The Pink Cooler

I just remembered a story from our glory days as young staffers in Albany. We booked the Speaker’s conference room for a staff party, about 65 of us, and Dennis, office mate, and I were organizing. Dennis had a recipe for this nasty pink punch and I was the only person on staff who had a real punch bowl.

The lone punch bowl and ladle (at 22 I had this stuff from family) were brought in but Dennis decided he was going to make the brew in a five gallon water bottle and serve it in the Speaker’s water cooler.

For weeks afterwards the very important ladies in the Speaker’s office said their water was pink and they didn’t know why (they probably also got a nice buzz going by afternoon). So I’m guessing the statute of limitations allows me to tell that story now.

We also had a big fight about who was going to cater the summer staff bbq. It cost us each $5, exhorbitant! OK so it was five bucks for a single gal and the same amount for a family of five. There goes the raise issue again.

Come event time massive rainstorms were forecasted so we scheduled a conference room and instead of a caterer for 100+ people each “team” would do their own thing. So I made vichysoisse and cucumber canapes as part of an elegant 6-course meal, and one team member brought in a silver candelabra and salt and pepper shakers and I think I added great-grandma’s embroidered linen tablecloth.

Everyone else had sandwiches or stuff they bought at the cafeteria. They thought we were nuts. Sometimes one needs to be outrageous.

Recently a couple of young friends described a barbeque with no tools, no plates…. To my chagrin I realized that my pantry includes a plumbing key for the grills and fireplace, gas torch, enough plastic plates and cups and utensils for fifty, matching napkins and grill tools that show that yes, I’m an adult now. Dee