Late though I was, I went to a weekend party at a co-worker's family house. And what a house it was! A 3 story modern colonial, built at the very top of a hill atop a ridgeline (which gives you a very broad expansive view of the rest of Long Island). To die for this place was. And the party was fully catered, with a full bar, and a DJ to boot. Outdoor speakers, a backyard with immaculate lawn and plenty of tables and chairs, and a pool to boot. And I almost didn't go because I was running late with all my morning errands. Besides being late, the train ride was longer then I expected. And more expensive too, clocking in at $17. Not to mention the cab fare, at $20 a pop (Although, to be fare, I did split the ride with Dora and Ronald, cousin and cousin-in-law of said co-worker; and two of co-worker's friends on the way back. And I did insist on covering the entire $16 fare each way, plus an even more generous $4 tip to boot, all because I only had $20 bills.). And this doesn't even count the $25 in lost income from having to postpone (again) my tutoring session (I figure making nice to co-workers at my day job trumps my weekend job ... but just BARELY). And even though I had no alcohol and the service was slow at best, I tipped the bartender a dollar too. All in all, today's adventure cost me $84. And what did I get from my $83 investment? I got all the food I could (and did) eat. I got all the fruit juice you could shake a stick at (with the unexercised option to add an alcohol bonus). I got to dance dance dance the night away, against my will at times. I got to be part of a kicking party (You know it rocks when the cops have to come by twice to ask you to turn the music down.) with people I normally wouldn't be partying with (think House Party, the movie, only older and family-centric ... although there were a lot of TLC aspiring people here too). I got to meet a lot of cool people, and trade some (now) funny stories of crime and fear in Old Bad (pre-Giuliani) New York. In otherwords, I got to have a lot of fun. But of course, I'm still obsessing over the $83 spent. That and the fact that I left my camera at home.
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