Gin and Tonic

Every now and then, not very often, I volunteer for the Houston Center for Contemporary Craft. I'm not sure why they let me do this. Maybe they'll figure out how easily distracted I am someday, but until then, I'm a very enthusiastic and friendly (but easily distracted) volunteer.

It just so happens that I volunteered to help with their annual fundraiser last week, Martini Madness. (It was SO much fun.) When the guests arrived, they were to select a hand crafted martini glass for the evening -- sort of a grown up party favor. One of my jobs was to make sure the glasses were easily reachable and neatly arranged on the table. Piece of cake.


Another job for the night was to bus tables. Again, a super easy job, but a surprisingly social one. I kept bumping into people I knew and chatting with those I didn't....which made the "work" fun.

Now, I'm not a martini drinker, but I do enjoy a good gin and tonic, which, when I asked, were not available. Turns out that I wasn't asking the right person. When the right person found out that I like gin and tonics, within 15 seconds, a gin and tonic was in my hand. Since my dad reads this blog, I'll go ahead and confess that I had my first gin and tonic when I was in high school. (Dad, thanks for sending me to Our Redeemer Lutheran. Good Lutherans sure do know how to drink. I can literally hear my dad groaning and saying, "Oh, my.") Really, I was only going to have a sip, since I was a volunteer worker and all, ah, but that was the best gin and tonic I've had in years. So good.

My last job of the night was the final clean up. But by then, I had been visiting with a table of friends, and that gin and tonic was on top of a glass of wine or two (or three). For whatever reason (?), I kind of forgot to be a diligent helper at the end of the night. And besides, one of my new friends wasn't drinking, and when she offered to drive me home, which was a need, I gratefully accepted.

That was a week ago. Tonight, there's another event at Houston Center for Contemporary Craft, and I volunteered to count the people who attend. I have absolutely no OCD tendencies AT ALL. And I'm easily distracted (but enthusiastic and friendly). I just hope that I can focus long enough to count people coming in, smile, be friendly, have ONE glass of wine, and not get fired from this volunteering job. Oh, I've got to be there in 30 minutes....better get ready.