Lessons Learned - Pregremlin's BBQ Ultimate Classic

8/29/07 12:09 PM advice , fun , No Disintegrations , party , personal 0 Comments

Face removed to protect identity

A few weeks ago, we hosted several people for Pregremlin's BBQ Ultimate Classic. This all-encompassing event involved ultimate frisbee, a cookout, and ultimate Flip Cup. For those of you who have never played Flip Cup, look up some rules online and get started. It is by far one of the best party drinking games ever.

As with most events, there are always a few incidents that happen to make them totally memorable. I won't bore you with those details, but instead I'm going to offer some party tips based on lessons I learned from this event.

1. Candles and Drunks Don't Mix - In an effort to curtail the amount of bugs present for the Flip Cup Tournament, I placed several large citronella candles across the entrance created by the garage door being open. This worked wonders on the bugs, but I made the fatal mistake of mixing drunks and candles. We now have several large pools of wax created by stumbling. Luckily, we're not picky about those kinds of things, but learn from us and avoid using candles when people are drinking as much as possible. It could save you a flame engorged home.
2. The Host Must Oversee Sleeping Arrangements - Even if your party is only being attended by adults, you should still make sure everyone has a place to sleep and the materials necessary to do so. I made the mistake of placing blankets and pillows in a central location figuring folks would grab what they need and share the rest. The next day, I was enlightened by tales of blankets thieves, squatters, nests, and people sleeping it off in cars. Apparently material distribution and space claims were the biggest problem, along with lights being turned off before everyone was settled in. If you are the host, take a few minutes at the begining of the night to makes ure that everyone has an assigned spot to crash and the materials needed to do so.
3. Close Your Bedroom Door - People do strange things when they pass out. We could have had a very awkward momnet had we been awake at a certain time. The "Consular", as I will call him, somehow ventured into our bedroom during the night and passed out on the floor at the foot of our bed. He woke in this position and sheepishly removed himself while we were still safely asleep. Had he decided to climb in our bed, or if we had to amke a late night restroom visit, this could have been very awkward indeed.
4. Don't Make a Beer Run - If you have a keg, do not make a beer run when it's cashed. We cashed ours around midnight and because folks were still lively and playing games, we decided we could use beverage reinforcements. Being in no state to make those kinds of decisions, I erroneously purchased too many replacement libations and they are still residing in our fridge. Our goal is to now consume them before the next gathering.
5. Hide Your Cell Phone Charger - I placed my cell phone charger in a very safe place while cleaning for this event. In fact, it was so safe that I have not been able to locate it since and was forced to order a new one. I'm assuming that I am at fault in this instance, but it got me thinking. Everyone has cell phones now, so it could be easy for anyone to grab a charger thinking it belongs to them without checking to be sure. (If this happened in this case, please mail it to me). The best plan is to put it somewhere where no one else will be.
6. Things Happen When You Aren't Looking - As you can see in the picture above, anything that could possibly happen might at your event. Keep some emergency phone numbers handy in several locations in case your guests aren't as flexible as that guy. (Who rules for being able to perform this contortionist feat.)

Use these tips for your next event, and maybe you can be the host/hostess with the most/mostess. (Although the day after tales may not be as interesting).

*This is post 99. Check out post 100 and the mini-blog-athon starting at midnight.*