Party

Gregory's birthday is on July 4th along with our Nation's. This will be the fourth year that we have had an immediate world party inviting everyone we know and giving them automatic permission to bring guests. Usually thirty to forty people show up for appetizers, dinner, fireworks and birthday cake.

I am known for the style in which I throw a party. I like it to be set up ahead of time, organized, and self-serve so I can mingle with the guests. To this end the appetizer station is set before the guests arrive, all the dinner buffet items are in a row on the back counter or saran wrapped and in the refrigerator ready go. I have been known to place a red flashing arrow at the beginning of the buffet signaling the direction of flow. Next to the glasses and ice bucket, I post a sign listing available drinks and where they are located: on counter, in refrigerator, in ice chest on balcony.

The cake is on display in another corner of the counter island with small plates and forks standing by. By the front door there is a schedule of events and a menu. In the T.V. room there is a slide show running of a recent vacation or pictures of G or myself growing up depending on the event.

While friends and family enjoy our parties and anticipate the next (July 4th, Fall Fest, Christmas, etc) they also like to make fun of how well organized I am. So to them I propose the following new approach.

When the guests arrive they will receive a laminated card listing the drinks, menu, and events of the evening. A chip will be embedded in the card which will confirm their arrival time as they pass through the entry hall and activate a place for them on the next event's party list.

As they pass the appetizer or drink station the card will announce the options and silently notify me by cell phone if any of the food is running low. If the guest feels the need to use the rest room and it is already busy, the chip will automatically put them on a wait list and the card's LEDS will flash when the rest room is available.

On passing the gift table, the card will note if a gift is left and record its weight. It will also photograph and tag the gift with the giver's name for future reference when it will automatically generate a thank you note e-mail.

At the end of the party the card may be inserted in the reader at the computer located by front door to give the attendee an opportunity to take a survey regarding how they enjoyed the party, if the rest rooms were clean and in order, if their meal was ample and hot, if the dessert was to their liking and will ask for any suggestions for future parties. By taking the survey, the guest will be moved closer to the top of the next party invitation list as well as receive a 10% discount on their parking fees.

"We appreciate your holding and appologize for any inconvenience you may have encountered. There are no cashiers in the lobby. Please take your ticket with you and pay at the machines in the lobby before exiting. One moment please. Please wait. We are encountering technological difficulties and are working to correct them.  We thank you for your patience."

Neglectful

Sometimes when I do not write for a while, I feel guilty and like I am neglecting my anonymous, possibly non-existent audience. I expect that I will not be spending much time on this blog until after the opening of Michael's Museum at The Chicago Children's Museum on May 13th. Lots of time is being spent on Navy Pier at the Museum dealing with meetings, unpacking and staging collections, and installation. Also time is being taken by event and party planning for the opening. So if you miss me, check out my other BLOGS and you will see what's going on in the life of:

Michael A. Horvich, The Curious Curator
Michael's Museum, A Curious Collection of Tiny Treasures
at The Chicago Children's Museum

My One Room House: The Kitchen

I am sure that many others have experienced this. You have decided to throw a party and have invited 5 or 10 or 20 or 30 people over to join in. EVERYONE ends up hanging out in the kitchen. People hang out where the food is, usually in the kitchen (maybe the dining room if it is right next door to the kitchen.) There is just something about the place where food is served that says love, warmth, nurturing, sustenance. 

Our condo sports a loft style environment with a very large living room divided from the open kitchen by an island counter. At our parties, the back counter is where we locate the "buffet," a beverage station is on one side of the center island counter and the "sweets" are located on the other side. Everything is self serve and if there are any confusing parts, we post small signs explaining, for example the different flavor dips.

We have had as many as 40 people join us for a birthday or Christmas celebration. EVERYONE hangs out in the kitchen and around the counters. The other side of the OPEN living area is usually empty. Not a chair occupied, not a sofa sat on. The Den/TV Room is empty as well. People are happy crowding around the kitchen. We don't fight it ... we join it.

When I was growing up, the rooms of our house were more discrete, one wasn't open to the other. The kitchen was separate from the dining room which was separate from the living room which was separate from the den/TV room. Guess what ... usually the same thing happened. "EVERYONE to the kitchen/dining room ... get your love, warmth, nurturing, sustenance ... step right up ... crowd right in.