One of my new friends here in Buffalo, a fellow non-traditional student, invited me to a Winter Solstice party. It seemed like an excellent time to have a gathering; it served as a holiday celebration, the solstice fell on a weekend this year, and it was just enough before Christmas that many people were still in town.

I brought lots of food, as I like the excuse. The angel-food cake and blueberry whipped cream was the most popular, as usual. I made ice cream on their front porch, which was not all that successful. Over Thanksgiving, I made a quart of mix which didn't even fill the ice cream maker's cannister to half-way. This time I made three pints of the same recipe. Upon freezing, the machine overfilled dramatically, and the ice cream didn't set right. I guess the different temperatures involved caused more air to whip in, expanding the volume. Ah well. I took it home, let it melt in my fridge, and it's delicious in smaller batches.

The party was at my friend's house downtown. Very downtown. They are in walking distance of the Buffalo City Hall, which is beautifully lit up this time of year, and visible from their front porch. The neighborhood was condemned by HUD in the early 1980s, all the old buildings torn down, and new housing (including theirs) built. They have empty lots to either side, though, as much of the cleared land didn't sell. They say it's a nice place though, with friendly neighbors.

The guests were a mix of fellow university students, the hosts' relatives, their coworkers and ex-coworkers. I had a good chat with a guy that's got seven months left before he gets out of the Navy. He's an nuke ET1, that is, an electronics technician first class, who works on nuclear submarines. He's getting out mainly because he's got a 2½-year-old, who was also in attendance (until bedtime, at least.) We swapped stories about foreign ports etc. Being a submariner, he didn't have any good stories about joint operations with foreign troops, though.

There was gaming, of course. We had a bunch of rounds of Werewolves vs. Villagers, which is an excellent party game. There was also Spades, Settlers of Catan, all the usual suspects.

The plan was for the party to go all night, and toasts to be drunk at the dawning sun. I had driven my old friend Mary to the party, so she could drink. She had a final exam Monday at noon, so I took her home at about 2 AM to get some rest. After dropping her off at her apartment, I went to mine intending upon a nap. I set an alarm for 6 AM, to get up and get back to the party in time for dawn (at 7:41 AM). I'm not as young as I used to be: I hit the snooze bar and went back to sleep, missing the end of the party. Ah well, it was a good time anyway.

Posted by: Boviate at 03:11 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
Post contains 505 words, total size 3 kb.