It was a festive gathering at a neighbour's house last night. Much to-do about the state of world affairs and the economy of course. "How is your job affected by the down turn?" was the most popular question of the evening.
No one stayed on the topic long. What's there to say about it?
There were other more important topics to discuss. The media seems to have become a story in itself. Most feel they've contributed greatly to the national anxiety by their fear mongering headlines and their "theoretical" approach to news. One fellow commented on stories about what "might" happen and why they often end up on the front page. "Aren't there enough real news stories to publish?" he asked.
Movies people have seen were also a hot topic last night. In Bruges came up a couple of times. One fellow who lived in Paris for a few years told me this ancient city is known for "lace". If you read the link, you'll see what he means. Something about teaching it in the schools in the 15th century.
The movie was ok. If death by violence is funny, then this was a comedy. I never said it was funny. They're often not the same thing.
I spent my time flogging the merits of Slumdog Millionaire.
There was a neighbour with a teenager who began taking his meds and is actually getting up in the morning (not a common occurrence up until now). Why you might ask? You guessed it. He met a girl. This has been known to happen in the past. Man meets woman. Man takes meds. Man arises each day.
Our Bach In The Saddle Again toy drive was a hot topic last night also. Many at the party attended the show and were impressed with the performance and the size of not only the crowd, but the loot we raised for the needy families. I heard tell from WoodGreen Community Services that well over 500 families were taken care of because of the efforts of Treasure Island Toys on the Danforth and Bach In The Saddle Again.
One of the more important issues discussed last night was at what point in the evening did the event go from being a gathering to a party. We got there an hour after the invited time (appropriate delay considering it was New Year's Eve don't you think?). There were 8 people plus the hosts in attendance so we made 10. Someone thought this was a large enough number to constitute a party. "No way" said I. "This is a gathering."
We duked it out for a while and then a neighbour arrived with a goofy hat on her head and 5 friends in tow. "Now it's a party" I declared.
