm feed (or landfill if scattered ashes are released upon some symbolic body of water). Everyone wants to be validated, labeled, have a title! Those Narcoleptics and Insomniacs. So extreme on the opposite scales of sleep disorders...but at the end of it all-attention whores. This weekend I watched the film in theatres 'Friends With Benefits' and while I didn't see 'No Strings Attached', I'm pretty sure they were the same movie just re-told with different au courant actors, no? But it's clearly a relative enough subject in our generation to be able to produce multiple movies about. They're onto something, maybe. And while I attribute this perhaps to my era and thus single, non-committal, 'casual' status on the whole scene; it's really just an in and out, wham bam as it were ideal. This whole 'sleep with' mention...who are we kidding? Nobody's sleeping, and we just want to enjoy the moment, move on and continue with our day; sans bed...where sleep usually happens. Packaged that nicely together there now didn't I. Many of you know that for the past 2 summers I've spent an existence similar to work hours sunning myself at one of our local beaches here in the city. For the first time today, what did I do...fell asleep. Burn now exists to remind me that all vulnerable areas must be properly creamed prior to dozing! To wrap up my thoughts I'd like to query on the last letter of the alphabet. Why do comic strips and the like signify sleep with a few letter Z's? Is it because the buzz sounds like a snore? I'm unsure. To those of you that can relate, just thank the gentle whirr of the sleep apnea machine for taking away the freight train sound that snoring can often create. Sweet dreams. Good night. Don't let the...ok, carry on.

Toodles