Last night we invited five friends over to our place to play some games, eat some food, and possibly watch a movie. Since it was a Halloween-ish party it was decided we would all come in costume. If we had decided to judge the costumes I think I would have voted for Cheri, as her punk costume looked quite good, and rather authentic (thought I can't say I know a lot about punks). I decided to dress up as something I clearly am not, a handyman; I later had to lose the tool belt as it was too awkward to sit with it on, though I did briefly consider how many more snacks I could pack around.

The main goal/event/reason for the party was to play some games, and as there were seven of us and we did not want to exclude anyone we were short on choices which were appropriately themed. Since our collective attitude toward games leans more toward the serious and away from the party games, things like Pictionary, Taboo, and Twister were out (though it might have been fun to yell out “Tail, Red” to just so Erica could have won). We started off our gaming with Citadels, and added in the Queen so we could do a seven player game without any different rules. The game played surprisingly well with so many people; it didn't take too long nor go by too quickly. I don't recall who actually won the game, but JD was the one to end the game (and he tells me he thinks he won on points).

Holly and I had purchased a game specifically for the party some weeks before, and while we had not played it yet, and I hadn't fully read the rules, it was collectively decided to give it a try, and thus we played 14 rounds of Spooks. I was surprised by the game. The box said “3 or more” which was nebulous enough for me to wonder just when it would top out, but it handled 7 people quite well, although with that many people there is one penalty of the game which really hurts should it happen to you. The game itself is simple, and it plays rather fast. It's a great light game for a party, and since the card suits are things like spiders, ghouls, goblins, bats, and bones, it fit the atmosphere rather well.

After we managed to hoist (nearly?) everyone's score up into the land of the three digits (the lowest score wins) I declared it was time for pizza. Now this was perhaps the most fun aspect of the evening, and not just because I happen to enjoy pizza. With the exception of Bethany all the girls were still in their costumes, and they all went to pick up the pizza. The way Holly tells it the girl at the counter asked for Holly's id for the Visa transaction and was in for a shock (thankfully she accepted the transaction and we got our pizza, though it's little comfort knowing anyone wearing an outrageous costume around Halloween can get away with what could be fraud). Pizza was consumed and we decided upon watching the movie Clue.

The movie closed the party some eight hours after it started. The punks had to retrieve their little girl, and the secret agent escorted the black cat to a warm bowl of milk. Bethany stuck around for a bit longer and helped us clean up a bit for which she was rewarded with a game of Chez Dork, then the three of us watched the Garfield Halloween special and the Charlie Brown “Great Pumpkin” special, neither of which Holly had ever seen.

It was a good day, and a fun day. It was one of those days in which the old adage “Time flies when you're having fun” was depressingly true. Eight hours is a long time for a party, but to me it only felt like three, and I was shocked to see it got so late so fast. My only regret is we could not have played more games, yet even saying that the games we did play were a lot of fun, and the movie was quite enjoyable, and the fellowship was sublime; in the end what I mean to say is, I wish it didn't have to end.