I’m sad to say there won’t be one this year, for the first time in several years.

Between the stress of waking up early, working 12-hour days, and playing the gracious host, I realized that I wasn’t really enjoying the parties the way I used to. Additionally, takaza is basically going to be working second shift in his job with the convention, and he was the one who really helped make these happen – I wouldn’t want to host a party without him.

This makes me kind of sad, because I loved the company and it was always fun to find new and interesting (and tasty!) potables. But I also realized that the time spent hosting was time that I wasn’t able to socialize with my other friends who are hosting their own parties (I can think of several ongoing parties I’ve had to miss every year due to the conflict!). I’m hoping that by taking a break I can maybe be a little more social and enjoy the company of friends who I don’t get to see as often as I’d like. We’ll see how things go.