Tuesday, December 19, 2006

odd man out

family new year
(Evite list for 'A Family New Year's Party')

A friend of mine got married shortly after college, and they have had a tradition of having a New Years' Eve party ever since. I've lived elsewhere and have only been able to attend once, although he's kept me on the invite list every year. Reports of the party from the early years suggested that it was at least a slightly rowdy affair. Over time, and with the birth of two children, the name of the party has changed from something like "C. & J.'s New Years' Eve SuperMegaUltraBoozerBash!!!" to now being called "A Family New Year's Party." As you can see from the guest list above, one of the entries is not like the others. Ah, aging. Ah, the failure to make normative life course transitions.

12 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hey, at least you get invited to parties! ;) I will probably spend New Year's Eve by myself again, telling myself over and over again, "There is nothing wrong with being single, considering..." And then crying into my martini. This year MIGHT be different, but that's not a given at the rate I am going.

Anonymous said...

You can be "The Freese."

Anonymous said...

How come you don't count as part of the Freeses?

Anonymous said...

There always has to be one smart person in the group! I guess you're it!

Anonymous said...

Hmmm--you've only showed the "not yet replied" list, so the only thing I'd draw from this is that you are the only single invitee who has not yet responded. The overall composition of invitees remains unknown. That said, I agree with anon 1:47.

Anonymous said...

The Frozens

Anonymous said...

I agree with Anon 7:42. The "not yet replied" list just tells me that it's the families and the sociologists who can't get away for New Year's. You've got the distance excuse, those poor people with kids might live close enough, they just can't get a sitter.

(It still gave me a good laugh.)

Anonymous said...

Wow. Your friend certainly knows a lot of people named The. I wonder if it's short for Thea or Theo or both?

Hooray to you for having a unique name.

So, when/if you do make a normative life course transition, I also wonder if your family be listed as "The Freeses 2"?

I'm seeing the beginnings of a movie script and its sequel in this post.

Unknown said...

jennifer,
I'm afraid the single fellows get a lot more invites than the single gals. :)

A friend of mine contemplating divorce from her MD husband right before the holidays was shocked to see shortly thereafter 11 invitations addressed to him alone. Word had gotten out somehow. She thought twice and is still married.

Richard Lawrence Cohen said...

It's like a rock group dropping the "The" from their name. The Grateful Dead become Grateful Dead; The Rolling Stones, Rolling Stones.It's hip -- or at least it was in the 70s.

I come to you via Althouse, by the way.

Anonymous said...

You should refuse to attend unless the invitation is reworded to refer to you as "The Freese." You could be like a jaunty superhero.

Ann Althouse said...

Jeremy: That "Richard Lawrence Cohen" character is my ex-husband. I don't know if that's any solace. Solace for the solstice. But... anyway...