Average Jane Entertains

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Remember the recurring schtick on the old “Mary Tyler Moore Show” where every time Mary tried to throw a party, it was a disaster and practically no one showed up? I felt a little Mary-ish on Saturday once my bingo party began.

The guest list included the members of the club for which the party was being held (about 70 people) and another 10 or so of my friends. The ultimate guest tally was 10, plus two people serving as bingo callers. I’d gone to a great deal of trouble to round up tables and chairs, clean the house and back yard, buy refreshments, etc. By the time the party started, all I really wanted to do was take a nap, and the low turnout did not help tip the party/nap desire scale in the party’s favor.

When I was a little girl, we had some neighbors who occasionally invited me over to play with their kids. Sometimes they’d offer to come by and get me for some outing but then forget, and I would sit forlornly looking out the window, long past the time the fun was supposed to begin. My mother would be absolutely furious at them for getting my hopes up and then flaking.

A lame party always bring out the forlorn little girl in me, shadowed by a faint flicker of fury inherited from my mother. I know it’s nothing personal – it’s a spring weekend, people have plans – but it’s still disappointing.

Luckily the party was mercifully short, so I had the opportunity to put away all the furniture and food, stash the cooler of soft drinks in the basement, and move on to reading the copy of Eats, Shoots and Leaves that I’d purchased while party shopping. I ended up with a good supply of leftover hummus and pita chips and some lovely raspberry cookies that make a good garnish for vanilla ice cream, so everything worked out in the end. Just don’t ask me to host another party anytime soon.

Comments

6 responses to “Average Jane Entertains”

June 14, 2004

Pharmgirl

Refer back to one of my old blogs titled “Pet Peeves” at the “Life of a Pharmgirl” blog on the right regarding my distain for party flakers! Love to entertain…hate to entertain.

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June 14, 2004

J-Walk

I think there’s a general principle that applies to parties: The more effort you put into them, the less fun they are. I’m not exactly what you’d call a party animal, but in my experience the best parties are spontaneous and pretty-much unplanned.

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June 14, 2004

mojokittycat

Speaking as a party flaker – sorry, especially as a participant in many of your past, fabulous soirees knowing your wonderful cooking was for nought. In my defense, while flaking on your party, I was the only one of 10 who did not flake on helping my cousins paint their new house. May that guard against my party karma being jacked up by this offense!

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June 15, 2004

Sarah

Hosting parties is never as much fun as attending them! I hosted one months ago and it was like…WORK! I barely even got to sit and chill until the end – after everyone had eaten and all the dishes were taken to the sink.

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June 15, 2004

Rita

I feel for your sadness in party flaking, Jane. I recall the party I once threw in my old apartment – no one attended, and it turned out a week later that the neighbor downstairs was actually dead at the time.

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June 15, 2004

Keith Povall

Could it have been the Bingo theme possibly ? Keith.
Jane says: It wasn’t my idea to do Bingo. I merely agreed to host an annual event that I understood was always eagerly anticipated. Silly me.

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