company party

Last night was the much-anticipated Great Gatsby party which was shrouded in mystery until the last minute; as it turned out, my boss' own home served as the Gatsby estate. We arrived in a white PT cruiser and were greeted by a valet service after which we followed a woody path into the backyard and handed champagne while coming upon the massive waterfall system that had been developed. It started at the top of the hill and ended with an 8-ft deep pool full of koi at the bottom. There was a grill with a whole pig being slow-roasted and several isolated food tables consisting of fine cheeses and crackers, crab and shrimp and oysters on the half-shell, and all sort of salmon pate, smoked salmon, various other exotic rolls and appetizers, a shelf of desserts including tiramasu and chocolate mousse and ginger cookies, et al., a full wait-staff wearing jerseys specifically fashioned for this event. There was an open bar with specialty drinks consisting of blackberry ginger something or other and the bloody orange dream, lemon drops, and tghe basics. As well there stood an ice sculpture through which to pour the vodka for the drinks, a few kegs of microbrew, and that is only scratching the surface...
It was my first company party and quite an experience to say the least. Most everyone was dressed in their 20s attire and slowly but surely getting drunker and drunker. Luckily I paced myself and mixed in a good amount of bottled water to dilute the alcohol coursing through my system. Before I knew it, it was after midnight and the colleagues of mine with kids at home at nearly all left and things had emptied quickly. Still, there were many people there, and we were given a ride in a PT cruiser back home again.
It is more apparent than ever why people begin with the company with a year or two in mind and end up staying over a decade...
All in all, however, it was a good time, and I'm still trying to recover this morning and afternoon, so I am fresh again to go tomorrow for work.