September 26, 2003 - 9:51 a.m.

Dude!

I am apparently stressing way too much about this birthday party I am throwing for myself this weeken... I had a dream about it last night, and let's just say that I ended up in shouting matches with two separate guests in the middle of dinner. I woke up sweating, heart beating way too fast, with the distinct feeling that I had been grinding my teeth... Ugh.

So, what is it about this party that is stressing me out? Well, I had this crazy idea to do a photo scavenger hunt. The basic idea is that I give people a list and they have to go off and take pictures of various things. Sounds uninteresting until you factor in the element that the teams will have to create most of the scenes they will photograph. They might have to recreate or parody a scene from a movie. I may ask them to find the ugliest tie. The might even have to cross dress. :) So, first, I am stressing about whether this will be any fun and whether people will really get in the silly spirit of the scenario.

Stress factor number two is the weather. The best place for the party is downtown, since there's a big park, lots of stores and restaurants, etc. That way the teams will have access to lots of settings and potential props for their photos. That means a fair bit of walking around outside between stores and such. And it is highly possible it will be raining tomorrow night.

I am also stressing about the various logistics of the party. I have to make sure I have the disposable cameras, printed lists, etc. We will also have to make sure we drop off all the cameras in time for one hour developing before the photo lab closes. The plan is to complete the scavenger hunt, drop off film, and head to dinner while the film is being developed. Any number of things could go wrong with the plan, though, so I may have to just go with the flow.

If all goes well, it should be really fun, and I should have some very funny photos of my friends in all sorts of silly scenarios. :) I think once I finalize the scavenger list and stuff, I will be able to relax a bit and just look forward to a wacky evening with my friends.

In other news, the family's plan for making M the most popular girl in her first grade class comes into play tomorrow. We will be hosting a birthday party complete with pony rides! So far the response has been extremely positive, and if the dreaded rain holds off, I am sure the party will be a huge success. As B has taken to saying lately, it will be "deeeelightful!" :)

today's project: my favorite Friday morning - waking up but staying in bed with my book.

musing about: getting older

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