Whee! We rocked, again!

[dianec42]

The annual office Christmas party Generic Politically Correct Non-Denominational Holday Party (With Christmas Trees!) has come and gone. I played in the office band once again, and overall it was quite good.

+ We were MUCH better rehearsed and prepared this year.
+ The venue was much more conveniently located, and better laid out for hauling stuff around and setting up.
----- My dear husband stuartc was sick and couldn't go.
+ He understands that the show must go on and all that.
- The party was on a Friday this year instead of a Saturday, so we didn't have a lot of time to prepare and set up.
+ Did I mention this hotel is sanely laid out? We were set up and ready to go, with no incidents, in plenty of time.
+ This hotel also has a modern (and properly grounded!) electrical system, so we didn't have to spend 2 hours getting rid of a 60-cycle hum in the PA.
- We were on BEFORE (and slightly DURING dinner), so people were still arriving, and were mostly still sober.
+++ We absolutely rocked. People clapped and cheered. Despite being sober, some of them apparently nearly started dancing.
- We did, inevitably, screw up a couple of times.
+ Apparently no one noticed.
+ "Moondance" needed another guitar solo anyway. (Okay, not really.)
+ This year's dress actually stands up to a strong light.
+ I bullied several people into taking pictures of me in The Dress.
+ The Victoria's Secret Highly Technical Device worked pretty well.
- There were a couple of technical glitches with that, but I'm pretty sure only I noticed.
++ I actually had sufficient cleavage that when I found a spare guitar pick at the end of the night, I had a place to stash it.
- Had to loan out my book light to Mr Big Cheese for his saxophone stuff.
+ There was enough ambient light that I didn't need it.
+++ I had everything pretty well memorised anyway.
+ Actually got the book light BACK at the end of the night.
+ Found a solution to the 4-page fold-out Girl From Ipanema problem. (Answer: Drumsticks.)
- The order got switched on us, so I didn't get out the 4-page fold-out in time to use it.
+ I played it from memory just fine.
- By the time I noticed people starting to strike the equipment, I had drunk too much red wine to even think about pulling the car around.
+ Happily, we had an entire spare SUV of space, so mine wasn't actually needed.
+ At least I'm a pleasant drunk, if a bit babbly and random.
+ I didn't actually fall off of The Shoes.
- Ow, my feet.
+ Stayed in the hotel overnight, like a sensible person.
- By myself, as previously noted. Don't like sleeping alone.
- No coffee makers in the rooms.
--- $3.25 for a fracking cappucino in the hotel Starbucks. Sheesh.
+ Stopped by Trader Joe's on the way home to pick up some necessary bits.
- At noon on a Saturday. WTF was I thinking?

And finally, the realization that I've been avoiding having:
+/- I have GOT to start playing more than one gig a year. This is ridiculous.

Pictures forthcoming.