Isn't that a sight for sore eyes and drooling mouths?

In case you are wondering the cost, and I certainly was, it's listed for 50 USD but we ended up only paying about 8 USD for it through various coupon trickery I don't understand yet. Probably after the holidays nobody really wants this thing, or has a use for it. Now that we have it it's a good reason to throw more parties.

Is it worth it? To be honest, I'd rather use the double boiler method. But you can't deny its beauty. What's annoying about it?

1. The motor is loud on this model. Probably there are some that are quieter.
2. It requires a lot of chocolate. This is not for a 2 person date.
3. It is annoying to clean, though not so bad if you do it right away.
4. A lot of leftover chocolate. This isn't such a big deal, I'm planning on saving what's left and slowly drinking it in the form of hot chocolate.

Anyway, that's enough about that. What about the party?

Party Time

Usually, as far as hosting parties is concerned, my wife is the one to host for friends. Since her friends are also my friends, this is all fine and fun. She likes to host, and she knows how to keep the party lively. Me? I don't know, I'm not much of a party person myself, but I wanted to throw one for some folks at work.

I can treat this as a get out of my own shell exercise, but I don't think I was thinking of that when I volunteered to host. But hey, it should count! What was the occasion? Well, a few folks would soon be leaving the team, and I wanted to host a nice send-off. The intersection of that desire and also the desire to finish a whole lot of beers and ciders sitting in our fridge, and the desire to make more use of the chocolate fountain.

But for a fairly large group of people, I'd say that went rather well. No plan. Food, drinks, chocolate. I made more of that apple cider wine combination and that was tasty. Made a lot of progress on the drinks. And everyone seemed to have a good time, all social-like. I suppose the drinking with the right mix of people will do that all on its own. As the host, I did the bouncing around bit, and interacted with everyone. Opal as well, she is always a hit. My wife also got to know a few folks from work as well, and she was surprised that she enjoyed it, because she was dreading the affair. I'm sure all she is thinking is Geeks, geeks, geeks, ew. But hey, we're cool.

Other Thoughts

It's nice not to have to rely on any party games and just be comfortable with the folks around you. For a send off though, in my mind would involve some form of roasting or poking fun, or something more along the sentimental lines of people saying what they will miss about those who are leaving. Maybe they appreciate me not doing so though. That might require a more specialized group than who was present. I'll save that idea for next time...