Last weekend was the prom. I didn't have a new dress, just the same 8 or 9 evening gowns that I've had for at least 5 years, so I wore a dress I've worn before. That actually sounds pretty silly in print so I'll stop complaining (until you're out of earshot because I want a new dress. But I'm not getting one. Rats.).

Yes, it is a prom. It's officially called a "Winter party," but when the office puts on a Winter party and rents an entire convention center, with 5 ballrooms, 4 bands, 3 martini bars, 7 buffets, a casino, and AND and posed homecoming-queen-and-king-style photographers. See? Prom. With martinis and gambling. I haven't missed it since I started working there in 2000. It's the event of the year.

This year a friend from work threw a pre-prom party at her pad. It made me recall high school, when I went to Jesuit's Jr/Sr prom with this guy I was dating at the time. It was an octuple date (8 couples). One of the moms hosted pre-prom dinner at her house, then we went to the prom (in a couple of limos). Afterwards, each of the remaining sets of parents hosted a post-prom party/breakfast buffet. Seven post-prom breakfasts. We had a blast. At the time I wondered why these parents would want to stay up so late cooking pancakes and waffles, but it did keep us away from the jello shots. It was a clever plan. After the last breakfast party was over, we went to, where else, Denny's for more breakfast.

Anyway, I was actually looking forward to the pre-prom party more than I was looking forward to the prom itself. You see, the prom is jam-packed with about 6000 people, it's VERY noisy, there's always a line in the ladies' rooms, and there's nowhere to sit. So we dance and dance and dance (which is The Awesome!). BUT-- if you lose track of your friends, it is not easy to find them again. The pre-prom party at my pal's pad was jam-packed with only people that I know and like, so it doesn't matter if I lose one of my friends. There are several more milling around nearby. It was lots of fun.

Prom was fun too, though, and I am glad we went. We danced and danced and afterwards I drove while SNG, Peace and Fuzzy sang drinking songs. I'm always the designated driver because I can act silly and sing drinking songs without having to drink first. What a life!

So who, you ask, was watching after e-baby? She was at home making pancakes and waffles for the post-prom party, of course! She's so smart.

Here are the pictures from Prom!