Musings
an Online Journal of Sorts
By Alyce Wilson
May 4, 2007 - Socializing and Shopping
My dad is in town for his annual medical conference, so I met with him last night to attend an alumni reception for his medical school.
The event was held at one of the hotels near the Valley Forge Convention Center.
Initially, we'd thought about making dinner reservations at Buca Di Beppo for him and whichever of his friends wanted to join us. But when his friends found out about the reception, they wanted to go to that instead.
In previous years, there'd been a big family style party on Thursday nights, but a venue change and budget considerations have toned things down. We had no idea what the alumni reception would promise, but at least it sounded a little more special than just a family style restaurant.
I wore the bone colored jacket with 3/4 sleeves that I bought recently, along with a great red top I got in my favorite consignment store in Media, which had a flowered band around the waist and some Asian-style flourishes. I paired this with a black skirt with white polka dots and handkerchief hemline and my grandmother's jade elephant necklace, along with lime green high-heeled sandal slingbacks.
The room was fairly small, and I had arrived about 10 minutes late, so all the tables were already full. Dad and I got a glass of wine and headed to the central island to collect some cheese and fruit while waiting for his friends, namely The Life of the Party, his wife and daughter. My dad attended med school with The Life of the Party, who graduated the year after him, and they share a lot of fond memories.
We also found a turkey station, so between that, the vegetables, cheese and bread we got plenty to eat. It just wasn't a sit-down meal. Both my dad and The Life of the Party's family agreed they were happy to eat a little lighter, since they've been getting a lot of rich food at the convention. I was pleased, too, because I knew Friday would be the big banquet, which is more of a splurge.
Since no tables had opened up, we took up a corner near one of the windows, where we could set our plates and glasses on the windowsill. Of course, they all wanted to know how my wedding plans have been going, so I filled them in. The women especially seemed interested, and I told them all about the plans for a retrofuturistic reception.
We also spent a lot of time sharing stories about our dogs, since we're all animal lovers. They all have quirky habits, so it was a lot of fun swapping stories.
The daughter, whom I'll call The Artisan, has been working several jobs, including selling popcorn at street fairs, tutoring and making and selling jewelry and crafts. We talked a lot about making beaded necklaces, which is something my sister introduced me to a while ago. I still have some of the beautiful necklaces she made me. Every year, I wish that my sister could meet the Artisan, because they have so many things in common. They even have the same body type, as I discovered later in the evening when we all went shopping.
It was a pretty low-key event, this reception. They only made us sit through one speech. So actually, I preferred it to what they've done in recent years, where they treated doctors and their family to dinner and a show in the now extinct Lily Langtrey Theater. We had to spend a lot of our evening watching a performance and being quiet, instead of socializing, which I prefer.
When they began putting away the food and drinks, and people drifted away, we all decided to go shopping at the King of Prussia Mall, since it was only 8:30. We all piled in the old burgundy Cadillac owned by The Life of the Party, with the wife driving.
The Artisan and I found a sale at New York & Co., buy one, get one half price. I found a pair of dark denim cropped pants that come just below the knee. They'll be great casual clothes as it gets a little warmer. I also got a pair in aqua. The Artisan didn't have as much luck, though, because they didn't have any petite shorts.
The wife generally hung out with us, trying on things, and the men stuck to themselves, shopping first in FYE and then at a sports memorabilia store. The wife caught up with them while The Artisan and I checked out Victoria's Secret. I wanted to see what sort of body shapers they offer, which I'll need to wear under my wedding dress. I was happy to discover there were several options, so I'll no doubt be able to find something that works for me when I go looking before my first dress fitting in June.
Last, we checked out the sale racks in Ann Taylor. I didn't expect to find anything, because I thought they mostly sold petite clothes. My main familiarity with the store is my sister, who also buys petites. Turns out they have regular clothes as well, and I found a black eyelet knee-length pleated skirt that looked great. I got that, along with a pair of black and brown dangling earrings that were also on sale.
The store is a little more upscale than those I frequent, and the sales people were really solicitous, setting aside a dressing room for us and offering help more than once. I'm not used to this sort of treatment, so it made me a little uncomfortable. I noticed, though, that they also sell formal and semiformal wear. Something to remember for the next time I need something like that.
We had a good time chatting and browsing, and when the stores closed, we moved on to the Rock Bottom Restaurant and Brewery to have a drink or two. We took a corner booth and ordered a round. I tried their light beer and found it tasty. You could hardly tell it was a light beer. I followed that with a diet Pepsi with a slice of lemon.
I don't know how long we stayed, but it must have been another couple hours. I think the stores close at 9, and we didn't get back to the hotel until about 11.
There, I followed Dad to his room so he could show me the shoes he got while when he went shoe shopping the previous day with the Life of the Party's family. They were really nice formal shoes, and The Life of the Party had suggested he could wear them with his rented tuxedo to my wedding. I told him that yes, they would work really well for that, if he wanted to. Dad, however, said he thinks he'd rather look like everyone else and get the same shoes. At least he has a very nice pair to wear with the tuxedo he already owns.
By this time, it was getting pretty late, so I made plans to meet Dad tomorrow and hugged him goodnight.
More Musings from my Dad's visit:
Moral:
Petite people need shorter shorts.
Copyright
2006 by Alyce Wilson
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