the season

we had the firm Christmas party last night. the skit was a hit. i was so happy. i mean, you know how i get about creative things like this - i start to get really possessive of my work and i get "uncomfortable" when my cohorts in the execution want to change things once i've gotten everything the way i want it. ok, i'm a bit of a control freak, which is why i don't like to spearhead these sorts of things. a friend of mine was giving me shit for being so secretive, calling me a snob and ridiculous for wanting to keep it secret. i finally said to her in mid-whine, "oh, get over it! you can't always get what you want when you want it. i'm not your husband." that shut her up.

the beginning of the day was rough. Jax had sent out the e-mail to all participants about what they were being asked to do. the General sent her one back that said, "you've got to be kidding me." and A was being such a grump about it. for someone who is always on me to participate and have fun, she certainly wasn't happy about doing the skit. and she's an amateur ballroom dancer anyway but she refused to dance. oy. i had another girl playfully threatening me all day with revenge next year (her dance with one of the partners turned out to be my favorite, although i'm not sure that the traditional chacha has pole dancing in it but it was funny!).

no one really knew what was going to happen when we assembled. we handed out my professional pamphlets, with judges' bios and descriptions of the dance and what to look for, and set up my powerpoint slide show. all in all, the dances were entertaining, the judges' comments were really good, and everyone was laughing. really, that's all i wanted.

then, we got our Christmas gifts from the partners to the staff. last year, we got these beautiful cuff-style silver bracelets with a native animal picture engraved into it. this year, we got $125 gift certificates to Spa Utopia. let's just say, all the women were going crazy. it was a very nice gift!

we went to this little italian restaurant for dinner and dancing. dinner was good but i had a big bowl of pasta for lunch (not intentional - i went out for lunch the day before and left my lunch from home in the fridge) so i wasn't really hungry. but there was a cheesy italian trio playing everything from italian polkas to billie jean. it was so much fun. i danced with the General - i don't think i could've gotten out of it politely but it was fine. i tend to like to lead so it was hard just letting him lead me because surprisingly, he wasn't a strong lead. i've danced with guys who know how to lead and it just makes you want to follow. it was a lot of fun. i hope we go somewhere with dancing next year too.

well, the snow has finally let up, the streets are now safer to drive so i'm heading off to find me some Christmas decorations!