Party Time

I went to a party last night, the first one I can remember attending since I don't even know when. If I had realized when I was invited that it was on a Thursday night, I probably would have declined. I don't leave campus until nearly seven in the evening on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and the party was past my house all the way at the beach. (My campus is about a half-hour west of where I live.) But since I had accepted, I picked up a six-pack of Corona, some limes, and party snacks to take along, and dragged my tired ass out to the beach. The party was outdoors -- my friend's house is rather small, but she has a large yard -- and it was very cold, at least by Florida standards.

Despite the weather, the company was warm. I saw a few friends I hadn't seen in years and met a few new ones. It's hard to be a single woman at a party; I wasn't looking to meet a date, but as I talked to various men their wives magically appeared to make sure I knew they were taken. The one exception was an old friend (who happens to be a minister). We chatted away without interruption. He is also married, but his wife knows him (and me) well enough not to be concerned. I had some interesting conversations with a variety of people and drank three Coronas, enough to make my lightweight self feel a bit rough this morning as I headed into a day of scoring (very bad) essays online. I was home by 10:30 but it might as well have been three in the morning. I could barely keep my eyes open.

As if preparing for my upcoming class didn't require enough time and effort, I also have two stacks of papers from my current class (one short, one long) to grade, and I told my marketing client I would do at least one article for him (about bathtubs, of all things). I need to get everything done over the weekend. Good thing I got my party in on Thursday!