Yes, it was that time of year again when my billionaire acquaintance was holding his annual Christmas party for 460 of his closest .... uhm, well, I am not sure that any of us are that close to him but we keep getting invited every year.
This year was a bit different in that he actually joined us for the first time since this Christmas tradition began a decade ago!
It was also the first time I have ever seen him without armed escort, even in a crowd of friends! No running car outside the front door to whisk him away. He smiled, laughed, smoosed and seem to have a good time. His weight is down, his children happy, his wife standoffish as usual but seemed to be enjoying herself as well. And never make eye contact, even when talking with you, seems to be the rule ...
Food as usual was without compare. Oh the dreams my full belly has had since the party! Alcohol in abundance, but I did not even go near the watering area. And then there were the stories ...
A little girl wrote on a white board, "I love Werner Von Braun", and I thought what the heck - he has been dead for decades and she is about 7 years old ... ? So, I asked her father why she wrote that. I guess there is a series being run on PBS right now about genius and the last episode was on Von Braun, and she was highly impressed with him. I could not help but think at how her perception would change had she actually known him! I have not thought about him in quite a long time, so I dug out my photos of him from his visits after I was a teenager and had a camera. Yeah, him and his handlers. You have no idea the frustration we all had with our handlers back then ... and my mind slipped back to the last time I had seen Margit, his daughter I had the worse crush on for so many years, maybe 1970 ...? We had so much fun sharing stories of how to frustrate the FBI :) She was quite the rascal.
Every year there is this classic Irishman whom attaches himself to me and as the drink continues so does his monologues. He is a very intelligent man, and yes an engineer!, and oh is ever so! But, I found out that his first love had been banking until he took an engineering class and it was all over for banking then! Ah! Accountant type alert! But, what a switch, from banking (about as interesting as eat wall paste) to engineering (about as interesting as eating wall paste). Yeah, he will be single for the rest of his life if I had to bet! LOL!
Of course what is a large party with alcohol, without women desiring to show off their tattoos as the night rolls on? Or the couples seeking out hiding places to satisfy themselves. Sigh. I really felt like smacking more than just a few people! There were dozens of children there! Apparently the decency to at least sneak out to your car is no longer a thought - much less self control in public. We live in a rapidly declining culture.
Overall, great party. A few annoyances. Great food. Much laughter. And sadly I think my last time to attend. I suspect I will be long gone by this time next year - I pray so - my heart is growing weaker with the pressure surrounding me!
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