Good End To A Tough Week

As some of you know, my mother passed away last week after a prolonged illness. In the end, it was a release of sorts because her condition had deteriorated to the point where life did not seem like life anymore.

We decided to attend the MSA party last night and it was a nice respite from the week’s stressors.

I know there are people who are of two minds about these things. Is it bad taste to have fun so quickly after a tragedy or is it fine to do so? Since the person in question has died, does it really matter what I do? It’s not as if I’m putting on a show for other people and care whether I get good reviews for my way of handling grief. In the end, having fun seemed to not be such a bad way to spend a Saturday night.

Second time in the new MSA party space and it was just as good as I remembered it. Private rooms to play in and a larger room for gathering and hanging out. Parking is always as issue but I’ve lucked out twice with street parking that didn’t cost a body part to purchase metered time. I can’t say that I played a lot but the play I did get in was very good. I probably indulged in too many snack foods but where else do I get a chance to eat cookies — certainly not at home. All in all, another good party with good people.

The one amusement of the evening was my opportunity to briefly play Santa. I say briefly because it’s obvious that the suit is designed for outdoor winter usage — it was a mobile sauna. I went downstairs with the huge box full of Kris Kringle gear and popped on the suit. It might have looked better had I been able to figure out the foot and leg wrapping that made it look like you’re wearing boots but, alas, it was a jeaned and sneakered Santa that trudged upstairs to surprise the guests. I suppose I was a kind of “meta” Santa — very self-referential in that suit and commenting on how hot it was. I was also a rather foul-mouthed Santa which I thought appropriate for the adult setting and the fact that being a life-long New Yorker, it is part of my personality to be foul-mouthed. After a pit stop to spank one of my little helpers (Sandy in a sexy Santa-esque outfit), I got the hell out of there before my sweat started to pool around my feet.

After a week off from work, it’s time to go back on Monday and re-enter my daily grind (including commute). Thanks to all for your kind wishes, remarks and condolences because they were appreciated. I hope the rest of the holiday season is filled with joy and good times for all. I’ll have to come up with an appropriately spanko topic for my next post.