It's Party Time

Tonight is the company Christmas party. Well actually it's not the party for the whole company as I don't know too many places short of the Dunkin Donuts Center or the Boston Garden (the Fleet Center now?) where the whole company could be in one place. After all take 4 or 5 thousand people and their guests and you're starting to talk some serious numbers. So it's a party for my department (which numbers about 25) and their guests. It's at this Brazilian steak house in Tampa. Supposed to be a really great place for dinner and drinks and the like. I hope so.

Going off on a tangent, I have always loved how the Providence Civic Center is now the Dunkin Donuts Center. When I grew up in Rhode Island there were 4 or 5 Dunkin Donuts within a couple of miles of my home. So it's only fitting they named the civic center. It's where Providence College plays their home basketball games. And to show what an old fart I am, when I was young, Providence College played in a small arena on campus I think called Alumni Hall. The Civic Center was built in the early 70s and they were the primary tenant there outside of the occasional Elvis Concert and the Ice Capades. I even remember going to see the Providence Reds AHL hockey team when I was a tyke in a place called The Arena (yes that was the name) before the Civic Center was built. I remember when I was in high school someone bought The Arena and turned it into a Racquetball and indoor Tennis Club. Wonder if its still there.

Back to our regularly scheduled program. Since we will be over in Tampa anyway, I wonder if the wife wants to pay a visit over to the Hard Rock casino there for a little gambolling tonight after the party. Or maybe come back to Derby Lane for some poker. We both got up very early this morning so maybe we won't be up to it but we'll see. She is kinda broke with Xmas shopping and all but since I got paid for refereeing this past monday and then got my bonus from work yesterday, I've got a bit of extra cash left over even after doing most of my shopping as well.

So we'll play it by ear and see what happens. I'm sure some of the guys will want to continue to party after the party and may want to go over to the Hard Rock. Thing is, I live in Pinellas County which is west of Tampa across Tampa Bay. The restaurant is just a little ways over the bridge near Tampa Int'l Airport so it's on the west side of Tampa but the Hard Rock is across the city on the east side of Tampa. Its not like its a hugely long drive but the wife may not want to go out there late at night and if we're tired, I would much rather be driving back from Derby Lane, right down the street aways, than all the way across the bay and across Tampa

I'm kinda tired now so I think I'll try for a nap. For all you gamblers and for all of you looking for love types, stay lucky you nuts.