Tuesday, January 01, 2008

Welcome 2008

Last night, I had the privilege of being a guest at the home of friends. There were eight of us all together. This marked the third time this group has been together for NY's. The nice thing about getting old is that you have friendships that grow and expand along with one's waistline! It was the first time in a long while that I rolled out of bed on NY's Eve day without any dinner preparation responsibilities! Not that I don't enjoy giving dinner parties, I do very much. But this year being guest v. host was a welcomed break.

I'm pleased to say that I made it until midnight. I was also the designated driver and took my responsibility seriously. I did have some wine, and some champagne, but all over a 6 hour period of time with plenty of food. In case you did not know, women cannot process metabolize alcohol the way a man can. The reason why women get drunk faster is because they lack an enzyme (or maybe it is a protein, I forget!)--not because their body weight is less. There are actually tables that show the rate of metabolization of alcohol for both women and men. If you eat and drink out frequently, perhaps you may wish to commit that information to memory.

I find that eight makes for a manageable, sit-down, dinner party. There are some normal parameters that when exceeded proves problematic. First, comfortable space at the table. Second, having enough wine glasses for both red and white wines. After 8 you have the natural accretion to 12 given that the minimum (unless it is open stock) is 4 per box. Third, cuts of meat. Once you get above 8, you end up having to buy more meat than you wish. Who wants to buy two tenderloins? Further, even if you are just frying pork chops, you end up with a third processing, assuming that you can get 4 per pan. Fourth, the general logistics of being able to have easy conversation in one-offs or even as a larger group. Beyond 8, I find that it does not work as well. Those are my four reasons for having an 8 person dinner party. I did 10 year before last, and I pared it back last year for the reasons listed above.

I'm still working on my resolutions. I did print out the Seven Davincian Principles that I shared with you earlier and have that by my computer. I cannot help but note the applicability of these principles to most things that any of us wish to undertake in life, including investing.

Today we will have a traditional Southern meal: Ham, black eyed peas, collard/kale, and either corn/spoon bread. I hope that you enjoy the day and all of the promise that it brings.


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1 comment:

russell1200 said...

Seven plus a four year old does not equal eight. It more like 9. and if they manage to finagle bringing there pirate ship to the table 9-1/2.

We watched an old 1941 pirate movie: The Black Swan.

It was very funny.