Poluck Success!

Last night we were ready and sitting on the couch at about 6:45. I was expecting people to show up any moment. I had received an e-mail from a woman promising to show up early to help. My friend, Alesa, said she'd be at the apartment at 7:00. At 7:05, we were still alone on the couch watching the news.

Years ago, my friend, Larry, told me about two women in his hometown. Mrs. Lander and Mrs. Stikney. They both loved to throw parties. Mrs. Lander threw parties with great food that everyone showed up to. They were very popular. Mrs. Stikney threw parties that didn't go over so well. She tried, but the food wasn't good and they were not very well attended. It was not unusual to have only a few stragglers for the entire evening. When we threw parties, Larry would walk around nervously puffing on a cigarette saying, "I'm so nervous this is going to be a Mrs. Stickney!"

I told Fred that story and then laughed. "Wouldn't that be great? We could just eat all the chicken and watch t.v. all night!"

At 7:15, the doorbell rang and people started streaming in. Eventually, we had about twenty people. Everyone on the list showed.

People here - and from other parts - don't really understand how the potluck works. I think people understand the concept, but there was a little nervousness, a little tentativeness about how to go about it. It was totally paper plates and plastic forks. We drank wine out of disposable cups.

The biggest problem, for future reference, was that we didn't have enough plates, utensils and cups. I would probably do two per person next time. When dessert time came around, we were using the normal, ceramic plates.

Eventually it was fine with people lubed up with wine and talking. There were the smokers on the balcony and people sitting in clusters in the living room. There was a gaggle of women in the kitchen talking about midwives and birth. There were the straight Dutch guys talking about whatever it is they talk about. It was a very nice atmosphere.

At about 11:30, people started leaving. They realized we'd had enough and they started getting their coats. There was a clot at the door for a while, but they eventually made their way out and down the stairs. It was a very nice time. It worked out amazingly well. Nice mix of food, good mix of people. Of course we were the only two homos, but what do you expect?

I must say that Fred and I have a nice pattern of cleaning up. It's a non-verbal thing. I carry things into the kitchen and he stays there. It works well. We got to sleep at a reasonable hour and I woke up this morning feeling better - more well, closer to my normal self.

I think the next dinner party is the gay boy party.