Saturday was my second annual trip to Dudley, MA for the Ed Humphries' Holiday Party. You may recall (if you read it. if not, here's proof it happened) that I attended this event last year, and it was noteworthy for two reasons: I won the Holiday Pop Culture Trivia Contest, and I left Boston. this time around, though, it seemed a little different. Because I did it last year, journeying that far out of my comfort zone wasn't so bad this time (and maybe I'm just not as cynical as I was a year ago.) However, I did not win the trivia contest this time around. Stupid Island of Misfit Toys.
Maybe it was different this year because last year I was still in my "Uber-single" phase, where I extolled the virtues of singlehood at every opportunity. I've adopted more of a "Live and let live" philosophy as far as that goes now. And I also have to admit that Ed is still someone who has brought balance to The Force, and can basically have his childish "guy fun" and keep the wife and kids happy. I'm not sure if that can be attributed to his juggling abilities, or that his wife (Andi, the Duchess of Dudley) is just so much more understanding than most wives I know, but there it is.
The other noteworthy thing about this year's gathering was the inclement weather. It was assumed that those who had to travel a great distance would bow out rather than risk their lives to possibly only end up with a lame Yankee-Swap gift (My contribution: those bottle tops you can put on soda cans so they don't lose their fizz. Seriously? How slow are people drinking their soda? I can finish off a can in seconds.) Instead, there was quite an awesome turn-out, and I think this can be attributed to the kind of guy Ed is. I think people are willing to drive to Dudley in the snow because that's the kind of guy he is, and he would probably do it for them. Granted, I wasn't actually doing any of the driving, but I was a passenger, so there's still a risk. But I wouldn't have missed it for anything.
Even though I ended up with Nerf Cosmic Keep-Away.
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