Birthday Party 2006, Update: a big success. The food seemed to be a hit (even with two experiments that could have gone either way). The beer was plenteous (although I personally did not have any- I had Malibu Rum and Coke). The friends were great fun to be around. I love having get-togethers like this, especially in a new house. And then a few people stuck around to play Hearts, and that made for the perfect end to my evening. I absolutely love playing cards, and I think it's because I grew up playing cards with my extended family every time we got together.

My mom's side of the family loves playing card games, and I think they got it from their mom. So ever since I was about 10 or so, I have been an avid player of Liverpool Rummy. There was a stage when Canasta was popular too, and Poker, but Rummy was always the big game for us. Just recently I figured out the rules to Hearts when I tried playing it on the computer, so I was pretty excited to actually try playing it with real human beings. My friends were much better conversationalists than Pauline or Michelle. (You'd only get that if you had played Hearts on the computer.) I've decided that playing cards and eating together are the top two bonding experiences.

The only problem about last night was that I completely forgot to take any pictures. So much for working on my photojournalistic skills.