The Bear Party!

Well when I woke up and looked around this morning, I realized that I should have done a lot more cleaning yesterday. I had invited a friend up from Greenwood to go to the Bear Christmas Party tonight, and the house was not at it's best. I had a very busy day ahead of me.

Fortunately, I had already cooked my sweet potatoes for the sweet potato casserole I was taking yesterday, so all I had to do was put the casserole together today. In the meantime, I was going to the damn flea market today. It was yucky weather last Sunday, and this is the first flea market day since I got my Santa money. Unfortunately the flea market gods conspired against me and it was ugly weather again today. On the way there, Billy called and asked me to go by Kmart to get him some pants that were on sale, since there is a Kmart like block from my house, and Russ called to ask if I would pick up a turner for his Christmas tree at the flea market. I was afraid I was going to have to go up to Duncan to get that, but fortunately one of the few vendors who was at the flea market near my house this morning had the turner, and I was able to get it easily. There was just nothing I wanted dammit. So I ran by and got the pants, and then went home to clean.

I spent the afternoon cleaning and messing with the casserole. Once again, Grandma Shumate's sweet potatoes did not set. They are delicious, but always end up soupy. I think the problem is that the recipe is for canned sweet potatoes, which I just will not use, and I am using potatoes I cooked myself, which have more moisture left in them. Compounding the tweaking is that I only make this stuff about once a year. It is really terrible for you, basically sweet potato pie without the crust, and with a butter and pineapple topping. Good, but you can hear your arteries hardening as you eat it. I make it for Billy at Christmas because it is his favorite.

The house was pretty respectable by the time my guest arrived to leave for the party, but I was still a wreck since he got there about a half hour early. I just had to pull it together and go.

The bear party is always fun. This year was no exception. It wasn't quite as wild this year as in years past. Some of the key wild people weren't there to get things going, and we ended up playing with Billy's Christmas Wii instead of the BDSM toys this year. There was no nekkid mayhem. But it was good to see everyone, and I had a great time. There was also some killer food. This one guy made an artichoke dip that was to die for. Also, since Billy and Russ are on Weight Watchers, they sent said dip home with me. YUmmmmmmmm. I am going to HAVE to have that recipe.

My guest immediately sees someone he knows, goes over to him, and spends the rest of the evening talking to him. I did check in with him once or twice, but he barely moved the whole night, and talked to his friend. So much for making new friends. Whatever, that's his life.

For the gift exchange this year, we did "Crappy Christmas/Shitty Santa" and everyone brought the worst gift they received to the party. We all draw numbers and do the usual Dirty Santa routine, but there was almost no stealing this year, because most of the gifts were pretty bad. Russ and Billy and I all knew what the other was bringing, so we didn't pick each other's gifts. One of the gifts was a blender that had been opened and used, and wasn't even clean! I can't imagine giving something like that, but the guy that brought it swears he got it that way. I got to run the gift exchange, and it was lots of fun. I'd like to do that every year.

So anyway, the party breaks up, and my guest tells me he's going to stay with me, rather than drive back to Greenwood. It's about 1am, and this is what I figured. So he goes into the bathroom the minute we get home, and is in there for like a half hour. I'm thinking "What the hell is he doing in there?", but he's company, so I just do my little nighttime stuff and get ready for bed. When I finally get in the bathroom, it is a mess. There's water everywhere. My towel, and my cleaning cloth that I keep in there are sopping, and the vanity has water all over it. Like a whole roll of toilet paper is gone, and there is a wad of sopping tp on the toilet seat. OK, now I should have offered a towel, I guess, but wouldn't you just ask for one? Anyway, I clean up and go to bed. The guy wakes me up at 5:45am, leaving to go home. Doesn't say why, just leaving. Weird.

And no, there was no hanky-panky last night. I was a good boy. I was just trying to be friendly inviting the guy to the party since he had just moved here. It was just weird.