Party Party!

Finally after some demanding and cajoling from friends, I had a house party. Tom gave a slideshow presentation on climbing Ama Dablam. He encouraged me to give my own slideshow which I was leary of doing. I wasn't sure if what I've done would be of interest to others, especially my non-climbing friends. And on the other hand I wondered if it would leave my more accomplished climbing partners bored. But I started to give it some thought and decided not to approach it from the standpoint of "I climbed this and this and then that..." I opted to give a presentation on who I've met climbing, threw in some great shots of my partners climbing and added some comic relief as well with a few of my photoshop jokes of friends. In one way it gave me an opportunity to show my non-climbing friends why I have turned into an obssessive climber for the past 3 years. And, I should have known that fellow climbers love seeing slideshows of other people climbing too.

Parties are interesting affairs as we get a tad older. They're no longer the drinking fests of times of old. Now it's more about people chatting around the food table. Well they *can* still be drinking fests, often they are about friends catching up or meeting someone for the first time. Since I do have friends and family that don't always have common interests I made everyone play a game. Everyone got a nametag on their back with a name or group and they had to ask other people questions about who was on their nametage. A person could only answer yes or no. If someone guessed correctly then they got to move the nametag to the front. I'm always pleased with how ice-breaker type games like these are so effective. It gives someone a reason to start talking with someone else they dont know.

The Harry Potter Jelly Bellys made an appearance as Mick gleefully made most party goers play Jelly Belly Roulette by grabbing a bean from the handful he was carrying. Some had relieved looks when they bit into a cherry or other *good* tasting jelly bean. Then there were the unfortunate few that got a taste of Vomit, Ear Wax or Earthworm. But it was good fun and generated lots of laughs.

With the party over, I am now musing over what is going to keep me busy for the next 2 months. I don't have any climbing objectives right now and I feel abit lost about it. If I was going to get philosophical Shamanically, I'm experiencing the void that is present before we change and move to new things. While I tend to find this space a tad uncomfortable, shamanically we are taught that it is a powerful time when dreams are seeded. A reflective time to listen to the whispering of spirit within.

Quiet, introspection is not always my strong suit so this will be a good challenge for me. Sometimes I ignore the inner challenges to go for the quick win of the physical realm. But for now I will let things be and see what happens. And hope someone else has a party soon.