Perils of Caffeine in the Evening

Our Saturday Cavalcade of Parties was a lot of fun, and well worth getting only 3 hours of sleep before heading for Seatac. The party at our Nautilus club was a pleasant surprise. It was very well-attended, and I talked to many people that I’d only identified with the sweats they wear to work out, or the machine they seem to gravitate to. For instance, Stepmaster Guy turned out to be a Princeton/Wharton graduate and a possible business contact (not that you have possess such a pedigree to do business with a mongrel like me).  And I chatted amiably for the first time with a couple that has lived right around the corner from us for 20 years, one of whom is a published author.  We were surprised to find that it was hard to tear ourselves away in order to head for our second party of the night.  I find myself wondering, however, if I’ll be more self-conscious about the paltry weight I lift on each machine now that I’m better-acquainted with people who may be following me onto a machine.  It’s one thing to have Mrs. Perils follow me and discreetly add 30 - 50 pounds onto the leg press machine I’ve just vacated.  She’s already forgiven me my manifest weaknesses.  At least the ones she knows about.

The marquee event of the evening was the white elephant party given by Mrs. Perils’ climbing buddies.  It’s always a great feed, as both partners are terrific chefs.  There were sashimi tartlets, Thai shrimp, kalua pork, chocolate pot de creme and a ton of other dishes.  Then the gift process began.  Each of us was supposed to bring something naughty, or nice, or both.  We were, frankly, disappointed in the “naughty” components.  Only a couple met our standards (Mrs. Perils The Demure furnished a set of Pecker Pushpins, purchased at our neighborhood Erotic Bakery).  Below are two gifts that stood out as unique. (click to enlarge)

This one’s a live lobster pleading its case to a crowd that had just gorged on, among other things, shrimp and raw tuna.  The justices found its appeal lacked merit.  It’s unclear whether it fell into the ”naughty” or “nice” category, but it was inventive.  Interestingly, it wore the same yellow wristbands that its recipient wore.  Social consciousness probably will not buy much of a reprive from the boiling pot.

Perhaps the best (if one of the few) “naughty” present was this one.  There was a gratifying reticence among participants to make deposits.