10:20 p.m. | 2004-11-18 I�m My Own Muse Sometimes. So where have I been lately? Strangely, I�ve been attending a lot of events in my off hours. Events in which you have to be an invited guest. Exclusive events, I suppose. Regular readers know that I often have to mix it up with VIPs (Very Important People) but I usually avoid those occasions. Recently, I�ve been a good sport and have played along. I�m not an important participant at all, just that sometimes you really need to show up. It helps when you�re part of a larger group. And well, when no one knows who you are. Let me just say that fancy parties are not my kind of thing. Yet my attitude and attendance record improves any time it includes free food and an open bar. I�ll just say that I�m not that person � the leech � just that I�m always motivated by food. And free drinks are okay too. Anyway, a group of us set out to the party place. A very exclusive place on the top floor of a very tall building. We had to �check in� in the lobby, you know, to make sure our name was on the list and whatnot. And, of course, we had to do the whole dorky name tag thing that we all really hate (ourselves) but oddly appreciate (in others). At such times, in the lobby, being part of an �exclusive club�, I get a tiny thrill. I have to admit that. Two seconds later� um, not so much. I�m really not into all that. We rode up the elevator to the destination, and much my delight, a roving waiter offered me food immediately. You know, from a silver platter. It was that kind of party. One where there are no trashcans because as soon as you set something down, it�s whisked away. You don�t even have to set it down, actually. Just look slightly uncomfortable and someone magically appears. I�m getting off point. Presuming there is one. More to the point, I had previously formed a party alliance type strategy with one of my colleagues, �T-Bar�. Oddly, I have no explanation for that moniker. For once. However, we both had the goal of taking complete advantage of the food and beverage accommodations. Having never mentioned T-Bar before, I should do some sort of proper introduction. At 27 years old he�s a youngster. To me. As are most of my co-workers. But he�s quite mature as are most folks I hang out with. And, very, very snarky. Right on kind of snarky. We crack each other up. Constantly. Love to people watch together too. Plus, we have each others� back always and forever. He�s married and we both love his wife. Albeit, he loves her differently than I do. She cracks me up too. Somehow, when the three of us are together, snarky becomes pure art. Unfortunately, she wasn�t invited to this party. T-Bar and I, along with many of my co-workers had to tough it out ourselves. Fortunately, we�re quite capable. Consider T-Bar introduced. Embrace my rather creative and impulsive moniker. It�s not likely to happen very often. Or ever again. So, we�re at this party. T-Bar and I had a strategy where we quickly nabbed a table but also both acquired food and drinks. Then we stuck together, for the most part, people watching. Folks came by the table, stopped to chat, hung out and/or introduced us to other people. We were like a nucleus. A very small one. But still. Then the photo kind of people showed up. The professional photographers, camera people and whatnot. Please no. As an aside, I�m totally not photogenic. Can�t take a good picture to save my life. Grew up with EldestSister snapping photos right and left. She�s my sister and even she can�t make me look good on film. Not that there�s anything inherently wrong with my looks, just that it doesn�t translate well to film. I�m not a beauty queen either and that�s certainly clear in real life and on film. Needless to say, I try to stay out of the limelight. Hence, I was acutely aware of every time a photographer was taking my picture. There seemed to be a theme. One in which I was sipping a drink, chewing food or ordering another drink at the bar. In total, although I was focused, I really didn�t eat or drink that much. However, there�s footage out there somewhere that suggests that I�m a foodaholic lush. Who�s not photogenic at all. Sweet. I probably won�t ever see those candid shots � I pray � but I�m quite sure I�ll see the staged ones as they�ll be mailed to me. But at least I�m not eating or drinking in those. In other news, I had an unexpected surprise today. I was the first person to arrive at work today � which is normal � and started about writing and eating. Two co-workers arrived shortly after me, said hi, and retreated to their offices. I�m eating and writing when suddenly someone was standing in my office doorway. I looked up and it was BestestGirlfriend (BG). Here�s some of that. (BG:) Morning. (CI:) Hey Girlie! What�s up? (BG:) I need to do some research down the street but the place doesn�t open up for a while so I thought I�d stop by. Are ya busy? (CI:) No not at all. Come in and sit. (BG:) The stairs here? They�re steep. (CI:) (Hee.) Yeah they are. You know, when Colleague was here he took the elevator to avoid them. (BG:) There�s an elevator here? (CI:) Yes. It�s on the other side of the building and I�ve heard that it�s not that reliable and it takes a really long time to go from the first floor all the way up here (to the second floor). The stairs are steep but they�re not that steep. Don�t get me wrong, it is a workout, but unless you�re in a wheelchair or really need that type of accommodation, the stairs are much quicker and easier. Albeit, they�re seriously steep. For the record, both BG and I have a physical disability, but neither disability is readily apparent. (BG:) (Hee.) Colleague always took the elevator? (CI:) Yeah. However, it takes much more effort to walk all the way to the other side of the building and back so I figured it was probably better for him. Plus, I�m quite sure it helped him to learn some patience considering the general unreliability of the elevator. BG and I talked a little bit more and I introduced her to some more of my colleagues. Mostly because they all came to my office. I thought that was a bit odd but whatever. It was only after BG left that I found out why they all gathered around my office. I learned about it from NewColleague who told me that BG just walked right into our department, �like she owned it�, so they thought she was a really important person. Hee. She just knew where she was going. your thoughts? seed flower