I was tired by the time I arrived at the 100th Monkey Party.  I had had a long, full day, complete with early morning wake-up to get the house â€" and laundry â€" ready for the Significant One’s imminent return, some last minute deadline stuff, a trip into the office for some more stuff that helps me earn my paycheck, a trip in to Vin Grotto to meet the smart and fun Rock Zombie gang (and get the sacrificial Monkey wine), a trip in to Corina Bakery to pick up a welcome home “Mow the Grass” carrot cake, a trip back home to let puppy boys get some relief and to feed them â€" only to discover they’re out of food, and so then, to cook for them, a trip to the mother in law’s to hang out with me sweet though sad kid, and to bring sweet though sad kid PJs and her partially disemboweled Squishy, a stuffed dog Bill tried to kill that grandma said she would mend, and then, finally, a trip to Bamford and Bamford Pottery where said 100th Monkey Party was held.

I was tired, by the time I arrived, but then the excitement of a Monkey Party, and the energy and open welcome of my friends there acted like a triple shot Venti latte.

The venue was awesome for the event, with beauty and (clay) art surrounding us, and more art and garden inspiration outside.  Organizer Sue Pivetta reported that right around 300 people showed up, and yet the space felt open and the music (awesomely spun, and later played live, with a middle-eastern flair when the belly dancer appeared) was loud enough to be heard through the entire space, and the set-up at the wine counter was well-organized, though I heard the odd grumbling about the two-cup maximum.  For me, it worked out well, since I had pictures and notes to take (tasks made more difficult, when spilling wine) and an airport to drive to after 11.  It also seemed to work out well in the long run, with less congestion in the hooch line overall, and an apparent better flow of people  throughout the venue.

I thought, as first I recapped the evening for myself, that I didn’t meet the requisite three new people for all the reconnecting I was doing with established friends I hadn’t seen in a while.  But then I remembered that I had, and as the evening took my car (and me driving it) to the Tempest Lounge after-gathering, I met even more.

The thing about this 100th Monkey Party that made me so happy was that it felt like the first Monkey Parties I had been to â€" as intimate as you wanted it to be for conversation and re-connection, yet as social as you wanted it to be.

Sue Pivetta’s done a great job of reinventing the groundwork for the party each time it comes around, with the 100th Monkey herself for this event â€" the awesomely cutely expectant Johanna Gardner â€" organizing a hella-good time.  The next Monkey, picked out by the lucky tile (created by Houston Wimberly, each very different and very cool looking) was shrouded in secrecy (or confusion,) while the next venue could possibly be the outside of the Tacoma Art Museum.

And it looks like the Monkey Parties are sprouting wings and flying beyond Tacoma â€" news spread yesterday that Sean Starr, formerly of Tacoma, moved to California and brought the idea to Big Bear, a sleepy SoCal mountain town.

Today Tacoma, tomorrow the world.

How fun is that? â€" Jessica Corey-Butler